Game 14: AT ODU, Jan 4th, 7 PM, NO TV

[Washingtonian]

I do not recall a time in the history
of the boards a drinking game get developed over hoops.

 

[gmutom]

Couple of stats that jump out:

--We only hit 2 of our 13 shots from behind the arc (15%)
--Jenkins, Marko and Copes scored a combined 4 points (Copes had 0)

Tough to win games when you shoot 39% overall and struggle to score from deep and in the paint.

 

[PoorManProfit]

Dopes sucks. He should have been dismissed from team. He is an embarrassment to a fine institution of higher learning.

 

[Harry]

Couple of stats that jump out:

--We only hit 2 of our 13 shots from behind the arc (15%)
--Jenkins, Marko and Copes scored a combined 4 points (Copes had 0)

Tough to win games when you shoot 39% overall and struggle to score from deep and in the paint.

Unbelievable that three front-court players totalled 4 points...how many did J2 add?

Remember the old days with the 3 point tracker hanging from the mezzanine, always showing between 5 to 8 threes per game...

 

[GMUSSTN]

Dopes sucks. He should have been dismissed from team. He is an embarrassment to a fine institution of higher learning.

Dopes is the personification of the program: so much talent and no skills to back it up.

 

[JimP]

Couple of stats that jump out:

--We only hit 2 of our 13 shots from behind the arc (15%)
--Jenkins, Marko and Copes scored a combined 4 points (Copes had 0)

Tough to win games when you shoot 39% overall and struggle to score from deep and in the paint.

I don't know much about ODU's frontcourt, but I went on ODU's message boards prior to the game and one poster was actually scared of GMU's frontcourt. Sad. Either he didn't realize how crappy GMU's is, or Hewitt didn't have his team ready to exploit ODU's own crappy frontcourt. I vote for a combination of the two. Four points is pathetic, even from our offensively limited bunch.

 

[Quentin Daniels]

Unbelievable that three front-court players totalled 4 points...how many did J2 add?

I still have Konkol on my twitter feed. His tweet a few months back was L had coached an all conference big man in 14 of his last 16 seasons. It made me want to cry a little.

 

[Patriot Lawdog]

Boy am I glad I forgot this game was going on. It's games like this one that have done this to me. I'm almost at the totally uninterested point. Maybe it will make the next 18 months go by faster that way.

 

[KAOriginal]

OCM just tweeted he got sports psychologist Bob Rotella to offer 1/2 price sessions for Mason fans.....

 

[gmutom]

Unbelievable that three front-court players totalled 4 points...how many did J2 add?

J2 quietly had a nice game with 8 points and 10 boards. Unfortunately, like all of our big men, he picked up a lot of dumb fouls and was disqualified.

 

[Harry]

Thanks, Tom...at least that makes 12 points out of our front court!

 

[GMUgemini]

Couple of stats that jump out:

--We only hit 2 of our 13 shots from behind the arc (15%)
--Jenkins, Marko and Copes scored a combined 4 points (Copes had 0)

Tough to win games when you shoot 39% overall and struggle to score from deep and in the paint.

Six of those misses came from the hands of Sherrod Wright...

And why is it that we can't have everyone firing on all cylinders ever? Where was Jalen this game, Patrick, Moore, Marko? Can we find a freaking starting five who can all play together, is that so hard?

This team is just a confluence of bad.

 

[gmutom]

Six of those misses came from the hands of Sherrod Wright...

Sherrod definitely didn't have a great shooting night, but the good thing was he wasn't hesitant like he had been the last five games. In fact, this is as assertive as we have seen him in almost a month. It was nice to see him going strong to the basket, especially on the one dunk.

Like you said, though, it would be nice if we could everybody playing well the same game. Not sure how much longer we can go without getting any production from our PGs. I was hoping Moore would change things, but that hasn't been the case.

 

[Patriotfan49]

I was hoping Moore would change things, but that hasn't been the case.

Man, how many times have we been on that end of that hope lately?

 

[Patriotsince81]

Does anyone here have access to the team? If so, what are the players saying about what is going on? What are the coaches saying and trying to do to reverse the current course?

 

[GMUgemini]

Sherrod definitely didn't have a great shooting night, but the good thing was he wasn't hesitant like he had been the last five games. In fact, this is as assertive as we have seen him in almost a month. It was nice to see him going strong to the basket, especially on the one dunk.

Like you said, though, it would be nice if we could everybody playing well the same game. Not sure how much longer we can go without getting any production from our PGs. I was hoping Moore would change things, but that hasn't been the case.

No, I agree about Sherrod, was nice to see him actually playing some basketball for once.

The sad thing is there was no one out there last night who could help him out, especially at the 3 (or simply refuse to shoot it, even if they're wide open -- I'm looking at you Corey). I'm not sure how or why we have so many guards who are bad behind the arc. We've got Holloway and...anyone, anyone...Buehler. ODU rightly covered Holloway up on the 3 and forced him to put it on the deck. Smart move by Jones. If Allen, Sherrod, Moore, Corey, or literally anyone else could take the pressure of Holloway we probably win this game easily.

I don't think our forwards are as unskilled as people think. Our guards can't get the ball into the low post when our forwards post up -- it's like they've never even heard of an entry pass -- and when they finally do, the defense has already reset.

And we don't swing the ball quick enough to open shooters on the outside either.

It makes the game much harder when you don't know how to pass the ball.

And don't get me started on the defense and poor positioning and reaching in and flying off the ground for no reason trying to swat balls into the Atlantic Ocean.

 

[Masonman]

I read this in the Post (about the Knicks) and it immediately brought this year's Mason team to mind. Just insert A10 instead of NBA:
“This has looked like a bush league organization much of the year, they don’t play with much effort at all, a very uninspired team. … They are probably in the worst situation of any team in the NBA right now.” – Former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy on the Brooklyn Nets

 

[Cool Disco Dan]

Not sure how much longer we can go without getting any production from our PGs. I was hoping Moore would change things, but that hasn't been the case.

Moore only played 13 minutes; last game he played 16. Edwards has played the same total minutes (29) over the last two. If you're going to make a switch at PG, MAKE IT. Put Moore out there for 22-24 minutes a night. Let him make some mistakes. Don't make him the starter and then sit him for 10 mins in the 2nd half against Penn and the last 14 mins yesterday. IMO, THIS is the problem. It's not Xs and Os, not the system, not the assistants, not the talent on the team. It's that the coach is so damn indecisive, the players aren't sure what the hell their role is.

Anali plays sparingly, yet has finished 5 close games (and could've finished a 6th in the Penn game according to Jollay). You can't find more than 1-2 mins for him in the first half, but expect him to come in at the end of the game to secure the biggest rebound of the game and make a quick outlet pass?

 

[gmutom]

Moore only played 13 minutes; last game he played 16. Edwards has played the same total minutes (29) over the last two. If you're going to make a switch at PG, MAKE IT. Put Moore out there for 22-24 minutes a night. Let him make some mistakes.

I agree with you on this, Dan. I just wish Moore would come out more assertively at the beginning to set the tone early on. I know that's putting a lot on a true freshman, but he really hasn't provided a solution to our slow starts most of us hoped he might. We are definitely on the same page that playing more minutes would make him more comfortable. I can't imagine he is going to get much sleep the night before the vcu game.

 

[Quentin Daniels]

Speaking of Edwards, what the heck has happened to his 3 pt. shooting?

He's never been a gunner, but when able to set his feet and get a clean look, he knocked them down pretty regularly. He was .500 last season vs. .267 this season and that's on fewer attempts per game as well.