Game 2: GMU (1-0) vs Belmont (1-0) on Friday, November 27, at 2PM.
- Thread starter Patriotsince81
- Start date
Parenting took me away from most of the second half thank goodness. This is getting old. 34 points in the first 12 minutes, 33 points in the last 28. Once they stopped the runouts we couldn't get good looks.
Hartwell with 4 points on 9 shots is killer. There are bad games, and there are "that can't happen again" games. At least Miller looked good and assertive- if we're gonna be any good this year it starts with Miller taking the reins and getting up 10+ shots every game. Hope he understands that and doesn't think this result is because he shot too much.
Hartwell with 4 points on 9 shots is killer. There are bad games, and there are "that can't happen again" games. At least Miller looked good and assertive- if we're gonna be any good this year it starts with Miller taking the reins and getting up 10+ shots every game. Hope he understands that and doesn't think this result is because he shot too much.
that’s a good point too. He’s going to have to improve a lot. Or they’ll have to double or try and deny the post.
Through two games (which have felt like a lifetime at this point) I just don’t see too many lineups where hartwell can get minutes anymore. I think he can give XJ a breather for 8-10 a game and not much else besides that. They certainly can’t be on the court at the same time. If you get a chance to rewatch, pay attention to what happens to Hartwell off the ball on defense. He can’t stop his man from cutting, which pulls someone a half step away to prepare to help, then when they swing the ball it all falls apart because we are a half step out of position. If he were a lights out shooter they might be able to make it work but for an average to slightly below average offensive player who is slumping it’s just hard to justify minutes for him at this point when it’s clear there are other options coming off the bench at the 2/3 who can guard those positions too. I never thought we’d be seeing a Hartwell/XJ starting lineup and I don’t really see the logic behind it.
My enthusiasm for this season is quickly fading. Bleah
It’s Belmont, so yes.
Where are the updates on Polite, AJ, and overall news and notes on the team? Gaintkiller, By george etc. Shouldn't we have known about Polite before this tourney started? Nobody covers this program bc we suck and DP is small time. Who am I kidding.
FreeGunston12
All-American
They were struggling to score in the second half so thats probably why they wanted to try Oduro more out there with the hope he could help the offense.
Regardless, a shit sandwich of a game to say the least. How you can go up 14 and lose by 10 is pretty f**king special. I get Belmont is really good, and I'm glad they looked better than yesterday, but they still lost to a team that is similar to A10 level competition.
Pablo
Hall of Famer
https://gomason.com/news/2020/11/27/belmont-pushes-past-mens-basketball-77-67.aspx:
"'We played exceptionally well for the first 13 minutes – we had energy, emotion and excitement, but we still have to play disciplined basketball,' head coach Dave Paulsen said. 'We went for the home run and took some poor shots late in the first half and lost our edge defensively. You're going to have tough shooting performances like we did and we just need to keep getting better.'
The Patriots were at their best when attacking and converted an impressive 70.3 percent (16-27) of their two-point attempts. But Mason struggled from beyond the arc (2-23, .087) and could not hit key shots which would've given the Patriots a chance to win the game down the stretch.
Mason used its three-quarter court press effectively, registering a whopping 14 steals while forcing 19 Belmont turnovers. But the Bruins turned Mason over 11 times in the second half and shot 52.8 percent (28-53) for the game."
"'We played exceptionally well for the first 13 minutes – we had energy, emotion and excitement, but we still have to play disciplined basketball,' head coach Dave Paulsen said. 'We went for the home run and took some poor shots late in the first half and lost our edge defensively. You're going to have tough shooting performances like we did and we just need to keep getting better.'
The Patriots were at their best when attacking and converted an impressive 70.3 percent (16-27) of their two-point attempts. But Mason struggled from beyond the arc (2-23, .087) and could not hit key shots which would've given the Patriots a chance to win the game down the stretch.
Mason used its three-quarter court press effectively, registering a whopping 14 steals while forcing 19 Belmont turnovers. But the Bruins turned Mason over 11 times in the second half and shot 52.8 percent (28-53) for the game."
A major glaring weakness of Mason is their absence of guard play. With the exception of fast breaks and a Koler/Javon basket , I cant remember one drive to the basket by Johnson or Hartwell. Then consider Hartwells missed shots. I say it is an opportunity for Koler to start. He is playing hard and has more shot discipline. To me this won't happen because of Paulson's approach. However this would be the time to try some changes. Also, give Henry more minutes, we need rebounding.
I'm not saying that I disagree with you necessarily, it's just wild that we are looking to rely on Freshman this early on in the season when our major strength was supposed to be experienced depth.
XJ, Javon, Miller, AJ, Oduro should be the starting 5 (that is once AJ is cleared to play).
Unfortunately, unlike the L years, “experienced” doesn’t necessarily translate into “good” anymore.
That is our most talented lineup by far. Jamal to spot minutes from XJ to give him a breather, Kolek spot minutes at the 2, Dady at the 3 and 4, Calixte subbing at the 5, and Henry subbing at the 4.
That's a 10 man rotation, which is the most I think we should realistically be seeing to give guys a chance to get into a rhythm.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #178
I would like to see what Polite can do. If he comes through I'd have him take Jamal's minutes.
Interested in seeing it, but if all else is equal, I'd prefer Hartwells experience coming off the bench. But who knows if all else is equal there.
Wonder when he'll get healthy. I'm personally not interested in seeing him rushed in. I'm still having nightmares about the Reuter hip issues. Give him time to heal fully so we don't wonder what happened to his explosiveness, which from what I remember, is the selling point in his game.
Pablo
Hall of Famer
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Doc Nix and the Green Machine
Bill Bride - DMV Sports Shots
Patriot Brew Blog/Newsletter