MBB falls to Pitt on the road 63-59 (story up)

[ReverendRemulak 40]

3 hours ago, AtlantaTiger said:

However, it does beg the question, how come Pat Skerry teams are historically woeful at the free throw line? How come launching ill-advised 3s is a Pat Skerry-approved strategy?

My thoughts exactly. 55% FT is so bad and looks worse in the context of a 4 point loss. Though Pitt was also awful at the line so it’s sort of a wash. Some of our offensive possessions remind me of playing pick up ball with dudes who think they’re Steph Curry. Here’s hoping we make the right adjustments and sort out the shooting woes. 

[tualum 108]

We should have won this game but due to the same ole same ole (FTs and poor 3 pt shooting) we left a win on the table. Most admit this team does look more prolific in terms of passing and athleticism then Skerry squads in the past. Interested to see how the season pans out. But with past history, I can see us flaming out in the end. Maybe I'll be proven wrong this time around but who knows..

[TuTigers2012 1,062]

2 hours ago, TTiger2024 said:

dont mind me, just here to make lemonade (tricky task with this group !) 

We lost in a close game, AT PITT.  which is historically, and STILL is a tough place to play.  (FYI - we covered, again. 3-1 ATS).  I realize Pitt is down  ...but did anyone REALLY have a "W" pencilled in AT PITT (if so, lol....you are in for a looong year).

2021 - not 100% sure of my exact quote, but stand by the thesis:  we got several guys that CAN get 15 on any night (not avg, that would be a dream).  its a small sample size, but you should be able to see the skill level & ability of the guys that can:  Holden, Nolan, Timber, Gibson (cant imagine you'd argue with those 4); and with a decent 3 ball/free throw night, you can add Rizz, Gray, and CT????   I'm just saying, GREAT balance here, like we got good players.  some in the past were just painful to watch.  weight lifters and not ballers.   I wasn't arnd for the Benimon years (have seen highlights,..MONSTA !) - but you gotta like this team more than any since him....no?

 

and AtlantaTiger; looks like I'm gonna need to add vodka to your lemonade (and/or assist w/ the dump in yur pants):  The entire board is talking about improved talent (coaches apparently hit the transfer wire hard) and ball movement/pace-of-play and you wanna blame the coach after losing AT PITT. 4 games in, conf play yet to start.....hang in there, they aint gonna win'm all, but its gonna be a fun team that will be well north of their pre-season conf ranking.

 

if anyone needs some positivity arnd the holidayz....i'm be here.  and (may not surprise you), i like our chances v UPENN !

12. But yeah pretty much anyone who plays basketball could score 15 on any given night haha. We have 1 scorer on our team and a bunch of role players. Thompson snd Gibson  been major disappointments so far 

[mat1992 2,233]

BTW, facts are facts. Towson has not been a good three-point shooting team under Skerry. It would be nice to get a Gary Neal-type who can score from anywhere, but we're never had that type of guy as a four-year player. Ever. You can go the Hofstra route and get small guards that can shoot the lights out, but defensively are shaky so you have to play zone. Certainly the hope is that Gibson can be a poor man's Jalen Ray, who is only 6-2, 175. 

Free throw shooting this year is at 70.2%. Holden, who has been fantastic, is shooting 54% from the field, 64% from the line and a respectable 4-13 from 3pt. Timberlake has been the best 3-point shooter thus far at 7-17 (41%). Nolan is off to a rough start shooting 4-21 from three (19%), 64% from the line and 34% overall. Gibson isn't much better at 29% from 3pt and 35% from the field. Of course, he went to the line all the time, we'd be in great shape (13-15). Rizzuto is a career 36% 3pt shooter and is at just 3-16 (19%).

I think free throw shooting is poor or mediocre for a lot of teams, but analytics tell us that a mid-range shot is a bad shot. So who shoots 15-footers anymore? Only time they do it is at the foul line. Everybody is jacking up 3s or trying to get to the rim.

Two seasons ago, we had our best shooting team and shot 77% from the line. Last season was miserable and we still shot 72% from the line. Agree that it's been subpar in the past. No team should be shooting under 70% from the line, but I think we're getting better in that department mainly due to the transfers. Of course, we stunk last night from the line.

Going back to last year, Holden at UT-Martin was not a good shooter (42% from the field, 25% from 3pt), but shot 72% from the line. Nolan shot 81% from the line and 34% from the 3-pt line at Bradley. I wonder if he's better shooting mid-range jumpers instead of taking tough shots near the basket. Rizzuto shot 72% from the line and 36.2% from 3pt (42% FG) at Albany.  We have some decent shooters. We don't have a Gary Neal or a Jalen Ray. You can win without those guys but need more from post players like Thompson. But we played just the way we need to play yesterday. Ball movement, full and three-quarter pressure, extra passes. We couldn't turn them over much, but against a mid-major, pressing could be successful. 

[TuTigers2012 1,062]

41 minutes ago, mat1992 said:

BTW, facts are facts. Towson has not been a good three-point shooting team under Skerry. It would be nice to get a Gary Neal-type who can score from anywhere, but we're never had that type of guy as a four-year player. Ever. You can go the Hofstra route and get small guards that can shoot the lights out, but defensively are shaky so you have to play zone. Certainly the hope is that Gibson can be a poor man's Jalen Ray, who is only 6-2, 175. 

Free throw shooting this year is at 70.2%. Holden, who has been fantastic, is shooting 54% from the field, 64% from the line and a respectable 4-13 from 3pt. Timberlake has been the best 3-point shooter thus far at 7-17 (41%). Nolan is off to a rough start shooting 4-21 from three (19%), 64% from the line and 34% overall. Gibson isn't much better at 29% from 3pt and 35% from the field. Of course, he went to the line all the time, we'd be in great shape (13-15). Rizzuto is a career 36% 3pt shooter and is at just 3-16 (19%).

I think free throw shooting is poor or mediocre for a lot of teams, but analytics tell us that a mid-range shot is a bad shot. So who shoots 15-footers anymore? Only time they do it is at the foul line. Everybody is jacking up 3s or trying to get to the rim.

Two seasons ago, we had our best shooting team and shot 77% from the line. Last season was miserable and we still shot 72% from the line. Agree that it's been subpar in the past. No team should be shooting under 70% from the line, but I think we're getting better in that department mainly due to the transfers. Of course, we stunk last night from the line.

Going back to last year, Holden at UT-Martin was not a good shooter (42% from the field, 25% from 3pt), but shot 72% from the line. Nolan shot 81% from the line and 34% from the 3-pt line at Bradley. I wonder if he's better shooting mid-range jumpers instead of taking tough shots near the basket. Rizzuto shot 72% from the line and 36.2% from 3pt (42% FG) at Albany.  We have some decent shooters. We don't have a Gary Neal or a Jalen Ray. You can win without those guys but need more from post players like Thompson. But we played just the way we need to play yesterday. Ball movement, full and three-quarter pressure, extra passes. We couldn't turn them over much, but against a mid-major, pressing could be successful. 

It’s got to be the system being ran. Pretty much every d1 transfer who has come here shot worse than where they did before. Most players here longer than 2 years rarely develop; mike, Zane?  Davis a bit. 

[Chris Datres 423]

Zane developed?  Maybe into a ball-hogging offense killer. 

[Bay Area Tiger 347]

56 minutes ago, Chris Datres said:

Zane developed?  Maybe into a ball-hogging offense killer. 

I had heard the previous New Mexico staff had promised Skerry a steak dinner in Vegas for the Zane trade but now with Pitino in charge no gifts of any sorts to be accepted by Towson. 

Edited November 20, 2021 by Bay Area Tiger

[mat1992 2,233]

Look, you can talk system an blah blah blah every players gets worse. How many transfers from mid-majors programs or any programes have we had (Zane doesn't count) that comes here after averaging double digits in points? Three guys have and we can throw them out after four games. I'll wait. Let's start naming them. One player averaged double digits in mid-major ball (Four McGlynn). No jucos please. Not one achieved as much as Rizzuto (2nd team All-Conf. first team All Def. 12ppg), Nolan and Holden. Paar did not average double digits, but he did start in nearly all of his games at GW in his first two seasons. If anybody watched the game last night, that was a different team than the last few years. Ball movement was really strong. If we make shots, we're easily over 20 assists. I mean it would be nice to run the Princeton offense and go backdoor, but what big man handles it well enough to run that? We got our guys open shots and that's all you can ask. You aren't going to beat a decent-sized Pitt team with this type of team by driving to the basket and getting fouled (save for Holden). You have to make outside shots esp. against the zone to at least get them out of the zone. 

So Four was the only one who averaged DD and had a solid career. Probably misplaced at point guard but he was solid.

Four McGlynn (12ppg)

Demetrius Mims

Arnaud William Adala Moto

Juwan Gray

Deshaun Morman

Nakye Sanders

Victor Uaelanymo

Cam Allen

AJ Astroth. 

Josh Ivory (did start out at Cleveland State)

Jerrelle Benimon

Mike Burwell

[griggey20 178]

On 11/20/2021 at 2:13 PM, TuTigers2012 said:

It’s got to be the system being ran. Pretty much every d1 transfer who has come here shot worse than where they did before. Most players here longer than 2 years rarely develop; mike, Zane?  Davis a bit. 

You don't think we got good looks when we ran an offense against Pitt???

When someone tried to play 1 on 1 it was ugly but if you think Skerry is promoting that i have some beach front land in Iowa to sell ya. 

We are getting good looks and they are not airballs and off the backboard.  I am waiting for Rizzuto to get more comfortable, I think he can be that guy to space the floor.  Timberlake has been really good in my eyes, he forces at times but for the most part he has been aggressive coming off screens ready to shoot. 

I like this team, I have been disappointed with CT thus far but feel like he needs that one good game to snap out of it.  Pitt was too big for that to be the game, I am hoping Penn will give him that opportunity. 

[TuTigers2012 1,062]

3 hours ago, griggey20 said:

You don't think we got good looks when we ran an offense against Pitt???

When someone tried to play 1 on 1 it was ugly but if you think Skerry is promoting that i have some beach front land in Iowa to sell ya. 

We are getting good looks and they are not airballs and off the backboard.  I am waiting for Rizzuto to get more comfortable, I think he can be that guy to space the floor.  Timberlake has been really good in my eyes, he forces at times but for the most part he has been aggressive coming off screens ready to shoot. 

I like this team, I have been disappointed with CT thus far but feel like he needs that one good game to snap out of it.  Pitt was too big for that to be the game, I am hoping Penn will give him that opportunity. 

No. System was not the correct word. This year we have had many good looks but haven’t hit anything from deep.  Usually it’s bad looks with bad shooters