Jump to content
Buffalo Bulls - UB Fan Forum

Charleston Classic (Buffalo vs. UCONN 11/21 @ 9:00PM)


961819

Recommended Posts

1 minute ago, ubbulls08 said:

UConn is good. We look nearly as good so far. If we hit some of those layups we'd be up by 4 or 6 right now.

Gotta keep up the tempo in the second half. UConn much bigger and may wear out.

That’s exactly what I was thinking. Big men get winded a lot quicker than guards do, hopefully we can keep running and get them all gassed 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, 961819 said:

Regardless of the outcome, this is a very talented, potential top 25 team and we gave them a hell of a game despite the early foul trouble. 

Yes I agree UConn is a potentially top 25 team and we hung right there, but I honestly felt we could and should have won that game. We shot the ball extremely poorly, especially in the second half.  Some really bad shot selection especially by Johnson, he’s gotta stop taking contested poor shots. Segu and Jeenathan had poor offensive games. Mballa was a beast and him getting in foul trouble definitely hurt as we are lacking depth there. Some defensive lapses too. Hopefully they learn from this, but you clearly see we have the talent just a matter of putting it together and playing smart.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, UB77 said:

I kept wishing Massingburg was there to take control at the end of the game. Instead it was wild shots, forced shots and just terrible panicking shots.

It's a long way to March though.

Couldn’t agree more. I kept thinking back to the WVU and Syracuse games last year. When we needed a bucket bad, he got us one. This years team needs to find that guy still. I’m not convinced Graves is the guy yet but then again I haven’t been convinced by anyone yet. Still a long way to go but we need that definitive go-to guy soon!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Ivantheturrible said:

Couldn’t agree more. I kept thinking back to the WVU and Syracuse games last year. When we needed a bucket bad, he got us one. This years team needs to find that guy still. I’m not convinced Graves is the guy yet but then again I haven’t been convinced by anyone yet. Still a long way to go but we need that definitive go-to guy soon!

CJ was so good.  He was definitely missed last night.     I think Graves feels the weight to be “that guy” and he isn’t there yet.   But CJ was an all-time great for UB.   Very hard to replace that.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My thoughts on last nights game versus UCONN:

Defense on the perimeter remained strong.  Hard fought game that both teams fought hard for.  Post defense was bad, especially once Mballa got in foul trouble.  We did not move the ball very well at all, only 9 assists for the team.  For a game we shot poorly (36% fg and 21% 3pt fg) it was impressive we were competitive for as long as we were against a very good UConn team.  We were out rebounded 40 to 48 and most of that was a factor of Mballa only playing 16 minutes because of foul trouble.  Our guards, especially Graves are doing adequate to try to rebound and help the bigs but we need more from both Hardnett and Grant.  The team limited turnovers to only 9 and was 11 for 13 from charity stripe.  Overall I am happy with this performance.  If we shot the ball better and keep Mballa out of foul trouble, we win that game.  As we have discussed all season this team will take time to figure things out.  One of the ways to expedite this learning process is to lose close games.  I think this team continues to get better.

I would have liked to have seen coach go to the full court pressure earlier in the game.  Change it up when things are not working.  Also, when Hardnett is in the game are we only allowed to do a high screen and role with the point guard.  For some reason that seems to be the go to when Hardnett is in the game.  I know he does set a pretty strong screen and is athletic but maybe mix in something else.  Whitesell reminds me a bit of Brad Stevens in his ability to draw up a nice play after a timeout.    He did this several times last night and has over the last few games.  each time it has resulted in an easy bucket when we needed one.  I felt like we settled for too many jumpers early in the second half.  UConn could not keep us from penetrating the rim and we should have taken advantage of that when the shots were not falling.  We did miss too many easy buckets attacking the rim especially in the first half, but constant pressure at the rim would lead to free throws.  I think at the end of the game we realized that and took advantage but at that point it was too late.

Mballa-He needs to stay out of foul trouble.  Without him on the floor we have NO interior presence at all.  Without him in the paint our defense is porous.  Hardnett and Grant at this point are not able to defend the post.  I liked his aggressiveness last night especially on the offensive end.  Mballa strikes me as the type of player that plays better with a  chip on his shoulder.  I would love to see him play that way more often.  Josh will be the best defensive player in this conference for years to come and offensively he is a much better player than I expected.  This kid has a big future.

Williams-I think he is starting to figure out what will make him successful.  Attacking off the dribble and not settling for jump shots.  His length and quickness of the dribble are his strengths and he seems to be figuring that out.  He struggled in the first half with the UConn length but seemed to figure it out in the second half.  I like how hard he attacks the offensive glass when his teammates take a shot, although I wish he would stop grabbing the rim each time.   

Graves-I felt like Javon settled for too many jump shots last night.  He could have gotten to the rim anytime he wanted.  This would have got him to the free throw line.  Javon is in for a huge year.  He is trying to figure out how to lead a team and once he does, watch out.   His ability to rebound from the guard position has been a crucial part of our success thus far.  We are asking a lot of Javon but he can handle the work load.  At this point he is playing a ton of minutes as well. 

Johnson-Coach clearly noticed a miss match in the second half and asked Johnson to attack off the dribble.  I thought he did a good job of looking to get to the rim and finishing through contact.  I wish he had continued to attack off the dribble instead of settling for threes down the stretch.  He took some ill advised shots down the stretch.  He is a much better player when attacking off the dribble.  I have seen improvements in his defense as well.

Jordan-He needs to look to attack off the dribble more often.  He is so smooth at getting to the rim with either hand.  He missed some easy ones last night.  he also had a few sweet dropp off passes for easy baskets.  Good things typically happen when he attacks off the dribble.  I will never understand how a player can shoot over 35% from 3 and shoot under 20% from Free throw line.  I just don't get it, makes no sense.  His free throw form is a nitemare.

Grant-I have to say he has been the most disappointing plater on the team this year.  He is so one dimensional on offense.  He is a spot up jump shooter nothing more.  He does not have a strong handle and has very slow foot speed.  For his size he is a very weak rebounder and he plays soft.  I have been very unimpressed with his ability to defend.  Case in point, watch the last play of the first half last night.  Terrible effort on defense, no other way to describe it.  He will continue to lose minutes until he can buy in and start working on defense and provide some rebounding help. 

Hardnett-He was asked to play more minutes than usual last night because of the foul trouble for Mballa.  I thought he rebounded the ball better than I have seen him especially on the offense end.  He needs to improve on his interior defense.  I cannot help but feel like I am watching a player hold back when I watch him.  He is clearly a great athlete.  I would like to see him let loose and just play.  Let your instincts take over and just play basketball.  We need him to provide an interior presence and we need some rebounding out of him and Grant for this team to be successful.  I would argue the success of this team this year will be a direct result of the improvements we see in Laquill as the season goes on. 

Segu- I love the energy this kid plays with.  It is contagious and inspiring.  He is so fun to watch.  He will be the leader of this team very soon.  I thought like graves he settled for too many jumpers late in the second half.  When the shot is off look to get to the free throw line!

Nickelberry-It was nice to see him take a few jumpers, even though they did not go in.  I think he is a strong rebounder and we need that from him.  Defensively, like Johnson, I think he is starting to figure out the Buffalo way of defense.  I think his minutes will continue to grow especially if his rebounding and defense continue to get stronger.

As I said above, overall I am happy with this performance.  We showed well in this game and we continue to improve.  This team will be primed and ready to go when we get into MAC play.  I cannot wait to see how this season plays out and I have a feeling we will be playing meaningful basketball into March again this year.  lets take down Towson tonight.  Go Bulls!

 

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, MaineBull said:

My thoughts on last nights game versus UCONN:

Defense on the perimeter remained strong.  Hard fought game that both teams fought hard for.  Post defense was bad, especially once Mballa got in foul trouble.  We did not move the ball very well at all, only 9 assists for the team.  For a game we shot poorly (36% fg and 21% 3pt fg) it was impressive we were competitive for as long as we were against a very good UConn team.  We were out rebounded 40 to 48 and most of that was a factor of Mballa only playing 16 minutes because of foul trouble.  Our guards, especially Graves are doing adequate to try to rebound and help the bigs but we need more from both Hardnett and Grant.  The team limited turnovers to only 9 and was 11 for 13 from charity stripe.  Overall I am happy with this performance.  If we shot the ball better and keep Mballa out of foul trouble, we win that game.  As we have discussed all season this team will take time to figure things out.  One of the ways to expedite this learning process is to lose close games.  I think this team continues to get better.

I would have liked to have seen coach go to the full court pressure earlier in the game.  Change it up when things are not working.  Also, when Hardnett is in the game are we only allowed to do a high screen and role with the point guard.  For some reason that seems to be the go to when Hardnett is in the game.  I know he does set a pretty strong screen and is athletic but maybe mix in something else.  Whitesell reminds me a bit of Brad Stevens in his ability to draw up a nice play after a timeout.    He did this several times last night and has over the last few games.  each time it has resulted in an easy bucket when we needed one.  I felt like we settled for too many jumpers early in the second half.  UConn could not keep us from penetrating the rim and we should have taken advantage of that when the shots were not falling.  We did miss too many easy buckets attacking the rim especially in the first half, but constant pressure at the rim would lead to free throws.  I think at the end of the game we realized that and took advantage but at that point it was too late.

Mballa-He needs to stay out of foul trouble.  Without him on the floor we have NO interior presence at all.  Without him in the paint our defense is porous.  Hardnett and Grant at this point are not able to defend the post.  I liked his aggressiveness last night especially on the offensive end.  Mballa strikes me as the type of player that plays better with a  chip on his shoulder.  I would love to see him play that way more often.  Josh will be the best defensive player in this conference for years to come and offensively he is a much better player than I expected.  This kid has a big future.

Williams-I think he is starting to figure out what will make him successful.  Attacking off the dribble and not settling for jump shots.  His length and quickness of the dribble are his strengths and he seems to be figuring that out.  He struggled in the first half with the UConn length but seemed to figure it out in the second half.  I like how hard he attacks the offensive glass when his teammates take a shot, although I wish he would stop grabbing the rim each time.   

Graves-I felt like Javon settled for too many jump shots last night.  He could have gotten to the rim anytime he wanted.  This would have got him to the free throw line.  Javon is in for a huge year.  He is trying to figure out how to lead a team and once he does, watch out.   His ability to rebound from the guard position has been a crucial part of our success thus far.  We are asking a lot of Javon but he can handle the work load.  At this point he is playing a ton of minutes as well. 

Johnson-Coach clearly noticed a miss match in the second half and asked Johnson to attack off the dribble.  I thought he did a good job of looking to get to the rim and finishing through contact.  I wish he had continued to attack off the dribble instead of settling for threes down the stretch.  He took some ill advised shots down the stretch.  He is a much better player when attacking off the dribble.  I have seen improvements in his defense as well.

Jordan-He needs to look to attack off the dribble more often.  He is so smooth at getting to the rim with either hand.  He missed some easy ones last night.  he also had a few sweet dropp off passes for easy baskets.  Good things typically happen when he attacks off the dribble.  I will never understand how a player can shoot over 35% from 3 and shoot under 20% from Free throw line.  I just don't get it, makes no sense.  His free throw form is a nitemare.

Grant-I have to say he has been the most disappointing plater on the team this year.  He is so one dimensional on offense.  He is a spot up jump shooter nothing more.  He does not have a strong handle and has very slow foot speed.  For his size he is a very weak rebounder and he plays soft.  I have been very unimpressed with his ability to defend.  Case in point, watch the last play of the first half last night.  Terrible effort on defense, no other way to describe it.  He will continue to lose minutes until he can buy in and start working on defense and provide some rebounding help. 

Hardnett-He was asked to play more minutes than usual last night because of the foul trouble for Mballa.  I thought he rebounded the ball better than I have seen him especially on the offense end.  He needs to improve on his interior defense.  I cannot help but feel like I am watching a player hold back when I watch him.  He is clearly a great athlete.  I would like to see him let loose and just play.  Let your instincts take over and just play basketball.  We need him to provide an interior presence and we need some rebounding out of him and Grant for this team to be successful.  I would argue the success of this team this year will be a direct result of the improvements we see in Laquill as the season goes on. 

Segu- I love the energy this kid plays with.  It is contagious and inspiring.  He is so fun to watch.  He will be the leader of this team very soon.  I thought like graves he settled for too many jumpers late in the second half.  When the shot is off look to get to the free throw line!

Nickelberry-It was nice to see him take a few jumpers, even though they did not go in.  I think he is a strong rebounder and we need that from him.  Defensively, like Johnson, I think he is starting to figure out the Buffalo way of defense.  I think his minutes will continue to grow especially if his rebounding and defense continue to get stronger.

As I said above, overall I am happy with this performance.  We showed well in this game and we continue to improve.  This team will be primed and ready to go when we get into MAC play.  I cannot wait to see how this season plays out and I have a feeling we will be playing meaningful basketball into March again this year.  lets take down Towson tonight.  Go Bulls!

 

Great in-depth analysis.  We played well in the first half and let their size beat us in the second half.  Any updates on when Brock will be able to play?  Is Skogman red-shirting this year?  While they are both raw and have very different styles of play, they would give us good size on the court.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really didn’t think size was a huge factor. The team just took a lot of bad shots. Bad shot selections. the chances were there. 72 shot attempts and you’re only hitting 36%. That’s gotta change.
 

I thought their ball movement was missing last night. But I was really happy with their first half performance. I thought they still rebounded well for being the smaller team. Oh, and another good game from the free throw line. Which is big.

Overall, these guys gotta shoot the ball better. And they will.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm really disappointed this morning.  I felt like last night was a huge litmus test for us.  Win and "hey, we're still here", lose and "welp, we've got to win in Cleveland".  I never expected another 32-4 season like last year, but I was hoping to continue building a solid, top-25 type program.

I think there was a lot of really poor shots, specifically from Johnson & Segu.  Johnson threw up some very ill advised 3's in crucial moments in the 2nd half.  I also did not see the same pace that we're accustomed to.  The first half was frantic, but I felt we had a lot of half-court sets that led to rejections at the rim.

Lastly, I'm very, very nervous about Whitesell.  I feel we made a hire to try and salvage the current roster, but did not make one for the long-term success of our program.  Hurley & Oats created some really solid equity, enough that we could have got a rising star.  Perhaps I'm wrong, hopefully I'm wrong... but time will tell.  We need to win these next two in Charleston and get either Vandy or DePaul.  Got to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, JoeyRattlesnake said:

Lastly, I'm very, very nervous about Whitesell.  I feel we made a hire to try and salvage the current roster, but did not make one for the long-term success of our program.  Hurley & Oats created some really solid equity, enough that we could have got a rising star.  Perhaps I'm wrong, hopefully I'm wrong... but time will tell.  We need to win these next two in Charleston and get either Vandy or DePaul.  Got to.

We said the same things about Oats at the start of his first season. I'm not saying I know for sure that JW is poised for success but given the players that graduated, he's due some early leniency IMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Jeseph unpinned this topic
1 hour ago, Gxtrex said:

Great in-depth analysis.  We played well in the first half and let their size beat us in the second half.  Any updates on when Brock will be able to play?  Is Skogman red-shirting this year?  While they are both raw and have very different styles of play, they would give us good size on the court.

I’m assuming since Skogman saw zero minutes last night when we could’ve used his size that he is definitely redshirting, Brock should be back in time for conference games 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, ChubbyHubby said:

I believe Coach JW said in one of his post game pressers that they're trying to redshirt Skogman.  It was a week or so ago.

What does he mean mean trying to?  Isn't you just say/fill out paperwork that you are redshirting him and dont put him into a game that season or is it more than that?  If they arent going to redshirt him then he should be getting some minutes to help adjust to the college game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Gxtrex said:

What does he mean mean trying to?  Isn't you just say/fill out paperwork that you are redshirting him and dont put him into a game that season or is it more than that?  If they arent going to redshirt him then he should be getting some minutes to help adjust to the college game.

Paperwork will be filed at the end of the season provided he does not play. They're "planning" to redshirt him, the only exception being if God forbid Mballa and Hardnett suffered injuries, Skogman would end up playing thus burning his redshirt.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...