MBB @ Arkansas State, Thursday 1/23 9pm EST

[Cro-Magnon App]

When shooting poorly from 3 (say, for instance, your team shoots 7.4%) …. which is worse: (1) Having wide open shots and missing, or (2) missing because those shots were contested?
Is it easier to teach shot selection (#2), or is it easier to “cure” poor shooters (#1) - i.e. teach better mechanics and practice, practice, practice?
Either way it isn’t an easy fix.
I have a theory on that. I exercised that theory for years.

[Cro-Magnon App]

Look at Pinion (bowl cut) last night. He can shoot it. Now go back in your cabinet and retrieve and watch your copy of A Fistful of Dollars. In that movie, a guy jumps off a hotel balcony of a cathouse, mounts a horse and takes off down the street. Lee van Cleef (“Old Man”) shoots the horse and then guns down the outlaw (if I remember correctly). See if you think Bowl Cut and this outlaw are kin. They look like it.

[Stonewall]

We had more than a few roll off the rim from short distance, especially early. Do a better job of finishing there and it’s a different ball game. Time to focus and take care of business.

[AppDawg]

We're better than this. Ditch the 3 point crap and crash the boards.

But… but… analytics…

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

When you’re only shooting 3’s, that’s a problem. This team is also able to get inside easily. You need the three to open up down low. Most of the 3’s taken were open 3’a by guys that have been making them (minus one player). I thought the shot selection and offense run was fine, the shots just weren’t falling and Arky State has the best defense we’ve seen this year from peer teams. I do think we could have fed Beaubrun even more. I also wonder if we could have turned up the defensive pressure even more in the 2nd half. With 10 minutes left, I think we only had fouled 3 times the whole game.

[AppGrad78]

When you’re only shooting 3’s, that’s a problem. This team is also able to get inside easily. You need the three to open up down low. Most of the 3’s taken were open 3’a by guys that have been making them (minus one player). I thought the shot selection and offense run was fine, the shots just weren’t falling and Arky State has the best defense we’ve seen this year from peer teams. I do think we could have fed Beaubrun even more. I also wonder if we could have turned up the defensive pressure even more in the 2nd half. With 10 minutes left, I think we only had fouled 3 times the whole game.

While it’s true we didn’t commit many fouls until late, Beaubrun was in foul trouble for most of the game. That played a big role in our strategy. Unfortunately Beaubrun’s backups (Marcus Jr. and Wilson) aren’t contributing to Beaubrun’s level.

[Saint3333]

Depth is probably our biggest weakness currently, making a top four if not top two seed paramount.

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

Depth is probably our biggest weakness currently, making a top four if not top two seed paramount.

Hopefully this stretch against the bottom 4 in the next 5 games can afford us to get meaningful minutes to more guys off the bench to get them more game ready.

[311neers]

Depth is probably our biggest weakness currently, making a top four if not top two seed paramount.

Really needed for 1 of Muttilib, Ezeagu, Threadgill to hit. Doesn’t look like they have yet. Long season, maybe Muttilib can get there.
Could be time to give Alston a chance again.

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

Good to see Huntley hit early

[Saint3333]

ULM crowd lulling us asleep, slow start.

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

Looks like we’ve decided to play down to the competition today

[ncman071]

Looking sluggish right now...not shooting well and mental mistakes...but it's early

[agentpaul001]

Yah agreed. Defense is going to make or break this. A high scoring affair probably doesn't go Apps way. Arkansas St consistently scores more then App has given up in any game this season.

Two things that are interesting to me is there impressive offensive rebounding & FT contribution. Both areas App has done really well defending. If our guys do well on the boards and stay out of foul trouble I think we'll be in a good spot regardless of how well they shoot.

Statistically, we get to the free throw line more on days when our shots aren't falling. We tend to play harder defensively those days, create more steals and push the ball inside more. When we're making our shots we push inside less and draw fewer fouls.

Offensive rebounding seems to come in spurts. We've run into issues this homestand where we built up a huge lead early, and tried to sit on that lead a little too much, allowing the our opponents to outrebound us when we normally win that side of the game. In Neither case did it have an impact on the game. We were up 33 on Georgia State 17 minutes in, and while they cut it to around 20, it was never close. We got up 23 on ULL about 15 minutes in, and they got it to 13 about midway through the 2nd half, but couldn't get closer.

Complacency has been an issue at times this year. Especially at home.

Well I was dead wrong on this count (and realized I had an egregious typo). Defensively App did what they needed to do but offense wasn't there. Oh well I think App holds them to <70 next time they walk away with a W.