http://conferenceusa.com/documents/2...t.pdf?id=13944
We get the Marshall-UTEP winner. Do we ever beat Marshall in anything?
|
|
|
|
|
http://conferenceusa.com/documents/2...t.pdf?id=13944
We get the Marshall-UTEP winner. Do we ever beat Marshall in anything?
Need to get Pemberton back. We got next to nothing out of Powell and Criston last night and Marshall is too long to try to defend with 4 guards.
Have you considered those Dogs?
So Tech plays Thursday night at 9 PM CST. Good to know.
KenPom and several other prognosticators are picking LA Tech to win the CUSA tournament.
https://www.teamrankings.com/ncb/con...c-usa-bracket/
Is he supposed to be back for the tournament? He has certainly been missed.Originally Posted by boxerdog
WBB!!
I'm betting he will be back. I think that's the primary reason they rested him these last 2. We'll need him for sure.
Have you considered those Dogs?
Throwing this out there. While I think we have the best team in the conference, I remember 3 losses where a player on the opposing team had a career high scoring against us (UTSA, Marshall, Western Kentucky). I guess you could chalk it up to "luck" due to statistical abnormality. But Konkol can't be ridged in terms of strategy in these types of scenarios. He has to adjust the scheme to account for that variable. You simply cannot allow one "hot" player to beat you. We lost 2 of those games in overtime.
Have you considered those Dogs?
I was giving Konkol all kinds of credit during most of that WKU game. Even the TV guys who had seen them play several times were complimenting Konkol on his tactics...attack the basket. And it worked well building a 17-point lead. Then, it happened. Stansbury changed their tactics and Konkol was back to being a deer in headlights. Yes, it is true Hollingsworth had a career night, which included hitting several insanely crazy long 3's...one he banked in from straight away...but everyone, and I mean EVERYONE could see the momentum switching and yet Konkol did nothing except hope the clock would run out before WKU could come all the way back.
I know this. The Dawgs can beat anyone, anytime, in CUSA. Talent-wise we are as good as any other team and better than most. And we're capable of having "one of those nights" where our guys hit 3's at a high rate, like the win at UNT recently. Which usually spells victory for us. But...we are also capable of not shooting well from the arc and worse! bricking FTs which will definitely cost us a game. Then, there's that other ingredient: the Konkol cluelessness, where the other guy will coach circles around him. The chances of Tech going thru three games in a conference tourney and not suffering one of our regular faults are long indeed. That's why we can't win a conf tourney and Dance. Something bad will rear its ugly head.
That is why this tournament could be won by one of 4 teams. We don't adjust well to a player having the game of his life. You have to expect the unexpected and adjust. We CAN win this tournament, but we have to be ready for anything at all times. Running the clock out doesn't work for us, unless there is 30 seconds left and we have a 20 point lead.
[QUOTE=champion110;1758024]That is why this tournament could be won by one of 4 teams. We don't adjust well to a player having the game of his life. You have to expect the unexpected and adjust. We CAN win this tournament, but we have to be ready for anything at all times. Running the clock out doesn't work for us, unless there is 30 seconds left and we have a 20 point lead.[/QUOTE]
And we escape with maybe an 8-point win...
He's not clueless. Not perfect but certainly not clueless. Nuanced criticism is something most people appreciate. Konkol instructed the players to throw it over the top of Western Kentucky instead of trying to drive through them. Their bigs prefer to face our posts so they could help on the drive. We threw it over the top and got numerous easy buckets at the goal. When they defended from behind, the drive was there for the guards (because our bigs sealed them off). We simply need to keep the ball out of the hands of Hollinsworth because he was on fire. That's the criticism I'm suggesting.
Have you considered those Dogs?
Against WKU, Konkol forgot one thing: The other team can’t catch you late in a game by only scoring 2-point baskets. The only way they’ll EVER catch you with a 17-pt lead is if you give up the 3-pt play again and again. Especially if your team is consistently driving the basket for the easy 2-pointers like Tech was doing that night.
When WKU started closing the gap late, Konkol should have called a timeout, explained the “2-point basket trade” theory to his players, and put his guys further out on the perimeter defensively to guard the obnoxious 3-pointer. In other words, he should have FORCED WKU to shoot 2-pt baskets. Giving up the 2-pointer would have been fine, because then you (Tech) wouldn’t have to hit 3-pointers on the other end to keep pace. In fact, every trip down that WKU was forced to score only 2 points is really A WIN for LA Tech.
But Konkol didn’t do that. He panicked, pulled his defense in (which is exactly the opposite of what you should do in that situation) and left himself exposed out on the perimeter, where Hollingsworth was essentially unguarded. It was BOOM town from that point on. All WKU had to do was hit their 3-pt shots, and it was inevitable that they would catch Tech.....because we had already agreed to trade 2-pt baskets for 3.
Of course, WKU got insanely lucky too. They were hitting shots from the parking lot in the last 5 minutes. But that was a risk Konkol was willing to take. Hence the fact WKU scored 95 points on us.
We also stopped the clock with a few ticky-tack fouls. Of course, they made every free throw and we missed several of ours. Your point stands though.
Have you considered those Dogs?
I really don't think "panic" is part of Konkol's constitution. If anything, he doesn't panic enough imo. In some ways, it was good for us to have blown the lead against Western Kentucky. Some of it was a result of their making plays but some of it related to lack of controlled desperation on our behalf. Just because you get a lead in a certain way doesn't necessarily mean you can protect it in the same way. I watched our former Coach squander a sizeable lead against Kentucky last week. It does happen, even to good coaches. But the best teams figure out ways to learn from it so as not to let it happen again. I really think ONE guy beat us at Western Kentucky. You can't let one guy beat you.
Have you considered those Dogs?
Agreed. It happened again last night to Mike White and Florida. The Gators lost an 18-point lead --and the game-- as UK went on to win 71-70 in Gainesville. I watched most of that game.
BTW, IMO Mike White's team looks just like ours. Similar style of play, etc...
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401166388
Kentucky never led in the game until going up 71-70 (the final score) with 11 seconds left. Talk about choking at home....LOL!
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
