5 Post Game Thoughts

[Mike Minyard]

I was surprised we didn't see Andre Hardy get some minutes on the block last night.

[ORU Eli]

RJ could have gotten a little Sportscenter love last night had he not been playing in the Mountain Time Zone. Sportscenter had a quick mention of big time performances from smaller schools for Saturday's games and mentioned IUPUI's George Hill with 33pts on 11 for 17 shooting. You would have to think Jarvis would have made it on there had they not had a late finish compared to the time that they're compiling and airing the late night edition of Sportscenter.

[TrueBlue82]

I think that oft-quoted equation is false logic. 

6-20 from behind the arc (30%) means you may have scored only 18 points on as many as twenty possessions (since typically each possession only includes one three attempt), and had possibly 14 possessions where you didn't score anything.  That's a lot of possibly empty possessions you're giving back to your opponent.

Conversely, a lot of successful possessions contain more than one 2-point attempt, due to offensive rebounds/tip-ins.  So if you shoot 9-for-20 on 2's (45%) over let's say 16 possessions (and that's being conservative on offensive rebounds), you've scored that same 18 points as on the 3's, but on fewer possessions, and you've given back only 7 possessions where you possibly didn't score.  Granted, possessions where 3's are taken also may end up with an offensive rebound, but I would bet my decoder ring that you get more offensive rebounds on possessions where a 2-pointer is taken than a 3.

Bottom line:  threes are great for increasing a lead or getting back in a game.  But down the stretch, when a game is tight, it pays to look for a higher percentage shot and not leave your end of the floor empty-handed, with FREE THROWS being the best shot of all...

OT - your point is well-taken that shooting threes (at a lower percentage) provides a greater opportunity for the opponent to capture the rebound - and may provide them with additional possessions and scoring opportunities.  I don't agree (but also can't dispute) that a defensive team captures more rebounds on missed 3's than on 2's.  While the shooter is in a better position for a tip-in on some short 2's, the long carom on many 3's will carry over a boxing-out defender, leaving the rebound available to the offense.  In any case, that point is somewhat moot, in that I will concede that the defense is going to ultimately get more rebounds (and therefore more possessions) against a 30% 3-point shooting team than a 45%  2-point team, so the equivalence of 30% 3pt shooting to 45% inside the arc is likely overstated.

What I SHOULD have said is that Moses' 30% night from beyond the arc was not awful, considering the fact that we only shot 36% from 2 pt. range.  And, although I winced every time Moses shot the ball, he did make a HUGE momentum-shifting shot late in the game, and we have to give credit where it is due.

I know we ALL want Moses to succeed - and we all know that he's not at the top of his game right now.  He's still contributing (as in his shot last night) - but not at the same level that we all know he can.  But we also DON'T know what the coaches are telling him right now - and if they're telling him to "keep shooting", then he should!  And, if they're telling him to "be more selective in your shots", then I'm sure they're talking to him again today!

[Old Titan]

Blue, I love arguing with you because you always give me the benefit of the doubt, while deftly presenting your own point of view.

Unlike the sledgehammer approach so often employed in these forums, most commonly by ME!

[tbone77]

Did somebody say Jarvis?   

Agree with Terry... he is a very special shooter... quick and deadly.

I have a small concern that the team could grow dependent on that great shooting.  Kinda like depending on Ken and Caleb to get most of the offense the last couple of years of their great careers. 

We have seen this year that we can put up a balanced scoring attack, with lots of games with 3 or 4 Eagles in double figures.  Moses' career shooting percentage is pretty good, and hopefully he will find his rhythm again soon.  Adam Liberty has really blossomed into his role this year.  His turnovers are way down,  and is contibuting more offense.  Sango is very athletic, but almost too eager to score.  I love his enthusiasm and his defense.  Hopefully the coaches can find a way to get him to play with more control.  King can be terrific at times, and at other times he seems to retreat back to periods of timidity.  I think we all appreciate Yemi's defense and hustle.. and his contribution has been well discussed in this forum.

We need all of these guys bringing it every night to make it to THE DANCE. 

Oh yeah,  Robert JARRRRRVIIIIIIIISSSSSSS!!!!!!!

[ManiacVP]

How bout Curtis the last couple games? The kid is a straight up athlete. Im glad to see him getting more time and it'll be fun to see how he progresses as the year moves on.

[ORUTerry]

Allen has obviously caught the coaches' attention and is gaining more playing time. His speed and athleticism are disruptive on defense. He also has serious leaping ability - how about that block in the Southern Utah game? It was not recorded as a block - maybe it was so total that they put it down as a steal....