BuffTE41
Member
Let me preface this post by saying that in retrospect, that was probably the worst bracket we could have been in. I would have much preferred the 10 seed vs. Texas or New Mexico (we could have actually competed in those games.) Pitt was a senior-laden, physical, and talented team that was probably underseeded.
The game happened and we can’t change that, so what do we need going forward into next year?
1. Physicality and size inside.
You saw it vs. Arizona three times this year and against Pitt. Our offense is predicated on the dribble drive and getting the ball inside to our bigs. Pitt simply ran us out of the lane with double teams on EVERYONE. Gordon, XJ, Thomas, Scott, it didn’t matter. They used their size to push us out and dared us to shoot. The result was ugly. I believe there’s reason for hope however. Our guys are still very young and their bodies are developing. Tory Miller is going to help immensely in this regard… He’s not going to be pushed out of the paint by anyone.
2. A point guard.
Right now I’m assuming Dinwiddie isn’t coming back. Therefore, we need to hope that Dom Collier is indeed the truth. When Pitt pushed us out of the paint our offense was essentially passing around the perimeter and taking contested jumpers with 10 seconds left on the shot clock. (unfortunately, we’ve seen that a lot this year)
Collier already has experience with the team USA junior team and AAU tournaments. I really believe he will set up our offense on a high level. (If Dinwiddie comes back, all bets are off, we know our offense will be very good)
3. An offensive assistant coach.
We know Boyle will always emphasize defense and rebounding first, but we need better offensive sets. It might not be a bad idea to bring in an expert coach whose sole responsibility is improving our offense. You can’t keep scoring 40-50 points and expect to win games on defense alone.
4 Experience.
It was obvious in the game last night who was the team of redshirt seniors and who was the team of 18-year-old freshman. We simply need older players and the good news is we know that will happen as we bring everyone back.
As for next year, I think we improve our win total by 2-3 and win a game in the tournament. (something like a 26-11 record) I think this will happen by virtue of everyone being a year older, bigger and more experienced. If Dinwiddie comes back we have a chance to make a run.
The game happened and we can’t change that, so what do we need going forward into next year?
1. Physicality and size inside.
You saw it vs. Arizona three times this year and against Pitt. Our offense is predicated on the dribble drive and getting the ball inside to our bigs. Pitt simply ran us out of the lane with double teams on EVERYONE. Gordon, XJ, Thomas, Scott, it didn’t matter. They used their size to push us out and dared us to shoot. The result was ugly. I believe there’s reason for hope however. Our guys are still very young and their bodies are developing. Tory Miller is going to help immensely in this regard… He’s not going to be pushed out of the paint by anyone.
2. A point guard.
Right now I’m assuming Dinwiddie isn’t coming back. Therefore, we need to hope that Dom Collier is indeed the truth. When Pitt pushed us out of the paint our offense was essentially passing around the perimeter and taking contested jumpers with 10 seconds left on the shot clock. (unfortunately, we’ve seen that a lot this year)
Collier already has experience with the team USA junior team and AAU tournaments. I really believe he will set up our offense on a high level. (If Dinwiddie comes back, all bets are off, we know our offense will be very good)
3. An offensive assistant coach.
We know Boyle will always emphasize defense and rebounding first, but we need better offensive sets. It might not be a bad idea to bring in an expert coach whose sole responsibility is improving our offense. You can’t keep scoring 40-50 points and expect to win games on defense alone.
4 Experience.
It was obvious in the game last night who was the team of redshirt seniors and who was the team of 18-year-old freshman. We simply need older players and the good news is we know that will happen as we bring everyone back.
As for next year, I think we improve our win total by 2-3 and win a game in the tournament. (something like a 26-11 record) I think this will happen by virtue of everyone being a year older, bigger and more experienced. If Dinwiddie comes back we have a chance to make a run.