I really do appreciate everyone else's fairly optimistic recaps of last night's game but I cannot lie that watching our performance and knowing that I had planned on writing this today had me feeling a little:
It isn't that we didn't show some signs but to me, and more importantly for the sake of this post for the numbers, there were more discouraging signs than promising ones. The biggest continuing problem is that, for a supposed offensively-minded coach, Stallings' offensive sets still resemble more ramshackle AAU ball than good team basketball; a fact that maybe could get him a pass given this squad's youth if it didn't look exactly the same as last year. As far as the squad goes, we already really know what we have. Luther is an okay 4/5, Carr is one to build on, Wilson-Frame is a chucker but we need a chucker, Stevenson is an energetic tank, Davis and Stewart are maybes and the rest of the team is probably picked for last in the NEC so I will be interested to see how things grow and change over the year. Speaking of which...enough editorializing, ONTO THE NUMBERS!
On a more positive note, defensively we were pretty solid against a very experienced team. We forced a few turnovers, generally kept Navy off of the line until the end (which is a good idea since they shoot free throws very well), and held their interior bigs to 18 points on 41.1% shooting. The defense wasn't perfect though because containing dribble penetration was a real weakness, especially Davis. I don't see how redshirting him isn't a priority if his plantar issues continue because watching him struggle out there wasn't pleasant.
- I love what Wilson-Frame gives us but he needs to do better than a 1.8 TREB%, especially in a game where his counterpart Shawn Anderson is killing us on the glass.
- On the other hand, very positive signs from Mr. Carr last night. An ARate of 27.0% and a FTR of 37.5% are both very good numbers for a debut point guard.
- Stevenson is so much fun to watch but his ejection really took the shine off of a decent debut.
- Our box score plus/minus numbers are a world of pain after last night. It's Ryan Luther and then a big ol' gap. Milligan and Chukwuka in particular are ugly with Stewart not being much better.
- Speaking of Stewart, this is why I kept trying to lower expectations for the kid. He was the 271st ranked recruit in the country last year, he barely played even decent competition and isn't an immediate ACC level athlete. He's definitely overexposed right now and is compounding that by feeling the pressure. I still think that he can contribute but he was literally invisible last night.
- Terrell Brown spent his four minutes last night looking lost as all hell but was still much more productive than Chukwuka.
- The highest usage rates last night were Wilson-Frame, followed by Milligan and then Luther. That's really way too much Milligan.
- Fun facts! We didn't get blocked last night so we lead the nation in opponent's Blk%. But we are last in the country in minutes continuity with only a 9.5% carryover.
FOUR FACTORS
I mean, you can see our problems right off of the bat. We simply attacked a good defensive team that was giving us mixed looks in the most passive way possible. So passively, in fact, that it was to the point that over 50% of our field goal attempts were behind the arc with far too many of those coming off of the bounce. It's no wonder then that our offensive rating was in the toilet. More worryingly though is that offensive rebounding percentage. Of the 230 teams that played last night we finished 219th, the worst number by a good bit of a major conference school. So when you don't get second looks and you take a lot of contested threes you sort of can expect results like this one.
On a more positive note, defensively we were pretty solid against a very experienced team. We forced a few turnovers, generally kept Navy off of the line until the end (which is a good idea since they shoot free throws very well), and held their interior bigs to 18 points on 41.1% shooting. The defense wasn't perfect though because containing dribble penetration was a real weakness, especially Davis. I don't see how redshirting him isn't a priority if his plantar issues continue because watching him struggle out there wasn't pleasant.
GALLIMAUFRY
- Chukwuka, oh boy. I don't think that I have ever seen a player use 17% of the possessions and have a turnover percentage of 100%. That was a new one and not in the good way.
- I love what Wilson-Frame gives us but he needs to do better than a 1.8 TREB%, especially in a game where his counterpart Shawn Anderson is killing us on the glass.
- On the other hand, very positive signs from Mr. Carr last night. An ARate of 27.0% and a FTR of 37.5% are both very good numbers for a debut point guard.
- Stevenson is so much fun to watch but his ejection really took the shine off of a decent debut.
- Our box score plus/minus numbers are a world of pain after last night. It's Ryan Luther and then a big ol' gap. Milligan and Chukwuka in particular are ugly with Stewart not being much better.
- Speaking of Stewart, this is why I kept trying to lower expectations for the kid. He was the 271st ranked recruit in the country last year, he barely played even decent competition and isn't an immediate ACC level athlete. He's definitely overexposed right now and is compounding that by feeling the pressure. I still think that he can contribute but he was literally invisible last night.
- Terrell Brown spent his four minutes last night looking lost as all hell but was still much more productive than Chukwuka.
- The highest usage rates last night were Wilson-Frame, followed by Milligan and then Luther. That's really way too much Milligan.
- Fun facts! We didn't get blocked last night so we lead the nation in opponent's Blk%. But we are last in the country in minutes continuity with only a 9.5% carryover.
