LaTech made 10 more free throws in 6 more attempts. That’s the difference
Yes, the wet floor is nonsense for a Holiday Tournament like this. But what is it with SIU and free throws/layups? Ridiculous.
March on triumphantly!
Rolyns out the rest of the Tournament per Nagy. We’ll see more Moreno
We are snakebit. Nagy saying he's out the rest of the tournament might mean he will be out for an extended period of time.Rolyns out the rest of the Tournament per Nagy. We’ll see more Moreno
Most fully expected a loss, even before the season began for the Florida and LA Tech game, so while disappointing because the game was ours, it also wasn't a shock. They key is winning tomorrow. It won't be easy with the injuries, but this team should, and will, win if they play tomorrow the way they played today, sans FT's.
Let's finish the "showcase" with 2 wins and then get home and get healthy.
I told my wife that was the pivotal play of the game. Agree 100% on playing in a hockey arena.The turning point was when we were up 66-60 pushing the ball up the court with numbers and Kennard wiped out on the wet floor resulting in an uncontested lay in. The floor is above ice and they were wiping it all day. Also, we shoot free throws and we don't have to worry about OT. Hope Aligbe is ok. It didn't look good on the sideline.
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
James Madison
I counted three and there may have been four “casual” passes that we made that resulted in TOs. That’s not going to cut it.
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
James Madison
Attending this tournament: a very frustrating loss and a shame to waste a pretty salty effort against a quality opponent (not to mention the 11-point lead with under 10 to go).
A few quick thoughts:
- Southern had about 70-80 fans there. La Tech had … maybe 10?
- Sharp exceeded any reasonable expectations. Will echo what many on here have said about his defensive tenacity and he made a few nice passes, too. At a minimum he’ll be a major defensive pest and gives Southern the chance to still play uptempo effectively like Nagy wants. To be honest, I don’t think he should have been redshirting even when Elliott was playing. He adds great energy.
- The amount of missed shots in the lane in the first 10-15 minutes was mind-boggling. They recovered and were still in prime position to win, but you can argue that you don’t deserve to win when you can’t make half your shots from 6 feet and in. Hensley and Mayo were probably the chief culprits. I’m not sure Hensley needs to be playing as much as he has been.
- If the missed interior shots didn’t cost them the game, the FT shooting disparity probably did. Southern missed too many and the Bulldogs were smooth/clutch from the line.
- It’s a joy to watch Kennard hoop. He made a few mistakes and it would help if he was a little better from 3, but man he busts his ass at both ends and is a competitor.
- Southern’s bigs (especially Massey and Aligbe) did a better job dealing with La Tech’s star big man than Southern has done against the other good bigs they’ve seen this month, so some progress there.
- Don’t expect Aligbe to play the rest of this week but I’m guessing he won’t be out more than a couple weeks. Seemed like an untimely ankle sprain.
- The combination of tough overtime loss, losing Aligbe and quick turnaround concerns me re: EKU tomorrow. They already lost the chance to make it a good tournament but another L and it becomes a really bad one.
- Lastly, any time you blow a substantial lead the coaches have to shoulder some of the blame. Really poor late-game execution.
Late game poor execution sounds like a broken record
The loss today was really bad. Nagy needs to make these guys stay after practice to just shoot free throws. The free throw shooting is horrendous. This team has talent, but guys need to start living up to their potential. Don’t waste this season.
If we don’t fix the FT situation. You can be looking at 15-20 games lost because of lack of confidence/concentration. Unless this turns around you could be seeing 20 games + in the loss column.
