Shoot 28% and win

[kynut]

And the sad thing about that percentage is, a lot of the missed shots were by the Bigs and in close.

Just watched the replay of the game for the second time. Watched it closely this time. Our bigs absorbed a lot of uncalled fouls on the close-in shots. Dakari especially was fouled multiple times every time he touched the ball. A&M was obviously playing the old hack-a-Dakari defense on him, knowing he is a poor free throw shooter (and the refs weren't calling it anyway). Hard to get it up to the rim with two guys hanging on your arms. But, that's the way the game was called so we just have to adapt and overcome......and we did. Still it was a very ugly game, at least partly because of the way it was officiated. Will Lavender is right - it's time to get out the football pads......... and the brass knuckles. And Dakari and Towns need to drink a super-sized bottle of Kickass before every game.

kynut

[Joneslab]

Definitely the most physical game we've played so far this year, including Louisville. They were even killing us on those breakaway lay-ups.

Still we don't do a good job of understanding where the pressure is coming from and allow ourselves to get forced into bad angles. Dakari will spin sometimes so that he's almost under the goal.. And Andrew Harrison has a terrible habit of flailing around when he goes in there and not just using his body to initiate the contact. He probably did a better job last year of doing it.

[Lighthouse]

I think we're not getting the lobs because the twins are not looking for them. Sure, when A&M was in the zone, it's much harder to get one, but A&M played some man yesterday and we still dodn't get a lob. I forget which Harrison drove in and laid the ball on the lip of the rim and it came off, Lee was in perfect position for a simple lob and a basket, but Lee didn't see the ball. I'll defend any player when they make a mistake, but we got that lob before Christmas, why not now?

[kynut]

^

I agree Lighthouse. I don't think we are looking for the lob anymore. I saw the play you are talking about and my impression was that our guard was a little selfish on the play. Earlier in the year the ball would have been lobbed up and slammed. I'm wondering if we are coming a little unglued and are not playing for each other like we were.......some players looking to get something for themselves at every opportunity instead of helping a teammate get his? I also wonder if the Andrew/Ulis debate might be a factor in causing a little divide? It seems that Andrew is pouting more than he was early in the year. Maybe our bigs have stopped going for the lob because our guards stopped throwing it. Whatever the reason, the teamwork and unselfishness are definitely not now what they once were and it's showing up in places besides the lobs. Does it appear to you that Andrew is helping Aaron get a shot a lot more than anyone else?

I also wonder if having the players working so much on new individual skills over the break has encouraged them to play a little more as an individual than as a team? Whatever is going on I don't like this team nearly as much as the one we had before the break and I don't believe it has a doggone thing to do with going into conference play. If we can handle Kansas, UCLA, Texas, UNC, and UL the way we did, we should really be rolling now. My eyeballs tell me that something has changed............and I don't like it.

kynut