POSTGAME THREAD: This one hurts
by Jeff Nusser on Jan 22, 2009 8:02 PM PST
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PrintI know we were down by 15. I know tonight shows that we really have gotten a lot better, and that the future is bright as we head deeper into Pac-10 play.
But as Marques Johnson said, when you get that close there are no moral victories. For now, this one just hurts.
I'm not sure why Marcus Capers was even in the game on that final possession. I thought that as they came out of the timeout, but I figured maybe they had drawn up some kind of play with Capers flying to the basket for an alley-oop, or would put him in a position where he could crash the offensive glass on a miss.
Instead, the set they ran had him ending up on the perimeter. Makes absolutely no sense to me, and I'd like to hear Tony's explanation, because that seems like a major, major mistake. Abe Lodwick could have set a screen as well as Capers, and he'd have a chance to hit a 3.
There were so many positives tonight, and there will be plenty of time to talk about them. But for now, it just feels like a giant missed opportunity for a team that's missed a lot of them this year.
This one makes you sick to your stomach.
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Nuss, TB made his biggest coaching
blunders of his young career. First, failing to call a TO after the O-rebound with 19 secs was terrible. With a young team at home, you need to get the guys over to you and get a play drawn up. Second, why in the world is Capers in at the end? At the most he should be the in bounds guy. If you best shooter is in-bounding the ball, you are really in trouble! But nevertheless I’ll take that kind of heart and determination all day long. Thank you Caleb!!!
I don't mind not calling a timeout
I’m not sure it gives you an advantage when you’re playing a good defensive team. Sometimes it’s better to not let them get set up.
I also don’t really mind Rochestie being the inbounds guy — after all, you don’t even get a shot without a good inbounds pass, and Rochestie is our only good passer. Unfortunately, he’s also our best offensive player. That’s just the situation we’re in right now.
I know you guys are feeling horrible (so am I)...
This hurts. There are certainly no moral victories. UCLA has just owned us for forever. I’m sick of it.
Hang in there Coug faithful. We’ll continue to learn. We’ll continue to grow and be the team I know we can be.
by westsidecougar1 on Jan 22, 2009 8:09 PM PST reply actions
There are still plenty of games left to get quality wins
But man, missing an opportunity like this is just going to kill us if we end up on the bubble. Maybe we don’t end up there, but this team sure has the look of one that’s seriously improving and could make some noise in March. But without some good wins on the resume, it’s going to be a tough sell come Selection Sunday.
After that Aboya block, I said on the game thread that it might have sealed the game
Here’s why. When you’ve got a chance to get 2, even though we got the ball back on the next possession, you can’t get nothing on a possession that late — not against a team that can score from every position and can defend so well when it wants to. That was the turning point. Make that, and we might put UCLA in a position to have to make the game winner.
“thought that as they came out of the timeout, but I figured maybe they had drawn up some kind of play with Capers flying to the basket for an alley-oop”
Exactly why I think we miss Cowgill just as much as Kyle and Derrick.
And another whiney note…The huskies better not beat UCLA this weekend. They always tend to beat teams after we wear them down (#1 Stanford a few years ago?)
Feels way too much like junior year!
Dissapointing ends to otherwise exciting games
by Craig Powers on Jan 22, 2009 8:18 PM PST up reply actions
I need to get H on this site
She’s very obsessive and she likes blogging.
by Craig Powers on Jan 22, 2009 8:33 PM PST up reply actions
I wondered the same thing
I’m not sure why Capers was in the game either, should have been Lodwick in my opinion. Just a bad play all around when the only one who gets open is the worst shooter on the team. I thought Capers played a great game and deserved all the minutes he got, but he should not have been in there at the end. It would’t feel quite as bad if they at least had a good look on the last shot. This one is on Tony.
On a positive note:
The better we get, the more likely we are to get the auto bid by winning the Pac10 tournament :)
After being down 15 at the half, i was imagining another Gonzaga blow out game, but these guys are getting a hell of a lot better down the stretch. It’d be nice if we beat UCLA at their place; we always seem to play them closer there anyways.
Caleb was great. I agree you generally don't call a time out, but
you have 2 frosh on the floor and your offense flow hasn’t really been there all game. I mean really look at our offense in that game. It absolutely stunk. We had no flow. Is was fumble around and some how put the ball in the basket. I think we had about 10 decent offensive possessions for the entire game!
Again, I understand TR is our best passer. As I was telling a buddy that is why Baynes does not get the ball enough because we are a poor passing team, particularly with entry passes. But c’mon TR has been in bounding on year. You got to get someone else to do it. You can’t take a prime scorer off the floor. I would have had Harmeling in bound the ball. Senior who knows the game and has plenty of heighth.
Speaking of which
Harmeling not seeing the floor tonight was an interesting decision. Even if he’s not scoring, he is a big body with plenty of experience. He could have provided some defensive experience during the 3 point barrage in the first half. And been the inbounder at the end of the game.
I think that I'd have put Harms in at the end rather than Capers.
He can as least hit the three ball (sometimes)…and Capers can’t even come close.
Having said that, I think with a senior point guard, it’s not necessary to call a TO at the end. It just gives Howland a chance to scheme up something. UCLA’s D is not nearly as good…and we “should” be able to generate a decent shot with 19 seconds in which to do that.
by westsidecougar1 on Jan 22, 2009 9:07 PM PST up reply actions
Why do we have a thing
for giving guys their career highs based entirely off 3 pointers?
This was a tough loss
But certainly one that some positives can be taken from. We now need to start concentrating on a very athletic USC bunch. It’s a must win and I expect another great effort. Karma will be on our side this time.
Go Cougs!!!
If you want to drop Cal to #5 in the league now, I'm listening
Bleargh.
Many years from now, when his name's recalled
Everyone will say, "He should have passed the ball"
-- Al Stewart, "Football Hero"
I think it's funny how everyone wants to be pissed
about calling the TO, Capers being on the floor, and Rochestie inbounding the ball, when all Forrest had to do with 9 secs left was put the ball on the floor and turn to the basket. When he finally realized where he was and that he was 1v1 he turned and made a shot but it was too late. The dude had an incredible second half, and was a major factor in putting the Cougs in position to have a chance, but that four seconds of ineptatude was an epic blunder. The defense was already broken down, he had an incredible opportunity and was too busy looking for someone to pass the ball too.
I don't know how many people are actually pissed, per se
But it’s just frustrating that if just one of any number of things that went wrong go right, we tie that game.
by Jeff Nusser on Jan 23, 2009 11:34 AM PST up reply actions
Maybe I've just become emotionally calloused to losing close games to good teams
but over the years I’ve come to realize that the Cougs really aren’t supposed to win those games. Can they? Yeah. Are they the better team? I don’t think so. I guess when it comes to frustrations with the Cougs, I gave at the office. I get much more frustrated when they drop games to teams like LSU (who I don’t think is very good).
I mean, seriously; Go Cougs! They almost beat a top calibur team last night. And that is a damn site better than getting trounced by teams like Pitt, and Gonzaga, and losing to a team they should have beaten in LSU.
I was more frustrated with the OSU win than the UCLA loss.
I hear ya
That doesn’t make a close loss feel any better to me, though. If it’s there for the taking, you want to take it. That’s just being a competitor.
by Jeff Nusser on Jan 23, 2009 12:55 PM PST up reply actions
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