i expect to be there.

gonna link the other thread with pregame stuff

tapped tim krueger of bluejaybanter.com

questions and answers:

1-Are these jays equipped for a Final four run?

A-Well not right now--thats for sure. The Jays have many issues in recent games. The have had two huge turnover games their last two--many of those turnovers were of the sloppy/careless variety. They got badly outrebounded in the second half against Marquette. And their half court offense has not run smoothly. On defense way too many guys are getting beaten off the dribble and the rim protection has not been good either.

2-Offensively, it looks like CU has become a three headed monster--fair?

A-I would say yes. Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander have had the ball in their hands a lot lately. And in key moments those two have looked to to score. At times they may be trying to do too much. Ryan Kalkbrenner has been getting a few more touches as of late and gets some points on put backs as well. Most of the season though they have had trouble getting Kalk the ball which has really bogged down their half court offense.

That being said others are making strong contributions. Mason Miller has really been coming on as of late and is shooting at a very high rate from three. The other player at the 4, freshman Isaac Trout Is getting better every game. The fans biggest concern is the play of transfer point guard Steven Ashworth. He has not been able to get to the rim as the staff would have hoped, has shown no mid range game and is turning the ball over at a high rate. His strength coming from Utah State was his three point shooting. He is shooting far below his historical average. Simply put to reach their goals he has got to play better.

3-Defensively--can CU defend well enough for post season success?

A-Yes they can. Their defense just hasn't been connected as in other years. So that will go a long way towards their long term success

4-Prognosis?

A-i think Creighton gets well against Georgetown. This game came at a perfect time for them. I see a 15 point win.
Long term--this game begins a nice stretch for them. After the Hoyas they have the Friars at home and then DePaul on the road--that could get them back to 3-2 and be in good shape in the Big East race.
Tim Krueger

Check out Bluejay Banter on social media www.facebook.com/bluejaybanter www.twitter.com/bluejaybanter

fielder

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bottomline: they hunt threes, are largely predicated on kalks and shiens. still play fast, defense is gap (in crunches shown 2 3 and 131.

hoyas can't get into track meet, but need to run selectively. can't cede paint to kalks/king - challenge3 them. hi pnr with a snake seems to throw them. Press periodically. don't oversuck. 3/4 / front kalks in post, double alexander on the move.

can hoyas win? im actually seeing a away...do the above and cu has to be off from 3.

will it happen. likely not imo.


CRAY

ok st

off
extreme 5 o
all deep perimeter movement until the hi pnr, dive and drive with tre
...guy guarding him cant benlulled to sleep
...hedge sometimes
will lift out of it
lifts, cuts, handoffs hi but still center provides gravity.
...understand they move. stat attached, must be contested
...bump everything

def
m2m gap kinda extreme
...beat it down flooe. people/ball movemment. almost hi zone attsck
11 in drop
...go small and pick pop it

...maybe spread it with epps and ish?
...post cook ish etc vs 11 and backup post guards
...inside out only way
...pressure primary. even press to disrupt or pick up m2m

pers
11 is still the hardeet working man in biz . rim runs and dives hard every time. mid poster now
trey go to guy. goes tonhim at rim early
...multiples on him
...post em. gotta work
...doubling is hard due to spacing. sometimes deny but if can do.
sheineman set jumper out to deep. lifts alot
...dont lose. bump
side pnr for 1 and backup big
...gotta pressure that
king will try and do what 11 does
...fInd hit them early
trey more driver thad shooter early


neb

off
extreme 5o
plays fast..pushes and lools early
...get back and find
hi hi pnr..
be there. show and recover for big
off ball ivo screen/cut
creates
weave
looks to skip to shooters like #1
...stay on nail but weakside stunt to recovery
drag screens
...double alexander post on the move
pushes. shooters wide and hi. will replace on early offense
...get back, find
guards will drive and find
...help first pass but not oversuck
hunting replace 3s

...press if can

def
gap man
bigs dropping
...put them in ball screen, snake amd attack big with pu

...push back at it
...iso big on backup big
...attack bigs from elbow
...defend perimeter always


....switch defenses regularly

pers

1 running pg. but hes a shooter
...make him show pg bonafides
11 going to mid post
late iso drives for alexander. drags
...never lose him
kalks still dives hard
55 can get hot
...never go under on him

unlv

off
extreme 5o
fast oaced
getting to kalk early
...show recover. on iso 3/4, front, stunt. keep em guessing
2 man game kelks amd ashcrof
...show recover. doubke kelks on move
horns ro dummy to alexander iso
...dont sleep on alexander. and play him for the drive
pnr to replace


...weakside show but not oversuck!
...pressire ball. trap corner action.

def
m2m big gapped
1 3 1 extended late
...move hit corners

...hi pnr with snake is successful. keep the dribble alive. floaters are there!
...push pace make them work
...iso pen side post
...spread it wide and run motion to stress. kicks could be open
...must attack paint. bigs and littles must try kelks. incl open side iso

pers
scheriman leading 18ppg. drives and shoots
...never go under
kalk will shoot 3s
...give him that
alexander posts regularly. trap on move or play solid. make him make it

nova

off
5 o extreme
weave
drag for trey
wants fast pace
...always get back. also makes slow them down
kalk low post. when rhey need one thry revert back to his dives
...deny position
replace action regularly

...post guards
...pressure periodically
...stay at home on shooters

def
m2m gap
...spread it
dropping bigs

...post kalk dont avoid
...push tempo at times
...be there on catch
...run advantageously
...make em play defense. work the offense
open side iso vs kalk/king

pers
kalk will still run floor. ducks in
...hes their gravity
schier has green light. great replacer
ashworth will pull whenever
ball screen for trey. will pull up mid


marq



def
2 3 zone 2nd half

tweet

she's not a coach, but is in the org

im sure it's not a problem. just surprised me. i must not have had the most up to date info hahaha

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hoyas don't become damn depaul

there looks like 1k people up in there. and there is no hope it improves!

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I get innumdated with this crap hahaha

have to spend too much time answering these charges. the sooner Cooley can eliminate these fails, the better.

the longer it takes the harder turnaround becomes. and im just talking about being competitive vs very good teams, not completing the rebuild

from 2 aau guys with access to and relationships with, kids and a hs coach

"Brumbaugh is an imposter".

"This team is as bad as Pat's"

"They're San Francisco...It's over"

???

"The Dons were college basketball royalty and became irrelevant "

is it too early to turn the page and not be evil towards ewing?Ewing??

or is it too early? hahah

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he wanted to get on a couple of times

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is published up front, soon.

hoyas aren't recruiting these guys, but that could change for the younger teams. there was a kanga kid at 16u that is worth a look. as with the Geo kid, who used to be of e. roosevelt (md) but is now at riverdale baptist. the fromer more so, but both have a chance.

on dcp

hearing stupid under armour is AGAIN pondering not supporting them. has been removing $ from budget for years. ua is stupid, these dudes do more with less. tbh the is an excellent opportunity for young coaches and old heads not wanting to get into college coaching. and lower tier kids (low d1, high d2, some mid, occasional hi)

on pallotti

douglas has his work cut out for him. has ALWAYS been "that other private school", one which had s few star players, many solid ones, but is not presumed to be of high end WCAC timber. it's out of the way (old laurel), so travel concerns can be an issue. have no idea about their scholarship/financial aid funds, but i do know douglas is leaning into fund raising.

get bench buy on. stress it. reward it (maybe with a belt and perks?)

too often I'm like those cats are silent wwaayy too often

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ward vs Scott. early

is here.

watched like 3 games. have another to.

it's gonna be tough. they are leaning into pressure, which hoyas don't handle well. more on that later.

1) With MU struggling periodically in defeat and victory, what would you attribute that to? spotty shooting? not getting enough easy baskets via defense?
It’s 3 losses are to Q1 teams away from home, so the level of opponent is a factor. But I’m not that worried, as there have been different factors. Right now Stevie Mitchell has been out with a hamstring injury the past 3 games, and it has really exposed the thinness of MU’s bench.

2) Speaking of turnovers, has Smart deployed his complete pressure package? I've seen 2 different 1 2 2 3/4 court alignments. Also is that a 3-2 zone he sprinkles in?
We haven’t seen much full court pressure this year, and even less token ¾ court outside of Kansas in Maui. This team doesn’t really have a ton of length, and with a thinner than expected bench, the press is not really an option. But Shaka loves to go 3-2 and switch to man mid possession. Does it a few times a half to great success.

3) We all have heard of Kolek. Who is an x factor/subtle guy that's crucial for victory?
Oso Ighodaro might be the team’s MVP even over Kolek. His stats don’t always pop off the page, and he’s been very quiet in certain games, but even without scoring or grabbing rebounds, he is the lynchpin of Marquette, particularly the defense. Marquette’s D is 13.2 points worse per 100 adjusted possessions when he’s off the floor. I can’t say enough about what he does for MU.

4) Has Smart talked about the need to board better?
Ha, every week basically. Shaka’s teams switch everything and have for years, so the defensive rebounding has never been good no matter where he coached. But the key is to not be abysmal (sub-300). And surprisingly, the team is actually top-200 right now in opponent OReb%, per KenPom. So even though there are spurts where it’s not good, they have done well to mitigate it (outside Purdue and Wisconsin).

5) What's your prognostication for tomorrow?
Marquette could get tight if it’s close going into the 2nd half. Against St. Thomas, they were never able to push the lead up from around 14 in the start of the 2ndhalf, and it turned into a 1-possession game late.
But I don’t think that will happen tonight. Marquette is going to avenge it’s worst offensive performance in almost 2 years and come out swinging. I think Marquette can get what it wants against the Hoyas’ porous defense and wins going away.

MARQUETTE

wisc



off

pistol with jones5 o no 13 (guild)

kolek pistol handoff right side

...throw different looks...trap, hedge, switch, drop.

5 o with 13 too tho he does dive

...attack guld off post

...attack glass.

def

m2m. chests facikg ball

looks like 1 2 2. more to speed up a122 trap at halfcourt. 2nd man peels back

...attack the pressure

...spread the man

...iso epps on kilek make him defend

...attack glass. not good tebounding

pers

kam has gotten stronger and shoots better. can bring ball up

kolek handler. drives then loves drop step to rt shoulder. keeps dribble

igodaro has gotten a lot better. only real rebounder

guld pick and pop big

igadahro mobile big who has sttengthened. will bring ball up. faces and posts

23 joplin strong paint player



texas



off

5 out

flat ball screen for kolek to get into paint. accepts/rejects

...alternate trapping, showing hard, dropping.

loves blur or ghost screens...communicate. loves hitting replacer.

..know weakside is gonna be active someone is always popping to corner

they wamt to run. kolek will pat and kick ahead pick pop for Gouldopen side iso for igoharoattacking weakside with shooters

....if its a choice, encourage 3s. not a good shooting team there

def

m2m with chest facing ball

...people amd ball movememt disjoints

...push can lag getting bsck

1 2 2 3/4 to slow down but will trap half court

3 2 zone that can morph to man late in sc. used periodically





pers

kolek runs it

...take left away. rotate to take charge. chance exists. when hes in paint creating, sink a bit to force passes backward some blind

jones has improved

ighodaro will iso post, face shoot midranger. can brIng ball up.

...styles/ish should guard. they will have to be stout



Provy

Off

5 out with 13 and joplin ducking mid post early drag for kolek

kolek pushing early offpistol for kam

...fight over it. hoyas likely switch

1 4 flat screen for kolek hi

...go under

...ice kolek

...attack glass

...push as transition def can be spotty

Def

token pressure

m2m gap chest facing except the ky kid whose guarded more focused

guards will dig down on posts

...attack glass

...push they will lose guys

...move ball and man

1 2 2 3/4 early more aggressive than usual. trapping half court



Pers

Joplin 3s, drives, scores inside domers

love kolek pass to replace action

13 posts, reposts, faces, pushes

ish & styles/drew wil have to guard

ross 1st start a dude is hurt

kolek lefty who loves it

...force right

Kolek head of snake. will hit open 3s. finder

....put in balln screen. make chase. close but youd rather that than get in lane

gold will pindown on lane looks almost tight flexish

jones halfcourt driving joplin will drive staright line from mid....make charge

oso will rim run and dunk in secondary

i assumed they were sucky butler, then watched the texas tech game. these guys can score the ball. they are not a joke. have two more to watch

made me switch my initial hoyas pick, to unfortunately butler.

just has a lot of offense. one good thing is they don't quite know how to play together, opening up a chance for hoyas. \

Anyone know?

only saw parts of 3 games. the last one just past the 3rd 1st half tv timeout. was a blow out vs a d2 team.



BUTLER

Texas Tech

off

five out big #1 screener
hi pr posh drive/dish
...if can ice. drop to make posh shoot
four around one with 23 screen. basically iso backdown
...double on move
off ball cross screen for 3
will push for early off esp 3s
...get back. stop ball. find
1 thomas iso face up midpost
...trap on move
ball is moving !

...soft pressure can work
...zone but watch for deep corner skips
...double off Alexander

def
m2m gap with denial responsibilities
...move ball/man. cuts work
will switch certain screens
will ice

...push may have transition def issues
...might be soft over top for lobs

pers
10/11 new cats. most out of portal
alexander is still the finder
...drop on him then wall. make shooter/contested lu
Brooks #21 shootet amd straight line drive
#11 f will push rock in transiion posts. plays all over. 1-5 defender
...make him prove it
23 screen pisting guy
..double on move
davis will pull 3 all over. drives too. make him do it
#22 turnbull shooter
#14 moore mAkes shots
#13 freshman g

Cal

off
hi pnr thomas posh
...drop posh cant shoot
open side post for screen
...wall sometimes double on move. make em make pressured decisions
posh pushes
hi horns to and used as potential stagger
hi pnr with screen and guard

...pack it in. make em shoot from distance

def
gap man deny first pass
...move ball man
token man
drop vs pnr with bigs

...dummy interior than kick to 3 on blob. they get lost
...play inside out



pers
alexander driver passer
...go under screens. make him fight over them sometimes he dies
brooks is a load who scores
screen is a poster. will also clumsily iso from ft

sag valley st d2

off
get posh going early
pushing alot early
...find get back
zipper for davis for 3.

...zone perIodically

def
gap man deny 1st pass
...move people ball


pers
21 brooks has green light
...find him
11 will hit open 3. runs bsckup pg
davis streaky with deep range
screen open side iso post
...wall off. double on move
Bijack has range
turnbull cut to mid post

Twitter's butler guru did the honors.

1) Is this the most offensively dangerous Butler crew you've seen?

It’s definitely up there. People only focus on the past 3 years and forget the Kelan Martin and Kamar Baldwin days. Especially when Kelan and Kamar were both on the team (eg, Dawgs defeating #1 Villanova 101-93). But no doubt this is definitely one of the more offensively skilled Butler teams

2) How are these points being scored?

Alex Barlow was hired (former head coach for Celtics G-league team, and former Dawg). He was hired to take charge of the offense and his new schemes have definitely worked. Doesn’t hurt to have 2 guys (Telfort & Brooks) shooting over 40% from 3PT with DJ Davis (37%) right behind them

3) Is a Matta rebirth going on? he and Buitler looked kind of dead in the water last year?

Matta was hired late in the process. He basically had to keep the guys recruited by Lavall Jordan and then quickly try and find guys in the portal. After the mass exodus, this is Thad’s team now. And it shows

4) Whose the X factor? Lead dog?

The leader is 100% Posh Alexander. It all starts with him. Yes, Brooks, Telfort and Davis get the buckets. But it all starts with Posh. Without him the Dawgs are not what they are today

5) Prognostication Tuesday?

I’m hearing rumors Epps is out. If true then Dawgs should absolutely take care of business against a short-handed Georgetown team. If Epps is healthy, still gotta protect home court. Without Epps I think Dawgs cover. With him I think it’s closer but Dawgs pull out the home victory. Just too much offensive firepower