Az did not shred our Defense.
The Wildcats shredded our Offense.
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The concerning part to me is the 2 freshman are our 2 best players now. Flemings is the only one who can consistently get a bucket and Cenac is fighting for the boards and doing the dirty work jojo was expected to. We dont have the culture warrior on this team that we usually have (2021 Deeky, 2022 Fabian, 2023-25 Jwan). I thought sharp or milos could have been that guy this year
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They got too many easy buckets to my liking. But yes, Arizona has a really good defense and went after Sharp and Flemings early and often. The Wildcats played like a team that had something to prove,and they did it here today.
The difference in the game was Arizonaās ability to get open shots around the basket and of course our terrible shooting and turnovers.
Our defense forced five turnovers while they forced 12. Well, in fairness some of our turnovers were simply dumb decisions.
I hope we play them at some point this year, preferably in the final four lolā¦
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The energy we have to expend on offense also leads us to be slower on defense with switches and double teams.
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Cenac had his hands full once again today and he got bullied around the basket most of the game. But to his credit he did not back down and bless his heart did some dirty work on his own. Just wish he could score down low some.
But I really think Cenac has shown lots of improvement since the first part of the season. I think he and Flemings are both high IQ players and I think they both continue to get better.
Going into this season I think most of us thought our bench would be a huge plus for this team, but thus far that has not happened.
I still have hopes of Harwell and McCarty breaking out with big games, but that may not happen until next yearā¦
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I want to see more Miller and junkyard dog Ramon Walker. Miller 10-15 minutes. Walker 7-10 minutes.
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McCarty has some excellent points per minute played but he doesnāt see the floor much. Not sure why but Iām not going to question Sampson on personnel. Thatās his expertise.
Iām not worried about Uzan. Itās the PGās job to lead the team and dish, control the tempo. If he has a weakness itās rebounding. He had 9 points today and was 3/5 from long range. His assists are down this year because thereās no Francis or Roberts to deal it to. Sahko went from, āwhen will I get in the game?ā to ādamnā¦get me outta this crazy #%.ā The guy is actually getting much better and fighting for the ball. And his defense has improved. I like the kid.
Our guys let AZ take the ball outta their hands today waaaay too much. The refs were garbage but AZ got a lot of fortuitous long rebounds. Gotta hand it to Lloyd. Heās excellent at finding foreigners that fit his system. This B12 stuff is straight gangster.
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@NOLAcoog Sharp wants to be the culture warrior type.
But athletically, hes not the greatest athlete.
So he gets handsy or bodies a guy & commits dumb fouls lately
Cenac was the one dude who battled today. Hats off to him
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Sadly, seems like we didnāt get Peat because Jojo and Cenac were guaranteed to start. He wouldāve made a major difference on this team. Jojo or Chris couldāve been in the Francis role and this team would be elite. Iāve never been that guy to give the what ifās, but thatās a way different team. I have to believe the coaches thought theyād get way more out of Jojo in the post
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Probably. Jojo has monster athleticism. But when you play like a bull in a china shop and struggle scoring itās gonna be up and down. I wish he would develop an Artis Gilmore baby hook. He already has the badass sideburns.
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āMilquetoastā Uzan.
Im glad his 3pt are falling. With him in P&R, we are getting some really poor possessions.
A ball handler, whos not agressive in P&R, cant happen. Check down Charlie at Quarterback
Turnovers killed us, last time I checked it was UH 11, UA 3.
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I just think putting everything on Uzan with no post to take the pressure off the perimeter is unfair. The good teams are double-teaming the ball-handler because they know itās only Snacks that can score in the lane. And most times he outside with Uzan.
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@FunkMasterMilluns that is true. Especially with a Sakho screen
Teams dont fear Sakho getting the ball on the roll. So they double hard the ball handler & then recover
So thats on the staff then. To space players better on the floor.
Cause we were getting nothing out of it today.
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Yeah. Itās frustrating. I wish I were John Wooden. Iād crash the practice and get things right.
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Love Jojo as an energy guy that can play defense and get some put back dunks, but other than that, he has almost no offensive game. Unlike Roberts, who had enough strength to back people down in the low post, regardless of their size. He was also able to use his strength to defend bigger players. Matter of fact, he held Awaka to 0 points and 4 boards last year.
Tugler may be athletic but he doesnāt have the weight/strength to handle strong low post players. And when he tries to keep up, he often fouls. Thatās a problem.
Overall, I felt they gave us a dose of our own medicine. They trapped our guards hard and forced a lot of tough shots, and neutralized our best guard, Flemmings. Jojoās 3 turnover in the first half that led to easy 6 points didnāt help matters, either. Those easy transition points gave them momentum.
Moreover, our defense looked porous at times. Yeah, we shut down Burries, but we gave up multiple layups and they torched us on shots around the rim. DellāOrso had a huge game and at times looked unstoppable by our defenders. And it was pretty clear at one point they were going at Flemmings to get him in foul trouble.
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Iāll take Cenac over Peat Everyday.
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Imagine what this team will look like next season. No Flemings, no Sharp, probably no Cenacā¦ I sure hate UH did not grab that ring last season. It is going to be a bumpy road going forward I fear.
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As a low post presence, Peat is a beast! I love Cenac though, more than most. I never said Peat instead of Cenac, but have him alongside the others
Cenacās DNA is not a post up game. They tried working with Hakeem and develop Cenacās inside game but heās more of a spread 4.
Our team has no inside presence on the offense like we had last year with Roberts and Frances. We have to find other means of scoring.
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