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CatsTopPac
Well-Known Member
Well. There it is.
Not much to say other than we got close. With a one point loss like that, you could pick any play apart and if a basket drops (etc.), we move on.
What I will say though is that winning the Pac, having the conference POY, ROY, and COY, 33 wins, a lotto pick, and an Elite Eight, are nothing to shake a stick at.
I don't know what that game would have been like with a healthy Brandon Ashley, but I would have liked to find out. We didn't beat ourselves though. The usual suspects of FT% and turnovers didn't cost us. 70% and 7 turnovers is pretty efficient for the season averages.
Were were at least a top 8 team, and there's an argument that we were a top 4 team with Ashley. So at least that's good to know.
Defense was just a pure joy to watch this year; such a well-oiled machine. Even if we had won, I have to wonder if we sacrificed offense for defense this year. I know we were top 20 in offensive efficiency, but it seemed like even when we were taking good shots, they just weren't falling. And that might be because we didn't focus on it enough this year (near as much as we focused on defense, anyway). I'd like to see more of a consistent offensive output in terms of FG% from Miller. I know it's almost impossible to have a top defense and top offense (because there are only so many hours in practice), but it just looked like we weren't as comfortable putting the ball in the basket as we should have been (either from the field, the perimeter, or the line). It seemed like every game, the guys needed to see the ball go in the hoop before they felt comfortable.
I could pick it apart to illustrate my point, and say that NJ, TJ, and AG went a combined 11-37 (29.7%), while the rest of the team went 12-21 (57%), but it's just something else to point to. But I still think that having BA was probably a bigger deal overall.
Looking forward to a great Final Four, and here's to a better year next year. I hope that the potential for each player to grow next year, and the potential for the team next year has a big part in swaying some decisions in staying or entering the draft, but we'll see. Still a great year coming next year with the class coming in, and a lot of experience coming back.
Let's defend the Pac title, honor the process, improve as players and coaches, alike, and take the next step as a program. Bear Down.
Not much to say other than we got close. With a one point loss like that, you could pick any play apart and if a basket drops (etc.), we move on.
What I will say though is that winning the Pac, having the conference POY, ROY, and COY, 33 wins, a lotto pick, and an Elite Eight, are nothing to shake a stick at.
I don't know what that game would have been like with a healthy Brandon Ashley, but I would have liked to find out. We didn't beat ourselves though. The usual suspects of FT% and turnovers didn't cost us. 70% and 7 turnovers is pretty efficient for the season averages.
Were were at least a top 8 team, and there's an argument that we were a top 4 team with Ashley. So at least that's good to know.
Defense was just a pure joy to watch this year; such a well-oiled machine. Even if we had won, I have to wonder if we sacrificed offense for defense this year. I know we were top 20 in offensive efficiency, but it seemed like even when we were taking good shots, they just weren't falling. And that might be because we didn't focus on it enough this year (near as much as we focused on defense, anyway). I'd like to see more of a consistent offensive output in terms of FG% from Miller. I know it's almost impossible to have a top defense and top offense (because there are only so many hours in practice), but it just looked like we weren't as comfortable putting the ball in the basket as we should have been (either from the field, the perimeter, or the line). It seemed like every game, the guys needed to see the ball go in the hoop before they felt comfortable.
I could pick it apart to illustrate my point, and say that NJ, TJ, and AG went a combined 11-37 (29.7%), while the rest of the team went 12-21 (57%), but it's just something else to point to. But I still think that having BA was probably a bigger deal overall.
Looking forward to a great Final Four, and here's to a better year next year. I hope that the potential for each player to grow next year, and the potential for the team next year has a big part in swaying some decisions in staying or entering the draft, but we'll see. Still a great year coming next year with the class coming in, and a lot of experience coming back.
Let's defend the Pac title, honor the process, improve as players and coaches, alike, and take the next step as a program. Bear Down.