Im not arguing that the offense was poor, especially its shooting and ball movement. Im just saying Z did the most creating on the team. I’d say Zs shooting was a bigger detriment, than his creating. And I think the offense looked extra awful because there were no token 3s to offset the blunders
That was an utterly ridiculous decision, particularly for a senior, and it was incredibly unsurprising that it ended as 3 for them at the other end. Terrible decisions almost always lead to points the other way.
Brooks has literally had 4 different games where he hasn’t registered any stat whatsoever in 5 minutes or more and Simpson has had games that he has won for us this year.
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Agree, but not lately. His play has been borderline acceptable. He has no business taking all these 3’s, which is totally reflective of his mismanagement of the offense.
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I’m with you that Simpson isn’t a star point guard. There’s still a huge question mark there. But to say “Brooks would play better” is flat out false
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He made some excellent passes in the first half, fully agree there.
I still think too often he settled into passing around the perimeter instead of trying to make something happen. He’s too good and too quick to just pass it around. Looked to be playing tentatively and didn’t attempt to break it down off the dribble.
Nothing wrong with getting feedback from basketball people just to see what you need to improve on. I’m sure he knows he’s not ready yet. He wouldn’t have transferred from Kentucky and sat out a year just to jump before he is guaranteed a good spot in the draft.
I think Z needs to keep shooting WIDE open 3s. Clearly in a funk, just have to hope he get’s back to being a 35% guy soon
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That’d be a losing bet. Z is by no means perfect, but he won the PG minutes by playing better consistently. Brooks had his chance to win the PT this year and didn’t do it. And he hasn’t been making shots when he’s been in, so little reason to give him more PT IMO.
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Yeah, definitely doesn’t need to take them unless he’s open. Rushes his shot otherwise.
We are probably just talking in circles. I agree that he was too passive at times. I was mostly just arguing that I think there were other, more deserving, places to point the “back breaking” finger. Like our team’s awful shooting on mostly fine looks, the kind of looks you want to create against that zone; or Matthews for having 3 turnovers in like 4 possessions; or Poole and Duncan combining to be non-factors while in the designated shooter role.
But Z missed a bunch of open shots, missed FTs (which cancels out some of his good takes), and was too passive in the second half.
I’m three minutes in and you can’t tell me that the subtext isn’t that the team made a lot of stupid plays. He sounds really frustrated by the mental mistakes/terrible decisions. Izzo would definitely throw his guys under the bus and say they played stupidly. Coach B just said as much without being a dick.
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IMO, bench needs to step up. If Robinson and Poole aren’t making threes, they’re not going to add much else, though Poole does have some playmaking abilities. Teske has been poor recently and Brooks hasn’t done much of anything since early in the season.
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YES!! We might get flak for this but shoot it every time you’re open. I don’t mind Z shooting as he is when the right shot is there.
Wish the team would have this mindset! I never put down Irvin when he struggled. Why? The guy shot it when open and was looking to make plays. This group goes back and forth with that mentality.
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I agree. I’d just say his last 3 was probably the only regrettable one. The others he basically had to shoot, unless he wants to get relegated to Tum Tum status
Teske was a little light on playing time, no, because of a few specific matchups? It seems like his playing time dipped and his game has struggled since.
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Whole team struggled, most definitely. Z can just be polarizing at times because you see how good he can be. I’m all for him at PG. Just seems there’s rarely middle ground with him. Great Z or passive Z. Nights like tonight they needed him.
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And basically, if he can’t be a 35% guy on wide open 3’s, we’re done as a team, anyway, so he needs to shoot his way out of this.
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Honestly that might have been the game right there.
That sequence can’t end like that.
Just flipped the court and basically a 5 point swing.
The worst case needed to be us just back on defense, not giving up that.
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