jf wrote:

Sure, other A-10 teams played and have sometimes upset these major D1 teams.
   But do they face the likes of UVA (-Wise)?

I know you were being snarky, but the answer is actually yes.  All but 3 teams have a D2 or lower team on their schedule. 

Dayton played “Capital University,” whatever that is.  VCU played Elizabeth City State.  Sadly the list like that goes on and on.

Probably a product of scheduling getting harder and there being more penalty in computer ratings for beating a bad D1 team than a non-D1 team.

gwstudent2024 wrote:

Seems like we've stumbled upon a great offseason topic: which current or former GW basketball player would you least want to face off against in a wrestling match?

My firsthand experience of GW basketball is limited to the last few years so I'll say Darren Buchanan or Noel Brown

Alexander Koul.

For almost the entire stretch run, we had 1 junior (who hadn’t played much before this year), 3 sophomores, and 1 freshman.  That’s a young team. 

We do have 3 seniors, 2 of them who start, but unfortunately our 5 best players are young or inexperienced. 

I do imagine if we can hold the team together through the portal (huge if) and Garrett comes back to what he was, that a team next year with Garrett, Hutch, Jones, Autry, Buchanan, and Castro - plus hopefully a Castro-level portal addition or two - is suddenly a more experienced, more dangerous team. Perhaps even our first top 100 team in a long time.

We lost and it sucks, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the usual suspects are already turning on the coach/calling for his head - but if you can’t see the progress we are making as a program, I can’t help you.

Our defense is much improved and we have our highest ranked team in 7 years.  We’re headed in the right direction.

I was at the game and it just felt like “one of those nights.”   I’ve actually never seen us get to the rim so consistently all game long. Like literally never in 35+ years of watching GW basketball.  The number of missed layups (and blown fast breaks) was truly shocking.  The coach put them in position to succeed and the players just… didn’t. That it happened on an unusually bad FT shooting game probably makes sense. Literally one more layup or one more FT and we win. 

Of course, I don’t remember ever seeing us go 40 minutes of regulation without making a single three. Anyone know the last time we went a game without one?  Or has it ever happened?   

The thing I was most heartened by is that with the exception of the first couple minutes of the second half and the last couple minutes of OT, we didn’t let the offensive struggles affect our defense.  We actually defended well most of the night. That, to me, is real progress.  We’re on the right track defensively and Chris Jones is really an exciting defensive player.

Lastly, I thought what happened in OT is we ran out of gas - or more specifically, Jun and Hutch ran out of gas after playing 2 on 5 the whole game.  I think the clear out, let one of them get to the rim every possession was the Plan B (our plan A offense wasn’t working because no one could make a shot), but ultimately the crazy end of game three pointer gave AU some momentum and our guys just didn’t have the legs to finish in OT. 

I’ll also excuse the rebounding deficit. Some of the offensive board were just long rebounds off missed threes and we didn’t get as many offensive boards a

Wisconsin Colonial 1974 wrote:

As I think I noted, what I saw in person in the VI is that we were initially unable to handle to K St’s size and speed but adjusted in the second half. Great comeback to get within 4, and then Hawkins hit a big 3. Never got any closer.

I continue to be concerned that our frequent switching on defense creates bad matchups. My observation about good defensive teams is that they usually fight over screens instead of switching.

 

I think switching everything, or at least switching 1 through 4, is modern basketball.  The ideal is to have enough versatile athletic guys out there to switch and guard everything without mismatches.

I will say, last year, teams could hunt Bishop or Max for mismatches, but this year it’s tougher.  Maybe teams can try to exploit Moss’ lack of size or get a quicker guy matched up on Drumgoooe or Autry, but there’s no one who is just a bad defensive player out there like the past few years.

There’s a reason Caputo either didn’t want him back or at least was fine with him leaving (not sure which).  Max is a talented guy, but not a great team player and gets too down on himself when things are going badly.  I’m sure he’ll get hot at some point for the Dukes, but I think our team chemistry is better with what we have now.

Long Suffering Fan wrote:

Tennessee Colonial wrote:

Scary start to 2nd half. Typical. But a good comeback. It seems every game it takes a while for the guys start to hit their 3's. Then the floor opens up. Question? There has been questions that the coach will not make adjustments if a game plan goes awry. Did Caputo make a critical adjustment or did we just begin to hit our outside shots? I was out and didn't see the game, just the final score.  Thanks

The biggest adjustment he made was in the substitution patterns.    Autry played most of the second half while Moss sat.   Likewise, both Jones and Hanson got very few second half minutes.
 

Not true that the biggest adjustment was substitutions.  Defensively we started double teaming Walker, where that was not the game plan. Offensively, we ran the offensive from the wing, instead of the top of the key and changed the spacing. 

Also, there aren’t a lot of 270 pound centers to worry about bullying us in the A10.  Walker is unique player.

Great win.   Drumgoole deserved a shout out.  He made I thought 2 key defensive plays that turned the game. One was when he stepped up perfectly on the double team and drew a foul on Walker that got Walker out of the game.  Then about a minute later, he had a spectacular block at the rim (and secured the rebound himself). 

Tremendous work from Drumgoole. His best game of the year and I hope he can keep bringing that defense.

Will also add, this was a really good win to prepare us for the A10.  Redbirds were packing it down and we were settling for drive and kicks that we mostly missed or were afraid to shoot.  But then we just ground it out, getting inside (which then opened up different kinds of threes for Autry, Drumgoole, and Hutch).  And at the same time we were outstanding on defense.  We absolutely took three three ball away from them for almost the whole game, but especially the key last 15 minutes - and we did it without getting beat inside.

This should bump our KenPom a couple of spots (I’d guess 140), and it’s good to see that our play on the court matches that rating. We are clearly improved, especially on the defensive end.  Need to keep focused and get better every game.

I wouldn’t say we were flat to start the half. I just think we settled for open threes and missed our first six.  We finally hit a couple, and we’re getting some foul trouble on their front line.  That Hutch steal that was called a foul was a tough one because we would have had a layup and cut it to 4. 

Just need to keep attacking, keep drawing fouls.

Also, what an outstanding ball fake, sidestep, fake, drive, fake, wraparound pass by Autry.

creeksandzeeks wrote:

GW having to work hard for buckets, but it feels like they can score against the zone.
ISU using the pick and pop really, really well. GW leaving lots of guys alone on the perimeter. Rebounding well, and ISU isn't making the threes they have been coming into this game. 
FQ, you're right -- this one has all the makings of a tight game.

We don’t have a single two point field goal.  Feel like when we figure out how to get to the rim, we could go on a run.