Tough loss, but loved the team's fight throughout the game. There were points in the game where fatigue appeared to set in, but I think CC did a good job playing Benny more today (nice to see Schröder get back to his cutting off ball offensively, definitely better than having him take threes/create his own shot consistently). Also great to see Antoine make it on the court, but was hoping he was going to be used as something more than just an Anthony Swan-like role.
It isn't easy when a team is making both their threes and can drive, but I was a bit disappointed that UIC's guys were able to beat GW off the dribble fairly consistently early on. CC did a good job moving to a zone, but it probably could have come a bit earlier (as well as a timeout when it was clear a reset was needed in the beginning of the game). If I remember correctly, GW was down 14 by the time a timeout was called which was a bit too late. Letting guys work through it worked against W&M, but it's not going to happen every time. Wouldn't have been opposed to fouling UIC more often and making them earn it from the line. They were pretty bad as expected from there.
Credit UIC, they ran offense better than I expected coming into the game. Yaklich was able to counter every adjustment CC made, and the Flames ran some really beautiful plays to break GW's zone. A lack of size down low was exposed for the first time this season.
I thought offensive execution was a lot better today despite shots not falling as much, partly due to fewer turnovers than yesterday. I wanted to highlight specifically Jacoi and Trey on that end. They are still very new to CBB so it's understandable, but I'm hoping down the line that they can be a bit more diversified in their shot selection.
Jacoi I think has potential to be a great passer and am liking his driving ability (as well as his poise), but he tends to attempt tough shots in traffic, something I noticed when he was at IMG as well. It was nice to see him knock down a three, which will hopefully open up driving lanes in the future. He's just 33% on twos so far (still early) but it's really the difficulty of his shots that is hurting his efficiency. JB is right now the only one with the ability to drive and finish in traffic, but I think Jacoi can get there with time.
Trey on the other hand does have a nice shot but he's not driving the ball as much thus far. In fact, he's only taken 5 twos all year. That makes him easy to scout, but I know he has the ability from his time at WRA. Even late in this game, it would have been nice to get Garrett more looks, but even when Trey had the ball I think the game was close enough that he could have driven the ball and kicked it out. He took some tough off-balanced threes at the end. GW's offense is at its best when driving and kicking.
Stretch is definitely still feeling his way offensively, but I like his heart and effort. Hopefully we see his ability to finish putbacks near the rim more often as the season progresses.
Darren has been fantastic all season. Good things happen when he plays. A lot of BS foul calls on him today.
Watching Max play is a wild ride. It's really fun when he's on, but unfortunately some of the negative body language that I noticed from early in his freshman year has resurfaced somewhat. Hopefully CC is able to get him to channel his emotions. Already two ejections in six games. Honestly, I can't remember any GW player getting ejected that many times in a season, let alone in a short span like that (probably forgetting someone). I know he was taking issue with the previous play where he thought he was fouled on his fastbreak take to the hoop (which would have really cut into UIC's lead) but given the time and score, it was best to move on.
GW seems to be called for a technical like every game now. Whatever the count is, it's probably already surpassed last year's total. Love the fire that the team is playing with, but they might need to cool it a bit especially since the refs appear to give GW the short end of the stick when it comes to those calls.
Poog wrote: