Merrimack 12/19 7:00 ESPN+

[Lobot]

Merrimack College is out of the Northeastern conference and currently sits at 5-6 on the season. Merrirmack has played a harder schedule than we have with buy games against OSU, Florida and Georgetown, all losses. This should be a get well game for the Bearcats but after Dayton, I"m not sure about that. With the way we're playing and coming up on the holiday break next week, this sets up as a Presybyterian type of surprise defeat. I hope I'm wrong.

The guy to stop is Jordan Derkack who leads in ppg and rebounds.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/stats/_/id/2771

[leo from jersey]

Merrimack College is out of the Northeastern conference and currently sits at 5-6 on the season. Merrirmack has played a harder schedule than we have with buy games against OSU, Florida and Georgetown, all losses. This should be a get well game for the Bearcats but after Dayton, I"m not sure about that. With the way we're playing and coming up on the holiday break next week, this sets up as a Presybyterian type of surprise defeat. I hope I'm wrong.

The guy to stop is Jordan Derkack who leads in ppg and rebounds.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...tats/_/id/2771

No starter taller than 6 ft 7. according to the Cincy Enquirer. Should be a chance to incorporate Reynolds and experiment.

[Lobot]

No starter taller than 6 ft 7. according to the Cincy Enquirer. Should be a chance to incorporate Reynolds and experiment.

Sounds like a good plan. I'm not sure I want Wes sttill experimenting with lineups when conference season starts.

[leo from jersey]

Here is something that Bearcat journal said and we talked about it. The use of CJ and Simas to run the offense
But wait, you say, CJ Fredrick can’t create his own shot. Well yeah, if he’s being crowded by an athletic defender on an island with the other four defenders staring at him, he ain’t gonna be able to do much.



So why not insert Fredrick into some pick-and-roll actions? Why not run him off a bunch of staggered screens and such? Why not involve him heavily in the offense? The defense is scared of him. They’ll allocate the required resources. That could open some other stuff up.



He needs a pick-and-roll partner. Someone with feel. Someone that can shoot well enough that defenders can’t go under the screen. A good decision-maker with the ball, perhaps with size to see over the defense.



I nominate Simas Lukosius.
I know — Lukosius is off to a clunky start to his Bearcat career. Could some of that be the way he’s being utilized? If you’re asking him to play in isolation versus quicker defenders and help camped out in the paint, he probably won’t be very efficient. But if he’s in position to read the defense and either move the ball or attack an advantage situation, I believe he can be effective.



Envision Fredrick and Lukosius involved in more actions. Your best shooter shoots more shots and your best decision-maker makes more decisions.

[GoBearcats31]

NET: 39 // 197
Ken Pom: 37 // 263

[Rufus]

That's too complicated Leo. Let's just have the team bring the ball up and let them figure things out from there. Some of these guys have been with Miller now three years and no one can figure out his defense. Give them an offensive game plan too?

[leo from jersey]

That's too complicated Leo. Let's just have the team bring the ball up and let them figure things out from there. Some of these guys have been with Miller now three years and no one can figure out his defense. Give them an offensive game plan too?

well some of these guys did better in other systems against better competition. What's up with that.

[Bearcat9796]

next few games maybe go with an 8 man rotation?, maybe not same 8 every game, but may help some rhythm, idk

BTW, i still think .500 is very possible in conference...

[Lobot]

next few games maybe go with an 8 man rotation?, maybe not same 8 every game, but may help some rhythm, idk

I almost said this in my earlier post. Find the guys who play together well and shorten the bench for Conference play. You've got 3 games to figure out your rotations before you play at altitude in Provo against a ranked team. When you come home you get another ranked team. And then another one on the road.

We almost have too much depth for our own good this season now that everyone is eligible. This is one reason Rayvon hasn't been on the floor.

[bg703]

We’re all understandably a little sour but let’s see what they are able to figure out over the next 3 games. I don’t like losing to XU and UD, but now that they have all their pieces hopefully the coaching staff can figure out how to mix and match some lineups. It might help to give guys defined roles even if it is not exactly what they want.

[leo from jersey]

We’re all understandably a little sour but let’s see what they are able to figure out over the next 3 games. I don’t like losing to XU and UD, but now that they have all their pieces hopefully the coaching staff can figure out how to mix and match some lineups. It might help to give guys defined roles even if it is not exactly what they want.

it will take strong coaching and an expectation of discipline. Has CWM built any of that in three years. There was a guy last year who played very undisciplined. I take it CWM failed to harness him as he transferred from his hometown school. It may have been NIL, but ...................................

[longtimefan]

it will take strong coaching and an expectation of discipline. Has CWM built any of that in three years. There was a guy last year who played very undisciplined. I take it CWM failed to harness him as he transferred from his hometown school. It may have been NIL, but ...................................

That guy is far less productive at his new school than he was here. Is it coaching there, too?

[Bearcat93]

I don’t know that the next three games will tell us much-I suspect we will over power them. We need a win against a good team, particularly a road win vs a Q1 team, to build some confidence. We are going to prove ourselves in B12 play it appears.

[Gmann]

I don’t know that the next three games will tell us much-I suspect we will over power them. We need a win against a good team, particularly a road win vs a Q1 team, to build some confidence. We are going to prove ourselves in B12 play it appears.

This is exactly where my head is. Just on pure talent I think we'll look good over the next 3 games but the true test will be when we hit the road in conference play. I hope CWM uses the next three games to figure some things out. We need someone to take control as the floor general. I like the talent of our 2 PG's but I don't see and really didn't expect to see them running the show being new to the program. I think Newman, Fredrick or Lukosius can help in that area but it remains to be seen. We need to get much better on defense against good teams and FT shooting has to get better for us to win important games in the future. I do like our rebounding and with our athletes we need to continue with that as a strength going forward.

[leo from jersey]

I think the one thing we can all agree with is that we had wished that Vik had missed his wide open 3s versus bad competition. He now jacks them off or thinks about, but by then the defense is on him.