Kansas 1/11 2:00 PM ESPN+

[bearcatlifer]

The arena was full ,Cats played with great defensive intensity most of the first half.They couldn't shoot but they kept up the pressure for most of the second half.Finally Kansas was able to put them away.Snap just like that.I got the feeling that that was our best shot.That's all we've got.What else can we do? These are the players we have.Jizzle and Day Day just dribble around endlessly.and the others just stand around.In the stands you can hear fans exhorting them to move around.Aziz has no inside game.He simply gets pushed around.Maybe if I was a coach I would have some recommendations.I know... negativity doesn't help but sheesh!

[leo from jersey]

Only once has Miller had a team with a free throw rate in the top 200? That is NOT good. Why do you think Miller has had free throw problems with his teams. Free throws are the easiest things in basketball to practice. You can practice free throw shooting alone.

You guys on this blog are very knowledgeable about basketball. Can anybody tell me what may be happening in practice that prevents UC from becoming a better free throw shooting team? Think about this for a second. UC basically lost the K-State and UA games at the free throw line.

I agree with you 100%. I believe we both have seen plenty of practices. They consist of many drills to many chewing outs even suicides(running). I also have seen a few rah rah sessions. Something has to be causing this. I can't imagine that the problem of wretched FT shooting is not addressed. I just wonder how? I also have to imagine other things are addressed as well. The team dynamic is missing. I also wonder about the locker room talk or lack thereof.

[sedz]

Only once has Miller had a team with a free throw rate in the top 200? That is NOT good.

Yes, and that one time was 2022, his first year here when we ranked #198. Outside of that his best year was #236. This year we are #355.

Note that these numbers are free throw rate, or how often we got to the line. Add in the fact that we are also #355 in conversion percentage, and we are simply not scoring from the line. This happens on Wes Miller teams regardless of who is on the roster. It's a scheme issue.

[longtimefan]

I’m not too sure there are any positives from the Kansas game, but it appears that Arrington Page is demanding more minutes, as that was probably his most impactful performance as a Bearcat. I hope he continues to develop, it helps to have a low post guy with some offensive skills.

[leeraymond]

I'm all for a tougher schedule, but that's not why we're bad. We're bad because our coach doesn't have an efficient offensive scheme. He's only once in his entire career had a top 100 effective field goal percentage or a free throw rate in the top 200. A tough non-con schedule isn't going to make him change his philosophy. Neither will better players or a floor leader. He needs to implement a new scheme or hire someone who will.

Only once has Miller had a team with a free throw rate in the top 200? That is NOT good. Why do you think Miller has had free throw problems with his teams. Free throws are the easiest things in basketball to practice. You can practice free throw shooting alone.

You guys on this blog are very knowledgeable about basketball. Can anybody tell me what may be happening in practice that prevents UC from becoming a better free throw shooting team? Think about this for a second. UC basically lost the K-State and UA games at the free throw line.

[leeraymond]

I was there and it was a very fast game.Since there was not a true telecast there were no tv timeouts and interestingly...almost no fouls were called either way.Mind you there was plenty of fouling going on.Makes one wonder about the amount of discretion the referees can use. We were in it until about 5-6 minutes to go and it turned ugly in a hurry. The crowd turned on them like I have never seen in my Bearcat history.10+ years of season tickets for football and basketball! I don't know where we go from here but honestly we might not win a league game this year.I think Wes' goose is cooked.But with the portal programs are able to turn around pretty quickly. It can't be any worsethan this.

I am very curious. You were at the game. What did you see to make you think that UC may NOT win another game this season? Very disturbing.

[DesertFog]

Someone mentioned no TV time outs during this game. There sure were a lot of long commercial breaks! Are there no rules re time outs or commercials any more?

[sedz]

No stats after the game can show what one can see while watching the game.

Lol, how did you manage to put a dumb dig against stats in a conversation about offensive schemes? Give it a rest.

I know all we do is Pnr and wing iso because I watch the games. I didn't say anything about statistics in that post. And I watch a bunch of other teams so I know what coaches around the country are doing. The statistics tell us what works. I educate myself on both strategy and statistics. You seem to only know a handful of buzzwords. The floor leader is your white whale.

[leo from jersey]

Because the scheme is hero ball. It's PG/C pick-n-roll and wing iso. That means the PG or a wing creating off the dribble. That's what the coach is implementing.

the point is that the hero can't successfully run it. No stats after the game can show what one can see while watching the game.

[sedz]

a floor would at least try to run the current scheme. As it is now, there is no attempt to or understanding of. Just lost hero ball.

Because the scheme is hero ball. It's PG/C pick-n-roll and wing iso. That means the PG or a wing creating off the dribble. That's what the coach is implementing.

[leo from jersey]

I'm all for a tougher schedule, but that's not why we're bad. We're bad because our coach doesn't have an efficient offensive scheme. He's only once in his entire career had a top 100 effective field goal percentage or a free throw rate in the top 200. A tough non-con schedule isn't going to make him change his philosophy. Neither will better players or a floor leader. He needs to implement a new scheme or hire someone who will.

a floor would at least try to run the current scheme. As it is now, there is no attempt to or understanding of. Just lost hero ball.

[bearcatlifer]

I was there and it was a very fast game.Since there was not a true telecast there were no tv timeouts and interestingly...almost no fouls were called either way.Mind you there was plenty of fouling going on.Makes one wonder about the amount of discretion the referees can use. We were in it until about 5-6 minutes to go and it turned ugly in a hurry. The crowd turned on them like I have never seen in my Bearcat history.10+ years of season tickets for football and basketball! I don't know where we go from here but honestly we might not win a league game this year.I think Wes' goose is cooked.But with the portal programs are able to turn around pretty quickly. It can't be any worsethan this.

[sedz]

I'm all for a tougher schedule, but that's not why we're bad. We're bad because our coach doesn't have an efficient offensive scheme. He's only once in his entire career had a top 100 effective field goal percentage or a free throw rate in the top 200. A tough non-con schedule isn't going to make him change his philosophy. Neither will better players or a floor leader. He needs to implement a new scheme or hire someone who will.

[sedz]

some of us older guys on here can remember denny crum's UL teams - played anybody, anywhere, anytime. might've had 8 or 9 losses by the end of the season, but they were monsters in the tournament.
i guess nowadays, that wouldn't work with the all of the "metrics". or would it? it'd be nice to see what the "metrics" would look like, for those old UL teams. just a different approach - definitely rewards SOS.

Metrics reward a tough schedule. You don't have to go back to the 90s for evidence. Marquette got a 2 seed with 9 losses just last year. Wisconsin got a 5 seed with 13 losses.

[leeraymond]

I think Betsey is in the doghouse for some reason. I have no idea.

I have never understood coaches that refuse to play their players when they are upset with them. Coaches HURT the team when they punish guys by not playing them. That is self-defeating because if the team loses the game, because the coach refused to play somebody, now that is a loss for the coach. A better punishment is to make the player shoot 500 free throws or run the bleacher stairs with a weight jacket on, or something like that. Coaches should NOT use punishments that will hurt the team.