Keys to Winning...Butler

[pantherpanther]

Ok Guys,

On a lighter note...what do you think it will take for our Panthers to beat Butler Saturday night?

[pantherdon]

1. We need to shoot at least as well as we did last night.

2. Although we did much better with it last night than we did against SHSU, we still need to improve our perimeter defense.

[brewtownbrian]

While I haven't had much of a chance to "scout" Butler this season...I'll place my focus on what UWM can do and should do, in order to win.

With that...here are my thoughts:

-Defend the perimeter and tighten up the transition defense. There were too many times during the Wyoming game that good shooters had wide open looks because of lack of communication or guys were just slow in getting back and finding their man.

-Finishing around the rack.
In my opinion they have gotten much better at finishing, compared to the beginning of the year, but Paulsen, Skinner, and some others miss waaay too many bunnies. On the other side of things...Avo has been taking it to the rim and finishing like a stud. Keep that up.

The rest are standard things that any team needs to do to win...
-Limit turnovers,
-limit offensive rebounds by opponent,
-create some turnovers from the press and most importantly, especially for this year's team...
-play the full 40 minutes with 110% focus and effort!

[reggiewheelerfor3]

I agree with everyone else here. It all starts with perimeter defense on Saturday. If we don't allow Butler to penetrate, we actually have a chance. That way, we don't have to rotate down after the perimeter D gets broken down. From the games I've seen Butler play this year, that's the way they've won. Come to think of it, that's the way they've won for the last 10 years. They break you down, kick it out and rain 3s on you. In last year's championship game, Butler couldn't shake our guards. We were all over them, taking away shots and at least getting a hand up on the 3s (I don't know if a Jeter/Bo Ryan team will EVER really contest a perimeter jumper :-p ).
Based on what I've seen from us this year on the perimeter, we may struggle in this regard. How was our perimeter defense against Wyoming? I wasn't able to make the game.

[brewtownbrian]

You're right on with Butler Reggie...they dribble-drive and dish as good as any program in the conference over the last 5-10 years.

Wyoming was 8-19 from downtown and as I said in my previous post...there were too many times that good shooters had wide open looks because of lack of communication or guys were just slow in getting back and finding their man.

For instance, #2, Spencer...was 4-8 from 3-pt. range. 12 of his 18 points. I'd say that all but 1 of his made 3's were uncontested.

I, along with others around me, asked out loud..."When are they going to realize that guy can shoot?"

I'd say that it seemed to get better in the 2nd half, but still not where it needs to be to compete against a team like Butler.

I'm worried for the UWM/Detroit game. Cotton and Goode are maybe the best back-court tandem in the conference. It'll be a challenge for our young guards for sure.

[nighthawk]

After watching the Wyoming game, I think it's become clear to me that this team has the talent to compete with anyone, including Butler.

What they have lacked all season is emotion. Passion and intensity will elevate the play more than any amount of practice may.

Wyoming was the first game I saw 40 minutes of intense effort on both ends of the floor.

The time has come for Rob to turn them loose and let them play free. To this point, they look like they are thinking way too much and trying too hard not to make mistakes and get yanked by Rob.

Outside shooting requires a relaxed and confident approach, and they have not had that all season. If Rob tells them that he will not yank them if they take a questionable shot from time to time, they may start to hit more from the outside. They will also take more advantage of the opportunities the offense gives them.

Turn the kids loose, Rob. It like in Full Metal Jacket, when the drill instructor realizes that the recruits have grown to the point where they are beyond his control. (BTW, if you haven't ever seen that movie, I HIGHLY recommend it.)

These kids are ready to be turned loose and told to go out and play hard and be aggressive. Let them play ball now, and we will all be happy with what we see, in my opinion.

[dylanrocks]

If the "kids" are to be turned loose, they must first be allowed off the bench. What I see is a bunch of upperclassmen who are currently giving it their all. Not sure if the team didn't play to its fullest potential on Wednesday. Of course, I was stunned to be leaving the Cell with a win.

[nighthawk]

Since I am an old man now, they are all kids to me.

And I stand by my contention that they have played tight all year, and the coaches need to let them play more relaxed in game situations.

Beat them up all you want in practice, but come game time, don't make all the "punishment substitutions".

To that end, keep Sam in the rotation for more that 4 minutes a game. He's never going to get into the flow in 2 minutes of each half. That's just one example.

Find spots for the players to excel and let them stay in to get into a rhythm.

[panthercrazy]

I think Graves and Green are ahead of Goode and Cotton. Green and Graves never miss free throws like Wyoming down the stretch and they dont make stupid turnovers. Where as MR. Cotton always has the ball.

[dylanrocks]

Completely agree, (fellow) old wise one. It was clear during one stretch of the second half how unsettled and uptight Charlie was. After making a few errors, he was yanked and was barely (if ever) seen again. Let's win with the future.

[brewtownbrian]

Yeah...Jeter's got one of the quickest hooks I've ever seen. I remember thinking Bo Ryan had a quick hook. His is nothing compared to Jeter's.

**ATTENTION/DISCLAIMER: This is not a knock on RJ as a coach b/c he obviously knows more about his profession and livelihood than I do.**

However, I do question/wonder/speculate if that is the best approach with such a young and inexperienced team. I agree that it sometimes appears that they are trying harder to NOT make a mistake rather than just playing the game and letting the game happen and then reacting with the instincts that got them here. That anxiety and tightness isn't good for a team like this...in my opinion.

As RJ's quick hook relates to Mauldin...I don't even think Mauldin made any glaring mistakes against Wyoming, yet he played the first 3-4 minutes and then was virtually not let back onto the floor. Maybe there's something else going on behind the scenes, maybe his knee is bothering him, maybe the match-up didn't suit Mauldin, but I would expect RJ to know that one before the game got underway.

I agree with the fact that RJ could loosen the grip a little, but I don't know if "turning them loose" totally, is the right answer.

For as much potential as Charlie has, there are times that he plays totally out of control...somewhat reminiscent of Avo last season. There are too many times that he takes a chance on a possible steal, comes up empty and the team ends up getting burned because of the slow rotation and help defense.

So while I agree that RJ should let guys make some mistakes before sitting them down, I don't think total chaos and aggressiveness is the answer either. Hopefully as the season progresses everything will work itself out and a happy medium can be found.

But once again, this is one man's opinion...RJ seems like a guy with a strong will and a strong desire to do things his way!

[Deleted]

brewtownbrian said:

Yeah...Jeter's got one of the quickest hooks I've ever seen. I remember thinking Bo Ryan had a quick hook. His is nothing compared to Jeter's.

**ATTENTION/DISCLAIMER: This is not a knock on RJ as a coach b/c he obviously knows more about his profession and livelihood than I do.**

However, I do question/wonder/speculate if that is the best approach with such a young and inexperienced team. I agree that it sometimes appears that they are trying harder to NOT make a mistake rather than just playing the game and letting the game happen and then reacting with the instincts that got them here. That anxiety and tightness isn't good for a team like this...in my opinion.

As RJ's quick hook relates to Mauldin...I don't even think Mauldin made any glaring mistakes against Wyoming, yet he played the first 3-4 minutes and then was virtually not let back onto the floor. Maybe there's something else going on behind the scenes, maybe his knee is bothering him, maybe the match-up didn't suit Mauldin, but I would expect RJ to know that one before the game got underway.

I agree with the fact that RJ could loosen the grip a little, but I don't know if "turning them loose" totally, is the right answer.

For as much potential as Charlie has, there are times that he plays totally out of control...somewhat reminiscent of Avo last season. There are too many times that he takes a chance on a possible steal, comes up empty and the team ends up getting burned because of the slow rotation and help defense.

So while I agree that RJ should let guys make some mistakes before sitting them down, I don't think total chaos and aggressiveness is the answer either. Hopefully as the season progresses everything will work itself out and a happy medium can be found.

But once again, this is one man's opinion...RJ seems like a guy with a strong will and a strong desire to do things his way!

Yeah BTB I agree with your assertion that RJ has a quick hook. We've got to attempt to win with the future as Dylan already stated.

[TBone]

Mauldin didn't look too good in the first few minutes of the Wyoming game. I don't remember exact situations, but I remember thinking "hands of stone," couldn't rebound against their guys, and overall Wyoming's post players owning us in the first half.

[raar]

America's Line favors Butler by 7.5, as of this morning.

[TBone]

Where are the mods? Any way to unpin the Tennessee Tech game and pin the latest game?

Thx!

T