What is priority #1?

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MennoSota

MennoSota

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Pitino has a break before the next game. What should he be focusing on in practice?
I think priority #1 is working on a match up zone defense so we can keep from being out rebounded and getting exhausted by crunch time.
Priority #2 - Keep working on the 4 out, 1 in motion offense with week side wings crashing the paint for offensive rebounds. We have to shoot better from the perimeter. We have no inside threat and Murphy is too small to post up without Lynch to draw people off him.
 

You missed your calling......you should be one of Pitino's assistants. (lots of basketball jargon being tossed around in your comments)
 

Defense, Defense, Defense. Defensive intensity. The guys need to play defense with a lot more desire and focus. We are decent offensively but not good enough to win with the current defensive effort. I had a chance to go to Cincinnati last night to see the Bearcats. We are every bit as talented as they are on the offensive side but their defensive intensity is off the charts (they do have depth) and they totally smothered Temple by 30+ points. There was almost never a time when a Temple player was able to operate comfortably. Pitino needs to demand more on defense.
 

Make Konate the PG so he can handle the ball more.
 




It's a difficult task. Play a smaller lineup in order to defend the arc better....and you leave the inside game open. Play Konate/Gaston and you may have some rebounding efficiency......but you are pretty much playing 4-on-5 when we are on offense.
 

defense ....it's the only way this team will win games.
 

Guard people.

With the personnel they have now not gonna' be able to just outscore teams (basically, at best, playing 4 on 5 when they have the ball). Nothing wrong with playing grinders, if that gives you the best chance to win.
 



SelectionSunday said:
Guard people.

With the personnel they have now not gonna' be able to just outscore teams (basically, at best, playing 4 on 5 when they have the ball). Nothing wrong with playing grinders, if that gives you the best chance to win.
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How would you teach this? Our kids have a hard time fighting through back screens and communicating those picks.
 

MennoSota said:
How would you teach this? Our kids have a hard time fighting through back screens and communicating those picks.
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Every coach teaches it. Not every coach demands it. The problem with demanding it (which is needed) is that you have to have a guy who will come in off the bench and do it when another player is not. We don't have that depth after the starters. If the starters don't fight on D- then he has no options right now. That's part on him and part lousy luck. Last year we played pretty good defense in the second half of the year.
 

I wanna see some Eric Harris/Melvin Newburn style perimeter defense from our guards. So many of the issues we are seeing are the opposing guards blowing by our guards and then Murphy or whomever is in the lane has to choose whether to leave their guy or not. Also the pick and roll defense is bad.
 

MennoSota said:
Pitino has a break before the next game. What should he be focusing on in practice?
I think priority #1 is working on a match up zone defense so we can keep from being out rebounded and getting exhausted by crunch time.
Priority #2 - Keep working on the 4 out, 1 in motion offense with week side wings crashing the paint for offensive rebounds. We have to shoot better from the perimeter. We have no inside threat and Murphy is too small to post up without Lynch to draw people off him.
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Murphy isn't an inside threat? Coulda fooled me.
 



MennoSota said:
Pitino has a break before the next game. What should he be focusing on in practice?
I think priority #1 is working on a match up zone defense so we can keep from being out rebounded and getting exhausted by crunch time.
Priority #2 - Keep working on the 4 out, 1 in motion offense with week side wings crashing the paint for offensive rebounds. We have to shoot better from the perimeter. We have no inside threat and Murphy is too small to post up without Lynch to draw people off him.
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1A. Get a psychologist for Nate to help him through his grief process.
 

bga1 said:
Defense, Defense, Defense. Defensive intensity. The guys need to play defense with a lot more desire and focus. We are decent offensively but not good enough to win with the current defensive effort. I had a chance to go to Cincinnati last night to see the Bearcats. We are every bit as talented as they are on the offensive side but their defensive intensity is off the charts (they do have depth) and they totally smothered Temple by 30+ points. There was almost never a time when a Temple player was able to operate comfortably. Pitino needs to demand more on defense.
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100 % spot on. Should have been stressed from day one.
 

Keyser Söze said:
Murphy isn't an inside threat? Coulda fooled me.
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He isn't a threat at 6-6 when there is no other person the defense needs to worry about. He can be double and triple teamed because we are playing with only 4...or less...scoring threats on offense. If Murph was 6-10 and shot from outside like Wagner, he'd be a threat. But since he's only good from 15 feet and in, he can't get his shot up against 6-10 centers. He really misses Lynch.
 


MennoSota said:
He isn't a threat at 6-6 when there is no other person the defense needs to worry about. He can be double and triple teamed because we are playing with only 4...or less...scoring threats on offense. If Murph was 6-10 and shot from outside like Wagner, he'd be a threat. But since he's only good from 15 feet and in, he can't get his shot up against 6-10 centers. He really misses Lynch.
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He's averaged about 14.3 points since Lynch has been out, all of which have been against Big Ten teams. I agree that he would be better off if Lynch was playing, but saying he hasn't been a threat just isn't accurate. Judging by your history though, I fully expect you to double down and defend your point without any sort of logic whatsoever.
 

Keyser Söze said:
He's averaged about 14.3 points since Lynch has been out, all of which have been against Big Ten teams. I agree that he would be better off if Lynch was playing, but saying he hasn't been a threat just isn't accurate. Judging by your history though, I fully expect you to double down and defend your point without any sort of logic whatsoever.
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LOL, check and see what his turnover rate has been since Lynch left. See how many times he's had the ball blocked or stripped because of being double and triple teamed.
I'm not ripping on Murph. He's being forced to play out of position and out of his comfort zone. But...keep thinking you know what you're talking about. It's a discussion board. You are entitled to your opinion.
 

I agree with most in the thread about focusing on defense. That said, why wasn't that the focus the entire off-season and in non conference play? This team won last year because they were a grinding type team. This year it really seemed like the team (if not the coaching staff) came in to the season with the idea that they'd just out skill people on the offensive end and stopped doing the little things/hustle plays that gave them their edge. Even at full strength, this team didn't have the type of offensive firepower to reach it's goals playing games in the 80's and 90's.

If they can get back to the type of mentality they had last season, they should win a lot of games the rest of the year with Mason, McBrayer, Coffey, and Murphy, but as many have said it starts on the defensive end.
 

EG#9 said:
I agree with most in the thread about focusing on defense. That said, why wasn't that the focus the entire off-season and in non conference play? This team won last year because they were a grinding type team. This year it really seemed like the team (if not the coaching staff) came in to the season with the idea that they'd just out skill people on the offensive end and stopped doing the little things/hustle plays that gave them their edge. Even at full strength, this team didn't have the type of offensive firepower to reach it's goals playing games in the 80's and 90's.

If they can get back to the type of mentality they had last season, they should win a lot of games the rest of the year with Mason, McBrayer, Coffey, and Murphy, but as many have said it starts on the defensive end.
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Pitino stated that the defense was lagging behind the offense early in the season. It's not something the coaches are unaware of.
At present we have two bigs who are not even mediocre D1 talents. We have Hurt who plays hard, but is always a step slow guarding his man.
A defense is only as good as its weakest link and the Gophers have some weak links. You could beat those kids to death in practice and they'd still be weak links.
In my opinion, this is why a match-up zone would be optimal. You could potentially minimize the damage caused by the weak links when they are forced to man up.
 

As others have said, defense. More specifically, keeping players in front so that less help defense is required.
 

I find it interesting that a self described troll who admits he wants to get a rise out of others actually gives a damn about their priorities. And that everyone’s response to his question is criticized....as he enjoys doing.

Moving along.
 

Minnesota is in the bottom in Basketball, Football and Hockey.

Management is a disgrace.

It is time for Coyle and Kaler to leave.

PS: Johnson - Georgia
Clayes - Washington State
Sawvel - Wake Forest

Looks like the wrong people are still at Minnesota
 

Blitzkrieg said:
I find it interesting that a self described troll who admits he wants to get a rise out of others actually gives a damn about their priorities. And that everyone’s response to his question is criticized....as he enjoys doing.

Moving along.
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You have something to say young padawan? [emoji41]
 

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