We had our chance to win in spite of ourselves in this game. We were far from perfect but offensively, we won by virtually every metric. We didn't play great defense but UL deserves some credit there, too. They were just better than we were and we weren't bad!
We have to improve on defense but have got to take better care of the ball and we need a rim protector(JQ) in a big way. I just don't think the game goes the way it did with their guards getting to the basket at will if we have a true rim protector in there to stuff them. And, that allows our d to play the lanes differently. UL spaced us out and sliced us apart last night. We'll get better either way but JQ should be a difference maker in this regard.
It was worse than the stat sheet shows because we couldn't stop their guards out of the paint. Yes, they made timely big shots too but their passing looked great, largely because of our spacing on d.
Gotta give them credit...they were our kryptonite and were well prepared, as well as they executed their plan almost perfectly. Right now, I'd say they win 2 of 3 in a 3 game series but we are still missing a huge part at the rim in JQ that could well flip that around and maybe more should we meet them in March. But it's apparent that they are for real and definitely matched up well with our guys and our currently healthy roster.
I'd have liked to seen Noah at times for his shooting but I'm not sure where he fits in against their quickness in the backcourt nor size inside. So, can't see him getting many minutes in that game unless he's melting the nylon..and we all know he can.
