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Pitino Blog: Reviewing Utah
11/13/2018 3:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Good afternoon Gopher fans,
First and foremost thank you so much to all the fans who showed up last night vs. Utah. That was a great win for our guys. I scheduled this game for our loyal fans because I knew how badly they wanted a good non-conference game in the Barn in November. The Barnyard was terrific and brought the energy we needed. That building feeds off you guys! Thank you so much to all the veterans who were in attendance as well. We truly appreciate your service all that you do for this country.
This morning consisted of evaluating last night's game as well as starting film prep for Vancouver. We gave them off today and look forward to four really good practices to improve our team. Below is a breakdown of what I thought of last night. Hope you enjoy!
Offense: B-
52 percent from the field vs. a well-coached Pac-12 team is certainly something to be happy with. 20 assists is also terrific. We have to do a much better job of cutting down on turnovers. 11 is too many. We are leaving good opportunities out there. 2 for 9 on challenged shots is too high. Layups, free throws, and catch-and-shoot threes are the easiest shots in basketball. We need more of them. We didn't flow very well vs. their zone. We have to be able to attack without running sets every time. Utah's game plan was to go under our ball screens. We prepared for it and did a poor job of setting those screens lower. Teams are going to game plan differently every game. We have to be able to take what the defense gives us. 16 missed screens is too much. Have to set physical legal screens. Our press offense wasn't great at the end as well. Our bigs did a very good job of passing out of double teams.
Defense: C+
40 percent from the field is solid but I still think we can do better. To Utah's credit they are a very good offensive team. Our defense in the second half dropped off a bit. We gave up seven 3-pointers that should not have happened. Our guys aren't getting there quick enough and aren't getting off their feet to challenge. Our saying is to take away the attempt! Not good enough. 24 deflections is 11 below our goal of 35. We constantly harp on being disruptive and I don't think we were. We had way too many fouls that we could have avoided by being more disciplined. Several guys were in and out of the game because of foul trouble. We did a very good job of limiting their fast break attempts. Post defense was poor. We allowed them to get deep touches 11 times. I'd settle for about half of that. Communication was solid but we still could have done a better job on certain assignments and switches.
Rebounding: C-
Obviously what Jordan Murphy did was ridiculous. What's equally ridiculous is how unimpressed we all are with 17 rebounds! That's obviously a testament to Jordan's consistency in that department. I gave a low grade because I'm not sure we would have tied Utah if it wasn't for Murph in the rebounding department. We charted 114 offensive rebounding opportunities and we went 80% of the time. Murph missed out on 11 of those chances. Our small forwards aren't going enough. It can't be all on the bigs to clean up the glass. We went over the backs of the defenders too often as well.
95%: A-
Our guys did a really good job of keeping a positive mindset on the court and on the bench. Even Isaiah, who didn't play well, was up cheering his teammates on and didn't pout. Coaches love seeing that! The older guys were vocal in huddles. The younger guys are so much fun to coach. They want to win so badly! We were quick to huddles and quick to help our guys off the floor.
Coaching: B-
It's only fair that I evaluate myself and my staff to go along with our players. I thought we did a really good job of putting together a solid defensive game plan. Credit to Ed Conroy for getting the guys ready to guard their stuff. I thought I did a poor job of giving them enough concepts to run vs. the zone. They seemed a bit unsure at times and that's on me. I did draw up a good play out of timeout to exploit Utah's trap to get Daniel a dunk though.
Kyle Lindsted gave me a few good zone offensive sets that we ran that I really liked as well. Teams are going to try to slow up our attack and I have to get these guys to flow better. We did a good job of managing foul trouble by playing certain guys in certain spots. I did my best to stay composed and positive. That's not as easy as you think at times! I didn't take my tie or jacket off, didn't make faces at the refs, and didn't get a technical so I'd say overall it was a success!
Personnel
Jordan Murphy - 17 rebounds is terrific. Still needs to move the ball better and flow on offense. Too many missed screens! Showed very good leadership in huddles. 5 assists! My goal for Murph was 5 assists for the whole non-conference. I never thought I would see the day of 5 in one game! Passed the ball well out of double teams.
Daniel Oturu - Offensively very gifted down low. 4 fouls is way too much. Went over the back too many times. He got better as the game went on. That's always encouraging. 4 blocked shots was good but still has to be smarter there.
Dupree Mcbrayer - Took one bad three at the end. I respect the attempt to deliver the knockout punch but he has to be smarter. 6 assists, 1 turnover is great. I still feel like he has another level on the defensive end.
Amir Coffey - Solid all across the board. 2 avoidable turnovers. Overall did a lot of great things. Really good defensive possessions at the end. We are better when he is on the floor.
Gabe Kalscheur - It's amazing how confident you are shooting the ball when you come in early and stay late every practice. Gabe is all business. Nobody in our program is surprised by his success. Has to play better defense without fouling. His daily habits are terrific.
Jarvis Omersa - Did a lot of little things well but can do a better job of stuffing the stat sheet. Had a really good ball screen and quick roll to the rim for a dunk. 1 on 1 defense and understanding of personnel in the scouting report has to get better. Love how hard he competes. Infectious personality!
Michael Hurt - Made a big shot out of transition but has to either run to the rim or stop at the three. Like that he is continuing to be aggressive. On ball defense has to improve.
Matz Stockman - Provided good minutes off the bench! His size and length definitely bothered them. Has to foul less. Sweeping hook hasn't been shown in the Barn since Kevin McHale in 1980. Matz was very productive!
Isaiah Washington - Looked like a freshman at times. Has to stop worrying about scoring on jump shots. He's at his best when he gets in the lane and makes plays for other. Happy with his attitude afterwards but his poor body language affected his play.
Brock Stull - I know it's hard when you don't play. Brock will get there. Just has to stay positive and keep working. He got here late. His time will come. Smart player! Has done a very good job of getting in shape. There is no doubt in my mind he will be a key player for us.
Hunt Conroy - DNP, assistant coaches decision.
Brady Rudrud - DNP, showed great enthusiasm on the bench.
Hope to see everyone in Vancouver! Thanks for the support!!
Go Gophers,
Richard Pitino
First and foremost thank you so much to all the fans who showed up last night vs. Utah. That was a great win for our guys. I scheduled this game for our loyal fans because I knew how badly they wanted a good non-conference game in the Barn in November. The Barnyard was terrific and brought the energy we needed. That building feeds off you guys! Thank you so much to all the veterans who were in attendance as well. We truly appreciate your service all that you do for this country.
This morning consisted of evaluating last night's game as well as starting film prep for Vancouver. We gave them off today and look forward to four really good practices to improve our team. Below is a breakdown of what I thought of last night. Hope you enjoy!
Offense: B-
52 percent from the field vs. a well-coached Pac-12 team is certainly something to be happy with. 20 assists is also terrific. We have to do a much better job of cutting down on turnovers. 11 is too many. We are leaving good opportunities out there. 2 for 9 on challenged shots is too high. Layups, free throws, and catch-and-shoot threes are the easiest shots in basketball. We need more of them. We didn't flow very well vs. their zone. We have to be able to attack without running sets every time. Utah's game plan was to go under our ball screens. We prepared for it and did a poor job of setting those screens lower. Teams are going to game plan differently every game. We have to be able to take what the defense gives us. 16 missed screens is too much. Have to set physical legal screens. Our press offense wasn't great at the end as well. Our bigs did a very good job of passing out of double teams.
Defense: C+
40 percent from the field is solid but I still think we can do better. To Utah's credit they are a very good offensive team. Our defense in the second half dropped off a bit. We gave up seven 3-pointers that should not have happened. Our guys aren't getting there quick enough and aren't getting off their feet to challenge. Our saying is to take away the attempt! Not good enough. 24 deflections is 11 below our goal of 35. We constantly harp on being disruptive and I don't think we were. We had way too many fouls that we could have avoided by being more disciplined. Several guys were in and out of the game because of foul trouble. We did a very good job of limiting their fast break attempts. Post defense was poor. We allowed them to get deep touches 11 times. I'd settle for about half of that. Communication was solid but we still could have done a better job on certain assignments and switches.
Rebounding: C-
Obviously what Jordan Murphy did was ridiculous. What's equally ridiculous is how unimpressed we all are with 17 rebounds! That's obviously a testament to Jordan's consistency in that department. I gave a low grade because I'm not sure we would have tied Utah if it wasn't for Murph in the rebounding department. We charted 114 offensive rebounding opportunities and we went 80% of the time. Murph missed out on 11 of those chances. Our small forwards aren't going enough. It can't be all on the bigs to clean up the glass. We went over the backs of the defenders too often as well.
95%: A-
Our guys did a really good job of keeping a positive mindset on the court and on the bench. Even Isaiah, who didn't play well, was up cheering his teammates on and didn't pout. Coaches love seeing that! The older guys were vocal in huddles. The younger guys are so much fun to coach. They want to win so badly! We were quick to huddles and quick to help our guys off the floor.
Coaching: B-
It's only fair that I evaluate myself and my staff to go along with our players. I thought we did a really good job of putting together a solid defensive game plan. Credit to Ed Conroy for getting the guys ready to guard their stuff. I thought I did a poor job of giving them enough concepts to run vs. the zone. They seemed a bit unsure at times and that's on me. I did draw up a good play out of timeout to exploit Utah's trap to get Daniel a dunk though.
Kyle Lindsted gave me a few good zone offensive sets that we ran that I really liked as well. Teams are going to try to slow up our attack and I have to get these guys to flow better. We did a good job of managing foul trouble by playing certain guys in certain spots. I did my best to stay composed and positive. That's not as easy as you think at times! I didn't take my tie or jacket off, didn't make faces at the refs, and didn't get a technical so I'd say overall it was a success!
Personnel
Jordan Murphy - 17 rebounds is terrific. Still needs to move the ball better and flow on offense. Too many missed screens! Showed very good leadership in huddles. 5 assists! My goal for Murph was 5 assists for the whole non-conference. I never thought I would see the day of 5 in one game! Passed the ball well out of double teams.
Daniel Oturu - Offensively very gifted down low. 4 fouls is way too much. Went over the back too many times. He got better as the game went on. That's always encouraging. 4 blocked shots was good but still has to be smarter there.
Dupree Mcbrayer - Took one bad three at the end. I respect the attempt to deliver the knockout punch but he has to be smarter. 6 assists, 1 turnover is great. I still feel like he has another level on the defensive end.
Amir Coffey - Solid all across the board. 2 avoidable turnovers. Overall did a lot of great things. Really good defensive possessions at the end. We are better when he is on the floor.
Gabe Kalscheur - It's amazing how confident you are shooting the ball when you come in early and stay late every practice. Gabe is all business. Nobody in our program is surprised by his success. Has to play better defense without fouling. His daily habits are terrific.
Jarvis Omersa - Did a lot of little things well but can do a better job of stuffing the stat sheet. Had a really good ball screen and quick roll to the rim for a dunk. 1 on 1 defense and understanding of personnel in the scouting report has to get better. Love how hard he competes. Infectious personality!
Michael Hurt - Made a big shot out of transition but has to either run to the rim or stop at the three. Like that he is continuing to be aggressive. On ball defense has to improve.
Matz Stockman - Provided good minutes off the bench! His size and length definitely bothered them. Has to foul less. Sweeping hook hasn't been shown in the Barn since Kevin McHale in 1980. Matz was very productive!
Isaiah Washington - Looked like a freshman at times. Has to stop worrying about scoring on jump shots. He's at his best when he gets in the lane and makes plays for other. Happy with his attitude afterwards but his poor body language affected his play.
Brock Stull - I know it's hard when you don't play. Brock will get there. Just has to stay positive and keep working. He got here late. His time will come. Smart player! Has done a very good job of getting in shape. There is no doubt in my mind he will be a key player for us.
Hunt Conroy - DNP, assistant coaches decision.
Brady Rudrud - DNP, showed great enthusiasm on the bench.
Hope to see everyone in Vancouver! Thanks for the support!!
Go Gophers,
Richard Pitino
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