Should have won this game on free throws. We were out of sync on offense, but still should have won. Coach Rick Pitino is a top shelf coach, had a good game plan and had his guys ready to play.
Baseball ⚾️ Alabama basketball vs. Iona
- Thread starter Tony_Tsoukalas
- Start date
We’ll be fine. We haven’t really found an offensive rhythm yet. Just gotta click at some point and we will get going. A lot of good players just not complimenting each other het
Davidson had a bad game. Terrible free throw shooting and too much dribbling leading to key steals. If fact, the whole team dribbled too much. Where was the crisp passing that we usually see?
Just a bad loss when one considers the upcoming schedule. Ball movement was just non existent. And game turned on the technical/ throwing a water bottle is never a good look.
I’ve only watched a little, but I’m guessing they took away the three fairly well. We’ve struggled with that in the past. We’ve struggled in the past when people took the three away and made us shoot contested shots around the basket. Thought those days were over with JQ and JD, but maybe not just yet.
Why would you say Alabama is the superior team? We are 5 games into a season where we have beaten Oakland, SD State, La. Tech, and another team whose name eludes me.
Iona is a good team with a lot of upperclassmen experience. However, we shouldn't have lost this game...period. And that's what make it a bad loss. The mean fact the Tide was a 13 point favorite also tells you this is a bad loss. Sadly, I thought our program was getting past losing to these 'wish they were at least a mid-major program' program. Smh.
They did, that was their game plan it seemed. And they even did it out of zone some. They were gonna give up an open lane before they gave up an open 3
Its a shame to play that bad and still could have won with a good night at the free throw line. Makes it that much worse
That’s always given us fits. But with Petty and some guys in the past, I understood it. I thought these guys would drive and finish, still do.
They will. New rotation, JDs new. Have a capable big man that still needs to gel. I still have confidence this is a final 4 team. IF and a big IF they can make free throws down the stretch to put these ugly games away
Only a final 4 level team if they shoot it better.
I know that seems obvious, but shooting is still the most important skill in basketball. Bama had a run last year where they shot well and they just wrecked people, then flat messed the bed in the NCAA tournament at the free throw line.
Shack has always been a volume scorer with efficiency issues and he is likely just that player. Unfortunately Bama has some other guys that have taken a step back (namely Q and Gurley) and a couple more that need to take a step up and/or show consistency (see Davison and Miles).
Today the team asked too much of Shack, he played really hard (usually does), but he isn’t a physical mismatch and relies on moxey and effort to contribute, so he really can’t be expected to just take the team on his back.
The other guards need to get it together and start making open shots because when guys boof open shots or turn them down to drive into traffic then the game gets really hard. Regardless Bama is already down a shooter this year by keeping Bediako on the floor, so spacing is going to be tighter. If the other 4 guys on the floor aren’t creating space then we will be back to grinding out 60 point games and losing a lot more than we all want.
So Alabama’s overall talent is not superior to Iona’s? Watch much basketball? Game was lost because Oats was out coached by Pitino, selfish play from Quinnerly and missing 12 of 25 free throws.
I have been thinking about this. Bediako is a great player, but he doesn't fit Oats' style. Iona was very happy to match Bediako with Joseph down low. Our game has always been to have a 5th man that could come out and shoot the 3. (How many times did Reese bail us out with some 3s!) That causes a mismatch on their big man if their guy can't come out and guard the 3. Plus with Bediako clogging up the middle (and allowing their big man to clog there too), we can't drive. We really have a problem if all 5 guys can't shoot the 3.
they played off of jd to keep him from driving. i dont think he attempted a outside shot all night.
This I gotta agree with. There was way too much dribbling. What ever happened to the mid-range jumper? Our guards were attempting to dribble drive in heavy traffic and it turn out to be a block party or a TO. JD has to develop a shot to compliment his driving (without the excessive dribbling).
Agreed. Last night it dawned on me that our "big" can't shoot the 3 after another drive by our guards was swatted. Bediako can't pull the other big out of the paint because he is no threat as a shooter (3s or mid-range). Bediako is also easily shoved around, which shows a lack of strength.
Why is Bama's talent superior, because somebody said so on paper? Neither Q or Shack are going to play at the next level and 5 games into the season JD and Bediako are not providing "one-and-done" type results. Gurley hasn't provided much and Gary is always going to be limited. So where is this tremendous imbalance of talent you speak of for this 21-22 team that makes Iona such a pushover???
Oats does not allow mid range jumpers- he hates the concept. Layups and 3’s- it is his system.
You would be the ONLY observer who would say Iona’s talent is the same as Alabama’s.
I like Oats’ overall philosophy… but sometimes a decent threat at the midrange level helps open everything else up. My opinion has always been he’s far too rigid in his 3’s and layups offense.
Oats' style is to have 5 guys that can shoot the 3. If we play only 3 guys that can shoot a 3, we are pretty average.
Shack, Quinerly, Ellis. Sometimes Gurley and Miles. You are right. We are not loaded with 3 point shooters.
Right now we have 3 guys that are shooting below 30% from outside (Quinerly, Gurley, Davison) and that just isn’t going to get it done. At that percentage those guys are hurting the team by shooting, and all those guys are playing roles that need to be able to space the floor. Bama only has 6 guys that are shooters anyway, so that’s roughly half the shooters that are in a slump.
Couple that with Shacks inefficiency from 2pt range and there is a huge amount of improvement needed.
If it weren’t for Miles playing above expectations then Bama would be in a near disaster.
We currently have 2 players who are projected as top 20 picks in next year’s NBA draft. I doubt very seriously if Iona has a single player who will hear his name called. We’re a much more talented team. That’s why we were favored by 13.
We may have more talent on our team, but that doesn't always mean you're the most talented team.
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