Houston Cougars

[JackBauer151]

Add: "with their tales between their legs".
I don't know how I can be so pissed at the Cats after a victory, but they played like crap the 2nd half. And all you whiners, quit blaming the refs. There are lots of games in a season, and some calls will go for and some against you. Grow up! It's part of the game. Nobody likes whiners. If you play like crap you don't deserve to win. Simple as that. Fortunately we had a big enough lead that we held on. How we can play so diametrically opposite 20 minute segments is beyond my comprehension. But what we did learn is how we're going to play when JJ and Titus get in foul trouble. And the answer is NOT put in DN. He looked good thanks to Titus. I will give him credit for keeping his arms up the whole time he was in. Can't take up much more space than that. The answer was toss up a zone. We're not experienced at it, but it keeps the ball outside the perimeter - same as it worked against us. Was surprised to see both SK and TC choke at the FT line. Just one of those things like bad ref calls. Sh*t happens.

There is no such thing as "with their tail between their legs" on the road in conference play. Complain all you want about the second half but whether it's by 20 or by 1 it all counts the same in the win column. Still goes towards building a resume for the tourney and seeding. Worry about the miscues in practice later this week. Never take winning for granted on the road in conference. Cats are setting themselves up to potentially be 19-2 before the showdown with Louisville. To think that would be possible after New Mexico and Xavier is astounding. So pumped for Cronin and the guys. Keep winning baby.

 

[CaptDale]

There is no such thing as "with their tail between their legs" on the road in conference play. Complain all you want about the second half but whether it's by 20 or by 1 it all counts the same in the win column. Still goes towards building a resume for the tourney and seeding. Worry about the miscues in practice later this week. Never take winning for granted on the road in conference. Cats are setting themselves up to potentially be 19-2 before the showdown with Louisville. To think that would be possible after New Mexico and Xavier is astounding. So pumped for Cronin and the guys. Keep winning baby.

You're right Jack. A W is a W. As we say in golf, there are no pictures on the scorecard. But if we play like the 2nd half again, there won't be any 19-2 record pre Louisville. I hope they learn from this experience. There is a distinct possibility that complacency set in after an easy first half, and COMPLACENCY KILLS!!

 

[newguy]

This is what u need to know we were up 19 points everybody get some rest Rutgers and Temple here we come!

 

[jalen21]

Coach Cronin postgame interview.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ng708C_k4[/ame]

 

[bearcat jeff]

A road win is a road win and the message is simple. "Good teams don't mentally quit when they have a lead." Good teaching moment. Let's not forgethow little tis bunch has played on te road this season and I think someone earlier in the thread said it best, "This is the perfect trap game." Coming off a big win and grabbing a big lead they got a little full of themselves. Bottom line they walked away with a road win. Move on to the next game and learn from this one, but appreciate the W.

 

[bearcat jeff]

To much complaining every win will not be beautiful or every game we took one from a hot team on they home court again we will take this and learn from it but today we won and we live to fight another day with a good record and a hot win streak! GO CATS

Don't mind the complaining as long as there isn't personal fighting. The complaining tells me people care and want their team to be perfect. This is what a board is for.

I saw comments saying if UC could split on the road at Memphis and Houston they'd be happy. We've won both. One game showed what the team could be when they stay engaged, the other showed them the possibilities if you let your guard down. 6-14 on free throws in the second half isn't typical for this team. It almost became the perfect storm with Houston getting extemely hot and getting offensive rebounds and UC unable to shoot or hit ft's to hold them at bay.

Bottom line they won in spite of it. Game balls to KJ for the timely ft's and David Nyarsuk who gave UC big minutes with Lawrence unavailable. Remember my comment that a team that knows it's roles can be really good and that Nyarsuk would at some point be a difference maker for UC? With Lawrence out we will likely see that and saw it last night.

 

[handwaver]

My worst fears were almost realized tonight. Fortunate to escape with a win. Have to do a much better job of getting a good shot or at least getting to the FT line. Way too many possessions are being thrown away right now.

They got to the free throw line plenty - just missed them (10-19), including the front end of 1 and 1's. Fortunately for the Cats, Houston was one ft worse (9-18). 70% of 22 (imagining made front ends) is at least 15 pts. Huge difference. When Houston beat UConn, they were 16-19

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

As others have stated this is a great teaching moment without taking a loss.

 

[coachpipe]

My only complaint about the game is......What the heck is up with thomas? How many layups can a kid miss?

 

[UCalum08]

My only complaint about the game is......What the heck is up with thomas? How many layups can a kid miss?

A lot. Every lay up last night he tried to avoid contact, double dip the ball etc etc. If he would just go strong and get fouled he would have a chance but he just tries to do way too much and never puts himself in a good position to score.

I was pretty disappointed in his play last night. It just seemed like a style of game that would have suited him.

 

[anbuc88]

A lot. Every lay up last night he tried to avoid contact, double dip the ball etc etc. If he would just go strong and get fouled he would have a chance but he just tries to do way too much and never puts himself in a good position to score.

I was pretty disappointed in his play last night. It just seemed like a style of game that would have suited him.

Thomas' play was definitely disappointing. He had a layup when they were up 9 with 10 minutes to play that would have put them up by 11. Instead, he tried avoiding contact, missed, and then Morris hit 2 3's in a row and the lead was down to 3. It was game on after that. He also cut toward the basket with around 2 minutes left but fumbled the JJ pass out of bounds. Scoring on that possession would have likely put the game on ice. ST just needs to play with confidence, but more so needs to continue to get stronger. With addded strength he won't be so afraid of contact. I see this happening over the offseason, and ST becoming an impact player in his last 2 years.

 

[#BearcatNation]

I think tonight showed how vital Lawrence is, no matter how bad he's looked at times. He's a very tall, skilled defender that will be sorely missed when he's out. Like someone said earlier, our bigs NEED to be careful with foul trouble. If JJ gets into foul trouble, it hurts big time. Can't really afford that. I'm very interested to see how long Lawrence is out. Will definitely need him back for that Louisville game; hopefully we can get by without him for now.

Saw Caupain had 22 minutes compared to GG's 17 last night. I feel like Guyn only got 17 because of his injury, but I think around 17 is right for him. Bump Caupain's up to 25 a game and I think that makes sense. Caupain is just exponentially better than Guyn; there's no point in acting like that's not true anymore.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Add: "with their tales between their legs".
I don't know how I can be so pissed at the Cats after a victory, but they played like crap the 2nd half. And all you whiners, quit blaming the refs. There are lots of games in a season, and some calls will go for and some against you. Grow up! It's part of the game. Nobody likes whiners. If you play like crap you don't deserve to win. Simple as that. Fortunately we had a big enough lead that we held on. How we can play so diametrically opposite 20 minute segments is beyond my comprehension. But what we did learn is how we're going to play when JJ and Titus get in foul trouble. And the answer is NOT put in DN. He looked good thanks to Titus. I will give him credit for keeping his arms up the whole time he was in. Can't take up much more space than that. The answer was toss up a zone. We're not experienced at it, but it keeps the ball outside the perimeter - same as it worked against us. Was surprised to see both SK and TC choke at the FT line. Just one of those things like bad ref calls. Sh*t happens.

If it wasn't for Big Dave we probably would not have won that game. He played well offensively and defensively.

 

[Cpaw]

I am happy with the win. Of course you never want to let up and let another team back in, but sometimes it is how the game runs its course. They started hitting shots, we had some foul trouble and injuries and they found some momentum, it happens to the best teams. I was glad to see our bench step up, DN with some great minutes, KJ hit clutch free throws and JS had a great night as well. This is what separates a top 20 team from the rest, to be able to pull off games like this on the road.

CPAW

 

[Patrick Bateman]

The bottom line now with Lawrence out and Guyn hurting is that players need to step up their game. Sanders has definitely turned heads the last 4-5 games. Thomas and guyn need to follow suit. Guyn definitely can't be shooting 7 threes, that is basically 5 turnovers. We also need SK to play like a 5th year senior that is captain of this team, 1-8 from 3 is not going to get it done in March. In the last 4 games SK is 3-23 (13%) from deep. Jackson needs to cut out the silly fouls, no more moving screens and Rubles needs to stop reaching in all the time. Those two need to be on the floor.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

Shaq's problem is he is a streetballer. He needs to learn to play a half-court game and that includes defense. He needs to learn that they call fouls in college so you don't have to break your opponents ankles to get your shot off. I've been critical of Shaq this year and caught some flack for it, but I'm hard on him because he has skill that everyone sees and we all want him to reach his potential. And since he is getting a starters spot, I expect him to earn it and honestly, in my opinion, I think he got it by default and if the season started today Sanders would get it. Shaq , ideally, needs to play on a team that is an uptempo, run and gun type. Mick sometimes fools himself into thinking he wants to be that type of team but in reality he only wants run and gun after a turnover in transition. He does want to push the tempo, I honestly think he hates it as much as we fans do when they stand around and pass the ball around the perimeter. He wants to attack the rim and either get a good look and take a point blank shot or kick out to an open shooter. When JJ is on his game and SK is moving without the ball (which I see him do most of the time when he not playing point), we get this a little bit. I'm getting off topic, but my point is right now Shaq's skill set doesn't ideally fit this team. He still needs to learn to play the college game and how to switch on defense, box out, etc. With that said he is a sophomore, he has shown improvement and he is good enough to be effective and his athleticism makes up for some lack of fundamentals. I haven't given up on Shaq and hope by his junior year he will come into his own and learn to be the type of player that will be effective on this team. The fact that Mick keeps starting him means Mick believes in him and is giving him every opportunity to break out.

 

[TheLivingLegend]

Classic game where the cats went in there and dominated the first half... got bored and let up. Combine that with Houston getting hot = close finish... Not what you want to see happen but overall not shocking.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

Last night game was a win and that is the bottom line. I was curious to read this thread when I got home to see all the great things being said about the first half and all the panic being said about the second half. Hey, we're all fans and during a game everything is the end of the world. I was right there with you guys, except I chose to DVR it and watch it at 3:30 this morning rather than stay up till after 11 and be wired. (My bed time is 8:00 ) Like most people said last night they thought they were going to coast and Houston let them see why you can't do that. Great learning lesson and we didn't have to take the loss to get the message. I wish they would've shown the foul on JJ on replay. I get that it should be an intentional foul, but in that scenario it is rarely called. I honestly don't know why teams don't do it more: foul the guy you want shooting the free throws before the ball is in-bounded. If they would call those intentional fouls like they technically are it would lead to this not happening and you having to foul a guy with the ball. I honestly didn't see the foul and didn't feel like rewinding it at that point as I had to get to work. Being off the ball did they even show the foul during real time?

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

Knock reported that Lawrence has a sprained toe and won't require surgery. Still out indefinitely.

 

[Bearcat Rob]

Despite the the second half a road win is a road team, and Houston is solid team capable of causing some upsets. With that said jj must stay out of foul trouble, he's a bit different when watching his fouls. Also he's a rhythm player and can't miss ten minutes at a time due to fouls, when he's not fouling he's a force. We need to attach the rim more, attach it with a vengeance and get to the line. Good win tho lets get a big crowd Saturday and beat Rutgers!