1. We played a little zone in the second half. Not much, but enough to create a little confusion. When we have Culver, Oscar, Matthews, Haley and one of our PG's, I am not sure why we don't deploy Boeheim's favorite defense, the 2-3 zone. We are very long (as were those great Cuse teams) and athletic. Culver is an athletic 6'10". Oscar a very athletic 6'8 1/2", Matthews a very athletic 6'8", Haley a good athlete at 6'7" and our PG's. That is a lot of size and athleticism. Tough to shoot over and tough to make entry passes.
2. I watched Knapper a bit closer and his man defense has really improved. I realize it is only one game, but he stayed in front of a pretty good guard. He seems to be our quickest on ball defender and that includes McBride. He does not have McBride's size or strength, but he has very quick feet.
3. McNeil showed a bit more than just being a shooter. He is a better athlete than I expected. He is not a great athlete, but good enough. He gets good elevation on his jump shot and has excellent form. He can put the ball on the floor and is not afraid of doing so. He had a nice penetration and dish against Pitt. He is not a one trick pony.
4. I thought Taz played well although he did not shoot it well. He was active and played within the system. He took good shots, they just did not fall. He plays pretty good defense and can handle the ball pretty well. Not sure why Huggs did not give him a little more burn.
5. McCabe did give up too many straight line drives in the first half. He was simply not quick enough to stay in front of Pitt's PG. He is our best PG on the offensive end. The offense runs smoothly and he is our best passer. Personally, I would not have had McCabe guard their super quick PG but rather I would have had him guarding Murphy. Haley was not in the game so this scheme would not have put Haley on their PG which would also be a mismatch. But I think Taz would have done a better job of guarding their PG.
6. As noted in another post, Culver gets frustrated too easily and lets it affect his game. If he gets some early fouls or if his shots are not falling he tries too hard to make something happen. He also still, at times, goes too fast when receiving an entry pass. Oscar is going to play inside along with Culver and Culver can't let Oscar's hype or success affect his game. They can be a devastating combo if they can learn to play together more effectively. I just worry that Culver may have too tough of a transition to make and it might affect his attitude. Hopefully not.
2. I watched Knapper a bit closer and his man defense has really improved. I realize it is only one game, but he stayed in front of a pretty good guard. He seems to be our quickest on ball defender and that includes McBride. He does not have McBride's size or strength, but he has very quick feet.
3. McNeil showed a bit more than just being a shooter. He is a better athlete than I expected. He is not a great athlete, but good enough. He gets good elevation on his jump shot and has excellent form. He can put the ball on the floor and is not afraid of doing so. He had a nice penetration and dish against Pitt. He is not a one trick pony.
4. I thought Taz played well although he did not shoot it well. He was active and played within the system. He took good shots, they just did not fall. He plays pretty good defense and can handle the ball pretty well. Not sure why Huggs did not give him a little more burn.
5. McCabe did give up too many straight line drives in the first half. He was simply not quick enough to stay in front of Pitt's PG. He is our best PG on the offensive end. The offense runs smoothly and he is our best passer. Personally, I would not have had McCabe guard their super quick PG but rather I would have had him guarding Murphy. Haley was not in the game so this scheme would not have put Haley on their PG which would also be a mismatch. But I think Taz would have done a better job of guarding their PG.
6. As noted in another post, Culver gets frustrated too easily and lets it affect his game. If he gets some early fouls or if his shots are not falling he tries too hard to make something happen. He also still, at times, goes too fast when receiving an entry pass. Oscar is going to play inside along with Culver and Culver can't let Oscar's hype or success affect his game. They can be a devastating combo if they can learn to play together more effectively. I just worry that Culver may have too tough of a transition to make and it might affect his attitude. Hopefully not.
