Ugh….SMH.
Buckets was spot on questioning the spreads…..shows how advance metrics being mostly relied upon for spreads these days can be misleading.
When does the school decide he isn’t getting us to March Madness and we need to move another direction? We have the money. Even more so than St. Mary’s or Gonzaga I’d imagine.
Broncos lose to anybody. That last play summed it up. The team is unprepared to play any competition. This loss is on Sendek.
5 Likes
just when you think it can’t get worse
3 Likes
What are we missing on Normand?
- Thierry isn’t good beyond chase down blocks (his shooting is too inconsistent and just lacks fundamentals from a ball-handling perspective)
- Sash is a turnover machine & his poor shot selection adds to us throwing away possessions
- Defensively, BK & Sash can’t stay in front of any guard that is capable of being a scoring threat
I really feel like the past 4 years have been the same: hot start, wins over quality teams, talk of an at-large bid, followed by a stretch of lackluster play that pretty much kills any at-large hopes.
This year I really felt we turned the corner, but it’s the same old, same old. I feel like we’re getting better players but the team isn’t jelling. Is it just me or do I feel like if DD or CW had this team the defense would be noticeably better. I’ve never been impressed with HS’s defense. There’s more athleticism than ever but worse results when the other team has the ball.
8 Likes
So bummed. Not a springboard to conference play— more like a pratfall.
9 Likes
I don’t know why I do this to myself every year.
7 Likes
I’m guessing that after being injured for so long, they want to throw him in when up a healthy amount. That should have been this game and wasn’t. Normand’s reputation isn’t defense, but I think it’s just a cautious assumption that he needs a slower transition.
Sendek’s middling defense continues to be an issue after being hidden for several games by the revelation of Bukky’s rim protection. Teams have adjusted; SCU hasn’t adjusted back.
The offense, though, is most annoying to me. This team had 15 more looks at the hoop than Loyola and still lost by 2. Loyola only had 5 more foul shots. So even if LUC sinks their +5 foul advantage, SCU just needs to hit 4 of their extra 15 shots. But instead, the Broncos had only one additional field goal go in despite all those extra attempts. I like that offensive rebounding is part of the team identity. But it’s a problem that offensive boards are an existential necessity for this team.
Ultimately, this team was always probably a year early, putting out basically 6 frosh/sophomores plus whatever we consider Darlan to be. But they suckered me into thinking they had it this time and then do this.
Also, this is analytically the worst SCU loss since at least 2020. I don’t think LUC ends the season sub-300. But they aren’t good at all.
Total collapse that started in the last 5 min of the Minnesota game. The Broncos just finally got caught where it matters is all.
6 Likes
I envy seattle U. If anyone saw the Redhawks vs the Huskies you know what I mean. They were poised and physical. They played team defense instead of reaching . They didn’t shoot themselves in the foot with lazy passes and poor decision. They’re new to the conference and they will absolutely be a problem, they showed the maturity of an upper echelon conference team. We should be at that calibur instead the Bronco’s are regressing.
4 Likes
I’ve witnessed a lot of terrible losses by the Broncos over my years and this ranks right up there with the worst. Just a complete failure by the players and coaching staff.
I honestly don’t know how much actual talent is on this team other than Hammond & Mahi. You can tell me how many stars so & so had from the recruiting services but watching these players I just don’t see the talent.
4 Likes
Hate to pick bones with you as this was a terrible loss, but I do recall the Sendek led Broncos falling to Alaska Fairbanks (a crap D2 program)
Alaska Anchorage is actually a pretty good D2 program, but that’s really beside the point. That SCU team was Sendek’s worst, if I’m remembering, the post-Brownridge year. That squad just had no talent to speak of.
This team ate breakfast this morning as a bubble team expected to win by 20. They finish the day pretty much permanently out of the at-large conversation.
It’s not that there haven’t been losses to worse opponents before. But the gulf between what this team should accomplish and what it did today is wider than any before.
5 Likes
Another stellar game from Knapper. I’d rather see Cochran plugged into the starting lineup. I agree with the posts regarding Sendek. He came to SCU as a defensive minded coach, yet he is unwilling to incorporate different looks defensively, especially a zone. He is so rigid and wants to do things his way. Our guards don’t have the quickness to stop penetration which ultimately leads to fouls from the interior too.
I’m beginning to think that this is a 500 team in conference play. Hope that I’m wrong.
Btw, Merry Christmas to all on the board and your families!!
7 Likes
Sash scored 8 points in first half but did not play in second half. Darlan and Knapper need to move down the bench. No inside play-bigs score 10 points. All isolated plays- Herb we are not an NBA team.
Agree with the take that the game was largely isolation. There were a couple of times that it looked like the Broncos would go on a run but it just never happened.
There were at least two turnovers where the ball handler could have dished it to a teammate but attempted (poorly) to take it to the basket instead.
One thing I noticed in the 2nd half especially was Bukke kept coming out to swipe at #1 (point guard for Loyola) and effectively became a screener for him to shed his defender. Seemed like our coaching staff would notice this and adjust before someone watching from the stands does.
Loyola had a good game and they have some talent. Their coach definitely coaches them hard and they play very hard for him. Seeing them in person, I was surprised they had only won 3 games this year. Perhaps it was just one of those days the team was locked in and things clicked for them.
Definitely another signature bad loss, which is becoming a habit each season. As a 30+ year fan of the team, it’s hard to see more talent coming in and essentially still just staying above average as a program.
2 Likes
Since Ensminger’s injury, the offense went from pass-heavy motion and rotation to a reversion to iso (reminds me of Bal). Shocker, it’s not working.
1 Like
This is Oboye’s problem - he uses his long arms to reach OUT and swipe, often committing a foul.
I want to see his a$$ planted in front of the rim and I want him to learn to keep his arms UP and stay vertical. Otherwise, he’ll just keep getting in early foul trouble like he has in basically EVERY SINGLE GAME.
1 Like
The reaching/swiping for the dribble, especially against shorter, quicker ball handlers is a terribly bad habit and he’s been doing it all season. You’d assume the coaches have talked to him about but it’s so prevalent and not getting better so I have to question how seriously the coaches are taking it. Time for some tough love…..every time he reaches and swipes at the ball (games or practice) he runs 3 sets of timed lines (no jogging). I’m serious….the gentle, pat them on the pack, 100% positive approach doesn’t work……I want more Tom Izzo and less professorial Sendek.
Bukky is unique and could be a huge asset and impact the game positively, but the excessive fouls make for direct negative impacts (takes him out of the game), not to mention they are wasted fouls that put the opponent in the bonus earlier.
And Even when he doesn’t foul out (last night), he did get in early foul trouble in the 1st half which negatively effects rotations, impacts total playing time, ties your hands on what lineup combos you want on the floor, etc.
5 Likes
couldn’t really muster a rant after this for the wcc hoops pod, just very matter of fact
intrigued to see how many people agree/disagree with some of my statements
1 Like