UNT has lost 6 of 12 by an average

[eulesseagle]

Yep....looks like UNT could easily be 19-6 if we had gotten a favorable roll here or there.

Take the 6 games that we lost by 10 or less and presto......the average loss is by 6 points.

Perhaps next year we can win some of these close games to get to 19-6 this time next year and a possible 20 game winning season.

I think JJ is doing a great job.....

Keep it up.

[WIFE2HOT4U]

It would be interesting to know what the NCAA BB average win or loss (10 points) is.

Often times the difference between first place and last is not by much........

[meangreendork]

This shows how sloppy the team plays and is coached...in terms of skill, they can do much better, but they're not being used well on the court.

[MeanGreen61]

A loss is a loss and 6 points isn't exactly that close in basketball. That's two or three posessions, depending on if you're hitting 3s. Not a great arguement to bring to the table when ask "how was your season"?

Edited February 22, 2005 by MeanGreen61

[UNTSportsGuy]

Another attack JJ thread... <_

[meangreendork]

Not an attack thread, really. It just says to JJ that,

"You're really close to putting these games away. It's a matter of policing up some important details that costs the team the 6-point margin."

[GMoney]

I agree with much of what was said above and let me add my two cents. This means one of two things 1. The team is close to turning the corner or 2. This team doesn't know how to win.

My impression is the team is close to turning the corner. You have a lot of young players either by age or by experience of playing together. These guys are still learning each other's game and other than Hopkins these guys are still growing together. If Hopkins gets the medical redshirt, JJ has his first class as Seniors next year, add a few recruits I think this team next year will be right in the mix at the top of the conference. Imagine this whole team back next year with another season under the belt and experience to go with learning each other's game.

However, if they do have problems next year and JJ has had a full recruiting class come through, then you can start to question things.

[gksmith]

This is not an attack JJ reply either.

The most troubling thing for me is that the team has problems holding leads. I forget which opponent, but there are some recent games where NT held 10 and 25 point leads and lost. I was at the Arkansas State game where they lost after leading by 10+ points.

It is going to be real hard for NT to go very far in the SBC tournament if they struggle holding leads against comperable teams. If they were blowing leads against UT or Alabama earlier in the season, that is one thing. Blowing leads to ASU and other SBC teams is a problem.

[GMoney]

This is not an attack JJ reply either.

The most troubling thing for me is that the team has problems holding leads. I forget which opponent, but there are some recent games where NT held 10 and 25 point leads and lost. I was at the Arkansas State game where they lost after leading by 10+ points.

It is going to be real hard for NT to go very far in the SBC tournament if they struggle holding leads against comperable teams. If they were blowing leads against UT or Alabama earlier in the season, that is one thing. Blowing leads to ASU and other SBC teams is a problem.

I agree with you about blowing leads. I just hope that it is more of a young point guard thing than anything else. The other reason this happens is the lack of a big man who can score. We are limited to some streak shooters who, when cold, hurt us with missed baskets allowing teams to run on us and cut into leads quickly. The ability to have a big man who we can go to when the shooting is not there is a necessity. Simpkins seems to be developing into that person if he can handle his early foul troubles.

[Zeke]

GMoney you are absolutely right about Simpson being able to take on that role. His foul troubles are going to have to stop, and it seems Jones takes him out early almost anticipating early foul trouble.

I will gripe about one thing about Jones and I won't apologize for it. Dickey puts up with a lot of crap from us in his sport, so I am sure Jones is thick skinned enough to take some critcism. My gripe is about his substitution patterns. When someone gets very hot, Johnny will take them out. It isn't for a short time either, it is often for 8+ minutes of gameplay. Calvin Watson had an amazingly hot hand early in the WKU game and he was yanked - never to see the court again in the first half. Other times I see Jones put in his "quick" lineup. Normally I would have no problem with trying to get an athletic group out there to try and push the ball up the floor, but the lineup is void of ANY offensive threats. Hines, Simpson, Hopkins, and Watson are all on the bench when he puts in this lineup. I don't understand why he does it and I think if I had some +/- stats for when those 4 are off the floor vs when they are on the floor it would support my rant.

[GMoney]

I will gripe about one thing about Jones and I won't apologize for it...

Can't argue with that. It seems at time that the rotation is set and those with "hot" hands are not fed on enough. An ill timed substitution can kill a hot streak or streak shooters touch the rest of the evening.

[Coach]

The WKU game was lost not on if the final inbounds was guarded or not, it was lost in the latter stages of the first half when NT could simply not get anything going and allowed WKU back in the game. The use of timeouts during that span as always was troubling, but as Zeke said, Watson-who could not miss-was sitting on the bench for an extended amount of time. The group on the court as athletic as they might have been could not score and that started to give WKU confidence and before long, WKU was all over the place and high fiving and right back in the game. The game should not have been as close as it was at halftime with the lead NT had early on.

Zeke and I have talked about it before, but those four players (Hines, Hopkins, Simpson, Watson) need to be on the court as much as possible, especially Hines. There is no offense to speak of with the remaining players at this point in their careers and it stalemates the flow of the game.

I have no doubts that Coach Jones can recruit players, and run a practice with the best of them, but his game decisions (especially this season) have been unorthodox, puzzling, and seem to drag the momentum of the team down. I tell myself that there is a method to it all and it will make sense one game, but time for that is running out.

[GangGreen]

6 points isn't exactly that close in basketball. That's two or three posessions,

Six points isn't close? Two or three posessions can happen in a matter of less than a minute.

Every six point game I've ever played in or watched was definitely a close game.

[MootPoint]

Six points isn't close? Two or three posessions can happen in a matter of less than a minute.

Every six point game I've ever played in or watched was definitely a close game.

I guess it's a matter of perspective. I think 6 points is not close in something like Hockey or Soccer. In Basketball though, I tend to think 6 points is pretty close.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

There are games that 6 points is scored in 15 sec or less... The most ridicuious I can thinks of is 9 points in 2 sec. --- a 3 at 2 sec, a foul shot, 2 techs, foul on inbound plus shot, 2 more techs. This was by a team that was losing by 3 or 4 to start that mess.

Of course that a moot point.... LOL

WE NOW HAVE A WINNING REGULAR SEASON...!!