Happy at this point!

[Malastein]

Yeah, those two losses don’t feel good, but if you had been told before the season that we’d beat Duke without Killian Tillie then I would’ve called you crazy. We then lost another important cog in the system with Geno going out. Let’s face it, the Zags are playing solid basketball without 20% of the starting lineup and without 25% of the 8 man rotation. Yet, they are just a shot away from beating Tennessee and a couple plays away from winning at North Carolina. I’m just very hopeful that the whole team will be healthy for a very exciting March tournament!

[MontanaCoyote]

Yeah, those two losses don’t feel good, but if you had been told before the season that we’d beat Duke without Killian Tillie then I would’ve called you crazy. We then lost another important cog in the system with Geno going out. Let’s face it, the Zags are playing solid basketball without 20% of the starting lineup and without 25% of the 8 man rotation. Yet, they are just a shot away from beating Tennessee and a couple plays away from winning at North Carolina. I’m just very hopeful that the whole team will be healthy for a very exciting March tournament!

Hopeful here as well. But adding Till’s and Geno WONT BE ENOUGH unless everyone else starts getting the job done on
Defense.

[raise the zag]

As the team stands, we are in trouble.

Not the 'sky is falling' cliche kinda way, but a #'s & sense kinda way.

We are regressing, and rapidly.

Our defensive #'s are the lowest they have been since 2012.

Our 3pt defense & points given up are among the worst in the nation (305 of 347). Our overall defense is ranked in the 60's, those teams rarely make it past 2nd Round, many of those teams don't make the tourney.

Fortunately our offense is good enough to win some shoot outs, as long as the opponent is cold or inexperienced or at the Kennel.

We are trending downward at the time we should be doing the opposite.

Our only hope is Tillie to return, and healthy enough to play at his previous level. Well, stress fractures are highly unpredictable and usually require 3 months, and we are hoping he will fully recover at 2 months w/screws expediting recovery.

No doubt Tillie helps our depth, but does it help Rui box out? Or Kispert defend a 3pt shot? Or Perkins fight through a screen? Norvell contain a dribble drive? Possibly.

We haven't played very good basketball post Duke game. 2nd half of Creighton was fun, but Perkins and Norvell sustained minor injuries that game.

Good news is we play at home until Jan 12th. The fatigue excuse will be no more. No doubt its real, but Coach Few has overplayed this, continually saying they are emotionally drained...over and over. Is he projecting on the team based on how he feels?

Countless other teams plays tough schedules and during Finals week, etc.

I have been disappointed with how Coach Few has handled the team this season compared to any before, at least mentally. Every interview he states how tired, drained, emotionally beat up they must be. I get this but c'mon...help them light a fire, don't wallow with them. Been bothering me all season.

The guys are probably thinking Coach has a point...we must be tired, we do have a thin bench, this is a ridiculous schedule, we are beat up, etc etc.

I hope the month home will help the team AND clearly the coaching staff needs a break as well. Coach Few has made us well aware how tired they all are...still feel he is speaking to himself, because these kids WANT to play these games. Sometimes I think our Coaches need a break too, from the intensity, the scouting, game planning, film study, etc.

The team needs a resurgence, a rebirth, and to find meaning again. Press clipping got in the way with our mindset and our goals. From an individual and team perspective.

Get back to the basics. It's about battling for the League again, because if we continue to play defense like we have expect a few WCC teams to hit 15+ 3's....and when that happens, any one can beat us.

We have work to do.

Edit to add. Upon review, this was mostly the Don Julio posting, but won't delete as some of this post remains true to my feelings. Subsequent posts were sans Mr. Julio.

[Zagceo]

DOOMED!

[Markburn1]

Yeah, those two losses don’t feel good, but if you had been told before the season that we’d beat Duke without Killian Tillie then I would’ve called you crazy. We then lost another important cog in the system with Geno going out. Let’s face it, the Zags are playing solid basketball without 20% of the starting lineup and without 25% of the 8 man rotation. Yet, they are just a shot away from beating Tennessee and a couple plays away from winning at North Carolina. I’m just very hopeful that the whole team will be healthy for a very exciting March tournament!

Haha. You must be the person that got a pile of horse poop for Christmas and thought with that much crap, there must be a pony around somewhere.

The Zags have to play better. Period.

[TheZagPhish]

Well, the whiskey still works.

[jim77]

Yeah, those two losses don’t feel good, but if you had been told before the season that we’d beat Duke without Killian Tillie then I would’ve called you crazy. We then lost another important cog in the system with Geno going out. Let’s face it, the Zags are playing solid basketball without 20% of the starting lineup and without 25% of the 8 man rotation. Yet, they are just a shot away from beating Tennessee and a couple plays away from winning at North Carolina. I’m just very hopeful that the whole team will be healthy for a very exciting March tournament!

+100

[Malastein]

Haha. You must be the person that got a pile of horse poop for Christmas and thought with that much crap, there must be a pony around somewhere.

The Zags have to play better. Period.

#Rude

My point is that it is hard to win when you only have 6 guys capable of playing high level basketball. I like Jeremy Jones and Filip Petrusev, but even they barely fill out the rotation. We are asking our 5 starters to pretty much win, and they have come close against a couple tough top 10 teams. With our top 8 healthy, I think we’ll see the team play better on both ends of the floor. Just wait!

[Markburn1]

#Rude

My point is that it is hard to win when you only have 6 guys capable of playing high level basketball. I like Jeremy Jones and Filip Petrusev, but even they barely fill out the rotation. We are asking our 5 starters to pretty much win, and they have come close against a couple tough top 10 teams. With our top 8 healthy, I think we’ll see the team play better on both ends of the floor. Just wait!

Whatever. Just poking a bit of fun at you.

Of course, getting those two back will help. But, if the rest of the team doesn't make a concerted effort to be better on defense they will still be a poor defensive team. Albeit, more rested.

[Zagceo]

Hopeful here as well. But adding Till’s and Geno WONT BE ENOUGH unless everyone else starts getting the job done on
Defense.

Zags had a top rated defense last time we played UNC....and lost because we missed too many bunnies

could have won in Chapel Hill this time if Zags made bunnies...without the top rated defense.

We had 13 steals in Chapel Hill and created 23 TO....we sucked rebounding and still could have won if we made our bunnies.

We did win the second half.

the defensive whine tastes flat imho.

[Markburn1]

Zags had a top rated defense last time we played UNC....and lost because we missed too many bunnies

could have won in Chapel Hill this time if Zags made bunnies...without the top rated defense.

We had 13 steals in Chapel Hill and created 23 TO....we sucked rebounding and still could have won if we made our bunnies.

We did win the second half.

the defensive whine tastes flat imho.

Yep. 104 points and they get the win.

[Zagceo]

Yep. 104 points and they get the win.

agree...”we” get the win.

[Markburn1]

agree...”we” get the win.

What position do you play?

[Zagceo]

What position do you play?

cheerleader

[Markburn1]

cheerleader

Me too. "Defense Zaga. Defense"