BTO’s Auburn Postgame Report

[ColinS]

Down to 61 in offense efficiency by KenPom. The university is running into a lot of expense. Not only have they had to replace the goalposts for football they will probably have to replace the backboard and rims from all the bricks thrown at them yesterday

 

[Lankykong]

I don't know how your missing it because we have had a lot of bad shots lately. ZZ and Vescovi for sure though some are just a situation of a shot clock expiring.

I’m saying guys not making shots is causing that kind of thing. If they make shots early in the game, it’ll open things up.

 

[ColinS]

I’m saying guys not making shots is causing that kind of thing. If they make shots early in the game, it’ll open things up.

True, it's a ying and a yang but the book on us is to extend and force us to drive. Teams with long athletic perimeter defenders are gonna continue to cause us problems.

 

[vol94]

1. An ugly win beats a pretty loss any day of the week, although gauging by some reactions I do wonder if everyone feels that way. Regardless, winning is better than losing and we won…you can complain about scoring but at the same time not sure how you can holler Bring Back Pearl while complaining about Barnes offense and watching that slop offense Pearl throws out there! Needed a W and we got one, I’ll take it any way we can get it.

2. With that said, YES, the offense is in a funk and it’s not pretty…silver lining is defense is elite and so we can win a game like that, but with that said we gotta get the offense going. We had a number of good looks from 3, we also shot ~50% at the line, add in a few missed layups that should be gimmes and you’re talking about a game we should’ve easily scored 65-70. Now that’s not setting the world on fire but it’s looks much better than what we put out there…not sure if Vescovi is still hurting, if there’s a confidence issue, the Monstars stole our shooting touch or what, but we gotta figure it out. Yes there’s some things we could do different schematically, but with the system in place just hit shots at a decent clip and matched with our defense that’s gonna win a lot of games.

3. Shout out JJJ, didn’t have it shooting from deep but hit some mid range and grabbed 14 rebounds, 15pts and 14rbds to be exact. He’s a Swiss Army knife for us and does so many good things, really need him (and the rest of the team) to find the outside stroke, but even when it’s not falling JJJ still found a way to impact the game and will us to a W.


4. IDK what the solution/answer is with depth, pretty clear who your 5 are, but Key has really disappeared, Mashack and Awaka after not much last few games played some solid minutes tonight. Not sure what you do if you’re Rick. What I will say is I would like to see better substitution patterns, let’s not bring in Mashack and Key along with Uros at the same time, you’re really hamstringing that group offensively and not giving them much chance to succeed. I think all of these guys can serve a purpose and be beneficial, but put them in position to succeed.

5. Needed that win, and really need the next 2 as well, 2 very winnable games with 1 being a road trip…we currently sit 19-4(8-2), add in the upsets today and we are right back into the thick of 1 seed talk, at worst towards the top of the 2 seed line. Win these next 2 and we sit at 21-4(10-2) heading into a massive game against Alabama, obviously running the table is slim but in theory if we beat Bama and they drop 1 that’s all it takes, a H2H determines seeding and we would have that, obviously lots of hypotheticals there but just seems like people are acting as if Bama is 3/4 games ahead of us and that’s not the case. Regardless though bigger picture is NCAAT, and these next 2 are big for that, win those and our floor continues to raise itself, our first ever 1 seed like I said is still very much on the table.



GBO!!!

Thanks again for the write ups as I look forward to them every week, so again, thank you.

Vescovi- it has to be his shoulder. Something tells me we will learn after the season that Santi was playing injured all year.

Key- I’m disappointed as I thought he could be the missing piece, hitting a three ball to end a scoring drought or hitting a big shot at the end of a game.

Uros- I don’t understand why he hasn’t learned to stay quiet and walk away. He will not get the benefit of the doubt from the refs. He can’t make foul shots which will impact his minutes in March.

ON- I’m not sure what to say. He and Uros both had one great game this year but lack consistency. He made some shots but had some bad misses.

JJJ was MVP. Need him to focus more on mid range jumpers. Every possession counts in March and we must reduce the scoring droughts and keep to a minimal. I love his hustle and the rebounding. He can it the three ball on occasion, but I’m not sure of %.

Mashack- Barnes said post game that he must give Mashack more minutes. Barnes watches the film and then tells himself that Mashack should’ve played more. But during the game, Barnes thinks he must go with experience.

ZZ- has the most pressure as he has to throw up a three late in the shot clock as we stand around, pass up a shot, etc. Barnes said ZZ is dong his job.

I agree 100% that a win is always better than a loss. We should beat Vandy & Mizz but a loss to either wouldn’t surprise me. Barnes seems to think the shots will fall and said he will bench players if they don’t take an open shot.

Phillips- I thought he’d be an impact player. I’m disappointed as he is a five star freshman.

Rotation- I agree that you can’t put Key and Uros, etc in the game @ the same time. We go three minutes without a score er on the floor. The opponent can focus on Vescovi and JJJ as they know the others can’t hit open shots.

Eight games remain so hopefully this team will begin to peak mid- late Feb into March.

 

[TrippieRedd]

Landing Grant Sherfield would've been nice for this team, sucks that he plays for a ****** OK team

 

[BACKDOC]

Should the fans get their money back? But, on the flip side it's the only one possession game we've had in forever.

 

[BACKDOC]

Auburn............home of the flop!!

 

[Namorto1]

Reality is with this group, we can be great or average from game to game. We can literally beat anyone or lose to any team ranked in top 100 of Kenpom rankings (Vandy is 99 right now). Barnes wants consistency but right now the given is we consistently play great defense and can’t shoot from literally anywhere. The gap between what we are capable of and what we often execute on offense is far and wide. His job is to figure out how to get us easier baskets and more efficient offense and I’m just not sure he has any plan to do this. Just wishing we shoot better isn’t enough. Why it is a bit frustrating. I’m not a fan who thinks we have to win every game or compete for championships all the time, but I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect this squad to improve as the year progresses to be the best versions of themselves at the end of the year. Do that and I will be happy with this group. Still have plenty of time to do so. Even if we lose, just play well and force the other team to beat you vs potentially beating yourself.

UT is very easy to guard in halfcourt. We don’t have one guy any team really has to worry about going off for 20+ often or can carry us offensively. Cover Vescovi like a blanket, switch off all the picks he gets and force him to put on deck. Every other perimeter player, lay off them and dare them to shoot from 3. ZZ otherwise force him left. Phillips, force him right. James, force him to baseline on either side. If he gets into paint, for that easy turnaround midrange than double him. Nkamhoua, play straight up and if he puts ball on deck swipe at the ball because he has poor hands. If he hits a few in a row than double him and force him to pass. Plavsic, force him to go over his right shoulder. Aidoo, Key, Mashack, Awaka….chirp at all of them and tell them to shoot. You want them to shoot.

 

[cardvolfan]

At this point, I don't know why we aren't playing JP over Nkahmoua

Nkahmoua is a major major liability for us when he can't score. Drops so balls and turns it over a lot. That open missed layup today was horrific

Nkamhoua was a bad matchup with Johni Broome. It was bad for ON both offensively and defensively. Broome dominated him, forced bad shots, and took him out of his game every time those two were matched up.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

While Nkamhoua didn’t play great, I actually was glad to see him be aggressive and stay aggressive once again. In past games when his shot wasn’t falling he just disappears and quits trying, since Texas game where he obviously was great, he’s had season high in FGA both games. Castleton & Broome both have great length and are among the best shot blockers in the league, but ON kept going at them, to me that’s a positive sign. We are going to need an inside scoring presence, obviously need him to hit shots but we also need everyone to hit shots, so not just him that’s missing.

 

[orangemadam]

Disappointed in ZZ two games in a row. His energy level is not what is was earlier in the season. Need to consider giving him some rest.

Vescovi will be hounded until one of our post players improves offensively.

JJJ and Philips will have to help us more in order for Santi to get some relief. Need to get Philips more engaged with designed plays.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Disappointed in ZZ two games in a row. His energy level is not what is was earlier in the season. Need to consider giving him some rest.

We can’t exactly afford to “rest” him. If our bench would step up, he could get play fewer minutes each night, which would keep him rested. But, right now Key and others are giving you very few productive minutes so ZZ has to play a lot. Key needs to figure it out.

 

[vegasvolfan]

1. An ugly win beats a pretty loss any day of the week, although gauging by some reactions I do wonder if everyone feels that way. Regardless, winning is better than losing and we won…you can complain about scoring but at the same time not sure how you can holler Bring Back Pearl while complaining about Barnes offense and watching that slop offense Pearl throws out there! Needed a W and we got one, I’ll take it any way we can get it.

2. With that said, YES, the offense is in a funk and it’s not pretty…silver lining is defense is elite and so we can win a game like that, but with that said we gotta get the offense going. We had a number of good looks from 3, we also shot ~50% at the line, add in a few missed layups that should be gimmes and you’re talking about a game we should’ve easily scored 65-70. Now that’s not setting the world on fire but it’s looks much better than what we put out there…not sure if Vescovi is still hurting, if there’s a confidence issue, the Monstars stole our shooting touch or what, but we gotta figure it out. Yes there’s some things we could do different schematically, but with the system in place just hit shots at a decent clip and matched with our defense that’s gonna win a lot of games.

3. Shout out JJJ, didn’t have it shooting from deep but hit some mid range and grabbed 14 rebounds, 15pts and 14rbds to be exact. He’s a Swiss Army knife for us and does so many good things, really need him (and the rest of the team) to find the outside stroke, but even when it’s not falling JJJ still found a way to impact the game and will us to a W.

4. IDK what the solution/answer is with depth, pretty clear who your 5 are, but Key has really disappeared, Mashack and Awaka after not much last few games played some solid minutes tonight. Not sure what you do if you’re Rick. What I will say is I would like to see better substitution patterns, let’s not bring in Mashack and Key along with Uros at the same time, you’re really hamstringing that group offensively and not giving them much chance to succeed. I think all of these guys can serve a purpose and be beneficial, but put them in position to succeed.

5. Needed that win, and really need the next 2 as well, 2 very winnable games with 1 being a road trip…we currently sit 19-4(8-2), add in the upsets today and we are right back into the thick of 1 seed talk, at worst towards the top of the 2 seed line. Win these next 2 and we sit at 21-4(10-2) heading into a massive game against Alabama, obviously running the table is slim but in theory if we beat Bama and they drop 1 that’s all it takes, a H2H determines seeding and we would have that, obviously lots of hypotheticals there but just seems like people are acting as if Bama is 3/4 games ahead of us and that’s not the case. Regardless though bigger picture is NCAAT, and these next 2 are big for that, win those and our floor continues to raise itself, our first ever 1 seed like I said is still very much on the table.



GBO!!!

Very important win for the regular season. We have to get through that first. I certainly want to do more in the off season and I definitely like Barnes as a coach. That said, I can't help but wonder. Is Barnes a mediocre offensive coach? Did his TX teams struggle on offense too?

 

[Namorto1]

We can’t exactly afford to “rest” him. If our bench would step up, he could get play fewer minutes each night, which would keep him rested. But, right now Key and others are giving you very few productive minutes so ZZ has to play a lot. Key needs to figure it out.

I figure if we continue to shoot poorly in general, Barnes may be forced to play a bigger lineup more frequently and just try to beat teams to a pulp with more offensive rebounds = more shots. Even a missed shot is okay if we get the rebound. Do this and Key may at best get 10 minutes per game spelling ZZ. Already sounds like Mashack is passing him on depth chart based on what Barnes said yesterday postgame. He was pleased with Mashack yesterday and may take some of Keys minutes.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Very important win for the regular season. We have to get through that first. I certainly want to do more in the off season and I definitely like Barnes as a coach. That said, I can't help but wonder. Is Barnes a mediocre offensive coach? Did his TX teams struggle on offense too?

It really feels as if folks were spoiled by football and just want an offensive team, there’s 2 sides of the ball and both are equally as important. Would we feel better if we were like Baylor? #3 offense but #74 defense…they’ve gave up 76+ in each loss, so while we lose some games because our offense doesn’t show up they lose because their defense doesn’t show up, is that better?

Obviously being great at both would be ideal, if we were we’d likely be the #1 team in a America, obviously that would be nice but acting as if that should be the case or expectation just seems a bit ridiculous.

 

[orangemadam]

Great to have the best defense but I don't think any are asking for a "great" offense, just average. Say #30-40 range. Is that asking too much?

 

[kckempf]

Great to have the best defense but I don't think any are asking for a "great" offense, just average. Say #30-40 range. Is that asking too much?

Before the last two games it was in that range. In two games it may be in that range again.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Great to have the best defense but I don't think any are asking for a "great" offense, just average. Say #30-40 range. Is that asking too much?

It has been in that range for awhile, 2 really bad offensive games is what made it plummet…also, 30-40 out of 350 teams isn’t average.

 

[i2amavol]

1. An ugly win beats a pretty loss any day of the week, although gauging by some reactions I do wonder if everyone feels that way. Regardless, winning is better than losing and we won…you can complain about scoring but at the same time not sure how you can holler Bring Back Pearl while complaining about Barnes offense and watching that slop offense Pearl throws out there! Needed a W and we got one, I’ll take it any way we can get it.

2. With that said, YES, the offense is in a funk and it’s not pretty…silver lining is defense is elite and so we can win a game like that, but with that said we gotta get the offense going. We had a number of good looks from 3, we also shot ~50% at the line, add in a few missed layups that should be gimmes and you’re talking about a game we should’ve easily scored 65-70. Now that’s not setting the world on fire but it’s looks much better than what we put out there…not sure if Vescovi is still hurting, if there’s a confidence issue, the Monstars stole our shooting touch or what, but we gotta figure it out. Yes there’s some things we could do different schematically, but with the system in place just hit shots at a decent clip and matched with our defense that’s gonna win a lot of games.

3. Shout out JJJ, didn’t have it shooting from deep but hit some mid range and grabbed 14 rebounds, 15pts and 14rbds to be exact. He’s a Swiss Army knife for us and does so many good things, really need him (and the rest of the team) to find the outside stroke, but even when it’s not falling JJJ still found a way to impact the game and will us to a W.

4. IDK what the solution/answer is with depth, pretty clear who your 5 are, but Key has really disappeared, Mashack and Awaka after not much last few games played some solid minutes tonight. Not sure what you do if you’re Rick. What I will say is I would like to see better substitution patterns, let’s not bring in Mashack and Key along with Uros at the same time, you’re really hamstringing that group offensively and not giving them much chance to succeed. I think all of these guys can serve a purpose and be beneficial, but put them in position to succeed.

5. Needed that win, and really need the next 2 as well, 2 very winnable games with 1 being a road trip…we currently sit 19-4(8-2), add in the upsets today and we are right back into the thick of 1 seed talk, at worst towards the top of the 2 seed line. Win these next 2 and we sit at 21-4(10-2) heading into a massive game against Alabama, obviously running the table is slim but in theory if we beat Bama and they drop 1 that’s all it takes, a H2H determines seeding and we would have that, obviously lots of hypotheticals there but just seems like people are acting as if Bama is 3/4 games ahead of us and that’s not the case. Regardless though bigger picture is NCAAT, and these next 2 are big for that, win those and our floor continues to raise itself, our first ever 1 seed like I said is still very much on the table.



GBO!!!

After the next 2 games comes the toughest part of the SEC schedule. We will see what we are really made of then.

 

[Sudden Impact]

I have re-watched parts of the game with Auburn. We had the answer but ON going 1-10 in the first part of the game was the downer. Auburn devoted most of their attention to defending the 3 ball and kept pressure on the outside of the perimeter. CRB anticipated this and went inside. ON could not hit anything which allowed Auburn to stay around. No inside out game available because of Auburn not leaving the shooters on the perimeter and ON was not effective. We never got on track with the inside game which resulted in terrible outside shooting. No flow, no rhythm to this game. ON has shown signs of handling it but became a No Show. I am not sure the light has gone on with ON, but it is flickering. We need a Grant Williams type player and Awaka seems to have the potential to do it, but it is going to take time. Yes, we did miss some wide open shots from the 3 and I assume it was just an Anomaly. Time will tell we won a sloppy/ugly played game that we normally lose. I hope this resonates with the players for future games. Two tough games this week Vandy and Missouri we should win.

 

[vegasvolfan]

It really feels as if folks were spoiled by football and just want an offensive team, there’s 2 sides of the ball and both are equally as important. Would we feel better if we were like Baylor? #3 offense but #74 defense…they’ve gave up 76+ in each loss, so while we lose some games because our offense doesn’t show up they lose because their defense doesn’t show up, is that better?

Obviously being great at both would be ideal, if we were we’d likely be the #1 team in a America, obviously that would be nice but acting as if that should be the case or expectation just seems a bit ridiculous.

Has nothing to do with football. My point was with the best teams there isn't this trade off you speak of. They are consistent on both sides of the ball and the coaches probably emphasize both equally.

We scored less than 70 points in both of our losses in the NCAA over the last 2 years. 56 2 years ago. His most promising teams for us had strong offenses. I dunno

 

[Orange.]

It really feels as if folks were spoiled by football and just want an offensive team, there’s 2 sides of the ball and both are equally as important. Would we feel better if we were like Baylor? #3 offense but #74 defense…they’ve gave up 76+ in each loss, so while we lose some games because our offense doesn’t show up they lose because their defense doesn’t show up, is that better? ....

It's not really that. In football, they complained about defense all year. The same people and types do it every year here and in also football. They came out in force if we lost: We were never going to win another game. When we won the Orange Bowl they shifted immediately to we are getting beat in recruiting. (We have a great class.) A bunch of them are distressed that Milton played so well.

Obviously being great at both would be ideal, if we were we’d likely be the #1 team in a America, obviously that would be nice but acting as if that should be the case or expectation just seems a bit ridiculous.

Absolutely.

 

[Volprofch05]

It's not really that. In football, they complained about defense all year. The same people and types do it every year here and in also football. Whatever they think will upset the most people. Or maybe they lack the intelligence to do anything other than bish, accuse, whine, and throw tantrums. They came out in force if we lost: We were never going to win another game. When we won the Orange Bowl they shifted immediately to we are getting beat in recruiting. (We have a great class.) A bunch of them are distressed that Milton played so well.

Absolutely.

Yes indeed, I was amazed at how many people who were saying we were likely to lose to Vandy after the South Carolina debacle. They were off by just a bit...