his partner also kept calling De Ridder just āRidderā
Just not even a passing familiarity with the team lol
2 Likes
among at least 20 blunders there was one where he said that chance, as he stepped up to the line, was 1 for 4 on free throws. Chance makes one and wes says ānow heās 2 for 4ā.
7 Likes
I had the same thought. Even said it out loud. Then second guessed myself into thinking āmaybe they changed a ruleā¦ā
9 Likes
I think Tillis gotten into a āblack sheep of the familyā rut with the board. Very much a Kevin in home alone vibe with him. Other people are being total assholes but most of the collective ire on him. I got mad at his dumb plays a few times but he did enough good stuff too. That one play where he went Point God and finished with the dish to Onyenso was 
11 Likes
Tillis did the best he could last night. Still threw his signature pick six in a critical time, missed multiple backdowns, launched a terrible 3 point shot ā¦ but he got us some critical buckets, made some monster FTs, and was serviceable on defense at times. Thomasās game was in deep freeze and Coach couldnāt play Jacari or Eli so it was ride or die with Tillis.
5 Likes
He was +10 in the +/- last night over 30 minutes which was second best on the team for the night.
He was -14 in 9 minutes against UNC. Which is why heās probably in a lot of dog houses.
Heās been a bit volatile over the season. The highs arenāt as high as Jacariās but probably not as low either.
2 Likes
I think this a tremendous understatement. He was critical on defense, because he allowed us to play a smaller lineup after Ugo and GrĆ¼nloh were getting torched on the screen actions. His ability to switch helped limit Notre Dameās good looks in the second half.
Also: Do we really think that our biggest problem is that our last guy off the bench is playing as if heās, you know, the last guy off the bench?
7 Likes
Iāve seen speculation that we should sit Jacari. I do NOT think thatās the answer. Heās been pretty brutal the last few games. Iām not disputing that at all. However, if you sit him, youāre just prolonging his return to form. In the best version of this team, Jacari is flamethrowing like he was in non-conference play. Yes, you can keep him on a somewhat short leash in the interim, but he needs to keep playing and figure out. He also needs to know the staff has confidence in him. He needs to play through the slump and get right, though admittedly with fewer minutes than he was getting in December.
8 Likes
The whole biggest comeback in UVA history is wrong too. I knew it right away, because I watched our game vs Duke in Cameron in 1995 when we came back from 23 down in the 2nd half to win in 2 OT.
14 Likes
Iād agree with you if it wasnāt for the whole cast on his wrist thing. That changes things pretty dramatically.
He was turnover prone and always a bit loose prior to the injury. As well as a sieve defensively. But he made up with that with playmaking and incredible three point shooting.
If he canāt play make or shoot with the cast on, heās a huge liability. In my opinion, thatās not about game reps. Itās about getting comfortable with the cast on his wrist or being completely healthy.
2 Likes
Kind of my thinking too ā¦ short leash, give him a few minutes each game to see if he has āitā. Yank quickly if not. Keep building from there. I was hoping we would see some progression the last few games but ā¦
7 Likes
In general, Iām in favor of keeping Jacari warm. Play him at least a few minutes a game. Also, a good opportunity to keep Elijah warm, too.
And, while last night showed us that nothing is guaranteed in conference, especially on the road, this stretch is a good opportunity to keep guys warm and try things out for the stretch run.
11 Likes
Few thoughts from last night:
- Sam Lewis made the 3 to send it to 2OT and the mid range shot at the end of 2OT but he also made two other plays that are flying under the radar: the made 3 to cut the lead to 1 near the end of regulation and the heads up play to throw the ball to hit the rim to avoid the shot clock violation. Really heads up play there
- Mallory got his 3 ball going again which was huge. He was shooting 25% from 3 in ACC play heading into this game
- Hall was really steady but need him to be more aggressive going forward. Donāt think Iāve ever seen someone pump fake as many open looks as he does
- De Ridder is the most skilled big that I can recall us ever having. His layup to take the lead after the stolen inbounds was a thing of beauty. Outbidding Kansas State and Iowa for him is the biggest roster move Odom and co made this offseason by far
- Re-watched and our defense wasnāt great but hat tip to ND for hitting some really tough shots. Lot of times they were just letting fly from well beyond the 3 point line. Regression to mean helped us come back but they were also pretty lucky to be so far ahead.
- Iāve āignoredā jphat so will stop replying to him in game threads going forward and clogging things up. My apologies
And lastly, Iām now officially over the UNC loss. Winning with so much working against us (bad calls, long 3ās, etc) was pretty cathartic. I know ND isnāt good but that win felt really good.
19 Likes
Re: Jacari
Iām hoping we beat BC by one million to regain some form and can let Jacari play 25+ minutes to hopefully work through it.
Weāve seen heās absolutely capable of being an absolute flamethrower, and I donāt think its impossible to see him improve his defense the same way Malik has.
Itās perfectly reasonable to blame most of his recent woes on the broken wrist which happened pretty recently in the grand scheme of things. Let him play through it if you can get away with it in less meaningful minutes, but he has to see the bench in the close ones til heās closer to 100%.
8 Likes
Its a shame with Jacari, he was so good right before he got hurt. To make a deep run, I think we need him back to where he was and a more consistent Grunhloh/Thomas.
9 Likes
Totally agree. Player of the game for me. Made a ton of plays when it counted and never looked scared. Absolute baller
worth every penny!
They were hitting everything (UNCās come back also featured some insane shot-making), but I am a little concerned about our perimeter defense being an issue we may not be able to fully fix with the personnel at our disposal. We had it papered over there for a bit, so Iām hoping we can make some more tweaks, but I assume tweaks will become less effective over time and it will ultimately come down to our guards needing to be better defenders than they currently are.
Absolutely massive! Amazing game from him last night. Some of the fouls called on him were pretty iffy too imo, I think he personally got the worst end of the officiating last night, so I am proud of him for not letting it affect him (aside from some free throws I guessā¦). His talent is one thing, but I think his intangibles are what will make him a very special player for us.
9 Likes
I was thinking if I was still in college every time Dallin shot faked would have been a dangerous drinking game.
2 Likes
Need to start blowing teams out so we can afford to let him play through it.
And I wish we could find a role for Elijah but itās just not in the cards. Hopefully it comes together with a healthy offseason. If he was fully healthy, we could use him in a game like last night to help guard the perimeter but heās not ready to add value there. Hopefully itās just a rust issue but he needs to be a plus defender to see the floor. We can live with his lack of shot if he can bring defense.
1 Like
We should have smoked ND, but in the grand scheme of things I donāt hate all these close games. I have a lot of faith in this team now to grind out games for wins when its stacked against them which I was pretty concerned with given the mercenaries we brought in. That should bode well for the post-season.
The last couple years of the Bennett era it felt really dire if we got down by much. Just no offensive juice and it felt like weād give up. I think Iām still scarred a bit from it.
9 Likes
Heās getting good looks and is not a bad shooter. Needs to let it fly 2-3 more times. Even if he misses it, itās another OReb opportunity and forces the defense to react to him.
3 Likes