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Maryland vs Miami (Hall of Fame Tip-Off Naismith Classic) on ESPN at 1 pm EST

nobeastofburden said:
I was just thinking about that. I'm sure that has crossed his mind. TBH, Wong as primary ball handler worries me. Think 08 covered it in another post. Sneaky good ball handler, I just think he is out of control too often. Doesn't have PG vision. Trapped too often, picks up dribble in trouble too many times, stuff like that. Floor spaced out I like him 1 on 1 though. He has that euro step, good spin game.
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I prefer Wong not to be the primary ball handler. The ball sticks with him too much as our primary weapon as is.
 

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Gables Canes said:
He is athletic, he can jump out of the gym. Problem is, his handle is god awful, he's not a very good shooter, and he's an undisciplined defender. I think he's improved from last year, but he still has a long way to go.
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So coordination then? Whatever it is whenever he touches the ball it’s like he has never had it in his hands before. The game is just “too quick” for him.
 
Da_Lucky_One said:
As long as Providence and Maryland make the NCAA tournament, then this tournament helps the tournament resume of Miami.
Miami still needs to win 20 games including 10 conference games.
Big out of conference wins are always few and far between given our non-conference scheduling.
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Miami traditionally schedules the absolute worst noncon against the Ivy schools which I absolutely can’t stand. So it goes
 
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MedleyCane said:
Fire Larranaga!
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Embarrassed The Office GIF by Justin
 
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CliftonCane said:
What Pack did at Kansas State wasn't a fluke. He's legit. I think his struggles today are a combination of Maryland having a clear size advantage defensively at the perimeter and him trying to find his role in the offense.

Pack is most effective as a catch-and-shoot 3-pt guy so I think we need to ease him into the offense by setting up screens for him off the ball so he can get his shots in early. He doesn't mesh well when we're running stagnant half-court iso ball (which Zay excels at).
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We made 4 threes on Sat, and 5 today. In today's game, good teams should count on 8/9 makes minimum. I'm thinking Nijel Pack as I write this. It's very early but so far he's not as advertised. (He was 1-4 again today.)
 
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The offense is what it is, largely dependent on who is hot, which thankfully happens more than occasionally. I prefer Wong to pass the ball more to Omier or Miller underneath (for an assist), drive the lane, and think he may be the best ball-handler we have (hope Pack gets better).

The defense including rebounding however was mostly atrocious today, and has been sorta spotty this short season. Refs haven't helped, but neither is playing cement-footed and sleepy and looking disorganized (or lost) as today. Last game they seemed to "fight each other" for rebounds more than average, I wonder if Coach L tried to sensitize them to that...

...but they were out-rebounded today 2 to 1. Yes, Maryland is taller and more physical, and their Dabo-like coach really energizes them it seems. But i recall one rebound effort where fully 3 Canes barely got off the ground as they reached for the rebound, looking slow and lethargic as the Terrapin flew in Lonnie-Walker-style and snared it. And it was far from the only time.

Sure its early and they need to gel and Coach L find the right mix, and likely will. But beyond Omier, Wong, and Miller, they will need to prove themselves for success, and even those guys are somewhat inconsistent.
 
hotshot said:
We made 4 threes on Sat, and 5 today. In today's game, good teams should count on 8/9 makes minimum. I'm thinking Nijel Pack as I write this. It's very early so so far he's not as advertised. (He was 1-4 again today.)
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Pack's performance has been underwhelming to say the least. He also needs to be taking more than 4 shots in a game. There are adjustments and set plays that the coaching staff can design to help Pack get in a rhythm early. In half-court sets, we should be screening him open for catch-and-shoot 3's.

We also have to give him time to figure out when to get his shots up in a way that complements our other shot-makers. There are always growing pains with a roster that is full of transfers and young emerging talent. Like you said, its still early.
 
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This is a heat check game. We’re not a top 10 team right now. This was gonna happen - sooner or later. Better to happen early to put the issues on tape and attack them.

We are a good team that has a LOT of work to do to reach its potential.

I know fans - ESPECIALLY Miami fans - hate the word process. But L is a process coach. He hasn’t coached a team that hasn’t frustrated fans early in the season.

Nobody knows where this season is going to go - but this is a good bunch of kids with a great coach. They had a bad night against a pretty solid team.

Plenty of work to do and plenty of opportunity to get a LOT better.

I do think L knows that to get where he and the team wants to go this year, Casey is going to have to be a contributor and Aire will have to be playable. Let’s see what happens.
 
Also - about tonight - 21-12 is an absurd foul ratio (we never even got to fouling to extend the game) and it ABSOLUTELY had an impact on how we played.
 
This game showed UM’s Achilles heel; which is size. Maryland is a large team and they took advantage of it. This was the first game this season that Omier did not dominate the inside.
Coach L will adjust to this, especially was ACC plays begins and we play more tall teams.
 
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Gables Canes said:
I prefer Wong not to be the primary ball handler. The ball sticks with him too much as our primary weapon as is.
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Who would you prefer? Pack has enough on his plate now just trying to get his shooting accuracy/confidence straightened out.

Joseph? He could get some minutes from Poplar but I think L believes he needs Poplar's length. We're small as it is.
 
hotshot said:
Who would you prefer? Pack has enough on his plate now just trying to get his shooting accuracy/confidence straightened out.

Joseph? He could get some minutes from Poplar but I think L believes he needs Poplar's length. We're small as it is.
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This team is going to need to run every chance they get. As we all know by now L’s offensive system in the half court is all about knocking down contested shots. When those aren’t falling this O tends to be pretty putrid especially when on the other end we’re getting Abused on the glass.

This offense will likely live and die by pack and Wong on most nights. Both of those guys can get theirs on any given night. Until Pack gets comfortable though I would like to see more off ball sets ran for him.

Pack will be fine in long run
 
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