Monster Mitch - 5pts, 8 RBs, a steal and 2 blks
DCHawker
4842 posts
Nice clean up by Mitch of a weak ass drive by Grimes - literally just threw up a floater to avoid contact....
A Grimes rebound sighting!!!
@Fightsongwriter Might need it, but what makes you think we can get 4 or 5 straight stops????
Mitch, Charlie and KJ have all scored (albeit 3-10), but not our top recruit....
@BeddieKU23 Got the shot about half way to the basket...
@BShark Would be awfully nice to see good END to a half - especially the 2nd one...
@BShark It was also a good start to the 1st half...
At the under 4 timeout, not really sure how we have the lead. Another complete no-show by Grimes (0 pts, 2 TOs). And, 1-7 from the bench (bageled until Charlie prayer floater). Have to completely rely on Dedric, D Dot, and Ochai...
@Crimsonorblue22 But can he walk on water???
@Woodrow Doesn't augur well for the remainder of the schedule - struggle at home to beat the bottom half of the league and simply can't win on the road....
Dave and Mitch manning the paint - will be interesting to watch this stretch....
@HighEliteMajor I will let @Kcmatt7 answer for himself, but to your point, UVA has outright won the ACC 3 of the past 5 years (one 2nd place finish) and is tied for the lead this year - in a conference that has a lot more top tier talent and much stronger teams at the top (i.e., tourney champs). Doesn't make him a better coach than HCBS - but pretty strong evidence that he is a damn good one - regardless of what one thinks about the style of play....
@Kcmatt7 I agree - I would take Bennett in a heartbeat. He has built a consistent winner without getting the top tier talent that has gone to Duke, and, to a lesser extent UNC, in the ACC. His teams play great defense. They haven't been nearly as good offensively, which has caught up with them in the tournament, although this year's UVA team can score and play at a faster pace. Averaging just 3 points less per game than KU, with obviously a much better defense. Would think that Bennett could recruit higher quality talent at KU - although he may well have more NBA talent on his team this year than we do...
@KUSTEVE Agree that it is a big game - both because they are ahead of us in the standings - and, we need to demonstrate we can win on the road - otherwise, the streak ends.
Not sure I would agree they are the hottest team, however. Not sure I can ascribe that moniker to a team that got spanked by a mediocre TX A&M team. Hottest team in the conference would seem to be Baylor, but maybe that may be damning with faint praise right now....
Stunning result
Double doubles from both Dedric and Ochai....
Effing weak ass drive by Grimes... Man up....
@DanR He hasn't broken a sweat, because he hasn't broken a sweat. We're giving him props because he hasn't been a complete no show, but he's played most of the game and is only starter not in double figures and has but 2 rebounds (yes, he does have 4 assists)....
Finally - a 20 point game for D Dot - knew it had to come at some point...
D Dot taking over the game right now. If he ever learns to finish like Frank.....
@BeddieKU23 Wrote about this in another thread - he actually had 9! before that one. Of course, Ochai has more in a quarter of the minutes.
We've scored 10 points in 10 minutes - until Dot's drive...
WTF>>>
@BShark Yes - we're giving them a lot of freebies this half - and getting ourselves in some foul trouble...
That's why Dave doesn't play more... Ball disappears into a black hole...
Killing us on the boards this half - reverse from the 1st half. Getting second chance points and picking up cheap fouls..
@Crimsonorblue22 Not sure it was on him or Ochai - one of them now has 3...
They're pushing the tempo a lot more this half - we're a step behind...
@Crimsonorblue22 Two
@Fightsongwriter Actually, it's an infinite increase.... ;)
Most surprising is we dominated the boards. Also avoided foul trouble.
We've roared past our game average of made 3s already...
@BeddieKU23 Well, lookie there...
@BeddieKU23 Now, if he could add a rebound or two to the mix....
@kjayhawks Moore has a couple of typical Chuck plays, but he's done Moore than Grimes...
Why can't they run the lob play for Grimes a couple of times every game to get him to see the ball go in the basket...
REALLY small team on the court....
Well, at least Charlie looked at the basket...
Great start with lots of energy - but Grimes again a complete non-factor in every phase...
I thought TTU was best defensive team in the B12 - and we suck at offense.... Someone didn't read the script....
@kjayhawks That only applies if he was outside the circle - he wasn't - replay clearly showed he had at least one foot in the circle...
We got a break there - Ochai was in the circle...
@DanR Bad passing team all around...
@DanR And, we can't afford him to be picking up cheap fouls...
Hawks do look a bit more fired up than usual out of the gate. Maybe will play with a chip on their shoulders...
@BShark Grimes is truly a conundrum - a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma...Other than shooting the ball (with limited success), he appears incapable of or unwilling to impact the game in ANY meaningful, that is positive, way.
Re-watch some of the games and focus on him. He literally just stands around most of the time. He is a matador on defense when the guy he is guarding drives on him. He doesn't get into rebounding position or put a body on anyone. When he drives, he'll fall away or throw up a floater to avoid contact.
A couple of stats are really telling. In 536 minutes, he has exactly 9 offensive rebounds. He's 6'5" and decent build for heaven's sake - on a team that needs everyone to crash the boards. Ochai has one more in about 1/4 the minutes. Heck, Moore has 6 in half the minutes of Grimes. The other is steals - just 7 in 536 minutes. Vick, who is no defensive wizard, has 26. Garrett has 35. Moore has 13, again in about half the minutes. Those are effort stats.
Not clear to me if this is correctable - may be just his DNA to play this passively, at least against guys that are going to be as big, fast and strong as he is (in contrast to HS)....
I had to miss the game - looks like that was a blessing? Scored 63 points against a team that gave up 98!!! to a lousy Georgia team 3 days ago. Similar to losing to a WVU team that had lost by 31 the game before they played us and by 19 at home the next game. Is it too much to say the bottom has fallen out? The old saying is that it is always darkest before the dawn, but dawn seems a very distant glimmer right now......
I realize most on this don't think Calipari can coach - and I despise the guy - but they forced Dedric to have to defend all game long and constantly got it to the right guy on switches to take advantage of mismatches. We didn't adjust...
All our starters have at least 3 fouls...