Civil War Redux

Let’s just start this one off with me thinking we will win this game. It’s a good match-up, and we should win.

That being said, this has been a disappointing season thus far by reasonable expectations. It’s not lost until it’s done. But it is still disappointing. These boys know how to play. They’ve shown up for some great play. But they’ve been lost in the wonder and mystique of “this is the Pac 12″ rather than just getting out there to play.

So let’s remind them of their pre-season goal.

They didn’t express a wont to win the conference during the regular season. I don’t know why not. I choose to expect the best and settle for whatever happens. But they chose not to address that parameter. They chose instead to concentrate on the Pac 12 Tourney. So I’ve been watching the games with that in mind. Who can we beat in a one-out situation?

The answer is everyone. But our boys have to want it. And it needs to start now. I’ve drawn comparisons t a Big East ninth place UCONN from last year. I don’t have the same expectations from our boys. But my expectations for winning and losing never exclude effort.

Much was made of Lamar head coach Pat Knight embarrassing his own players in public this past week. Yes, Knight as in Knight. What he said was 100% true. But it wasn’t like it was refreshing or eye-opening. It was your standard “don’t fail yourself” speech every kid hears in summer camps or pre-season meetings. The bottom line is that a team is insular during the season. They win, lose, die and try within themselves. When someone steps out of the team and chooses to destroy it, that is on them.

For the first time in Coach Rob’s tenure, I have not seen that from this team. When they fail, they do so as a unit. When they succeed, they do so with a flair.

This team can beat anyone. They won’t. But they can. And that’s what frustrates me more than anything.

Are they a year removed?

Maybe.

But that’s their choice.

Beavs 85 – Ducks 78

Note: I was one who thought Garret Sim was not a Pac quality PG. I didn’t like the hatchet job the Groanian did with lies about him not being offered by his boyhood favorite, OSU. I would have rather heard the truth. We sucked hard at the time, and even a fan didn’t want to be a part of the program. But Sim has risen above everything to be a great leader of an average team. He takes advantage of what is given him. And I just have to salute him for being more for his his team than a BMOC.

Note 2: No Nikegon fan should say anything about Jabari Brown or Bruce Barron in the same sentence with words like “couldn’t handle it” or “hard work” or “we don’t want quitters.” You guys have Devoe Joseph and Tony Woods. Just STFU!

Stanford 87 – OSU 82

It’s probably a good thing this game wasn’t on TV. I don’t know if I could have watched our team go on a negative run to start the second half and still kept watching.

And who knew Chasson Randle and Aaron Bright could light it up?

Aaaargh!

The only thing left is for someone who actually saw the game to tell me that we played a majority of our defensive sets in the 1-3-1, resulting in several open perimeter looks and several second chances.

Like that’s never happened before?

What happened to the team who competed with a driven man defense early in the year? Why did we go to the 1-3-1 against all these teams who had it solved by last year if not before? Yes, they were making some mistakes in man. But the 1-3-1 has built-in weaknesses which make the man mistakes look like anomalies.

If there is any “hump” this team needs to get over, it’s the reliance on the 1-3-1 as some sort of comfort blanket. It’s not realizing that defense has never really won any games. It’s only kept us in some that we otherwise would not have competed. We don’t need to stay in games anymore. We need to get out and win them. And the 1-3-1 is only offering an opportunity for our opponents to compete with us, not the other way around.

We’re so close to being a great team, but we allow our opponents too many opportunities. We allow them to make us look like we’re not even an average team.

There’s still time for redemption in the here and now. The Pac is such a terrible league this season that any one of the top nine schools in the standings can make a run for post-season accolades. Apples to oranges points to a ninth place UCONN making an improbable run to end last season. It’s apples to oranges because the Big East was very good all last season. But it’s apples to apples in that the competition from one through 11 in that league were not so far apart that number nine couldn’t make that run.

But runs like that happen when the fatists sit down and the realists stand up and take charge. Nothing is written except that there still remain opportunities for the bold to write something… and that the 1-3-1 always gives up cripples, open treys and second and third chances.

OSU at Stanford

First… UW 75 – OSU 72

Upon review of this game, it’s not quite as bad as the loss initially felt. If you’re one to look at standings as important, then UW would be at the top of the league. They don’t play smart ball or any brand of efficient ball. But they win. And that’s all we would want for our own team. In that light, the Beavs managed to make UW look like the team they are. They kept their backcourt in front of them, and they minimized their bigs. They gave themselves a chance, yet again, in the end. But their own mistakes cost them dearly.

Coach Rob used the standard coach speak for the post game. But I can see where he was proud of at least the effort of our boys. While the loss itself may be another disappointment on a season of unmet expectations, they did fight through adversity to remain in this game. It has to be hard to get up for another game after four or five losses which should not have been. But they are doing just that.

It portends good things for the future of this program. But now is not the future.

Congratulations are in order

I thought Coach Rob was a little too subdued after the UW loss. He just seemed to be speaking in metaphysical terms about a team who had just played to a very real loss.

Now we know why.

Kelly Robinson gave birth to a boy, Aaron Lamar, on Monday night.

Congrats to the parents and their family for the new addition. May everyone be happy and healthy in the future.

Stanford

The first meeting was the lynchpin in the Beavs disappointing season. If they win that game, this would likely be a completely different year.

Since that has passed, it’s time to look forward. One thing Coach Rob brought up in the post game was the Beavs youth. While I hesitate to allow such excuses, a quick look around the country does confirm that we are still a very young team.

That excuse won’t fly for this game. Stanford is the one team who matches our youth. And they seem to be as inconsistent as the Beavs in league play.

So this game appears to have all the elements for the Beavs to motivate themselves to a win.

Stanford’s power comes from their front court. So our bigs will have to body up to keep them off the boards. But we all know how perimeter play can kill the Beavs if our boys let someone get loose for multiple looks. They can’t forget that Aaron Bright and Chasson Randle can go off if they allow them to do so.

I was going to do a detailed write-up before the UW game about the three guard set working for the Beavs. I was going to suggest that Barton and Berto should join Jared in the starting back court, with Ahmad coming off the bench for a spark. I thought that would be a little out there, so I just decided to be short and sweet.

I was surprised to see the line-up for that game. I was also surprised to see Berto go O-fer for the game.

I think our success going forward will be determined by our back court. We have three solid guards and one star. I’ve called over the course of this season for the three guard set, and I will call for it again. The tendency against front court powers like Stanford is to match their bigs. They need to be forced to match our guards. They need to play to our pace.

Stanford is nothing if they don’t play their own pace. And that requires a slow-down defense and a patient offense. The Beavs need to pressure their back court into a pace unsuitable for their comfort.

Despite all that has been disappointing this season… despite our road record, anywhere really, over the last couple decades… I think the Beavs are set up to finish the season with a flurry. They have nothing to lose from here on out. They get to face their devil and fight for redemption tonight.

We’re going to need to see our back court step up in order for any of this to happen. No more O-fers from Berto. No more reliance on Starks for clutch shots. We just need to see a good old-fashioned beat down from start to finish in order to spark the potential of this team.

My initial reaction would have been the Beavs in a close one. The 1-3-1 has been the bane of my basketball-watching eyes for a couple years now. So anything can go wrong if Coach Rob decides to take his best rebounder and put him at half court. But I think it’s just time for the Beavs to wake up. They’re good enough to beat anyone in the Pac. And it’s time to show it.

Beavers… eat… Trees… 83 – 69.

UW at OSU

Pups 85 – Beavs 75

Prove…

… me…

… wrong!

Wazzu 83 – OSU 73

I just got in and checked the score.

So I read the recap and the box score to see if anything was evident. And not much jumped out… except for one thing.

Coach Rob was playing with the subs again. He did this last year and the year before as well, and I thought he put it behind him. But he got caught up in what the other coach was doing with his line-up, and he made changes on the fly to counter those moves instead of letting his boys play.

When that happens, Coach Rob gets frustrated with the little things and yanks someone, anyone for a mistake. And it looks like that’s what happened within the crucial last five minutes when Wazzu made the run out to a 15 point lead. We have a turnover by Joe at 4:16… then a media timeout at 3:34 when Angus comes in for Joe… then Angus commits a turnover 15 seconds later, which immediately brings Kevin off the bench for him.

No steals on the turnovers means they were probably dumb plays caused by odd personnel groupings that Coach Rob found himself stuck in because he was playing Ken Bone’s game. Suddenly the Beavs have Ahmad, Jared, Devon, Eric and Kevin on the floor? I notice that a three-guard set made the run to cut an eight point deficit down to one. Here we are down four to six points, and this is our line-up?

As I look at the first half, I’m assuming the Beavs are playing zone. Nothing says zone like a failure to press the other team into making mistakes… while they shoot 50%+ from everywhere on the floor.

It also makes our boys unsure of themselves on the offensive end.

And one more note on the night.

Ahmad and Eric don’t have the legs right now. Their stat lines scream bench play. Ahmad can lead from the pine as well as from a starter’s role. But if he wants to microwave it, then Coach Rob needs to put him on a leash until he plugs the damn machine in.

That’s how I read a box score. I’ll call a friend tomorrow who was at the game, and he’ll tell me I was all wrong.

Hey! Things could be worse.

We could have lost to the Ducks tonight instead.

Wazzu at Oregon State

There’s not much to talk about in this game. The Beavs lost an uninspired game at Pullman, and now they’re looking for redemption.

Motum may be the man to watch for Wazzu, but the bit players should struggle in Corvallis.

If you all hadn’t noticed, our boys have shrugged off two heart-breaking losses and a pity party to bounce back with a 4-1 record since… with three of those five games on the road.

And now the Beavs get to revisit four of their six losses on more favorable terms… with some confidence.

The line for tonight is -9.5 Beavs. I’ll take that and more.

Beavs 87 – Cougs 69