Villanova Post-Game Thoughts

by Peter Bean on Dec 10, 2008 11:35 AM CST in Basketball Comment 13 comments

I'm stuck in finals prep, so my schedule is all out of sorts. Morning Coffee will have to wait until later today. In the meantime, a few quick thoughts on last night's impressive win at the Garden:

I agree 100% with txtwstr, who noted in the comments he thought AJ Abrams played his best game of the year. The diminutive guard let the game come to him, played within the offense, dutifully ran his defenders around the court, shot jump shots when they were open, and passed or went to the lane when they were not. As an off-ball, catch-and-shoot, play-within-the-offense guard, Abrams is a supreme asset. If that performance sticks going forward, I'm highly encouraged. Great, great game.
So much other offensive goodness flows from Abrams playing that role to perfection. His shooting ability stretches the defense, for one, creating space for post players and his buddy Damion James, who looked equally comfortable in the flow last night. I still think James has another notch higher in his game that he can exploit by getting to the rim a little more, but he's finding his rhythm.
The passing of this team I do not recognize. Entry passes to the post? Crisp ball reversal? Is Rick Barnes coaching this squad? There's still room to improve (getting the ball into Dexy, for example), but this is night and day from what we're used to. Encouraging.
Rick Barnes has always been a great defensive coach, but this team does more than play great individual, jam-your-jock defense; they play impeccable team defense. The help is so natural and well-timed. You could sell instructional videos off what this group did last night.
The early season schedule? Kudos to Barnes; Villanova wasn't prepared for a game like last night's. We were.
After a few ugly possessions, Rick's adjustments to Villanova's three-quarters court pressure forced them to retreat. Good coaching.
Twice in the last two games we've inexplicably flirted with a little zone defense in the second half. Twice it sparked an opponent run. I don't think we'll see much more of that against teams with strong guard play.
Most exciting development? Texas has looked 3- or 4-seed good the last couple of games... and we're not anywhere near our ceiling yet. Chappy (flashing offensive excellence with increasing frequency), Pittman (body control is coming along), Ward (great defense, not nearly as useless on offense as I anticipated), Johnson (learning the difference between aggressive and out of control)... and on and on... This is a team with depth, talent, and lots of potential to develop. Though I wonder whether the offense can develop to a consistently high enough level for Texas to become a serious Final Four contender, after the last two games I'm convinced it's within reach. After the season's first couple games I didn't think that the case.
More on individual players in Friday's first season installment of the Texas Basketball Report.

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Which finals?

Go register. Or else.

by Skin Patrol on Dec 10, 2008 11:55 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

5

Fed Crim Practice, Fed Crim Procedure, Law & Morality, Con Law 2, Copyright

--PB--

by Peter Bean on Dec 10, 2008 1:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Law & Morality, huh?

Is it wrong to kill a zombie for entertainment, a la the “Hollywood Squares” game from Dawn of the Dead?

I’m aware that this likely has nothing to do with what the course is about, but this has been troubling me for some time… not.

by Horn Brain on Dec 10, 2008 1:06 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Gary Johnson

Is it just me or does this guy kill our offense?….he cant not shot the ball…I thought he was bad on TV but after seeing him in person last night, man hes brutal

by longhornfan_inPA on Dec 10, 2008 12:01 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

That comment is barely coherent. I loved what I saw from GJ last night. There were one or two times I remember seeing him get to the basket aggressively without committing a foul. The subsequent pounding on the chest and excitement displayed was icing on the cake.

Also, does anybody remember that ~5 seconds of clusterf#@k about mid second half in the post when the horns tried to go up with the ball 2-3 times are were hacked but somehow there was no foul on either team during the thing?

by UTexasCPA on Dec 10, 2008 12:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yup

That angered me. Especially because I thought there were some nickel and dimers that were called in that game, including two offensive fouls on Scottie Reynolds and the sweet And 1 from Cunningham where James played perfect defense against him. Not a poorly officiated game, but I thought they could have let a little more go.

by GhostofBigRoy on Dec 10, 2008 1:06 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

agree and disagree

While I agree he does force shots a little too much (every time he touches the ball), I think our team thrives off his aggressiveness and fire. In my opinion, the team as a whole is much better when he is on the court. He seems to provide an instant spark on both ends when he checks in.

by hayzer13 on Dec 10, 2008 12:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Investment

I gotta look at those forced shots as an investment. Eventually, he’s going to learn when he can shoot and when he should drive. But now, he does not drive to the basket (or pass back out).

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.

by Caradoc on Dec 10, 2008 1:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

vince lombardi book?

ok, i didnt want to make a fan post for this but…

which one of lombardis books is where he mentioned the most important things in life (having to do with jimmy v’s speech) “family, religion and the green bay packers”, is it When Pride Still Mattered?

btw, and as well all know already…my god, texas defense is looking solid…well except connors rebounding (awful lastnight)

Hook 'Em

by afhook08 on Dec 10, 2008 2:35 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

My thoughts on a great win...

I hate to say it, but I disagree that AJ played within the offense. He generally did in the second half, but in the first (especially early) he forced a couple shots and took a couple more early in the shot clock. I will give him credit for the assists, but I don’t think he needs to take 18 shots a game. He should take 14 max within the flow of the game. Solid game from Abrams, but he can do better. I firmly believe for us to be the best team AJ needs to really be selective and make other players better. His selfish tendencies rear their head every game. All that being said, I love AJ and what he is doing for Texas.

I am happy Chapman is getting some credit because he has earned it. He is a couple lay ups a game from being a key to the team. His tenacious rebounding on both ends of the floor and active defense improve every game.

The comments above about the G-unit killing the offense are way off base. He shoots a lot, but he is by far our best back to the basket player and he is starting to understand his limitations a little more. His 3 for 11 from the field isn’t indicative of how well he can play. More so than Chapman he is a few made buckets and a kick out or two away from reaching a new level.

The zone was uncalled for, I think Rick is just trying to change speeds on teams when it hasn’t been necessary.

J Mace is ‘the glue guy’. His passing is really improving. He needs to be able to knock down a mid-range jumper though. Speaking of Mason, Varez is the second coming of J Mace. He has the athletic ability and just needs to refine the bball skills.

Make free throws. Hook ’em!

by jimmer on Dec 10, 2008 2:40 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Gary Johnson

ok guys thats for clearing the Gary Johnson issue for me, I live in the north east and dont get to see the Longhorns every game.

I think the lombardi book is called commitment to excellence

by longhornfan_inPA on Dec 10, 2008 6:50 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

hello there

Last night i was at the garden also… i have to admit even the nova fans were happy to see GJ checking in. I was sitting near the student section (nova) and i think he ended up like 3-11 shooting and pretty much was a black hole when he got the ball. However with that said, he clearly brings some missing passion to the floor.

p.s. don’t know if anything was said but there was about 5 major fights that broke out with about 10 minutes to go ( i blame the fact that the first game taking almost three hours, lead to a lot of “passionately drunk” fans)

by bigsnack on Dec 10, 2008 7:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs