I have posted this before, but it bears repeating: games at this time of the year are very difficult ones, and the first half of tonight's game reminded me of that observation. The second half was well played and the Bears looked like a hungry team.
I join Ashley in being a little concerned about the tendency on the part of Butler to be a little sloppy with the ball.
He sometimes makes his mind up that he is going to take the ball to the basket and that leads to turnovers. He has not shot particularly well the last couple of games, but that happens. In my view it will only be concerning if the trend extends into the conference campaign, for it is there that we need him to play at the level we expect of him, both in his ball handling and in his shooting.
Bandoo is shooting well, rebounding well from his position, defending pretty well, but he, like Clark, seems to be having trouble valuing the possession. This team cannot turn the ball over against some of the teams in the conference and expect to win, particularly on the road. We are not as dominant on the glass as we have been in years past, so sloppy play will come back to bite us, as it did in Alaska.
With that being said, I like the character of this team, and the defensive intensity that they usually bring to the floor. I am not sure about the leadership at this point, but up ahead that will be very important. Gillespie continues to impress me with his consistency and all around play. If Clark was where we hoped and expected him to be at this point, the future for this team would be very bright. Teams with length are going to give us trouble, especially if they can get Gillespie in foul trouble. His presence on the floor is irreplaceable.
I join Ashley in being a little concerned about the tendency on the part of Butler to be a little sloppy with the ball.
He sometimes makes his mind up that he is going to take the ball to the basket and that leads to turnovers. He has not shot particularly well the last couple of games, but that happens. In my view it will only be concerning if the trend extends into the conference campaign, for it is there that we need him to play at the level we expect of him, both in his ball handling and in his shooting.
Bandoo is shooting well, rebounding well from his position, defending pretty well, but he, like Clark, seems to be having trouble valuing the possession. This team cannot turn the ball over against some of the teams in the conference and expect to win, particularly on the road. We are not as dominant on the glass as we have been in years past, so sloppy play will come back to bite us, as it did in Alaska.
With that being said, I like the character of this team, and the defensive intensity that they usually bring to the floor. I am not sure about the leadership at this point, but up ahead that will be very important. Gillespie continues to impress me with his consistency and all around play. If Clark was where we hoped and expected him to be at this point, the future for this team would be very bright. Teams with length are going to give us trouble, especially if they can get Gillespie in foul trouble. His presence on the floor is irreplaceable.