Louisiana vs UT Arlington

[Hatch]

Lafayette has slow reaction time which causes him to give up too many offensive rebounds. That is why he does not play more. Express is right in that Dou is more effective when he limits his dribbles Coaches have been frustrated in the trouble they are having in getting him to do it less. Of course basketball is a game of instinct with minimal decision making time. Difficult to change habits but that is why coaches get paid. As far as playing time goes, note we lost by 18 at home to UTA without Gueye, Wilson, or a healthy Russell. That may be why playing time was limited for guys who saw more action in Game 1 against UTA. It is refreshing to have a MBB thread with a positive vibe. Once again we have won four straight when Wilson plays. His defense and penetration ability are major difference makers.

Lafayette’s struggles rebounding are pretty clear. That is one reason I was suggesting basically using him as an oversized wing alongside Gueye and Smith to shoot while Johnson takes a breather. Not playing him directly under the basket would give him more time to react and he might be able to pull in some long rebounds. Of course having three big guys on the floor could lead to a lack of quickness which could be exploited as well. Once again just spitballing ideas, I would put my trust in the coaching staff who see these guys much more than I do. It is refreshing to actually talk about basketball in one of these threads.

[CajunEXPRESS]

With Gueye and Smith both starting and Spenkuch playing more Johnson’s size isn’t needed for rebounding 40 minutes a game. Just need to work on someone else being able to hit those midrange jumpers. I think Gueye and Lafayette could do that. Heck as long as Smith and Gueye are down low to rebound I wouldn’t mind seeing Lafayette get a chance to shoot over a smaller guard from the perimeter, he has shown he can knock down shots. I also think Russell and Hardy expelled a lot of energy last night breaking the press from UTA. Would have been nice to have Wesley doing that and the shooters positioned down court.

Anyways just spitballing some doable ideas to save get a few minutes on the bench for a few of these guys.

Who can’t love a Cajun named Lafayette? I love the young mans work ethic, but God didn’t give him quick reaction compared to his peers. He can cope for a minute or so before his opponent realizes how much quicker they are.

But you simply can’t coach someone to be 6’11”. Even with a little slower reaction time his size could overcome that. The problem for Marlin is he needs every player to be ready and not a project.

[CajunEXPRESS]

It's softball versus basketball. That was my point. No offense to softball but as a sport, it doesn't drive anywhere near the interest that CBB does on a national level. It only feels that in this town it is different.

MBB should absolutely be the 2nd most important sport at UL. That’s why I’m mystified by the way our university ignores that reality.

[Cajunsmike]

Lafayette's struggles rebounding are pretty clear. That is one reason I was suggesting basically using him as an oversized wing alongside Gueye and Smith to shoot while Johnson takes a breather. Not playing him directly under the basket would give him more time to react and he might be able to pull in some long rebounds. Of course having three big guys on the floor could lead to a lack of quickness which could be exploited as well. Once again just spitballing ideas, I would put my trust in the coaching staff who see these guys much more than I do. It is refreshing to actually talk about basketball in one of these threads.

Good video on MBB Instagram page of the post game locker room celebration. Great to see the guys having fun after all they have been through.

[Cajunsmike]

Good video on MBB Instagram page of the post game locker room celebration. Great to see the guys having fun after all they have been through.

Also, Scott Prather has played the audio of Jay Walker's call of the winning shot several times this afternoon on the air. Made me happy for the guys every time I heard it. I believe the shot earned the SportsCenter top play of the night last evening. Unfortunately the audio that accompanied it mentioned Cedric Russell made the inbounds pass. Of course PJ Hardy is the one who made the pass and deserves credit for a good one. On a positive note, the final comment was that LOUISIANA wins. It could not have been our state foes happy to have that name used on the SportsCenter play of the night.

[CajunEXPRESS]

Mike, it’s now like the occasional Japanese stragglers left to their own on deserted Pacific islands still fighting for the Empire. 😂😂😂

We’ve nuked the Empire.

[alum81]

Tweet from Mid-Major Madness (@mid_madness)
Mid-Major Madness (@mid_madness) Tweeted:
Eat your heart out, Laettner https://t.co/cIT8XKGPp1 https://twitter.com/mid_madness/stat...419371008?s=20

[zephyr]

That 14% was an error put on the screen by the UTA broadcast. We were actually shooting 43% from 3 at halftime compared to 28% for UTA. That fell all the way to 17% in the 2nd half and UTA actually finished the game outshooting us 33% to 31% overall. We were just 1-11 from 3 in the 2nd half before Dou’s game winner. Once again I think that has a lot to do with legs in the 2nd half.

When I saw the boxscore after the game, I realized that had to be the case. They also couldn't account for all 16 of the offensive rebounds when you counted for each player. Either way, I'm glad you saw that so I had proof that it was an error on the telecast and not me dreaming it up....lol

[zephyr]

I'm not suggesting anything Adam Schift....er, Zephyr. Just noting the similarities. Your words, not mine.

As I've said before, I'm leaving all that to Maggard.

Don't worry Zoom, you got him for at least another year or two.

[zephyr]

Lafayette has slow reaction time which causes him to give up too many offensive rebounds. That is why he does not play more. Express is right in that Dou is more effective when he limits his dribbles Coaches have been frustrated in the trouble they are having in getting him to do it less. Of course basketball is a game of instinct with minimal decision making time. Difficult to change habits but that is why coaches get paid. As far as playing time goes, note we lost by 18 at home to UTA without Gueye, Wilson, or a healthy Russell. That may be why playing time was limited for guys who saw more action in Game 1 against UTA. It is refreshing to have a MBB thread with a positive vibe. Once again we have won four straight when Wilson plays. His defense and penetration ability are major difference makers.

Mike, do you really think its a reaction time deal or lack of fundamentals in blocking out and hustling to be in the right position? In games when I've watched him and he's rebounded poorly, he's watching the ball in flight rather than looking for a man to box out. I'd argue he needs to work harder.

[zephyr]

MBB should absolutely be the 2nd most important sport at UL. That’s why I’m mystified by the way our university ignores that reality.

Most of my fondest memories of growing up as a cajuns fan are from watching games in the cajundome. There were a number of years my dad and I didn't miss a game. We may have not had the best records in random years but we played exciting ball and the dome rocked!. Basketball is honestly why I'm a Cajun fan to this day and the lack of excitement in the program now makes me sad.

[Esqueleto]

Most of my fondest memories of growing up as a cajuns fan are from watching games in the cajundome. There were a number of years my dad and I didn't miss a game. We may have not had the best records in random years but we played exciting ball and the dome rocked!. Basketball is honestly why I'm a Cajun fan to this day and the lack of excitement in the program now makes me sad.

Its very sad. We need an ambitious, fiery young coach to come in and energize the fanbase with an exciting style of play, not a coach that fake fights other coaches.

Hold me back, hold me back