SpiderRico
Well-Known Member
You don't go from being in the Top half of the Big Ten and the Top 30 in the country for all of last year and for 2/3rds of this year as it relates to defensive efficiency and then all of a sudden not know how to guard.
It's obvious that the team has fractured for whatever reason. It kind of reminds me of the 2006 football season. Started off hot, ranked in the Top 10, and then all of a sudden looked like we forgot how to play. End up being dubbed the "Fat Cat Team".
I don't know if it's a lack of player leadership.....the team has had such good senior leadership during all of Fran's tenure....from Cole, to Gatens, to May. I don't see a senior leader stepping up at all during this 5 game stretch. McCabe has flat out made terrible decisions for a senior. Marble seems too timid and withdrawn to really be considered a "leader" and Basabe seems to either have some rare form of disease or is simply in the doghouse.
I don't know if it's a lack of leadership within the coaching staff. We've seen Fran blow up on the court and get tossed this year. We've seen him blow up at a caller and tell him to go root for another team. The post game press conference against Michigan State he put his hands up and said "I quit" when asked a question about officiating. That's not what this team needs from it's head man....not even close.
I don't know if it's just the pressure of wanting to finally taste some real success and not being able to handle it.
I don't know if the Wisconsin game was sort of the "straw that broke the camel's back" in terms of continually losing to good teams at the end.
But something is wrong that goes beyond simple basketball skills or strategy or talent.
The team seems like it's not getting along, not enjoying each other's company, not taking to the coaching from the staff.
Not sure we get it back at this point. I see a 7 or 8 seed in the NCAAs and a quick one game flameout. Had this happened in January, then at least you've got some time to get it straightened out. But when this happens in late Feb, early March.....well, we may as well just call it a season.
It's obvious that the team has fractured for whatever reason. It kind of reminds me of the 2006 football season. Started off hot, ranked in the Top 10, and then all of a sudden looked like we forgot how to play. End up being dubbed the "Fat Cat Team".
I don't know if it's a lack of player leadership.....the team has had such good senior leadership during all of Fran's tenure....from Cole, to Gatens, to May. I don't see a senior leader stepping up at all during this 5 game stretch. McCabe has flat out made terrible decisions for a senior. Marble seems too timid and withdrawn to really be considered a "leader" and Basabe seems to either have some rare form of disease or is simply in the doghouse.
I don't know if it's a lack of leadership within the coaching staff. We've seen Fran blow up on the court and get tossed this year. We've seen him blow up at a caller and tell him to go root for another team. The post game press conference against Michigan State he put his hands up and said "I quit" when asked a question about officiating. That's not what this team needs from it's head man....not even close.
I don't know if it's just the pressure of wanting to finally taste some real success and not being able to handle it.
I don't know if the Wisconsin game was sort of the "straw that broke the camel's back" in terms of continually losing to good teams at the end.
But something is wrong that goes beyond simple basketball skills or strategy or talent.
The team seems like it's not getting along, not enjoying each other's company, not taking to the coaching from the staff.
Not sure we get it back at this point. I see a 7 or 8 seed in the NCAAs and a quick one game flameout. Had this happened in January, then at least you've got some time to get it straightened out. But when this happens in late Feb, early March.....well, we may as well just call it a season.
