Folks, this loss can be blamed on two things: 1.) players who should know better trying to go "renegade" and do their own thing in Coach Martin's system, and 2.) Coach Martin's ego.
Point # 1 can be put squarely at the feet of AJ Lawson. Lawson was a man on a mission, but it was his OWN mission, not the mission of the team. Frank saw that and benched him because of it.
Point #2 is that Frank Martin was to prideful to put Lawson (and Bolden) back into the lineup when he most needed their expertise and skillsets. He wanted them to learn their lesson. He made up his mind that he would take the loss so that the young players would see that the game was theirs for the taking but was squandered because of selfish (and stupid) play.
We've got some players who will be REALLY good - Cousinard and Hannibal and Leveque have the raw tools. But I said earlier in the year that I didn't want Lawson at the PG position because he was being too selfish with his offense and not playing defensively the way he is capable. Today was another shining example of the same thing. Lawson has had sunshine pumped up his rear end the entire time he's been away from the CLA and the practice facilities. Playing for the Canadian National team made him believe he is going to get big dollars at the next level, and he's now refusing to follow simple coaching instructions. He saw success with a style of play that allowed him freedom to make his own decisions (I watched a number of the Canadian team's games), and now he thinks he's able to "freelance" when playing for Coach Martin. Unfortunately, that doesn't work in Frank's system.
Make no mistake... I lay the blame almost entirely at the feet of Coach Frank Martin. He was simply being stubborn today and waited too long to make the necessary moves with his student-athletes to come back and win the game. When we pulled back within 2, Coach Martin gave up the opportunity to put in players who could make the shots necessary to win... and that was a conscious, INTENTIONAL decision on his part.
This loss hurts... unless we roll through the SEC schedule and pull off beating Auburn and Tennessee twice, and then split games with Kentucky and LSU (I pick those teams because of where I think they will fall in the SEC pecking order within two weeks of conference play starting). Unless that happens, and we end up with 12 or 13 wins, we're on the outside looking in again.
UGH... this SUUUUCKS.
