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Toughest game yet

AikenGameFan

AikenGameFan

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Sunday we get to find out a whole lot about our team. Virginia is tough. They beat UNC but they lost to Purdue a 7-4 team like us. We really need to turn up our D against these guys. They are 9-1 but they really don't have tremendous stats.

They are 39% FG vs our 43%. They are 25% 3PT vs our 28.8%. The big thing is they are 69% FT vs our 60%. In other words, we need to watch out for the fouls. We average 7.5 STL. to their 6.1. Just going by the stats we might have a chance. The main wins that make them ranked are beating UNC and ASU. Both good teams. I just feel if we bring the same game we had against Clemson, we could upset these guys. If we play like we did against Houston, oh well, need I say more?

I would love to see our guys really turn it up Sunday and win this thing.

 
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clemsin is a terrible bball team.  Bringing that same play that beat them may help us be competitive but I think it takes more to top UVA.  They're very good and we have to keep it close early and not have to overcome some large deficit.

 
Just from looking at both teams and their coaches philosophies, this should be an ugly, defensive battle. It has the potential to be unwatchable at times. I wouldn't be surprised if neither team scores more than 50. I think we're going to have to play better than we did at Clemson to win this game. I don't see us shooting that well against Virginia and think it will be tough to score against them.

 
What has gone unnoticed by most (at least that I've seen in this forum) is that vs. Clemson, Frank Martin made some rather large changes to the lineup (both starting, and in-game).  We played with a very different look, and the results were rather impressive.  Yes, Clemson is not a very good team right now (I think they will be much better when they get back to full strength/health), but we saw some changes to the size of the team (with Leveque not starting, and really not playing much), as well as to the guard play (with Bolden not getting nearly as much first-half game time either).  I think Frank really saw the weaknesses of the team when we played Houston, and he made some adjustments which will pay huge dividends if the Freshmen fully buy into Frank's defensive system.  Having Cousinard and Hannibal get significant minutes vs. Clemson, and the way that we played under both guards (Cousinard proved to read the interior defense well, and helped Maik get the ball a lot more than when Bolden was handling PG duties.  And Hannibal was putting on an offensive show at times)... I saw two very different styles of play, both of which are much needed for our forthcoming SEC season.

As has been noted above, I think the game vs. Virginia will be a slog-fest... a defensive battle, and likely a low-scoring one.  However, that being said, if Frank sticks with some of what he tinkered with vs. Clemson, we MAY see our numbers offensively surpass what most teams do vs. UVA.

The one thing that I was most disappointed with is TJ Moss.  He has shown me flashes of being what we need at PG - someone who sees what is happening on the court and reacts well to the opponents defensive efforts on the interior.  What he lacks, however, is the ball-handling necessary to compete with a team like Virginia.  If TJ will step up his game, he could also be a key cog in what could prove to be a VERY high powered offense.

We're not there yet, folks... but I think good things are coming fast for USC basketball... and fast.

 
doublea1971 said:
What has gone unnoticed by most (at least that I've seen in this forum) is that vs. Clemson, Frank Martin made some rather large changes to the lineup (both starting, and in-game).  We played with a very different look, and the results were rather impressive.  Yes, Clemson is not a very good team right now (I think they will be much better when they get back to full strength/health), but we saw some changes to the size of the team (with Leveque not starting, and really not playing much), as well as to the guard play (with Bolden not getting nearly as much first-half game time either).  I think Frank really saw the weaknesses of the team when we played Houston, and he made some adjustments which will pay huge dividends if the Freshmen fully buy into Frank's defensive system.  Having Cousinard and Hannibal get significant minutes vs. Clemson, and the way that we played under both guards (Cousinard proved to read the interior defense well, and helped Maik get the ball a lot more than when Bolden was handling PG duties.  And Hannibal was putting on an offensive show at times)... I saw two very different styles of play, both of which are much needed for our forthcoming SEC season.

As has been noted above, I think the game vs. Virginia will be a slog-fest... a defensive battle, and likely a low-scoring one.  However, that being said, if Frank sticks with some of what he tinkered with vs. Clemson, we MAY see our numbers offensively surpass what most teams do vs. UVA.

The one thing that I was most disappointed with is TJ Moss.  He has shown me flashes of being what we need at PG - someone who sees what is happening on the court and reacts well to the opponents defensive efforts on the interior.  What he lacks, however, is the ball-handling necessary to compete with a team like Virginia.  If TJ will step up his game, he could also be a key cog in what could prove to be a VERY high powered offense.

We're not there yet, folks... but I think good things are coming fast for USC basketball... and fast.
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Very well said. I didn't go into all the detail but you broke it down great. That is exactly what I saw out there but just could not describe it like you. And like said, yes, it could be very low scores, but UVA does not score a lot anyway. We just need to keep our heads up and get some good assist and the points will come.

 
USC is capable of playing much better than they have shown so far.   I'm hoping this week has led to some improvement.   Moving Bolden off the ball was smart.   His best thing is his shooting.   Lawson/Hannibal at PG is much better.     Some of our guys have not played even close to their potential yet.   Hopefully, some of that potential will start to be realized on Sunday.  

 
doublea1971 said:
, we MAY see our numbers offensively surpass what most teams do vs. UVA.

 We're not there yet, folks... but I think good things are coming fast for USC basketball... and fast.
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And that they did exactly. Most scored against UVA this season thanks to great play by our guards.

And we sure are beginning to get there now. Like you said, fast. That's how they played tonight. 

Got to love the way the D played tonight. Able to keep UVA shut down most of the game so we could keep 9-11 point lead.

 
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