CAA Playoffs - Game 1 vs UNCW

[Mikey77]

While I'm as disappointed with last night's loss as everyone on this board, its hard to call the season a total failure. I am also very disappointed at this coaching staff, because all too often during the course of this season other coaching staffs have seen things and made adjustments that carried the day while HU's staff failed to adjust or show any imagination. Talley was really the only player who could beat us last night especially after Cacock picked up some quick fouls and beat us he did. One would have thought that we would have put someone or two on Talley to make his night long and miserable, but we always stay on formula and let the other coaches find a way to beat us. I think if the CBI is offered Hofstra should play. Other programs have used these lesser tournaments to learn something and advance themselves and Hofstra is not a North Carolina or the like such that it should be turning up its nose at an opportunity to play. I hope the AD pursues a CBI bid.

[Dooku25]

Talley was really the only player who could beat us last night especially after Cacock picked up some quick fouls and beat us he did. One would have thought that we would have put someone or two on Talley to make his night long and miserable, but we always stay on formula and let the other coaches find a way to beat us.

Spot on and absolutely infuriating to watch as it unfolded... He had 19 at halftime, this should have been an obvious and easy adjustment to make. But even in a situation where the season is on the line, it was the same old same old from HU. While JWF was making circus shots being double and triple teamed, we just continue to give Talley all the space he needed.

Talley probably thought he could score 40 against us going into the game and then with Cacok in early foul trouble, probably thought it was the only way they could win the game. And he was able to do it.

[Wags]

Here's another example of HU's stellar defense last night:
https://twitter.com/Sctvman/status/970783995322621962

[HU76]

Talley averages 16 a game and scored 37. Pemberton averages 16 a game and scored 4. There’s your game. You have to give Talley some credit. He shot over 50% from the floor and 50% from three. That’s not all on the defense. That’s a senior stepping up. What I don’t understand is why with Cacok on the bench the guards didn’t go to the basket more and didn’t really get Rok involved in the offense. Instead, they settled for shooting 35 threes. Yes, it’s a game they should have won but everyone had to step up.

Still a solid season. If you want to judge the coaches, let’s see what they do about replacing Rok so that all of these great guards don’t go to waste next year. They need to find another JC transfer like Uter. And as far as playing in the CBI to get Rok his rebounds, didn’t they do something similar for Charles? I don’t see anything wrong with it. Let them play if they want to.

[Wags]

Talley averages 16 a game and scored 37. Pemberton averages 16 a game and scored 4. There’s your game.

It's not that simple with Pemberton because they more than made up for his -12 vs. his average in other places.
Ray averages 7 and had 16.
Buie averages 6 and had 20.
As a team, they average 79 and scored 88.
In contrast, UNCW averages 80 and scored 93.
That's Hofstra +9 vs. their average as a team (so no problem there), but UNCW +13 (that's a big problem on D).
The difference between those two nets: +4 for UNCW in a 5-point game. THERE'S your game.

Off game by Pemberton Eli for sure, but they lost this one letting Talley go WAY above his average (+21, as you said).
That, and the FTs which I knew all year would come back to bite them in the tourney, and they did.

You have to give Talley some credit. He shot over 50% from the floor and 50% from three. That’s not all on the defense. That’s a senior stepping up.

Agree with this, with the caveat that I buy it for one half but not the other. First half, it happens. A good player steps up, it can snowball quickly, especially if he's making 3s like Talley was doing. So you live with it, especially when you're still up 8 at the half.

But if you're a good coaching staff and if you are aware as players defensively, you just saw what he did to you with 19 of their 40 first-half points. So you don't key on him and force the ball out of his hands? You instead allow him to do virtually the same thing in the second half, with 18 MORE points, until he ends your season? Particularly in a game of that magnitude? That part is inexcusable, especially when you're playing for a title.

What I don’t understand is why with Cacok on the bench the guards didn’t go to the basket more and didn’t really get Rok involved in the offense. Instead, they settled for shooting 35 threes. Yes, it’s a game they should have won but everyone had to step up.

Totally agree with this. They hit 14 (40%) of those 3s, which is like 60% from 2, so I can't complain too much. But I said all year... Rok is efficient, gotta get him a few more shots. So especially when Eli is 1/9, and even JWF was only a mediocre 10/23... that's 11/32... can't get just 5 or 6 of those Rok's way instead? I actually asked Joe about this after the regular season finale vs. Towson. I said, "He leads the league in FG%. Do you feel like you need to get him 10-11 shots instead of just 5-6?" He said not really. But last night, while the two top guards went 11/32, Rok went a perfect 5/5.

Still a solid season. If you want to judge the coaches, let’s see what they do about replacing Rok so that all of these great guards don’t go to waste next year. They need to find another JC transfer like Uter. And as far as playing in the CBI to get Rok his rebounds, didn’t they do something similar for Charles? I don’t see anything wrong with it. Let them play if they want to.

I bolded your last sentence above because that's what this should be about. I think they did do something similar with Charles (don't quite recall), but as you said, if THEY WANT to play. Who cares what WE want? It was THEIR season. THEY played and coached. If they want to play, they should. Really, what's the harm? 5, 10 years from now, if Rok still has that record, we'll remember that, not playing an extra game.

[joeg1]

Yeah, I wouldn't mind seeing Rok play one more time. He deserves it.

[Dooku25]

You have to give Talley some credit. He shot over 50% from the floor and 50% from three. That’s not all on the defense. That’s a senior stepping up.

Sure, we can give Talley credit. The guy played with all heart, put his team on his back and won the game basically by himself. The problem from an HU perspective is we did absolutely nothing to stop him. We let him do whatever he wanted for 40 minutes. It's completely unacceptable, especially in a tournament game. Double him at some point, pick him up at half court, deny him the ball, do anything! Of course he shot over 50%, we let him easily get into a rhythm and then did nothing to break his rhythm

[cactus]

You have to give Talley some credit. He shot over 50% from the floor and 50% from three. That’s not all on the defense. That’s a senior stepping up.

Sure, we can give Talley credit. The guy played with all heart, put his team on his back and won the game basically by himself. The problem from an HU perspective is we did absolutely nothing to stop him. We let him do whatever he wanted for 40 minutes. It's completely unacceptable, especially in a tournament game. Double him at some point, pick him up at half court, deny him the ball, do anything! Of course he shot over 50%, we let him easily get into a rhythm and then did nothing to break his rhythm

Northeastern has been hounding Talley all night and they're blowing them out. I realize they don't have a shutdown defender like Occeus but if Hofstra adjusted just a little in the second half last night they probably would have won comfortably. Don't think they would have won tonight but they should be playing right now.

[Dooku25]

Northeastern has been hounding Talley all night and they're blowing them out. I realize they don't have a shutdown defender like Occeus but if Hofstra adjusted just a little in the second half last night they probably would have won comfortably. Don't think they would have won tonight but they should be playing right now.

I could have lived with losing to Northeastern tonight. They are a solid team and very well coached. Personnel wise we are every bit as good if not better then them. The difference is the coaching unfortunately.

[Wags]

You have to give Talley some credit. He shot over 50% from the floor and 50% from three. That’s not all on the defense. That’s a senior stepping up.

Sure, we can give Talley credit. The guy played with all heart, put his team on his back and won the game basically by himself. The problem from an HU perspective is we did absolutely nothing to stop him. We let him do whatever he wanted for 40 minutes. It's completely unacceptable, especially in a tournament game. Double him at some point, pick him up at half court, deny him the ball, do anything! Of course he shot over 50%, we let him easily get into a rhythm and then did nothing to break his rhythm

Northeastern has been hounding Talley all night and they're blowing them out. I realize they don't have a shutdown defender like Occeus but if Hofstra adjusted just a little in the second half last night they probably would have won comfortably. Don't think they would have won tonight but they should be playing right now.

Don't need a lockdown defender to force the ball out of someone's hands and make someone else try to beat you. UNCW shot 29.9%

UNCW 2nd-half points last night: 53
UNCW total points tonight: 52

[Cards]

UNCW 2nd-half points last night: 53UNCW total points tonight: 52

and of course Talley had a whopping 6 pts tonight!

[Flying Dutchmen]

I could have lived with losing to Northeastern tonight. They are a solid team and very well coached. Personnel wise we are every bit as good if not better then them. The difference is the coaching unfortunately.

Coen is one of the best coaches in the CAA.

He was also 11-20 in his 5th year at the helm at Northeastern, 14-17 the next year. I thought he'd be fired after year 6, but he rewarded them with good teams in '13, the tournament team in '15, and this season (22 D-1 wins).

[Wags]

I could have lived with losing to Northeastern tonight. They are a solid team and very well coached. Personnel wise we are every bit as good if not better then them. The difference is the coaching unfortunately.

Coen is one of the best coaches in the CAA.

He was also 11-20 in his 5th year at the helm at Northeastern, 14-17 the next year. I thought he'd be fired after year 6, but he rewarded them with good teams in '13, the tournament team in '15, and this season (22 D-1 wins).

THE best this year. That's why he's the COY.

[Polito]

NU toying with UNCW just makes the HU choke job that much more pitiful. Total failure. Harsh, but the truth is the truth even if it stings like a b.

I will agree that this season in general was a "good" one - even I can see they had a winning record and Lord knows things can always be worse as I pointed out - but as I noted in another thread obviously not a great one when they had the talent and depth to do much better. And the only thing that matters is the CAAT. That's it. And that's where they once again failed and choked - when it mattered most. I mean you have some of the best talent in the league, win 1 friggin game for goodness sake. 2 years in a row is embarrassing and screams for correction.

I'd take Ionas year all day long to go dancing. You know who cares solely about 20 game win seasons, 'hanging tough', and talking about competing for championships? Programs that never actually do it, because the hope and hype is all they've got.

To call for fans to be ecstatic and pleased about "nearly winning 20 games" in year 5 with the POY, and 2 other all-conf studs is downright laughable. Um, no. That was cool during the 2 year transition. It's not cool anymore. Are we going to sit here and compare HU to it's D3 days to make ourselves feel great? Or are we going to actually elevate this program and have goals that INCREASE over time?

HU talks a BIG game boy - starting to look real foolish when they never actually walk it. And accepting that would be absolute weak sauce.

Sure hope the next AD has a vision for success... and is actually given the reigns to produce it. I think that is something we can ALL agree to.

[HUSID74]

I could have lived with losing to Northeastern tonight. They are a solid team and very well coached. Personnel wise we are every bit as good if not better then them. The difference is the coaching unfortunately.

Coen is one of the best coaches in the CAA.

He was also 11-20 in his 5th year at the helm at Northeastern, 14-17 the next year. I thought he'd be fired after year 6, but he rewarded them with good teams in '13, the tournament team in '15, and this season (22 D-1 wins).

And what does that tell you? Joe's winning percentage at Hofstra is actually higher than Coen's, .539 to .519. That's not including Joe's years at Niagara.

[cactus]

I could have lived with losing to Northeastern tonight. They are a solid team and very well coached. Personnel wise we are every bit as good if not better then them. The difference is the coaching unfortunately.

Coen is one of the best coaches in the CAA.

He was also 11-20 in his 5th year at the helm at Northeastern, 14-17 the next year. I thought he'd be fired after year 6, but he rewarded them with good teams in '13, the tournament team in '15, and this season (22 D-1 wins).

And what does that tell you? Joe's winning percentage at Hofstra is actually higher than Coen's, .539 to .519. That's not including Joe's years at Niagara.

I was going to say, .539 does not seem middle of the pack to me, that seems pretty good.
That being said, you aren't going to win in March against talented teams playing the kind of defense we've come to expect from this group.

[Hofstra]

I could have lived with losing to Northeastern tonight. They are a solid team and very well coached. Personnel wise we are every bit as good if not better then them. The difference is the coaching unfortunately.

Coen is one of the best coaches in the CAA.

He was also 11-20 in his 5th year at the helm at Northeastern, 14-17 the next year. I thought he'd be fired after year 6, but he rewarded them with good teams in '13, the tournament team in '15, and this season (22 D-1 wins).

And what does that tell you? Joe's winning percentage at Hofstra is actually higher than Coen's, .539 to .519. That's not including Joe's years at Niagara.

Northeastern plays a much tougher schedule than Hofstra does. Not many Molloy games thrown onto their schedule.

[Jojogunne]

NE and CoC in OT right now.

[Polito]

Thanks all (I believe Wags and FD) for the perspective on Cohen at NU. I truly did not realize or pay much attention to his weak work early on...

Pretty cool to see that considering HU and JM seem to be going through a lot of the same stuff... actually maybe better at HU.

That doesn't excuse what we are seeing from JM of course, and I know you guys are not saying that at all either. But it is good to see. It does give some hope that it can be done and fortunes reversed... and I know that. BUT I just don't believe JM will change to make it happen.

[cactus]

Thanks all (I believe Wags and FD) for the perspective on Cohen at NU. I truly did not realize or pay much attention to his weak work early on...

Pretty cool to see that considering HU and JM seem to be going through a lot of the same stuff... actually maybe better at HU.

That doesn't excuse what we are seeing from JM of course, and I know you guys are not saying that at all either. But it is good to see. It does give some hope that it can be done and fortunes reversed... and I know that. BUT I just don't believe JM will change to make it happen.

Joe's style is such that you can run and gun with teams around you in talent level and win a good amount of those games. It's a fun way to play especially when you have guys who can really put the ball in the basket, which they do.

The problem comes when teams can match your firepower or are playing with their season on the line, that kind of approach has a low success rate. You can win some games if the other team has an off night shooting etc., but his teams won't have success in March unless there is more focus on the defense, because they just can't get stops when they are needed in a close game, and they don't or can't adjust other than occasionally switching from zone to man to man.

I'd really like to see them bring in a big athletic defensive stopper in the middle. Just having someone like that might be able to fix a lot of the problems. Let's be honest, their zone is just horrible and their man to man isn't much better. Against the zone teams can just overload one side or double up and the guys are running back and forth between guys ike chickens without a head. But at least a guy like that will alter shots and prevent all the easy layups.