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Cougs n Buffs

The offense is very stagnant. 2 posts are rooted to the ground, 2 guards up top standing still. Ball screen comes up from the post. Wash, rinse and repeat. Gotta get some feet moving and passes to open up shots
 
First half had better movement. At some point the ball stops moving as much and there goes good looks. I did feel we played as well as we have in awhile though. Bigs were better scoring the ball but struggled with Walker and Battey. Two experienced and talented bigs. Roberts had his best scoring game and Bamba had really good moments.

Not sure when but we will get there.
 
With the game being broadcast by ESPN2, I got my first opportunity to see the Cougars instead of just listening to the audio broadcasts. It did appear there was better effort to get the ball to the big guys and Efe, especially, really responded. He was decisive and confident in taking the ball to the hoop and the results speak for themselves. I can see why fans are frustrated with the lack of ball movement at times and especially the lack of specific plays & off ball screens that can free up players for better percentage shots. A lot of dribbling and reliance on guards to create one-on-one. That surprises me & it doesn't seem the coaching staff has attempted to design a few specific plays that might make it easier to get better shots. Roberts had some good moments but was still only 3-10 from 3-point range. If Flowers had a halfway decent offensive game (2-10 overall from the field), Cougs would've won.

The team played hard and was very competitive against a good opponent in a place WSU never wins. Not sure if having Noah for the game would've led to victory given his struggles this year, but his defense certainly would've helped. Officiating was shaky for both sides although, in true Cougar fan fashion, I thought some of the more critical bad calls went against WSU. The phantom call of Jaki at the end of the first half when he grabbed an offensive rebound for what should've been an easy layup was ridiciulous. It was a 4-point turnaround with less than 5 seconds on the clock.

Glad Cougar
 
Let me add that the interior defense was a letdown in the second half for the Cougs. Allowing Colorado to shoot 64% after halftime was a huge factor in the outcome. Gueye, in particular, really needs to beef up in the offseason (which he will, I'm sure). Too many times he literally got pushed backward by the massive Battey until they were both at the basket, allowing Battey to put in an easy 2-footer, usually followed by a whistle. If Gueye had simply planted his feet and not shuffled backwards, Battey would have knocked him over and hopefully pick up an offensive foul. I miss a guy like Pollard, who was not going to pushed around & was such a smart, instinctive player. Of course, to be fair, I'm thinking of him as an upper classmen and not a teenager who should still be in high school.

I agree with Save that there's enough good stuff out there to believe this team will arrive at some point.

Glad Cougar
 
The offense is very stagnant. 2 posts are rooted to the ground, 2 guards up top standing still. Ball screen comes up from the post. Wash, rinse and repeat. Gotta get some feet moving and passes to open up shots
I've been saying that for weeks. High Ball screen INTO something. Anything.

Offensive basketball is really simple. Move the ball/move the man (the defense). Letting the defenders camp in help position is dumb. Move them around a little. Eventually the defense turns their head and f's up. Or you get a mismatch that can be exploited.

Iso stuff/high ball doesn't work unless you've got SUPERIOR talent. WSU has ok talent relative to any other team in the league.
 
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