Two Things Are Keeping This Team From Being A Really Good Team

[The NewEra]

1)  Mental Toughness
2)  Strong on the court Leadership

It's easy to get hyped up and play your heart out when you're at home in front of 18,000 screaming fans.  Great teams don't go into Miss State and Auburn and show up flat.  They have the ability to create their own energy, a never die attitude and the belief that they are going to win.  Great teams can't play down to their competition (Miss State) or allow themselves to not show up for a half (Auburn). 

This team may have it in them, but I haven't seen it yet with any consistency.  We should never hear "we came out sluggish" from a team that is going to be a serious contender in the NCAA tournament.  Half of this is on MA and the other half is on the players. 

[hogwood]

1)  Mental Toughness
2)  Strong on the court Leadership

It's easy to get hyped up and play your heart out when you're at home in front of 18,000 screaming fans.  Great teams don't go into Miss State and Auburn and show up flat.  They have the ability to create their own energy, a never die attitude and the belief that they are going to win.  Great teams can't play down to their competition (Miss State) or allow themselves to not show up for a half (Auburn). 

This team may have it in them, but I haven't seen it yet with any consistency.  We should never hear "we came out sluggish" from a team that is going to be a serious contender in the NCAA tournament.  Half of this is on MA and the other half is on the players.

Agreed. We have the talent. We just need those x factor/chemistry elements to work out to be a great team.

[lookawayquick]

Unfortunately, I don't see a leader emerging.  This team is in dire need of a Manny Watkins, Corey Beck type personality.  And while I am a fan of Coach A, he needs to use a timeout when he sees the offense go stagnant.  Those stretches in which a guard just dribbles around at the top of the circle for 20 seconds have got to stop.  Time for Coach A to put his foot down and demand more focused, better play.

[HogMantheIntruder]

I would add in consistent FT shooting. I understand the team average falling a bit with the loss of Hannahs, but it seems like everyone's average is down from last year. Even with the discrepancy in the number of attempts vs MSU, we still would have won the game had we not shot so poorly from the line.

[The NewEra]

I would add in consistent FT shooting. I understand the team average falling a bit with the loss of Hannahs, but it seems like everyone's average is down from last year. Even with the discrepancy in the number of attempts vs MSU, we still would have won the game had we not shot so poorly from the line.

I have no idea what they are currently doing, but I would require everyone on the team to make 100 FT shots each day.  The players should already be requiring this of themselves, but making free throws wins close games.

[HogMantheIntruder]

I have no idea what they are currently doing, but I would require everyone on the team to make 100 FT shots each day.  The players should already be requiring this of themselves, but making free throws wins close games.

I am certainly no expert when it comes to basketball, but isn't good FT shooting (for a decent shooter at least) simply a matter of practice? I wonder if Macon and Barford are just concentrating more on whatever the NBA scouts told them they need to work on, rather than shooting FT's when they're practicing on their own.

[BannerMountainMan]

I am certainly no expert when it comes to basketball, but isn't good FT shooting (for a decent shooter at least) simply a matter of practice? I wonder if Macon and Barford are just concentrating more on whatever the NBA scouts told them they need to work on, rather than shooting FT's when they're practicing on their own.

if you would watch the games you would know Macon is the best Free throw shooter we've had in a long time

[HogMantheIntruder]

if you would watch the games you would know Macon is the best Free throw shooter we've had in a long time

I do watch the games, and I know Macon is a very good FT shooter. However, his average is down this year. If you would pay attention to facts, then you would know that. You would also know that Hannahs was a better FT shooter, so your entire point is moot. Nice try, guy.

[The NewEra]

I am certainly no expert when it comes to basketball, but isn't good FT shooting (for a decent shooter at least) simply a matter of practice? I wonder if Macon and Barford are just concentrating more on whatever the NBA scouts told them they need to work on, rather than shooting FT's when they're practicing on their own.

For anyone that plays the game, good free throw shooting is a matter of practice, practice and more practice.  Muscle memory, your stance at the line, follow-through, arc, etc. are all part of the practice routine.  Nerves, crowd noise and fatigue are the greatest enemies of a free throw shooter.  If you have practiced making 100 free throws every day then you have the stroke, muscle memory, etc., down to a comfort level that when confronted with crowd noise and nerves you can rely on that feel you know you need to make the shot.  Confidence is everything in FT shooting. 

I seriously doubt you will find a bad free throw shooter that made a commitment to making 100 shots a day and conversely, you won't find a great FT shooter who didn't make it an emphasis to work religiously on that shot. 

It's crazy that some players want to be big scorers for their team, but neglect the FT shot, not recognizing that they could contribute several more points a game to the the team score in that one area.  There's so much more glamour in the three pointer or dunk, that some lose sight of the need to be a well rounded scorer in all phases.

[Sow Lancelot]

1)  Mental Toughness
2)  Strong on the court Leadership

It's easy to get hyped up and play your heart out when you're at home in front of 18,000 screaming fans.  Great teams don't go into Miss State and Auburn and show up flat.  They have the ability to create their own energy, a never die attitude and the belief that they are going to win.  Great teams can't play down to their competition (Miss State) or allow themselves to not show up for a half (Auburn). 

This team may have it in them, but I haven't seen it yet with any consistency.  We should never hear "we came out sluggish" from a team that is going to be a serious contender in the NCAA tournament.  Half of this is on MA and the other half is on the players. 

Good post.

[txkhog]

Shooting free throws is simply mechanics and concentration. They have many more problems than shooting free throws, though that would help tremendously.

[hogsanity]

It is more than what the OP posted. Mike's system requires lots of players and bench production and right now they are getting almost nothing from the bench. Also, the "motion" offense is, as usual with Mike's half court offense, stagnant. Often 3 or 4 guys standing around waiting for whoever is dribbling to jack up a wild late 15+ft jump shot with the shot clock running down.

[CDBHawg]

1) MSU
2) Auburn

[maxhog5]

Problems with this team are simple and obvious.  First of all as Hogsanity pointed out, they have no bench making Anderson's system difficult if not impossible to execute.  Add to that, the Hog guards lack length resulting in the Hogs not forcing turnovers and making the press an exercise in futility.  Hogs also need a true point guard,  Beard should be coming off the bench spelling Barford and Macon, but who do you put in his place.  The lack of a point guard limits Gaffords usefulness with no one to put him in position to score when he is on the floor, which is a lot less than it should be because he has no clue on how to play defense.  The answer to that would be to play more zone, but the lack of length on the perimeter negates that making close outs on three point shooters difficult.  And the 4 spot is a black hole.  Personally I think it is unfair to criticize this team for a lack of mental toughness and leadership when you've got three guards playing their rear ends off 35-38 minutes a game at the pace they play at.  I believe they have over achieved so far this year.

[acey33]

Problems with this team are simple and obvious.  First of all as Hogsanity pointed out, they have no bench making Anderson's system difficult if not impossible to execute.  Add to that, the Hog guards lack length resulting in the Hogs not forcing turnovers and making the press an exercise in futility.  Hogs also need a true point guard,  Beard should be coming off the bench spelling Barford and Macon, but who do you put in his place.  The lack of a point guard limits Gaffords usefulness with no one to put him in position to score when he is on the floor, which is a lot less than it should be because he has no clue on how to play defense.  The answer to that would be to play more zone, but the lack of length on the perimeter negates that making close outs on three point shooters difficult.  And the 4 spot is a black hole.  Personally I think it is unfair to criticize this team for a lack of mental toughness and leadership when you've got three guards playing their rear ends off 35-38 minutes a game at the pace they play at.  I believe they have over achieved so far this year.

and Have Been Obvious for 5 Years Now...

[tennesseehogwild]

Problems with this team are simple and obvious.  First of all as Hogsanity pointed out, they have no bench making Anderson's system difficult if not impossible to execute.  Add to that, the Hog guards lack length resulting in the Hogs not forcing turnovers and making the press an exercise in futility.  Hogs also need a true point guard,  Beard should be coming off the bench spelling Barford and Macon, but who do you put in his place.  The lack of a point guard limits Gaffords usefulness with no one to put him in position to score when he is on the floor, which is a lot less than it should be because he has no clue on how to play defense.  The answer to that would be to play more zone, but the lack of length on the perimeter negates that making close outs on three point shooters difficult.  And the 4 spot is a black hole.  Personally I think it is unfair to criticize this team for a lack of mental toughness and leadership when you've got three guards playing their rear ends off 35-38 minutes a game at the pace they play at.  I believe they have over achieved so far this year.

One thing: I think Trey Thompson had one of his better games this year Sat. at Auburn (still not the player he was last year)
FT shooting and giving up Off boards on defense killing us right now. Should have won the State game. Auburn could've doo doo'ed in a swinging bucket Sat. Don't think we win that one hardly any way.

[hogsanity]

One thing: I think Trey Thompson had one of his better games this year Sat. at Auburn (still not the player he was last year)
FT shooting and giving up Off boards on defense killing us right now. Should have won the State game. Auburn could've doo doo'ed in a swinging bucket Sat. Don't think we win that one hardly any way.

Ever notice how often our opponents shoot lights out? At some point it has to be more than just the bad luck of catching them on a hot shooting night.

[DeltaBoy]

Mental toughness is the Key!

[jm]

1. They don't have an effective small forward/swing man (3)
2. They don't have an effective power forward (4)

[rude1]

3. Lack of guard depth.

Ever notice how often our opponents shoot lights out? At some point it has to be more than just the bad luck of catching them on a hot shooting night.

Lack of recognition of who the shooters are. Plus with all the switching we can never keep the match up we want defensively on the shooters. Also with the lack of recognition of who the shooters are, we double off the shooter many times, leaving him wide open to punish us. IMO we tend to put too much stock in that if we speed them up, the shooters legs will get tired and begin to miss. In other words we aren't going to quit giving him looks, we are going to wait until he gets tired and starts to miss.

[Artex501]

Saw it last year, thought it would leave with last year's seniors, still think it will be fixed come tournament time, but I see a divide between certain players. Too many chiefs, small reasons we get so much 1v1 ball...

But I'm a young, I only hear about the 90s. We're the team's running 3ish me first scorers?

[hulk hog]

Nolan always had lock down defensive guards and shooters. This team is limited on both. None of our fowards can shoot constantly outside the lane.

[hogsanity]

, we double off the shooter many times, leaving him wide open to punish us.

See, I do not think it is a lack of recognition, I do not think Mike cares because he is going to run what he runs, period.

[naturalbornpigger]

In my opinion, this is the most talented set of players we have put on the floor in a while.  Likely the best that Mike has had as a head coach.  They can shoot well, handle the ball, and the bigs are serviceable with occasional flashes of greatness.  Also more athletic than recent Razorback teams.  The ceiling here is coaching.  You can't blame a stagnant offense on the players.  If you see guys standing around, you replace them with players who will execute the offense.  Unless of course, you don't have an offensive scheme to execute.  I continue to be disappointed in the lack adjustments made during game time.  Time outs are not for resting, time outs (and halftime) are for making adjustments.  We just don't seem to use them this way.  Sadly, my expectations have settled to a point where I'm no longer excited or angry.  If we get hot shooting and play intense defense, we win.  If we have an off night, we lose.  This is what middle of the pack teams can expect.  Great teams can win when they don't play well.  I don't see us getting there.

[HognotinMemphis]

1)  Mental Toughness
2)  Strong on the court Leadership

It's easy to get hyped up and play your heart out when you're at home in front of 18,000 screaming fans.  Great teams don't go into Miss State and Auburn and show up flat.  They have the ability to create their own energy, a never die attitude and the belief that they are going to win.  Great teams can't play down to their competition (Miss State) or allow themselves to not show up for a half (Auburn). 

This team may have it in them, but I haven't seen it yet with any consistency.  We should never hear "we came out sluggish" from a team that is going to be a serious contender in the NCAA tournament.  Half of this is on MA and the other half is on the players.

Last time Hogs had either was in 1995.

[The_Iceman]

Khalil Garland off the bench would sure make this a better team.

[Corkscrew Johnson]

I would play Hall and CJ Jones about 20 minutes a game to get them up to speed.  Sure we will suffer in the short term, but this team isn't going anywhere in the tourney anyway without them contributing, so might as well bite the bullet. 

Beard has great toughness and experience, and he contributes to this team.  But his lack of height, his inability to run an offense as a true point guard, and his inability to score means he simply can't be a 35 minute player for us.  There just isn't enough production there. 

Thomas and Cook need to be delegated to role players, at most. 

[daBoar]

The Hogs 3 point shooting was abysmal.  First half 1-9, while Aubie was 7 of 13.  Totals:  Hogs 4 of 19; Aubie 11-20.  That difference is 21 points...........an awful lot to overcome, no matter how the rest of the game's going.

[porkchopsdontfloat]

Unfortunately, I don't see a leader emerging. This team is in dire need of a Manny Watkins, Corey Beck type personality.  And while I am a fan of Coach A, he needs to use a timeout when he sees the offense go stagnant.  Those stretches in which a guard just dribbles around at the top of the circle for 20 seconds have got to stop.  Time for Coach A to put his foot down and demand more focused, better play.

I think Beard could be that guy if he would focus more on his defense and facilitating instead of trying to compete with Macon and Barford for shots.

[Pigsear]

Ever notice how often our opponents shoot lights out? At some point it has to be more than just the bad luck of catching them on a hot shooting night.

It's called no defense!

[okrazorback]

1)  Mental Toughness
2)  Strong on the court Leadership

It's easy to get hyped up and play your heart out when you're at home in front of 18,000 screaming fans.  Great teams don't go into Miss State and Auburn and show up flat.  They have the ability to create their own energy, a never die attitude and the belief that they are going to win.  Great teams can't play down to their competition (Miss State) or allow themselves to not show up for a half (Auburn). 

This team may have it in them, but I haven't seen it yet with any consistency.  We should never hear "we came out sluggish" from a team that is going to be a serious contender in the NCAA tournament.  Half of this is on MA and the other half is on the players.

Not winning enough games.

[nwahogfan1]

1)  Mental Toughness
2)  Strong on the court Leadership

It's easy to get hyped up and play your heart out when you're at home in front of 18,000 screaming fans.  Great teams don't go into Miss State and Auburn and show up flat.  They have the ability to create their own energy, a never die attitude and the belief that they are going to win.  Great teams can't play down to their competition (Miss State) or allow themselves to not show up for a half (Auburn). 

This team may have it in them, but I haven't seen it yet with any consistency.  We should never hear "we came out sluggish" from a team that is going to be a serious contender in the NCAA tournament.  Half of this is on MA and the other half is on the players.

Mike has around a 25-30% conference road record so how much of the energy comes from the Coach?   SEC is much better this year so can Mike win a couple games on the road this year? I say probably not because of mental toughness mostly on defense and on the boards.  Starts with the Coach. 

Who is our Team Leader?  Who does the team find its strength?

[niels_boar]

Mike has around a 25-30% conference road record so how much of the energy comes from the Coach?   SEC is much better this year so can Mike win a couple games on the road this year? I say probably not because of mental toughness mostly on defense and on the boards.  Starts with the Coach. 

Who is our Team Leader?  Who does the team find its strength?

After 3 SEC games we're 6th in the SEC in defensive rebounding despite the poor showing at MSU.  Auburn is 8th in the nation in offensive rebounding, the Vols 46th.  We rebounded very well in both of those games.  If that's your primary concern, you ought to be more optimistic.  And you know full well that the road record over the last three years far exceeds his early efforts at Arkansas.  This team doesn't have Michael Sanchez starting at center.  My god how did he lose all those road games that year.

[CDBHawg]

1)Other
2)Teams

[BigHog396]

1)  Mental Toughness
2)  Strong on the court Leadership

It's easy to get hyped up and play your heart out when you're at home in front of 18,000 screaming fans.  Great teams don't go into Miss State and Auburn and show up flat.  They have the ability to create their own energy, a never die attitude and the belief that they are going to win.  Great teams can't play down to their competition (Miss State) or allow themselves to not show up for a half (Auburn). 

This team may have it in them, but I haven't seen it yet with any consistency.  We should never hear "we came out sluggish" from a team that is going to be a serious contender in the NCAA tournament.  Half of this is on MA and the other half is on the players. 

You are correct about one thing... it's two things missing.
1.  A good coach
2.  Good recruiting

[RazorPiggie]

Forgot a good coach.

[Sivad]

1. Nostalgia
2. Letting ex-players and fans pick the coach

[HogCzar1]

1)  Mental Toughness
2)  Strong on the court Leadership

It's easy to get hyped up and play your heart out when you're at home in front of 18,000 screaming fans.  Great teams don't go into Miss State and Auburn and show up flat.  They have the ability to create their own energy, a never die attitude and the belief that they are going to win.  Great teams can't play down to their competition (Miss State) or allow themselves to not show up for a half (Auburn). 

This team may have it in them, but I haven't seen it yet with any consistency.  We should never hear "we came out sluggish" from a team that is going to be a serious contender in the NCAA tournament.  Half of this is on MA and the other half is on the players. 

3) The ability to defend. We cant stop dribble penetration, we go for head fakes, and we dont rebound well.

[HAM ELLIOT]

1. Offense
2. Defense

[root_hawg]

Coaching

[HogBreath]

The two biggest things I see holding us back...

We can't score..

The opponents score at will.

[riccoar]

To have a leader on the floor, you have to have a leader on the bench.  Mike Anderson is like the old retired guy that sits and loudly barks at players at the local gym while they run pick-up games.  He's barking, but they aren't paying him any attention.

[ICEman]

The two biggest things I see holding us back...

We can't score..

The opponents score at will.

After the two road losses and the opponent's one foul shot per minute played, the players looked gun shy around the defensive basket in last night's game.

[Hog N Bama]

Mike Anderson and asst coaches (bench statues)

[The NewEra]

That was one ugly performance last night.

[ChicoHog]

Ever notice how often our opponents shoot lights out? At some point it has to be more than just the bad luck of catching them on a hot shooting night.

Yes, and when we don't shoot well we have no chance!

[okrazorback]

1. Putting more points on the board.

2. keeping the other team from putting more points on the  board.

[Pigsear]

Mental toughness is the Key!

A little bit of fundamentals wouldn't hurt either.

[Dr. Starcs]

1. Attention to detail especially on defense. Closeouts, rotations, block outs have killed us at times.

2. Transition, let it fly, playing loose on offense. Our offense is atrocious when we get tight and stagnant.

[cityhog]

1) a great coach
2) a true point guard