Fight or Flight

[Silky_Jackson]

     Well, I was wrong.  I thought our guys would bounce back after Iowa State and compete.  Hell, I bet on them to compete.  But I've seen more fight in a Western Sizzlin buffet line.  Qualls, once again, is the only one who played up to expectation.  Bobby's numbers look a lot better on paper than he looked in the game.  That reminded me of a Chris Bosh type game where he puts up 20 and 10 and still looks soft as pudding.  I think everyone is ready for him to step up and take control of the team.  There's no question he can do it.  Qualls keeps himself pumped up but it's not contagious like it is when Portis does it.  In the first few games Bobby was asserting himself and leading the team.  He was demanding the ball and taking it right at defenders.  For the team to be successful he has to assert dominance.  Yell in someone's face when they make a bonehead play.  Demand the ball down low and NEVER allow an easy layup on defense; if they have the layup you hammer down on their arm and make sure the ball is not getting above the rim.  It's an attitude we want to see and it's contagious.  No more slap fouls and passiveness.  If you want to play like Kevin Garnett, watch and play like Kevin Garnett! Mike can't send the messages from the bench.  Bobby Pudding has to turn back into Bobby Portis.  If you want to be compared to Corliss you better find some fight.  Otherwise you're Darnell Robinson. 

But Bobby's confidence is floating around somewhere out in the ether with Madden's decision-making and Mike's backbone.  Speaking of Madden, wow.  I don't wanna say "Madden Curse" but I'm afraid I just did.  It was definitely Rashaad today and not Ky that showed up.  Poor guy just isn't a point guard.  He should never be asked to create a play for us.  Driving into the lane and picking up your dribble is about the second worst decision you could make behind just handing it to the other team.  You're better off launching a 3 as soon as you step across half court.  The real problem with Madden though is that one mistake turns into 2 or 3 really quick ones; it's been that way for 3 seasons and change.  The first mistake is on him.  But the next 2 or 3 are on Coach Anderson for not pulling him out, and tonight the last one is on Coach Anderson for not using a timeout when he sees Madden frantically pounding it in the floor with his head down while we have two timeouts left and 6 seconds to play.  They'd call a timeout in the NBA with Lebron handling the ball in that situation, let alone with Madden while he's in a state of pure panic.  The coaches and Madden have got to find a way to be better prepared for the final 2 minutes of a crucial game.  There isn't much else to it. (Thank you, Mr. Obvious.)

Now, I don't have much more recap because how does one analyze a pile of garbage? What creative thing can be said?  What I do have though is a message/rant that I would deliver if I was spokesman of the fanbase, lol:

Is this fun?  --A 3 or 4 hour flight back home knowing you got out hustled and out-fought by a very inferior team that you had on the ropes?  I know you don't want to face your classmates tomorrow after that.  And our fans are mad, sure.  But honestly, we don't care as much as you should.  I still get paid.  My repect and toughness aren't in question from you losing like that.  Yours is though.  The truth is that the basketball team doesn't reflect on us in the grand scheme of things.  Some people 'feel' affected but they're not actually.  You shouldn't feel pushed to compete because of our reaction anyway.  You should want to fight for yourselves; whether it's in front of 19,000 fans in BWA, or some crap arena full of empty purple seats, or even in practice by yourselves.  That's why the great Hogs teams were great.  That's the "magic" they had.  They didn't fight for me or any other fan's self-respect, or SportsCenter highlights, or social and local media praise.  Those were the by-products.  They fought because it's what they did.  They fought because getting beat up sucks and they'd do anything to keep that aura from following them around.  They beat the hell out of teams because it was fun.  That's the kind of players Nolan brought in and the attitude he showed them.  That's how winners are wired and it's an attitude built a day at a time.  It's a mindset.  The good news is it can be instilled in someone; and with the mindset comes the confidence.  Anyway, your backs are in the corner now guys.  And there are really only 2 choices... 

[HognitiveDissonance]

Yea, I hope they read the internet and listen to all the call-in shows and get mad at people telling them they have no toughness. Whatever works. Us versus the world has been used before. And I don't care if they get mad.

It's not the only measuring stick, but winning on the road is one of the truest measures of a well-coached team. It shows a team has toughness, grit, discipline, pride...not to mention some skill. Sometimes a rare collection of players can self-motivate themselves into this ability, but usually it's instilled by the coach, a coach that is tough as nails and won't accept anything less.

We've gone through three coaches now and have one of the worst road records in college hoops over the past 10 years. All the national pundits know about this and are very aware. We're kinda a punch line. There's never been a team that is more Jekyll and Hyde than Arkansas is with the home and away performance.

[Biggus Piggus]

The Clemson game devolved to the point where Arkansas had no team.

I'm going to say this again. When you indirectly tell some players they might have to go 30+ minutes, there is NO WAY ON EARTH you can pretend to play a system where players are supposed to go all out for a few minutes at a time then rotate out for fresh legs.

All of Arkansas's starting five went 30+ minutes yesterday. Portis, Madden and Qualls all went 17 minutes in the second half. MA keeps pretending this starting lineup is good. If he were almost any other coach, it would be. In his style, it is horrible.

He seems to know that, because they are not playing his style most of the time, these guys are on court together most of the time, and they keep trying to do something else. Something unrecognizable.

If and when MA gets the right guys on the court together, Arkansas can be very good. I do not like watching MA throw away road games because the opponent outprepared him and he doesn't know what to do.

[Silky_Jackson]

The Clemson game devolved to the point where Arkansas had no team.

I'm going to say this again. When you indirectly tell some players they might have to go 30+ minutes, there is NO WAY ON EARTH you can pretend to play a system where players are supposed to go all out for a few minutes at a time then rotate out for fresh legs.

All of Arkansas's starting five went 30+ minutes yesterday. Portis, Madden and Qualls all went 17 minutes in the second half. MA keeps pretending this starting lineup is good. If he were almost any other coach, it would be. In his style, it is horrible.

He seems to know that, because they are not playing his style most of the time, these guys are on court together most of the time, and they keep trying to do something else. Something unrecognizable.

If and when MA gets the right guys on the court together, Arkansas can be very good. I do not like watching MA throw away road games because the opponent outprepared him and he doesn't know what to do.

That's a great point. The ability to constantly substitute fresh players  is why we are tough. Our guys were the tired, unfocused team the end. It was painful to watch

[Biggus Piggus]

That's a great point. The ability to constantly substitute fresh players  is why we are tough. Our guys were the tired, unfocused team the end. It was painful to watch

This was Nolan's biggest secret. He aimed to take advantage of the tendencies of conventional coaches. Nolan did not want his players saving energy so they could go the whole game. Opposing coaches focus on a handful of player rotations and rely heavily on the ability of key players to execute set plays. Nolan had to teach players how to go harder and not save energy. When they were early in this process, the Hogs would have some horrible games on the road. The key is to get the opponent's star players to play too hard and gas out before the end. When the defense isn't rigorous enough, those stars get huge numbers and never gas out.

Arkansas looks like it is stuck in one of those transitional phases, only it is taking multiple years.

[Silky_Jackson]

This was Nolan's biggest secret. He aimed to take advantage of the tendencies of conventional coaches. Nolan did not want his players saving energy so they could go the whole game. Opposing coaches focus on a handful of player rotations and rely heavily on the ability of key players to execute set plays. Nolan had to teach players how to go harder and not save energy. When they were early in this process, the Hogs would have some horrible games on the road. The key is to get the opponent's star players to play too hard and gas out before the end. When the defense isn't rigorous enough, those stars get huge numbers and never gas out.

Arkansas looks like it is stuck in one of those transitional phases, only it is taking multiple years.

Yeah, I remember in the 90's how we'd win the last 4 mins of each half almost every game. It was clockwork. If one thing is for sure now it's that this group, coaches included, get to show what they're made of.

[elksnort]

I've said this in a post recently and so did someone else:   CMA does not seem to get the same respect/fear from his players as Nolan did. I'm not on the inside, of course. But it does certainly appear this way. You can run the Nolan/CMA system if you want, but there are points in a game where you have to be able to operate in a half court set, take care of the ball and get it in the right hands.

I am going to say it now. Arkansas will not make it past 1st or 2nd round in NCAAt with CMA as coach.

[Atlhogfan1]

Maybe Mike should let Nolan coach the team in practice, set his player rotations before the game and maybe relay messages to the bench during the game. 

[Silky_Jackson]

Maybe Mike should let Nolan coach the team in practice, set his player rotations before the game and maybe relay messages to the bench during the game.

Lol.

I'm a Mike Anderson fan and I think this team has what it takes to get us into the Sweet 16 and possibly play for an SEC championship. I think we all just want to see a team that fights every minute they're on the floor. It's not skill or personnel we're lacking, it's game theory and effort.

[elksnort]

People talk about a lack of effort. Was there really a lack of effort or was it a lack of poise and control down the stretch?

[Silky_Jackson]

People talk about a lack of effort. Was there really a lack of effort or was it a lack of poise and control down the stretch?

I hear you but it wasn't one or the other. It was both and I think they go hand in hand. And when I say effort I mean in practice also and studying film and doing whatever it takes to be prepared. That's all part of a dedication and effort to get better. The games are just where you get to see it and it's been noticeably absent.

I still think they'll bounce back and show some fight very soon. Some people have to be pushed down before they want to fight. And they're on their backs with a 10-count going

[elksnort]

I hear you but it wasn't one or the other. It was both and I think they go hand in hand. And when I say effort I mean in practice also and studying film and doing whatever it takes to be prepared. That's all part of a dedication and effort to get better. The games are just where you get to see it and it's been noticeably absent.

I still think they'll bounce back and show some fight very soon. Some people have to be pushed down before they want to fight. And they're on their backs with a 10-count going

Well, keep up the positive attitude.
For my mental health, I will not expect too much from this team.

[ballz2thewall]

btw silky, great post to start the thread.

[Danny J]

People talk about a lack of effort. Was there really a lack of effort or was it a lack of poise and control down the stretch?

I totally agree what cost us the game late was lack of poise by a couple upperclassmen no doubt. One of those players in particular has shown a tendency to panic in late game situations yet our coach seems oblivious to it. That is what is the most frustrating of all.

IMHO it is as simple as making changes to the lineups and for the love of God stop switching every screen with our bigs. It would be different if we were playing teams that like to and are capable of executing precise pick and rolls like the Gators. Clemson just isn't that team.

[Silky_Jackson]

I totally agree what cost us the game late was lack of poise by a couple upperclassmen no doubt. One of those players in particular has shown a tendency to panic in late game situations yet our coach seems oblivious to it. That is what is the most frustrating of all.

IMHO it is as simple as making changes to the lineups and for the love of God stop switching every screen with our bigs. It would be different if we were playing teams that like to and are capable of executing precise pick and rolls like the Gators. Clemson just isn't that team.

Something definitely has to happen with the switching on screens. It's too exploitable. I was talkin to a friend and compared it to having a linebacker pick up the receiver every time he motioned to the other side without exception. We all know what you would do against that..

It's not my job to find the answer but anyone with an ounce of basketball knowledge knows it's bad strategy unless you have a full roster of equal sized and skilled defenders.

[latrops]

People talk about a lack of effort. Was there really a lack of effort or was it a lack of poise and control down the stretch?

Effort in the 2nd half was fine...but lack of poise and execution at the end.  Effort in the first half was lacking, which is inexcusable on the road coming off a loss.

[lefty08]

I've said this in a post recently and so did someone else:   CMA does not seem to get the same respect/fear from his players as Nolan did. I'm not on the inside, of course. But it does certainly appear this way. You can run the Nolan/CMA system if you want, but there are points in a game where you have to be able to operate in a half court set, take care of the ball and get it in the right hands.

I am going to say it now. Arkansas will not make it past 1st or 2nd round in NCAAt with CMA as coach.

pretty good bet, neither will 345 teams in the next decade

[poloprince]

MA could have made bette decisions, but every coach after every loss or win can say that. The players couldn't inbound the ball and had 3 turnovers and that my friend is what lost the game.