Why, Mike, why did you abandon your system?

[Biggus Piggus]

These guys who just beat Arkansas, just lost at home to LSU. They are God's definition of a donut team, and Arkansas didn't have a prayer of stopping them.

MA has this team so knotted up on defense that they cannot begin to stop anyone. He wants to play Portis and Qualls 35+ minutes a game, but he has not put in a defense that is consistent with that. When two guys have to conserve energy to make it through the game, they cannot do what this defensive style asks them to do. There are holes all over the floor. The other three players cannot possibly compensate. Now they are just dispirited on defense. They do not know what to do, because MA is asking them to do the impossible. You can't switch that far.

The first they they should do is stop pressing in the backcourt, period. They should fall back to halfcourt. If they want to press and trap from there, give it a try. When the fullcourt pressure is not enough to wear down the opponent, it becomes a sieve.

MA also is stubbornly committed to using player rotations that do not work. Look how screwed up MA is right now. He's tied himself into a pretzel. He started Kingsley and Durham last night, and they played 10 minutes each in the entire game. Anthlon Bell played 28 minutes, took nine shots, made three and scored 10 points. Anton Beard got five minutes. Nick Babb, five minutes. Manny Watkins, six minutes. Ky Madden, 32 minutes. Madden scored a bunch, gave up more, and threw away the ball five times. Madden had five of the team's 12 turnovers. Five!

MA has essentially converted the offense into a system to get Portis and Qualls their stats. Those two will take their numbers to the NBA draft in a few months, and MA will be royally screwed.

The minutes last night went

37 Qualls
35 Portis
32 Madden
28 Bell
16 Harris
16 Williams

What the Frank? Why, in a game against one of the SEC's best backcourts, would you fall back on the team's worst guards? Why would you take away your own depth advantage and try to outscore them with your absolutely worst defensive lineup?

It is clear MA is groping when he starts two guys who play 10 minutes for the whole game. He is just hoping that an adjustment will come to him sometime along the way. But he always falls back on this group that can't play defense, and he has become habitual about sabotaging his own defense by asking players to play almost the entire game.

This defensive scheme works ONLY if players learn to go as hard as they can THEN go to the bench for fresh reinforcements. If somebody, anybody is saving energy on defense, the whole thing collapses on itself. You can't play this way if you aren't committed to it. You get zero defense. Just like last night.

You've proven, MA, that you can ignore logic and data and play the wrong guys as much as you want. You have proven that you can lose at home to an NIT bubble team, if you want. You have proven you can make a 6-11 center useless by teaching him a man stance and having him switch out of the paint on defense, safely out of range of the rim that he should be protecting. Nice work. You're done now.

[Hogs-n-Roses]

He's guessing! That's why. Grasping for straws which aren't there n I m not just talkin about players. Talking about options and answers. First off we've become a team too easy to coach against. So teams have figured out that to zone us gives them a better shot. You must adjust and he's not retaliating well. I've seen this in sports where lesser teams beat you on a regular basis. The kids are lost n confused and their coach has no solutions.

[Biggus Piggus]

Some numbers:

Arkansas scored zero points in transition last night. Zero.

Ole Miss outscored the Hogs in points off turnovers.

Ole Miss outscored the Hogs in the paint, 28-16.

Ole Miss's bench outscored Arkansas's 33-15.

But even that is deceptive, because Arkansas "started" Kingsley and Durham but played them only 10 minutes in the whole game. Ten of those 15 came from Bell, who played starter's minutes. The bench was just wasted.

[online-with-swine]

The answer is easy.  Mike is not a very good coach.

[Hogs-n-Roses]

Our fundamental defense,footwork,hand work, spacing....are all horrible. This is nothing new. He thinks his 2 cash cows,Poetis n Quall will just outscore most opponents. What other opponents are doing is letting them have their points, but continuing sound D on everyone else and shutting us down. We play like 5 individuals(no matter which 5 is on the court) instead of a team.Our guard play has no direction, they're passing the ball around out there like they're lost.

[Biggus Piggus]

Our fundamental defense,footwork,hand work, spacing....are all horrible. This is nothing new. He thinks his 2 cash cows,Poetis n Quall will just outscore most opponents. What other opponents are doing is letting them have their points, but continuing sound D on everyone else and shutting us down. We play like 5 individuals(no matter which 5 is on the court) instead of a team.Our guard play has no direction, they're passing the ball around out there like they're lost.

They are not being asked to play straight-up man defense. Three guys are being asked to play the scramble. Two guys are resting on defense. It is a wreck.

[TNhawgfan]

Good posts biggus.  I am depressed now, but good stats nonetheless

[southeasthog]

Ole Miss did a good job of denying Qualls the ball in the second half. Looked liked Kennedy decided he wouldn't let him get hot from three and fire up the crowd.

[Pork Twain]

BP, I am starting to think you might be bi-polar when it comes to MA. 

[Kevin]

Way too much truth in this thread

Nice work biggus,

[Marshfieldhog]

Mike is in trouble, serious trouble. If Portis and Qualls leave after this year. You are correct, he is royally screwed. Add to that Monk leaving his own backyard and he is toast. Subtract the scoring of Portis, Qualls, and Madden next year. We add one guy and a Tech defect who is a role player...that's it, in year 5. Very disappointing!

[dagnamit]

not bi-polar just hopeful then reality slaps him in the face every now and then

[Marshfieldhog]

Another advice to Anderson...DUMP THE DEAD WEIGHT ASST COACHES YOU HAVE...no one else wants them, unlike our football coaches.

[Pork Twain]

Mike is in trouble, serious trouble. If Portis and Qualls leave after this year. You are correct, he is royally screwed. Add to that Monk leaving his own backyard and he is toast. Subtract the scoring of Portis, Qualls, and Madden next year. We add one guy and a Tech defect who is a role player...that's it, in year 5. Very disappointing!

I believe next year will be a disaster.

[The Hogfather]

I'm highly disappointed in this season thus far and in Anderson's time here.  I thought we'd be a Tourney team by last season and a lock this season.  We're far from that right now and it depresses me.

[Oliver]

And yet, he is awarded with a contract extension?? 

If that decision came from Jeff Long, it would be his first major misstep at Arkansas.  Anderson simply hasn't earned an extension based on his body of work on the basketball court. 

Now there may be other considerations outside of the court being weighed here (considerations the public may not be aware of) but there is no evidence in Mike Anderson's background that suggests he can return this program to the level the fanbase believes the program should be playing on/at. 

And in his current tenure at Arkansas, there is no evidence suggesting the program is improving toward the level of play desired by the fanbase. 

Mike Anderson is an average NCAA Division 1 college basketball coach - at best. 

I live in Norman, OK and have watched The OU football defense almost get shredded as bad as a Mike Anderson defense the last couple of years.  And yet this offseason when coaches were fired, the question of "Why isn't Mike Stoops fired?" came up.  The answer: "You can't fire your brother."  The response, "well then you shouldn't hire your brother."

We hired our brother when we hired Mike Anderson

[Pork Twain]

I really do not think MA is as untouchable as some of you think.

[dagnamit]

I live in Norman, OK and have watched The OU football defense almost get shredded as bad as a Mike Anderson defense the last couple of years.  And yet this offseason when coaches were fired, the question of "Why isn't Mike Stoops fired?" came up.  The answer: "You can't fire your brother."  The response, "well then you shouldn't hire your brother."

We hired our brother when we hired Mike Anderson

People thought Anderson = Nolan. If you watched a lot of basketball yesterday you would not think this team is a top 50 team.

[The Hogfather]

He shouldn't be.  We really need stability in our program, but we need that stability provided by coaches who can get the job done.  If the current staff can't do that, especially with what we have this year and are likely to lose for next season, we reluctantly need to start all over.....AGAIN.

[hawg1221]

Very discouraged after the last 2 games. If I were to break down why he's been successful where ever he's been, it would look like this:  80% system/20%coaching. He rarely adjusts to what the other team is doing. Last night was bad. He looked bad. He had no answers and that's worrisome to me, because good coaches can at least stop the bleeding a bit and he couldn't. When you run a system like this with very little coaching, it's very important that you have talented players up and down the lineup. They do not. So, until Anderson starts to recruit better...get used to these results.

[Oliver]

People thought Anderson = Nolan. If you watched a lot of basketball yesterday you would not think this team is a top 50 team.

Of course people did.  Just like OU fans thought Mike Stoops = 2000 National Champion Mike Stoops when they rehired him.

[The Hogfather]

Nobody truly thought/thinks Mike Anderson is Nolan.  He proved at 2 different stops he could take dumpsters and turn them into respectable programs and he ties is back to the most successful years of our program.

[Pork Twain]

He shouldn't be.  We really need stability in our program, but we need that stability provided by coaches who can get the job done.  If the current staff can't do that, especially with what we have this year and are likely to lose for next season, we reluctantly need to start all over.....AGAIN.

I want to win but I would never send my son to play for MA.  He does not work on fundamentals and in no way prepares players for the NBA.  I look for Monk to go somewhere like Kentucky or Kansas.  I would if I were him.

I am really surprised that many did not see this coming based on how we played in non-conference games.  You do not play like crap and let really bad teams have career shooting nights against you and then all of a sudden change your spots when you begin conference play.  That is unrealistic and shows a true lack of insight into the game.

[Hogs-n-Roses]

I really do not think MA is as untouchable as some of you think.

Money talks. The right number pops up n he would go quietly. Does anyone know the language of his new deal. The buyouts we gave to our coaches last time was criminal. By that I mean, not good for the institution.

[Hogs-n-Roses]

Nobody truly thought/thinks Mike Anderson is Nolan.  He proved at 2 different stops he could take dumpsters and turn them into respectable programs and he ties is back to the most successful years of our program.

It was actually unfair to MA to get all accomplished that was expected by the fanbase. Lets see, clean up a dumpster fire,get the fanbase back, go to the tourney every year, basically be Nolan.

Srry BP. Accidental derail. Back to the topic!

[WilsonHog]

These guys who just beat Arkansas, just lost at home to LSU. They are God's definition of a donut team, and Arkansas didn't have a prayer of stopping them.

MA has this team so knotted up on defense that they cannot begin to stop anyone. He wants to play Portis and Qualls 35+ minutes a game, but he has not put in a defense that is consistent with that. When two guys have to conserve energy to make it through the game, they cannot do what this defensive style asks them to do. There are holes all over the floor. The other three players cannot possibly compensate. Now they are just dispirited on defense. They do not know what to do, because MA is asking them to do the impossible. You can't switch that far.

The first they they should do is stop pressing in the backcourt, period. They should fall back to halfcourt. If they want to press and trap from there, give it a try. When the fullcourt pressure is not enough to wear down the opponent, it becomes a sieve.

MA also is stubbornly committed to using player rotations that do not work. Look how screwed up MA is right now. He's tied himself into a pretzel. He started Kingsley and Durham last night, and they played 10 minutes each in the entire game. Anthlon Bell played 28 minutes, took nine shots, made three and scored 10 points. Anton Beard got five minutes. Nick Babb, five minutes. Manny Watkins, six minutes. Ky Madden, 32 minutes. Madden scored a bunch, gave up more, and threw away the ball five times. Madden had five of the team's 12 turnovers. Five!

MA has essentially converted the offense into a system to get Portis and Qualls their stats. Those two will take their numbers to the NBA draft in a few months, and MA will be royally screwed.

The minutes last night went

37 Qualls
35 Portis
32 Madden
28 Bell
16 Harris
16 Williams

What the Frank? Why, in a game against one of the SEC's best backcourts, would you fall back on the team's worst guards? Why would you take away your own depth advantage and try to outscore them with your absolutely worst defensive lineup?

It is clear MA is groping when he starts two guys who play 10 minutes for the whole game. He is just hoping that an adjustment will come to him sometime along the way. But he always falls back on this group that can't play defense, and he has become habitual about sabotaging his own defense by asking players to play almost the entire game.

This defensive scheme works ONLY if players learn to go as hard as they can THEN go to the bench for fresh reinforcements. If somebody, anybody is saving energy on defense, the whole thing collapses on itself. You can't play this way if you aren't committed to it. You get zero defense. Just like last night.

You've proven, MA, that you can ignore logic and data and play the wrong guys as much as you want. You have proven that you can lose at home to an NIT bubble team, if you want. You have proven you can make a 6-11 center useless by teaching him a man stance and having him switch out of the paint on defense, safely out of range of the rim that he should be protecting. Nice work. You're done now.

In his 10 minutes on the floor, Moses took one shot, which he missed; the rest of his stat line was zeros.

Durham produced two assists and was called for one foul in 10 minutes.

Arguably our best defender, Manny, got six minutes.

Anton Beard? Five minutes. Nick Babb got five as well.

[Pork Twain]

It was actually unfair to MA to get all accomplished that was expected by the fanbase. Lets see, clean up a dumpster fire,get the fanbase back, go to the tourney every year, basically be Nolan.

There was no dumpster fire.  There was talent here and a top class committed.

[ChicoHog]

They are not being asked to play straight-up man defense. Three guys are being asked to play the scramble. Two guys are resting on defense. It is a wreck.

I've been wanting straight up man to man for years but he never does it.   Keeps playing the scramble, gives up easy baskets, gets a turnover once in a while and crowd gets excited but in reality it does not help win the game.  If we are not good enough defensively to man up on people then that is coaching and/or we need to teach them a solid zone.  Plus if the players improve defensively it helps their draft status.  NBA does not want guys playing scramble.   They want guys who can lock down people. 

[hawg1221]

We do not have that much talent!! We FOOL people with our system into thinking we're a good team. But these SEC teams that know us "called our bluff".

[HF#1]

Beard was in the game long enough to have one turnover. 

[ChicoHog]

I really do not think MA is as untouchable as some of you think.

I hope you are right but i just don't see it. Too much GOBN and like an earlier poster said "You don't hire your brother". 

[Hoggish1]

You've proven, MA, that you can ignore logic and data and play the wrong guys as much as you want. You have proven that you can lose at home to an NIT bubble team, if you want. You have proven you can make a 6-11 center useless by teaching him a man stance and having him switch out of the paint on defense, safely out of range of the rim that he should be protecting. Nice work. You're done now.

Mike came in with his coaching staff and will leave with them.  They are a package...

[Poker_hog]

I'm not ready to give up on ma.  He won at uab and um.

The team seems to live and die by the 4 spot.  Williams and Harris had bad games against ut, I think that's why he started Kingsley  but again we got no production from that spot.

But I agree the full court press is a joke right now.

[Logan County Hog]

Maybe MA needs to reach back to the Eddie Sutton era and borrow Eddie's "Go-Go" strategy. He would put 5 brand new players into the game for 5 minutes. For those 5 minutes, those players would absolutely go all-out on defense and offense, then go rest.

[hogfan10]

Another advice to Anderson...DUMP THE DEAD WEIGHT ASST COACHES YOU HAVE...no one else wants them, unlike our football coaches.

How long was MA an assistant of NR? Think about it.

[WilsonHog]

I'm not ready to give up on ma.  He won at uab and um.

The team seems to live and die by the 4 spot.  Williams and Harris had bad games against ut, I think that's why he started Kingsley  but again we got no production from that spot.

But I agree the full court press is a joke right now.

Mike did "win" at UAB and Mizzou.

Here are his numbers at both places, and thus far for us:

UAB: 89-41 (.685), 42-20 (.677). Three NCAAs and one NIT in four seasons.

Mizzouri: 111-57 (.661), 43-37 (.538). Three NCAAs in five seasons.

Arkansas: 72-43 (.626), 28-28 (.500). One NIT in his first three seasons.

[Pork Twain]

I hope you are right but i just don't see it. Too much GOBN and like an earlier poster said "You don't hire your brother". 

If the GOBN had as much pull as some on here think they do, we would have leaks into our coaching searches as we did in years past, but it is well known that Long has done things much more his way than JFB did.  The GOBN wants to win as well too

[Hoggish1]

  You do not play like crap and let really bad teams have career shooting nights against you and then all of a sudden change your spots when you begin conference play.  That is unrealistic and shows a true lack of insight into the game.

In year four, this is the same statement that so many made in year one about MA's style. 

I'm reminded of the definition of insanity...

Last night was the first time I turned off a BB game with more than seven minutes remaining!

[Cresthog]

Last night was shocking. Utterly shocking.

I'm speechless. I kept waiting for madden to get benched and it never happened.

What a crapshow. There's a good chance we lose until Missouri or msu come back to bud.

Pissed I bought tickets to the Missouri game now. This was 100% on Anderson. He better fix it or no one will show up. 180000 in the stands and we do this. The whole staff and team should rethink this season.

[hogfan10]

Last night was shocking. Utterly shocking.

I'm speechless. I kept waiting for madden to get benched and it never happened.

What a crapshow. There's a good chance we lose until Missouri or msu come back to bud.

Pissed I bought tickets to the Missouri game now. This was 100% on Anderson. He better fix it or no one will show up. 180000 in the stands and we do this. The whole staff and team should rethink this season.

I don't understand the Madden hate. He is obviously trying to fill the role that MA is asking him to. Problem is he's not a point guard, but he is our second best scorer (Portis being first). He along with Beard and Harris are about the only players we have seen (don't know about Babb) that are capable of creating their own shot, which is important in a nonexistent half court offense.

[Cresthog]

I don't understand the Madden hate. He is obviously trying to fill the role that MA is asking him to. Problem is he's not a point guard, but he is our second best scorer (Portis being first). He along with Beard and Harris are about the only players we have seen (don't know about Babb) that are capable of creating their own shot, which is important in a nonexistent half court offense.

Are you mixing madden and qualls up?

Madden hasn't score in the paint since last year and he turned it over 5 times.

[bulldog04]

I don't understand the Madden hate. He is obviously trying to fill the role that MA is asking him to. Problem is he's not a point guard, but he is our second best scorer (Portis being first). He along with Beard and Harris are about the only players we have seen (don't know about Babb) that are capable of creating their own shot, which is important in a nonexistent half court offense.

I liked how Madden got to the FT line.  When you shoot 92% from the stripe you need to get there.  He also drove the lane in the 2nd half which is what you need to do against zone D. I hope this is a turning point for him.  But our offense is not the problem

[hogfan10]

Are you mixing madden and qualls up?

Madden hasn't score in the paint since last year and he turned it over 5 times.

No, no confusion. Madden drove the lane several times last night, made at least one floater in the paint, and shot at least 12 FTs. He scored 22 pts, and it didn't require someone else setting him up to get those points. Qualls has turned himself into a pretty good shooter, but his ballhandling doesn't allow him to get his own shot against above average defenders.

TOs are a head scratcher, I don't remember thinking KM had an excessive amount of TOs last night, but stats don't lie. Off the top of my head, I remember a travel under the basket after a loose ball scramble, and a forced pass or two. I was thinking he had about 3. Anyway 3 is still too many, but as long as we have him as our main ballhandler we're going to have to live with it.

[Squealers]

Mike did "win" at UAB and Mizzou.

Here are his numbers at both places, and thus far for us:

UAB: 89-41 (.685), 42-20 (.677). Three NCAAs and one NIT in four seasons.

Mizzouri: 111-57 (.661), 43-37 (.538). Three NCAAs in five seasons.

Arkansas: 72-43 (.626), 28-28 (.500). One NIT in his first three seasons.

First,

Great Post Biggus.  And good intel here Wilson.  So breaking down MA's post season performance at his last 3 stops, he is batting..

.1000 @ UAB
.600 @ Mizzou
.333 @ Arkansas

If we look at quality of post season performance, using a 50% deduct for the NIT, his post season quality of tournament batting stats look like this....

.875 @ UAB
.600 @ Mizzou
.166 @ Arkansas

We can argue the state of teams MA inherited and how that influenced his tourney appearances, but I will not consider that at this time as the data you have pulled and I have rephrased speaks loudly.

Something has to change, quickly.

[Cresthog]

I liked how Madden got to the FT line.  When you shoot 92% from the stripe you need to get there.  He also drove the lane in the 2nd half which is what you need to do against zone D. I hope this is a turning point for him.  But our offense is not the problem

I turned the game off but madden must have been getting in the lane with portis and qualls double teamed.

He has to do that from the get go. He's a senior.

[Danny J]

In his 10 minutes on the floor, Moses took one shot, which he missed; the rest of his stat line was zeros.

Durham produced two assists and was called for one foul in 10 minutes.

Arguably our best defender, Manny, got six minutes.

Anton Beard? Five minutes. Nick Babb got five as well.

And that makes no sense to me....none. Would love for our "media" to actually start asking some tough question. If they need a list a pertinent questions to ask then they should feel free to PM me and I will give them just such a list.

Our D last night, player rotations, starting lineups, man to man switching D, etc....made no sense. No adjustments. I woke up this morning even more frustrated than when I went to sleep last night.

[The Hogfather]

Beard and Babb need minutes, especially Beard.

[Danny J]

I turned the game off but madden must have been getting in the lane with portis and qualls double teamed.

He has to do that from the get go. He's a senior.

I agree and just looking at the stats on Madden or Bell or Durham doesn't tell the whole story. Stats can be very deceiving. I still contend that Beard, Babb and Watkins need more minutes.

[hog golf]

How long was MA an assistant of NR? Think about it.

Someone gets it. Maybe just me and you though.

[Pork Twain]

That may indeed be the case Pork but the contract extension sure seems out of place if your assertion is correct. 

All an extension really does is give recruits confidence that the coach will be here for their time here.