5-9
15-12
we just need to get some wins

That was one of the worst games I've attended in Stegeman in a long, long time. Sure, we were within 3 in the second half, but that was never a game. We were totally outclassed.

Are visiting fans (and players) obnoxious sometimes? Yes. Do I hate losing to Auburn? Even bigger yes.

There is one foolproof way to shut them up: win the game.

UgaBoz53 is absolutely correct. We just need some wins.

And you know why losing to Auburn really hurts? Because we're not all that different. Georgia could build what they have in 2-3 years. They've just chosen not to...

Chosen historically, or still choosing?

And if the latter, what are we deferring? The only possible diff I could see currently is if it is NIL funding?

I thought coming out of non-conf play this team might have a shot at .500 in conference play. I did not see the six game slide. That said, we are roughly a two loss swing from being at .500. It didn't have to be this way. It shouldn't have been this way. I've more or less tossed in the towel on the season, but hope we can pick up another win or two somewhere. Then it's up to White & Co. to get us off the roster turnover treadmill. Or we'll continue to run in place.

Nostradawgus said:

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Chosen historically, or still choosing?

And if the latter, what are we deferring? The only possible diff I could see currently is if it is NIL funding?

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I'm admittedly over-simplifying (I blame general frustration), but I did not specifically mean NIL funding (though you can't convince me Georgia couldn't win that battle with Auburn if it wanted to).

I'd be happy to be proven wrong here, but my hunch is that, if you look at stadium and facilities investments over the last decade or two, we'd be lagging. Both matter.

As for the coaching, feel however you want about Bruce Pearl (I feel the same way), they swung for the fences during their last coaching search because, apparently, they were tired of being a joke. I've made my opinions clear on the duration of Fox's tenure, the Crean hire, and the White hire. None of the three, in my estimation, could be confused with a program swinging for the fences...

Nostradawgus said:

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Then it's up to White & Co. to get us off the roster turnover treadmill. Or we'll continue to run in place.

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Yeah, this is kinda it to me. If he can keep the core of this team in place, and if he can score at least twice in the transfer portal, next season should be more fun.

Big "ifs", right?

StevieBuckets said:

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That was one of the worst games I've attended in Stegeman in a long, long time. Sure, we were within 3 in the second half, but that was never a game. We were totally outclassed.

Are visiting fans (and players) obnoxious sometimes? Yes. Do I hate losing to Auburn? Even bigger yes.

There is one foolproof way to shut them up: win the game.

UgaBoz53 is absolutely correct. We just need some wins.

And you know why losing to Auburn really hurts? Because we're not all that different. Georgia could build what they have in 2-3 years. They've just chosen not to...

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In our defense, it took Pearl a few years to get rolling at Auburn. It takes time to build, even with NIL and the portal. It's not like UGA attracts top transfers in basketball like we do in football. NIL should help, but you still have to get their attention.

Nostradawgus said:

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I thought coming out of non-conf play this team might have a shot at .500 in conference play. I did not see the six game slide. That said, we are roughly a two loss swing from being at .500. It didn't have to be this way. It shouldn't have been this way. I've more or less tossed in the towel on the season, but hope we can pick up another win or two somewhere. Then it's up to White & Co. to get us off the roster turnover treadmill. Or we'll continue to run in place.

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We have a roster imbalance. 4 guards won't cut it. We have to rely too much on Hill. We didn't prioritize shooters in the portal. We need shooters. And as usual, we have too many scholarships that don't contribute.


One thing that really bothers me is our defense. You don't need great players to play defense. You just gotta get after it. Jabri has never played a lick of defense. Big Russ is not very nimble; he gets off balance a lot and doesn't get the best position to rebound. Sunahara has been a waste, along with Moncrieffe and Anselem. Melendez isn't great moving laterally either. We don't rotate well, so we leave too many open shots. Auburn killed us by making basically a ton of open shots.

Monkdawg said:

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...recall that he was not 1st choice - we went after Thad Matta first.

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I'm not going to lie...I wonder often about the alternate universe in which Thad Matta took the job. I have no real guesses on how it would have turned out...but I do wonder...

Monkdawg said:

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One thing that really bothers me is our defense. You don't need great players to play defense. You just gotta get after it. Jabri has never played a lick of defense. Big Russ is not very nimble; he gets off balance a lot and doesn't get the best position to rebound. Sunahara has been a waste, along with Moncrieffe and Anselem. Melendez isn't great moving laterally either. We don't rotate well, so we leave too many open shots. Auburn killed us by making basically a ton of open shots.

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This.

I hear often that Mike White is a "defensive coach" (Chuck Dowdle loves this line). Boy...the numbers sure don't bear that out. We're 187th in opponent field goal percentage (Auburn is 2nd), 251st in opponent turnover percentage, and 257th in opponent offensive rebound percentage). This is after a non-conference where we actually fared fairly well in some of these areas.

You know what else is starting to bother me? Our assist numbers. They are terrible, and to me they reflect a serious deficit in offensive philosophy. Our general lack of talent at PG plays into this (Demary is talented, but he is a driver, not a disher), but the numbers are still inexcusable. Working backwards over the losing streak:

Auburn: 5 on 24 made field goals (!)
Vanderbilt: 13 on 28 (not terrible)
Florida: 7 on 27 (!)
Arkansas: 10 on 26
Mississippi State: 6 on 20 (!)
South Carolina: 10 on 22 (USCe had 25 on 29!)
Alabama: 10 on 27
Florida: 18 on 39

We currently sit at 295th in the country in assists/game and 296th in assist percentage.

I don't like the story any of this tells, but it validates what my eyes tell me every game: the defense is terrible and the offense is no fun to watch against any defense that effectively pressures our guards (which should be every defense at this point).

StevieBuckets said:

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Monkdawg said:

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...recall that he was not 1st choice - we went after Thad Matta first.

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I'm not going to lie...I wonder often about the alternate universe in which Thad Matta took the job. I have no real guesses on how it would have turned out...but I do wonder...

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I was a big Matta proponent at the time, but I guess he wasn't confident in his physical condition. A 100% Matta would have been excellent.

StevieBuckets said:

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Monkdawg said:

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One thing that really bothers me is our defense. You don't need great players to play defense. You just gotta get after it. Jabri has never played a lick of defense. Big Russ is not very nimble; he gets off balance a lot and doesn't get the best position to rebound. Sunahara has been a waste, along with Moncrieffe and Anselem. Melendez isn't great moving laterally either. We don't rotate well, so we leave too many open shots. Auburn killed us by making basically a ton of open shots.

---

This.

I hear often that Mike White is a "defensive coach" (Chuck Dowdle loves this line). Boy...the numbers sure don't bear that out. We're 187th in opponent field goal percentage (Auburn is 2nd), 251st in opponent turnover percentage, and 257th in opponent offensive rebound percentage). This is after a non-conference where we actually fared fairly well in some of these areas.

You know what else is starting to bother me? Our assist numbers. They are terrible, and to me they reflect a serious deficit in offensive philosophy. Our general lack of talent at PG plays into this (Demary is talented, but he is a driver, not a disher), but the numbers are still inexcusable. Working backwards over the losing streak:

Auburn: 5 on 24 made field goals (!)
Vanderbilt: 13 on 28 (not terrible)
Florida: 7 on 27 (!)
Arkansas: 10 on 26
Mississippi State: 6 on 20 (!)
South Carolina: 10 on 22 (USCe had 25 on 29!)
Alabama: 10 on 27
Florida: 18 on 39

We currently sit at 295th in the country in assists/game and 296th in assist percentage.

I don't like the story any of this tells, but it validates what my eyes tell me every game: the defense is terrible and the offense is no fun to watch against any defense that effectively pressures our guards (which should be every defense at this point).

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I completely agree on the assist problem. I was speaking with someone earlier today about that very thing. Hill doesn't pass very much; he plays hero ball. The ball stops moving when he's in the game. And we really don't have anyone who loves to pass the ball. We need guards who can shoot, pass and defend. I love the 2 freshmen, but we need IMO at least 5-6 guards on the team. We also need wings who can shoot it and play defense. We have to target the tight "type" of player.

And one other thing that I've mentioned before is that I would like to see us develop a style, an identity. I see no identity to our style of play. I think that's important. Recruit to that identity....

StevieBuckets said:

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That was one of the worst games I've attended in Stegeman in a long, long time. Sure, we were within 3 in the second half, but that was never a game. We were totally outclassed.

Are visiting fans (and players) obnoxious sometimes? Yes. Do I hate losing to Auburn? Even bigger yes.

There is one foolproof way to shut them up: win the game.

UgaBoz53 is absolutely correct. We just need some wins.

And you know why losing to Auburn really hurts? Because we're not all that different. Georgia could build what they have in 2-3 years. They've just chosen not to...

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yes sir

Bruce Pearl is one of the speediest, slimiest, scoundrels in all of sports.

UgaBoz53 said:

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5-9
15-12
we just need to get some wins

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5-11
15-14
we are a joke

Bulldawg1 said:

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Bruce Pearl is one of the speediest, slimiest, scoundrels in all of sports.

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and a winner though