. . do not appear to be materializing.
Turnovers - we've shaved .5 per game off our season average since January. We've been around 13 per game for a while. Mann's holding at a little under 3.5 per game. That number could have gotten way way out of hand with our injuries. (Honestly, I think we could be at 11 - top 15% of D1 - even with ol' Charles if we just stinkin' passed and caught and rebounded with two hands.)
Free throw shooting - team average up to 68.9. Mann and Thornton take over 60% of our free throws and they have both raised their season average by five points since January to above 65%. Additionally, JJ is now shooting the third most free throws and he's way up there - around 85%. Gettin' butter there for sure. (We rank 16 nationally in FT attempts - an efficient way to score at almost 69%. And helps our defense . . . speaking of . . . )
We are ranked a lofty 5 nationally in defensive rebounds, 18 nationally in field goal percentage defense and ranked 30 in three point defense percentage.
Probably because we are playing more zone . . . actually I'm not being sarcastic - I think we are playing more zone and by doing so are playing it better and its given us another defensive weapon. And while our guys thankfully dont' free lance in the zone, it seems, maybe, to give us a certain freedom in our decision making to pounce on a famliar set or lazy pass for a turnover and with a veteran team we can do that and not screw up and let a guy loose for an easy shot. I'll let our resident zone man (da dat dah, da dat dah, he's our zone man) analyze that.
These are the kind of improvements that make me holler bring on the 'Cats - we have improved our biggest weaknesses, built on our strengths, and done it all while fighting through some difficult injury situations. It might have cost us a win or so, I have no real idea, but as far as where we are now as a team, I think the injuries combined with our leadership and resilience to help us find new ways to win and forced us to step up and improve.
One might suggest the injuries played into Coach Fox's strength - team, leadership. resilience - to help him improve the team.
Turnovers - we've shaved .5 per game off our season average since January. We've been around 13 per game for a while. Mann's holding at a little under 3.5 per game. That number could have gotten way way out of hand with our injuries. (Honestly, I think we could be at 11 - top 15% of D1 - even with ol' Charles if we just stinkin' passed and caught and rebounded with two hands.)
Free throw shooting - team average up to 68.9. Mann and Thornton take over 60% of our free throws and they have both raised their season average by five points since January to above 65%. Additionally, JJ is now shooting the third most free throws and he's way up there - around 85%. Gettin' butter there for sure. (We rank 16 nationally in FT attempts - an efficient way to score at almost 69%. And helps our defense . . . speaking of . . . )
We are ranked a lofty 5 nationally in defensive rebounds, 18 nationally in field goal percentage defense and ranked 30 in three point defense percentage.
Probably because we are playing more zone . . . actually I'm not being sarcastic - I think we are playing more zone and by doing so are playing it better and its given us another defensive weapon. And while our guys thankfully dont' free lance in the zone, it seems, maybe, to give us a certain freedom in our decision making to pounce on a famliar set or lazy pass for a turnover and with a veteran team we can do that and not screw up and let a guy loose for an easy shot. I'll let our resident zone man (da dat dah, da dat dah, he's our zone man) analyze that.
These are the kind of improvements that make me holler bring on the 'Cats - we have improved our biggest weaknesses, built on our strengths, and done it all while fighting through some difficult injury situations. It might have cost us a win or so, I have no real idea, but as far as where we are now as a team, I think the injuries combined with our leadership and resilience to help us find new ways to win and forced us to step up and improve.
One might suggest the injuries played into Coach Fox's strength - team, leadership. resilience - to help him improve the team.
