A. We lost because we couldn’t shoot. People who say we lost because of our effort didn’t watch the game. They couldn’t make a shot. Oklahoma was on fire. That shook us a bit early, and we couldn’t recover.
We shot 4-32 from 3. You know the winning percentage of teams that have done that in the last 5 seasons? 0%. And they shot 14-26 from 3. So they scored 30 more points on 3s on 6 fewer shots. That’s the game right there.
B. If half our shots are going to be 3s, we need to shoot better. We’re at 28.6% shooting on the season despite taking half our shots from back there. Hart, Booth and Jenkins are all shooting well below their career averages. Brunson and Bridges have not shot well all year, and neither has Donte. The only one who has shot decently is Arch.
At some point, we need to either shoot fewer 3s, or start making them. I think the way the team is built, we need to be better shooters because we’re going to be small. I’m not pressing the panic button because players are shooting well below their career averages, but it’s definitely a concern.
C. This game was one of the weirder atmospheres I’ve ever seen because of Pearl Harbor. Honoring a veteran on every return from break. Tiny crowd in a high school gym. Just odd. And it’s part of the reason I’m not as upset about the game as I otherwise would be. I’m hoping we can chalk this up in part to the location.
D. Oklahoma is really good. Like Final Four good. They’ve shot the three well all year, not just tonight, though 13-24 is ridiculous against anyone.
E. If we want to gain respect nationally, we need to beat Virginia. This looks like another Villanova flop on a big stage to the general public. Not to mention, a 20-point neutral court loss against another team competing for a possible 1-2 seed won't look good in March unless we separate ourselves elsewhere.
F. Ochefu needs to play more. He played 21 minutes tonight. Now, he’s played 30 minutes in a non-OT game just twice in his career, so he’s not necessarily used to it. But he’s a senior, and now is the time to ride him. The difference between him and Reynolds is astronomical, and if Jenkins isn’t shooting well, he’s a liability at the 5.
G. Shooting stats...Villanova is the 13th team in the last 20 seasons to take 32+ threes and make 4 or fewer. 12.5% is worst by any team this year (min 25 3-pt FGA).
One last thing - we're still a very good team. Panic if you want, but I'm not. We won't shoot this bad the rest of the year.
We shot 4-32 from 3. You know the winning percentage of teams that have done that in the last 5 seasons? 0%. And they shot 14-26 from 3. So they scored 30 more points on 3s on 6 fewer shots. That’s the game right there.
B. If half our shots are going to be 3s, we need to shoot better. We’re at 28.6% shooting on the season despite taking half our shots from back there. Hart, Booth and Jenkins are all shooting well below their career averages. Brunson and Bridges have not shot well all year, and neither has Donte. The only one who has shot decently is Arch.
At some point, we need to either shoot fewer 3s, or start making them. I think the way the team is built, we need to be better shooters because we’re going to be small. I’m not pressing the panic button because players are shooting well below their career averages, but it’s definitely a concern.
C. This game was one of the weirder atmospheres I’ve ever seen because of Pearl Harbor. Honoring a veteran on every return from break. Tiny crowd in a high school gym. Just odd. And it’s part of the reason I’m not as upset about the game as I otherwise would be. I’m hoping we can chalk this up in part to the location.
D. Oklahoma is really good. Like Final Four good. They’ve shot the three well all year, not just tonight, though 13-24 is ridiculous against anyone.
E. If we want to gain respect nationally, we need to beat Virginia. This looks like another Villanova flop on a big stage to the general public. Not to mention, a 20-point neutral court loss against another team competing for a possible 1-2 seed won't look good in March unless we separate ourselves elsewhere.
F. Ochefu needs to play more. He played 21 minutes tonight. Now, he’s played 30 minutes in a non-OT game just twice in his career, so he’s not necessarily used to it. But he’s a senior, and now is the time to ride him. The difference between him and Reynolds is astronomical, and if Jenkins isn’t shooting well, he’s a liability at the 5.
G. Shooting stats...Villanova is the 13th team in the last 20 seasons to take 32+ threes and make 4 or fewer. 12.5% is worst by any team this year (min 25 3-pt FGA).
One last thing - we're still a very good team. Panic if you want, but I'm not. We won't shoot this bad the rest of the year.
