Our defense is a problem

QuackAttackAggie · Post by **QuackAttackAggie** » December 1st, 2022, 9:04 pm

And it's going to cost us on Sunday

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sam tingey · Post by **sam tingey** » December 1st, 2022, 9:05 pm

if shots aren't falling, i agree. So far we have been able to outpace the other teams

stewusu98 · Post by **stewusu98** » December 1st, 2022, 9:15 pm

QuackAttackAggie wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 9:04 pm
And it's going to cost us on Sunday

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I actually came on here to say the same thing!

ThunderAggie · Post by **ThunderAggie** » December 1st, 2022, 9:16 pm

We live and die by the 3 but luckily we have been VERY hot from 3

SpectrumMagic · Post by **SpectrumMagic** » December 1st, 2022, 9:25 pm

ThunderAggie wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 9:16 pm
We live and die by the 3 but luckily we have been VERY hot from 3

Two guys have been very hot from 3 all year

Ashworth = 27-48 / 56%
Funk = 24-45 / 53%

Shulga = 11-27 / 41%

Rylan is at 43% but who knows his status going forward.

Rest of the team isn’t very good from 3.

There is no way Ashworth and Funk can keep this up. We need some other guys to step up and our D really needs to improve.

utaggies · Post by **utaggies** » December 1st, 2022, 9:30 pm

SpectrumMagic wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 9:25 pm

ThunderAggie wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 9:16 pm
We live and die by the 3 but luckily we have been VERY hot from 3
Two guys have been very hot from 3 all year

Ashworth = 27-48 / 56%
Funk = 24-45 / 53%

Shulga = 11-27 / 41%

Rylan is at 43% but who knows his status going forward.

Rest of the team isn’t very good from 3.

There is no way Ashworth and Funk can keep this up. We need some other guys to step up and our D really needs to improve.

We are getting very little production from three of our starters. That’s got to change if we harbor any illusions of competing to win the MWC.

AggieGrad2021 · Post by **AggieGrad2021** » December 1st, 2022, 9:31 pm

I really think we gotta get Akin working early. He has some ability to finish around the rim. Loved the High/Low game when funk got the ball at the free throw line to close the game out. It’s why we ended up winning. Shooting is fine. We have 3 potentially 4 snipers. 2/3 guys that can knock them down on top of that.

I think our defense was fine, we just fouled a ton. Probably due to being sluggish and lazy. If we don’t foul and we rebound we win by a lot

ThunderAggie · Post by **ThunderAggie** » December 1st, 2022, 9:31 pm

SpectrumMagic wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 9:25 pm

ThunderAggie wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 9:16 pm
We live and die by the 3 but luckily we have been VERY hot from 3
Two guys have been very hot from 3 all year

Ashworth = 27-48 / 56%
Funk = 24-45 / 53%

Shulga = 11-27 / 41%

Rylan is at 43% but who knows his status going forward.

Rest of the team isn’t very good from 3.

There is no way Ashworth and Funk can keep this up. We need some other guys to step up and our D really needs to improve.

Good point.

After todays 7 by Ashworth and 5 by Funk, both may be top 5 in the country
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-baske ... e/dir/desc

trevordude · Post by **trevordude** » December 1st, 2022, 9:32 pm

Most defensive metrics rank the Aggies in the 80-100 range. Not great, but i don't know.

#3 in defense rebounds per game

#69 in opponent effective field goal percentage

slcagg · Post by **slcagg** » December 1st, 2022, 9:33 pm

utaggies wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 9:30 pm

SpectrumMagic wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 9:25 pm

ThunderAggie wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 9:16 pm
We live and die by the 3 but luckily we have been VERY hot from 3
Two guys have been very hot from 3 all year

Ashworth = 27-48 / 56%
Funk = 24-45 / 53%

Shulga = 11-27 / 41%

Rylan is at 43% but who knows his status going forward.

Rest of the team isn’t very good from 3.

There is no way Ashworth and Funk can keep this up. We need some other guys to step up and our D really needs to improve.
We are getting very little production from three of our starters. That’s got to change if we harbor any illusions of competing to win the MWC.

Bairstow had a great game 1 and was reported he was our leading scorer in the scrimmage vs Washington.

Where is that bairstow?

Aggie84025 · Post by **Aggie84025** » December 1st, 2022, 9:39 pm

utaggies wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 9:30 pm

SpectrumMagic wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 9:25 pm

ThunderAggie wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 9:16 pm
We live and die by the 3 but luckily we have been VERY hot from 3
Two guys have been very hot from 3 all year

Ashworth = 27-48 / 56%
Funk = 24-45 / 53%

Shulga = 11-27 / 41%

Rylan is at 43% but who knows his status going forward.

Rest of the team isn’t very good from 3.

There is no way Ashworth and Funk can keep this up. We need some other guys to step up and our D really needs to improve.
We are getting very little production from three of our starters. That’s got to change if we harbor any illusions of competing to win the MWC.

Agreed, other than the first game Bairstow has been very underwhelming this year. I had high hopes that he was going to have a break out year but has not so far. I think he has the capability to be a 15 point scorer a night but needs to improve.

SectionBAggie · Post by **SectionBAggie** » December 1st, 2022, 9:43 pm

ThunderAggie wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 9:16 pm
We live and die by the 3 but luckily we have been VERY hot from 3

USU shot 17 for 24 inside the arc - over 70%. There is more to the offense than shooting threes.

QuackAttackAggie · Post by **QuackAttackAggie** » December 1st, 2022, 9:45 pm

trevordude wrote:Most defensive metrics rank the Aggies in the 80-100 range. Not great, but i don't know.

#3 in defense rebounds per game

#69 in opponent effective field goal percentage

This is reassuring

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UStateTim · Post by **UStateTim** » December 1st, 2022, 9:56 pm

We play a faster pace with more possessions so ppg could be a little misleading. I’d still like to see us keep teams in the 60s on average. Right now it’s about 75 per game

SpectrumMagic · Post by **SpectrumMagic** » December 1st, 2022, 9:59 pm

We've had games where the other team has guys go off and we haven’t been able to adjust and slow that guy down.

Williams in SD = 43 points. Has really struggled since our game

Gooden = 29 points. Does average 16.1 but we could not slow him down

Oral Roberts shot 14-31 from 3 against us. Then against powerhouse Rogers state 7-26 and ozark Christian 14-36

I am a little worried if Funk and Ashworth are slowed down what that will look like

Aggie84025 · Post by **Aggie84025** » December 1st, 2022, 10:12 pm

Our 3 point defense has got to improve. Several teams and players have had above average 3 point shooting against the Aggies. There will be nights that our 3 point shooters are off and will require defense to win games. I have been pleased the way the team has played in the waning minutes of close games, that is encouraging. If you had told me we would be 6-0 to start the season I would be ecstatic.

slcagg · Post by **slcagg** » December 1st, 2022, 10:19 pm

We have Steph…I mean Steve. Don’t worry.

Dkdavis · Post by **Dkdavis** » December 1st, 2022, 10:26 pm

SpectrumMagic wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 9:59 pm
We've had games where the other team has guys go off and we haven’t been able to adjust and slow that guy down.

Williams in SD = 43 points. Has really struggled since our game

Gooden = 29 points. Does average 16.1 but we could not slow him down

Oral Roberts shot 14-31 from 3 against us. Then against powerhouse Rogers state 7-26 and ozark Christian 14-36

I am a little worried if Funk and Ashworth are slowed down what that will look like

#3 on their team has 20 points at the half. He went scoreless for the the first 13 of the second half.

MetsJetsAggies · Post by **MetsJetsAggies** » December 1st, 2022, 11:19 pm

If Bairstow and Eytle Rock aren’t going to do anything offensively then Hamoda should play 30+ for his D alone IMO

utaggies · Post by **utaggies** » December 2nd, 2022, 2:08 am

Aggie84025 wrote: ↑
December 1st, 2022, 10:12 pm
Our 3 point defense has got to improve. Several teams and players have had above average 3 point shooting against the Aggies. There will be nights that our 3 point shooters are off and will require defense to win games. I have been pleased the way the team has played in the waning minutes of close games, that is encouraging. If you had told me we would be 6-0 to start the season I would be ecstatic.

Guard play is the culprit. Our point guards are undersized. They are easily picked off on high-post screens. And, as was the case tonight, when they try to fight through the screens they pick up fouls. As a response to their size limitations both Jones and Ashworth have clearly worked for years at trying to draw offensive fouls. That’s a two-edged sword. The downside is that they quickly get a reputation for the same and at best may not get the benefit of the doubt and subsequently are called for blocking fouls. And at worst they are called for flopping.

When we go big RJ is just too slow and Bairstow is simply not good defensively. Shulga is clearly the best option but he can’t play the whole game. Our second-best option may be to hope that the other team starts missing their threes.

gwaggies999 · Post by **gwaggies999** » December 2nd, 2022, 3:09 am

Wow…it sounds like we lost by a lot tonight. That sucks.

utaggies · Post by **utaggies** » December 2nd, 2022, 3:54 am

gwaggies999 wrote: ↑
December 2nd, 2022, 3:09 am
Wow…it sounds like we lost by a lot tonight. That sucks.

When an undefeated Aggie team was an 18-1/2 point favorite at home against a Quad 4 opponent a 5 point is a bit disappointing.

afausu · Post by **afausu** » December 2nd, 2022, 7:46 am

Saying bairstow has been underwhelming is very generous. He’s been very bad. Turnover machine, defensive liability, can’t make shots. Every year was going to be his breakout year. It ain’t happening.

NVAggie · Post by **NVAggie** » December 2nd, 2022, 8:14 am

I'm happy to continue being undefeated. It is not going to last this season. We will lose some games. We have a several guys playing at a very high level. The rest need to start pulling their weight.

Aggie702 · Post by **Aggie702** » December 2nd, 2022, 9:33 am

1 - a win is a win
2 - we played five games in the first 15 days of the season, then we had a nine day break before last nights game. Some rust should be expected given the long time off after playing so regularly
3 - while the players always say they take every game seriously and never overlook an opponent, they are still college aged kids. Between being 5-0 and seeing the quality of our opponent last night, and possibly looking ahead to San Fran, it's likely our guys thought we had an easy win last night and the play reflected that
4 - a scare like this against an inferior opponent can be a good thing and help our guys refocus for the next games
5 - we are 6-0. Let's get to 7-0. Will be interesting to see how we do this December. We all remember starting last season 0-1, but we actually reeled off 7 straight wins to get to 7-1. Then the wheels came off a bit in December, with losses to BYU, St Marys, a blowout to Iowa and our first conference game to AFA. Hopefully we can stay strong in December this year and keep winning and avoid a repeat of last year.

918AGG · Post by **918AGG** » December 2nd, 2022, 9:42 am

What do y'all want to bet that Khalil Shabazz is going to score 25+ on us?

I'll start complaining when we start losing.

MarioWest · Post by **MarioWest** » December 2nd, 2022, 9:44 am

Glass half full: Shulga and Hamoda went 0/7 from 3 and will shoot better. The defense isn't as bad as it looked last night. The Aggies were rusty from a long layoff, probably overlooking Utah Tech and missing a key player. Not only is Jones a solid defender in his own right, but his absence has a cumulative effect as several guys were visibly gassed due to increased minutes. Utah Tech shot 52% from 3. If they shoot their season average of 35%, it's a 20 point win as expected. Conventional wisdom says defense doesn't have much control over the opponent's 3pt%.

Glass half empty: Opponents are consistently getting hot from 3 for a reason. As Ashworth's offensive burden increases, his defense wanes considerably. Can't fault him for that, but it's a reality. This team severely lacks depth and any injuries will continue to have an outsized impact. Ashworth and Funk won't shoot 50%+ from 3 all season. Akin has never been quite this good before. Bairstow seems completely lost and, while Hamoda is a good defender, he fouls too much and takes too many bad shots. RJER made a couple shots but still doesn't look right. With inconsistency from the other wings, Shulga has to play too much which hurts his shooting and defense.

I understand the calls to bench Bairstow and if there was a must-win game tomorrow, it would be the right move. But this team isn't deep enough to give up on Bairstow yet, especially if Jones misses time. I believe in Hamoda and he will get better with experience, but, right now, he would foul out before he hit 30 minutes. Bairstow simply has to contribute for this team to reach its ceiling.

Aggie84025 · Post by **Aggie84025** » December 2nd, 2022, 9:56 am

MarioWest wrote: ↑
December 2nd, 2022, 9:44 am
Glass half full: Shulga and Hamoda went 0/7 from 3 and will shoot better. The defense isn't as bad as it looked last night. The Aggies were rusty from a long layoff, probably overlooking Utah Tech and missing a key player. Not only is Jones a solid defender in his own right, but his absence has a cumulative effect as several guys were visibly gassed due to increased minutes. Utah Tech shot 52% from 3. If they shoot their season average of 35%, it's a 20 point win as expected. Conventional wisdom says defense doesn't have much control over the opponent's 3pt%.

Glass half empty: Opponents are consistently getting hot from 3 for a reason. As Ashworth's offensive burden increases, his defense wanes considerably. Can't fault him for that, but it's a reality. This team severely lacks depth and any injuries will continue to have an outsized impact. Ashworth and Funk won't shoot 50%+ from 3 all season. Akin has never been quite this good before. Bairstow seems completely lost and, while Hamoda is a good defender, he fouls too much and takes too many bad shots. RJER made a couple shots but still doesn't look right. With inconsistency from the other wings, Shulga has to play too much which hurts his shooting and defense.

I understand the calls to bench Bairstow and if there was a must-win game tomorrow, it would be the right move. But this team isn't deep enough to give up on Bairstow yet, especially if Jones misses time. I believe in Hamoda and he will get better with experience, but, right now, he would foul out before he hit 30 minutes. Bairstow simply has to contribute for this team to reach its ceiling.

I still have hope that Bairstow will improve and be more like he was at the end of last year. RJER is not getting many minutes but we will need him at times this season. He made some big baskets last night during the run that out the Aggies up for good.

OKAggie · Post by **OKAggie** » December 2nd, 2022, 11:13 am

What worries me more is our lack of offensive rebounding. We had four total offensive boards, leading to two (!) second-chance points. Against a middling WAC team (seven OR, but for 13 second-chance points) whose best big was on the bench most of the game with foul trouble.

Just an off night? We'd better hope so.

tipitup · Post by **tipitup** » December 2nd, 2022, 11:24 am

OKAggie wrote: ↑
December 2nd, 2022, 11:13 am
What worries me more is our lack of offensive rebounding. We had four total offensive boards, leading to two (!) second-chance points. Against a middling WAC team (seven OR, but for 13 second-chance points) whose best big was on the bench most of the game with foul trouble.

Just an off night? We'd better hope so.

i thought the rotations on defense for Utah Tech was perfect. we would get trapped on the drive and end up kicking it out, and our offense was four out for most of the night, so we were never in position to get offensive rebounds. they were trying, just getting boxed out really well! Don't forget the Judkins can coach!!!

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