Voice of Reason

[GoMuskies]

Can’t questions Naji’s heart though...maybe his judgement, but not his heart.

100% agree. It's not Naji's job to take himself out because he's limping around and ineffective.

[Muskie]

100% agree. It's not Naji's job to take himself out because he's limping around and ineffective.

I'll return to my constant theme during the six-game losing streak. Who would you have put in to give Naji a breather? We were reminded last night that when someone is tired, having an off night, or banged up that there really is no margin for substituting someone off the bench.

[Caf]

We'd have had a hard time having worse PG play from whoever took over the role for 3 minutes while Goodin rested.

I think this is the crux of it. It was tight all game, maybe he could have done it right when he put Scruggs back in. I think it was around 8 minutes left, 50-55. I certainly don't believe a fresher Goodin in exchange for 3 minutes of a limping Naji, a gassed Jones, Hankins, Scruggs, plus Castlin, Welage, or Harden wins that game. That's half because I don't think a fresh Goodin is that much better, and another half that he's the only backcourt player who was able to pass last night. 0 AST for Scruggs, Welage, Castlin, 1 for Naji.

To be honest the assist numbers really make Naji's turnovers more dramatic. 6 TOs for Goodin is a ton, but at least he has some assists to balance them. How Naji manages 4 TOs on 1 assist is unreal.

[GoMuskies]

I'll return to my constant theme during the six-game losing streak. Who would you have put in to give Naji a breather? We were reminded last night that when someone is tired, having an off night, or banged up that there really is no margin for substituting someone off the bench.

Obviously Naji's tough to replace, but if he was too hurt to play at all, he'd have had to figure it out. Whatever that plan might have been was probably the right plan for last night, too. That's an awfully tough call when Naji has been the best player in the league the last couple of weeks, but he just physically wasn't capable. I won't be even a little bit surprised if he misses Saturday's game.

[MHettel]

The refs let Baldwin hack at the ballhandlers all night. He was slapping and reaching and they let it happen. If they call that just once, it reduces the occurance drastically. If they call it twice, then its not going to happen at all.

I could tell within 5 minutes that the refs were going to let Baldwin get away with that crap all night, and that would be the reason we lost.....and then it was.

[xudash]

That's the part that is so hard to understand. You would have thought that their recent success, largely due IMHO to the fact that they played with trust and as a team at both ends of the court, might have shown them that the "hero-ball" model on offense doesn't work. Yet that is effectively what they did. Add to it the fact that they played with no energy against a jacked up senior day crowd and opponent (why no energy is hard to understand given what this game meant to them), and you have a recipe for a defeat against a very mediocre Butler team. Now the possibility of an at-large bid has likely disappeared

Spot on.

Whether it was "energy" or a lack of focus or both, a few of those turnovers were simply inexcusable at this point in the season in general (i.e. should have that stuff well under control by now) and given this game and what was at stake.

[Xville]

The refs let Baldwin hack at the ballhandlers all night. He was slapping and reaching and they let it happen. If they call that just once, it reduces the occurance drastically. If they call it twice, then its not going to happen at all.

I could tell within 5 minutes that the refs were going to let Baldwin get away with that crap all night, and that would be the reason we lost.....and then it was.

I understand defending our guys, but this is not the reason x lost. They lost because q and naji went back to the hero ball which caused the six game losing streak in the first place and selfishly refused to do what was needed to win the game.

[AviatorX]

I understand defending our guys, but this is not the reason x lost. They lost because q and naji went back to the hero ball which caused the six game losing streak in the first place and selfishly refused to do what was needed to win the game.

These takes crack me up man. Did they selfishly refuse to do what was needed to win, or maybe, just maybe, Butler also has guys on scholarship and did a great job heating up the ball and making it difficult to get it into the post? Not to mention they packed it in down the stretch and X couldn’t make a shot.

[Xville]

These takes crack me up man. Did they selfishly refuse to do what was needed to win, or maybe, just maybe, Butler also has guys on scholarship and did a great job heating up the ball and making it difficult to get it into the post? Not to mention they packed it in down the stretch and X couldn’t make a shot.

If you haven't, id invite you to watch the 2nd half again and then come back with that take. The first 10 or so minutes, x does exactly what they need to do to win the game. After that, its hero ball for the majority of the rest of the game, and butler didnt suddenly change anything schematically. Like others though, I dont understand what Steele was doing when he took hankins out of the game for 8 minutes when essentially crunch time. That was a coaching mistake, period.

[xukeith]

DePaul sucked and whipped SJU. Does SJU suck?