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Username Post: v. Columbia        (Topic#12889)
mountainred 
Masters Student
Posts: 509

Age: 57
Loc: Charleston, WV
Reg: 04-11-10
01-18-12 02:50 PM - Post#117526    

Looking at the KenPom numbers, this should be quite the defensive struggle. Both teams are above average defensively but almost fourth quartile on offense. Cornell's description at BBallstate is "has difficulty scoring baskets." Hard to disagree with that. Meanwhile, Columbia is "hard to score against." First to 21 wins?

Last weekend, Cornell did a nice job of getting to the line and avoiding foul trouble -- something they have struggled with all season. They also basically tied the P's in rebounding -- another season-long issue. If Cornell can do that again, the Big Red have a good chance to get road win #1. The problem is that Columbia has rebounded well, especially on the defensive end, and hasn't sent teams to the line.

A .500 finish for either team is going to be a challenge, and probably requires a sweep. These next two games are going to be very telling and probably far too tense for my liking.


 
mountainred 
Masters Student
Posts: 509

Age: 57
Loc: Charleston, WV
Reg: 04-11-10
01-22-12 12:44 AM - Post#117873    
    In response to mountainred

Didn't see the game, but the box score is not pretty. As if he were trying to prove Mike J right, Galel Cancer manages to take 10 shots (missing 7) in only 15 minutes of work. One third of Cornell's shots were threes (19), and the Big Red hit only four of them (21%). The rebounds were close to even but for Mark Cisco. Unfortunately for Cornell, Cisco had 20 rebounds. You know it's bad when Jon Gray plays for 33 minutes and the box makes it look like the right move.

Defensively, it wasn't a bad effort, though I have no idea how the Lions played (one person on their board didn't seem happy). Cornell continues to have success turning the other team over (18 tonight). Columbia's eFG% was 43.4%, which isn't good. I guess that's something.

After 17 games, Cornell's issues aren't exactly a secret, but it is not pretty to see so many of them of manifested in one game.

 
pennhoops 
Postdoc
Posts: 2470

Reg: 11-21-04
01-23-12 10:27 AM - Post#117983    
    In response to mountainred

Who leaves after this year? Wrobelewski, right? Plus Groebe (where was he?) and Ferry?

 
mountainred 
Masters Student
Posts: 509

Age: 57
Loc: Charleston, WV
Reg: 04-11-10
01-23-12 11:57 AM - Post#117987    
    In response to pennhoops

There are four seniors listed: 'ski, Ferry, Groebe and Gatlin, though I'm pretty sure Gatlin hasn't even entered a game this season.

 
TheLine 
Professor
Posts: 5597

Age: 60
Reg: 07-07-09
01-23-12 12:22 PM - Post#117991    
    In response to mountainred

Great analysis, mountainred.

Courtney is an enigma. He does get the team to play hard for him and puts his team in a position to win most nights even when his team is outclassed. On the other hand he tends to favor hustle guys (Grey, Cancer, Matthews last year) over skills guys (Wire last year, perhaps Groebe this year?) and there simply aren't enough players on the court capable of scoring. That makes the job of the opposition defense easy. It's possible that there is a grand scheme to this - he needs the Greys and Cancers on the court to instill the defensive discipline he's teaching and the points will come later. But even if there is a grand scheme he better start recruiting better scorers or else his tenure is doomed.

Courtney might be the opposite of Agel. Agel gets the most out of his skills players but Agel either has players who aren't good defenders or he isn't a good defensive coach. Courtney gets the most out of his tools and hustle players but Courtney either has players who aren't good on the offensive end or he isn't a good offensive coach.


 
mountainred 
Masters Student
Posts: 509

Age: 57
Loc: Charleston, WV
Reg: 04-11-10
01-23-12 07:02 PM - Post#118032    
    In response to TheLine

It is hard not to like Courtney as a person and, you are correct, his teams typically play hard. Cornell is 16-29 under him, but only a handful of the losses have completely gotten away from the team.

As a coach, I think the jury is still out and will be (or at least should be) until we see what he does with his players. When Courtney was hired, he talked about constant pressure defense. He's starting to get those guys and you are seeing it in the style Cornell plays. It means many of the "hustle" guys (Miles, Gray) get PT while the shooters (Groebe, Fignini) that Donahue brought in are not. And the defense looks fine; the KenPom defensive efficiency currently stands in the top 100. You can win with that. But the offense is "cover your eyes" bad and often just looks stagnant. Last year, three point shooting sometimes covered that up. This year, Cornell is down to #261 in three point shooting.

Over on the Cornell boards, there are two camps. One has not accepted that the cupboard was a lot more bare than we thought it was and is blaming Courtney for not winning with a "talented" roster. The other understands that the Big Red doesn't have first divison talent and is watching to see how this plays out. (Any guess which camp I'm in?) In Bill's favor, basketball is the #3 winter sport in Ithaca after hockey and wrestling, so the administration will give him time as long as there is some indication of progress.

 
mountainred 
Masters Student
Posts: 509

Age: 57
Loc: Charleston, WV
Reg: 04-11-10
01-23-12 07:03 PM - Post#118033    
    In response to TheLine

And I always thought Wire was more of a hustle guy than a skill guy -- why Courtney didn't play him was a mystery to me, considering the other guys he played.

 
mountainred 
Masters Student
Posts: 509

Age: 57
Loc: Charleston, WV
Reg: 04-11-10
01-29-12 08:24 PM - Post#118526    
    In response to mountainred

If only to get the "question" about Ryan off the top line....

I'm curious if this nearly full-time 4 guard look is going to be the plan the rest of the way, or just a match-up Courtney liked for the Lions. Only four forwards played and two (Figini and Giddens) got a cup of coffee or less. Considering Eitan is not a rebounder or a great defender, that just yields too much control over the boards and the lane for my taste.

I wish I were happier with a league win, but it took the best game of the season from 'ski and Gray to pull out a one possession game at home (Gray hit two FT's with less than a second left). Drew posted his third awful game in four Ivy starts; I'm worried the league has the book on how to stop him. And when Ferry isn't shooting well, his minutes are very empty. Eitan managed four travels -- one on a two on none fast break -- and five fouls in nineteen minutes. Cancer came off the bench, not a bad idea, and was better controlled, but still had to be taken off the floor in the closing minutes after two bad decisions.

Kem Pom says Cornell has a 6% chance of winning at Harvard and that seems optimistic. Dartmouth is going to be a huge game. The Big Green are going to win a few at Leede. The Big Red can't afford to let Saaturday be one of them if they are going to reach 7-7 in the league (my prediction for the team and I'm sticking to it until it can't be done).

 
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