Random thoughts on the 2nd Coastal Carolina game
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 4:31 am
1. Home sweet home. The truth of the matter and unsurprising to no one is the fact we're a completely different team when at home. At the dome of doom were a robust 18-3, but on the road or on a neutral court were a measly 4-12. Next year along with protecting our home court we need to take the next big step and be a vastly improved team on the road.
2. The first half was very sluggish and although Wyoming had a 33-27 halftime lead both teams should have been disappointed they weren't leading by double digits. Wyoming should have been disappointed because they were playing on their home court and they held the opposing team to 28.7% shooting from the field, 15% shooting from the arc, and 50% shooting from the free throw line. Playing at home and holding the opposing team to such a low shooting have they should have easily been up by double digits. Coastal Carolina should have been disappointed they didn't have a double digit lead after the first half because at the midway point they again were dominating us on the offensive glass as well as forcing droves of turnovers, 10 to be exact. You force that many turnovers and get than many more shots than the opposing team (12) in a half you should have a double digit lead. Possibly the reason for such a sluggish half was because both teams struggled with the quick turn around and travel from Conway South Carolina to Laramie Wyoming the Cowboys.
3. Rebounding was again an issue, but unlike in game one we were able to limit the damage. Coastal Carolina had 18 offensive rebounds and only 11 in game two. While 11 offensive rebounds is still a little too many to give up, it's considerable better than 18. And unlike in game one we were able to keep them from scoring many second chance points. The overall rebounding total is certainly misleading. In the box score it will read that Wyoming won the rebounding battle 45-36. However it should be noted that Coastal Carolina attempted 12 more shots than us and made 4 fewer baskets, giving Wyoming considerable more opportunities to get rebounds. In game three Wyoming needs to continue to increase their efforts on the glass.
4. Turnovers plagued us again, much like they have throughout the entire season. As I noted earlier our 10 turnovers in the first half were a major reason this game wasn't a complete run away from start to finish. But on a positive note we only had 5 turnovers in the second half. It has been my belief that if we can limit our turnovers to around 10 per game at the pace we play we're in good shape. So it was no coincidence that in the second half where we only had 5 turnovers we outscored Coastal Carolina 48-30. If we lose in game three I believe rebounding and turnovers will be the catalyst that leads to our demise.
5. Edwards starting Barnes was a good decision. If you would have asked me before the game I would have said we should start either Naughton or Dalton in place of Moemeka. But Edwards again went to the the much maligned Barnes for the start, and it paid dividends. Looking at the box score would give you no indication that Barnes was any factor in the game what so ever. But watching the game you could clearly see that his hustle and size down low lead to multiple second chance opportunities which helped set the tone for what turned out to be a wire to wire victory.
6. Gorski was used to perfection in this game. Obviously it is easy to say that in hindsight after seeing him score 17pts and hit 5 three's, most if not all game in the second half. But this is how a player of Gorski's skill level (streaky shooter/limited athletically) should be used. Give him a few minutes here and there and if he's having an off shooting night play him sparingly, but if he's stroking it like he was against Coastal Carolina ride him until he drops.
7. It was good to see James get back to playing like the budding star he is, as opposed to the horrific game he had in game one. While he still has a tendency to turn the ball over too much, these are the kind of performance's we have been getting used to from him. He was 8/13 from the field, shot 40% from the arc, was perfect from the stripe, collected 8 rebounds, and chipped in 3asst/1stl/2blk. That's a solid nights work and this team is obviously better when he is starting and playing up to his high capabilities.
8. Herndon only had 8pts but I thought he was a force to be reckoned with down low. He blocked another 2 shots, but it was his effort on rebounding that really excited and impressed me. Herndon took a page out of Dalton's book and aggressively attacked the glass instead of being a reactionary rebounder like he normally is. I've always been a Herndon supporter and I think he catches a lot of unfair criticism because he's not the traditional "big" that people have come to expect.
But a game like this proves he can be a plus rebounder if he plays with the proper demeanor. Hopefully next year he finds it in himself to bring that type of intensity every night.
9. Dalton although struggling with his shot (1/8fg) had a pretty solid game. It was good to see that his shot being off didn't affect the rest of his game. He had several nice passes that lead to dunks, was effective on the glass, and added 2 blocks. These are the types of performances that are the difference between winning and losing, because on a night when your not shooting well you need to find other ways to positively impact the game.
10. I thought it is was a stand up move on Edwards part to address the crowd after the game and give his thanks for what was a good crowd, as well as to pay for the first 250 students to Friday's game. We have been very tough on Edwards this year and rightfully so to an extent. But it seems to me that he's learning and growing into the position. With this win or with a win on Friday I believe he enters the all-time top 5 for wins by a first year head coach in NCAA history.
11. There were only 3,800 people in attendance but it felt more like 10,000. It sure is nice having our fans all sitting together in the lower bowl as opposed to spread out throughout the whole arena. I know this topic has been touched on several times, and I don't have the solution to the problem but it makes for a much better game day experience and I hope it's something that is looked into moving forward. It would be nice if we could pack more people into the AA for the final game but I fear the weather and a 5pm tip-off time will limit our numbers. The town of Laramie and the students need to step up.
2. The first half was very sluggish and although Wyoming had a 33-27 halftime lead both teams should have been disappointed they weren't leading by double digits. Wyoming should have been disappointed because they were playing on their home court and they held the opposing team to 28.7% shooting from the field, 15% shooting from the arc, and 50% shooting from the free throw line. Playing at home and holding the opposing team to such a low shooting have they should have easily been up by double digits. Coastal Carolina should have been disappointed they didn't have a double digit lead after the first half because at the midway point they again were dominating us on the offensive glass as well as forcing droves of turnovers, 10 to be exact. You force that many turnovers and get than many more shots than the opposing team (12) in a half you should have a double digit lead. Possibly the reason for such a sluggish half was because both teams struggled with the quick turn around and travel from Conway South Carolina to Laramie Wyoming the Cowboys.
3. Rebounding was again an issue, but unlike in game one we were able to limit the damage. Coastal Carolina had 18 offensive rebounds and only 11 in game two. While 11 offensive rebounds is still a little too many to give up, it's considerable better than 18. And unlike in game one we were able to keep them from scoring many second chance points. The overall rebounding total is certainly misleading. In the box score it will read that Wyoming won the rebounding battle 45-36. However it should be noted that Coastal Carolina attempted 12 more shots than us and made 4 fewer baskets, giving Wyoming considerable more opportunities to get rebounds. In game three Wyoming needs to continue to increase their efforts on the glass.
4. Turnovers plagued us again, much like they have throughout the entire season. As I noted earlier our 10 turnovers in the first half were a major reason this game wasn't a complete run away from start to finish. But on a positive note we only had 5 turnovers in the second half. It has been my belief that if we can limit our turnovers to around 10 per game at the pace we play we're in good shape. So it was no coincidence that in the second half where we only had 5 turnovers we outscored Coastal Carolina 48-30. If we lose in game three I believe rebounding and turnovers will be the catalyst that leads to our demise.
5. Edwards starting Barnes was a good decision. If you would have asked me before the game I would have said we should start either Naughton or Dalton in place of Moemeka. But Edwards again went to the the much maligned Barnes for the start, and it paid dividends. Looking at the box score would give you no indication that Barnes was any factor in the game what so ever. But watching the game you could clearly see that his hustle and size down low lead to multiple second chance opportunities which helped set the tone for what turned out to be a wire to wire victory.
6. Gorski was used to perfection in this game. Obviously it is easy to say that in hindsight after seeing him score 17pts and hit 5 three's, most if not all game in the second half. But this is how a player of Gorski's skill level (streaky shooter/limited athletically) should be used. Give him a few minutes here and there and if he's having an off shooting night play him sparingly, but if he's stroking it like he was against Coastal Carolina ride him until he drops.
7. It was good to see James get back to playing like the budding star he is, as opposed to the horrific game he had in game one. While he still has a tendency to turn the ball over too much, these are the kind of performance's we have been getting used to from him. He was 8/13 from the field, shot 40% from the arc, was perfect from the stripe, collected 8 rebounds, and chipped in 3asst/1stl/2blk. That's a solid nights work and this team is obviously better when he is starting and playing up to his high capabilities.
8. Herndon only had 8pts but I thought he was a force to be reckoned with down low. He blocked another 2 shots, but it was his effort on rebounding that really excited and impressed me. Herndon took a page out of Dalton's book and aggressively attacked the glass instead of being a reactionary rebounder like he normally is. I've always been a Herndon supporter and I think he catches a lot of unfair criticism because he's not the traditional "big" that people have come to expect.
But a game like this proves he can be a plus rebounder if he plays with the proper demeanor. Hopefully next year he finds it in himself to bring that type of intensity every night.
9. Dalton although struggling with his shot (1/8fg) had a pretty solid game. It was good to see that his shot being off didn't affect the rest of his game. He had several nice passes that lead to dunks, was effective on the glass, and added 2 blocks. These are the types of performances that are the difference between winning and losing, because on a night when your not shooting well you need to find other ways to positively impact the game.
10. I thought it is was a stand up move on Edwards part to address the crowd after the game and give his thanks for what was a good crowd, as well as to pay for the first 250 students to Friday's game. We have been very tough on Edwards this year and rightfully so to an extent. But it seems to me that he's learning and growing into the position. With this win or with a win on Friday I believe he enters the all-time top 5 for wins by a first year head coach in NCAA history.
11. There were only 3,800 people in attendance but it felt more like 10,000. It sure is nice having our fans all sitting together in the lower bowl as opposed to spread out throughout the whole arena. I know this topic has been touched on several times, and I don't have the solution to the problem but it makes for a much better game day experience and I hope it's something that is looked into moving forward. It would be nice if we could pack more people into the AA for the final game but I fear the weather and a 5pm tip-off time will limit our numbers. The town of Laramie and the students need to step up.