So the sequel didn’t go so great. Robert Morris fell to the University of Kentucky
The Positives:
1) Karvel
Anderson: Karvel did Karvel things. He knocked down some three pointers
but kept defenders off balance with the occasional drive to the hoop and
mid-range jump shots from the elbow. The 5-17 stat line may not reflect it, but
Karvel is the go-to guy on this squad
and at least stepped up to the task. He went ice cold late when the game was
out of reach.
2) The game plan: I loved what coach Toole and staff put
together, the execution just wasn’t there. RMU was not going to let Julius
Randle beat them scoring and they doubled down on every big immediately
receiving a pass. Kentucky
burned RMU early with some three balls but overall went 7-19 (36.8 percent). You
can live with that against the number one team in the country.
3)….
4) Well shit. I guess that’s about it.
The negatives:
1)Execution: It was lacking, to say the least. Of the at
least three 2-on-1 opportunities I can remember, RMU turned the ball over every
time. The colonials also struggled terribly finishing at the rim. RMU trailed
this game 44-20 in the first half. They missed four of six free throws, blew
two 2-on-1 chances, and had Aaron Tate, Mike McFadden, and Desjuan Newton all
miss at the rim. That’s 14 easy points left on the table. Sometimes when shots
aren’t falling, they aren’t falling I guess.
2)Rebounding: I’m not going crazy on this one. Kentucky is bigger than
most NBA teams. Their 56-38 advantage probably could have even been worse
considering Mike McFadden and Stephan Hawkins both fouled out with about seven
minutes to go.
3) Y.G.T.M.Y.F.F.T, DAMMIT: 11-20 ISN’T EVEN ACCEPTABLE
AGAINST MY MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAM. NOTHING DRIVES ME MORE INSANE THEN MISSING FREE
THROWS.
4)Ball movement: Let’s just say that six assists on 16
buckets could be a taddddd bit better. More on this below…
I’m not sure exactly what’s going on with Anthony Myers-Pate
right now but his play has not been good. He has absolutely no shot right now
and everyone knows it. Defenders are playing way off of him taking away passing
lanes and it’s just leading to overall ineffectiveness. If he could just get a
few jump shots to fall it’ll open up everything. I still believe in you
Anthony.
As for Lucky Jones, I think this is a bit more concerning. The
thing I like so much about Karvel’s game is how he works to get open. He’ll run
off screens galore and make his defender travel miles to keep up with him. He
works and deserves to get the ball. I’m not saying Lucky doesn’t deserve the
ball, because he’s the most talented offensive weapon we have, but his off ball
movement is terrible. There were a few instances in the first half I saw him
calling for the ball at midcourt looking to go iso I guess. That isn’t going to
fly. The coaching staff has to find ways to get Lucky going.
5)Mike McFadden’s jump shot: The form doesn’t look bad, but
is he ever going to make one? Like ever? And can he please stop traveling?
6)Finishing at the rim and free throws: Just needed
reiterated.
The biggest concern I had was just the overall timid nature
the guys had. They looked scared for no
reason. Did we not just beat this program a few months ago? We’ve seen RMU
blowouts but there have been few times, if ever, I can remember them looking
scared and playing soft.
It’s also easy to go nuts about a blowout loss and focus on
all the negatives while forgetting RMU just played one of the top teams in the
country. There is a large portion of Kentucky
fans who will be disappointed if they aren’t cutting the nets at the end of the
year. RMU had to play a perfect game to have a chance at winning and pretty
much did the opposite of that. There are problems, but they’ll fix themselves
as Toole figures out rotations and roles for players and as these young guys
keep getting more experience.
That’s all I have everyone. Just be lucky you got me instead
of Lee doing this recap. A ton more to come tomorrow if I can carve out the
time.
--Chris Cappella
--@C_Cappella
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