3 point shooting

[kyjeff1]

For this team to get to the next level, our shooters have to hit threes.

It’s been a struggle for two guys that were elite before they got here. I mean, CJ went something like 1-8 today. He was a 50% shooter coming in.

If these guys don't start catching their groove from the outside, every game is going to be a struggle and the losses are going to build.

We have all seen teams struggle with shooting all year, then right at tournament time, they hit threes like crazy. Hopefully we catch fire sometime soon.

Call it playstation basketball all you want, but it’s a necessary ingredient to winning at this level.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Agreed. No reason those 2 shouldn't be shooting better. If they both hit 1 more 3 each 2nite they shoot 40% though.

 

[TheDude73]

The more shots they get, the more they’ll hit. This lineup will make sure they get their looks.

 

[RACdad]

The lazy *** baseline screens drive me nuts. They should have better open looks

 

[CincyUKFan]

For this team to get to the next level, our shooters have to hit threes.

It’s been a struggle for two guys that were elite before they got here. I mean, CJ went something like 1-8 today. He was a 50% shooter coming in.

If these guys don't start catching their groove from the outside, every game is going to be a struggle and the losses are going to build.

We have all seen teams struggle with shooting all year, then right at tournament time, they hit threes like crazy. Hopefully we catch fire sometime soon.

Call it playstation basketball all you want, but it’s a necessary ingredient to winning at this level.

I truly don’t understand why Cal doesn’t go to the bench when either Reeves or Frederick struggle and see what Thiero can do. I guarantee you he will come in and play better defense than both of them and he has shown the propensity to hit the wide-open three.

 

[richbrookstomato]

It is going to be the difference in this team making the tournament or getting to a Final 4, it is that big of a deal!!!

CJ especially!!! He has got to knock down MORE of those looks. Reeves is getting better every game.

Someone else that misses WAY too many shots is Jacob Toppin. He has to make more of those jumpers. UGA wasn't even guarding him until he got into the paint and he STILL missed them point blank. That has got to get better for this team to reach it's full potential.

 

[kl40504_rivals]

I truly don’t understand why Cal doesn’t go to the bench when either Reeves or Frederick struggle and see what Thiero can do. I guarantee you he will come in and play better defense than both of them and he has shown the propensity to hit the wide-open three.

Not

 

[howercat]

It is going to be the difference in this team making the tournament or getting to a Final 4, it is that big of a deal!!!

CJ especially!!! He has got to knock down MORE of those looks. Reeves is getting better every game.

Someone else that misses WAY too many shots is Jacob Toppin. He has to make more of those jumpers. UGA wasn't even guarding him until he got into the paint and he STILL missed them point blank. That has got to get better for this team to reach it's full potential.

Toppin needs to use the back board more when he is down close in the paint. He back rims a lot of those shots.

 

[tls]

The offense is so much better with both Reeves and CJ running off screens in the game together.

Frees up Oscar because they both have to guarded whether or not they’re hot on any particular nite

 

[CincyUKFan]

Not

Are you still on this board? Good grief. Troll trash.

 

[Midway Cat]

For the year:

Reeves - 39/100 - 39%
Wallace - 33/79 - 41.8%
Fredrick - 25/67 - 37.3%

Solid given that each player has had at least one clunker.

 

[gbl97]

CJ did a good job of moving and cutting away from the ball. Like Murray used to do. Even when other guys would start to stand around, he kept moving.

 

[CincyUKFan]

Toppin needs to use the back board more when he is down close in the paint. He back rims a lot of those shots.

He needs to just not shoot. If it’s not a dunk or a layup - pass.

 

[G-PIP]

Well, I think I've finally accepted that Fredrick is strictly a spot-up shooter. I don't think Fredrick is quite as mobile as he was, but if he was ever more than a spot up shooter that's gone. He's not a shoot off the bounce guy and he needs time and space to get it off. But that's ok if Reeves and Wallace are getting some good looks.

Reeves can get his 3 off, but I think he rushes it too much and therefore doesn't shoot as well as he could. But Wallace's shooting is the surprise for me. He's a good spot-up 3 pt. shooter who takes his time and keeps his form. With the three of them together I think the shooting might be just enough.

 

[Cats192]

The more shots they get, the more they’ll hit. This lineup will make sure they get their looks.

This is where I'm at with it.

I think now that we're actually executing on the offensive end--the shooters will get more quality looks. Those shots will start to fall.

If Cal commits to playing the group we saw most of the 2nd half--We'll look back at this team as a tale of two halves.

 

[richbrookstomato]

Toppin needs to use the back board more when he is down close in the paint. He back rims a lot of those shots.

That's because he leans back on every jumper. I agree. It blows my mind how kids NEVER use the square anymore. Kevin Grevey and Goose Givens made a living using it on either side of the lane. It is a HUGE asset to be able to use it. Kenny Walker could jump OVER defenders and was great using it on the block.

Don't know why Cal hasn't worked on the leaning with him or if he has why he keeps doing it. It throws his shot off and he has a 47 inch vertical, so why not lean INTO the shot? That way he could draw more fouls to get to the line where he is great.

Also, he doesn't need to shoot 10 shots/game like he did tonight unless it is lobs, drives or putbacks, not jumpers. He is best going toward the basket.

 

[DaDirtyLeb69]

For this team to get to the next level, our shooters have to hit threes.

It’s been a struggle for two guys that were elite before they got here. I mean, CJ went something like 1-8 today. He was a 50% shooter coming in.

If these guys don't start catching their groove from the outside, every game is going to be a struggle and the losses are going to build.

We have all seen teams struggle with shooting all year, then right at tournament time, they hit threes like crazy. Hopefully we catch fire sometime soon.

Call it playstation basketball all you want, but it’s a necessary ingredient to winning at this level.

Frederick and reeves just hit 3-5 a game between them that would help out so much

 

[G-PIP]

He needs to just not shoot. If it’s not a dunk or a layup - pass.

I've thought since last season that Toppin had the worst touch around the basket (not counting dunks) of any of UK's guys. But I really thought this season he would be a pretty good 3 pt. shooter for a PF taking 2-3 per game (mostly from the corner). But I was wrong.

 

[BBBLazing]

I truly don’t understand why Cal doesn’t go to the bench when either Reeves or Frederick struggle and see what Thiero can do. I guarantee you he will come in and play better defense than both of them and he has shown the propensity to hit the wide-open three.

So, Cal has to quit just yanking players for missing a shot, but, must start yanking players for missing a shot. I've got it.

 

[CincyUKFan]

So, Cal has to quit just yanking players for missing a shot, but, must start yanking players for missing a shot. I've got it.

Did I say anything about missing a single shot and being yanked? Let me check…

Nope. Sure didn’t. I used the word struggle. To struggle is not to merely miss one shot. It’s to go 1-8 like CJ did. And your retort may be, “Well, then he doesn’t hit the one big three point shot that he did hit if he’s on the bench after struggling.” And that’s true, but it’s also true that any number of players could’ve made the wide-open three at the top of the key off of an offensive rebound.

 

[kyjeff1]

The offense is so much better with both Reeves and CJ running off screens in the game together.

Frees up Oscar because they both have to guarded whether or not they’re hot on any particular nite

Yeah, but they're supposed to be good enough shooters to break games open. They were hitting their open shots in the Bahamas, but their shooting has been less than average since the season started.

Reeves had a wide, wide, wide open three off a steal and a runout, shot a brick. CJ was way short twice in row, the second one ended up being the first pass in UGA's fast break dunk.

Other teams hit those shots, for whatever reason, we don’t and those guys really need to hit those open shots.

Wallace hits them, probably shouod take more.

 

[kyjeff1]

For the year:

Reeves - 39/100 - 39%
Wallace - 33/79 - 41.8%
Fredrick - 25/67 - 37.3%

Solid given that each player has had at least one clunker.

It's not solid though. Reeves was a 46% shooter coming in and CJ was at damn near 50%.

Their percentages are dropping. CJ and Reeves should be hitting 3 a game, each. They’re getting wide open looks.

Honestly, I have no idea how their percentages are 39 and 37. I thought CJ was in the 20's just 2 weeks ago and he hasn’t been milling it from outside. He was somewhere around 1-8 last night.

 

[kyjeff1]

Frederick and reeves just hit 3-5 a game between them that would help out so much

That would be awesome and I thought that's what they would do at minimum this year after watching the Bahamas games. Hopefully they get back on track.

 

[St.PatterSoN-54-]

Your points are valid, Jeff.

I think it's primarily due to the offense that Cal is running (or not running, depending on how you look at it). Most teams with good shooters are able to pass the ball around the perimeter, and work the ball inside out, to allow shooters to catch and shoot in rhythm.

In this offense, the ball tends to get stuck on one side of the floor, or stuck in the black hole in the paint, or dribbled incessantly until a few seconds left in the shot clock.

At points where we have focused on ball reversal and inside-out ball movement, we have seen more natural looks for our shooters, where they can catch and shoot in rhythm.

That explains why some of our best looks come off of broken plays, i.e. Oscar's rebound of a free throw leading to Frederick's huge three from the top of the key.

Essentially we need Cal to focus on ball movement and player movement/screens that encourage shifting defenses to leave players open as the ball moves.

 

[kyjeff1]

Your points are valid, Jeff.

I think it's primarily due to the offense that Cal is running (or not running, depending on how you look at it). Most teams with good shooters are able to pass the ball around the perimeter, and work the ball inside out, to allow shooters to catch and shoot in rhythm.

In this offense, the ball tends to get stuck on one side of the floor, or stuck in the black hole in the paint, or dribbled incessantly until a few seconds left in the shot clock.

At points where we have focused on ball reversal and inside-out ball movement, we have seen more natural looks for our shooters, where they can catch and shoot in rhythm.

That explains why some of our best looks come off of broken plays, i.e. Oscar's rebound of a free throw leading to Frederick's huge three from the top of the key.

Essentially we need Cal to focus on ball movement and player movement/screens that encourage shifting defenses to leave players open as the ball moves.

We just go through stretches where we take the hardest and worst shots possible.

Our offense looks so pedestrian when compared to teams like KU and Alabama. They use the 3 point shot as a very effective weapon and it puts the defense into scramble mode for the entire possession.

Yeah, you might miss 2 or three shots in a possession, but that's because your guys got all the rebounds, which is something we do very well.

I actually think Oscar's numbers would go up if we took more threes, probably not 35 & 20 every night, but he would have more space to operate.

 

[Jazzycat]

When the outside shots are not falling, they need to attack the basket more. Simple basketball strategy….

 

[sjjones]

The offense is so much better with both Reeves and CJ running off screens in the game together.

Frees up Oscar because they both have to guarded whether or not they’re hot on any particular nite

Just the threat of having 2-3 capable shooters at the arc frees up Oscar to do so much more.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

CJ's confidence seems to be growing with every passing game. He's become much more vocal and he's taking contested 3's that he would have been far too scared to take even just 2 weeks ago. I use this line too much, but I think CJ is one of several players who is realizing "I'm a really good basketball player and I'm good enough to play at UK".

Hopefully he keeps that going, because his 3point game can open up Reeves' , and vice versa.

 

[jjsomer]

For this team to get to the next level, our shooters have to hit threes.

It’s been a struggle for two guys that were elite before they got here. I mean, CJ went something like 1-8 today. He was a 50% shooter coming in.

If these guys don't start catching their groove from the outside, every game is going to be a struggle and the losses are going to build.

We have all seen teams struggle with shooting all year, then right at tournament time, they hit threes like crazy. Hopefully we catch fire sometime soon.

Call it playstation basketball all you want, but it’s a necessary ingredient to winning at this level.

It just has to be respectable...nothing more. 30-35 percent will be enough to keep defenses honest. To your point, 4-15 is not good enough to make the inside game easier. Luckily for us, UGA didn't have an answer for Oscar. 37 and 24 is an incredible game for Oscar. Maybe he is going to start playing like the NPOY again. If so, and the shooters can be respectable, we will be hard to beat.

 

[kyjeff1]

It just has to be respectable...nothing more. 30-35 percent will be enough to keep defenses honest. To your point, 4-15 is not good enough to make the inside game easier. Luckily for us, UGA didn't have an answer for Oscar. 37 and 24 is an incredible game for Oscar. Maybe he is going to start playing like the NPOY again. If so, and the shooters can be respectable, we will be hard to beat.

We should be taking 20 a game on nights where Oscar isn’t absolutely demolishing everyone in the paint. If you hit 6 or 7, you're going to beat most teams.

 

[jjsomer]

I truly don’t understand why Cal doesn’t go to the bench when either Reeves or Frederick struggle and see what Thiero can do. I guarantee you he will come in and play better defense than both of them and he has shown the propensity to hit the wide-open three.

I don't understand the fascination with Thiero and UGO. It is clear to me that they are spot minute players only at this point. Thiero played well in his time at PG. He defends adequately, but he is not ready offensively. He will shoot wide open looks, but he is not confident to take tough shots. If we are relying on those two to produce, we are in trouble.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I don't understand the fascination with Thiero and UGO. It is clear to me that they are spot minute players only at this point. Thiero played well in his time at PG. He defends adequately, but he is not ready offensively. He will shoot wide open looks, but he is not confident to take tough shots. If we are relying on those two to produce, we are in trouble.

I'd rather take a loss or two now while we try and get them acclimated (or better yet, struggle a bit in November with them).. than not have them for the tournament if someone gets injured or isn't any good.

If we did this right.. we could have had a very serviceable backup for Oscar and a solid point forward, come March. Cal waits far too long to make these changes, along with benching Wheeler.

 

[jjsomer]

For the year:

Reeves - 39/100 - 39%
Wallace - 33/79 - 41.8%
Fredrick - 25/67 - 37.3%

Solid given that each player has had at least one clunker.

This is the problem with Playstation basketball. Last night at UGA, Reeves and Frederick were 2/10...well below their averages. If you have a game where the shooters aren't making threes, you have to win another way. White decided last night not to leave the shooters - to make a concerted effort to guard the perimeter. This left Oscar to dominate the paint.

When the shooters are struggling and the other team has a big that can defend Oscar, we will need another option. Toppin should be that guy. It is maddening when he settles for the jump shot. Get to the rim and use your athleticism. Take the contact and get to the FT line. Toppin is capable of this, but refuses.

 

[jjsomer]

We should be taking 20 a game on nights where Oscar isn’t absolutely demolishing everyone in the paint. If you hit 6 or 7, you're going to beat most teams.

100 percent agree. There will be games like last night where UGA defends the 3pt line. When that happens, we have to attack the paint with O. Not many teams can defend O one on one.

If Calipari can figure out this Toppin thing - get him to drive the ball and get to the rim - that takes this team to a championship contender. I'm just not sure Toppin has that mentality. He wants to avoid contact and it drives me crazy watching the games.

 

[jjsomer]

We just go through stretches where we take the hardest and worst shots possible.

Our offense looks so pedestrian when compared to teams like KU and Alabama. They use the 3 point shot as a very effective weapon and it puts the defense into scramble mode for the entire possession.

Yeah, you might miss 2 or three shots in a possession, but that's because your guys got all the rebounds, which is something we do very well.

I actually think Oscar's numbers would go up if we took more threes, probably not 35 & 20 every night, but he would have more space to operate.

What makes Alabama so tough is that they have 3 or 4 guys that can get to the rim. Miller and Sears are two of the hardest guards in cbb. When they don't have that, they live and die by the three ball. Bama is the real deal this year.

 

[FitchandMurray29]

The offense is so much better with both Reeves and CJ running off screens in the game together.

Frees up Oscar because they both have to guarded whether or not they’re hot on any particular nite

They also figured out tonight how to use the screens to set up eventual post touches for Oscar. Was a noticeable part of his huge night.

 

[aceman509]

The Reeves and CJ "Basketball Bennie" lineup works even when they aren't making shots. The threat of them as shooters spaced out on either wing creates more space for Oscar and more driving lanes for Cason since the wing defenders can't help off.

Think about how many drives to the rim Wallace had last night compared to the rest of the season. He hasn't had a layup go down in what feels like a month, and he had a couple easy layups and a dunk in the half court simply because of the spacing.

 

[TortElvisII]

This is the problem with Playstation basketball. Last night at UGA, Reeves and Frederick were 2/10...well below their averages. If you have a game where the shooters aren't making threes, you have to win another way. White decided last night not to leave the shooters - to make a concerted effort to guard the perimeter. This left Oscar to dominate the paint.

When the shooters are struggling and the other team has a big that can defend Oscar, we will need another option. Toppin should be that guy. It is maddening when he settles for the jump shot. Get to the rim and use your athleticism. Take the contact and get to the FT line. Toppin is capable of this, but refuses.

At least it spreads the floor giving opportunities for others. Unlike four guys packed around the big.

 

[jjsomer]

At least it spreads the floor giving opportunities for others. Unlike four guys packed around the big.

The only thing that spreads the floor is having respectable shooters. I think White should have doubled Oscar from the perimeter a lot sooner than he did. Oscar was killing uga. The shooters (CJ and Antonio) weren't hitting, he should have tried to double down. He went to a zone in the second half, but then had trouble rebounding out of it. White should have allowed Oscar to catch the ball in the post and then immediately doubled him like Bama did. O is horrible at passing out of the post and our shooters were a combined 4 of 14 (28%) last night.

 

[cats#1again]

For the year:

Reeves - 39/100 - 39%
Wallace - 33/79 - 41.8%
Fredrick - 25/67 - 37.3%

Solid given that each player has had at least one clunker.

Fredrick started the season off in the worst slump of his life I'm sure. It hurt the team tremendously and then he got hurt. He's starting to show a little life on the court again.