Just got home.
A few impressions of mine.
We missed at least 3 uncontested layups tonight and probably 5-6 in total though the remainder were contested. Royce will be "flopped" on all year, and tonight we couldn't afford to lose ANY possessions. I had the feeling tonight that UNI "didn't mind" fouling Royce as they felt they could trade a 3 pointer for one shot made at the stripe. Saw some tentative passing this evening, and UNI was definitely "over guarding" (very close to our players) and the tentative pass was being tipped and more often than not, UNI got the possession. We could not switch effectively this evening. We were often caught with two players on one UNI player, and their guard free to shoot a three. When we went inside, I felt we were controlling the game. We just didn't do it as often as I thought we might or could. We forced a few 3's tonight towards the end of the 2nd half.
I did see Fred as mad as I've ever seen him when UNI got 2 offensive rebounds in a row, as on that exchange we weren't blocking out.
I had the feeling last year that Coach Lutz helped keep this team on a very even keel. Whether we were up or down, he was the first person at a timeout to greet the players, pump them up if they required it or dispense with the atta boys if they had earned it. He looked to be at least publically, an extremely positive influence on the team, before, during, and after any game.
Our rebounding looked to be about even with UNI tonight.
I think we lost because we still have difficulty staying on players. We are being picked far too easily and we are not recovering well. What's with switching every single time? (Driving lanes were open far too frequently because of it.)
This team seems to get their "dobbers down" when a little adversity comes their way. I thought Lutz, last year, did a great job keeping them confident and emotionally positive.
GO CYCLONES:yes: