Filed under: GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (AZ\/CO\/IA\/IL\/IN\/KS\/KY\/LA\/MD\/ME\/MI\/NJ\/OH\/OR\/PA\/TN\/VA\/WV\/WY),\u00a0(800) 327-5050\u00a0or visit\u00a0gamblinghelplinema.org\u00a0(MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY\/text HOPENY (467369) (NY).
Whatever\u2026 Syracuse Still Sucks
Game Grades: Whatever\u2026Syracuse Still Sucks<\/strong>
Boeheim might be gone, but I still hate everything about Syracuse. I hope they enjoy this one cause it\u2019s the last game against the Hoyas they are ever going to win.
A great crowd. A meh game. Let\u2019s do this.
Supreme Cook – B<\/strong>
16pts, 8-10 80% FG, 0-3 FT, 10 REB, 2 TO, 30 MIN<\/strong>
Boy, do teams really dislike Supreme. Every game, he seems to get on someone\u2019s nerves. I thought he was the best of the starters by far, and that is not going to be a recipe for success for this team. This was his prototypical performance: a double-double with most of his points coming off dunks.
Dontrez Styes – C<\/strong>
7pts, 1-5 20% FG, 0-3 3PT, 5-5 FT, 5 REB, 2 BLK, 1 TO, 30 MIN<\/strong>
I didn\u2019t really mind Trez in this one. I just don\u2019t think he got nearly enough looks. I think a lot of that is frankly on the starting guards who just did not share the ball the way you would hope. He also needs to raise his activity level on the glass and in transition. And do more to get downhill rather than just settling for jumpers.
Ismael Massoud – C<\/strong>
7pts, 3-10 30% FG, 1-6 16% 3PT, 9 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 4 TO, 33 MIN<\/strong>
This felt like a game from a guy who is coming off a broken hand. Let\u2019s be honest, he has been great in his first few games, considering his injury. This one felt like a rusty game, and his shot was just not falling. That happens. It\u2019s a bummer it happened during a game where everyone elses shot wasn\u2019t falling either.
Jayden Epps – C-<\/strong>
17pts, 6-17 62% FG, 1-9 11% 3PT, 4-7 FT, 1 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 5 TO, 37 MIN<\/strong>
This game felt like it was probably coming from Jayden. He was shooting at an insane clip the past few games. Some regression was due. I don\u2019t have many issues with his shooting – though I think he forced it a bit. I would like to see him attack closeouts and get to the rim when his outside shot isn\u2019t falling. He is a pretty good playmaker and finisher around the rim, and he needs to be able to do that to keep defenses honest. He had a few good possessions of that in the second half, but it was after Georgetown was down 10. The real problem is the turnovers. Almost all came from either lax passes or trying to do too much on his own. He\u2019s always going to be able to score. If he wants the team to succeed, he will need to focus on his assist-to-turnover ratio. It\u2019s 1:1 right now – both at about 4 and a half a game. That is just unsustainable.
Jay Heath – D<\/strong>
7pts, 2-7 28% FG, 1-5 20% 3PT, 2-2 FT, 2 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 0 TO, 26 MIN<\/strong>
I would probably experiment with moving Jay back to the bench and starting Rowan again. Part of that is because he and Jayden are just way too similar – they both are looking to create their own shot, and Jayden is better at it. I actually think Jay could fit well with Jayden, but for whatever reason, it\u2019s just not really working. I think Rowan helps both Jayden and Jay settle into better roles, as long as he isn\u2019t turning the ball over too much. And I also think Jay can help with his scoring punch off the bench. Regardless, he needs to get right on defense, and it needs to be quick. He has been rough on that end, and I think was really taken advantage of today. I\u2019ve mentioned before that some of his struggles on that side of the floor are likely a result of his turf toe injury, and I admittedly have no idea if that is still the case. It\u2019s to a point now that I am not sure it matters. The defense is not good. There are many reasons for that, but the primary one is they cannot keep their opponents in front, particularly the guards. Jayden is guilty of this, as is Rowan, but to my eye, Jay is struggling the most and should really not be. He has a bad habit of dying on screens or completely losing his man. Yes, the help defense needs to be better, but Jay finds himself out of position or with his man in between him and the basket WAY too much for my liking right now.
Wayne Bristol Jr. – B+<\/strong>
9pts, 3-5 60% FG, 1-1 3PT, 2-2 FT, 1 REB, 1 AST, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 20 MIN<\/strong>
Bristol gets a B+ solely for stepping up to Bell after he shoved Rowan. Bristol came to his teammate\u2019s aid. I also thought he was good in his minutes and was one of the only guys who was able to defend in this one. A few more guys playing like Wayne and they might have had a different result
Rowan Brumbraugh – B<\/strong>
3pts, 1-3 33% FG, 1-2 50% 3PT, 0-1 FT, 1 REB, 4 AST, 4 STL, 1 TO, 15 MIN<\/strong>
I thought Rowan was really good for the first time in a few games. He looks more comfortable again, and he had a couple of really nice dishes down low around the basket that led to dunks. Now that he is healthy, I wouldn\u2019t mind him being inserted back into the starting 5 in place of Jay. I think that might help both Jayden and Jay. Rowan\u2019s challenge is going to be playing fast while keeping turnovers low. I think he did that really well against Syracuse. He looked more confident than he\u2019s been in the past few games, and the offense worked better when he was on the floor. 4 steals is great, and those mostly came from good help defense, but he was also OK on the ball.
Drew Fielder – NO GRADE<\/strong>
2pts, 1-2 50% FG, 3 REB, 1 AST, 0 TO, 10 MIN<\/strong>
I thought it was another solid if unspectacular game for Drew. I think he is going to have a spectacular game at some point this season, and I, for one, am very much looking forward to it.
Other Grades<\/strong>
Coaching – C<\/strong>
This was kind of a weird game, and I am honestly not really sure if there is much to complain about with the coaching, but they lost, so it gets a C. They were right there in the first half, and then all of a sudden, in the second half, they were down ten, and it was pretty much over. For what it is worth, Shot Quality had this as a 76-70 Georgetown win based on the quality of shots taken, which just kind of confirms how weird this one was and probably just comes down to missing shots. I\u2019d like to see some rotation changes, as noted above and while I think the defense is largely just about execution, it\u2019s hard to argue that they need to change things on that end. They have tried to go zone throughout games, but that has been largely a crapshoot, depending on the execution. I think they could try switching less – or switching 1 through 4 rather than trying to switch everything, as there were a couple of instances of guys getting blown by after a switch that felt like you were just asking them to do too much. But some of it is guys just need to be better and keep their man in front. It doesn\u2019t appear to be a scheme issue or confusion about what they are supposed to be doing (as in years past). I just think guys need to be individually better.
Next up<\/strong> – Hoyas had a get-right game against a flat-out bad Coppin State team who are 1-11 on the season. Now, they have the \u201cWhat could have been bowl\u201d against Notre Dame<\/a> on Saturday to close out the nonconference schedule.<\/p>\n
Please Gamble Responsibly. Call\u00a01-800-522-4700\u00a0(NH), 888-789-7777\/visit\u00a0ccpg.org\u00a0(CT), or visit\u00a0www.1800gambler.net\u00a0(WV).
21+ (18+ KY\/NH\/WY). Physically present in AZ\/CO\/CT\/IL\/IN\/IA\/KS\/KY\/LA(select parishes)\/MA\/MD\/ME\/MI\/NH\/NJ\/NY\/OH\/OR\/PA\/TN\/VA\/WV\/WY only. Void in ONT. Eligibility restrictions apply. See terms at\u00a0draftkings.com\/sportsbook. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS).<\/p>\n