No doubt now, hindsight is perfect: U of L should have used its last timeout with nine seconds on the clock. Any play Rick Pitino called would have been better than the aimless freelancing at the end.
UConn a good team. U of L lost by only two points in a game in which it looked like they should have been beaten by 15. If Juan Palacios’ final shot had fallen, all the weaknesses would have been glossed over — the poor shot selections, the inconsistent effort, the lack of floor direction, and the missing killer instinct.
One has to wonder why these things are missing when the team is led by one of the game’s best coaches. Some observers have bemoaned the lack of passion on this team. Players go through all the motions but the all out extra effort required to excel seems to be missing. You know it when you see it — or don’t see it.
On the other hand, maybe they’re just a little slow to catching on to what the coaching genius is trying to impart. Fans have given up early on Pitino teams in the past only to see them become a serious threat by tournament time.
You see signs of greatness at times. Terrence Williams scoring triple doubles. David Padgett’s outmaneuvering more agile counterparts. Jerry Smith using perfect three-point shooting form. Edgar Sosa occasionally flashing down the lane. Earl Clark making the right decisions, looking all-pro at times. Derrick Caracter thundering a dunk. Juan Palacios making the shot he missed tonight.
Maybe with some added passion and a little more time …
Charles, I think the time has come to question whether or not we have one of the game’s best coaches. Look at it this way. In his last 7 years, Denny Crum – beyond any doubt one of the game’s best coaches – took 2 teams to sweet sixteens, and came one DeJuan Wheat injured ankle away from a Final Four. In Rick Pitino’s first seven years here, we’ve been to one sweet sixteen. In other words, we’re worse off now than we were in the dog days under Denny. If that was bad enough to get Denny fired, get this joker out of here. I’m tired of the boldface lying that he does on a nightly basis. I’m tired of the talk without results. I’m tired of getting embarrassed night after night when teams like St. John’s and South Carolina look like they’ve got All Americans on their team. And I’m most tired of him throwing the players he recruited under the bus to save his own skin. He’s a despicable person, and he should be fired.
They need to immediately cut back on all the wild three-point shooting and work harder for good shots. Any player that doesn’t take a good shot is a candidate for the bench.
I don’t think we’re playing that bad. We just not playing with the confidence that comes by being successful. Still very mechanical; not flowing freely or instinctively. The great motivator will keep experimenting until he finds the right combinations/