Buzz not getting it done this year, so far.
- Thread starter mrjolly01
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Buzz had success before life in the ACC.....I just don’t see his guard driving to the basket as a style that can win consistently enough in this conference. Why he doesn’t go after a couple of bigs is head scratching. Where is the defense? It’s like watching street ball.....people trying to say Buzz and Bennett on the same level are smoking something. I’m not sure VT wins enough down the stretch to get into the NIT. I watch a lot of VT games, I see talent that looks lost.....that’s a coaching problem. No one will agree, but I’m telling you Buzz will not win consistently in the ACC.
Buzz has had success in the ACC. But not this year.
There is no driving. That was last year. Now, they just shoot 3’s, and that’s about it. When these players try to drive, which is rare, they get blocked. They are no longer drawing fouls. Robinson is the only driver on the team. Not the only one that can but seemingly the only one that will. And when Blackshear is in foul trouble, its pretty much a one dimensional 3 point shooting team. They don’t even attempt 2’s. So, our opponents just leave their big to protect the rim and the other 4 come out and defend our 3 point shooters and disrupt our ball movement, forcing turnovers and missed shots, which is like a turnover (because they never get offensive rebounds). If they would actually attempt some 2’s it might bring the opposing big away from the basket to defend a 2 ball and open it up some for drives and force more defensive rotation closer to the basket. Offensively, we look like a poorly coached hot mess. But that’s not even the biggest problem this team has. Their defense is atrocious. They can’t get stops with any consistency at all. Our opponents shoot wide open 3’s all game long or come down the lane against matador defense.
In other words, they are bad on both ends of the floor. And looking at our schedule, I don’t see another win if they keep playing defense like they have been.
Its perplexing, frankly, that Buzz Williams has put such a poor product on the floor. I guess it started with such a poor non-conference schedule ranked in the bottom 10 nationally and they started playing defense like it. The irony is that if you look at the individual talent there doesn’t seem to be much (if any) difference in the individual recruiting; yet, the sum of the parts is you’re 2nd ranked and we’re rank.
So it’s not just me that doesn’t understand the product he’s putting on the floor. I just shake my head every game wondering what do the practice each day? No real plays on offense....absolutely no defense. Maybe he’s brushing his hair and working with his tailor on his next suit.
No. I understand the offense he had been playing, I don’t understand what its eroded into this season. But more importantly I am perplexed by the terrible defense.
Look, Buzz has done a good job for 3 seasons. He’s shown steady improvement and took us to our first NCAA tournament in 10 years. This is the first bump in the road we have hit since he has been here. I’m not saying that based on wins and losses, I’m saying that based on what is on the floor now. Our defense is making this team not competitive in ACC play unless we are playing the worst teams. Even our first year Buzz team wasn’t this easy to score on and these are supposed to be better players. That team struggled to win 2 ACC games but were competitive with good teams in many losses. They were giving more effort than this team IMO. I guess what I’m saying is this team seems uncharacteristic of a Buzz coached team. I think he could turn it around if he could get them to play defense, but every game its been more of the same, which is odd at this stage of the season.
I understand every team has off years, rebuilding, injuries and such can change a season. I thought this was supposed to be a better team than last year and the weak OCC mislead many I’m sure. I agree the lack of defense is puzzling and the lack of effort on defense is why I’m questioning Buzz. I hear that he is less animated this year because he feels this team wouldn’t respond well to that style of coaching. Really? Seems to me he should be going off on their lack of effort on the defensive side. His new style sure isn’t working. This team might just need a good butt chewing, what could it hurt.
I like Buzz but Buzz has messed up and lost several bigs that transferred. Then he gets a good one Sy and he leaves, then comes back and has to sit a year. You can't be good with only one good big man Blackshear.
If Buzz doesn't recruit good big men, AND keep them interested, he is doomed. And dat's a fact!
If Buzz doesn't recruit good big men, AND keep them interested, he is doomed. And dat's a fact!
I wasn’t fooled by the OOC schedule, in fact, it was a big disappointment to me to play such a bad schedule. Plus I was concerned we may get too used to so much weak competition and maybe we did. I had not heard about him changing coaching style so I can’t really comment on that but he sure needs to get them playing with more of a sense of urgency which could impact the defense. We still score enough points that we will win some games again if we can get the same defensive effort as last year. I think our offense was good enough to beat both Louisville and FSU if we just start getting some stops. But we are getting lit up like the 4th of July right now. The teams beating us are more aggressive. We don’t play with a chip on our shoulder like we did with Seth Allen and Zach LeDay. These guys are softer.
I think we were good the last couple of years and we didn’t have any bigs playing meaningful minutes then. We’re no smaller this year then last year but we are missing one presence in the paint that was worth 16 points and 7 rebounds a game. The bigs we lost weren’t contributing much at all. Pierce wasn’t playing because he was too slow, he went to PSU and when I saw him this year he was still a wallflower riding their bench. He just traded benches. Johnny Hamilton was useless when he was in the game. Sy could have used a redshirt year last season. He couldn’t provide many minutes and was a big defensive liability. Not that I disagree with you completely though, we could use a couple of power forwards for sure. But the defensive problems we are having now goes beyond size. We can be better on defense with what we have, Buzz needs to solve that, and quickly.
Eh. I'm kinda questioning his strategy this year, but what can you do? Our only really viable big body is KJ, and he is horribly foul-prone. Justin Robinson is the only true, or at least well-rounded, point guard on this team this year. Wilson is a turnover waiting to happen both in transition, and the halfcourt, and offers very little offensively. Neither Bede nor Alexander-Walker look ready to contribute heavily in ACC play.
So, do we play up-tempo, increase possessions and hope to just outscore the other team with our hit-or-miss perimeter game, or slow it down to a grind, play man, reduce possessions and try to always stay within striking distance? There's really not much else we can do with the personnel we have this year. There's no Seth Allen to pick up the slack for an "off" Justin Robinson, and vice versa, no Leday for energy off the bench and a solid in-out game to stretch defenses, and no Ty Outlaw when Hill and Bibbs are off. Both Robinson and Clarke can create their own shots, but mostly through dribble-penetration and therefore don't present the same kind of challenges for defenses that more dynamic players like Leday and Allen did.
It's a tough situation, but I am of the mind that we don't handle the ball well enough or shoot well consistently enough to play this up-tempo, 30 3-point attempts per game style Buzz opts for. I'd rather just see us play straight-up man most of the time, and keep within striking distance by limiting possessions. However, I will say that if we had made even 4-5 more free throws yesterday, we have a legitimate shot at the end of the game, because it would have made it closer but also would have precluded the necessity of fouling down the stretch. I think the UVa loss has people looking at this team as though they're a lot worse than they are, honestly. I think we're an NIT-caliber team this year, and somewhat of a disappointment, obviously, but not awful by any stretch. This FSU loss won't look as bad by season's end, IMO, but it was a bad performance by our guys for sure.
So, do we play up-tempo, increase possessions and hope to just outscore the other team with our hit-or-miss perimeter game, or slow it down to a grind, play man, reduce possessions and try to always stay within striking distance? There's really not much else we can do with the personnel we have this year. There's no Seth Allen to pick up the slack for an "off" Justin Robinson, and vice versa, no Leday for energy off the bench and a solid in-out game to stretch defenses, and no Ty Outlaw when Hill and Bibbs are off. Both Robinson and Clarke can create their own shots, but mostly through dribble-penetration and therefore don't present the same kind of challenges for defenses that more dynamic players like Leday and Allen did.
It's a tough situation, but I am of the mind that we don't handle the ball well enough or shoot well consistently enough to play this up-tempo, 30 3-point attempts per game style Buzz opts for. I'd rather just see us play straight-up man most of the time, and keep within striking distance by limiting possessions. However, I will say that if we had made even 4-5 more free throws yesterday, we have a legitimate shot at the end of the game, because it would have made it closer but also would have precluded the necessity of fouling down the stretch. I think the UVa loss has people looking at this team as though they're a lot worse than they are, honestly. I think we're an NIT-caliber team this year, and somewhat of a disappointment, obviously, but not awful by any stretch. This FSU loss won't look as bad by season's end, IMO, but it was a bad performance by our guys for sure.
Why would you think we'd be better? Leday and Allen were huge losses, and beyond Robinson there was no proven commodity at PG. Losing Outlaw cemented it as far as our mediocrity goes IMO. We have no ball-handlers, no dynamic consistent threats on offense, no size and no depth inside either. This team has no margin for error. Also, the OOC was weak, but 5 of our 6 losses are to teams in the RPI top 40, with 3 in the top 20, so it's not like we're losing to nobodies. UVa is the only team we've failed to compete against at any length, and that's because a poor ball-handling team cannot beat UVa without elite defense.
Up-tempo isn’t an option without better defense though. The team will push the ball automatically with defensive stops and defensive rebounds, and also by creating turnovers. Not getting the defensive stops to run from is the core problem for this team. I think nothing changes without defensive improvement first. The UVa and Syracuse losses exposed our half court offensive limitations while Louisville and FSU exposed our defense. Our offense was good enough in both those games to win - with any semblance of defense. UVa and Syracuse were total crap shows on both ends of the floor. But we are so bad on defense right now I don’t see another game on our schedule I can honestly think of as a potential win with this defense, with the “easiest” opponents being road games.
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Pre-season picks had VT at 6th in conference, ahead of UVA.....that’s what I was basing it on.
There’s your answer then. Pre-season pickers know little to nothing about the teams they pick. That’s why they are never right.
If we want to make NCAA tournament, we better beat UNC, or it's all over.
Unless we win ACC tournament.
Unless we win ACC tournament.
We're not going to make the NCAAs this year. Even if we beat UNC tonight (which I seriously doubt we will -- they're going to punish us down low), we're still not equipped to make it through the rest of the ACC slate with the 7-8 wins we'd need to get on (potentially) the right side of the bubble.
Right, so basically we're in a double bind. We'll see what Buzz can come up with, but unless the light suddenly comes on for NAW, and KJ continues solid output without being in constant foul trouble, I just don't see anything changing for the better. We'll spring a few upsets at home, I'm sure, because that's just the nature of hot/cold offenses, but it's hard to see beyond a few of those and maybe wins @Pitt, GT and BC. I think we should get enough overall wins to make the NIT, but at this point I don't care one lick about an NIT appearance.
Leday's put backs and Allen's drives (key shots and key foul shots) won a lot of games for us last year. No one has stepped up this year to fill their shoes. I knew it would be tough for VT to beat the "physically big" teams this year without Leday (was hoping Clark and Blackshear would be better). We can score, but we turn the ball over way too much and can not stop the inside play. I see very few wins going forward.
The thing is the players do play hard they just do not have the size to compete. Buzz really needs to get some 6'7" guys that can play defense and rebound. They do not have to be **** players, just big with defensive skills. That is what VA has that VT does not have (plus Bennett is a heck of a defensive coach).
The thing is the players do play hard they just do not have the size to compete. Buzz really needs to get some 6'7" guys that can play defense and rebound. They do not have to be **** players, just big with defensive skills. That is what VA has that VT does not have (plus Bennett is a heck of a defensive coach).
I think Blackshear's been fine, mostly, it's just that teams are attacking the hell out of him because they know we have literally zero post presence behind him. Clarke's drop-off doesn't surprise me terribly, because he's fairly one-dimensional on offense, and unless we're hitting from outside his dribble-penetration isn't a huge boon to us.
You nailed Blackshear, he’s in a no win situation.....if he plays aggressively he’s probably going to foul out....if doesn’t play aggressively, VT has no inside presence. Don’t understand Buzz lacking depth with size inside. In the ACC you got to have big men and depth. You can win games with a guard heavy, 3 point shooting team but I don’t see winning ACC Titles this way. And there is zero chance of competing in the top half of the conference without playing defense.
Wow, great win......Buzz was animated (not sure where his energy has been)....VT played hard on defense.....made shots.....who was that team in VT uniforms? All Hoos appreciate you knocking the Cheaters on their ass!!!!
They played with fire tonight. Buzz coached with fire tonight. That fire had been missing from team and coach. Their backs were against the wall and they came out swinging. It was a beautiful thing to see, and long overdue this season.
This is a talented team. We knew that going into the season. That’s partly why this season has been so frustrating. As HR said, if they play defense and cut out all the silly turnovers, they can beat any team they play. I agree with HR about that. But in this conference every team is talented. So in the end you need more than just talent. You have to play with an edge and want it more and if you do you probably win. That’s when the close outs come in time, and when the rebounds come to you. They clearly wanted it more tonight than UNC did, and they wore UNC down like other teams had been doing to them. If they bring that edge more often they can turn the losses into wins. Can't predict it will happen, or not, its still a long grind, but at least they showed tonight that we shouldn’t write their obituary just yet.
This is a talented team. We knew that going into the season. That’s partly why this season has been so frustrating. As HR said, if they play defense and cut out all the silly turnovers, they can beat any team they play. I agree with HR about that. But in this conference every team is talented. So in the end you need more than just talent. You have to play with an edge and want it more and if you do you probably win. That’s when the close outs come in time, and when the rebounds come to you. They clearly wanted it more tonight than UNC did, and they wore UNC down like other teams had been doing to them. If they bring that edge more often they can turn the losses into wins. Can't predict it will happen, or not, its still a long grind, but at least they showed tonight that we shouldn’t write their obituary just yet.
7 more would get you in.....6 is doubtful based on OOC schedule. Looking at your schedule it can be done, if the team and coach show up that was there last night..... @Notre Dame not the same team without Bonzie....@BC tough but beatable....Miami twice, need to split here, win at home. NC State@ home is the easiest game you have left.....@GT is much tougher than record, once they got a couple of guys back they have played tougher, need to take this one.....Clemson@ home is hurting without Grantham, winnable game. if you won the games I listed you would still need 1 more win IMO to get into dance. That means you need to win 1 of the following games......@Miami, @UVA, @Duke & Duke@ home, Louisville@ home. You need to go 7-4 to finish....a win in the ACC tournament would lock it up if you are 10 wins going into tournament. If you are at 9 wins you probably need at least 2 wins in ACC tournament, even then a lot would depend on other bubble teams around the country. It will be fun to watch.....I love ACC Basketball....watching the Cheaters go down last night was just flat out enjoyable.
That’s about right, although I think we could make it at 6 wins if two of those wins are road wins at Duke, Miami or UVa.
You are 2-2 against Buzz in Blacksburg, and were a hair's breadth away from losing to his 11-22 team his first year. If he stays, it's not going to get easier to win against him, FYI. He's in his 4th year, and has made measurable strides every year except for this one. That's not any different than Bennett's resume after 4 years at UVa.
I honestly think the ACC is so stacked this year that, barring a total collapse, OOC schedule would be a non-factor with another 7 wins. I still don't think this is a tournament-caliber team, though, anyway you cut it. Too streaky.
Their resumes are the same after 4 years but keep in mind Bennett won the ACC, 30 games and a sweet 16 appearance in his 5th year....lofty goal for Buzz in my opinion.
Not that Bennett's job is easy by any stretch, but UVa has a hell of a lot more going for its program than VT does, and did before Bennett really kicked it into another gear. I think Bennett is one of the best coaches in basketball right now, but I really don't think he duplicates that kind of success at VT -- at least not in short order. Of course, I don't expect Buzz to win the ACC next year, unless we land a couple of McDonald's All-American big men, but I am very confident we'll be better next year if someone doesn't poach him away.
With Sy coming back I would definitely think you would be better next year.
I think we have a chance to have a special season next year. Bibbs will graduate but Outlaw will slide into his 3 point shooting role very nicely. Outlaw, Hill, Robinson, Clarke will all be seniors and Blackshear a junior and all getting better. Alexander Walker with a year under his belt. All the bench guys in year 2, and adding freshman prize recruit Landers Nolley. And Sy coming off a redshirt season to back up Blackshear, maybe ready to provide some solid back up minutes.
That’s more talent, experience, depth, shooting than we’ve had in a long, long time.
Will be interesting to see how the Hoos fare against Duke Saturday. They have been playing well but I don't see them as the 2nd best team in the country, maybe the ACC. This game will tell the tale.
Its been 23 years since the Hoos beat Duke in Durham. We'll see if they're for real.
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