The Youth Excuse

[Aike]

Did you notice how we weren’t too young to win at Auburn, at Tennessee, and vs. UNC on a neutral court?

Truth of the matter is that lineups killed us, not youth.

Anyone who has ever played any one and done tournament basketball understands that the game speeds up on you. A 40 minute game suddenly feels like about 25, because you feel your season slipping away.

How do you think it feels to come off the bench in that situation? Your 14 minutes a half suddenly feels like about 8. Playing from behind makes it that much worse.

Cal didn’t start our best lineups and didn’t play the best combinations enough minutes together. It really is that simple.

Game after game, he instilled confidence in the opponent. They knew they would be better than us to start the game. They knew they would get another crack at it to start the half.

You may get away with that vs. Vandy or Georgia. But a lot of us have been screaming all year that it was going to bite us.

I could also go into the “strategy” of letting the opponent walk it up court. Refusing to force turnovers. Allowing them to set their zone over and over. But I digress.

 

[WeWant9]

The one thing Cal is never short of is excuses.

 

[UKUGA]

I admittedly don’t pay much attention to CBB throughout the season, but I was really taken aback when I heard the widespread “youth” comments (pundits included) for the first few hours after the loss on Thursday.

Cal has won big with freshman and he has really messed up royally with 4 year guys and transfers.

Cal is not a good coach.

Maybe we should start the “fat” excuse.





“Kentucky will always eat first.”


- Cow

 

[ArcticChar]

Yeah, I did, along with his watery eyes, trying to sell his potion. All of the top teams are young. Just more cow excuses.

 

[gbl97]

The media members who blame it on youth are just being lazy. Probably 98% of the teams don't rely heavily on freshmen. So when Kentucky loses, "it's obvious they just needed to be older". Total fallacy.

 

[catben]

I admittedly don’t pay much attention to CBB throughout the season, but I was really taken aback when I heard the widespread “youth” comments (pundits included) for the first few hours after the loss on Thursday.

Cal has won big with freshman and he has really messed up royally with 4 year guys and transfers.

Cal is not a good coach.

Maybe we should start the “fat” excuse.





“Kentucky will always eat first.”


- Cow

Wasn't it Cal HIMSELF that stated he "will take talent OVER experience any day"????!!!!

So how can he EVER even say ANYTHING about being 'YOUNG"??!!!!!

He is just so full of CRAP!!!

 

[bucsrule8872]

I am so tired of the youth excuse!!!!

Were we too young last year?

Tshiebwe- Senior, returning NPOY.
Wheeler- Senior.
Frederick- Senior.
Toppin- Senior.
Reeves- Senior.

A team of veterans led by one of the best players in college, could not get out of the first weekend of the tournament.

It’s not a “youth vs. experience” issue. It’s a coaching issue.

 

[jwphelps]

Did you notice how we weren’t too young to win at Auburn, at Tennessee, and vs. UNC on a neutral court?

Truth of the matter is that lineups killed us, not youth.

Anyone who has ever played any one and done tournament basketball understands that the game speeds up on you. A 40 minute game suddenly feels like about 25, because you feel your season slipping away.

How do you think it feels to come off the bench in that situation? Your 14 minutes a half suddenly feels like about 8. Playing from behind makes it that much worse.

Cal didn’t start our best lineups and didn’t play the best combinations enough minutes together. It really is that simple.

Game after game, he instilled confidence in the opponent. They knew they would be better than us to start the game. They knew they would get another crack at it to start the half.

You may get away with that vs. Vandy or Georgia. But a lot of us have been screaming all year that it was going to bite us.

I could also go into the “strategy” of letting the opponent walk it up court. Refusing to force turnovers. Allowing them to set their zone over and over. But I digress.

Even if youth was the problem, that is on Cal, he is the one who uses the one and done model, when in this day of the transfer portal you can build a more mature team that is just as good a team or better than the one and done.

 

[ArcticChar]

Cow is the face of 0andD. He had it perfected for about a five year run and then everything changed transfer rules, portal, nil. He couldn't adapt and mix and synthesize so now he cries about his own system.

 

[LXWildcat]

He uses the youth excuse way too much. And then after the game Thursday said he will continue to recruit young freshmen…. Everyone can see this man has lost his mind and needs to kick rocks