Maybe they're a little late, but news is kind of slow right now, so this is what you got.
- Was there ever any doubt as to who was taking the shot at the end of the game? I mean, Vasquez took the ball everyone knew he was taking the shot. This isn't a particularly bad thing - he's who I wanted to take that shot - but that wasn't the shot I wanted him to take nor the way he got to it (I'm referring to both the first and second shots). Driving the lane would've been a better option, or at least looking for another option.
- Not the only person to mention this, but it was clear that the offense slowed down of it's own accord. Miami's defense had minimal impact - it seemed the team decided to try and wait it out. Unfortunately, that's not exactly an option when you're playing a quick scoring team like Miami.
- Many of Miami's 3s (particularly from Jack McClinton) were not particularly defensive faults. When McClinton hits a three from 25 feet, there's not much you can really do. Make no mistake, Miami was making some unreal shots during their run.
- Rebounding and defense were showcased as truly team efforts. When the team was working together to fight for rebounds, they were able to effectively hinder Miami's offense and rebounding. When the team stopped making the extra effort to rotate over or hustle for the rebound, they ended up with a less satisfying result (like McClinton standing wide open).
- Dave Neal had an extremely average game. It wasn't particularly bad, but he made no real impact. Dino Gregory finally started to steal some serious minutes.
- I'm still not sure why Gary refuses to actually utilize the bench. It's been awhile since Cliff Tucker has seen some serious minutes. He had six tonight. When was the last time JSK actually played. The kid won't improve if you don't play him, Gary.
- Another big part in the loss was the departure of Eric Hayes. Hate to rag on the kid too much because it seems like a pretty popular thing to do right now, but he disappeared after the first ten minutes of the game. In the first half, he was aggressive and decisive. The later it got in the game, the more afraid he seemed to be, and that hurt Maryland; no team can lose a shooter and solid guard and not hurt from it.
Just some random thoughts I had.