UCSB vs. Riverside Recap

First of all, it's nice to know that the Gauchos are two games above .500 in Big West play. Last night, they had a nice victory that highlighted some things they do well and some things they do bad.

Let's start with the good. UCSB seemed more willing to push the ball up the court in last night's game. On multiple occasions they pulled down a rebound found the outlet quickly who sprinted up the court. If you noticed, this was much different than the game against Davis. In the Davis game, the players seemed to be interested in walking the ball up the court and play Davis' game. It was nice to see the Gauchos set the tempo.

Another thing they did well, relatively speaking, in moving around on offense. In the second half, there was not much standing around. The players set some picks and seemed willing to make Riverside work.

Lastly, I thought their defense was fairly good during stretches of the game. This is what keyed their offense, in the humble opinion of The Gaucho Manifesto.

Now, onto the bad. UCSB had 19 turnovers. Many of these turnovers were the result of stupid mistakes. I can recall one offensive play when the ball was at the top of the key and passed to the player in the corner. Unfortunately, a wide open shot was never taken because the ball was passed at Harris' feet.

The one problem I have with the offense is lack the of movement. I know that I just said it was better, but it's still not good. Usually on plays, there was one or two screens, involving the ball and some movement off the ball, but not as much as you'd like. On top of that, the Gauchos love to run two plays. The first one, involves a couple of screens and a shooter taking a shot at the top of the arc. The second play involves a couple of screens and involves a three point shot on the wing (this one appears to be more of a motion based offense). The problem? UCSB ran each one several straight occasions. Also, Riverside did a nice job of switching on those plays because they knew what UCSB was running. I've never had a problem dispensing advice to Bob, so here it goes: when the other team knows what you're doing, change it up. Call a different set play. Run the same play, but put in a backdoor cut once the player gets out to the three point line. These pay dividends in the end.

The only other problem I have is a hallmark of Bob's teams. Bob's teams are paragons of inconsistency. One minute they're up 15 points and completely in control. The next five minute stretch, everyone stands around, turns it over and they allow the team to get within a point or two of the lead. Basketball is a game of runs, but how else can you explain losses where we shouldn't lose on a regular basis?

Now, onto the actual analysis of the game.

Shooting Percentage

UCSB shot an even 50% from the floor about 5 percentage points better than their season average. Again, it was the Gauchos three-point shooting which really helped them out here. They went 11-21 from the three point line.

I know I keep beating a dead horse, but the Gauchos really need to play a faster pace than the 69 per game they're averaging. They NEED to take advantage of their speed and three point shooting ability. Playing at a faster pace and pushing the ball allows the Gauchos to get even more open three point looks. Imagine how scary they would be if they actually made sense.

UCSB held Riverside to a 2-11 performance from the three point line which is very good indeed. This was lower than their already crappy season average which indicates the Gauchos did a good job of defending the three.

Offensive Rebounding

In what has been a common theme this season, UCSB lost the offensive battle 9 to 5. The problem is the big guys have little willingness to get in there and bang. I know it's a finesse type team (seriously, do I need to throw any more evidence out there for a faster pace?), but we need to limit the offensive opportunities we're giving up.

The other problem is that we just aren't getting many boards. We shoot a lot of threes and are good at it. However, our big guys don't need to be chillaxin' out on the three point line. Bob needs to put on a couple Dennis Rodman 8 tracks and show these dudes how to board. Let me assist



There's a couple boards in the beginning. Keep watching it big men. If need be, I'll come over and teach you a thing or two about boarding. Rebounding is something you have to want. WANT IT!! Before anyone blasts me about Devine and Elliot's rebounding performance last night (which was decent), let me point out that Nedim Pajevic played 15 minutes and got 0 rebounds. He did a nice job of collecting fouls though. This needs to be a group effort. As long as Bob Williams refuses to play more players, our three big men have to be a better job of controlling the glass.

We did win the overall rebound battle 26-25, so that was a good thing. I like what I see and all is not lost.

Free Throws

This stat line is a little misleading. UCR was 17-25 and the Gauchos were 15-19. Every time I looked up, UCSB was being called for another foul. Riverside was in the bonus early while the Gauchos didn't get their until much later.

However, the Gauchos were their typical excellent selves from the line tonight and they were efficient. This is the type of performance that can win or lose a game for you and the team chose the former.

Turnovers

A bad trend is emerging on the turnover front. The Gauchos are losing the turnover battle. Personally, I don't think turnovers are bad if they're made pushing the ball up the court. The problem is that most of the turnovers are problem turnovers (low passes, ball off the foot, etc...).

If the Gauchos play faster it's not really a bad thing to have turnovers. They're expected. However, when they're playing a slightly slower pace (in this case 60 possessions), they can't have the silly turnovers.

It was a good victory and now they need to turn up the heat for their next games and keep it going.