Reply To: Weekend Recap

Forum Forum Lehigh Sports Lehigh Men’s Basketball Weekend Recap Reply To: Weekend Recap

#5499

lehigh90
Participant

Can’t agree with you on CJ decision. I was screaming when Reed pulled him out, so not just making a 20/20 hindsight call. Reasoning goes like this. First, this is the NCAA tourney playing for a place the team and PL league has never been. As a big underdog, you gotta take risks. Second, both fouls were offensive fouls, so it is not as if some Xavier player was breaking him down repeatedly off the dribble. Third, if you are concerned about a matchup like Holloway, you slide Bailey over and put CJ on the weakest offensive player to protect him. Fourth, he is your offense, period. Everything flows through him and he is the only go to player on the team late in the shot clock. You needed his offense to score the ball and involve and make it easier for your secondary scorers. And, finally, the guy is a tremendously smart player with unbelievable body awareness and control. He could have been careful to avoid the third until the second half. I just think Reed got too conservative with the big lead. If you are going to sit him after 2, why bring him back with 2 minutes to go in the first, when he could have picked up a third anyway. That decision was a momentum killer.

Final thought on that decision. Coach K had same call with Seth Curry in the Duke game. CJ put 2 quick ones on him and Coach K, a massive favorite, stayed with Curry, who did then pick up a third in first half and a 4th with 18 minutes left in the game. In a big game, you have to roll the dice a bit. Always get beat with your best players on the floor, bot your second tier guys.