{"id":7598,"date":"2015-03-08T20:03:12","date_gmt":"2015-03-09T00:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=7598"},"modified":"2015-03-08T20:03:12","modified_gmt":"2015-03-09T00:03:12","slug":"looking-back-on-jmus-caa-tourney-loss-to-hofstra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=7598","title":{"rendered":"Looking Back on JMU’s CAA Tourney Loss to Hofstra"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CAA<\/a>After defeating Hofstra twice during the regular season, JMU dropped a close one to the<\/del> failed to show up against the Pride in the CAA tournament. Hofstra beat the Dukes 74-57. If you were at the game or watched it on television, you know the story. JMU came out lifeless and got beat on both ends of the court. The Dukes didn’t protect the ball, hit the glass, defend, or shoot particularly well. Other than that though, things were swell.<\/p>\n

Save a CIT or CBI tournament bid\/payment for entry, JMU will finish 19-13 and as Regular Season Quad-Champions.It’s a little easier to write off a flat performance during the regular season. Come tournament time though, you expect teams to come out sharp and focused. JMU was off from the opening tip this tourney. I lost track of how many times the Dukes turned it over by losing their dribble, stepping out of bounds, or mishandling a simple hand off. Hofstra turned those mistakes into 23 points off turnovers.<\/p>\n

Perhaps more aggravating than the sloppy ball control, was the way JMU just essentially conceded the lane to Hofstra. The Pride dominated down low to the tune of 46 points in the paint. They were able to do this of course because JMU did much more watching than boxing out. For fans of fundamental basketball, it was an ugly affair.<\/p>\n

All season long Hofstra’s poor defense was its Achilles heel. The Dukes didn’t exactly take advantage of that relative weakness. They shot only 37% from the field overall and were a terrible 5 for 22 from long range. Bad shooting nights happen. Good teams find a way to overcome them by working for easy looks and getting to the line. JMU did not do that against Hofstra. There were long periods of the game, where Ron Curry’s teammates on the floor looked content to let him try to pull the Dukes back on his own. Players seemed to alternate between standing around watching and playing hot potato with the ball on the perimeter. It was really just a total lack of offensive creativity.<\/p>\n

Clearly, the game left me frustrated. Maybe I’m making it seem worse than it was. Or maybe it was even worse than I’m indicating. The fact is that JMU got boat raced by a team it had beaten twice already. Hofstra definitely has more talent, but the Dukes didn’t look prepared to play. Whether that’s an indictment of the coaches and players, or just an inopportune time to have an off night is a question for another day.<\/p>\n