It seems like Kaifes has been on the floor more as the conference season has gone on (in meaningful minutes, not like other games where we were up 20+). Maybe that’s a good sign that he’s showing improvement in practice.

The only one that really concerns me is Big Frank. He’s been dressed for games for a while now, but no playing time. We don’t know the story, but my pessimistic side has me concerned that (a) his injury hasn’t progressed enough to be able to play, going on around 4-5 months, or (b) it’s understood that he’s planning to transfer. Again, it’s just pure speculation, but Krut going down to injury, and him not seeing the floor at all even after that, makes me wonder.

2. Have Krut shoot a 3 from the top of the key or deep corner. Just for the hell if it. This would send a psychological message to the team that it's okay to launch one and miss. Life goes on. And if Krut connects so much the better!

I gave myself Sunday to enjoy the win, be positive on the board and reminisce about the incredible four year run Loyola is on.

Now down to business. After our 27 point blowout in game 1 @Drake, our offense has really hit a wall. Thought it'd be good to centralize discussions on the offense in one thread. I have a few observations. I am a kenpom subscriber but certainly not an analytic savant. The below thoughts are mostly just from watching the game.

1. "Tightening" of the rotation. Welch was a really key contributor in the first half of the season. Showed he could hit from deep and had some nifty moves downlow. His defense was not bad, but he was sometimes exposed trying to defend the other team's big man. His minutes and contributions have seemingly dropped off. Similar to Hebb who did not play at all (I don't think) in the SIU series. He provided a bit of a spark plug in some games with active defense and the ability to drive to the hoop. Seems like we are now set in a 7 man rotation with the starting 5 plus Quise/Hall...with sparing minutes for Welch, Kaifes and Hall.

2. Backdoor cuts. Our offense had a ton of pretty cuts / motions coupled with really nifty passing (including from Krut, of course) that lead to easy layups. It seems opposing teams have picked up on that and are not overselling a big, cutting off any passing lanes before they exist.

3. Hall/Uguak/Welch. Each of these three guys have shown the ability to step up for a double digit game on any given night. After Hall as put into a sub role, he responded super well and kind of carved out a new roll as a post-up guy. He is strong, quick and athletic--great for exposing mismatches. However, last few games, he seems to have gotten away from really trying to back guys down. His 3 point shot is so off this year, unfortunately, that I think he really needs to go back to keying in downlow. Similarly, Uguak is a guy who can really expose mismatches--length and quickness very few have. He really looked good in game 1 vs Drake as they tried to guard him with Sturtz. Seems like the last few games, he has regressed a bit as neither his 3 point shot is falling nor is he able to expose defenders. Welch, already talked about his decrease in minutes. His 3 point shot from the top of the arc seemed automatic at the beginning of the year--he has gone cold from there.

4. Drive, drive, drive. We have a few guys who have shown they can beat defenders off the dribble and consistently get to the hoop (Kennedy, Norris, Hebb). Only one of those guys (Kennedy) has really shown the ability to finish once down there. With the 3 point ball not falling, I think we need to try driving more--Kennedy to finish or dish to Krut and Norris to pull up for a mid-range jumper (where he has been deadly) or find Krut.

5. The 3 ball. Obviously, the biggest issue, and the most troubling / inexplicable, has been the complete demise of our 3 point shooting. We have multiple guys on the roster who should be comfortable 36+% shooters (Norris, Williamson, Clemons, Kaifes, Kennedy). And we looked the part leading up to the last 4 games. But then it just fell off a cliff (other than Norris and to a lesser extent, Clemons). With a big guy as talented as Krut, when our 3's are falling, we are near impossible to defend. Feed him, and he will either beat your defender 1v1 OR you can try to crash him and he will inevitably find the open guy leading you to chase the ball on the perimeter until we have an open 3. But when the 3's aren't falling, you just need to crash on Krut as you do not need to worry about getting killed from deep. Our advantage on offense disappears.

Interested to hear thoughts from others. These are obviously some "ramblings" of someone who has yelled at the TV out of pure frustration the last four games. Our defense can keep us in a battle with just about any team, and even win Q4 type games vs Valpo and SIU, but if the offense isn't there, our March will be short-lived. I trust Porter and the guys to figure it out. First move should be to stick with what worked early on--then, if the 3's STILL aren't falling, we need some type of backup plan. I think driving with Norris/Kennedy and feeding Krut or cutters is the best we can do.