My take is the kids are kind of entitled. All this talk of Herb, Petty, and Hall being NBA prospects has gone to their heads. They seem to be playing as individuals, not as a team. The fact is the only likely NBA talent is too young to go pro until next year, Kira Lewis. We are in year 4 and we are still losing games because we can't do the simplest of fundamentals, shoot free throws. We are perennially one the worst free throw shooting teams in the SEC if not the nation. I thought moving Mack to the starting lineup really helped, but he seemed to forget he was on the bench for most of the 2nd half. Hall seemed much more comfortable at the 5 rather than the 4 position and it showed. We got some production out of the 5 for a change albeit mostly free throws.
This team can be really good when they shoot freely and confidently like they did in the 1st half, but they can really stink if the get hesitant like the 2nd half. I have also defended Coach Johnson, but this one hurt and hurt badly. We can still have a good season, but if we don't fix the leaks, this team and fans along with them will loose hope. Zona is beatable and perhaps we were looking ahead, but we lost a huge opportunity last night.