It's easy to be Debbie Downer after a loss, and it's one of the worst characteristics of the board. I don't take any pleasure in glass-mostly-empty, but I have not and do not like what I've seen from these Cougs. Here's a few reasons why:

--Continued, and very poor, free throw struggles (again, at home)

--Porous perimeter D again

--Very ineffective offensive continuity and/or execution. Constantly getting late in the shot clock and often having to put up something that was actually or borderline desperate

--Our 2 new stars did not deliver and in fact, struggled. Again.

--No answer to the other team's star player. We let him close us out on our own floor.

--Finished terribly. We were awful in the last minute, surrendering 2nd chances on the boards, missing free throws, turning the ball over, and failing to convert in crunch time.

It needs to be acknowledged that struggles and choppy air shouldn't be shocking. New players and new coaching staff that is coaching an entirely different type of basketball. We're seeing the opposite of last year essentially--higher ceiling players who have not logged time as a group together and are not well-versed and seasoned in their schemes.

That said, I expected a better brand of ball on one or both ends, and here's our reality: On paper, this is the EASY stretch of our schedule. It gets (much) worse later on. This brand of ball will not get it done, and we're flirting with disaster the way we are playing at this stage of the season. I'm not hitting the panic button, but this coaching staff best be sounding the alarm. Talent is not the problem, and we are not simply not playing good basketball.