Is Ace in a mini slump?

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rammad90

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The past three games Ace hasn't looked the same and in the last two his shot hasn't been falling.
Could it be a mini slump? Too many minutes? Just 2-3 games were he just wasnt himself? Or simply you cannot be sharp every game?

Its just not his stats, its his performance on court. I am accustomed to seeing him dominate other teams pg he hasn't really done that at least not in the last 3 and the other teams guy were far from all A10 quality.

I was glad to see Mike pull him last night and get him some rest.

Thoughts?
 
rammad90 said:
The past three games Ace hasn't looked the same and in the last two his shot hasn't been falling.
Could it be a mini slump? Too many minutes? Just 2-3 games were he just wasnt himself? Or simply you cannot be sharp every game?

Its just not his stats, its his performance on court. I am accustomed to seeing him dominate other teams pg he hasn't really done that at least not in the last 3 and the other teams guy were far from all A10 quality.

I was glad to see Mike pull him last night and get him some rest.

Thoughts?
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Ace is fine. He took only three shots last night. A sign of a great player is one who can impact the game in multiple ways. Ace impacted the game with his defense last night, especially the last few minutes of the first half and the entire second half. He got us into our offense, which was as good as it’s been all season. His assist totals may not show it, but he had the pass that led to the pass, which became an assist.

You may be on to something about his minutes. Before last night, I think he had played 36+ minutes for five straight games. That’s a big load for someone who plays as hard, and from whom much is expected, as Ace. I agree with you that Mike pulling Ace and letting him rest will be good going forward. Not only does Ace rest, but it gives Zeb some very valuable experience on the floor.

Let’s not forget that Ace has suffered injuries to both wrists in the last two months. I’m sure there has to be some residual pain from time-to-time that impacts him.

Frankly, I think it speaks to the growth of this team that we’ve won the last two games with a combined 8 points from Ace. There were some people who posted after the Vandy game that it was a bad sign that we “needed” 28 points from Ace to win that game, because it somehow meant that the rest of the team wasn’t up to the task. SMH.
 
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He's just tired. School back in session. Morning classes..Get back in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. His body just needs rest.
 
wavevcu said:
He's just tired. School back in session. Morning classes..Get back in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. His body just needs rest.
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Yeah, I noted to my friend after the first 5 minutes that Ace did not look like himself on offense. He played great D though. Just looked off. Hopefully he will have a big game on Friday night. Ace does not tend to string poor offensive games together. All that being said, UMass definitely had pressuring Ace as the primary emphasis in their game plan. It opened things up for everyone else.
 
I'm wondering if his wrist is bothering him.... I know at the last home game.... late in the game he came over to the training staff holding his wrist... had them cut the tape & re tape it or something... but he was still holding his wrist a little and doing wrist movements while sitting on the bench.

Definitely something to keep an eye on. Hope it doesn't become more serious of an issue.
 
If you are going to show out in the big games, it's OK to manage your effort in a game we easily have in hand.
Doesn't he still have freaking screws in his arms, or one of them?
 
Ace needs some rest. He played 39 minutes against Dayton after coming back from an injury and is averaging 34.5 minutes per game. Despite that he's had 7 assists during the past two games so he's still contributing. He'll be fine.
 
I do think his wrist is bothering him some. However, teams are also making an emphasis to put pressure on him and make other guys beat them. Last night other guys made plays and Ace impacted the game in other ways.
 
Ace was a warrior on Friday (he must have been exhausted), and did a little bit of everything very well....heck, he even had a block. Plus, he even played 36 minutes vs Loyola, and MR probably could've put AHVI in the game for the last 10/15 and we would've been fine.

Dude wants to play, like everyone said...He'll be fine for Friday and beyond.
 
No not at all. He is facilitating and more than likely coaching. He doesn't need to score 20 in every game.
 
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Mr X said:
No not at all. He is facilitating and more than likely coaching. He doesn't need to score 20 in every game.
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Heck, when 3 or 4 of: Deloach, Kern, Nunn, Johns, Jackson & Shriver are playing well & finding ways to score..... you don't even need Ace to score. Now thats not to say, I don't want him shooting the ball or scoring when he has the opportunity.... and hes certainly a guy I want at the FT line down the stretch when the game is on the line... but yeah when the rest of the team is scoring like we have the past 3 games or so..... a low scoring game by ace is fine... because we know we are still going to get assists and solid defense from him if hes on the court.
 
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