GAME 4 - OKLAHOMA (3-0) VS EAST TEXAS A&M (1-4) - 7PM CST on SEC NETWORK+

[OULad]

For the record I thought we played well last night. We just missed some early shots. Even up 5 at halftime I had no doubt we wouldnt win by at least 25.

 

[Stikboy]

I keep trying to compare this year's squad with last years to see how much potential there is for improvement, but I can't figure out where I come out..

Better:
--When at full health we seem like we'll be deeper
--Guards seem like better shooters and scorers(need to wait until schedules toughens, of course)
--Fears is better than any guard we had last year
--Moore better
--Slightly deeper scoring
--So far guards taking care of the ball much better(again, jury out until conference)

Worse:
--Lineup is smaller and slightly less athletic
--Lack of interior girth
--Can smaller guards defend bigger guards?
--No sparkplug like Soares off the bench(Taylor?)

Same:
--Godwin, is he better or not?
--Can Taylor work into giving us what Soares did?(Not quite the athlete, but showing signs of scoring and being a dog(defense/rebounding, I'm liking him)
--Wague...He can't shoot like our fat backup big from Pitt last year but seems more athletic. What will he give us?
--X Factors=Jadon Jones, Goodine, Nwanko(pipe dream this year?)--If/when they get healthy who is going to the bench. And whoever does it won't matter, we will be deeper. Wonder how tight the rotation will be when that happens.
--Cole a factor?

So, no rhyme or reason just some random thoughts after 4 games. I think we'll know more after Atlantis, I just hope Goodine and Jones return so we can get a good picture..

 

[OULad]

I mostly worry about the interior. We are really thin there. Its reason I would pick us 10th or so in conference and not higher. If Nwankwo can come back, that could change a lot.

 

[Stikboy]

I mostly worry about the interior. We are really thin there. Its reason I would pick us 10th or so in conference and not higher. If Nwankwo can come back, that could change a lot.

I agree. Godwin already looks worn out. We need another guy in there. Unless Wague can start to play more minutes.. If either one of those guys gets hurt we're screwed. Too bad Northweather seems to be a 6-1 guard in a 6-11 body.

 

[WichitaSooner]

I wonder why Northweather isn't playing sooner in games than he has this season? Last season he was one of the first off the bench....does anyone know? IMO he's somewhat of a waste of height, as all he seems to do is stand around the perimeter and wait to shoot a 3, kind of like a Matt freeman-type player, so if it's for that reason, then I understand. Him and Yaya kind of frustrate me as they have the height we really need during conference play, but it seems they haven't put in the work to improve. that, or they're always injured??

Northweather isn’t good enough. He made just over a quarter of his threes last year and that is supposed to be his best attribute. What else does he contribute?

 

[WichitaSooner]

I keep trying to compare this year's squad with last years to see how much potential there is for improvement, but I can't figure out where I come out..

Better:
--When at full health we seem like we'll be deeper
--Guards seem like better shooters and scorers(need to wait until schedules toughens, of course)
--Fears is better than any guard we had last year
--Moore better
--Slightly deeper scoring
--So far guards taking care of the ball much better(again, jury out until conference)

Worse:
--Lineup is smaller and slightly less athletic
--Lack of interior girth
--Can smaller guards defend bigger guards?
--No sparkplug like Soares off the bench(Taylor?)

Same:
--Godwin, is he better or not?
--Can Taylor work into giving us what Soares did?(Not quite the athlete, but showing signs of scoring and being a dog(defense/rebounding, I'm liking him)
--Wague...He can't shoot like our fat backup big from Pitt last year but seems more athletic. What will he give us?
--X Factors=Jadon Jones, Goodine, Nwanko(pipe dream this year?)--If/when they get healthy who is going to the bench. And whoever does it won't matter, we will be deeper. Wonder how tight the rotation will be when that happens.
--Cole a factor?

So, no rhyme or reason just some random thoughts after 4 games. I think we'll know more after Atlantis, I just hope Goodine and Jones return so we can get a good picture..

I agree with most of this but think you underestimate how big the decline is in athleticism. Moore, Soares, Cooper, and Oweh were our best athletes by a mile, and three are gone. None of the new guys are close to them. Think back to the noncon last year. It was a dunk show with Moore and Waldo and Oweh. Now Moore is the only guy we have on that level, and that matters a ton when the competition ramps up. It’s why we were so bad two years ago. We had one of the least athletic power conference teams I’ve ever seen.

 

[TINY]

I agree with most of this but think you underestimate how big the decline is in athleticism. Moore, Soares, Cooper, and Oweh were our best athletes by a mile, and three are gone. None of the new guys are close to them. Think back to the noncon last year. It was a dunk show with Moore and Waldo and Oweh. Now Moore is the only guy we have on that level, and that matters a ton when the competition ramps up. It’s why we were so bad two years ago. We had one of the least athletic power conference teams I’ve ever seen.

I don’t think they are as athletic either but they look more skilled. The ball handling and passing is much better. I think the outside shooting will come around.

going to be interesting to see how Moser’s offense works against better teams with 2-3 PGs on the court at a time.