Grade Kruger's coaching job this season: Part Deaux

[OUHoops]

Alright, let's give this another go.

 

[hoopsaustin]

C+ or B-
that SFA loss just kills me. spare me the, but they have a good record and are really good. ya i was at the game, they suck but they beat us at home

 

[152219]

A bump from a C to a B. Wins two of the next three and then finishes strong and that jumps to an A.

 

[WTSooner]

I think I voted C last time. Raised it to a solid B this time.

 

[opsooner]

B. Obviously trending upwards right now. Need serious work against pressure defense though

 

[opsooner]

C+ or B-
that SFA loss just kills me. spare me the, but they have a good record and are really good. ya i was at the game, they suck but they beat us at home

Yes, I suspect anyone trying to justify that loss did not watch the game. We stunk. Last night's win more than erases that loss for me though.

 

[perryj74]

To me this is all about expectations. Obviously if this were Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, ... the grade would be around a C but considering where the program was when he took over and what our expectations were to begin the season I'd say it is an A. We are tied for 2nd in the conference during the middle of our toughest stretch of games on the schedule. We've picked up a couple of road wins, the losses have been competitive losses, and this team continues to grow and improve. At the beginning of the season most of us were hoping to be in the NCAA tournament or at least on the bubble for consideration. Now I don't think there is anyone that doesn't see this as a legit NCAA tournament team. Win 2 of the next 3, which will be very difficult to do, and this team is playing for seeding in the NCAA tournament.

 

[AdaSooner]

His stock went up since the last poll. I gave him a B.

 

[skyvue]

Yes, I suspect anyone trying to justify that loss did not watch the game

I saw the game. We stormed back after falling behind, as we made a habit of doing early in the season, and came within about an inch of a likely comeback victory. I was very disappointed we didn't win -- still am -- but some folks on this board are obsessed with that loss to the point of absurdity. We could go undefeated the rest of the way, and some would still be bringing up that game.

As for assessing Coach Kruger's performance, I've got news for the hand-wringers: Coach Kruger did every bit as good a job coaching in that game as he did in the UTA and NW State wins. The difference is that our late shot just missed dropping against SFA, but we were able to squeeze tight wins over the other two. Luck played a role in all three outcomes -- it always does. Those two games could just as easily have been losses, and SFA a win.

So if you're going to knock Kruger down a grade for the SFA loss, it's only fair you knock him down another half-grade for each of those tight wins over lesser opponents.

 

[MercedeSooner]

Honest question, who in the Big 12 has less talent then us ?

 

[JBaker]

Honest question, who in the Big 12 has less talent then us ?

Texas Tech and TCU for sure. Maybe West Virginia.
I'd say it's about a toss-up between us, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State after that.

 

[Krugerfan52]

I saw that a bunch of people put A. Im not sure how you can do that if you are taking the whole season into account. If you are judging based on the Baylor game alone then I could see giving him an A. Although any solid coach vs Drew is a major mismatch.

But overall I thought a B at this point is very solid and accurate.

 

[Krugerfan52]

Honest question, who in the Big 12 has less talent then us ?

TCU
Tech
West Virginia

Not sure after that

 

[trueou]

Coach Kruger is doing pretty good this season considering a) using three freshmen and a transfer with significant minutes and b) changing the team's culture from one of losing to one of winning.

 

[WaymanFan]

As stated in the other thread, I went with a 'D' in the first go-around (voted right after the SFA debacle). However, starting with the Ohio game, I'm really starting to ENJOY OU basketball for the first time in four years. I would say B- at this moment, so with the choices presented, I went with a 'B'.

 

[WTSooner]

Honest question, who in the Big 12 has less talent then us ?

TCU, TT, and WVU for sure.

I'd say it's hard to differentiate between OU, OSU, ISU, and UT.

I'd say that Baylor, KSU, and KU have more talent, though KSU's "talent" edge is mostly b/c they have more experience. They could easily be in the "it's hard to differentiate" category.

 

[skyvue]

I saw that a bunch of people put A. Im not sure how you can do that if you are taking the whole season into account.

Here's how you can give him an A: Has the team overachieved (or, rather, has it exceeded your expectations)?

If the answer is yes, then A is a fair grade to give.

As for taking the whole season into account, it's clear that Coach Kruger was coaching the team early on with an eye toward getting them to where they are now. So while the early results may not have been as immediately gratifying as many fans would have liked, it can be reasonably argued that the approach he took then is paying off with solid play and a strong bench now.

It's funny, there are fans who rushed to remind us in the early going that those wins meant nothing, that we had a tough road ahead of us in conference play and we shouldn't get too excited yet. And then there are other fans (there may be some overlap between the factions) who are now bringing up early-season results so as to downplay our current accomplishments.

I'm enjoying the whole damn ride, thank you very much, and couldn't care less about those caveats and warnings.

 

[DenverSooner]

Kruger has exceeded expectations for the year by a fairly long shot at this point in the season. If he continues like he has he gets an A. At this point I gave him an A.

I think he is going to win 12 conference games on the season and finish second in the conference. I think OU will sweep Baylor, Texas, Tech, WVU (although a third game makes me nervous), and TCU. I don't think sweeps of ISU and OSU are out of the question but those are tough places to play and pretty solid teams.

 

[colston15]

Oklahoma State has two first round draft picks, plus Markel Brown. It's not even close, they have way more talent, but a lesser coach.

Iowa State is probably about even with us talent wise.

 

[AdaSooner]

Honest question, who in the Big 12 has less talent then us ?

On paper, two schools come immediately to mind: Baylor and OSU.

Both teams have higher ranked players than OU. Yet, after last night's win on the road, the Sooners already have wins over those teams. Was coaching the difference? It would be hard to convince me that LK didn't do a much better job than Drew and Ford in those wins.