It does appear that CLK has kinda settled on his "starters". However, the minutes they play will depend on factors other than just how they practiced during the prior week. Injuries, foul problems, matchups against specific players/teams,overall effectiveness, etc., will be factors.
The current "5" include two FR who are playing pretty well, but the jury is still out on how consistent they will be. The ball-handling aspect of their play against pressure defenses could turn out to be huge,as they, along with Cousins didn't fare too well against the team...UTA...that used it against us, and Grooms had to be inserted to save their bacon. Hopefully, they've improved in this regard, both in skill and confidence and it won't be a problem. I'm mystified as to why opposing coaches haven't pressed us from the git-go, unless they just don't have the talent, bench strength, to do it. I think we're gonna see it in the future.
In addition, M'baye,another first year player, but more experienced, while capable of a big game, still tends to disappear. I found myself wondering where he was against WVU. If the team could depend on consistent positive play from him, a lot of folks would breath a little easier.
Frankly, the same can be said about Pledger. He basically disappeared, scoring-wise, against WVU untill the last few minutes. I hope I'm wrong but, I worry about his dependability over the course of the season.
Osby, so far, is the bell cow, and hopefully, he will continue. Injury and fouls may haunt us with him because he will be playing against some tough, big guys as the season progresses.
Without going into specifics on the second "5", I think we're going to see the positives of playing 9-10 players as the season progresses. If we get into a "hell for 40 minutes" or full court pressure type game, we'll have the confidence and stamina to deal with it.
I'm looking for some pleasant surprises this year.
