My Take on UTA Exhibition

[cowboysooner]

First, we had too many turnovers to even count.
Second, we missed most of our free throws and shot a bunch. Would be interesting to see a box score.
Third and regarding trae, he is going to be good, really good, but he had a bunch of "This isn't high school" moments. Watch glory road and you will know what I'm talking about. At this level, you just can't dribble in front of D1 kid without being made to look silly. He'll learn.
Fourth, we didn't shoot very well, except for CJ. He was our best player, and as V has mention, he may very well be our best player.
Fifth, Manek will have to play, simply because he can score. We become a little weaker in some areas though. If he will stay after it, he is going to be really good.
Sixth, we looked tired even before the game. It looked like they had practiced before the game.
Seventh, a hundred times we passed up an open jump shot to dribble into the lane and turn the ball over, shoot a shot being contested by 2 seven foot kids, or get fouled and then miss the free throws.
Eighth, defense was non existent, but I'm confident Lon can and will fix this.
And finally, UTA looked like a pretty good team.

All in all, I bet Lon loved it. Kids may have been reading their press clippings and this game will definitely get them back to working like Lon wants. This being said, we, mostly me, may have had unrealistic expectations.

 

[brsooner]

We had better toughen up quick.

 

[AdaSooner]

Aside from defense, poor shooting (especially from three) and abysmal but uncharacteristic free throw shooting, one thing stands out to me. UTA had a +10 advantage (26 to 16) in assists.

I realize the number of assists is bound to be lower when no one is making shots. Still, no one but Trae, Odomes and Shep even logged an assist. That seems to suggest the team we saw on the down under tour, where sharing the ball and teamwork was emphasized, was practically nonexistent in the scrimmage. That has to be corrected if this team expects to be successful going forward.

For the record, I don’t see it as a major concern because we saw what these kids can do when they play as one unit. I’m just saying they need to get back to the basics that was the trademark of the team we saw in Australia and New Zealand.

 

[cjhsooner]

Fire Kruger!!! Jkjk!

In all seriousness, with how bad OU was last season, adding Young and expecting miracles this quickly was not fair to the team. Give them a few games to get right.

 

[AdaSooner]

No one I know of is “expecting miracles.” On the contrary, most posters here appear to have reasonable expectations, among them an improvement over last year that includes making the dance again.

I doubt if anyone expected this team to be perfect before the season tips off officially a little more than a week from now. I know I didn’t. But, I see nothing wrong with critiquing their performance and having an honest discussion about what went right or wrong in a scrimmage. That, after all, is one of the main reasons this or any other fan board exists.

 

[MisterF]

Like your write up.

My concern.. losing kills confidence and starts bad habits. We suffered both of those last year. I’m hoping Ou played like they did because of youth and tired legs. Not bad playing habits and lack of confidence during crunch time.

Boomer! Still excited for the season!!

 

[inoref]

17-20 win season would be on the right track

 

[coolm]

I like your comments and agree. I am glad they did this so coach has a way to make them bear down. He could get a lot of mileage out of this thing. A loss like that could be a perfect springboard to start our season.

 

[scrybe]

I doubt that the Sooners we saw against UTA will look so discombobulated when the season opens officially next week.

I sure hope not, anyway.

 

[CoachTalk]

Humbling Experience for the team. LK is a mastermind.

 

[tycat947]

I doubt that the Sooners we saw against UTA will look so discombobulated when the season opens officially next week.

I sure hope not, anyway.

Agreed! I think Lon looked at this scrimmage as a scrimmage to help prepare this team for the season. UTA looked at this scrimmage as a way to beat the big, bad P5 Sooners! UTA has a good, solid team and won the scrimmage. It does NOT count as a win or loss in the record book. Lon is preparing this team for the season not just to win a scrimmage. That’s been his MO since he’s been in Norman.

 

[MsProudSooner]

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