**Official OU vs North Carolina Central Game Thread**

[sheepdogs]

Didn't take long for the fans to file out of the arena.

 

[psk2080]

Well I'm glad they pulled it out but they have got to improve before they play Kentucky...alot...

 

[MNsooner]

He looks like a star. And I really like Newell too. I think he can be a really good PG. Cameron Clark needs to play better but I think he can be really good eventually. And Nick Thompson is a solid role player. Sadly enough he may be the best passer on our team. But the core of Newell, Fitz, and Clark can be real solid over the next few years.

True. As far as talent goes the cupboard certainly isn't bare. I don't think we will be the more talented team in a lot of games we play this year, but I do think we have a really nice core to build around and that this team is meshing well. I think we are moving the ball well and not taking bad shots as much as last year. The guys don't look selfish out there. I think that is a pretty good sign. We have the talent to compete. If we learn to really play like a team we could have a surprising season. If not thing will be tough.

 

[NickZepp]

Thank goodness. I have to work all night long tonight. I would have stewed about it all night long. Our finally 2 point FG% was 32% and 17% from three. It is amazing we pulled it out. I don't know how we did it other than just refusing to quit. That at least is an improvement from last year.

IT's A WIN

If Kansas shoots that bad they probably lose to most teams any night. It's hard to beat anyone shooting that bad. But we shot well the last minute or two of regulation and the last 5 minutes in overtime and that was the difference. Our defense was pretty solid all game outside of a few open 3s from that white kid NCCU had. Most of Wilkerson's made shots were pretty well defended.

 

[MNsooner]

I agree. Glad we won. Have a feeling there will be great rejoicing for wins this year. This team is going to have to grow this year. The D looks pretty decent, need to find our O!

Yup. Our defense created turnovers and played pretty well. At least our D can carry our O on nights like this when nothing seems to go in.

 

[outest]

Is there a possbility that Jeff play Pledge, Cade, Thompson (at the three), Fitzgerald, and another big (CJ). Newell will rotate in for Pledge and Cade. Clark rotates in for Thompson. And Honore or Ahmed rotate in for CJ, Fitz.
That will be a big line-up. The reason we can afford this is because Thompson is playing like a point guard. He can really pass.

 

[JohnnyBlack]

I tuned in with about 3 minutes left so what I saw looked pretty good. It was apparently pretty bad before that point. All I saw was excellent except for that brutal airball that Newton tossed up. I wish that we would run screens from a few feet inside the 3 point line and let Davis and Pledger shoot off of them. We just missed on a few guys that would have made this team pretty good this year.

 

[thebigabd]

Nick nailed it...and maybe the other team wasn't half bad? Last year this team would quit, this year we keep fighting.

The other team hasnt won a road game in 3 years, ended the game 3-17 in their last 20 shots, and the point guard missed 4 or 5 free throws in a row which allowed the tie to happen.

OU got unbelievably lucky tonight. But, such is basketball and they are 2-0.

 

[MNsooner]

The other team hasnt won a road game in 3 years, ended the game 3-17 in their last 20 shots, and the point guard missed 4 or 5 free throws in a row which allowed the tie to happen.

OU got unbelievably lucky tonight. But, such is basketball and they are 2-0.

Like I said, we did everything we could to lose this game for 35 minutes, but we were doing the little things well enough to pull this one off. I just hope we had a bad shooting game, not that we are a bad shooting team.

 

[thebigabd]

Like I said, we did everything we could to lose this game for 35 minutes, but we were doing the little things well enough to pull this one off. I just hope we had a bad shooting game, not that we are a bad shooting team.

I think its the latter, but we will see. Thats why I think OU needs to search the country (high school, juco, prep, whatever) and find the 2 best damn 3pt shooters they can find and sign them for next year.

 

[NickZepp]

I think its the latter, but we will see. Thats why I think OU needs to search the country (high school, juco, prep, whatever) and find the 2 best damn 3pt shooters they can find and sign them for next year.

Cade Davis didn't shoot that bad tonight from 3. I'll take 2-6 any night. Our highest touted shooter is Pledger and he's been really inconsistent in his time at OU. He made 2 big ones late tonight but he couldn't buy a three for the first 39 minutes of the game.

 

[thebigabd]

Cade Davis didn't shoot that bad tonight from 3. I'll take 2-6 any night. Our highest touted shooter is Pledger and he's been really inconsistent in his time at OU. He made 2 big ones late tonight but he couldn't buy a three for the first 39 minutes of the game.

He was 1-5 in regulation and a 30% career shooter... I havent seen anything this year that indicates he is all of a sudden going to be a good shooter.

Pledger is a good shooter and tonight was more of a fluke for him, and he hit the big shots to force overtime.

 

[psk2080]

For the record, UNCC is not a good team...Coppin is probably a better team, although the comparative scores don't show that...

2007-08 4-26
2008-09 4-27
2009-10 7-22

 

[NickZepp]

He was 1-5 in regulation and a 30% career shooter... I havent seen anything this year that indicates he is all of a sudden going to be a good shooter.

Pledger is a good shooter and tonight was more of a fluke for him, and he hit the big shots to force overtime.

Pledger was about a 33% shooter last year and is 4-15(27%) this year. According to your standards he's not a good three point shooter. Cade shouldn't shoot as many 3s and he does. I think he can be better getting to the line and making some more shots inside the arc. And he's done a decent job getting to the line better this year 9-10 so far. But nobody was making shots for us tonight. Fitzgerald was 8-17 from the field.

 

[boksooner]

He was 1-5 in regulation and a 30% career shooter... I havent seen anything this year that indicates he is all of a sudden going to be a good shooter.

Pledger is a good shooter and tonight was more of a fluke for him, and he hit the big shots to force overtime.

Cade is a career 32% from 3. Pledge is 33%. I can see the vast difference.

And last year Cade was 34.7 and Pledge was 33.8. Frankly, neither are great shooters.

 

[thebigabd]

Pledger is a shooter by trade... If I walked up to Jeff Capel and said, "who is a better shooter?" he would tell me Pledger and he wouldnt even think twice. Im pretty sure you guys know that too.

The percentages will weigh out as they play more games.

 

[boksooner]

Pledger is a shooter by trade... If I walked up to Jeff Capel and said, "who is a better shooter?" he would tell me Pledger and he wouldnt even think twice. Im pretty sure you guys know that too.

The percentages will weigh out as they play more games.

I think Pledger will eventually be a better shooter, but I don't think either should have the green light to take more than 3 or 4 threes per game, unless they're hot.

 

[p230]

But hey we tore it up on the stripe....85%. If we could keep that up driving to the basket and going for it might be a better option than three's

 

[NickZepp]

Pledger is a shooter by trade... If I walked up to Jeff Capel and said, "who is a better shooter?" he would tell me Pledger and he wouldnt even think twice. Im pretty sure you guys know that too.

The percentages will weigh out as they play more games.

Okay maybe you will be right in the long run. But based off what they've done I don't really see a huge difference. Pledger shouldn't have a green light over Cade. Especially because Pledge is our starting PG.

 

[MNsooner]

But hey we tore it up on the stripe....85%. If we could keep that up driving to the basket and going for it might be a better option than three's

This makes sense in theory, but I am not sure I want anyone other than Newell or Pledger taking it to the basket. At this point, I don't trust any of our other guards to finish or draw a foul when the defense collapses. Incidentally, those two accounted for about half of our FTs this game.

EDIT: depending on the match-up I should put Cade on that list. I am just pointing out that our guys who seem to be best at getting to the hoop are attacking the basket a reasonable amount.