**********OU-Washburn Game Thread**********

[DenverSooner]

I liked Lattin's first game.

 

[sooner 1234]

i love Lattin. agile, coordinated big guy. lots of potential.

Had 11 boards tonight. He really impressed me with his hustle and intelligence.

 

[AdaSooner]

I liked Lattin's first game.

Yeah, me too. 6 points, 11 boards and a block is not a bad first game for a freshman. I doubt if anyone thought he would lead the team in rebounding.

He also seems to have a good feel for the game. I didn't see him make any of the mistakes one might expect from a freshman. He's going to be a good one!

 

[sybarite]

Lattin was a bit of a surprise. Now, if he'll just stop shooting threes.

 

[sheepdogs1]

Had 11 boards tonight. He really impressed me with his hustle and intelligence.

Shouldn't take long for him to displace DJ.

 

[sooner 1234]

Shouldn't take long for him to displace DJ.

Hopefully either one start , but if Thomas isnt eligible ,I agree.
DJ was playing some good minutes at the end of last season, tonight he looked like he took a step back.

 

[AdaSooner]

Shouldn't take long for him to displace DJ.

Like maybe one game?

I may have been overly optimistic with my prediction on D. J. WTSooner is right, he was the same player as we saw last year.

I'm not ready to give up on him after only one game. But he will have to do a lot better than he showed tonight, or he'll be playing behind a freshman.

 

[sheepdogs1]

Hopefully either one start , but if Thomas isnt eligible ,I agree.
DJ was playing some good minutes at the end of last season, tonight he looked like he took a step back.

We'll obviously be a guard oriented team, much like last year. but we'll find ourselves in some games, especially within conference play, where our front line needs to be more of an offensive force. In doing so it should open up more shots on the perimeter and at the same time hopefully cause opposing bigs to foul and in the process upset the opponent's schemes strategy on both sides of the ball.

 

[usedtobe1]

Changing players, I thought Woodard looked slimmer and quicker. I also liked how his backup, Dinjyl Walker, looked, too. He was strong and aggressive

 

[sheepdogs1]

Like maybe one game?

I may have been overly optimistic with my prediction on D. J. WTSooner is right, he was the same player as we saw last year.

I'm not ready to give up on him after only one game. But he will have to do a lot better than he showed tonight, or he'll be playing behind a freshman.

He can play strong D at times and blocks or redirect shots but his rebounding is rather meh. He appears to be a player who performs better in practice than during crunch time. His role will probably be better defined as a bench player than a starter.

 

[ChongoChingi]

Lattin looks great for a freshmans first exhibition game. Great hands, looked stronger than I thought, and seems like he has a good basketball iq. Buddy looks smooth as butter. Cousins was having a bad shooting night. Everything was very flat. Woodard looked bored and still made a bunch of plays. I like how much stronger Spangler looked. Wished he could have a better offensive game. My goodness, if TaShawn is eligible and we can add a big guy inside offense. Look out! Sure is fun to watch Sooner basketball!

 

[Sooner04]

When Bennett turned it over on the game's first possession during the dribble handoff (a play they run in practice 40 times a day) I put my head in my hands and wept.

 

[SoonerinNC]

Buddy - terrific - all-conference material

Cousins - playing a little out of control, trying to do too much. He will be OK

Woodard - definitely improved over last year.

Spangler - Foul trouble, didn't seem to try to get an inside game going.

Bennett - looked the same as last year.

Booker - solid game, needed to his at least one more shot. He has to do better than 2 for 6.

Walker - Good first game. Warmed up after slow start.

Cole - Don't see him contributing against the better teams. Didn't contribute much tonight.

Lattin - Encouraging. Can't tell about his defense. What I like most is how well he rebounds in a crowd and he makes very good and quick outlet passes. He runs the court well so he will be an asset to the running game.

Offense - ragged, probably too much an outside game. Good penetration but a little out of control at times. Need to work hard to develop a better inside game.

Defense - I thought pretty good. Held them to a low shooting percentage. Some breakdowns but to be expected at this point in the season. Kruger depends a lot on help and communication on switches and they clearly missed on some.

The next game may be totally different. they have plenty to work on.

 

[ocugolfsooner]

Buddy - terrific - all-conference material

Cousins - playing a little out of control, trying to do too much. He will be OK

Woodard - definitely improved over last year.

Spangler - Foul trouble, didn't seem to try to get an inside game going.

Bennett - looked the same as last year.

Booker - solid game, needed to his at least one more shot. He has to do better than 2 for 6.

Walker - Good first game. Warmed up after slow start.

Cole - Don't see him contributing against the better teams. Didn't contribute much tonight.

Lattin - Encouraging. Can't tell about his defense. What I like most is how well he rebounds in a crowd and he makes very good and quick outlet passes. He runs the court well so he will be an asset to the running game.

Offense - ragged, probably too much an outside game. Good penetration but a little out of control at times. Need to work hard to develop a better inside game.

Defense - I thought pretty good. Held them to a low shooting percentage. Some breakdowns but to be expected at this point in the season. Kruger depends a lot on help and communication on switches and they clearly missed on some.

The next game may be totally different. they have plenty to work on.

Pretty good synopsis. Lattin was encouraging. Hield and Woodard looked great. Cousins and booker will be fine. Spangler has to get more aggressive on offense. He disappeared at the end of last season and the team suffered for it. He's got to provide some sort of inside scoring for this team. Thomas being eligible would be huge.

 

[StatGeek]

Watching this game really crystallized how important Thomas is to this team. Without him our post offense looks like it will be very similar to last season. Of course it's just one game so who knows. I would really like to see us get the ball to Lattin in the post in the next game to see if he has any post moves.

I didn't see Buford on the bench, is he not allowed on the bench?

 

[DenverSooner]

Yeah, me too. 6 points, 11 boards and a block is not a bad first game for a freshman. I doubt if anyone thought he would lead the team in rebounding.

He also seems to have a good feel for the game. I didn't see him make any of the mistakes one might expect from a freshman. He's going to be a good one!

Yes you did. You saw him take two three pointers. I am being critical but this kid has the genetics to be great so I am going to expect greatness from him

 

[MNsooner]

I'd love it if some one would write a recap for people like me who weren't able to watch it.

 

[bgrch1350]

Assuming Lattin moves into the starting lineup...This team has a terrible bench. Losing Hornbeak was a huge blow. If Thomas becomes eligible, then its a different story but as of right now, foul trouble could become a huge issue.

I don't know the situation with Buford but not having him is a huge loss. I would be shocked to see McNease get any playing time this year. I would say Cole is a waste of a scholarship but since we don't seem to be able to get a 13 man scholarship roster, doesnt really matter. And even though Spangler didn't really score...I think he knew he didnt have to. I like his game.

 

[TINY]

I'd love it if some one would write a recap for people like me who weren't able to watch it.

Will do my best.

First impression..Team looked much better physically having been through another offseason w YoYo. Looked like every player has improved his physique in one way or another.

Decent exhi opponent we went against in the ichabods, who forced ku into 19 turnovers. Quite a few d1 transfers, including algee key (sp?) who dropped 20 on ou last season while playing for Bama.

Team defense was pretty darn good, imo. Lots of steals and blocked shots, which we usually turned into easy buckets on the other end (something I was specifically hoping to see improvement with). Really pumped to see our ability to finish those fast breaks.

Offense wasn't spectacular, we settled for too many 3s probably. This was an exhi so lots of minutes went around and probably had something to do with the mediocre offensive performance.

Individual breakdowns (please consider the sample size):

Woodard- believe what you want but there is one significant reason shake chose smu and his name is Jordan Woodard. Shake played w him on his visits and in high school and realized he would have to wait to take over at pg. Jordan has improved in all areas imo. Stronger, quicker, better shot, more confidence and handles...just smooth as can be. This guy could be the finest 4-year pg to ever wear a sooner jersey imo.

Hield - wow are we in for a treat watching this guy this season! Another player who has seemingly improved all aspects of his game. A tireless worker who won't settle until he is the best he can be. A truly complete player who might be ready for the NBA next season. Enjoy it cuz he gone, imo.

Cousins - Cousins had an off night shooting but may have been one of the more impressive players regardless. His ball handling was awesome, and I'm confident he can run the point. Had the play of the night when he posterized some poor ichabod with a ridiculous one-handed flush. The defense and athleticism are still there..just a much more polished product now. Cousins is turning himself into a guy who can make it to the league, IMO.

Lattin - this guy is going to be special, maybe even this season. Much more polished player than I had been led to believe. Ferocious on the glass and ran the court like a thoroughbred. Great hands and touch already, with a better feel for the game than you would anticipate coming from such a poor level of high school ball. He will be an NBA player like his grandpa and mother (wnba) imo.

Spangs - has added some good muscle mass. Got into foul trouble early and often, so he didn't get to play much, which worked out well for Lattin and Bennett. Looked improved on defense and he knocked down a deep 2..expect his offense to be more of a weapon this season. Not worried about his mediocre performance..he led the big12 in rebounding last season for Pete's sake.

Bennett - very poor performance..looked like he had made no improvements. very disappointed after hearing how hard he has been working. Maybe he just had a really bad night...

Booker - continues to prove he is much more than just a spot-up shooter. Has lost a lot of bad weight while adding muscle. The defense he displayed was beyond impressive with at least 2 blocked shots. Another guy who we will be wondering how the rest of the country passed him over. Oh yeah and his shot is still $$.


Edit: Read the box score and I was too hard on Bennett. I knew he had blocked a few shots but 4 blocked shots is nice to see. If he can simply alter 5 or so shots and grab some rebounds per game then that is what we need out of our 3rd or 4th big.

Also cousins was sloppier with his decision making than I had remembered. Just looking at the box score for him wouldn't tell the whole story but 5 TOs is not good enough.

Another stat I noticed was more team assists and more steals than turnovers. That is a formula for winning imo.

 

[pnkranger]

Assuming Lattin moves into the starting lineup...This team has a terrible bench. Losing Hornbeak was a huge blow. If Thomas becomes eligible, then its a different story but as of right now, foul trouble could become a huge issue.

I don't know the situation with Buford but not having him is a huge loss. I would be shocked to see McNease get any playing time this year. I would say Cole is a waste of a scholarship but since we don't seem to be able to get a 13 man scholarship roster, doesnt really matter. And even though Spangler didn't really score...I think he knew he didnt have to. I like his game.

I don't always agree with bgrch1350, but when I do, it's about our bench. Booker is a good bench player, Walker is a serviceable back-up (he won't play as many minutes as he did last night), and Bennett is a 10-15 mpg guy at best.

With Buford and Thomas, we would have a STRONG bench. Four guys in Walker, Booker, Lattin, Bennett and Buford with athleticism and skill.

Our starters are going to have to play a lot of minutes if Thomas doesn't get eligible.