Some thoughts on today's game.....

[WTSooner]

It's just one game, hard to make any definitive statements about what happens going forward, but here is what I thought after watching tonight.



- Fast forward two years. Do you realize how good these 3 freshmen guards should be by then? I'm guessing their junior/senior seasons, OU will have one of the top 2-3 back courts in the Big 12. Those guys are going to be GOOD when they get some experience.

- I don't think we're going to be a great rebounding team this year. I'm guessing we grade out pretty "average" when all is said and done.

- Pledger is going to be just fine this season. Even though teams will focus on him, he is going to get better looks b/c of the talent around him.

- M'Baye. Hard to gauge him much off of today's game. Looked uncomfortable early. Not as explosive on defense or the boards as I thought. Smooth for his size, but definitely belongs at the 4/5 spots, IMO. While you can tell he has a decent shot, I hope he spends more time inside, and posting. He had a good move or two, and he is one of the few guys we can actually throw the ball into the post, to, and just let him make a move. Osby and Fitz are more jump shooters.

- Speaking of big men taking long jumpers.....I'm just not a fan. I don't think any of them will shoot it well enough to make taking them with any frequency a good thing. Especially Fitz and Osby. Every time they take a three, it takes away from a more efficient shot, whether it be a closer shot for them, or a three from a better shooting guard.

- You can really see the talent in Cousins, but he is going to have to protect the ball better. Can't have as many turnovers as he had, as a starting pg. He looks so tall out there.....I'm not a big fan of tall pg's, b/c it seems like they often struggle with handles, b/c the ball is "bouncing" so long. Just an observation. Height-wise, he looked a little like Willis out there.

- Hield may be our next Hollis. That kid can score the ball.

- Cam looks to me to be the same Cam as last year. He'll have some good games, but I can kind of see why LK is starting Hornbeak. I just don't think Cam is ever going to take that next step. Hope he proves me wrong.

- Same with Arent and Neal. Neal can still hit open shots, but neither of them are going to be very effective against Big 12 talent. Luckily both are pretty far down the depth chart.

- The pressure D didn't do much tonight. Got a few turnovers. I think we'll certainly see it more than we did last year, but much like last year, I think you'll see LK reign it in some, especially against the top 25 type teams. If we don't, we'll be giving up too many layups to make it worth running. The guys gotta learn when to pressure hard, and when to take that small step back to make sure you don't give up an easy hoop. It's a delicate balance.

Overall I liked what I saw tonight. We have a lot to improve on, but I think we will. The guys played hard, and I saw a little of the old "Kelvin hustle" out there on the floor. Players seemed attentive when LK was talking to them. That hasn't always been the case in recent years. I didn't see anything tonight to make me think we can't still compete for an NCAA Tourney spot.

 

[jmizzy4ou]

Thanks for the report WT. Missed everything working into the night. Nothing unexpected from the 1st exhibition. Nicely formatted report, easy to kind of picture what was going on. We will get better. BOOMER!!!!!!!

 

[globecode]

Thanks for the insight. I hope to watch this on Soonersports.tv today

 

[25mob]

WT,

I noticed how you just glossed over Pledger's lackluster game but gave specific details about other players. Why is this?

What makes you think that teams are going to focus on him? Washburn didn't focus on him last night. They didn't do anything special for him. they played him straight up and he couldn't do much against their pressure defense. What makes you think when OU starts playing better teams that those teams will need to focus on him. Pledger is a one trick pony that is a liability in every other aspect of the game.

People gave Gary such a hard time about what he was saying but the more I watch the more I'm realizing he was correct.

 

[j2d2]

Unless the team makes a tremendous improvement, rebounding will be a weakness. We are not good enough to fail to make rebounding a priority.

 

[WTSooner]

WT,

I noticed how you just glossed over Pledger's lackluster game but gave specific details about other players. Why is this?

What makes you think that teams are going to focus on him? Washburn didn't focus on him last night. They didn't do anything special for him. they played him straight up and he couldn't do much against their pressure defense. What makes you think when OU starts playing better teams that those teams will need to focus on him. Pledger is a one trick pony that is a liability in every other aspect of the game.

People gave Gary such a hard time about what he was saying but the more I watch the more I'm realizing he was correct.

What are you talking about? I didn't go into specifics on Pledger b/c he is the same guy as last year, maybe just a little quicker. He isn't our best defender, but will likely be our best scoring guard when it's all said and done. I got the feeling Pledger didn't press tonight, b/c we didn't need him to. When the competition picks up, you'll see Pledger assert himself a little more.

And how do you call his game last night "lackluster?" He was 2 of 4 from three. How is that a negative? Did you expect Pledger to look like an entirely different player this season? We all know what Pledger does, and he does that very well. Nobody has EVER said he has the athleticism of the new guys.

As for Gary being right, Gary wasn't right. I wasn't right. NOBODY was right. Everybody that voiced an opinion about playing time and who should start was right about some stuff, and wrong about some stuff. Nobody nailed it. Not one person predicted the starting lineup we saw last night, until a couple of days ago when it was pretty obvious those guys were going to start. Not one person suggested that lineup during the offseason.

Pledger is most likely going to start all season. He plays an important role on this team. I wouldn't be so quick to start bashing him.

 

[DenverSooner]

WT,

I noticed how you just glossed over Pledger's lackluster game but gave specific details about other players. Why is this?

What makes you think that teams are going to focus on him? Washburn didn't focus on him last night. They didn't do anything special for him. they played him straight up and he couldn't do much against their pressure defense. What makes you think when OU starts playing better teams that those teams will need to focus on him. Pledger is a one trick pony that is a liability in every other aspect of the game.

People gave Gary such a hard time about what he was saying but the more I watch the more I'm realizing he was correct.

He shot 50% from 3 point range and scored 8 points in 20 minutes of play. Are you really insulting that?

 

[AdaSooner]

It's just one game, hard to make any definitive statements about what happens going forward, but here is what I thought after watching tonight.



- Fast forward two years. Do you realize how good these 3 freshmen guards should be by then? I'm guessing their junior/senior seasons, OU will have one of the top 2-3 back courts in the Big 12. Those guys are going to be GOOD when they get some experience.

- I don't think we're going to be a great rebounding team this year. I'm guessing we grade out pretty "average" when all is said and done.

- Pledger is going to be just fine this season. Even though teams will focus on him, he is going to get better looks b/c of the talent around him.

- M'Baye. Hard to gauge him much off of today's game. Looked uncomfortable early. Not as explosive on defense or the boards as I thought. Smooth for his size, but definitely belongs at the 4/5 spots, IMO. While you can tell he has a decent shot, I hope he spends more time inside, and posting. He had a good move or two, and he is one of the few guys we can actually throw the ball into the post, to, and just let him make a move. Osby and Fitz are more jump shooters.

- Speaking of big men taking long jumpers.....I'm just not a fan. I don't think any of them will shoot it well enough to make taking them with any frequency a good thing. Especially Fitz and Osby. Every time they take a three, it takes away from a more efficient shot, whether it be a closer shot for them, or a three from a better shooting guard.

- You can really see the talent in Cousins, but he is going to have to protect the ball better. Can't have as many turnovers as he had, as a starting pg. He looks so tall out there.....I'm not a big fan of tall pg's, b/c it seems like they often struggle with handles, b/c the ball is "bouncing" so long. Just an observation. Height-wise, he looked a little like Willis out there.

- Hield may be our next Hollis. That kid can score the ball.

- Cam looks to me to be the same Cam as last year. He'll have some good games, but I can kind of see why LK is starting Hornbeak. I just don't think Cam is ever going to take that next step. Hope he proves me wrong.

- Same with Arent and Neal. Neal can still hit open shots, but neither of them are going to be very effective against Big 12 talent. Luckily both are pretty far down the depth chart.

- The pressure D didn't do much tonight. Got a few turnovers. I think we'll certainly see it more than we did last year, but much like last year, I think you'll see LK reign it in some, especially against the top 25 type teams. If we don't, we'll be giving up too many layups to make it worth running. The guys gotta learn when to pressure hard, and when to take that small step back to make sure you don't give up an easy hoop. It's a delicate balance.

Overall I liked what I saw tonight. We have a lot to improve on, but I think we will. The guys played hard, and I saw a little of the old "Kelvin hustle" out there on the floor. Players seemed attentive when LK was talking to them. That hasn't always been the case in recent years. I didn't see anything tonight to make me think we can't still compete for an NCAA Tourney spot.

Spot on analysis, WT! Not much I can add, except a tidbit here and there to support what you've said.

You're right, rebounding may be a problem this year. When the starting five can't board against a team like Washburn, one has to assume that they're not going to do well when going up against bigger, more physical teams in the Big 12. Not to take anything away from Washburn. They were a scrappy bunch that played hard, and in truth outplayed OU at times last night. But Kruger's experiment in starting three guards, including two freshmen, might not work, unless he wants to send more bodies to the glass.

I didn't like the turnovers either, and it wasn't just Cousins. The team as a whole had 21 TOs. That's way too many for a guard-oriented team. But, it's early in the season, and I have little doubt that Kruger will fix the problem in time.

I'm really impressed by what I saw in our three freshmen. Kruger knew what he was doing when he signed those kids. Buddy Hield is a player! If he continues to improve, I don't see any way Coach can keep him out of the starting lineup. I like having him as a spark off of the bench. But if our offense grows stale, as it did early on in last night's game, I believe we'll see more of him. He may be the best pure scorer on our roster this season.

One final note. When was the last time we saw 50% shooting from three? Pledger may get more open shots if our three freshmen guards continue to shoot at a high percentage (Hornbeak 2 for 2 from three; Hield and Cousins, each at 3 of 4). Some will say, consider the competition. But Washburn played us tough on defense. The competition doesn't matter all that much, if you can't make the wide open shots we got last year. Unless what we saw from our freshmen was an anomaly, Pledger won't draw the attention he did last year.

 

[sybarite]

What I saw was many random parts. After I see how, and if, they can fit together into a team, maybe I can draw some conclusions. This looked like a pickup game in which nobody knew each other.

 

[AdaSooner]

Guys, please don't bring politics into this discussion.

Back on topic, does it really matter who was right about the starting lineup, or what someone said last year or last month? I'm wrong a lot, and it doesn't bother me to admit it.

From my perspective, you're both right in most of what you bring to the board. Try to be satisfied with that and move on.

 

[Sooner04]

Same stuff, different day. Older and older it gets.

Good luck, OUHoops. You'll need it.

 

[KBaden145]

I'll agree that the starters and rotation is still a fluid situation.

The only thing ANYBODY has said that is completely accurate and, Gary, thank you for finally accepting it. I've preached this since your report after the 1st scrimmage. That is the whole point of having practices, scrimmages, and 2 exhibition games. Players reveal themselves, not posters on a message board. Our lineup and rotations aren't set, regardless of what anyone thinks.

 

[TheGimper]

We should make an official thread for WT and Gary to argue.

 

[WTSooner]

We should make an official thread for WT and Gary to argue.

No need. I'm dead serious about avoiding him going forward.

 

[skyvue]

Same stuff, different day. Older and older it gets.

Good luck, OUHoops. You'll need it.

Amen.

 

[AdaSooner]

Same stuff, different day. Older and older it gets.

Good luck, OUHoops. You'll need it.

Who needs luck. I have magic on my side

 

[25mob]

Guys, please don't bring politics into this discussion.

Back on topic, does it really matter who was right about the starting lineup, or what someone said last year or last month? I'm wrong a lot, and it doesn't bother me to admit it.

From my perspective, you're both right in most of what you bring to the board. Try to be satisfied with that and move on.

Wasn't trying to bring Politics into the thread so i won't go back and forth but I just felt that some favorites was being played. I didn't like that some negatives were being pointed out unnecessarily when just about all players had some negative plays.

 

[AdaSooner]

Wasn't trying to bring Politics into the thread so i won't go back and forth but I just felt that some favorites was being played. I didn't like that some negatives were being pointed out unnecessarily when just about all players had some negative plays.

I know, 25mob. Nothing to worry about.

 

[garyeb2]

The only thing ANYBODY has said that is completely accurate and, Gary, thank you for finally accepting it. I've preached this since your report after the 1st scrimmage. That is the whole point of having practices, scrimmages, and 2 exhibition games. Players reveal themselves, not posters on a message board. Our lineup and rotations aren't set, regardless of what anyone thinks.

So, what you are saying is, that after 3 weeks of practice, 2 scrimmages, and 2 exibition games. The players will have revealed themselves to the point that you will be able to have an opinion that you are comfrontable with. Or, are you saying that after 3 weeks of practice, 2 scrimmages, and 2 exibition games the players will have revealed themselves to the point that the facts will be known.

Well, whatever. That series of events will be concluded Wednesday. Looking forward to your sermon.

 

[KBaden145]

So, what you are saying is, that after 3 weeks of practice, 2 scrimmages, and 2 exibition games. The players will have revealed themselves to the point that you will be able to have an opinion that you are comfrontable with. Or, are you saying that after 3 weeks of practice, 2 scrimmages, and 2 exibition games the players will have revealed themselves to the point that the facts will be known.

Well, whatever. That series of events will be concluded Wednesday. Looking forward to your sermon.

What is your problem? I'm agreeing with a statement you made. I've made myself clear from the start of all this. I don't think our starting lineup or rotation is set. Like you said...fluid. No sermons from me.