What are reasonable expectations for this season?

[DenverSooner]

I honestly have no idea what I should expect from OU this season. Does anyone have a good feel for where OU will be in the conference? Could this team make the NIT or NCAA?

 

[NickZepp]

I'm not sure what to expect either. But I feel if we do have the talent to at least compete to make the NIT. So that means around .500 is the worst we should expect. We really weren't that far from that last year with the 2 or 3 close loses and the really bad loss to Chaminade. Winning more than 18 games would be a great first year. I guess my expectations would be around 16-18 wins.

 

[campbest]

Given the experience coming back, anything less than a NIT berth is a complete failure.

 

[okcsooner83]

This team should make the NIT, still lacks the talent to be an NCAA team.

 

[garyeb2]

We don't know for sure. But, it will be easy to figure out pretty early on.

Arent is the key to this team. "If" he can defend the other teams big and rebound better than Fitz could last year,this team can be pretty decent. Remember, that is a pretty low bar. He doesn't have to be newcomer of the year or all big 12 to clear it.

"If" he can do just that for 30 minutes a game, then that frees Kruger up to rotate other players thru the line-up to good advantage. Fitz could spend his time matched up against people more his size. Osby, insted of being burried down inside against bigger players and setting screens for perimeter players all the time would be able to have Arent/Fitz setting screens for him.

If Grooms is better than Blair, that is another plus. But, the performance of the interior players will probably define the season.

Last years song, second verse is the expectation if Arent shows up and can not play. No interior defense and beat on the boards will get them again.

Whatever improvement coaching brings. And whatever positive from more experience will be negated by a tougher schedule. Arent can either rebound and defend or he can not. We will know that pretty early on.

 

[CoachTalk]

If we are counting are a typically weak cali Juco too be the "key" to our season. Its going to be a long year. I think about the improvement of guys that were a "key" players last year. Can Cam, Bird, Fitz take a step forward... Can the others become low contribs to more serviceable role players.

 

[WTSooner]

I think there are a lot better options for "keys" to the season then Arent.

What are we going to get out of Pledger, both offensively and defensively?
Is Cam going to improve and be a more consistent scorer?
Will LK improve the overall team defense simply from a coaching aspect?
Will Osby live up to the hype?
Where will the perimeter scoring off the bench come from?

 

[bocabull]

20 wins
.500 conference record
NCAA bubble

 

[garyeb2]

I think there are a lot better options for "keys" to the season then Arent.

What are we going to get out of Pledger, both offensively and defensively?
Is Cam going to improve and be a more consistent scorer?
Will LK improve the overall team defense simply from a coaching aspect?
Will Osby live up to the hype?
Where will the perimeter scoring off the bench come from?

1. More of the same. He is slow and won't get quicker.
2. Yes
3. Yes. It couldn't go any other way could it?
4. All we know about Osby is that he was the best player on campus last year.
5. Same as last year. We didn't have any.

 

[NormanPride]

Better D, more consistent O. Roughly equivalent W/L. More fun.

 

[WTSooner]

1. More of the same. He is slow and won't get quicker.
2. Yes
3. Yes. It couldn't go any other way could it?
4. All we know about Osby is that he was the best player on campus last year.
5. Same as last year. We didn't have any.

I refuse to believe that Pledger cannot be better on both ends of the floor. On offense, get him the ball in shooting situations, where he shoots it best. Run some actual screens for the kid. On defense, simply a better understanding of "team" defense should improve everybody on the teams' defense both individually, and collectively. You don't have to have great foot speed to be a "good" or "solid" defender. Maybe to be a great defender, but we don't need that.

 

[Sooner23]

Nit.

 

[sharp1]

I refuse to believe that Pledger cannot be better on both ends of the floor. On offense, get him the ball in shooting situations, where he shoots it best. Run some actual screens for the kid. On defense, simply a better understanding of "team" defense should improve everybody on the teams' defense both individually, and collectively. You don't have to have great foot speed to be a "good" or "solid" defender. Maybe to be a great defender, but we don't need that.

I watched every game last year sometimes twice, we defended somewhere between avg. and above avg...Our problem was turnovers and a lack of rebounding..We would defend for 20 - 25 seconds, they would miss and get the rebound and score...or Pledger, Cade or Fitz would score...and we would come down, go away from them and turn it over...and not just a turn over, a scoring turnover giving up lay-up after lay-up...I hope we have an actual offense this year, set screens, keep the floor balanced, play together...and above all share the ball. I predict 20 - 22 wins & 7 - 9 losses..NCCA berth or a home NIT game...and I say NIT assuming only 4 teams from the BIG 12 or Big whatever make it.

 

[WTSooner]

I watched every game last year sometimes twice, we defended somewhere between avg. and above avg

I disagree. I thought we were average at best, and below average most of the time.

kenpom.com had us ranked 136th in offensive effeciency, and 141st in defensive effeciency. There is plenty of room for improvement across the board.

 

[DenverSooner]

I disagree. I thought we were average at best, and below average most of the time.

kenpom.com had us ranked 136th in offensive effeciency, and 141st in defensive effeciency. There is plenty of room for improvement across the board.

Doesn't that pretty much make OU average? There are over 300 teams. I would say OU was above average for all D-1 teams but below average for BCS conference teams. I would like to see OU be above average for BCS conference teams next season but I am not sure that is realistic.

I find it interesting that some fans think anything short of NIT/NCAA is unacceptable. It seems to me Caple was left with a much better program and did not have that level of expectations. OU will likely be on similar probation to what Capel faced and the program is clearly in much worse shape. I will say that I don't think either probation (assuming we lose a scholarship or two) is grounds for OU being a horrible team. OU is not going to have a full roster next season regardless of probation so blaming probation is not a valid argument in my opinion.

 

[garyeb2]

I refuse to believe that Pledger cannot be better on both ends of the floor. On offense, get him the ball in shooting situations, where he shoots it best. Run some actual screens for the kid. On defense, simply a better understanding of "team" defense should improve everybody on the teams' defense both individually, and collectively. You don't have to have great foot speed to be a "good" or "solid" defender. Maybe to be a great defender, but we don't need that.

Pledger is a mid major talent. He was never projected to be anything other than a mid major talent. The only two offers he got out of prep school (other than Oklahoma) were from mid majors.

He has been here for two years and has performed like a mid major talent. His lack of quickness, inability to defend good wings, and inconsistancy are the things that define him as a mid major talent.

He is a good shooter. But, the shortcomings he has now are the same short comings the recruiting services nailed him on 2/3 years ago. He is a mid major talent in a bcs conference. And that won't change.

 

[campbest]

Pledger is a mid major talent. He was never projected to be anything other than a mid major talent. The only two offers he got out of prep school (other than Oklahoma) were from mid majors.

He has been here for two years and has performed like a mid major talent. His lack of quickness, inability to defend good wings, and inconsistancy are the things that define him as a mid major talent.

He is a good shooter. But, the shortcomings he has now are the same short comings the recruiting services nailed him on 2/3 years ago. He is a mid major talent in a bcs conference. And that won't change.

What level talent?

 

[WTSooner]

Pledger is a mid major talent. He was never projected to be anything other than a mid major talent. The only two offers he got out of prep school (other than Oklahoma) were from mid majors.

He has been here for two years and has performed like a mid major talent. His lack of quickness, inability to defend good wings, and inconsistancy are the things that define him as a mid major talent.

He is a good shooter. But, the shortcomings he has now are the same short comings the recruiting services nailed him on 2/3 years ago. He is a mid major talent in a bcs conference. And that won't change.

Keep telling yourself that. It isn't like the kid sucked last year.....he still found a way to average 11 points. He should excel in a more structured offense.

If Tim Heskett had the foot speed to play at OU, and play for a defensive-minded coach like Kelvin, then Pledger has the physical abilities to play, at a minimum, average defense.

Pledger didn't get more offers b/c he committed to OU early if I'm not mistaken. He was getting plenty of east-coast looks though, from schools like WF even. No school is going to offer a kid that is locked in solid (or many won't) to another school. I'm sorry, but there are plenty of talented kids in the Big 12 that had similiar rankings out of HS.

 

[bocabull]

It seems to me Caple was left with a much better program and did not have that level of expectations. OU will likely be on similar probation to what Capel faced and the program is clearly in much worse shape.

This is a joke right? Capel left the program much better off than he found it and it's not even close. Kruger has done a great job improving what Capel left in short order too.

Capel inherited a team without a single all conference caliber player and zero experience to speak of. Kruger is walking into a team with lots of experience and at least 2 all conference caliber players (osby & clark).

 

[boksooner]

He is a good shooter. But, the shortcomings he has now are the same short comings the recruiting services nailed him on 2/3 years ago. He is a mid major talent in a bcs conference. And that won't change.

ESPN's recruiting profile for Pledger

Overall Rank: 84
Position Rank: 21

This kid is a gym rat. He's a big time shooter that plays very efficient and has very good size for a 2 guard. He struggles defensively against quicker wings on both ends but makes good basketball decisions and plays with a very high IQ. He is the type of player that will struggle defensively against athletic and quick wing players but will be solid in a team defensive scheme. Because of his high basketball IQ he will be an excellent motion player because he does a good job in reading screens and defenders. Do not look for him to create off the dribble but will be good enough to create some space offensively. In a motion system he will be able to stretch defenses because of his range. What he lacks in some areas will not take away from his overall game, a solid four year contributor.

No one is saying that Pledger is an all conference player, but he isn't a mid major talent, either. In the right system, Pledger can be a BCS level role player on offence and defense.