Why will Texas Tech suck?

[Sam]

But that one win was vs Kansas.

 

[Krugerfan52]

I'm sorry. They were 2-5 vs the North counting the Big 12 tourney. They also beat Colorado.

 

[Seymore Cox]

TT will suck the same reason Baylor will......Sucky coach.

 

[DFWHoopster]

Who's Baylor got? They are weak.

Not much. They just have 8 guys rated 4 stars or better by Rivals (Dennis, McLaughlin, Jefferson, Acy, Jones, Dunn, Carter, Lomers). 1 guy who Jerry Meyers at Rivals said was a 5-star caliber talent (Sekelja). 1 guy who will likely be big 12 defensive player of the year (Udoh). 2 guys who are hard nosed ballers (Walton, Crump).

Don't worry about little ol' Baylor. They are no threat to OU or other teams in the big 12.

 

[Sam]

And one coach who will continue to hinder their attempts to win.

 

[RonMexico]

You know, I really like DFW's posts for the most part. He seems like a pretty sharp dude. I almost feel bad for him being a Baylor fan...

 

[DFWHoopster]

You know, I really like DFW's posts for the most part. He seems like a pretty sharp dude. I almost feel bad for him being a Baylor fan...

Don't feel bad for me. I love re stories in life and sports. Resurrection, restoration, renovation, reformation... Baylor basketball fans have some great times ahead of them and Drew is the reason why they do. What he has done for that program is nothing short of amazing.

 

[Cheno]

Not much. They just have 8 guys rated 4 stars or better by Rivals (Dennis, McLaughlin, Jefferson, Acy, Jones, Dunn, Carter, Lomers). 1 guy who Jerry Meyers at Rivals said was a 5-star caliber talent (Sekelja). 1 guy who will likely be big 12 defensive player of the year (Udoh). 2 guys who are hard nosed ballers (Walton, Crump).

Don't worry about little ol' Baylor. They are no threat to OU or other teams in the big 12.

They've had that many guys rated high for the last few years and a lot more experience and they weren't that good. Dennis, McGlaughlin & Jefferson are all skinny freshmen. They aren't going to be huge impact players as true freshmen. Jones and Acy struggled last year. They just don't have much strength. Dunn is a good player. Carter is solid. Seriously...Lomers? Guy is a stiff. To say Udoh will be Big 12 defensive player of the year is being a Baylor homer considering he's new to the league and the two guys that one it last year are back in Tiller and Aldrich.
So now I don't consider Baylor a threat to win the South or the league for that matter. At BEST they get 3rd in the South.

 

[DFWHoopster]

They've had that many guys rated high for the last few years and a lot more experience and they weren't that good. Dennis, McGlaughlin & Jefferson are all skinny freshmen. They aren't going to be huge impact players as true freshmen. Jones and Acy struggled last year. They just don't have much strength. Dunn is a good player. Carter is solid. Seriously...Lomers? Guy is a stiff. To say Udoh will be Big 12 defensive player of the year is being a Baylor homer considering he's new to the league and the two guys that one it last year are back in Tiller and Aldrich.
So now I don't consider Baylor a threat to win the South or the league for that matter. At BEST they get 3rd in the South.

Short guys win defensive players of the year when there is no dominant shot blocker in the league. Griffin was tremendous, but he took possessions off on defense. Most great offensive players do.

Udoh is a game changer on defense. I have seen this with my own eyes. The best comparison I can give is Tim Duncan. Not particularly explosive athletically, but he's extremely smart. His positioning is excellent. His timing is good. If Baylor becomes a good defensive team next year (which I think they will), Udoh will get the credit.

Tiller and Roland are terrific defenders. But when you have a guy that averages 3-4 blocks per game and pulls down 10+ rebounds, he's going to get a lot of attention as defensive player of the year. Udoh averaged 3 blocks per game at Michigan playing 20 minutes his sophomore year.

Baylor had three top recruits that have graduated- Rogers, Dugat and Jerrells. They had some good success with them their junior and senior years- 45 wins (NCAA and NIT runner-up). The talent before those three under Drew were not Big12 worthy.

I agree that Jefferson will not be an impact player next year. But McLaughlin and Dennis could be. They are long, versatile and athletic. When you play on the perimeter- you don't have to have to be a chiseled up monster (Austin Johnson). Acy has gained 20 lbs off season and is now plenty strong. He's also developed a nice mid range game in the offseason. I wish everyone had that kids' hunger and work ethic. What a great country this would be! He will be one of the top 4 that Baylor is counting on (Carter, Dunn, Udoh, Acy).

Baylor's upside next year is 2nd in the big 12 South. I am not expecting that. But they have the talent to compete with everyone. UT and Kansas are superior. The gap is closing with the others. OU is probably better but it is not a given.

 

[Cheno]

Short guys win defensive players of the year when there is no dominant shot blocker in the league. Griffin was tremendous, but he took possessions off on defense. Most great offensive players do.

Udoh is a game changer on defense. I have seen this with my own eyes. The best comparison I can give is Tim Duncan. Not particularly explosive athletically, but he's extremely smart. His positioning is excellent. His timing is good. If Baylor becomes a good defensive team next year (which I think they will), Udoh will get the credit.

Tiller and Roland are terrific defenders. But when you have a guy that averages 3-4 blocks per game and pulls down 10+ rebounds, he's going to get a lot of attention as defensive player of the year. Udoh averaged 3 blocks per game at Michigan playing 20 minutes his sophomore year.

Baylor had three top recruits that have graduated- Rogers, Dugat and Jerrells. They had some good success with them their junior and senior years- 45 wins (NCAA and NIT runner-up). The talent before those three under Drew were not Big12 worthy.

Ummmm, Cole Aldrich isn't a short guy. He's a dominant defensive center that average what you said....11 boards and 3 blocks. And he's a junior and on a team that plays great defensive under a coach that schemes the defensive around him. That's not Baylor. Again, Udoh may be a great player but to say he'll win Big 12 defensive POY over Tiller and Aldrich is a little far fetched at this point.
And for Baylor to be better this year than last year they have to have 3 new guys better than Rogers, Jerrells & Dugat. And they haven't to be better in their first years compared to those 3 that played big minutes all 4 years. Sorry...I don't see it. Who do you consider those 3 players?

 

[thebigabd]

I dont think Udoh and Duncan should be mentioned in the same sentence.

 

[BigTime]

You know, I really like DFW's posts for the most part. He seems like a pretty sharp dude. I almost feel bad for him being a Baylor fan...

I really like the guy as well. He knows hoops. I too feel for him having to be a Baylor backer. I bet you used to make the Terps proud, DFW! I will buy you a beer next time I am in Dallas.

 

[DFWHoopster]

Ummmm, Cole Aldrich isn't a short guy. He's a dominant defensive center that average what you said....11 boards and 3 blocks. And he's a junior and on a team that plays great defensive under a coach that schemes the defensive around him. That's not Baylor. Again, Udoh may be a great player but to say he'll win Big 12 defensive POY over Tiller and Aldrich is a little far fetched at this point.
And for Baylor to be better this year than last year they have to have 3 new guys better than Rogers, Jerrells & Dugat. And they haven't to be better in their first years compared to those 3 that played big minutes all 4 years. Sorry...I don't see it. Who do you consider those 3 players?

Baylor will better than last year for 2 reasons:

1. Udoh is an upgrade from Rogers on both ends of the floor

2. The chemistry will be better. Jerrells, Dugat and Rogers all did good things. As a Baylor fan, those guys should be honored for lifting Baylor basketball to relevance. But they did not have PHDs in basketball IQ. Carter, Dunn, Udoh, Acy and Walton offer more in terms of protecting the ball and cutting down on mental mistakes on both ends of the floor.

 

[thebigabd]

1. Udoh is an upgrade from Rogers on both ends of the floor

I havent seen anything from Udoh that indicates he will be a better offensive player than Kevin Rogers.

 

[Cheno]

2. The chemistry will be better. Jerrells, Dugat and Rogers all did good things. As a Baylor fan, those guys should be honored for lifting Baylor basketball to relevance. But they did not have PHDs in basketball IQ. Carter, Dunn, Udoh, Acy and Walton offer more in terms of protecting the ball and cutting down on mental mistakes on both ends of the floor.

The chemistry killer in the Baylor games I've seen the last couple years has been Dunn. He takes horrible shots and plays no defense. How can you expect anyone else to take good shots and play defense when that is the example?

 

[DFWHoopster]

I havent seen anything from Udoh that indicates he will be a better offensive player than Kevin Rogers.

Rogers averaged 13 pts; 2.5 offensive boards; 2 turnovers; 1 assist; 56% FG pct and 63% FT pct. I think Udoh puts up similar numbers except Ekpe will probably average 2-3 assists per game.

The BIG difference is little things like setting picks. It is a vastly underrated part of being a "good" offensive player. Udoh plays very smart like the player for the Spurs that I am not allowed to compare him to. You'll see.

 

[Sam]

Are there any negatives to this Baylor team?
Should I fly out to Vegas and put some money down on them as a dark horse to win it all?

 

[BigTime]

Rogers averaged 13 pts; 2.5 offensive boards; 2 turnovers; 1 assist; 56% FG pct and 63% FT pct. I think Udoh puts up similar numbers except Ekpe will probably average 2-3 assists per game.

The BIG difference is little things like setting picks. It is a vastly underrated part of being a "good" offensive player. Udoh plays very smart like the player for the Spurs that I am not allowed to compare him to. You'll see.

What was our bet, DFDub? I think it was Baylor no better than 9-7 right? Or was it 8-8?

 

[DFWHoopster]

The chemistry killer in the Baylor games I've seen the last couple years has been Dunn. He takes horrible shots and plays no defense. How can you expect anyone else to take good shots and play defense when that is the example?

I can't argue with you on that point. From what I have seen lately- Dunn is maturing in that area. Taking bad shots can sometimes be contagious. Jerrells, Rogers and Dugat all forced up their share of bad shots. When you are a good offensive player like Dunn sometimes you start saying to yourself, "I'm a better shooter than these guys... I can jack an off balance 3 and have a better shot of making it than Dugat."

It is a sign of immaturity. I think you will see the number of bad shots from Dunn go way down next year.

 

[DFWHoopster]

Are there any negatives to this Baylor team?
Should I fly out to Vegas and put some money down on them as a dark horse to win it all?

SoonerSam- I always laugh at your posts. You have a good sense of humor. They are flawed. The only teams in the country that don't have major flaws in my opinion are:

Kansas
UT
Villanova
Purdue
Kentucky
Michigan State

You might go ahead and put $10 on the Bears to win it all. The odds would be very favorable and stranger things have happened.