Willie will average 25 a game and be the Player of the Year

[Sooner23]

How many points per game do you think Willie will average this year?

How many points per game will it take for Willie to be the Player of the Year?

Who is his toughest competition?

 

[Sooner04]

Re: Willie will average 25 a game and be the Player of the Year?

A Sooner has averaged 25 points a game only four times in the history of the program.

27.0 - Wayman Tisdale (1984)
26.5 - Alvan Adams (1975)
26.0 - Stacey King (1989)
25.2 - Wayman Tisdale (1985)

Willie's good, but he ain't that good. If Willie gets 18 or 19 a game I'll be very pleased.

 

[thebigabd]

I could see him averaging around 18 per game, but I would be surprised if he got over 20 for an average. He will have nights where he goes for 30, but he will average around 18.

 

[Krugerfan52]

I think he will average about 17 ppg.

 

[Sooner23]

What will it take for him to be the Player of the Year? Who is his competition?

 

[thebigabd]

What will it take for him to be the Player of the Year? Who is his competition?

Big 12 or national?

 

[Sooner23]

National.

 

[NickZepp]

If he averages less than 18 a game we are probably NIT bound at best. He needs to have a big year. I just don't see enough scoring threat from the rest of the team.

 

[thebigabd]

I just don't see enough scoring threat from the rest of the team.

Keith Gallon
TMG
Ray Willis
Tony Crocker (averaged around 10 on his career)
Steven Pledger

OU's hopes for a good offense rely on these guys... Willis and Pledger are known offensive talents that OU needs to step up and have an impact, TMG will have to distribute and score, and Gallon will probably averaged 13-15 a game.

 

[NickZepp]

Keith Gallon
TMG
Ray Willis
Tony Crocker (averaged around 10 on his career)
Steven Pledger

OU's hopes for a good offense rely on these guys... Willis and Pledger are known offensive talents that OU needs to step up and have an impact, TMG will have to distribute and score, and Gallon will probably averaged 13-15 a game.

Crocker 10
Let's just say TMG and Keith Gallon combine for 20, the back issues with TMG scare me so that may not even be high enough unless Gallon does it himself.
Cade will probably average around 5 or 6
Willis about the same from what I've seen
I'm not sure if Pledger plays much.

That's 40+maybe 10-12 for any errors or other players that step up. That's around 50 per game. Maybe 52 or so. I think we'll need to average around 67-70 to be an NCAA team so I would say if Willie gets something like 14 per game we are an NIT team at best.

 

[thebigabd]

Crocker 10
Let's just say TMG and Keith Gallon combine for 20
Cade will probably average around 5 or 6
Willis about the same from what I've seen
I'm not sure if Pledger plays much.

That's 40+maybe 10-12 for any errors or other players that step up. That's around 50 per game. Maybe 52 or so. I think we'll need to average around 67-70 to be an NCAA team so I would say if Willie gets something like 14 per game we are an NIT team at best.

OU wont average 52 points a game, lol.... You are grossly underestimating Willis and Gallon, IMO.

When players graduate the torch is passed to the next generation, and they will step up. Averaged 52 points a game means that you will have about half your games in the 40's and be the worst offense in the country.

Willis, Gallon, Willie, Crocker, TMG, Pledger, and Cade will score the points...

 

[NickZepp]

OU wont average 52 points a game, lol.... You are grossly underestimating Willis and Gallon, IMO.

When players graduate the torch is passed to the next generation, and they will step up. Averaged 52 points a game means that you will have about half your games in the 40's and be the worst offense in the country.

Willis, Gallon, Willie, Crocker, TMG, Pledger, and Cade will score the points...

I said 52 without Warren. Put in Warren's total, he needs to score at least 18 a game IMO.

 

[thebigabd]

I said 52 without Warren. Put in Warren's total, he needs to score at least 18 a game IMO.

oh, my bad.

 

[Smash Williams]

How many points per game do you think Willie will average this year?

How many points per game will it take for Willie to be the Player of the Year?

Who is his toughest competition?

There isn't a certain PPG threshold to break to win Player of the Year. Unless a player just has a flat-out historically dominant season statistically (and even in some cases, that still isn't enough, i.e. Michael Beasley), national POY awards like the Wooden Award almost always go to the best player on an elite team. I would say that Willie's chances at NPOY awards are more contingent on team success than individual numbers. Willie averaging 20 PPG on a Top 5 team would have a better chance than Willie averaging 25 PPG on a bubble team.

I think the frontrunner for NPOY among returning players is Sherron Collins, as the clear leader of what should be an elite team. There aren't a lot of proven commodities returning, and there are players like Luke Harangody who put up great numbers but will be hampered because they play on mediocre teams. Maybe Evan Turner could get in the mix if Ohio State has a really good year.

 

[Sam]

I don't see why Willie wouldn't average 20+ a game?
Corey Brewer and Nate Erdman both averaged 20 a game in their second seasons as Sooners, why can't Willie?
Isn't Willie just as talented as them? Isn't Willie a comparable 3 point shooter to them? Can Willie not take it to the hoop as well or better them then?
Maybe I am sitting the bar to high but I would be disappointed if he doesn't break the 20 point mark.
I think Willie will even challenge for the 25 point mark while he's at it because he can hit from deep very well (even has some NBA range in him) and none of the guys Sooner04 listed had that going for them.

 

[Sam]

Also on this subject how many here though Blake would average 20+ this time last year?
Blake averaged 14.7 his freshman year and Willie averaged 14.6, so why can't Willie have a big offensive explosion like Blake? He might not get garbage buckets like Blake did but he can make up for that with hitting 3s and shooting well from the line (which suspect with Willie's ability to drive he will average a good amount of free throws a game).
You could tell at times Willie was holding back because this was Blake's team, deferring the primary offensive role, now he isn't going to be that. Look what happen what happen when he was allowed to cut loose.
35 vs Arkansas
27 vs Texas
23 vs Kansas
I believe that is going to be a more common thing, Willie was just playing his role as secondary scorer last year, with an added year of experience, maturity, Willie appears to be more then ready to be the primary scorer on offense.

 

[BigTime]

I don't see why Willie wouldn't average 20+ a game?
Corey Brewer and Nate Erdman both averaged 20 a game in their second seasons as Sooners, why can't Willie?
Isn't Willie just as talented as them? Isn't Willie a comparable 3 point shooter to them? Can Willie not take it to the hoop as well or better them then?
Maybe I am sitting the bar to high but I would be disappointed if he doesn't break the 20 point mark.
I think Willie will even challenge for the 25 point mark while he's at it because he can hit from deep very well (even has some NBA range in him) and none of the guys Sooner04 listed had that going for them.

Great post and I agree. I say Willie averages about what Blake did last year, and i also think he gets a 40 point game like Blake did last year.

Some of you are underestimating what a dynamic scorer he really can be. He can do it in so many ways, and guys like Gallon, TMG, and Crocker are going to keep defenses honest enough to allow Willie to get his.

As for NPOY, I agree with Smash. It won't be about Willie. I think Willie will put up NPOY numbers no matter what. It will be about the team. If the team gets that 3 seed in the tournament and cracks the top ten at some point then Willie has a really good chance. If we don't compete for the Big 12 title and don't climb the rankings, then he really doesn't have much of a chance.

The good news is that I think that this team will be good and will be playing good basketball by March. I think we will be like SU was last year and a 3-4 seed that nobody wants to play (hopefully we fare a little better than the Orange!).

So Willie may not get 25, but he will get over 20 and challenge Brackins for Big 12 POY.

 

[BigTime]

Also on this subject how many here though Blake would average 20+ this time last year?
Blake averaged 14.7 his freshman year and Willie averaged 14.6, so why can't Willie have a big offensive explosion like Blake? He might not get garbage buckets like Blake did but he can make up for that with hitting 3s and shooting well from the line (which suspect with Willie's ability to drive he will average a good amount of free throws a game).
You could tell at times Willie was holding back because this was Blake's team, deferring the primary offensive role, now he isn't going to be that. Look what happen what happen when he was allowed to cut loose.
35 vs Arkansas
27 vs Texas
23 vs Kansas
I believe that is going to be a more common thing, Willie was just playing his role as secondary scorer last year, with an added year of experience, maturity, Willie appears to be more then ready to be the primary scorer on offense.

Not many Sam. Most people said that Blake would average 17-19 ppg, which is about what they are predicting for Willie. Another plus for Willie is that, unlike Blake, he can hit FTs, and I think he will get to the line a lot next year (see Eaton).

 

[Sooner23]

I agree with Sam and Big. He almost got 15 a game last year and was the second option. He'll be the guy this year and get at least 20. TMG will also create for him as well in ways that wasn't done last year.

 

[Sooner04]

So, are you guys thinking Willie and Gallon will combine for more points a game than Willie and Blake?