I know its early but...

[CycloneVet]

It looks like this team is light years ahead of last years team at this time. Granted that comes from being settled on the point guard position from the get-go but this team is hyper athletic and adding Babb to the mix will only be better. Lucious will get better as he gets back into game shape I believe. The Freshmen have impressed so far. Like I said I know its early and the competition hasnt been that great but its better than beating these teams by 10 or so. Also it doesnt appear as if a couple of players are going through the motions, I won't name any names but one in particular didnt sweat during the non-con schedule.

 

[cyguytillidie]

Really liking Naz in the back up point guard position. Doesn't seem to turn it over very much.

 

[CycloneErik]

We will never lose again. I'm not sure that we ever have, but we never will again.


Seriously, the team does seem smoother, and more willing to get after the rebounding and defense. Much more together early on than last year, and much more talented than 2 years ago.

 

[swarthmoreCY]

Why do you say this? We did struggle with Southern for slightly more than a half and last year's team at this time would have destroyed Alabama A&M too. They were that bad.

 

[cyguytillidie]

Also, last year's team beat a very good Lehigh team by 20 in the opener.

 

[Rhoadhoused]

Why do you say this? We did struggle with Southern for slightly more than a half and last year's team at this time would have destroyed Alabama A&M too. They were that bad.

I think this team is going to gel much quicker than last year's did with a true PG and a normal offense being run. A lot of people forget how long it took us to actually utilize Royce last year the way he was most effective. It was probably the Iowa game before he got to run point all that much.

The one thing I can nitpick at this point is Lucious needs to secure the ball. Not only is he careless in his passing so far, he is careless with his ball handling and seems to do a lot of unnecessary between the legs dribbling and flashiness which has resulted in a handful of turnovers in that past two games. I love some flash, but don't do it for no reason at the top of the key and lose the ball with absolutely nothing to gain. I'm sure it will clear up when Lucious respects the opponents a little more. Just a nit pick.

I'm very pleased with lots of things so far. Rebound response after a bad game vs Southern, KL's 3 pt shot, Niang all around, Naz all around, ect.

 

[cyguytillidie]

Also, last year's team beat a very good Lehigh team by 20 in the opener.

Actually might have just been 10. I recall Lehigh scoring a bunch of points in garbage time. Think we ended up winning by 10.

 

[swarthmoreCY]

Also, last year's team beat a very good Lehigh team by 20 in the opener.

Yes, it is too early to tell if this team is ahead of last year's team.

 

[CyArob]

If Babb brings the same shut down defense and can hit 3's with consistency, this team will be great.

 

[Luth4Cy]

I won't be completely sold on this team until a couple games into Big 12 play. In saying that they looked great tonight. They definitely seem to be further along then this time last season and hopefully that's something they can build on. I don't want to be too optimistic but I'd say the sky is the limit for this team. Hopefully they can keep building and get a tournament run.

 

[GMackey32]

Actually might have just been 10. I recall Lehigh scoring a bunch of points in garbage time. Think we ended up winning by 10.

Led by 26 at one point. Led by 22 late. Won by 9.

 

[Guetterdone1]

Hear me out when i say that we can go as far as percy and Booker take us. No longer do we have royce to suck up defenders inside and force the kick out threes. They struggled to score today against that 7 footer. They need to be a legitimate threat to open up the outside shooters be successful this year.

 

[Doc]

The team is going to have three great role players in McGee, Babb, and Ejim, a great player in Clyburn, and a potentially great player in Niang. The problem is that these five guys only play 3 positions on the floor. The 5 position isn't that important offensively and will be adequate. Lucious and/or Long are going to decide just how good this team can be.

 

[Rural]

The 5 position isn't very important at all, the way the game is played today.
Obviously you can't just get abused in there but it's importance could hardly be less.

 

[isuno1fan]

If Babb brings the same shut down defense and can hit 3's with consistency, this team will be great.

I doubt this happens. He is what he is from the arc.

 

[NotJustMagic]

What are you talking about? Babbs was knocking down threes like crazy the 1st half of the season. I'm thinking his legs went out on him from running around the opp. Best player all night every night.

I think this team will struggle eventually, but there guard defense/pressure will allow them to stay in it with a chance to win. When B12 play starts it will take a few games to figure out our offense that works. I've been impressed with Niang so far but I think it will probably drop off when the competition gets a little better. He will be really really good if he gets his body in a lot better shape. (See Fizer. I don't remember what he looked like as a freshman, but his mcmdonalds game he was a twig.).

This team is a better TEAM than last years but doesn't have a true star so we will have to be more efficient on offense. This team is willing to do the dirty work on defense and rebounding to go further tho. If clyburn was 30 lbs heavier I'd feel much more condident.

 

[CLONECONES]

we're averaging 52.5 rebounds a game... even though it's against competition like this I love seeing the guys crash the glass.

34 offensive and 71 defense boards is giant, CFH stressed it and it shows

 

[marothisu]

I think you can compare. Okay, Lehigh is better probably than both teams we've played, but just watching how they play as a team, pass the ball, rebound, etc is much better than last year. Basically the chemistry is light years ahead. I think that in the Southern game, we got down early because we weren't ready for their fast guards, and we couldn't hit a single shot.

Since then (minus the first minute of last game), it's been all dominant. It's not amazing competition, but you can just tell the chemistry seems a lot better so far than this point last year, and the guys are playing a lot harder. You can just tell.

 

[isuno1fan]

What are you talking about? Babbs was knocking down threes like crazy the 1st half of the season. I'm thinking his legs went out on him from running around the opp. Best player all night every night.

I think this team will struggle eventually, but there guard defense/pressure will allow them to stay in it with a chance to win. When B12 play starts it will take a few games to figure out our offense that works. I've been impressed with Niang so far but I think it will probably drop off when the competition gets a little better. He will be really really good if he gets his body in a lot better shape. (See Fizer. I don't remember what he looked like as a freshman, but his mcmdonalds game he was a twig.).

This team is a better TEAM than last years but doesn't have a true star so we will have to be more efficient on offense. This team is willing to do the dirty work on defense and rebounding to go further tho. If clyburn was 30 lbs heavier I'd feel much more condident.

He's capable on any given night, but he isn't consistent like Tyrus is. I would bet Babb's 3pt percentage will end up eerily similar to what it was last year.
Not a huge deal though...he contributes heavily on D and we will need that come conference. We have other primary scorers.

 

[marothisu]

This team is a better TEAM than last years but doesn't have a true star so we will have to be more efficient on offense. This team is willing to do the dirty work on defense and rebounding to go further tho. If clyburn was 30 lbs heavier I'd feel much more condident.

Yeah but not. You don't need a true STAR in college basketball. You need a leader or a few leaders. Sorry, but just because you have one guy averaging 30 points/game doesn't mean you're better. What's more important is a balanced scoring attack. Look at almost any team that's won a championship in the modern era.

I think that's one of the biggest misconceptions about basketball to be honest.