BP -- better now?

**TedKumsher** · 12-31-2007, 02:45 PM

So with -- what -- 29 assists to 1 turnover in the last -- uhh -- 6 games or so do people like him (BP) more now or still think he's not Big 12 material? No games on (free) TV so I haven't seen a game for a while.

Personally I always thought he was servicable. Maybe not going to be great--but wouldn't really hurt us terribly. That assist/turnover ratio is quite the stat--though it certainly doesn't tell the whole story (he's not scoring much, right?).

Looking forward to televised games again!

**price26** · 12-31-2007, 02:49 PM

You have to take into account the competition a little too. But it is good that he is playing well against inferior teams.

**isuno1fan** · 12-31-2007, 02:51 PM

Still don't think he should be starting, but he is "ok". Will see how he holds up in the B12. He has definitely improved since the start of the year. I think he is a smart kid who needed to understard what he can and can't do at this level. He has a pretty good grasp on that now and thus the perceived improvement.

**Prone2Clone** · 12-31-2007, 02:55 PM

I'd rather have a PG who could penetrate and dish/finish and had a handful of turnovers than BP's style of play, but I agree it's good he's not handing the ball over every other time down the court. Eric Heft said the other night he knows what he can do and what he can't do and plays within himself.

**rd4isu** · 12-31-2007, 03:31 PM

I still think we're going to struggle this season with in-your-face pressure but who could complain about what Brian's done these last half dozen games. He's doing exactly what a point guard should be doing: setting up teammates and taking care of the ball. Props to him for that.

**CRcyclone6** · 12-31-2007, 03:34 PM

I'm very happy the way he is playing, but he still looks too tentative at times and not very confident. I hope he can continue vs KU, Tex, A&M, and the rest.

**Cyfan13** · 12-31-2007, 03:40 PM

I think Petey is doin a great job at PG. He and DG are totally different, but both good in their own ways. Petey takes better care of the ball, is more "basketball smart", and is a better 3pt shooter. DG is long and quick, can penetrate and dish, and plays MUCH better defense. So it really just depends on what style of play you like. Petey just fits into Mac's style of play more than DG does. If it was Morgan coaching, DG would definitely be starting, no questions asked. I can live with either starting....

**rte4st8** · 12-31-2007, 03:42 PM

He is a solid player and the stats show that for the level of competition we have played. I am concerned with his ability to defend. He seems to have a problem keeping whomever he is guarding from scoring. The position is Garrett's if he would learn not to force things and make "Mike Taylor" type plays.

**CyRocket** · 12-31-2007, 03:43 PM

Certainly most of the teams are not Big 12 types, but two were and he played just as well against them. I'm not saying that he is even close to what we need in the future, but he is more than just "serviceable". Many on this site were more than a little negative about BP. We should be willing to admit that he has been a solid PG, who has done very little to hurt the team and many good things.

**Cyfan13** · 12-31-2007, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by CRcyclone6

I'm very happy the way he is playing, but he still looks too tentative at times and not very confident. I hope he can continue vs KU, Tex, A&M, and the rest.

I agree with this, but at the same time I think sometimes DG is TOO confident. He tries to force it too much. He also is not very good at seeing the floor. A lot of times his teammates are wide open and either doesn't see them, or just doesn't want to give up the ball.

**BryceC** · 12-31-2007, 03:48 PM

My only problem with Petey has been turning the ball over. I thought it was because he was physically limited and struggled against players that are more athletic than him. This still could present itself to be a problem, but I'll happily say I'm wrong on that one if he does continue this during Big 12 play.

**Cyfan13** · 12-31-2007, 03:54 PM

Originally Posted by rte4st8

He is a solid player and the stats show that for the level of competition we have played. I am concerned with his ability to defend. He seems to have a problem keeping whomever he is guarding from scoring. The position is Garrett's if he would learn not to force things and make "Mike Taylor" type plays.

Agree 100%!

**zach** · 12-31-2007, 04:06 PM

BP is doing what is being asked of him....he could be like Taylor and keep both teams in the game. As mentioned above, he is playing within himself. DG is still learning the system and will be very good down the road. I also look for Haluska to contribute down the road too and get out of the funk he is in.

Z

**CYdTracked** · 12-31-2007, 04:18 PM

I don't think BP is starting Big 12 PG material and I think Garrett has a bigger upside but right now we are stuck with what we have. Garrett is a nice change of pace when he comes in but he makes freshman mistakes. I'm scared to see what will happen against Big 12 guards though because BP has had problems getting the ball up the court or even just starting the offense when pressured by bigger and/or quicker guards. He does have a nice 3 point shot when he gets open. He's be a nice backup if we had someone better to start at PG. I think he'd be fighting Diante for PT right now if we still had McIntosh at the PG. I didn't think McIntosh was that good either but I bet you he would play the most out of any PG we have right now if he was still here.

Haluska is going to be phased out of the rotation next year I bet. Right now he plays out of necessity but with Buckley, Eikmeier, and Staiger all joining the backcourt next season his minutes are going to be few I think. WJ likely will play the 3 with Clark gone too.

**mwitt** · 12-31-2007, 04:24 PM

There's no reason to complain about the way Petey is playing right now. I understand that some of the competition hasn't been great the last 6 games (like Iowa), but we're not the only team who plays teams like this. I'm willing to bet that there aren't many (if any) guards who have put together a string of games with that kind of assist/TO ratio. Ever since the Iowa game, he has done everything very well, with the exception of letting his man drive by him a little too often.

With that said, no one is pressuring the ball the way Bradley, UNI, etc. did against us earlier in the year. I think that could still give us some problems, but I also think we'll be better equipped to handle that kind of pressure now that our guards have a little bit of experience and feel more confident out there.

I'm very, very afraid of what Missouri's defense could do to us. It will be a good test, to say the least.