They had decent athletes but were clearly out classed. They only had two returners.
COLUMN: A massive analysis on the MBB roster following opener
- Thread starter ChrisMWilliams
- Start date
They wanted to see if anyone was actually reading their posts. Only thing I can figure out.
Yes.......from a team that won what, 3 games last year? Their guards had a few decent plays......their inside game was non existent.
Our posts are nasty. Not overly skilled but they're here to bully people.
Here's my quick breakdown - with the caveat that UWGB could be one of the worst teams we've played in years and we really shouldn't draw too much from this game.
Lipsey: Really good start. Just seeing the first 2 threes go down will be huge for his confidence and his shot looked really good. He was in complete control the entire game and dictated the pace and flow. Looked like he picked up right where he left off. The team had only 4 turnovers, Tamin had just the one silly cross-court pass.
Gilbert: Very much exceeded all of my expectations. He's a lot thicker than I expected, he was pretty skinny his first two years, but is big enough to bully into the lane and get shots off. Looked to me to be a real game-changer which his ability to get into the lane and score or distribute. Defense looked good and he looked really engaged and intense (need to keep that up). I expect he's going to be the "go-to" guy as the season goes on to get a bucket when we need one
Milan: Great start - but basically what I expected. 0-2 from inside the arc isn't showing his entire game, I expect to see him more comfortable in the paint going forward, he's a crafty scorer there. His defense looked good enough for now, he's clearly put in work on that end.
Tre King: Wasn't as big of a focus of the offense as I expected, in terms of running plays through him - which is mainly due to the emergence of Gilbert. He's in a "dirty work" role where he takes what's there, lobs, drop offs, put backs, etc. Love the line about TJ challenging him to lead the BigXII in rebounding. That would be huge for the team.
Ward: Love to see Hasan get the start and play so well. He's not going to score much, but he was really active and mostly in good positioning.
Curtis Jones: I thought he was really smooth and solid - he looked like a 5th year senior out there. The outside shot will fall and he's going to be a very key player off the bench, basically making the guard position a 3-headed monster with Lipsey and Gilbert.
Big Rob: He was who he is. He finished well in the lane and missed his FTs.
Watson: Looked bigger and more comfortable, but he'll need the corner 3 to fall if he wants a boost in playing time.
Omaha: Needs some PT to get the game to slow down - he looked like he was "chasing the play" a bit on both ends (leading to the fouls). He shot looked good, those will fall, and he made one good hustle play toward the end - but he needs to bring that energy every minute on the floor. He'll be fine.
Jackson Pav: Looked really good offensively, but still has some work on the defensive end. As I said upthread, hopefully he forces his way into a couple minutes a game against better competition.
Fish: Love his energy, but he's probably 2 years out.
Lipsey: Really good start. Just seeing the first 2 threes go down will be huge for his confidence and his shot looked really good. He was in complete control the entire game and dictated the pace and flow. Looked like he picked up right where he left off. The team had only 4 turnovers, Tamin had just the one silly cross-court pass.
Gilbert: Very much exceeded all of my expectations. He's a lot thicker than I expected, he was pretty skinny his first two years, but is big enough to bully into the lane and get shots off. Looked to me to be a real game-changer which his ability to get into the lane and score or distribute. Defense looked good and he looked really engaged and intense (need to keep that up). I expect he's going to be the "go-to" guy as the season goes on to get a bucket when we need one
Milan: Great start - but basically what I expected. 0-2 from inside the arc isn't showing his entire game, I expect to see him more comfortable in the paint going forward, he's a crafty scorer there. His defense looked good enough for now, he's clearly put in work on that end.
Tre King: Wasn't as big of a focus of the offense as I expected, in terms of running plays through him - which is mainly due to the emergence of Gilbert. He's in a "dirty work" role where he takes what's there, lobs, drop offs, put backs, etc. Love the line about TJ challenging him to lead the BigXII in rebounding. That would be huge for the team.
Ward: Love to see Hasan get the start and play so well. He's not going to score much, but he was really active and mostly in good positioning.
Curtis Jones: I thought he was really smooth and solid - he looked like a 5th year senior out there. The outside shot will fall and he's going to be a very key player off the bench, basically making the guard position a 3-headed monster with Lipsey and Gilbert.
Big Rob: He was who he is. He finished well in the lane and missed his FTs.
Watson: Looked bigger and more comfortable, but he'll need the corner 3 to fall if he wants a boost in playing time.
Omaha: Needs some PT to get the game to slow down - he looked like he was "chasing the play" a bit on both ends (leading to the fouls). He shot looked good, those will fall, and he made one good hustle play toward the end - but he needs to bring that energy every minute on the floor. He'll be fine.
Jackson Pav: Looked really good offensively, but still has some work on the defensive end. As I said upthread, hopefully he forces his way into a couple minutes a game against better competition.
Fish: Love his energy, but he's probably 2 years out.
Have you seen that talent on their bench?
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
Don't derail this thread for that.
Pav doesn't really look like a P5 player. Maybe he rounds into form but I can't see him getting much in the way of minutes. Not athletic enough to fit in with this team and looks like he can't create his own shot.
I don't think we really need him, though.
He has such a good floor presence. I’ll be interested to see what TJ does in terms of crashing the offensive glass this year. I can see good reasons for not doing it (we play really good half court d so why risk giving up cheap transition baskets?) any duo of Ward/Omaha/King on the floor going hard on the offensive glass would be a real wild card.
Why do fans expect a defensive drop off? We're longer and arguably more athletic than a year ago. I don't think it'll drop much at all. We'll probably play at a faster pace, so teams will score more, but I don't see the defensive efficiency going down that much.
I was trying to understand this as well. We have multiple elite defenders returning, and I like what I saw defensively from Gilbert. Milan will need some defensive work but Omaha is going to be an elite defender once he gets his legs under him. We have the length and athleticism to switch all over the floor. I think we are going to be a great defensive team. Our rotations were maybe a step slow last night, but they will get there.
I was impressed with him, but my first impression was that he needs to get a little bigger and stronger to be a factor in the Big 12. He has a nice game though, and I don't doubt that he will.
Looks like we are a solid 9 deep with Jackson as the 10th if we need him.
After last night I think the defense will be much better than it has been.
How can I say that given the defensive prowess of last year's team? Those efforts came at the expense of a LOT of fouls as we had to play overly physical due to the natural lack of athleticism. This year we are both longer and more athletic and I saw no drop off in the intensity that's defined this team over the last few years.
There was talk Momcilovic could be a defensive liability but he performed much better than I expected on that side of the ball. With better effort and athleticism down low (more King, Ward and Bilieuw) and more length and athleticism on the wing (Gilbert, C Jones, Momc) we don't need to be as physical to play good defense. We have a greater ability to move with the opposition, disrupt passing lanes with our hands, and rotate/recover when beaten.
One of my biggest criticisms of Otz last year was his overuse of BRE at the expense of minutes that could/should have went to King and Ward. King in particular is a better offensive player, rebounder, and transition force while Jones was a better one on one defender on the block (largely due to his denial efforts). It was clear early last season King was a better player and deserving of more minutes. Additionally nobody on the team has a greater impact without the stats than Ward. The dude is all over the place defensively, blocking shots, altering shots, altering passes etc. Looking at the box score his stats look weak but when you watch him play you see how much he disrupts. I think he has a lot of potential on pick and rolls/lobs to the basket, something we saw at the end of last season.
Probably my favorite part of last night's game, outside of Momc's shot, was Otz demonstrating he intends to use zone as a weapon this year. We came out in a zone variation and it put potential of length and athleticism on full display. I thought Otz underutilized it last year, often with the wrong personal, and usually chose to deploy it only when we were in foul trouble. To be honest it often looked sloppy and poorly coached, which was disappointing as I felt Watson, Lipsey, Ward and Kal could have played some lights out zone. It looks like he recognized the potential of this lineup to play it and it should be both effective AND help keep us out if foul trouble. Something that was a massive issue last year.
Simply put, I think this team will give up more points but will maintain or possibly improve on its efficiency numbers. More points will mostly come from more possessions due to a massive increase in offensive efficiency. Combine that with less foul trouble, better transition play, and a deadly zone and I think this team will be better defensively.
This team has the potential to be the best Iowa State team since Fizer and Tinsley. Gilbert has a chance to be a star, on both end of the floor. Super pumped for the season.
Lol, I noticed that too. Kind of looked like a high schooler trying to play against college comp. Wasn't impressed at all.
I mean, they are bad but they are still a D1 basketball team full of former all-state players haha.
Ward and King have a tendency to pick up some very cheap fouls. I'd be more inclined to have Ward go hard as he has a greater ability to get tips and put backs without going over the back, something it felt like King was always called for (even when jt was BS). I think we need King on the floor as much as possible so he needs to avoid the cheap fouls.
Last year we really needed those board as we needed all the offense we could get. While offensive board are always a good thing, I don't think they will be as imperative. We can get those points from shot creation, FTs, and transition. We don't need them to come from multiple shot possessions (as much).
I'm guessing the overall idea is, we add players who are more productive offensively, so naturally won't be as focused/gifted as defenders. As if a player can't do both well.
