To me he would do a lot better in a system that pushed the pace more. He is a rim running 4 in my opinion, who should also be an adept rebounder due to his level of athleticism. Other than that, not much. His offensive game is very unrefined, which we all kind of knew and expected so no surprises there. I think the tools are there to be an elite defender, but he seems to be struggling a bit to pick up the scheme.
I hear what you're saying too, but this early in the season those analytics are all we have to go off of. Especially prior to feast week when so many teams (like ISU) are playing real opponents for the first time. It was a reality check for me at least, personally. Prior to the season, before seeing even one minute of Cyclone basketball, I was confident in TJ getting the on paper talent back to the NCAA Tournament. Had no idea how high of a seed, optimistically maybe a 5. Expectations ramped up a bit for me due to how soundly they were laying the hammer down on these sub 300 kenpom teams, which went hand in hand with media types like CW floating 3 seed out into the airwaves. I'm not blaming CW solely for anything regarding my personal expectations, but I am certainly stepping back and taking a new perspective on this years Cyclone team and its potential.
If they just hit shots we're still undefeated. Idk why we always seem to have these droughts?
It feels like the Eustachy era to me. These guys get beat up in practice and the focus is on being gritty, tough, and playing defense. They don't seem to actually practice shooting, free throws, or any other offensive drills very much.
We always seem to miss more bunnies than most teams. Long as I can remember.
We played way too loose and undisciplined on offense, and that was my biggest disappointment of the tournament. Gilbert can't go into the lane without a plan. Players are way too strong, long, and skilled at this level to get away with dribbling into a set defense. Lipsey can't keep making one handed passes across the court.
CW was still talking 4 and 5 on this week's pod! From what I've seen, we should be talking in/out of the tournament.
I posted that I had them like a 4-6 seed going into the tourney and after that performance I'm now on the 8-10 area. If they show improvement and look good against DePaul and Iowa I will feel a little better about it but I need to see it against a good team.
What narrative? I'm simply pointing out how bad we've been against Power 5 teams lately, especially on the road where the DePaul game takes place tommorrow.
We beat LSU who had an interim coach and was over-seeded. The Wisconsin win was really solid.
that is pathetic, we really have to get better at non conference competition.
