DePaul, Tue., Dec. 17, 6:30p, Peacock

I was at the game. Really pumped that they played so well that I was able to leave at the 8 minute media timeout to safely catch my lirr train back to Brooklyn.

Some thoughts:
— The defense was incredible. They were so disciplined, able to switch 1 through 5 with their starters, and really closed every lane available to them. This was similar to the Virginia game, where you can tell right away that the opposing team was physically overwhelmed by us and aren’t skilled enough to overcome that discrepancy.

— I know Kadary missed some shots around the rim, but the guy worked his tail off today. The offensive rebounds early in the first half set the tone for the game (even if he missed the free throws)

— So I guess the Sim breakout is legit here. Looks completely different than the guy against New Mexico or Georgia. Totally different demeanor. His midrange is money. He can be an all-BE guy next year, but also lead us in scoring in big games.

— Don’t underestimate DePaul. They went into overtime against Providence, beat Wichita state. They’re unfortunately what the bottom five of the conference looks like. Our opponent on Friday lost to all three Atlantic Ten opponents in OOC. This is partially why we should win 15 games in conference play.

— Vince looked awful during his first run in the game. One thing I picked up on with my seats was, after that, he was *by far* the most communicative in defense. Easily the QB out there and did lead to a turnover or two. If I had to guess, this would be a separator between him and Prey at this stage.

— A little, just a little, worried about Scott getting the Glen Taylor treatment. Rick was clearly very frustrated at a missed defensive assignment and didn’t put him in for the rest of the half. He hasn’t shot the ball well in awhile. He may lose his starting spot if he doesn’t watch out.

— Dunlap could really use a big game. Hope Providence provides it. Arena really wanted him to hit one and he passed up the opportunity. Hope he’s alright.

All in all, this team is legit. I think it’s telling that we can beat a middle of the road BE team by almost 30 without shooting particularly well.

They deserve sky high expectations because they’re deep and really talented.
 
Go Red Storm said:
Did Maker now burn his redshirt?
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In today's NIL world if you try to redshirt a player 7'2", you will easily lose him in the market unless you pony up. Players from Africa tend to be good students and quick learners of the game. Don't underestimate this kids potential. Same with the Portuguese kid Prey. I just pray they stay long enough to develop under Pitino rather than chase the $$.
 
dk423 said:
Enright also reminded me of Geno Lawrence. Nonstop dribbling around the perimeter and killing any rhythm.

How far we’ve come!
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I'm not worried about Scott. He will have games where we need his defensive versatility and the 3s are falling. We are actually deep enough to not need a kid like that to perform all the time, or frankly others to perform all the time, which is pretty nice to be honest.

Dunlap it's a combination of the injury and confidence, IMO. If Pitino is playing him, there's a reason.

On the rotation, don't discount that Rick is using games like this one to figure things out, develop kids, gain confidence for some of them, and the like.
 
hardytime said:
I'm not worried about Scott. He will have games where we need his defensive versatility and the 3s are falling. We are actually deep enough to not need a kid like that to perform all the time, or frankly others to perform all the time, which is pretty nice to be honest.

Dunlap it's a combination of the injury and confidence, IMO. If Pitino is playing him, there's a reason.

On the rotation, don't discount that Rick is using games like this one to figure things out, develop kids, gain confidence for some of them, and the like.
Click to expand...
That’s one of the best parts of this team, re: Scott. In the past, he’d be our only plus defender with size and speed. Now we can live with the ups and downs because of all the other guys we have.
 
hardytime said:
I'm not worried about Scott. He will have games where we need his defensive versatility and the 3s are falling. We are actually deep enough to not need a kid like that to perform all the time, or frankly others to perform all the time, which is pretty nice to be honest.

Dunlap it's a combination of the injury and confidence, IMO. If Pitino is playing him, there's a reason.

On the rotation, don't discount that Rick is using games like this one to figure things out, develop kids, gain confidence for some of them, and the like.
Click to expand...
We can play 10 guys. Who plays and how much each game will depend on opponent, match ups, who’s playing well on a given night etc.
 
Rocket said:
In today's NIL world if you try to redshirt a player 7'2", you will easily lose him in the market unless you pony up. Players from Africa tend to be good students and quick learners of the game. Don't underestimate this kids potential. Same with the Portuguese kid Prey. I just pray they stay long enough to develop under Pitino rather than chase the $$.
Click to expand...
My very early feeling is that Rick hitches his wagon to Maker and is done when Maker is done.

I really see him as a championship caliber center as an upperclassman. We can hide him from suitors almost completely this year and a little next year with Zuby. Then we will need to pay up.
 
dk423 said:
I was at the game. Really pumped that they played so well that I was able to leave at the 8 minute media timeout to safely catch my lirr train back to Brooklyn.

Some thoughts:
— The defense was incredible. They were so disciplined, able to switch 1 through 5 with their starters, and really closed every lane available to them. This was similar to the Virginia game, where you can tell right away that the opposing team was physically overwhelmed by us and aren’t skilled enough to overcome that discrepancy.

— I know Kadary missed some shots around the rim, but the guy worked his tail off today. The offensive rebounds early in the first half set the tone for the game (even if he missed the free throws)

— So I guess the Sim breakout is legit here. Looks completely different than the guy against New Mexico or Georgia. Totally different demeanor. His midrange is money. He can be an all-BE guy next year, but also lead us in scoring in big games.

— Don’t underestimate DePaul. They went into overtime against Providence, beat Wichita state. They’re unfortunately what the bottom five of the conference looks like. Our opponent on Friday lost to all three Atlantic Ten opponents in OOC. This is partially why we should win 15 games in conference play.

— Vince looked awful during his first run in the game. One thing I picked up on with my seats was, after that, he was *by far* the most communicative in defense. Easily the QB out there and did lead to a turnover or two. If I had to guess, this would be a separator between him and Prey at this stage.

— A little, just a little, worried about Scott getting the Glen Taylor treatment. Rick was clearly very frustrated at a missed defensive assignment and didn’t put him in for the rest of the half. He hasn’t shot the ball well in awhile. He may lose his starting spot if he doesn’t watch out.

— Dunlap could really use a big game. Hope Providence provides it. Arena really wanted him to hit one and he passed up the opportunity. Hope he’s alright.

All in all, this team is legit. I think it’s telling that we can beat a middle of the road BE team by almost 30 without shooting particularly well.

They deserve sky high expectations because they’re deep and really talented.
Click to expand...
Good point about the GT treatment..
 
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