SithCeNtZ |
11-15-2023 07:22 AM |
Some random thoughts from the game.
-I said it in a long post after the Illinois exhibition game, but this team is going to be exactly like last year's team. Obvious weaknesses, but also some obvious talent. And like last night's game, we are going to have plenty of games where you scratch your head and ask how we just won that despite the weaknesses showing up in a significant way.
-Defensively, I just don't see us ever being elite. We don't have anyone who can play defense at the 2 and our bench is...not good in that aspect. Any foul trouble to any starter is going to leave us exposed to a significant degree. I do think we looked a little worse than we will overall last night just because UK has some freak NBA talent that we won't see every night, but we are always going to be susceptible to the 3 ball.
-Im not sure how but the bench is probably worse than last year, and at best I see it playing out exactly like last year: inconsistent. I'm sure furphy and Timberlake will have some games where they contribute but for now, there doesnt appear to be anyone you can have confidence in.
-Jackson reminds me of Bryce Thompson's freshman year. You watch him and you just aren't sure what the hype was about him. What does he do well? He isn't a great shooter, cant really defend anyone, and isn't a playmaker to the basket. You obviously can't write a guy off after a few games but we haven't seen anything to suggest he's a first round pick.
-This loss was really on coach Cal for a poor defensive game plan. The third Puerto Rico game is the template for how to beat and how to lose to Kansas. In the first half of that game, they helped to Hunter with KJs guy and Harris' guy, resulting in a bunch of open shots for Harris and he hit them. He had 17 at the half I believe. Then they adjusted and had his guy stay home and Harris was neutralized and Kansas struggled to score. Cal never adjusted and kept daring Harris to beat him and he did. Let KJ or Jackson shoot you out of help, not the guy who has proven pretty consistently he can hit big shots when wide open.
-Timberlake reminds me of Yesufu last year in that Yesufu really struggled to figure out his role in the offense. Some games he would come in and not really try and do anything, other games he'd come in and try to be Jamaal Crawford off the bench and shoot anytime he touched it. Last night was Crawford. He immediately jacks a shot the first time he touches it and the second time he took a bizarre jab step long 2 which only the best players in the country would get a green light for. Not surprisingly he got benched after that. He played better the last two games because he took open shots in the flow of the offense. I think he can be a guy who can hit some shots from time to time but he has to be patient and can't force things, otherwise he's going to keep playing worse than he probably is.
-Heading into Maui I can see this tournament going like Atlantis last year. We really wore out in the third game and got beat handily, and I can see that happening this year too if we can't get any help from the bench. It's hard to have your starters play 40 minutes in every game for three days straight. Hopefully they can have the bench play more than usual against Chaminade and build some confidence.
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