Gonzaga Game Thread
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PG is the huge need going forward. We’ve addressed the bigs in recruiting (Zach is really good, trust me on this) but you give this core a salty grad transfer SR guard next year WATCH OUT.
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Two plays that stick out from a effort standpoint regarding Dave is him being unable to box out and rebound. 2 baskets he gave up off misses for simple effort, balls Timme grabbed and quickly put up for layups
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@BeddieKU23 said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
I don’t see Self going away from McCormack so I hope he can figure out some effort things that have plagued him for 3 yrs now. He clearly has some offensive skill but everything else just looked below average
Yeah this is the thing. Don’t forget he tried to forcefully start Dave by playing him out of position last year. He loves Dave.
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@BShark at least he showed he was willing to play Wilson at the 5 today though. I was worried he’d throw Mitch out there no matter what.
Still hope Dave plays limited time
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@BShark why can Self not land a OAD PG?
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@Kcmatt7 said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
@BShark at least he showed he was willing to play Wilson at the 5 today though. I was worried he’d throw Mitch out there no matter what.
Still hope Dave plays limited time
Ultimately Self does want to win. Dave only played 20 minutes today. If he doesn’t get better that might be around his mpg.
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I am optimistic that he will improve, this is the 1st game without any pre-season against #1 ranked team with an incredible front court. Last year he did not get much PT as KU played mostly 4 guard lineup. I envision him a double double caliber player.
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@Kcmatt7 said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
@BShark why can Self not land a OAD PG?
Legit OAD guards are pretty rare. I’m happy with landing 4-5* guys. Nothing is happening in this class though short of a reclass from Armstrong but I think for next year and how good the roster looks around that spot, I’d prefer a 5th year SR.
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@Kcmatt7 Selby comes to mind LoL.
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@Kcmatt7 he had one. Selby
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@AsadZ beat me to it.
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Grimes thought he was a OAD…and I guess at KU he was…
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For PG I’d rather have Mason and Graham type of players, no OAD please, although every once in a while it will be nice to have a Josh J, Wiggins etc.
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@approxinfinity said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
@Kcmatt7 he had one. Selby
I’ve blocked these memories from my brain.
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@AsadZ they have two 100+ ranked guys.
Give me a Suggs
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My bad on the last post, it’s Cuffe JR that is likely to reclass, not Armstrong. KSU actually has some strong ties there.
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If we lose tomorrow I’ll be worried.
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Mason and Graham are exceptions. Just not easy to find guys severely underranked who will be so good they get jerseys in the rafters.
Need to realize we were spoiled
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@BShark I just think we are more like a 10 loss team this year. Will drop a couple of games the three doesn’t drop I’m thinking.
Still wouldn’t want to play us in March/April
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@Kcmatt7 said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
Mason and Graham are exceptions. Just not easy to find guys severely underranked who will be so good they get jerseys in the rafters.
Need to realize we were spoiled
Yeah. Bryce was a great addition in the last class. We struck out this year in the high school ranks. At this point it has to be a reclass or immediately eligible transfer in. Self will add a guard, of that I am sure.
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@Kcmatt7 said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
@BShark I just think we are more like a 10 loss team this year. Will drop a couple of games the three doesn’t drop I’m thinking.
Still wouldn’t want to play us in March/April
I think 6-7 losses. 21-22 wins with the lower game total schedule. This assumes all games are actually played.
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Silvio’s absence due to drunken stupidity this year might hurt this teams roster as much as his presence against Duke helped us in his first season. I still hated Grayson Allen and Duke that year enough to say it was worth it but it’s getting very hard to argue Silvio as a net positive objectively.
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Hickman is the guy we needed to land, Self went all in there and ran into Calipari. SUCKS but that happens regardless of the NCAA crap imo. Never getting Davison or Chandler. Not sure how serious KU was with Diggins or Collins but they both went to ahem, known acquirers of talent.
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@BShark with the lower game total you’re probably right.
We will have a pretty good feel for this team after the Creighton game. Will have played 3 good teams. Can’t go 0-3
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@AsadZ Bryce got his legs the second half.
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@Crimsonorblue22 said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
@AsadZ Bryce got his legs the second half.
Yeah Jalen and Bryce both started nervous but rounded into form.
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@BShark Jalen surprised me.
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@Crimsonorblue22 said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
@BShark Jalen surprised me.
Same, I thought he was a potential transfer risk but he looks like one of the best 5 players on the team. His body transformation is incredible you can tell he worked really hard for it.
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@Crimsonorblue22 me too. Way better showing than I expected. He wasn’t bouncy but he was tough, smart, long, and seems like he could be reliable.
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@Kcmatt7 said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
@BShark I just think we are more like a 10 loss team this year. Will drop a couple of games the three doesn’t drop I’m thinking.
Still wouldn’t want to play us in March/April
Back away from the ledge, this isn’t a 10 loss team. If this team loses 10, that means they got bit by the injury bug big time this year. This is a 5-6 loss team.
This group is nowhere close to the profile of Self’s other two 10 loss teams here.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 2013-2014 and 2018-2019 were both talented rosters on paper. I think I agree it won’t be a 10 loss team, simply because Marcus is as tough a leader as they come and we are returning more talent than 2013-2014, but it’s a team that lost its PG and AA Big, that appears to be missing a reliable rim protector unless this showing by Dave is anomalous.
With the Big 12 being very competitive this year, I think 8 losses is likely.
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10 losses is not out of the question. Look at the schedule and you can see where there’s plenty of 50/50 games especially if certain guys do not step up. I don’t think we’ve seen enough games to predict that. This may end up one of those teams that takes a while to gel. Lots of new faces, lots of guys in new roles.
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Let’s talk about Jeff bad takes Goodman
https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/406823435751284736
“Not good news for KU when Frank Mason takes shot with game on the line.”
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@approxinfinity said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
@Texas-Hawk-10 2013-2014 and 2018-2019 were both talented rosters on paper. I think I agree it won’t be a 10 loss team, simply because Marcus is as tough a leader as they come and we are returning more talent than 2013-2014, but it’s a team that lost its PG and AA Big, that appears to be missing a reliable rim protector unless this showing by Dave is anomalous.
With the Big 12 being very competitive this year, I think 8 losses is likely.
2013-14 had Naadir Tharpe running point, enough said. 2018-19 had all kinds of injury issues and was just a very inexperienced team overall considering half of the current rotation was on that team. Garrett is a far better PG than Tharpe ever was and I would take this version of Garrett over freshman Dotson was.
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@BShark said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
@Kcmatt7 said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
@BShark I just think we are more like a 10 loss team this year. Will drop a couple of games the three doesn’t drop I’m thinking.
Still wouldn’t want to play us in March/April
I think 6-7 losses. 21-22 wins with the lower game total schedule. This assumes all games are actually played.
pretty much what my Nephew & I were thinking : - - Lost today , - -good chance we lose to Kentucky , lose at least once to Baylor/possible split , I think we lose to Tech once , I think Good chance WV gets us in Morgantown - -Maybe - -Maybe Texas split - that would be six
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@Texas-Hawk-10 well to play devils advocate, 2013 had a future POY PG on the bench and a perennial NBA all star at the 5. It’s possible that roster management may have contributed to 10 losses there, just as it may have with the commitment to Grimes and hi lo with Udoka and Lawson in 2018 and just as it could this year. It’s possible with question marks around the roster this year the losses could mount.
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10 minutes left it was a 1 pt game. 5 minutes later KU is down 13. Issues within that period should be a big focus for film room
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@BeddieKU23 they definitely should start there. And look at the first 4 min of 2nd half when we erased their lead for a positive sample.
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@approxinfinity said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
@Texas-Hawk-10 well to play devils advocate, 2013 had a future POY PG on the bench and a perennial NBA all star at the 5. It’s possible that roster management may have contributed to 10 losses there, just as it may have with the commitment to Grimes and hi lo with Udoka and Lawson in 2018 and just as it could this year. It’s possible with question marks around the roster this year the losses could mount.
Mason was a true freshman and Embiid was playing injured a good chunk of that season. That team was also insanely young that season with I think only 1 player that wasn’t in their first or second season at KU.
The 2018-19 team was title contender until Doke broke his wrist. KU was undefeated and top ranked prior to Doke’s injury.
Injuries played the biggest role in 2018-19’s season. Like I said earlier, only way this team loses 10 games is if Garrett or McCormack get injured.
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KU is going to be in some score fests this year. Kinda like a worse 2017-18. Dave isn’t going to magically improve his defense but he will undoubtedly have better offensive showings. A key will be surviving his below average games and getting wins in his average games.
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Family obligations kept me outside around a campfire with no one allowed in my own home on Thanksgiving! But, I did record and watch several hours ago. Interesting as I was watching (with no foreknowledge of how the game went) is that the things I was seeing was the same as you all.
Bad calls. Not enough to overcome a deficit like that, but impacted the game. Ones I remember that you all noted: Mitch block, Marcus and one turned into a charge (HORRIBLE), Marcus masterful pickpocket steal (HoRiBlE) Nearly all the out of bounds calls that appeared close were not favorable to us.
Bad defense. Maybe they were told to practice social distancing. Maybe they thought they already were in the NBA. Maybe they thought this was the mid major Gonzaga instead of the darn good Gonzaga, but we defended like no Bill Self has ever defended, because really, we didn’t defend.
Our offense was decent, but it’s just hard to keep up with a team sometimes. Make a 3, maybe get a stop, come back and score, and we’re down 2 or 3 , and then bam Zags layup line forms again and we can’t respond.
There’s a hugely different look to the team compared to the last 3 or 4 years which always had returning go to guys. That will take a little adjustments. Hopefully Big Dave can develop into a consistent inside scorer and rebounder. Without Doke he looked a bit lost today.
Tomorrow’s a good day to tweet things for the looming Kentucky battle.
1PM game tomorrow folks don’t miss it while out bargain hunting.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 I agree we need a better version of McCormack and we definitely need Marcus.
Dave looked unhappy out there. I hope he can find a way to get locked in. Maybe with his complete vacation of the lane today they’ll be able to see on tape some things that can easily be fixed.
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I feel like people are over reacting. Gonzaga is a legit team and it was the first game. We replaced our two biggest scorers and our best player is playing a new position…
Center will be the weakest position all year. McCormick will be the guy, unless he just falls flat. He isn’t great but Gonzaga has some of the best big men in the country and I do think he will play a little better. Lightfoot will have a major game or two but he is still lightfoot and is outmatched too much.
Wilson, TGF, Tristian will battle it out for the starting 4 spot. I think it will be 7-10 games before one clearly wins it. Wilson played the best today but I think it will fluctuate for a bit until there is a clear winner.
Garret and Ochi are lock starters and should be the stars of the team.
Thompson and braun will battle it out for the Starting shooting guard spot. The other will be the main guard off the bench. Braun had a disappointing game but he will bounce back. Thompson looked good and I think he will end up being the starter…
Small chance Self could go Houston rockets and play 5 guards but I doubt it.
We had the best team last year. It’s normal to have a slight rebuild year. Plus, fbi thing has kept us from landing top ten players. We will still be a top 10 team by years end
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The best offensive unit will be the worst defensive unit on this team. Going to be fun watching coach Self deal with that.
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Interestingly the national narrative seems to be that it was a great game and that both teams are good. When you remove people with KU bias in either direction.
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Gonzaga pounding Auburn.
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@BShark said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
Interestingly the national narrative seems to be that it was a great game and that both teams are good. When you remove people with KU bias in either direction.
Actually ya know I found myself where I really couldn’t get overly upset I mean ya , I was PO for a minute but like if this would of been last years team and this happened then I would be hot 1st game or not. - I mean yes sir we made a lot well not overly but plenty of mistakes but I think these are things that can be fixed.
I like how they fought back , I mean this thing could of REALLY snow balled o us we got down 14 in the 1st half -but they didn’t quit,
I think well at least I think our biggest concern is going to be the 5 spot. I like Dave but it was brought up by media/commentators yesterday after he got that 1st foul early - -it just screwed him up, he played alt of Olay defense , Self gonna have to work on that.
However We are not going to see to many others that have the front line Gonzaga has , I think as the Season goes along People going to see that improvement entire team wise - - lots of things to be settled. Who is going to be that 5th Starter , I think you will see better games from Christian. - -Got me to thinking a little bit if it wasn’t for frame wise/bulk that maybe we might be a little better to Start Mitch at the 5 I think he stretches the floor a little more, - -I think he is a better shot blocker - -He is a Scrapper , not afraid to get on the floor get Dirty , I dunno just a thought.
Call me Whacky - - Nuttier then a fruit cake , - - crazy - insane BUT I wouldn’t mind hooking up with these guys again on down the road this Season - -roll the ball out. - Actually is was a pretty good game yesterday, for sure shows us what we need to improve. - We still put up 90 ourselves - -One other thing then I’ll sssssh but I hope people don’t get a false sense and think Marcus gonna hang 22 points game in and game out. I see more realistically 14-15 a game. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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@BShark said in Gonzaga Game Thread:
Gonzaga pounding Auburn.
They playing now ? - - what channel is that on ?
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@jayballer67 Fox
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