frdbtr wrote:
We got pounded Saturday, and for many of you because it was Utah that makes it worse. A bad loss does not make a bad team. We have two very big challenges--we don't have a four. Austin is Mika's back up and if we had a four, those two would man the 5 very well and we would not have to worry about foul trouble etc.etc.etc. But we don't have a 4, really. So we will be exploited there. That does not make us a bad team. We are also a young team. Does anyone deny that the talent on this team is way ahead of last year's team? And not one is graduating this year! Learning to win on the road in a racous arena is as much experience as coaching, and we just got experienced....Will we lose some more away games? No doubt. It does not make us a bad team, just a team needing some toughening on the road. We have two great players who sometimes have weak games--Haws and Carlino were about person non grata on Sautrday. That does not make us a bad team either. So this team is good and will get better and just remember we are a 4 away--If Jamaal had come or Jabari, we'd be top five right now. We're that close!
This years team is last years team with less experience. I personally believe that the biggest problem with this team is outside shooting and defense. Teams pack the middle and dare us to shoot and it works because this team simply can't hit outside shots consistently. Second, we play horrible defense. Dave Rose had a good coach coaching defense when he first took over as HC but that guy went to Wyoming and got himself fired. (don't remember his name), our defense has gotten worse every year since.
Frdbtr
This is simply not true.
1- PG is just the opposite of last year's team with less experience. Same PG. More experience. His name is Matt Carlino.
2/3- Haws still here. More experience. Did not really have another true starter last year. Had a lot of reserves. Not a true starter.
4 - tried a lot of things. Pretty much ended up with Austin in the end. He is still here. More experience.
5. Less experience. Sure - a lot less. But a very different kind of player and nowhere near the drop off you would normally see going from a senior to a true freshman.
Now that is the starters. Off the bench. A last year starter / reserve Josh Sharp is having a hard time even getting on the court. Two or more other guys were flusehed from the program. A couple of journeymen graduated. Winder - more experienced. Bartley - less experienced but more talented. Halford - He is a junior iirc - every bit as experienced as the two guys flushed out.
The issue is simply this. This team is significantly improved over last year. The schedule is ridiculous compared to last year.
Fans are in denial about Utah. Sure they have not played many decent teams. But thisis not the Ute team of the past several years. IN fact the Utes had already started to rise a bit last year. They are not a national power. They are not dog meat. BSU is a decent team. Utes gave them a gamer. 2-point loss. Their only loss. The other teams we have lost to and the next one we will lose to have not lost to anybody. Undefeated.
I am too lazy. Go look up the RPI of 2012 and 2013 and report back with more insight into why this team will ave 5 losses by next Saturday.
Zags and Gaels are not Dog Meat and there could be another surprise or two in the WCC compared to years past.
Fans always clamor to play games like these - they are fun. And you lose to better teams and especially on the road.
