Well, Travis Ford and the boys have lost a game that they should have won (GM) and won one that they could have lost (LBS). It is a shame they lost the GM game, as they would have received a resume boost from playing Virginia, win or lose.
There have been some surprises this season, and I think there are enough positives to believe that this team can be successful in Big 12 play this season. The Big 12 has a good chance at being the best conference again, which would set the conference up for a minimum of 6 teams (possibly 7) getting into the NCAA tournament. I think it is likely that OSU is in the top 6, based upon what I have seen so far.
-On the negative side, I found it worrisome that LBS had so much success while pressing the boys last night. It looked like our guys had no idea of what to do to help out teammates under pressure. Players were also making high risk passes when pressured and it was not surprising that they resulted in turnovers.
-I do think that not having Forte exacerbated this issue. He is a team leader and has a very high bball IQ. He knows how to beat pressure and can anticipate where it is coming from and where he needs to be to help. Still, it should not have been such a problem with Evans, Griffin, and Newberry on the floor. I haven't heard much about the extent of Forte's injury. Obviously, if he is out for an extended period of time, it will significantly limit this team's upside.
-I have to say, Allen has been a pleasant surprise. At times, he has looked like he is completely unable to shoot, and can only dunk, but he did make a couple of short jumpers last night. He does have value as an interior rim protector and rebounder, although he is still prone to dumb fouls and often gets completely lost on defense. What most impresses me about him is that he is a good passer for a big man. Ball movement is important and can be helped immensely if one of your interior players can make smart/strong passes. All in all, I think he will actually be able to contribute some quality minutes against opposing Big 12 teams.
-Obviously there is a lot to like about Olivier. His defense if below average and he still looks like he is short on stamina, but, he can score down low and has the ability to take defenders one on one. He is also good at establishing position and making himself a target for an entry pass.
-Solomon doesn't look like he lifted a weight in the off season. Still skinny and weak. I think he has a bright future, but it is probably another year away.
-Interesting that Ibaka isn't getting PT despite 3 rotation guys being out and others in foul trouble. He can't redshirt, so this suggests that he is unlikely to contribute much this season.
-Carroll and Burton have both been much better than expected, IMO. Not only are they hitting 3 pointers, but both guys are scoring points in the paint and fighting for rebounds. Neither is a defensive stopper, but they have looked serviceable.
-Newberry has been a stat stuffer in almost every game. Good player. Need him to keep it up for this team to be successful.
-Evans has been discussed in detail in another thread. My feeling is that he is still adjusting to this level and will be inconsistent this season. Once he gets comfortable, he is going to be a stud. Should be fun to watch in the coming years.
-Griffin. Great option as a back up PG. Any Big 12 team would be happy to have him. Terrible defensively, however. Hopefully Evans is averaging about 30 mpg in Big 12 play and TG is not force to play extended minutes.
-I'm guessing Dillard will RS. I know he has been suspended, but it is tough to see where his minutes come from. Especially with Hammonds and Shine returning to the rotation soon.
-To this point, this team has not done what we have seen most seasons under Ford. Pass the ball around the perimeter until someone takes a poor 3 point shot (hand in face, super deep, etc). They are passing the ball really well and getting the ball into the interior on more possessions than they do not. If they keep this strategy going, it should bode well for offensive success going forward.
-Defense has been worse than what we have seen in the past. Especially transition defense. No one seems to stop the ball. Hopefully getting Forte and Shine back into the rotation will somewhat rectify that issue.
-I'd like to see Ford put the full court press on more often after the team is healthy. I think the 30 second shot clock makes this a necessary strategy. Make them take 15 seconds before they get into their offensive set, and that means they are going to run into a rushed shot on a lot of occasions.
There have been some surprises this season, and I think there are enough positives to believe that this team can be successful in Big 12 play this season. The Big 12 has a good chance at being the best conference again, which would set the conference up for a minimum of 6 teams (possibly 7) getting into the NCAA tournament. I think it is likely that OSU is in the top 6, based upon what I have seen so far.
-On the negative side, I found it worrisome that LBS had so much success while pressing the boys last night. It looked like our guys had no idea of what to do to help out teammates under pressure. Players were also making high risk passes when pressured and it was not surprising that they resulted in turnovers.
-I do think that not having Forte exacerbated this issue. He is a team leader and has a very high bball IQ. He knows how to beat pressure and can anticipate where it is coming from and where he needs to be to help. Still, it should not have been such a problem with Evans, Griffin, and Newberry on the floor. I haven't heard much about the extent of Forte's injury. Obviously, if he is out for an extended period of time, it will significantly limit this team's upside.
-I have to say, Allen has been a pleasant surprise. At times, he has looked like he is completely unable to shoot, and can only dunk, but he did make a couple of short jumpers last night. He does have value as an interior rim protector and rebounder, although he is still prone to dumb fouls and often gets completely lost on defense. What most impresses me about him is that he is a good passer for a big man. Ball movement is important and can be helped immensely if one of your interior players can make smart/strong passes. All in all, I think he will actually be able to contribute some quality minutes against opposing Big 12 teams.
-Obviously there is a lot to like about Olivier. His defense if below average and he still looks like he is short on stamina, but, he can score down low and has the ability to take defenders one on one. He is also good at establishing position and making himself a target for an entry pass.
-Solomon doesn't look like he lifted a weight in the off season. Still skinny and weak. I think he has a bright future, but it is probably another year away.
-Interesting that Ibaka isn't getting PT despite 3 rotation guys being out and others in foul trouble. He can't redshirt, so this suggests that he is unlikely to contribute much this season.
-Carroll and Burton have both been much better than expected, IMO. Not only are they hitting 3 pointers, but both guys are scoring points in the paint and fighting for rebounds. Neither is a defensive stopper, but they have looked serviceable.
-Newberry has been a stat stuffer in almost every game. Good player. Need him to keep it up for this team to be successful.
-Evans has been discussed in detail in another thread. My feeling is that he is still adjusting to this level and will be inconsistent this season. Once he gets comfortable, he is going to be a stud. Should be fun to watch in the coming years.
-Griffin. Great option as a back up PG. Any Big 12 team would be happy to have him. Terrible defensively, however. Hopefully Evans is averaging about 30 mpg in Big 12 play and TG is not force to play extended minutes.
-I'm guessing Dillard will RS. I know he has been suspended, but it is tough to see where his minutes come from. Especially with Hammonds and Shine returning to the rotation soon.
-To this point, this team has not done what we have seen most seasons under Ford. Pass the ball around the perimeter until someone takes a poor 3 point shot (hand in face, super deep, etc). They are passing the ball really well and getting the ball into the interior on more possessions than they do not. If they keep this strategy going, it should bode well for offensive success going forward.
-Defense has been worse than what we have seen in the past. Especially transition defense. No one seems to stop the ball. Hopefully getting Forte and Shine back into the rotation will somewhat rectify that issue.
-I'd like to see Ford put the full court press on more often after the team is healthy. I think the 30 second shot clock makes this a necessary strategy. Make them take 15 seconds before they get into their offensive set, and that means they are going to run into a rushed shot on a lot of occasions.
