Tulsa is ranked #21 in the latest top 25 poll behind #20 SMU but ahead of #22 UConn. Not sure where to put the link on the new Rivals so I will post it here. httCollege Basketball Top 25 for 2015-2016ps://shar.es/1rmlnh via @thebiglead
Tulsa Basketball ranked #21
- Thread starter tulsascott
- Start date
IMHO thats way too high. We added next to nothing this offseason to really contribute where we needed. Everyone else got a lot better in the AAC. Our non conference is going to be extremely tough again. I love our guys but I don't like what Haith did in the offseason and I think we're being set up for disappointment.
The team should be better simply due to maturity and a full-season under Haith's system. If the incoming guards and returning guards can bump the team 3-point shooting percentage from 32% to a modest 35-36%, over the course of the season that should be worth an extra 3 or 4 wins.
Any team that returns their primary rotation is going to receive respect. I will be surprised if TU is not picked 2nd or 3rd by the AAC media
They may continue to struggle at times in the paint during 1/2 court sets, but if they can push the tempo more and hit more 3 point shots this team should be improved.
TX
We will be better for sure and our BIGS will be better, especially TK. As far as what Haith did this year with recruiting, I think it was less about Haith and more about the depth of our returning talent. The higher rated recruits didn't want to ride the bench or red-shirt and that was likely given the returning players we have. Recruiting will improve going forward.
Everyone knows we return everyone, That always gets votes. But the question is who will improve this year?????? There is always one or two that markedly improve over the summer and some that have Maxed out. There is a lot of room for every one of them to improve.
Our front court isn't stacked enough to take PT from a good center the likes of which Tulane got this offseason.
That is probably true and something that makes little sense to me. Coming off the bench your freshman season and learning from a veteran team is a good recipe for long term player development and success IMO. Plus, every player on the bench is 1 turned ankle away from getting their number called. Coaches want to win, and if the incoming freshman is really talented then he should be capable of taking minutes away. Only Juice seemed to be consistently locked in 90% of the games this season.
It's hard to say if Littlejohn could hold his own as he was not on the court, but Dew was given sufficient minutes in OOC for even the causal fan to realize he was quite overwhelmed. With Dew athletic ability, I think he could have developed into a nice player.
Is this attitude kids have developed a product of the AAU hype they receive or do they not want to put in the necessary work to earn their minutes as freshman, expecting minutes to be handed to them?
TX
Last edited:
In my opinion, this team will need to pust the pace on offense and really pressure (not necessarily full court though) on defense. They will have to speed teams up. The question is whether the depth is there to play that style. If I was Haith, I would institute an insane conditioning program so that the main guys can stay on the floor and play that style as much as possible. Similar to what OU did in the late 80's.
The biggest issue we had last year was inability to score from the corner on ball rotation. The ball would rotate to the corner for a wide open three, and the guy there couldn't make it. We obviously don't get much from our bigs on offense, but they do a nice job defensively which is where it really counts. We're going to be guard oriented, and if the new guys can help us make open jumpers, we will be successful on offense.
Similar threads
