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Well it's official now...

In an attempt to be negative: We're TU, so no way in Hell Embry gets a waiver!
Hoping reverse psychology works because nothing else we've ever done
in the past has....
This has been my approach to TU sports in general over the last 4-5 months. And I was extremely no way on us being able to land Embrey-Simpson AND Ugboh....and then we did. My continued approach will be to continue the negativity as a superstition since it seems to work reverse.
 
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Am I the most rational fan? Of course not. But the conference board isn’t exactly full of down to the earth fans. It’s full of idiot homers. Who cares what the “conference board” says.

The conference board is full of booger-eaters...good for a laugh every once in a while.
 
We've upgraded talent at multiple positions and only went 18-14 last year. I'm not sure that it's likely, but it's also not crazy to think we'll be better. It depends on how a bunch of new guys adjust to playing with each other. Jeffries is a huge loss, but the other guys, as much as I loved them, had enough issues that it's possible the replacements will be better.
You haven’t seen them yet
 
As much as I like Sterling Taplin he just wasn’t the player he should have been this past season. I think it had a lot to do with his ankle injury against Nevada. He really didn’t take the time to properly let that injury heal and I think it affected his play the rest of the season. Jeffries is a fantastic all around player, the best we’ve had in awhile, but as others have mentioned he sometimes disappeared for long stretches. Curran Scott was a very good clutch shooter and won several games for us but his ball handling put us in a hole several times. The rest of the players that moved on played few minutes and in some cases way more than they should have.

All of the new players are still question marks at this point but looking at their track records so far it’s very promising. We’re all hoping Hill will be the shooter we’ve been trying to get for a long time. Is he? I don’t know but he has put up big numbers in high school and in some cases going directly against high level competition.

Rachal appears to be in the same athletic mode as Jeffries although without the outside shooting Jeffries displayed. He put up good numbers at LSU as a freshman and at Pearl River he averaged 15 points and almost 9 rebounds per game as a wing. Even though his outside shooting wasn’t great he still shot almost 30% from deep and he had a positive assist to turnover ratio which, I hope, indicates he’s a decent ball handler.

Ugboh appears to be a piece we’ve really been missing for years. He’s big at 6’11” and 250 lbs and averaged 12 points and almost 10 rebounds per game last year. He also made 45 blocks while averaging just over 2 fouls per game. Now his game does have some downsides as he does turn it over around twice per game and he shoots less than 60% from the line but he had some big time offers including Arizona and UCONN. With Ugboh, Falokun (who looked like a real help until he was injured), Igbanu, Horne, and Earley it looks like we’ll have a chance to be very good inside, especially rebounding, and the coach will have lots of options when it comes to creating mismatches.

Finally while some will see Taplin and Scott leaving as a big negative I like to look at it as a chance for Joiner and Jackson to shine. They are both better ball handlers than Scott was and I think Joiner is at least as good a clutch shooter as Scott and probably better overall as well as being a very good rebounder for a guard. Jackson still needs to develop an outside shot but he is a lock down defender that you can put on the opponents best guard and he can be deadly on the drive.

Looking at the upcoming roster, both new players and returnees, I see improvement in multiple areas where we had issues last year including rebounding, interior defense and ball handling. If Hill’s shooting and playmaking can transition to D-1 competition then we could even be a better shooting team next year. There are lots of unknowns at this time but I think I have good reason to feel we’ll not only be better next year but if all the moving parts can mesh we could be significantly better.
We definitely could be better
Or worse because this conference is high end

I’m judging by the conference
 
I have actually seen most of them play before. I also know how to join the GHC
I am certain I gave more to the ghc last year than you in your entire life to date

Just saying

No one can complain if they don’t give

Those who give more can complain more
 
I'm sure he complains more frequently and loudly than he should if his professing as a donor is not BS. What a pain in the ass donor he would be. His complaining is probably Mike Case level.
 
Early computer rankings are:
1. Houston
2. Wichita State
3. Memphis
4. Cincinnati
5. UCF
6. UConn
7. USF
8. SMU
9. Temple
10. Tulsa
11. ECU
12. Tulane

Updated to include roster changes over the past month:
1. Wichita State
2. Memphis
3. Cincinnati
4. Houston
5. UConn
6. USF
7. Temple
8. Tulsa
9. UCF
10. SMU
11. ECU
12. Tulane
 
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Honestly I can’t argue with that list but I think the league will be so competitive that any team, except maybe Tulane, could end up 2-3 spots higher or lower.
 
Without the additions this was a good league. With the editions to the squads pan out this league is stacked and you better not bring a knife to the gunfight that's going to happen every night on the floor.
 
Without the additions this was a good league. With the editions to the squads pan out this league is stacked and you better not bring a knife to the gunfight that's going to happen every night on the floor.


I expect we will see blood on the dance floor, and I am excited by it. There will be no for sure wins, ECU should be quite a different team, Tulane as well, anyone not bringing their A game will likely take it on the chin. It's going to be fun.
 
I expect we will see blood on the dance floor, and I am excited by it. There will
be no for sure wins, ECU should be quite a different team, Tulane as well,
anyone not bringing their A game will likely take it on the chin. It's going to be fun.
There's going to be some dog fights for sure....The fifth thru the eighth slots will
be open to the teams that mature the fastest....Sadly, Haith has not been known
as a fast starter.....We'll see....I have a feeling that if we somehow get decent to
good PG play, we will be right there....Higher than that? This conference has
morphed to the point that #9 can beat #1, 2, or 3.....

This may be the most hotly contested AAC race since the conf.(as now conformed)
has been in existence.....

TU4ever2 makes some good points....The four or five bottom teams (while they
certainly had more room to do so) have probably improved more than the top
three or four teams.....Makes for a great conference......
 
Updated to include roster changes over the past month:
1. Wichita State
2. Memphis
3. Cincinnati
4. Houston
5. UConn
6. USF
7. Temple
8. Tulsa
9. UCF
10. SMU
11. ECU
12. Tulane
Still not sold on Temple...now you remove a very savvy veteran HC and you bring a lot of questions about McKie's x's and o's and game mgmt. Not saying he won't eventually get there.

Quick question: How does moving the 3 pt line back 2 feet alter any of these projections?
 
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Still not sold on Temple...now you remove a very savvy veteran HC and you bring a lot of questions about McKie's x's and o's and game mgmt. Not saying he won't eventually get there.

Quick question: How does moving the 3 pt line back 2 feet alter any of these projections?

Type of teams players who will benefit:

Pushing the 3pt percentage back down to 30 means that mathmatically the three point shooter and post player (at 50% fg) are roughly equal.

The extra space without making the 3pt shot irrelevant and widening the lane means dominate posts are going to maintain or expand their influences in games.

Strong, quick drives will be successful based on spacing so think Antonio Reed, Dante Swanson types. Athletic wings will benefit as well, strong guards with a pull up game will excel. So teams with high offensive possession stats who take open shots and like transition will find lots of room to play.

Conversely a rim protector on defense will be required to eliminate easy finishes. Tight guarding perimeter teams who communicate well and maintain defensive pressure will also see advantages as the 3pt% vs them will drop and long two's will be less damaging then the old 3pts from the same spot. This will allow for collapsing in the paint to restrict the easy shots and put backs.

Defenses who are poor rebounders will see some relief with the clock reset but usually the median around an offensive rebound is probably right at 12 seconds because you eliminate the pull outs to kill time and the quick putbacks that move the average around.
 
Which of our transfers are (enrolled) attending summer classes ?
 
Type of teams players who will benefit:

Pushing the 3pt percentage back down to 30 means that mathmatically the three point shooter and post player (at 50% fg) are roughly equal.

The extra space without making the 3pt shot irrelevant and widening the lane means dominate posts are going to maintain or expand their influences in games.

Strong, quick drives will be successful based on spacing so think Antonio Reed, Dante Swanson types. Athletic wings will benefit as well, strong guards with a pull up game will excel. So teams with high offensive possession stats who take open shots and like transition will find lots of room to play.

Conversely a rim protector on defense will be required to eliminate easy finishes. Tight guarding perimeter teams who communicate well and maintain defensive pressure will also see advantages as the 3pt% vs them will drop and long two's will be less damaging then the old 3pts from the same spot. This will allow for collapsing in the paint to restrict the easy shots and put backs.

Defenses who are poor rebounders will see some relief with the clock reset but usually the median around an offensive rebound is probably right at 12 seconds because you eliminate the pull outs to kill time and the quick putbacks that move the average around.

More and more you see the need for a rim protector. That is a big difference between top 25 teams and the rest of the country. Ruffin and Jordan best examples.
 
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More and more you see the need for a rim protector. That is a big difference between top 25 teams and the rest of the country. Ruffin and Jordan best examples.
This move could eventually change the game in the opposite way. Once kids learn how to shoot more efficiently from the farther arc, there will be more space for them to run pick and rolls which is basically what has destroyed the traditional Center in the NBA. The league just decided to play a 2 man pick and roll and spread the rest of the guys out as shooters or run their shooters off a million screens and take the shots that were easier to get (3 pointers) with increased spacing. Of course the NBA shooters are more elite, but I could see it where you need more of a Draymond Green going forward than a Andre Drummond. The further your 3 point line gets, the more mobile your Center has to be. He can be tall, like Anthony Davis, but he has to be extremely mobile to have success.
 
This move could eventually change the game in the opposite way. Once kids learn how to shoot more efficiently from the farther arc, there will be more space for them to run pick and rolls which is basically what has destroyed the traditional Center in the NBA. The league just decided to play a 2 man pick and roll and spread the rest of the guys out as shooters or run their shooters off a million screens and take the shots that were easier to get (3 pointers) with increased spacing. Of course the NBA shooters are more elite, but I could see it where you need more of a Draymond Green going forward than a Andre Drummond. The further your 3 point line gets, the more mobile your Center has to be. He can be tall, like Anthony Davis, but he has to be extremely mobile to have success.

You also are forgetting the illegal defense rule which makes a rim protector mostly illegal and limits their usefulness when you can iso a wing or guard and exploit a weak defender forced to play one on one.

In the college game the zone will permit the players to stay and eliminate the dive/slip to the rim on the roll. In fact aggressive high IQ defensive teams will jump the ball handler and trap, forcing the big into the space out on the wing or near the free throw line and pressure passing lanes while the other defenders suck up to the shooters to limit options.

If your guard is Steph no biggie, keep the dribble alive, attack one of the trapping defenders and either shoot or look for a diagonal pass to a back cutting shooter punishing the tight defense. If your guard is small or a less proficient shooter you are going to lose time and have to pass your way around to the weak side allowing defensive rotation, especially if your guard is looking at a shot blocker hanging around in the paint. The shot blocker will limit the post and kick to relieve pressure and discourage drives when the defensive player does get broke down.
 
More and more you see the need for a rim protector. That is a big difference between top 25 teams and the rest of the country. Ruffin and Jordan best examples.

I agree and with the explosion of quick attacking players the need to force a jump shot instead allowing for shots at the rim is even more important. Many times just getting the ball on the backboard at full speed in close will result in a shot dropping or an easy rebound for the man the defender left, to stop on a dime or hit that mid range jumper with someone coming at you is much harder.
 
You also are forgetting the illegal defense rule which makes a rim protector mostly illegal and limits their usefulness when you can iso a wing or guard and exploit a weak defender forced to play one on one.

In the college game the zone will permit the players to stay and eliminate the dive/slip to the rim on the roll. In fact aggressive high IQ defensive teams will jump the ball handler and trap, forcing the big into the space out on the wing or near the free throw line and pressure passing lanes while the other defenders suck up to the shooters to limit options.

If your guard is Steph no biggie, keep the dribble alive, attack one of the trapping defenders and either shoot or look for a diagonal pass to a back cutting shooter punishing the tight defense. If your guard is small or a less proficient shooter you are going to lose time and have to pass your way around to the weak side allowing defensive rotation, especially if your guard is looking at a shot blocker hanging around in the paint. The shot blocker will limit the post and kick to relieve pressure and discourage drives when the defensive player does get broke down.
The zone's going to be that much harder to play on the perimeter now though. Guards are going to have their work cut out for them trying to cover the extra space around the arc. Seems like you're going to give up more wide open 3's as a result of getting to your shooter slightly later. That's only okay if the opponents can't shoot.
 
The zone's going to be that much harder to play on the perimeter now though. Guards are going to have their work cut out for them trying to cover the extra space around the arc. Seems like you're going to give up more wide open 3's as a result of getting to your shooter slightly later. That's only okay if the opponents can't shoot.

Not quite, first the spacing hasn't changed, it still the same out on the perimeter. What has changed is how much you are punished for slacking off on an average shooter. Before, them hitting the jump shot meant a 3 or 1.5 baskets. Now it means a single field goal.

The number of open shots beyond the three will remain roughly the same but the percentage of makes will also decrease because of the distance. So you will have more twos taken and made, fewer threes made, and roughly the same number of shots overall. The actual shooting percentages won't change for any given spot on the floor, rather the reward will for making the shot.
 
Still not sold on Temple...now you remove a very savvy veteran HC and you bring a lot of questions about McKie's x's and o's and game mgmt. Not saying he won't eventually get there.

Quick question: How does moving the 3 pt line back 2 feet alter any of these projections?

I wouldn’t shuffle any of the rankings, but it’s going to affect some styles more than others. The best coaches will adapt more quickly. For TU, I think it helps us defensively and hurts us offensively. We already projected to be a poor shooting team before they moved the line.
 
The zone's going to be that much harder to play on the perimeter now though.
Guards are going to have their work cut out for them trying to cover the extra
space around the arc. Seems like you're going to give up more wide open 3's
as a result of getting to your shooter slightly later. That's only okay if the
opponents can't shoot.
Yes--The floor for the offense will be somewhat bigger, making the zone a more
reactive defense by necessity....

I keep wondering what defensive set(s) we will use and what will be our primary...
We have basically been in the match-up zone for what now? Three years?
There were several reasons, including a lack of size and a lack of enough
athleticism to play 'man' effectively....Some of those things have changed, and
it does appear we will have more size, and be better athletically...

Another big change for us will be the coaches handling the defense...Kwanza
and Wainwright will have their own defensive wrinkles to add, and it will be
interesting to see what those are....I really don't know what their backgrounds
are in that respect.....

Nevadanatural outlined the reasons why we might be better...I like what he said
in comparing our personnel to that of last season....If our roster, as now comprised,
allows us to do a better job on turnovers, defending corner threes, and our defensive
rebounding, we will already be money ahead.....

Our coaches have a busy period ahead...I would guess it has already begun (or will
this week)......
 
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Can’t help but feel that every rule change that makes CBB more like the NBA will make the game worse. That sport is nearly unwatchable

The Thunder draw far more fans than any college basketball team in the state. What makes you call the NBA unwatchable?
 
The Thunder draw far more fans than any college basketball team in the state.
What makes you call the NBA unwatchable?
I agree with Uredskin54.....The expressionless, emotionless play, the 'ole' type
defense, and phantom fouls favoring the stars all leave me thinking I'm watching
paint dry.....The regular season in the NBA may be a nadir in the realm of pro
sports.....

Back in the day, I was a fan....They ran me off with their robotic performances...
If others find salvation in that gooey mess, I salute them for not needing much
to get them cranked up.....

I probably haven't watched ten minutes of NBA ball in the last ten years...If I
last that long, that will be true for the next ten years.....
 
I think the NBA is even worse in person than on TV. Of course I haven't been to an NBA game in probably a decade.
 
I think the NBA is even worse in person than on TV. Of course I haven't been to an NBA game in probably a decade.
I find it the opposite. Going to a Thunder game is much more enjoyable than watching on TV in my opinion. We timed the last 2 minutes of an NBA game (that was close) to see how long in actual time it took to play. 27 minutes. Each team took like 3 time outs and then a bazillion FTs were shot. It's hard to watch when you've got guys like Harden who get foul calls because someone brushed his beard, and who gets away with 4-5 steps on that step back move every time, and you get other guys who get mauled and can't buy a call. And now with the 50 reviews per game and the referees have inserted themselves as part of the game instead of being peripherally involved. The NHL playoffs always are more interesting (were) because referees rarely involved themselves into the games, especially in tight series and just let the players settle things. Unfortunately this year, the refs have probably decided 2 series with egregious calls and may have a serious impact on the Cup final with the missed trip/slew foot in game 5 that directly led to a goal (it's like an AR missing a clear offside and allowing a play to move on that results in a goal in soccer, w/o VAR). The 5 minute major in the San Jose/Vegas series led directly to San Jose coming back and winning game 7. That was as bad a call as I've ever seen in the NHL. The missed hand pass and goal against the Blues in the San Jose series AND the fact that a play like that is not reviewable is atrocious IMO...we're not walking about a judgement call. If you can go back and review whether or not a play was offside 1-2 minutes before the possession resulted in a goal, why can you not review a clear violation like a hand pass? I'm not even talking about penalties which are judgement calls (and I think the pass interference replays will slow the NFL down and make it difficult to watch, especially late in games).
 
In a lot of ways the NBA is basketball for people who don't like basketball
I couldn’t have said it better. My daughter isn’t a basketball fan, doesn’t know a lot of the rules, wouldn’t watch a random basketball game (like I would) but is a Thunder fan who goes to games and watches them on TV. Its something for her to be, a Thunder fan, and an extra social outlet.
 
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I find it the opposite. Going to a Thunder game is much more enjoyable than watching on TV in my opinion. We timed the last 2 minutes of an NBA game (that was close) to see how long in actual time it took to play. 27 minutes. Each team took like 3 time outs and then a bazillion FTs were shot. It's hard to watch when you've got guys like Harden who get foul calls because someone brushed his beard, and who gets away with 4-5 steps on that step back move every time, and you get other guys who get mauled and can't buy a call. And now with the 50 reviews per game and the referees have inserted themselves as part of the game instead of being peripherally involved. The NHL playoffs always are more interesting (were) because referees rarely involved themselves into the games, especially in tight series and just let the players settle things. Unfortunately this year, the refs have probably decided 2 series with egregious calls and may have a serious impact on the Cup final with the missed trip/slew foot in game 5 that directly led to a goal (it's like an AR missing a clear offside and allowing a play to move on that results in a goal in soccer, w/o VAR). The 5 minute major in the San Jose/Vegas series led directly to San Jose coming back and winning game 7. That was as bad a call as I've ever seen in the NHL. The missed hand pass and goal against the Blues in the San Jose series AND the fact that a play like that is not reviewable is atrocious IMO...we're not walking about a judgement call. If you can go back and review whether or not a play was offside 1-2 minutes before the possession resulted in a goal, why can you not review a clear violation like a hand pass? I'm not even talking about penalties which are judgement calls (and I think the pass interference replays will slow the NFL down and make it difficult to watch, especially late in games).


I'm sure a Thunder game can be fun in person. Don't people always say the crowd is more like a big college atmosphere? I'd love to see Westbrook throw down a hammer on someone. But what's the point? They're just gonna get smoked in the first round anyway.

What I'm referring to is the actual game itself. In person, you can see the flaws even moreso than on the boobtube. I felt like I was attending a pick-up game. Hell, might as well have been at Rucker Park. At least there, I know what to expect.
 
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In a lot of ways the NBA is basketball for people who don't like basketball

I guess a lot of people don’t like basketball.

For those watching the Finals, I couldn’t believe it when the Toronto coach called the timeout with 3 minutes left and all of the momentum in his favor. All he did was let the Warriors catch their breath and regroup for a final run.

Even a stupid youth coach like myself knows not to let your foot off the opponents throat when you’ve got them beat.
 
Is there an NBA team in Oklahoma? I thought Capel signed an NBA team (2 or 3--- 5 stars) once but it flopped. College basketball is still the purist's game.
 
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