UC vs Nebraska

[JumpinJack5]

When has he every been hot? He has really only been consistently good against Creighton when he was guarded by a guy that had about a tenth of the athleticism. You aren't going to see guys like that in conference play.

Scored 7 or more 7 times this season and he is averaging close to 7 ppg. He isn't as bad as you make him out to be, he is just inconsistent. Sanders is more consistent but has a much lower ceiling.

 

[Bearcat_NTS]

Scored 7 or more 7 times this season and he is averaging close to 7 ppg. He isn't as bad as you make him out to be, he is just inconsistent. Sanders is more consistent but has a much lower ceiling.

What? I am not down on Shaq at all. However since the Xavier loss, Sanders has played much better than him. Therefore I was saying the best line up looks like Caupain, Kilpatrick, Sanders, Rubles, and Jackson.

He is averaging 8 points, 6 rebounds and is 7/14 on three's since the X game. Give him credit.

 

[mdchick]

I wonder if we will ever see Lawrence in at the 3.... Shaq is our best player in the press, his long arms get him a lot of steals, his offense can improve, but he is fine.... Sophomore slump is all

 

[Bearcat04]

What? I am not down on Shaq at all. However since the Xavier loss, Sanders has played much better than him. Therefore I was saying the best line up looks like Caupain, Kilpatrick, Sanders, Rubles, and Jackson.

He is averaging 8 points, 6 rebounds and is 7/14 on three's since the X game. Give him credit.

If you are going by recent performance then how in the world is Rubles in the best lineup? He's 6-27 with 17 total points in the last 5 games.

 

[Bearcat_NTS]

If you are going by recent performance then how in the world is Rubles in the best lineup? He's 6-27 with 17 total points in the last 5 games.

He also giving you about 3 assists, a steal, a block, and 5 rebounds a game. Also, he talks a lot on defense and guards very well. You cannot compare the two because he is at a different position. Rubles is definitely the best option at the 4 spot. There hasn't been separation at the 3 spot. Nice try though.

The numbers 100% agree with me. Sanders is +14 per game, while Thomas is +8. Rubles is second best behind Kilpatrick at +16.5 (SK is +16.7). He is clearly one of the most important players on the team.

 

[waterhead]

I started watching the game when the score was 12-12 with about 12 minutes left in the first half. After that it was a fun game to watch. KJ really brought the first half home with 11 points in those minutes (why he didn't get significant minutes in the second half is beyond me). He was all over the court. JJ really took over in the second half...that type of play is going to be huge for this team. SK made 17-18 FT's on an otherwise bad shooting night.

TC can really run the fast break well and had a couple of tremendous plays.

As we have seen lately Rubles and Lawrence are giving great effort all the time on D and if nothing else on O right now are decent decoys for JJ. But what I did notice is we are making more skip passes over the top of the D this year which really causes havoc for the opposing D. TR, JL, and JJ are the keys to this.

JS had a pretty good game.

ST struggled again. GG made early mistakes which cost him big...perhaps his job.

 

[waterhead]

There were 3 fast break plays from Caupain today that put a grin on my face.

I think the first one was in the first half when ripped a board away from a Neb. big man and then immediately took off and made the correct pass to KJ on a 3 on 1.

The second wasn't really a fast break situation but he saw something (the defense back was turned) as he was dribbling at half court and he just shot right for a layup before anyone knew what happened.

The third was when TC brought the ball down on fast break but had two defenders get in his way to stop his forward motion...so he turned and flipped it I think to Sanders for a plus 1 layup.

Three things that impressed me about KJ other than his D.

One was a scrap rebound in the paint and he put in a layup amongst the trees.

Second was when he took his time on a three from a GREAT JJ pass and nothin' but net.

Third was on a missed shot but he actually used the bankboard for a short range jumper. That is a lost art but it shows his BB IQ.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

Shaw could be the most dangerous player for us but the basketball IQ just isn't there!

You can't have one without the other. Shaq is still young, but I'm not sure he'll ever be a star. I hope I'm wrong. Shaq does at least show some instincts to score the ball. He has to get stronger, more confident and he has to learn the fundamentals of defense and rebounding to see the court for Mick. If Sanders shores up his lapses and continues to add a little here and there to the stat sheet then he will take Shaq's job sooner rather than later.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

Nebraska is by no means an NCAA tournament caliber team, but outside of SMU, Memphis, Louisville and UConn...they are likely better than everyone else in the conference. I like the way this team is progressing guys. It is all about playing your best in late February.

I agree. Nebraska is a good out of conference team to schedule but they're not a great team by any stretch of the imagination. Good caliber team to close the non-conference slate and we somewhat dominated them. We gave them some open looks that they knocked down, but had they shot from three what they normally would we might have beat them by 30. Coulda shoulda woulda I know, but I was really impressed by how we looked today. Good to be going into the conference slate on a high note.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

I wonder if we will ever see Lawrence in at the 3.... Shaq is our best player in the press, his long arms get him a lot of steals, his offense can improve, but he is fine.... Sophomore slump is all

No, we need him to back-up JJ and Rubles at the four and five. No depth at those positions, especially with all three being foul prone. On that note, I really liked how Mick rotated Jackson, Rubles and Lawrence today. It helps when none are in foul trouble.

 

[Bearcat04]

He also giving you about 3 assists, a steal, a block, and 5 rebounds a game. Also, he talks a lot on defense and guards very well. You cannot compare the two because he is at a different position. Rubles is definitely the best option at the 4 spot. There hasn't been separation at the 3 spot. Nice try though.

The numbers 100% agree with me. Sanders is +14 per game, while Thomas is +8. Rubles is second best behind Kilpatrick at +16.5 (SK is +16.7). He is clearly one of the most important players on the team.

I have no issue with Sanders over Thomas. We are in agreement there. I just think Lawrence should get more of Rubles' minutes if he continues to be a liability on offense. He's played soft since the New Mexico game, while Lawrence is getting more comfortable by the game. Hell, I think you could argue that Lawrence has the most pure looking jumper on the entire team. It's nice having someone on the floor with a mid-range game.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

He also giving you about 3 assists, a steal, a block, and 5 rebounds a game. Also, he talks a lot on defense and guards very well. You cannot compare the two because he is at a different position. Rubles is definitely the best option at the 4 spot. There hasn't been separation at the 3 spot. Nice try though.

The numbers 100% agree with me. Sanders is +14 per game, while Thomas is +8. Rubles is second best behind Kilpatrick at +16.5 (SK is +16.7). He is clearly one of the most important players on the team.

Yes, yes, yes. You have to play Rubles and just accept his offensive liabilities at this point and just hope he doesn't kill you too bad and can contribute some points. What he brings to the table on defense is simply irreplaceable on this team. He at leasts accepts his shooting liabilities and hasn't forced much this year looking rather for an assist to dish out than a brick to put up. Lawrence's steady progression has at least given us another option at the four so Rubles doesn't have to play 35 minutes.

 

[waterhead]

The best line up is Caupain, Kilpatrick, Sanders, Rubles and Jackson. I believe that is the line up we will see a lot more in conference play. I like Thomas, but he isn't playing very well this year...

This seems to be a popular starting lineup selection but I gotta tell you I would like to see more KJ. If I had to insert him in this lineup it would be for JS. For now I am cool with Sanders in there but KJ is a more dynamic player. He moves so well with and without the ball...and is lightning quick. Plays some lock down D. He's a good crisp passer. Doesn't turn it over a lot. He can rebound well for a guard. His shot is coming around. He's smart. What's not to like? Inexperience and FG%. Both of those are getting better and better.

At this point I would prefer him getting 10 minutes behind TC, about 5 behind SK, and maybe a few more behind JS and ST to see what can happen with a 3 guard lineup (with SK and TC).

 

[david aka the TYZ]

There were 3 fast break plays from Caupain today that put a grin on my face.

I think the first one was in the first half when ripped a board away from a Neb. big man and then immediately took off and made the correct pass to KJ on a 3 on 1.

The second wasn't really a fast break situation but he saw something (the defense back was turned) as he was dribbling at half court and he just shot right for a layup before anyone knew what happened.

The third was when TC brought the ball down on fast break but had two defenders get in his way to stop his forward motion...so he turned and flipped it I think to Sanders for a plus 1 layup.

Three things that impressed me about KJ other than his D.

One was a scrap rebound in the paint and he put in a layup amongst the trees.

Second was when he took his time on a three from a GREAT JJ pass and nothin' but net.

Third was on a missed shot but he actually used the bankboard for a short range jumper. That is a lost art but it shows his BB IQ.

I'll be honest when that play was unfolding I thought he was going to turn the ball over. He didn't have the pass to the other guy running the break with him and I thought he would force a bad shot up or get stripped or fouled. He turned his back to the defender to avoid the strip (and also acting as a screen) and found Sanders trailing the play. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he knew Sanders was back there, but either way it was a great play.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

There were 3 fast break plays from Caupain today that put a grin on my face.

I think the first one was in the first half when ripped a board away from a Neb. big man and then immediately took off and made the correct pass to KJ on a 3 on 1.

The second wasn't really a fast break situation but he saw something (the defense back was turned) as he was dribbling at half court and he just shot right for a layup before anyone knew what happened.

The third was when TC brought the ball down on fast break but had two defenders get in his way to stop his forward motion...so he turned and flipped it I think to Sanders for a plus 1 layup.

Three things that impressed me about KJ other than his D.

One was a scrap rebound in the paint and he put in a layup amongst the trees.

Second was when he took his time on a three from a GREAT JJ pass and nothin' but net.

Third was on a missed shot but he actually used the bankboard for a short range jumper. That is a lost art but it shows his BB IQ.

Agree with everything else as well. The basketball IQ of these two is refreshing based on what we've seen the past seven years.

 

[waterhead]

Yes, yes, yes. You have to play Rubles and just accept his offensive liabilities at this point and just hope he doesn't kill you too bad and can contribute some points. What he brings to the table on defense is simply irreplaceable on this team. He at leasts accepts his shooting liabilities and hasn't forced much this year looking rather for an assist to dish out than a brick to put up. Lawrence's steady progression has at least given us another option at the four so Rubles doesn't have to play 35 minutes.

Agree. Rubles is such a good defender, he's a nice rebounder, can block shots, and is a great passer. He has enough ball skills to collapse a D and then dish. He's got a more solid frame to mix it up as well. Lawrence can get 20 minutes behind JJ and TR...that's enough for him right now. He has a nice shot but he doesn't seem to know when to use it. He should shoot all open jumpers and he seems better at face to the basket moves than back to the basket moves right now. When he has someone posted up with his back to the basket he dribbles too much and then defensive help appears. He needs to master the art of the one (maybe two) dribbles and go moves. He's getting better but not there yet.

 

[waterhead]

Agree with everything else as well. The basketball IQ of these two is refreshing based on what we've seen the past seven years.

No kidding. Not to mention FT shooting is refreshing.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

No kidding. Not to mention FT shooting is refreshing.

Yes, that too. I like the confidence those two have not only in shooting from the field, but shooting from the line. Our past and present players can be so timid and we can and will argue as to whether that's Mick's fault, but I don't really see that with these freshman.

 

[waterhead]

I think Lawrence just needs to play face up more. Rubles is really good at getting turned around and facing the defender. JL's got a nice shooting touch. He also has enough height an athletecism to take a jumper without getting blocked or he can fake a move to the bucket and pull back for a J. He needs this move so he can open up that drive and dunk move.

His back to the basket stuff is a weakness right now and should stop.

 

[bearcat jeff]

I will go on record as saying I think this class and next years will take UC to at least an elite 8 by Caupains senior year. I think it will be the foundation of a special team.