I don't really know what to say about this game. It happened. It was non-descript. Alabama wasn't very good. Missouri was a little bit more not good.
I liked Cuonzo Martin's new approach to Jeremiah Tilmon. When he got two, he stayed in. Cuonzo said in the postgame that he doesn't do them any good on the bench and he's got to learn at some point. He said Tilmon asked out of the game at one point in the second half because he wasn't playing well and Martin told him he had to stay out there and play through it and learn from it. It's the only way he'll get better. And he was actually pretty good in the second half tonight, minus a backbreaking turnover after an offensive rebound that I thought was the turning point in this one.
Jordan Geist is coming back down to earth a little bit. South Carolina and Alabama both put bigger guys on him and were very physical with him. He's playing a ton of minutes and has to do a lot for this team. He hasn't been able to do as much the last couple of games. Other guys have to step up. Worth noting that as I type this more than an hour after the game, Geist just left the arena. He's been out shooting for about 40 minutes.
Javon Pickett is stepping up. He's got a chance to be a JT Tiller type for this program. Mark Smith is shooting it really well. I'd like to see another dimension. He's made 39 threes this year and 16 twos. Cuonzo tells us he can be a driver and a slasher. I'd like to see it more. Torrence Watson is starting to show some signs on offense. He's been much more assertive the last two games. Need more of that. But defensively he's got a LONG way to go and I think that will limit his minutes.
Those are the guys that will have to drag this program along, as well as Xavier Pinson. Cuonzo mentioned tonight that they need a little more production out of Pinson to allow Geist to play off the ball more. I don't know how quickly that will come or how consistent it will be, but that's something to look for. I think he's going to get more minutes as long as he's playing hard in order to build for the future.
So that's your core: Tilmon, Pickett, Watson, Smith, Pinson. Get those guys some experience, hope you see some payoff this year, see some significant steps next season. There are going to be more losses than wins the rest of the way. At this point, you just look for improvement and development.
Video on the front, Mitchell's notebook coming soon, I've got a column in the morning. 8 o'clock tipoffs are stupid.
I liked Cuonzo Martin's new approach to Jeremiah Tilmon. When he got two, he stayed in. Cuonzo said in the postgame that he doesn't do them any good on the bench and he's got to learn at some point. He said Tilmon asked out of the game at one point in the second half because he wasn't playing well and Martin told him he had to stay out there and play through it and learn from it. It's the only way he'll get better. And he was actually pretty good in the second half tonight, minus a backbreaking turnover after an offensive rebound that I thought was the turning point in this one.
Jordan Geist is coming back down to earth a little bit. South Carolina and Alabama both put bigger guys on him and were very physical with him. He's playing a ton of minutes and has to do a lot for this team. He hasn't been able to do as much the last couple of games. Other guys have to step up. Worth noting that as I type this more than an hour after the game, Geist just left the arena. He's been out shooting for about 40 minutes.
Javon Pickett is stepping up. He's got a chance to be a JT Tiller type for this program. Mark Smith is shooting it really well. I'd like to see another dimension. He's made 39 threes this year and 16 twos. Cuonzo tells us he can be a driver and a slasher. I'd like to see it more. Torrence Watson is starting to show some signs on offense. He's been much more assertive the last two games. Need more of that. But defensively he's got a LONG way to go and I think that will limit his minutes.
Those are the guys that will have to drag this program along, as well as Xavier Pinson. Cuonzo mentioned tonight that they need a little more production out of Pinson to allow Geist to play off the ball more. I don't know how quickly that will come or how consistent it will be, but that's something to look for. I think he's going to get more minutes as long as he's playing hard in order to build for the future.
So that's your core: Tilmon, Pickett, Watson, Smith, Pinson. Get those guys some experience, hope you see some payoff this year, see some significant steps next season. There are going to be more losses than wins the rest of the way. At this point, you just look for improvement and development.
Video on the front, Mitchell's notebook coming soon, I've got a column in the morning. 8 o'clock tipoffs are stupid.
