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Thoughts on Basketball

jjspkd

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Gold Member
Jul 2, 2012
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First last night shows what this team is. A team that can beat pretty much anyone when they play their best, and lose to pretty anyone at their worst.

Obviously the team shot really well. They did enough stuff well too that they probably win by just shooting at their average or a little bit above. But the object is to score more points than the other team and shooting it well is the easiest way to do that.

There needs be an effort to get more consistent play out of Javon. He is the X factor. When he contributes this team wins. When he doesn’t they lose. He is the most up and down player I can remember in a long time. He shoots well enough from deep and has the strength to get inside. That gives us really 3 guys who can do that when he is on. Dru, X, and sometimes Javon. Hopefully the staff can do something that will raise his level of consistency.

Speaking of Dru. Last night we finally got to see the guy the staff was pitching pants tents for all last year. Unlike Javon he always contributes, but last night he played like an all American. He was dominant on the defensive end. He created so many steals by picking pockets and getting hands in the passing lanes. That lead to easy fast break buckets which have been almost nonexistent for this team. Hopefully last night allows him to realize his true potential.

When you get good play from X, Javon, and Dru with them getting to the basket it makes Watson and Mark Smith really dangerous. They both can shoot well from deep and when the defense has to collapse to stop drives they will find more open shots. When they knock them down then the defense won’t collapse. Funny how that works.

This was one of the strangest officiated games I can remember. I am reasonably certain that at the 16 minute time out in the second half the refs got a call from the league office and told them to change the way they call the game. They went from allowing clean aggressive defensive play to hitting Mizzou with every ticky tack thing they can think of. Pinson, Dru, and Reed all got called for fouls where they did not touch the opponent or even the ball. They need to stop doing scouting reports before the game. It is putting things in their head that are not really happening. As evidence of this I will use something that benefitted Mizzou. Okongo could have been called for 3 or 4 moving screens that Tilmon certainly would have been called for. When you think they can’t get worse they will find a way to do it.

Speaking of Okongo, oh boy. I hope Zo is making it known that we are paying top dollar for a grad transfer. We have almost less than nothing when it comes to bugs next year assuming Tilmon does not come back. Mitch is really just a 3/4 guy. Okongo looks like he has never played a game of basketball in his life. I am as big of a fan of Zo as he has, but no clue what he was thinking in this one. Braun is the opposite. It looks like he knows where he should be and what he needs to do, but is not physically capable of playing with anyone in the SEC. This is going to be a big problem next year. I mean you can play position less basketball but you still need a guy that can handle a big man down low.

Finally it sucks about Mario, but if you are going to lose a guy that is a position we can afford to do it at.
 
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