2015/2016 Observation Deck

[TheSilentKiller]

Already off to a good season with great games last night in MSU vs Kansas and Duke vs Kentucky.

[Jailblazers7]

UK looks like they are going to run everyone out of the gym this year. They applied a ton of pressure and got out on the break really well. Jamal Murray looks like the real deal too.

[qrich]

CSUN off to a solid start, 1-2 in the NIU tournament. Jason Richardson is balling, 17/3/6 with 2 steals and shooting 44/40. Only seven man roster until suspensions are completed at the end of the semester. Tavrion Dawson is another frosh balling, 14/6 on 53% & Warren is putting up 13 in 23 minutes. All three are freshman. Definitely can see us upsetting 'SC and maybe LMU.

UCLA is ass so far though, I don't like Alford running his son, Aaron and Isaac together. Prince should start in place of Aaron.

[FreezingTsmoove]

Tyler Ulis is one of the most unique players I have ever seen

Federico Mussini (who played in the Hoop Summit with Ben Simmons) is averaging 18 PPG so far. He is looking pretty good but he is really underweight. If he keeps this up he may get drafted who knows. Chris Mullins is coaching really well so far. SJU will be no pushover in the Big East this year

[IGotACoolStory]

Loss to UNI.

This is why I couldn't buy the UNC hype. We were going to lose games without Paige. Our team is over-reliant on him; he's our best offensive player, our best defensive player, our only consistent perimeter threat, he's the leader, he's the one who gets the ball every single time the team needs a basket... Like I said over-reliant. So dropping a game here early in the season to what's probably an inferior opponent was expected.

But this is basically the same team from last season and there were two major problems. 1) Can't stop dribble penetration and there's no Wright, Davis, or Henson shot blocking behind the perimeter guys. 2) They choke leads. No killer instinct and questionable mental toughness.

Saw both today and no version of Marcus Paige can fix that.

A Final Four is still in reach and once you get there then anything can happen. This team isn't that good, though. And the ceiling of the team is lower than I think some fans want to admit. Not with the way our post guys defend (outside of Meeks).

Also, I have concerns on our offensive philosophy. This feed the post, inside-out is great when you have May, Hansbrough, and Zeller. Not so much when you don't have that talent and it's just clogging our lanes. I don't want to see this program turn into a stretch 4/periemter jacking team. Yet, there has to be some sort of adaption to way basketball has evolved. I know Roy sees it, too, when you look at the recruits he's targeted. He just hasn't been able to land any of those guys.

[the mesiah]

Loss to UNI.

This is why I couldn't buy the UNC hype. We were going to lose games without Paige. Our team is over-reliant on him; he's our best offensive player, our best defensive player, our only consistent perimeter threat, he's the leader, he's the one who gets the ball every single time the team needs a basket... Like I said over-reliant. So dropping a game here early in the season to what's probably an inferior opponent was expected.

But this is basically the same team from last season and there were two major problems. 1) Can't stop dribble penetration and there's no Wright, Davis, or Henson shot blocking behind the perimeter guys. 2) They choke leads. No killer instinct and questionable mental toughness.

Saw both today and no version of Marcus Paige can fix that.

A Final Four is still in reach and once you get there then anything can happen. This team isn't that good, though. And the ceiling of the team is lower than I think some fans want to admit. Not with the way our post guys defend (outside of Meeks).

Also, I have concerns on our offensive philosophy. This feed the post, inside-out is great when you have May, Hansbrough, and Zeller. Not so much when you don't have that talent and it's just clogging our lanes. I don't want to see this program turn into a stretch 4/periemter jacking team. Yet, there has to be some sort of adaption to way basketball has evolved. I know Roy sees it, too, when you look at the recruits he's targeted. He just hasn't been able to land any of those guys.
How u see 7th woods coming into the fray next year, still too raw to get a handle how he will be , maybe a very poor man's Dejuan Wagner ..this nucleus that's on this UNC team has been and will always be soft .

[qrich]

Need to beat SuC tonight.

[GOBB]

Simmons is on espn 2 right now.

[Jailblazers7]

Yeah, I was a little confused how this UNC team was ranked so highly in preseason when it is largely the same team that underwhelmed so significantly last year.

[GOBB]

Ben Simmons is a PG. Kid doesn't shoot. I dont even know if he can or can't. He just doesn't. He's like a tall ass Rondo in that he looks to set up guys 10 out of 10 times. Fast break layup opportunity he passes back for a guy to shoot a 3.

But I need to see him take over the game scoring. At least shoot the shot. Teams play back off him. He doesn't look to shoot. Funny.

[noob cake]

Simmons is basically the next Odom.

Difficult to call people the next LeBron.

[Jailblazers7]

Shame that Gonzaga's guard play is so much worse than last year. They have a fantastic front line but Pangos and Bell graduating is killing them. They might struggle to hold leads all year due to inexperience on the perimeter causing their offense to stagnate. They could possibly be the NC favorite if they had the same guards from last year.

I'm sure things will improve over the course of the season but their team just screams upset in March unless something changes fairly dramatically.

[qrich]

Nearly beat LMU, blown out by UCLA, as expected. Can't wait until we can get more bodies in uniform, tired of the seven man rotation. Aaron Parks is going to be a nice boost.

Our freshman trio is going to be nice in a couple of years though, JRich @ 14/3/5 with 2 steals, Warren 14/4 & Dawson at 12/7. Field goal percentages suck, but will get there.

For the Bruins though, that Wake lost was tough, but not fully unexpected. Alford needs to be more consistent from three, and Holiday shooting 45.5% behind the arc is insane. Also love Parker & Walsh.

Steve Alford needs to play Prince & Bolden more and hopeflly Gyorgy gets back soon.

[InspiredLebowski]

damn, look at all you old sonsabitches

[qrich]

**** Gonzaga as well.

[FreezingTsmoove]

Diamond Stone just dropped 40 points in his conference opener

The most impressive part is most of it came from his amazing free throw shooting. Huge center but has a great stroke from the FT line. You can tell hes just a hard working kid

Hes not even a jumpshooter he bangs inside

Was the #1 ranked freshman back in high school. His talent was always there and it is translating everywhere he goes

Future nba player no doubt

[Hawker]

Texas A&M doing work this year.

[qrich]

Big West Preview (http://mikesmind.sportsblog.com/posts/13654040/big-west-bracket-preview.html)

[qrich]

Hawaii will upset Cal (http://mikesmind.sportsblog.com/posts/14072723/hawaii-will-upset-cal.html)

:D

[qrich]

The Beach vs Washington (http://mikesmind.sportsblog.com/posts/14128657/nit--the-beach-face-off-against-washington.html)

[JimmyMcAdocious]

Hawaii will upset Cal (http://mikesmind.sportsblog.com/posts/14072723/hawaii-will-upset-cal.html)

:D

Their lead assistant got fired today because of sexual advances or whatever. Could help towards the prediction. He's supposed to be their best recruiter, fwiw, and was big reason Cal has these lottery picks on their team this season.

[qrich]

Their lead assistant got fired today because of sexual advances or whatever. Could help towards the prediction. He's supposed to be their best recruiter, fwiw, and was big reason Cal has these lottery picks on their team this season.

Dude wasn't much of a coach, as much of a bush league recruiter.

Hawaii is a well oiled machine, I thought they should've been a 12, personally, but the committee as a whole made some weird decisions.

They should've beat Oklahoma, just choked it away