(07-26-2013 09:53 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Losing Cash is not a big deal? Good luck with that.

I would big a big deal if we were losing the production of healthy Cash Wright. The Cash we got the last few months wasn't that productive.

Mick also talked about how Parker didn't feel comfortable pressing and how the team had a mismatch of styles that hurt offensive flow.

Cincinnati is going to miss having an point guard with experience out there; however, Cash's production after his injury was hardly anything to get excited about.

I am expecting big things from Rubles next season as well increased contributions from Thomas, Jackson, Guyn, and Sanders. The biggest concern I have next season and defining roles for each player and letting people grow into that role. The defense should always be there and that alone is enough to get into the NCAA tournament.

I agree that losing a healthy Cash was a big deal. Last season started very well and they were an exciting team to watch. They could have easily returned to the Sweet 16. Once Cash went down the season became a grinding march to a tourney bid. Hey, I want them in the NCAA every year but few expected much in the NCAA the way the season ended. The Creighton game became a microcosm of the last month of the season--painful to watch until the end.

(07-26-2013 08:48 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Guyn is not a high major PG. Neither is JDIII...at least yet. Relying upon frosh PGs is a recipe for an ulcer.

The 5 is a problem IMO.

Thomas has shown glimpses, but I am still not sure if he is a front line player yet..

I expect great things from this class. Not sure I expect them in the first year.

If Guyn is not a high major point guard, its a good thing we are not playing in a high major conference!

(07-26-2013 11:03 AM)Bearcat Otto Wrote:  

(07-26-2013 08:48 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Guyn is not a high major PG. Neither is JDIII...at least yet. Relying upon frosh PGs is a recipe for an ulcer.

The 5 is a problem IMO.

Thomas has shown glimpses, but I am still not sure if he is a front line player yet..

I expect great things from this class. Not sure I expect them in the first year.

If Guyn is not a high major point guard, its a good thing we are not playing in a high major conference!

I don't think Guyn is a point guard at all, quite frankly.

Michigan made it to the NCAA championship game with 3 freshman starters and all 5 freshman contributing in the NCAA tournament. While UC may not have 3+ NBA players coming in this year in the freshman class, these 5 players are pretty talented. Here is my best pre-season guess / HOPE.

PG - Troy Caupain 6-3 (24 minutes) / Ge-Lawn Guyn 6-1 (16 minutes)
SG - Sean Kilpatrick 6-4 (30 minutes) / Jeremiah Davis III 6-3 (10 minutes)
SF - Titus Rubles 6-7 (15 minutes) / Shaquille Thomas 6-7 (15 minutes) / Jermaine Sanders 6-5 (10 minutes)
PF - Jermaine Lawrence 6-9 (25 minutes) / Justin Jackson 6-8 (10 minutes) / Titus Rubles 6-7 (5 minutes)
C - Justin Jackson 6-8 (12 minutes) / David Nayarsuk 7-1 (16 minutes) / Jamaree Strickland 6-10 (12 minutes)

(07-26-2013 08:59 AM)eroc Wrote:  The long and short of it is that everyone on this roster, especially the froshes, needs to take, at a minimum, one gigantic step forward, and they need to do it quickly. Two of our returning players have to be able to contribute in addition to SK. That or the froshes will really have to step up. Whatever the case may be, if SK has to do it by himself, we are pretty much sunk.

love your take on sanders and thomas. i've always felt that jermaine has a pretty shot and can be utilized as you describe. imo, he has a role on this team. thomas is our wildcard. i think killa is mature enough to let the kid do his own thing and how great would it be if shaquille could be "that guy?" naw'm sayin? have we ever had "that guy?" that lanky, fluid dude who effortlessly creates? the son of a b!tch could put some meat on his bones, but why bother when you're that graceful.

i'm stoked about jdIII finally getting an opportunity. i have a feeling he's going to be our pg by season's end. i envision something like 7-8 pts per, four dimes, and shooting around 35% from the arc. i'd be thrilled with that. not sure how he is on defense

jumping jack will never rein in his unbelievable athleticism. i feel the coaching staff just doesn't know how to use him. he can put the ball on the floor and he does terrible things. he'd be deadly with a spin move on the blocks provided he's capable of the discipline of establishing position

titus just needs to be the stat stuffer he is

(07-26-2013 09:27 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  Everyone claiming the schedule is going to be a lot easier in conference play needs to remember that the Bearcats play Louisville, UConn, Temple and Memphis twice. I wouldn't count USF, UCF, SMU, Houston, and Rutgers as easy wins either. The following the year conference schedule is easier but not next season.

I agree that we still play a good schedule, but the old Big East was much tougher at the bottom. St. Johns, Seton Hall, Providence were all capable. Honestly the Old Big East went probably 12 deep with teams that could have NCAA hopes. The AAC has 5, maybe 6. Depaul was no pushover either and battled to the end (And had a pretty good non-conference if I remember correctly). There was no off-night in the old Big East. That being said, now that we are the hunted, we will get everyone's best shot. Just saying that we definitely have an easier conference slate.

(07-26-2013 12:30 PM)BigDawg Wrote:  

(07-26-2013 09:27 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  Everyone claiming the schedule is going to be a lot easier in conference play needs to remember that the Bearcats play Louisville, UConn, Temple and Memphis twice. I wouldn't count USF, UCF, SMU, Houston, and Rutgers as easy wins either. The following the year conference schedule is easier but not next season.

I agree that we still play a good schedule, but the old Big East was much tougher at the bottom. St. Johns, Seton Hall, Providence were all capable. Honestly the Old Big East went probably 12 deep with teams that could have NCAA hopes. The AAC has 5, maybe 6. Depaul was no pushover either and battled to the end (And had a pretty good non-conference if I remember correctly). There was no off-night in the old Big East. That being said, now that we are the hunted, we will get everyone's best shot. Just saying that we definitely have an easier conference slate.

That's exactly right. The AAC will be far more balanced than the Big East where 50% of the conference were guaranteed NCAA Tournament teams in any given year. Compare that to the AAC where only 1/3rd of teams are guaranteed to make the NCAA Tournament every year, another third will be in the mix, and the final third will be bottomfeeders.

(07-26-2013 11:46 AM)Lush Wrote:  love your take on sanders and thomas. i've always felt that jermaine has a pretty shot and can be utilized as you describe. imo, he has a role on this team. thomas is our wildcard. i think killa is mature enough to let the kid do his own thing and how great would it be if shaquille could be "that guy?" naw'm sayin? have we ever had "that guy?" that lanky, fluid dude who effortlessly creates? the son of a b!tch could put some meat on his bones, but why bother when you're that graceful.

We had one once upon a time. Remember Dermarr Johnson?

(07-26-2013 01:06 PM)eroc Wrote:  

(07-26-2013 11:46 AM)Lush Wrote:  love your take on sanders and thomas. i've always felt that jermaine has a pretty shot and can be utilized as you describe. imo, he has a role on this team. thomas is our wildcard. i think killa is mature enough to let the kid do his own thing and how great would it be if shaquille could be "that guy?" naw'm sayin? have we ever had "that guy?" that lanky, fluid dude who effortlessly creates? the son of a b!tch could put some meat on his bones, but why bother when you're that graceful.

We had one once upon a time. Remember Dermarr Johnson?

yeah we did. he was remarkable. and he was on the perfect team

edit: i know i'm just saying what we already know, but that team was f*cking stacked. it was built to almost perfection. bruisers and marksmen. stars and players who played their role well. their mission was to feed kenyon and they bought in beautifully. five eventual draft picks from that team, if i'm not mistaken

(07-26-2013 12:34 PM)cinbinsportsfan Wrote:  

(07-26-2013 12:30 PM)BigDawg Wrote:  

(07-26-2013 09:27 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  Everyone claiming the schedule is going to be a lot easier in conference play needs to remember that the Bearcats play Louisville, UConn, Temple and Memphis twice. I wouldn't count USF, UCF, SMU, Houston, and Rutgers as easy wins either. The following the year conference schedule is easier but not next season.

I agree that we still play a good schedule, but the old Big East was much tougher at the bottom. St. Johns, Seton Hall, Providence were all capable. Honestly the Old Big East went probably 12 deep with teams that could have NCAA hopes. The AAC has 5, maybe 6. Depaul was no pushover either and battled to the end (And had a pretty good non-conference if I remember correctly). There was no off-night in the old Big East. That being said, now that we are the hunted, we will get everyone's best shot. Just saying that we definitely have an easier conference slate.

That's exactly right. The AAC will be far more balanced than the Big East where 50% of the conference were guaranteed NCAA Tournament teams in any given year. Compare that to the AAC where only 1/3rd of teams are guaranteed to make the NCAA Tournament every year, another third will be in the mix, and the final third will be bottomfeeders.

I think big difference people are forgetting about the schedule is that next year is a round robin. Cincinnati didn't play Syracuse, Louisville, UConn, Georgetown, Marquette, Pitt and Notre Dame twice a season so each schedule was different. Sometime we had difficult mirror games while other seasons it wasn't that bad. Last year I thought UC did get the short end of things with UConn, Notre Dame Pitt, and Rutgers as mirror opponents while playing Syracuse and Louisville on the road without a home game.

I expect Louisville and Memphis to top ten teams next season, UConn to be top a 25 team, SMU and Temple to contend for the tournament, and USF, Houston, and USF to compete for post season births as well. That isn't an easy conference schedule at all next year. The year after that when Louisville and Rutgers are replaced by Tulsa, ECU, and Tulane the leagues becomes a bit easier but I expect a few of the mid level to rise up. We see this happen in every conference, Baylor in the Big XII, LaSalle in the Atlantic-10, Miami in the ACC, and Oregon in the PAC-12 are recent examples of programs jumping up from the middle of the pack.

I think it's safe to assume that this team will once again play very good defense.

AdjD
2013-14th
2012-24th
2011-18th

The key will be consistency at PG. This year it's no longer a position that you are counting on double-digit scoring. There's a good chance we'll see more turnovers from the position, but I also think we might see more assists with a greater emphasis on creating for others. This team really needs to find a way to get easier baskets

(07-26-2013 02:35 PM)Bearcat04 Wrote:  I think it's safe to assume that this team will once again play very good defense.

AdjD
2013-14th
2012-24th
2011-18th

The key will be consistency at PG. This year it's no longer a position that you are counting on double-digit scoring. There's a good chance we'll see more turnovers from the position, but I also think we might see more assists with a greater emphasis on creating for others. This team really needs to find a way to get easier baskets

Why is that safe to assume? Mbodj did a lot for us on defense. We lose experienced defenders in Jaquon and Cash. While Guyn is certainly able to pick up where Cash left off defensively, and perhaps even surpass Cash in that specific regard, i can't think of a reason why it's a safe assumption for them to be as good defensively. if anything, this is an area where we'll have to over-rely on the frosh because i see Nyarsuk as a fouling machine.

(07-26-2013 01:31 PM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  I think big difference people are forgetting about the schedule is that next year is a round robin. Cincinnati didn't play Syracuse, Louisville, UConn, Georgetown, Marquette, Pitt and Notre Dame twice a season so each schedule was different. Sometime we had difficult mirror games while other seasons it wasn't that bad. Last year I thought UC did get the short end of things with UConn, Notre Dame Pitt, and Rutgers as mirror opponents while playing Syracuse and Louisville on the road without a home game.

I expect Louisville and Memphis to top ten teams next season, UConn to be top a 25 team, SMU and Temple to contend for the tournament, and USF, Houston, and USF to compete for post season births as well. That isn't an easy conference schedule at all next year. The year after that when Louisville and Rutgers are replaced by Tulsa, ECU, and Tulane the leagues becomes a bit easier but I expect a few of the mid level to rise up. We see this happen in every conference, Baylor in the Big XII, LaSalle in the Atlantic-10, Miami in the ACC, and Oregon in the PAC-12 are recent examples of programs jumping up from the middle of the pack.

I mean, technically the Big East was a round robin because everyone played everyone. The only difference was that each team only plays six teams twice. Last year 9 of Cincinnati's 18 Big East opponents they faced were NCAA Tournament teams. That would be 11/18 if UConn hadn't be banned from postseason play (and UC may have not made the tournament at all).

Bottom line, I don't see a way where 50% or more of Cincinnati's conference opponents in the AAC will be NCAA tournament teams. By that measure, it's far easier than the Big East. At least to me.

(07-26-2013 10:04 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  

(07-26-2013 09:53 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Losing Cash is not a big deal? Good luck with that.

I would big a big deal if we were losing the production of healthy Cash Wright. The Cash we got the last few months wasn't that productive.

Mick also talked about how Parker didn't feel comfortable pressing and how the team had a mismatch of styles that hurt offensive flow.

Cincinnati is going to miss having an point guard with experience out there; however, Cash's production after his injury was hardly anything to get excited about.

I am expecting big things from Rubles next season as well increased contributions from Thomas, Jackson, Guyn, and Sanders. The biggest concern I have next season and defining roles for each player and letting people grow into that role. The defense should always be there and that alone is enough to get into the NCAA tournament.

You had to respect Wright on the perimeter, which created more opportunities for other guys. Add in his experience and understanding of the offense, that's not easy to replace.

(07-26-2013 09:46 PM)Coopdaddy67 Wrote:  

(07-26-2013 10:04 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  

(07-26-2013 09:53 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Losing Cash is not a big deal? Good luck with that.

I would big a big deal if we were losing the production of healthy Cash Wright. The Cash we got the last few months wasn't that productive.

Mick also talked about how Parker didn't feel comfortable pressing and how the team had a mismatch of styles that hurt offensive flow.

Cincinnati is going to miss having an point guard with experience out there; however, Cash's production after his injury was hardly anything to get excited about.

I am expecting big things from Rubles next season as well increased contributions from Thomas, Jackson, Guyn, and Sanders. The biggest concern I have next season and defining roles for each player and letting people grow into that role. The defense should always be there and that alone is enough to get into the NCAA tournament.

You had to respect Wright on the perimeter, which created more opportunities for other guys. Add in his experience and understanding of the offense, that's not easy to replace.

His understanding of the "offense" should not be too hard to replace. When we start running an actual offense then I'll worry about new players being able to pick it up.

(07-26-2013 10:22 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  His understanding of the "offense" should not be too hard to replace. When we start running an actual offense then I'll worry about new players being able to pick it up.

This. xInfinity.

(07-26-2013 10:22 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  His understanding of the "offense" should not be too hard to replace. When we start running an actual offense then I'll worry about new players being able to pick it up.

Just think how bad it would have been without an experienced PG who could shoot a reasonable percentage from 3-point range.

Anyone who thinks Cash...injured or not...is not a huge hole in the lineup, is in for a long year of complaining about the coaching staff.

Cash drove me nuts last year but by January of 2014, I'd give my eye teeth to have him back.

(07-26-2013 11:07 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Anyone who thinks Cash...injured or not...is not a huge hole in the lineup, is in for a long year of complaining about the coaching staff.

Cash drove me nuts last year but by January of 2014, I'd give my eye teeth to have him back.

Huge loss....sure

But it's only a hole if nobody is there to plug it. From what I've heard Caupain will be able to plug that hole...guess we'll all find out soon enough.

I say with the influx of players we have and what should be a lot easier conference schedule we should still hit 20 wins and go to the ncaa