I was at the game, real close to the UT bench. My impressions;

1) Shumate and Rollins are the leaders and the MVPs

2) Jacobi has tremendous upside

3) There are really only 7 guys getting a lot of minutes-the starters plus Wilson and Jacobi. Hill will give Dennis a rest now and then so he is number 8, but that is really it.

4) Edu seemed to have no trouble walking around. I think he will be playing some in February.

5) Saunders, Farmer & kid from Iceland will transfer out at end of season.

6) Team is best when playing full court defense. This leads to more transition points for UT.

7) Last year 3 pointers were the key for UT. This year that will not be the case.

We are currently one of only 135 D1 teams that remain undefeated.

I expect the Oakland game Wednesday to be a packed house, rollins playing back in his home state, plus Oakland coming off the big win @ okla state game should attract some buzz! If we start 3-0 before Bahamas trip that’ll be great!!

(11-13-2021 08:33 PM)emanoh Wrote:  Fun game 7:28 to go. UDM won't go away. They are decent. Their two guards 0 Davis (coaches son) and 21 are shifty.

Playing a lot of press. Don't think coach K has ever pressed, but we've played 9 guys tonight.

Milner is having an off night.

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Totally agree emanoh! Always thought TK's lack of interest in basic defensive strategy was his biggest down fall. Love seeing it. Makes the opponent have to at least worry about a little unexpected pressure. We are athletic enough to get some TO's with this press. Maybe he IS getting better at coaching D?

Wonder who got to him with this change in philosophy?

Back to Saunders. I wish TK would tell us something about his not playing. I can't imagine he's any less talented than last couple of years or than any of his teammates. I agree, he will be gone by years end. Is it just me, or does our MBB Team have an inordinate amount of attrition through transfers?

(11-14-2021 04:32 PM)Michigan Rocket Wrote:  Back to Saunders. I wish TK would tell us something about his not playing. I can't imagine he's any less talented than last couple of years or than any of his teammates. I agree, he will be gone by years end. Is it just me, or does our MBB Team have an inordinate amount of attrition through transfers?

Keshaun has moments when he shines. He is a good outside shot and can knock it down from beyond the arc which is what probably got TK's attention to start. But he makes me nervous with his tendency for making turnovers. He is not a particularly good perimenter defender. He showed substantial improvement last season over his first year and I was hoping his game would take another jump this season but the changed style of play combined with the influx of quick, athletic guards has pushed him out of the rotation. And - No, this team does not have an inordinate amount of attrition through transfers for this day and age. Look around at other programs. The Rocket roster has been relatively stable, especially for key contributors.

(11-14-2021 04:32 PM)Michigan Rocket Wrote:  Is it just me, or does our MBB Team have an inordinate amount of attrition through transfers?

40% of MBB players depart their initial school by the end of their sophomore year (Link). Over 1,500 MBB players entered the transfer portal this year (Link), which is an average of more than 4 players per school.

This is in no way just a UT problem.

Thank you for the insight.

I want to see more of Moss.

(11-14-2021 04:32 PM)Michigan Rocket Wrote:  Back to Saunders. I wish TK would tell us something about his not playing. I can't imagine he's any less talented than last couple of years or than any of his teammates. I agree, he will be gone by years end. Is it just me, or does our MBB Team have an inordinate amount of attrition through transfers?

TK has gone on the record about how much he likes Saunders, how he is a great person and excellent teammate. The reality is Wilson is already a better defender and Farmer has much more offensive potential. If Keshaun was outplaying those guys in practice he would play in games.

Overall, I think we look OK, not good, so far. I will take 2-0 with our star not quite on his game and our offense still kinda figuring out how to maximize our talents.

I love that we are defending 94 feet and think we could intensify the pressure more often and generate more turnovers. As it is our opponents aren't getting into their offense until about 15 seconds left of the shot clock which gives us an advantage as we push the ball and have an easier time getting quick open looks or continuing to work the offense longer to find a decent shot.

The rotation so far is to play 10 in the first half and 8 in the second. Starters are at about 32 minutes each but no one is playing long stretches without a break. Wilson is gonna be an elite, NBA level, defender. Really excited to watch him develop. Hope Farmer sticks with it and adapts to what the coaches want from him. He clearly is loaded with talent but has that freshman scorer mindset that he isn't playing his game if he isn't trying to get buckets every time down the floor. Carcoana could go either way, imo. I like his size and hands. He doesn't seem to panic out there but also doesn't yet play at this level instinctively. The argument about playing time leading to growth is debatable. There's an ESPN article on it looking at the metrics in the NBA which argues that guys who initially sit for good teams grow into better players than guys who play early for bad-mediocre teams. College is a bit different, but if anything you practice more and have less games so game minutes seems less necessary to develop. Coach TK has said he'll play his 9th and 10th guys as part of the rotation if they accept their role only playing a few minutes a game, but if they don't he'll go with his top 8.

From my observation Suanders isnt playing for another reason. Either suspension or breaking of team rules. Theres just no way Moss has more upside. He had a T in his first 7 minutes as a Rocket. Hes made some bad passes and doesnt look like much of a shooter. More of a finisher when he can slash. Id like to see more of Hill and Wilson over him.
Rollins has taken over a leader roll and it shows with his on court demeaner. Shumate is the scoring star. Milner will find it. He does the nitty gritty. Lets wait on judgement of this not being a good shooting team. Dennis can and will light it up. Just need to get in the flow. We have played pretty bad offense and won 2 games semi comfy. The D pressure is good so far. We are gona have lots of guys with 4 steal games going forward.

(11-14-2021 10:04 PM)pono Wrote:  

(11-14-2021 04:32 PM)Michigan Rocket Wrote:  Back to Saunders. I wish TK would tell us something about his not playing. I can't imagine he's any less talented than last couple of years or than any of his teammates. I agree, he will be gone by years end. Is it just me, or does our MBB Team have an inordinate amount of attrition through transfers?

TK has gone on the record about how much he likes Saunders, how he is a great person and excellent teammate. The reality is Wilson is already a better defender and Farmer has much more offensive potential. If Keshaun was outplaying those guys in practice he would play in games.

Overall, I think we look OK, not good, so far. I will take 2-0 with our star not quite on his game and our offense still kinda figuring out how to maximize our talents.

I love that we are defending 94 feet and think we could intensify the pressure more often and generate more turnovers. As it is our opponents aren't getting into their offense until about 15 seconds left of the shot clock which gives us an advantage as we push the ball and have an easier time getting quick open looks or continuing to work the offense longer to find a decent shot.

The rotation so far is to play 10 in the first half and 8 in the second. Starters are at about 32 minutes each but no one is playing long stretches without a break. Wilson is gonna be an elite, NBA level, defender. Really excited to watch him develop. Hope Farmer sticks with it and adapts to what the coaches want from him. He clearly is loaded with talent but has that freshman scorer mindset that he isn't playing his game if he isn't trying to get buckets every time down the floor. Carcoana could go either way, imo. I like his size and hands. He doesn't seem to panic out there but also doesn't yet play at this level instinctively. The argument about playing time leading to growth is debatable. There's an ESPN article on it looking at the metrics in the NBA which argues that guys who initially sit for good teams grow into better players than guys who play early for bad-mediocre teams. College is a bit different, but if anything you practice more and have less games so game minutes seems less necessary to develop. Coach TK has said he'll play his 9th and 10th guys as part of the rotation if they accept their role only playing a few minutes a game, but if they don't he'll go with his top 8.

I agree on we look ok. Got that early season "we're just finding ourselves". Love defending the whole floor.
This team is going to want to run. Tough part will be learning to deal with an opponents slow down game.

great win... loved the physical aggressive play.

That must continue for us to be a potential 20 win team and championship contender.

Mihai is a very good post passer. He has potential. I've seen him play in all games and scrimmages so far. I like him far more than our other post fill-ins

Go Rockets!

Oakland played four Fr in the top 8, no one over 6'9"

Should be a battle of mirrors.