Do you think Pikell will play Johnson/Omoruyi when Illinois has Cockburn/Bezhanishvili on the court because of the height and think Cliff can stay with Giorgi on the outside as he likes to shoot the three?
Twin Towers vs. Illinois
- Thread starter richthedentist
- Start date
Gotta change the title.
I did the same thing a few days ago Rich.
Bad memories.
I switched to Cliff and Miles
I did the same thing a few days ago Rich.
Bad memories.
I switched to Cliff and Miles
I don’t think Illinois even plays Cockburn and Beshanishvili together all that much. And if they do, Myles guards Cockburn, and Cliff guards Beshanishvili.
Agreed. Which also means they really have no one who can guard Ron. He could go for 30 if he's on
Kofi has too much weight for Cliff. If ever there was a game for Johnson not to hedge on the high screen, this is it. Kofi won’t leave the low block on offense and one or two do those stupid fouls, changes this game.
A
anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy
Guest
If they play kofi and giorgi together we just fo what we did last year. Ron guards giorgi. If we play cliff and myles together vs illinois we’ll get run out the gym
I think there’s a time in every game where those two can be on the floor together.
It changes opposition rebounding momentum instantly.
Why would we get run out of the building with JR, Geo and Jacob joining them?
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I don’t like the idea. I’m more worried about spacing out our fouls with Myles and Cliff against Kofi. At least get through the first 10
Minutes in decent shape foul wise.
Minutes in decent shape foul wise.
After he went 14-18 from the field and 7-8 from the line against Doorson and Eugene 2 years ago, I won’t say just anyone can guard Giorgi.
If their bigs are on the floor at the same time, ours will have to be as well to match up. They played a lot together last year but I think they’re trying to space the floor more this year. I think we’re going to get a lot of Harper on Ayo, though Mathis will probably get a chance too. This game may come down to foul trouble
If their bigs are on the floor at the same time, ours will have to be as well to match up. They played a lot together last year but I think they’re trying to space the floor more this year. I think we’re going to get a lot of Harper on Ayo, though Mathis will probably get a chance too. This game may come down to foul trouble
I think Cliff will only guard Cockburn if Myles gets into foul trouble. Cockburn is very strong and big and will try to push with his rear end to get closer to the basket. He is probably much stronger than Cliff. Hopefully Myles can get a couple early fouls on Cockburn. If we should play twin towers I think it would only be for a few minutes. I also think Ron could guard Giorgio. Giorgio is usually playing backup to Cockburn as several guards and a SF are usually playing along with Cockburn.
The plan has to be to use Myles on Kofi. The one wrench in that plan is that Cliff has started all season. Does Pike insert Myles into the starting lineup since Kofi is just such a beast that Cliff doesn't have the weight to bang with him? If so we now go back to risking Myles early foul trouble but he is clearly the best option to defend Kofi.
Myles and Kofi both play around 23-27 minutes and we ideally would want Myles on the court when Kofi is. Cliff is the better option to guard Giorgi who has more perimeter skills.
I think Cliff being a freshman is more of a concern then his lack of size. His athleticism and length, if used correctly, can mostly overcome Kofi's size and strength. Cliff isn't going to learn in 3 days the proper positioning to handle Kofi. It does help he goes against Myles in practice everyday.
I have a lot of faith in our coaching staff, they'll give him some tools to work with on Sunday.
I have a lot of faith in our coaching staff, they'll give him some tools to work with on Sunday.
As for Georgi......what he did against us 2 years ago was a once a career event. It is possible he catches fire again, but it is not something I'd expect.
What concerns me, and always concerns me, is the 3rd and 4th perimeter option getting free and knocking down 3s. Ayo, Georgi, or Cockburn could beat us, but it is Williams, Frazier or Griffin going off that will probably end up being the difference.
Sample size small,......but those guys are 39-83 from 3. Maryland game would have been completely different if they knocked down their looks.
What concerns me, and always concerns me, is the 3rd and 4th perimeter option getting free and knocking down 3s. Ayo, Georgi, or Cockburn could beat us, but it is Williams, Frazier or Griffin going off that will probably end up being the difference.
Sample size small,......but those guys are 39-83 from 3. Maryland game would have been completely different if they knocked down their looks.
The problem is Kofi isn't a big lumbering center. He's quick and athletic also. I'm sure you've noticed also that Cliff is a little unsure of himself in the trenches. A late season game vs Illinois might change my mind about this match up, but right now, I think Kofi would go to town vs Cliff.
I think you are going to see a little bit of M. Duc to try to bang and give Myles a rest guarding Cockburn. Cliff is too slight of frame and would quickly get into foul trouble.
Kofi within 5 feet is too much for 99% of college teams and 10% of NBA teams. It's a matter of ball denial and the other guys being mindful of passing lanes. Myles uses his hips to move guys more and better than Cliff at this point. If he's not getting the ball Kofi has a habit of disappearing for minutes at a time.
Victory depends on racking up fouls on both Illinois big men. When Ron Harper goes to the basket it is almost impossible for him to draw fouls .
Victory depends on racking up fouls on both Illinois big men. When Ron Harper goes to the basket it is almost impossible for him to draw fouls .
Jacob and Montez are also important in stopping Kofi. The ball doesn't magically appear in the low post. Someone needs to get it there.
I think Cliff will enjoy the opportunity to go up against Kofi. You can body up to bigger guys more aggressively without getting called for a foul. If Cliff can use his lower body strength to keep Kofi out of the extreme low post, we can contain him somewhat with a little help D.
I would rather Mathis stay on Ayo as he is going to get his points and you can see when Ron got his second foul against MD the offense just stalled and Pikell even brought him back in the first half because of that and of course as people have made the point this is a match up where we really miss Caleb because of his size he would play on Ayo alot
I think in one of the games not even sure if it was the win or the loss I think he had almost all those points in the first half and then I think we really stopped him cold in the second half
In our win at home, he was completely irrelevant in the 2nd half
But that was without Ayo
Kofi is listed as 285 and Myles is 255...closer than Cliff at 240 for sure but point taken.
I think the key is we have two bodies to throw at him while they really have one to throw at two. I'll take the numbers advantage...and by number, we have 10 fouls to give their 5.
I don't think Pike will change the starting line-up. Cliff can't play behind Kofi, so they'll practice on Cliff fronting Kofi with backside help coming on a lob (a lob over Cliff won't be easy), or have Cliff 3/4 Kofi and get help from the weak side. Ball pressure on the passer is a given. These teams are pretty even offensively, but I think we play better D, so I see us with a W. It'll probably come down to FTs, with the team that sucks the least winning.
Yeah, was thinking the same thing about fronting Kofi.
I don’t mind it at all.
And to be honest as soon as Cliff signed it was one of the first things that popped into my head.
I like the “Towers of Power” too.
