If he wasn't excited they would be blasting him because he didn't show enough emotion........that line will be used on one of the CATS this season......[cheers]
Impressed/Not impressed
- Thread starter Jamal Mercer
- Start date
Right. I think this was a combination of the randomness that is outside shooting coupled with a harassing perimeter defense. Either one of them might cause you to shoot 25% but in tandem it causes what we saw last night.
On the flip side, we shot 33% by hitting some difficult shots against an equally stout perimeter defense. Against a lesser team we easily could have shot 38-40% last night.
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Normally the offense has more control over 3 point FG%. The defenses have more control in forcing teams off the 3 point line.
We did that so well when we had guys like Noel and Davis guarding the rim.
It was always telling those seasons when we had great teams like 2012 and 2015 that most people felt the only way to beat us was to go crazy from 3 but yet most of those teams would never take a bunch of threes. They'd drive the ball into the lane where Davis would just swat it away.
But this team just has so much length on the perimeter it definitely has to be a factor.
Impressed:
-Composure. We took every run they had in them and answered the bell. The lights were brightest and our guys are built for it.
-Maxey is a go-to guy that makes the right play in the big moment. Feels like Dame Lillard.
-Hagans is our leader. All night he was coaching on the floor, calling things out, helping guys, putting them in the right spots, picking them up, etc.
-Defense. Have mercy. And our potential to improve there is sky high. Had no idea we'd be this far along on that end.
-Everyone seems to know their role already. A guy like Whitney, who some people are criticizing, did exactly what we needed from him last night. He was everywhere. I bet his +/- was insane. Nick did exactly what we needed. IQ missed some looks he normally makes but played totally within himself.
-Ball movement.
Not impressed:
-Missed easy opportunities. Nick and EJ down low, Hagans at the rim, Whitney at the line, we left some points on the board. No team is going to make them all, but if half of those go down, we win easily. That's a good sign though.
-Foul trouble. Obviously that's just how last night was called, and no team is deep enough to totally withstand it, so this isn't a real concern going forward.
-Juzang and Brooks were quiet. Not bad, though Brooks took some shots looking to prove he wasn't scared, just quiet. Both of those guys can give us something no one else on the roster can, so we need them at their best
-Composure. We took every run they had in them and answered the bell. The lights were brightest and our guys are built for it.
-Maxey is a go-to guy that makes the right play in the big moment. Feels like Dame Lillard.
-Hagans is our leader. All night he was coaching on the floor, calling things out, helping guys, putting them in the right spots, picking them up, etc.
-Defense. Have mercy. And our potential to improve there is sky high. Had no idea we'd be this far along on that end.
-Everyone seems to know their role already. A guy like Whitney, who some people are criticizing, did exactly what we needed from him last night. He was everywhere. I bet his +/- was insane. Nick did exactly what we needed. IQ missed some looks he normally makes but played totally within himself.
-Ball movement.
Not impressed:
-Missed easy opportunities. Nick and EJ down low, Hagans at the rim, Whitney at the line, we left some points on the board. No team is going to make them all, but if half of those go down, we win easily. That's a good sign though.
-Foul trouble. Obviously that's just how last night was called, and no team is deep enough to totally withstand it, so this isn't a real concern going forward.
-Juzang and Brooks were quiet. Not bad, though Brooks took some shots looking to prove he wasn't scared, just quiet. Both of those guys can give us something no one else on the roster can, so we need them at their best
We closed out and recovered so well last night that what should have been decent shots for them were tough. Proud of our guys!
Yep and given how our teams normally get better as the season goes on, it was a great win.
we have a real team this year guys!
Maxey is obviously the real deal, but so is Sestina. Still frustrated with Nick and EJ missing shots from 3 feet away, and I am still not sure that Nick's hands are not frying pans......
Maxey is obviously the real deal, but so is Sestina. Still frustrated with Nick and EJ missing shots from 3 feet away, and I am still not sure that Nick's hands are not frying pans......
Plus that’s maxeys personality. From all accounts, he is a guy who enjoys life. I love his infectious personality...
That was the biggest takeaway from this game. It wasn't some sort of run we went on, it was the fact that we took every punch they had, and didn't flinch.
I felt he didn't force things, he played good defense and most of all didn't get lost in the moment like some freshmen could.
I think Winston got worn down, he had some open threes late in the game and missed them. Langford will certainly help them when he comes back, but Brooks and Whitney will also be much better if we play them again!
I didn't watch last night but cheated and looked at the highlights...
Most impressive thing was either Maxey's multiple 26 footers or the fact that Nick caught a pass on a fast break and finished like a guard.
Most impressive thing was either Maxey's multiple 26 footers or the fact that Nick caught a pass on a fast break and finished like a guard.
Not sure what was more impressive those two 26 footers...........or that shot in had in the lane towards the end of the game lol
We do need to finish better at the rim, but MSU had some large guys and they play physical. As for Brooks and Whitney, I thought that Whitney played pretty well. He defended and rebounded, and as you said, he made a couple of big shots. Brooks didn't play well, but it was his first game and his effort is always there. He will be ok. Getting into foul trouble, early, seemed to effect him some.
Team defense was great, I agree. Really impressed how well they scrambled and closed out/helped this early in the season. Length and athleticism certainly help, but they looked well trained.
Big concern I saw - and easily fixable for Cal and co. - transition defense. I was really surprised to see how many buckets we gave up in transition, usually involving a combination of Richards/EJ/Sestina. I don't think it'll be a consistent problem, but certainly something I noticed.
Again, here we are looking at just how many points someone had. Whitney played very good defensively and he picked up 4 rebounds. UK team rebounded and stayed even with the Spartans. In case nobody noticed the Spartans only shot 19.6% from the 3 and 39.3% from the field. They didn't do that with 1 or 2 guys. They did that with an entire team getting after it defensively. Let's not pretend Whitney played a great game, but let's not dismiss how well he played defensively.
Thanks for the soccer mom talk, Ya hippy. Maybe we should stop keeping score too, it might make some of these young men feel bad about themselves.
Not good
Montgomery missing layups and free throws. Hagans bogging the game down by holding the ball too much and not finishing at the rim.
Whitney in the game at the end with the game on the line will kill us at some point. His fts are awful.
The good
Whitney on defense is like a liggins. He’s going to be a stud defender
Maxey gets to the rim like no other since fox and he can shoot it a bit.
Sestina figured it out and started rebounding.
Nick played hard he held onto the ball and was disruptive on defense. Cal used him like wcs to shut down the pg on switches
Quickley has an off night but still had 10 big points
We were able to play physical with a team of older players.
Never felt the game was in doubt
Cal had the team ready
Montgomery missing layups and free throws. Hagans bogging the game down by holding the ball too much and not finishing at the rim.
Whitney in the game at the end with the game on the line will kill us at some point. His fts are awful.
The good
Whitney on defense is like a liggins. He’s going to be a stud defender
Maxey gets to the rim like no other since fox and he can shoot it a bit.
Sestina figured it out and started rebounding.
Nick played hard he held onto the ball and was disruptive on defense. Cal used him like wcs to shut down the pg on switches
Quickley has an off night but still had 10 big points
We were able to play physical with a team of older players.
Never felt the game was in doubt
Cal had the team ready
the only issue with that is many on here have called kids names who have done the exact same thing when they have beaten UK
When you could clearly see Cal draw that play up for Whitney to get the ball on the inbounds I was seriously thinking WTF Cal. Was he trying to test his mental toughness or what?
Regarding “Maxey’s conduct”...good grief. This is a damn GAME and y’all want to turn it into a funeral.
We need more trash talk, more celebrations, more 40-point beatdowns. How does that negatively impact your life?
Exactly. Why do so many people become upset when other teams do that sort of thing? I'm glad the kid had a great night. He reminds me of Monk with the happy go lucky attitude (except for when Monk sat on the bench laughing when we were losing). But there's a time and place for that.
unless those two are named LeBron and Durant it doesn’t much matter as Miami is and still will be irrelevant regardless of what the calendar says.
For me, I'll go with Nick Richards. Everyone has been so hard on him (he has been disappointing to this point), and he played a hell of a game. He gets so much grief, it's great to see him play like that. I hope it's just the beginning
Impressed
Maxey - confidence in his game
Richards - energy & jump hook
Whitney - defense & hustle
Sestina - two hand rebounds and patience
not - impressed
Brooks jumper with 1:37 left in game - should still be running laps
Cal getting ball to Whitney late to be fouled
Hagans inability to finish at rim - please call Tim Martin before next season
EJ - lack of confidence- pulling for that kid
Maxey - confidence in his game
Richards - energy & jump hook
Whitney - defense & hustle
Sestina - two hand rebounds and patience
not - impressed
Brooks jumper with 1:37 left in game - should still be running laps
Cal getting ball to Whitney late to be fouled
Hagans inability to finish at rim - please call Tim Martin before next season
EJ - lack of confidence- pulling for that kid
Problem is I don’t think he’s smart enough to stay another year even if he needs it. Just feels like ones of those that will leave come hell or high water.