We’ve certainly got some guys who can fill it up. Lots of offensive fire power. Team defense will remain a mystery. That’s the way it’s supposed to be though, in an exhibition game/scrimmage.
I tried to keep up with the scoring, but fell quite a bit short. I counted 7 double digit scorers. Sills, Smith and Notae were all over 20. I had Moody and KK with 18 each, but they could have both had 20? Notae and Smith may have had 30? Vance and Tate had 13 and 10 respectively.
I’m more than ready for the season to start. I believe this team will be a very tough out if they can put a good defense on the court.
Agree. We have a lot of firepower. Moses looked super. Notae got it going in the 2nd half and he can flat out score when he gets hot. Thought KK was impressive. We know what we’ve got with Desi. Justin Smith looked good. Tate will have an impact. Vance Jackson can shoot. Just a solid group of 10 or so.
Great to put some faces to names, impossible to tell really what kind of team we have because there was really no defense being played. We have the potential to be a great three point shooting team but still looks like we don’t have a strong inside presence on offense or defense… this will be a team that when the shots are falling can be incredibly fun to watch but on those nights when they’re not we could be in trouble. Really like our PG situation, we have good options there. Notae and Jackson are very good scorers but don’t look like they put a whole lot of effort on defense which could be a problem. I like that potential of the team but we have a long way to go defensively to become an a Elite at this time but it’s still very early and I’m sure Muss will whip them into shape.
It was hard to keep up with the game and to identify how all the new players were doing since the announcers were conducting interviews and talking about stuff other than the game during most of the broadcast. I’m glad we got a game recap this morning. Switching jerseys also was a bit confusing since the announcers didn’t seem to share that when it happened. It also looked like a lot of players wanted to score when they touched the ball, which is understandable. Yet, we had a ton of assists as well. I liked what I saw from the intensity.
Excellent take. These guys will find out in a hurry that Coach Muss puts a premium on defense. There are lots of scorers but the defensive minded will get palying time.
The one item that was really difficult to see was the rebounding capability. We’ve got length but couldn’t really assess it. I’m sure Muss will get them to play good defense.
Positives
Excellent 3 point shooting capacity and accuracy from at least 3-5 different people.
Excellent dribble drive capability from at least 3-5 players.
2 deep at every position = defensive capacity and team stamina
Overall diverse talent level - Haven’t seen this much depth in forever
Negatives
defensive intensity from a lot of perspectives
ball movement and passing wasn’t stellar
rebounding experience
don’t see Vanover as a contributer and doubt he would’ve made much difference last year
If basketball really gets played this year, this team will be super competitive come January
I am not sure you can judge the defense based on this game. Red&White game is like a Spring Football game. I have never been able to make the right assessment watching the two. Normally, the first exhibition game is the one that provides a better insight into the team. But this year it will be regular season game 1,
I agree and why I said impossible to tell really what kind of team we have because they will try much harder against another team we have the athleticism to be very good defensive team.
a couple nice surprises for me that I wasn’t expecting:
Notae - Much better athlete and shooter than I was expecting. Is he CEM’s Alex Dillard? Muss even mentioned in his post game conference, that he may bring him off the bench for instant offense.
Tate - A really “wow” game for me. I had wondered if playing lesser competition than our other 2 transfers might hold him back. Looks to be a solid replacement for Jimmy Whitt (and I loved Jimmy’s game). Willing passer, solid floor game, good rebounder, and finishes well at the rim. If this is what we will see from him all year, I’ll have to revise my feeling that KK would replace him about mid-year as the starter. KK will still get solid minutes and will be great before he’s done at Arkansas. And perhaps, there will be times when both will be in the game at the same time.
We are in a very good position at PG. Tate was impressive as you noted, but KK wow, wow, wow at times. The explosion, the quickness and his outside shot looked good. Looked like a more in control Courtney Fortson. Muss noted that KK played better then he had been practicing (not necessarily practicing bad, but still learning the plays).
He was only 1 - 5 on 3’s and had 2 rebounds in 17 minutes. I think he’s at risk of falling down the playing time ranking. In two interviews Muss seemed slightly frustrated with his inability to make it on the floor for practice. He was sick and also had some other physical issue(s). I think Muss expects him to play through pain more than he is seeing. He’s got to get tougher.
Vanover lost about 20 pounds when he had the flu. It will take a time to gain that back ,now that the season is starting. Take it from an old retired coach, it takes a lot of time to put in defensive sets. They will get it right or they won’t be playing long. Playing offense is easier and comes around quicker, than the defense. It will take a few games to get the lineup, that plays the kind of defense and offense like Muss wants it. It didn’t help that we lost those early games to prepare for a tough SEC fight this year.
I think we have a very good chance to raise our place in the March Madness games. Looking at the Red & White game the other night. I thought that we might start a lineup for the 1st game as: C- Jackson, F-Smith, G- Moody, G- Notea, PG- Tate.
Desi has been the longest in the system and the only one and based on what he did last year, he will start in the first game. He will have to lose that spot rather than having to work towards gaining that spot.
Don’t think a coach decides his lineup based on a Red&White game.
Yeah, I think if you watched the game, listened to interviews and the PC after, you have a pretty clear picture of who the top 7 is right now. My guess is that 9 will regularly play.
Starters for now:
Tate
Sills
Moody
Smith
Williams
Off the bench (but could start some):
Notae
Jackson
Should play but battling for more minutes:
Robinson
Vanover
Spot on. I would mention just one thing after watching the game. I believe the next 9 days are important for both Williams’ and Jackson’s playing time/starting. I thought both had good minutes and poor minutes in the game. CEM’s first Red team line-up probably represents his thoughts of wanting to start Williams.
I’m guessing he probably would like to have both Jackson and Notae on the bench and providing instant offense when needed if the starters aren’t scoring enough. IMO, he would like to start his best 5 defensive players, if they don’t represent a big drop in offensive fire power.
