This year than I’ve been in a long time. I like the pieces MA has added & continues to recruit. This group he’s assembling will wreak some havoc on defense & be able to pressure more with all that length & athleticism. Macon & Barford are a year wiser in the rigors of D1 play & I expect both to have really good years.
Gotta get Gafford & Hall acclimated, then I think we’re good to go!
I think there are some question marks: only 3 proven ballhandlers who can create their own shot, 1 proven shooter and 4 experienced players who have been consistently solid college players.
But this team has a lot of length and athleticism, 2 top-tier guards who are both hungry to prove themselves in their senior years and the potential to be good defensively. I think both of the sophomores have breakout years and become key contributors and the freshmen should make an impact with their athleticism alone.
It could be an at-times frustrating season, especially with the schedule, but I think it’ll be very entertaining.
There will be a few bumps that’s to be expected. We have a talented team to follow and watch they grow as the season plays out. MA has done a good job on and off the court. We also have a good recruiting class lined up for for next year.
Just a few more weeks
This team has a chance to be outstanding. I’m so glad the guards are back. They will overcome much of the learning curve of the newbies.
Told my wife this weekend that I hadn’t been looking forward to a basketball season this much in a long time. This is going to be Mike’s deepest, most athletic team.
But…
I hope the fans understand that we may be better than we were last season and could still struggle to get 20 wins. This schedule is the toughest we’ve seen in some time, it would not surprise me that come Feb/Mar we have top 10 or even top 5 RPI.
It also wouldn’t surprise me if they stumble some early and then surge towards the end of the season. After Macon and Barford the shot distribution is up in the air, and the staff will have to adjust rotations to balance offense and defense. The good news is that the sheer number of options should eventually converge to a solution, but the schedule may not be forgiving to a learning curve.
The thing we need to understand is while this will be a tougher schedule it still bodes well for us playing better competition early. It will make us better in SEC play & we might not need as many wins with a great RPI. So while there will be bumps in the road early. It will pay dividends as the season ends.
I wonder how far in to the season we get before the usual suspects start questioning MA as coach.
After the 1st loss. Or a close win they think we should have won by 20.
As soon as they Hogs train in the first half, no matter how big a comeback that they make.
It’s crazy the way people wanted Coach Anderson gone last year. It was a good year. Your not going to win them all and there will be some night that there will seem to be a lid on the basket and nothing goes in. I just like to see them compete.
I would take 20 wins in a heart beat. But I think it will end up being more like 25 wins.
The negative posters will start after the first game!
We had this discussion last year, 20 probably won’t get us in. Want to see them come out let us not make the tourney with 22/23wins and be just outside the bubble (bad loss in SECT).
I’m expecting 23-25 wins, but the negative posters won’t start until the first loss. It would be nice for them not to come out this year (40-0).
I think there’s a great chance 20 would get them in. Vandy got in at 19 last year because of its strength of schedule. The SEC should be tougher this year, part of the reason Arkansas could have a top 10-15 RPI this year. Really tough nonconference schedule is the other part. Will be important to beat OU and assure 2 other big games.
If they win 23-25 games, that means they’ve had a really, really good season and Mike should be in the SEC COTY conversation.
The SOS is the key (and RPI, even though it’s changing). There are teams that win 23+ and don’t get in, and teams that win 18/19 and get in. To me the guarantee for a P5 is 23. I know there is exceptions, but that’s my opinion based on what I’ve looked for.
As for 23-25 wins, we weren’t supposed to win that many last year, and the SOS looked much more difficult before the season than at the end.
Right, I get what you’re saying. Obviously we’ll have to see how it unfolds, but I think they could have a decent chance to be one of those teams that won 18-19 and got in (not saying they’ll win 18-19, just if they did).
If they do get to 23 and the schedule pans out close to how it looks, they’d be like a 4-5 seed I’d think.
I’ll agree with you
Watching the NCAAT last year was fun. The game with UNC was exciting. I felt I was watching a real progression with the team and fully expect to see more of the same. At least this year when naysayers claim we have no rhythm or defense, they can rewatch the UNC and begin to appreciate the direction we are going, and it is not backwards.
I was WRONG. They didn’t wait until the first loss, they waited until the first exhibition game win. SMH
Lol
At least they are drawing more attention with the football team in the trash dump.
Mike really better make his point get through to these knuckleheads. That exhibition win just showed how mediocre we can be if all we have is a decent backcourt. Dan G wake up call. That’s alright to feel the heat now. We are about to be blasted all over The college basketball globe on thanksgiving. #1-0 I bet Beilema wishes he had a exhibition win this year :lol: