This was the best that Moses and Dustin played as a tandem. It took Kingsley into the second half to get going, but those last 5-6 minutes he took over the boards and played with his last year’s passion. Thomas had a couple of big time baskets in crunch time.
Macon, Beard, Manny, and Dusty all played very well. A great win and a total TEAM effort. Houston’s going to win a lot of games this year.
It was a lot of fun to watch. We have a good team.
I watched the first half, had to leave for work, and missed most of the second half. :x Fortunately they won without me.
That bench is full of talent. Beard played very good tonight and it looks like the old Beard that was so confident. Dustin Thomas is so much better than I anticipated. Barford didn’t play much.
Barford looks a little lost or thinking too much instead of reacting. Would like to see him play harder even if he makes mistakes . Many think he will play NBA. When he starts to play that way on both ends we could be really good
I have yet to see the athleticism that’s needed in the NBA. I watch a lot of NBA ball (more than college) and can tell you that Barford couldn’t get to the rim in the association. He appears to have the strength, but I’ve yet to see the quickness or explosiveness. Hoping it shows up come January.
Macon on the other hand has been quite the surprise. I love his game and edginess. Looks fearless.
I agree that he’s not ever going to be a high flyer. But, when he cuts it loose (as he has for really only 1-2 games) he can run the floor and get to the rim in a blink.
His biggest problem is he’s feeling his way around instead of playing. I think his season will turn for the better after the long second-half benching tonight.
The message was clear. You have to bring it (especially defensively) or there are other guards playing well and who are ready to take the minutes.
Yeah, tonight it looked like he was playing sick. He played really well last game against Austin Peay. Looked like he was really putting it all together. Tonight, he seemed like he was a step slow on offense and defense. Hopefully it is just a one game anomaly.
Beard played very good tonight and it looks like the old Beard that was so confident
Beard is playing his butt off…looks great
You kids are crazy. No doubt barford is struggling finding his way but dude is super explosive. Most explosive on the team. Not a player on our team that comes close to his vertical. Not even close. You haven’t watched him enough is all I can say.
Bailey can out jump him in his sleep
This game was a very quick jitterbug game. I imagine that barford will show out against the teams with big physical guards. Barford showed his ability against Minnesota a few times and I was impressed with a few of plays.
I agree. Barford is by far the best all-skill guard on the team. He has shown the ability to explode to the basket and finish. He is doing that better than anyone for a while for the Hogs and not just on this team. BTW, Dusty is also good at it.
By watching Barford play, I know what Dudley meant when he said he had NBA potential. Not all guards in NBA are athletic like Westbrook or Kobe. There are plenty of James Hardens in the NBA. The way he drives to the basket kind of reminds me of Harden.
Give Barford some time. It is taking him longer than Macon to get going. That does not necessarily mean Macon is better. Different skill set.
Not being negative but our bigs got a break when Davis went out and didn’t return with the cut hand. Story could’ve been a little different if he doesn’t get hurt.
I love Bailey. Very gifted and will have a very bright future for the hogs. He can jump higher than Barford, no doubt, but I don’t think his vertical is better.
Dudley, do you have the verticals for the team??
It’s going to be different players on different nights for this team, and that’s a good thing. Nobody brings it every night. What you don’t want with depth is a herd mentality where they all play well or none play well. We have guys with enough confidence that, if a teammate is stumbling, they can pick him up and get a few more minutes in that game.
It’s going to be different players on different nights for this team, and that’s a good thing. Nobody brings it every night. What you don’t want with depth is a herd mentality where they all play well or none play well. We have guys with enough confidence that, if a teammate is stumbling, they can pick him up and get a few more minutes in that game.
I think the message was also sent clearly, if you turnover the rock you’re going to sit and watch and wait if the other guys give you a reason to get your minutes back or not. I love that we have enough ball handlers to do that. It worked great and we took care of the rock in the second half. Barford will learn this is not juco, we don’t need him to score 30, we need him to take care of the ball. He will figure it out, im sure he wants his minutes back and is capable.
I told my wife almost the exact same thing as we left the Houston game. I said the one thing about this team that we haven’t seen in a while is there’s no drop off on subs. Sometimes we actually put a better line up out there. That doesn’t mean we won’t have a 5 minute drought. We saw that against Houston when they went on a 24-9 run, I believe (with our starters back on the floor). But, I think there will be less lulls from our offense. We will keep firing, no matter who is out there and you never know who will break out. Bailey has 14 against AP, Macon has 17 against Houston. I would not be one bit surprised to see Beard or Barford go off for 17 in the next game.