MUScoop

Just curious ..

I went with worse. To be fair, I had MU winning the second game in KC, but losing to UWM this Saturday. Overall, that's 5-2 in November, which is still possible/likely.

The reason I chose worse is due to the issues we have in the backcourt. I'm not too surprised with the rebounding problems, but our guard play has been average to poor.

DJO: Trying to do way too much and not adjusting well to the role of the being the 2nd or even primary scorer on the floor. Also, I more than concerned that his 47% from the arc last year was a major outlier. He's always been known as a streak shooter (which he showed last year) and never has (HS, Prep, JC) shot the ball at that high a clip. What if DJO really is just a 35% 3-point shooter?

Buycks: Didn't show up in KC. Against better competition (in KC and the Big East last year) he just looks like a guy. He had opportunities and open shots, and he didn't take advantage. If your just a guy (which can be ok, see Cubillan), they you have to play within the system, not have turnovers and hit open shots. Buycks doesn't do these things... What's he bringing to the floor to warrant major minutes?

JC: I really like his passing ability and he sees the court very well. No question, the offense is better with him. However, he's just too passive. Last night he plays 25 minutes, but scores 1 point and attempts just 1 field goal. Also, did a very poor job attacking the zone. MU needs JC to step-up more than any other player. The opportunity is there, but he has to be more aggressive and be able to not only make plays for others, but himself as well.

Blue: He's been ok, pretty close to what my expectations were. Like others, impressed with defense and ability in the open court. In transition, he really finishes well and knows when to dish it off. Struggling right now in the half-court set, but that should improve as the season moves along. His shot needs major work, but I don't how much tinkering you do with it during the season. Its a project for next spring/summer.

We proved we can hang with any team in the country, even when we can't shoot for sh!t.  Add that to the fact we have new guys learning their roles, I feel a lot better about this team despite the losses.

I feel worse. I already felt we should be able to play with anyone. I really wanted at least one win in KC for resume-building. My biggest disappointment is that Gonzaga didn't play well and still controlled most of the game against us. I expected DJO to start hitting shots by now, and the longer it goes with him not connecting, the more I worry about our prospects in the Big East. That, and if we end up with a 10-8 BEast record, we will need some quality non-con wins to get into the NCAAs. We're 0-2 in that regard, and now desperately need to beat Wisconsin, and probably Vandy too, which is a very tall order.

Better.

We really could have won either of these two games.  Before Monday's performance I wouldn't have even thought they were close. 

There's a lot of room for improvement, but considering the court experience that's out there right now, we're going to get better.  MUCH BETTER.

D-I experience (in the books):
Buycks - 1 year.
Butler - 2 years.
Fulce - 2, but in a practical sense 1.
Cadougan - Handful of games.
Frozena - I'll round up to 1 year.
E-Williams - 1 year.
Otule - 1 year.

Same

Better.

I thought we were going to get trounced by Duke and then lose by nine or so to Gonzaga.

I saw a lot of potential and potential for growth.  I did not know if I was going to see much of that. I did.  I feel happy about where the team can go.

Same

Young team, lots of new parts.  Not sure Buzz even knows how to use everyone yet.  Last years team had less talent but it was clear how everyone fit together from the beginning.