Some Player Observations

[GGGG]

JFB: SotG. 
DJO: Solid, but seemed a little off
Jae: Excellent work
Otule:  Solid, but nothing special
Vander:  Offense was off, but great debut
Reggie:  A little too aggressive, but love the energy
Buycks:  Still a little nervous when he has the ball.
Gardner:  17 points.  A lot in garbage time, but love his hands.  Going to be something special.
Junior:  Played a little too quick.  Definately shouldn't be starting PG yet.
Williams:  Played very well.  Noticeably more thick.
Jones:  Not much
Frozena:  Even less.

[PJDunn]

How much time did Junior get tonight?  I heard from a very good source that he is deeeeep in Buzz's doghouse.  I still think he will end up being or primary pg by the time the BE starts.

[chren21]

We need someone to step up at point guard.  SOON. Otherwise I came away feeling great. FT's will improve

[chapman]

We need someone to step up at point guard.  SOON. Otherwise I came away feeling great. FT's will improve

Agreed.  Just haven't seen much from Cadougan yet, certainly not matching expectations though there is still time.  Buycks is more of an offensive threat and better defender even if he's inefficient, Smith provides great energy, and Blue's court awareness and ability to get anywhere on the floor are outstanding.  Not sure this game did much to ease the point guard questions...if it did anything for me it made me a little more comfortable with Buycks there and also very comfortable when the ball gets in Blue's hands even if he's technically playing the 2.  Also not fully on board with what Mac was saying (presumably quoting Buzz) about different styles of point guard play being ideal for matchups and situations; says to me that we don't have consistency and need someone to step up and fill the position. 

And how about the Big Ox?  Heck of a debut for a freshman big man.  Can't wait to see how he progresses.  An hoping Jones can keep his head held high, seems to be still adjusting and likely going to get the same minutes EWill got last year.

[LA]

I am very excited about what "The Artist" (Homer and George's nickname for Gardner) will be able to do during his career. This kid could be something special.

Obviously great debut from Vander and I think this team can be really good as the season progresses.

[Jacks DC]

We will learn a lot more on Sunday.  Bucknell gave Villanova a pretty good game tonight.

[mviale]

I actually though Junior looked solid.

[brewcity77]

Gardner was the best freshman tonight, even if it was in garbage time. He barely edged out Blue. I have to say, I'm very impressed with the incoming class. I thought both Gardner and Blue would be spot-time guys at best this season. After tonight, I think both could make significant contributions to this year's team. The future's so bright, it's nuclear.

[bma725]

Junior:  Played a little too quick.  Definately shouldn't be starting PG yet.

Funny, after watching him and the passes that he was able to make that the others didn't/couldn't I came away with the opinion that he definitely should be the starting PG from here on out.  None of the other options at the position were even in the same ballpark in terms of actual point guard skills. 

[MU Ted]

I think it will be difficult to keep Blue off the court. His defense is impressive.
Reggie was fairly ordinary tonight, but I think the same can be said for Buycks.
Gardner far more impressive than Otule tonight.

[chren21]

Gardner was the best freshman tonight, even if it was in garbage time. He barely edged out Blue. I have to say, I'm very impressed with the incoming class. I thought both Gardner and Blue would be spot-time guys at best this season. After tonight, I think both could make significant contributions to this year's team. The future's so bright, it's nuclear.

Did you watch the exhibition game?

[brewcity77]

Did you watch the exhibition game?

Yes, I was at both games. But I look at the exhibition as just that. I didn't expect as many minutes for either of them as they got tonight when it came to the real thing. Basically, I don't expect NFL preseason game 4 to feature the same players as NFL regular season week 1, and that was my expectation tonight. Lo and behold, Buzz gave us a healthy dose of Gardner and Blue again, and I'm glad for it.

[El Duderino]

I think it will be difficult to keep Blue off the court. His defense is impressive.
Reggie was fairly ordinary tonight, but I think the same can be said for Buycks.
Gardner far more impressive than Otule tonight.

Yea, Vander not only gives great effort defensively, he plays defense with real awareness. Some young players will give the required effort on defense in trying to stay on their man, but they aren't really all that aware of what's going on around them which can negate the positives from the hustle.

Plus, the way that Blue plays within himself on the offensive end by not forcing shots in a desire to impress the coach by scoring, i can really see Vander ingratiating himself to Buzz and then earning his way on to the court for more and more minutes as the season goes on.

Some kids that are as highly regarded recruits as Blue was, they seem to almost feel that they deserve the right to showcase their scoring abilities right from the get go. A recent transfer playing now for Bruce Pearl comes to mind. Vander just seems like a great kid and also smart enough as a freshman to realize that coming in right away and gunning up shots while not playing tough defense wouldn't fly with Buzz if Vander wanted playing time.

[Ron Paul]

I was also impressed with Blue tonight.  Its fairly obvious watching him play that he is a next level talent.  If his offense ever catches up with his defense...

[willie warrior]

Funny, after watching him and the passes that he was able to make that the others didn't/couldn't I came away with the opinion that he definitely should be the starting PG from here on out.  None of the other options at the position were even in the same ballpark in terms of actual point guard skills. 

Agreed BMA. Cadougan is the best ball distributor on the team, although Blue with his slashing ability could turn into that. I really don't care about other assessments that he is not an offensive threat. If you look at his mintes player to assists, he would likely average 6 to 8 assists per game if he got more minutes. If he averages that and 5 to 7 points per game, along with Smith as backup we will be fine. Bucyks will not be the answer at Point.

[GGGG]

Funny, after watching him and the passes that he was able to make that the others didn't/couldn't I came away with the opinion that he definitely should be the starting PG from here on out.  None of the other options at the position were even in the same ballpark in terms of actual point guard skills. 

I think you are correct...at least on the offensive end.  I'm wondering if his issues are more on the defensive end.

[Rollout-the-Barrel]

I think it is more defensive. Had difficulty staying in front of his man when trying to pick up half court. I would like to see him out there more to get in a better flow and improve his confidence as I agree offensively he looks like best option with least turnover risk.

[wyzgy]

JFB: SotG. 
DJO: Solid, but seemed a little off
Jae: Excellent work
Otule:  Solid, but nothing special
Vander:  Offense was off, but great debut
Reggie:  A little too aggressive, but love the energy
Buycks:  Still a little nervous when he has the ball.
Gardner:  17 points.  A lot in garbage time, but love his hands.  Going to be something special.
Junior:  Played a little too quick.  Definately shouldn't be starting PG yet.
Williams:  Played very well.  Noticeably more thick.
Jones:  Not much
Frozena:  Even less.

djo was far from solid-sorry-he looked like he could of cared less or he was under the weather.  played like he knew buzz would be yankin his chain at any moment.  he'll be ok.  as we get closer to the big shows(BE play)  he'll have his mojo back

[OhioGoldenEagle]

Blue definitely needs to see the court frequently during this non-conference portion of the schedule.  He impacts the game in so many facets that scoring is almost just a bonus. 

How good can this team be if the likes of Blue,  EWill, and Gardnerr exceed their early expectations?  I'm very intrigued with this team after game 1 and am looking forward to see who surprises me next!

[bilsu]

Gardner was the best freshman tonight, even if it was in garbage time. He barely edged out Blue. I have to say, I'm very impressed with the incoming class. I thought both Gardner and Blue would be spot-time guys at best this season. After tonight, I think both could make significant contributions to this year's team. The future's so bright, it's nuclear.

I love Gardner and in fact I was criticised for predicting after the pro am that he would be starting by thime the Big East rolls around. That will depend upon whether he can please Buzz defensively. Of the freshmen he is clearly our best scorer. However, he is not overall close to being as good as Blue. After watching the first half my opinion was that Blue is as good on defense as Wade was on offense. Blue dominates on defense.

[4everwarriors]

Funny, after watching him and the passes that he was able to make that the others didn't/couldn't I came away with the opinion that he definitely should be the starting PG from here on out.  None of the other options at the position were even in the same ballpark in terms of actual point guard skills. 

Gotta disagree. Maybe he's still recovering, but JC didn'tearn anything last night.

[HoopsMalone]

Any thoughts on Fulce last night for those who saw the game?

He seemed lost in the rotation and did not stand out.  We are going to need him to step up as a senior at some point.

[Henry Sugar]

Any thoughts on Fulce last night for those who saw the game?

He seemed lost in the rotation and did not stand out.  We are going to need him to step up as a senior at some point.

four points and seven rebounds in twelve minutes. 

[brewcity77]

I love Gardner and in fact I was criticised for predicting after the pro am that he would be starting by thime the Big East rolls around. That will depend upon whether he can please Buzz defensively. Of the freshmen he is clearly our best scorer. However, he is not overall close to being as good as Blue. After watching the first half my opinion was that Blue is as good on defense as Wade was on offense. Blue dominates on defense.

It was very close between the two of them. What's really impressed me about Gardner is that you can see just by looking at him that he's been busting his ass in workouts. The guy was billed at about 300 when he signed, looked like he was down to about 280 by the Pro Am, and right now looks like he's probably at around 260-270. He's come along physically a lot faster than I expected.

Blue did fill up the statsheet. 7 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks, but unfortunately 4 turnovers as well. If he can get those turnovers under control, he will be very hard to keep off the floor. Though to his credit, he also led the team in minutes, so clearly Buzz is showing faith in him from the get-go. I'm amazed by the basketball head he seems to have. Not only is he precociously intelligent on the defensive side of the ball, but thinking back to his mindset for the U-18s, I think you really see that this kid has the mind to succeed. He knew that he wasn't the dominant scorer that guys like Irving or Miller are, so he committed to his defense to earn minutes. Now he's willing to do the same at Marquette. He's shown enough flashes to indicate his offensive game will come around. When it does, I really think we'll have a star on our hands. If he stays long enough, a potential All-American level star.

[NYWarrior]

Any thoughts on Fulce last night for those who saw the game?

He seemed lost in the rotation and did not stand out.  We are going to need him to step up as a senior at some point.

4 points and 7 boards in 12 minutes indicates a player is lost?  If so, gimme more of those minutes please.  Fulce's rebounding efficiency was insanely good last night -- just like it was last season.