My comments don’t seem to be showing up on here. I’ve tried posting the link to tonight’s game but it has not been showing up. Not sure what’s up with that.
Since my comments with the link aren’t going through, everyone should just go to http://www.firstrowsports.tv and click on basketball and towards the bottom of the page everyone should see the link to the game.
Sorry. I think the program I use is marking it as spam. Probably because of the links. If anyone ever has a post that doesn’t show up, it’s because it has been marked as spam. I go through and approve them once a week (I’ll do it now).
As far as tonight’s game goes, I have the Beavers cruising tonight to a 89-57 win. What I would like to see is some aggressiveness from Roberto Nelson. He’s a key to the squad. Hopefully he shows signs of being more aggressiveness and stops being passive. He’s really talented. Better defense on pick and pop/rolls and cutting down the turnovers is something I will keep an eye on. Hopefully we some improvements in those areas tonight.
hard to judge Nelson or Barton after just 2 games. Basketball is a game of confidence. I would love to see guys like Brandt and Nelson get some confidence in this game. I still think Nelson has significant up-side.
I agree with Barton. He was really underrated and didn’t seem too anxious or nervous out there. He played within himself and has a nice shot. I think if Nelson struggles tonight and against Hofstra, Barton will start playing a lot more starting against Texas. I don’t think Craig is gonna just keep waiting around for Nelson to come around. I’m a fan of Nelson, so I hope he gets things figured out, but if not they sure look to have a pretty good option with Barton.
That’s what I’m thinking. Give Nelson a few games to figure it out, but if Barton plays within himself and actually contributes then Robinson must make the change. Nelson would be a nice option off the bench. Granted, it is way to early to consider this, but from what I saw on Saturday Barton looked like the better player, and that situation is something everyone (including CR) should keep their eye on.
I completely agree about Nelson. When he has the ball in his hands there’s no doubt he’s one of the most skilled players out there. My thoughts during that first game were that he simply doesn’t seem to know what he’s supposed to be doing. Either that or he plays kind of lazy. Hopefully I’m wrong because I agree having Nelson fire on all cylinders this season will be key for this team to get where we’re hoping they’ll go (NCAA tournament).
Going to the game tonight at Gill. Looking forward to seeing whether Eric Moreland plays well again. Also would like to see smarter and more aggressive play out of Nelson and Collier. Enjoying the post-Calvin-Haynes era a lot so far…..
So what would everyone prefer? Out in the first round of the NCAA tourney, or make it a few games into the NIT? I am not familiar with basketball so I don’t know what would be considered “better”.
NCAA apearrance would be better because it is the better tournament. Winning the NIT essentially makes you ranked 69 while appearing in the NCAA means you are top 68 (theoretically). I would take a first round NCAA loss as long as it wasn’t in the “play-in” round aka “First Four”. The NCAA would add to our prestige but NIT wins could add to depth of experience.
Beavers looking good as I thought they would be. Great passing, loving the rotation on defense. Nobody is getting easy shots for West Alabama. Beavers have an advantage inside and that’s where they have been going. They’re also getting a lot of easy baskets in transition. Love what I’m seeing so far.
Anyone else notice how quickly and confidently the team got into their zone offense? Last year Wallace,Haynes and Omari would have dribbled around aimlessly confused by the change.
I was just gonna say that. This squad knows how to attack the zone and they make great passes. This squad passing so much better than in previous years. Truly was addition by subtraction.
The last five minutes looked too much like last year for my taste, but I guess it’s understandable in this type of game. I hate to rain on anyone’s parade, but Kevin McShane is not a D-1 caliber player. I don’t get it.
Have to take into account that they were up by 30+ for the final 10 minutes and Cunningham, Brandt, Burton and Starks weren’t playing much in the final 10 minutes. They had mostly inexperienced guys out there, aside from Nelson and McShane. They lost focus with the big lead. Inexperienced guys will do that from time to time. I they will handle Hofstra. Hofstra is definitely good but I think the Beavers are better and will handle em. We will see how good the Beavers truly are in the next 3 games. I think they will be very good.
Teams with any size will give the Beavers trouble. They need to be taught the importance of each possession. They lose focus too easily. Too many forced 3s, too.
Off topic, but good god Utah is going to be bad this year….Coach Majerus will be rolling over in his grave…wait…nevermind. They had to come from behind to beat San Diego Christian by 3 points tonight. They lost their exhibition game. Their two best players are out with injuries and the rest of last years team bailed after the debacle with Jim Boylen. I don’t want to jinx it but I wish the Beavers were playing them twice instead of once this year.
Colorado is supposed to have a down year. They lost a lot of guys and are in a rebuilding mode. The Beavers are better than they are and I’m sure want payback for last year. Love the fact that the Beavers don’t play in LA this year. They’ve struggled there for quite some time. Although, I wish they had the Trojans twice. They’ll struggle all year. A lot of injuries.
Pretty hard to criticize since it was really not in doubt for about 3/4 of the game. It is hard to maintain focus and not get sloppy. That said, McShane is a high energy guy that has a great story – CR needs to leave it at that. Put him in for 2 minutes and take him out. He has no business being out there with this team.
The problem with McShane is that he is starting to think off himself as a capable player and is trying to make plays he has no business even trying which makes him dangerous in a negative way. You are absolutely right. Give him two minutes to foul an opposing star hard or get a rebound and then get him the hell out of there.
At least they are winning the ones they should comfortably. Also, shot percentage seems to be much higher than last year with more points made in the paint. I know that the competition is poor but those are optimistic signs. Seem to be better with assists and rebounds too. I would like to see our FT percentage go up, we miss too many. FT’s make all the difference in big games.
angus now 8-10 from the field this year – beavers beginning to come together for first time in the coach robinson era – seen hopes dashed quickly in past, but this year has a different feel. we have some of the best talent here in years – now coach rob needs to coach. going to man to man D is a great start!
It was nice to see Murphy get his FIRST points as a Beaver (seems like he has been with the team forever already). I think he is going to play an important role as he gets back into the flow. He has a nice looking three and apparently has some hops. It was nice that he did not have to play much with the old guard either.
So I’ve attended both games at Gill, and came away most impressed with Eric Moreland, in terms of upside, and most concerned about Roberto Nelson (of whom so much has been expected, but so little delivered to date).
Sure, EM obviously needs to bulk up (weight and strength). Meanwhile, EM is already displaying remarkable agility and body control for a 6’10” sophomore. He did a nice job last night on defense, and on the boards (10 rebounds), where he was active and aggressive. On offense, he didn’t score much (8 points), but he made a few eye-opening plays.
I remember one play in particular, from the second half of yesterday’s game. EM drove the right lane on a fast break, and was faced with a small defender who was hoping to draw a charge by standing in the low post. EM tried to hurdle the defender and dunk the ball (and almost pulled it off). I was amazed EM even attempted such a play (CR seemed amazed, too, and not so pleased…)
EM is a work in progress. Not clear, for example, whether EM has an effective jump shot (something he needs to develop if he hasn’t already). But I think EM may have NBA-level talent. It will be interesting to see whether CR can develop that talent. Meanwhile, EM already add a lot of value to the team in a variety of ways (whether or not he can shoot a jump shot). I expect EM will get more and more playing time as the season progresses.
Roberto Nelson, to me, is almost the polar opposite of EM. I watched RN quite a bit last night. Obviously, RN has a beautiful, pure, shooting motion — he’s the smoothest shooter on the team. When he’s “on”, RN can score a lot of points quickly. Looks like RN can get a good mid-range shot pretty much whenever he wants, by dribbling hard and then employing his polished pull-up jumper. And RN can shoot from long-range, too (I’ve seen him hit 3-pointers from far behind the line). That’s all good.
But RN throws too many careless passes. RN often leaves his feet before passing, leading to bad, forced passes and turnovers. RN does not seem comfortable running a fast break, and does not seem adept at distributing the ball on the break to the right teammate, at the right moment.
RN also spends too much time hanging around the perimeter, waiting for someone to pass him the ball. When he doesn’t have the ball, RN doesn’t make enough hard cuts or V-cuts to get separation from defenders. Nor does RN seem to set many picks for his teammates, or crash the boards for rebounds. Some of that may be due to CR’s offensive schemes. But at least some of it is on RN.
Moreover, RN is not a good defender. He seems to have trouble moving his feet and staying in front of his man. He reaches way too often (resulting in dumb, bad fouls). He doesn’t seem to anticipate passes well, nor does he do a good job of cutting off or jumping the passing lanes.
I suspect that RN is going to be most valuable to the Beavers as a streak shooter, an “instant-offense” kind of guy, who can carry the team when he’s hot, but who won’t add much other value when his shooting touch goes cold, as it will from time to time. RN’s passing, rebounding, defense, screening, etc. are all average or below-average. With RN, it probably starts and ends with shooting, or so it seems to me. That’s disappointing (since RN was hyped so much as CR’s top recruit) but I suspect that’s a realistic assessment of RN’s value to the Beavers (although it’s based on a small sample…and I hope I’m wrong about RN’s limitations…)
Yeah, that’s a funny thing. I recall Nelson being talked of as our “best” player, back when he had to sit it out, waiting for NCAA clearance. Then he finally gets cleared and in games is a non-factor, much less not being our best player.
Is he a practice great, who then disappears in games? Or was he originally hyped just for his shooting skills and the rest ignored?
Anyway, its GREAT to see the team rolling to easy wins over weak teams. That sure wasnt the case in previous years. Now lets see em being really competitive against the better teams…
I think Nelson is slowly coming around. Early on he looked like the same guy as the one who played against Bakersfield but he started making better decisions and better passes. He showed some aggressiveness and was making some shots. I think he will be better against Hofstra. Less poor decision making.
I love Moreland’s potential. Once he adds some bulk and has some post moves he will be a star for the Beavers. But, I can’t say he will be too big of a star until the 2013-2014 season because, Burton and Brandt still got another year left at OSU. Those two guys have showed a lot of improvement, especially Burton. He’s making better passes. He’s playing smarter and he’s become a better shooter. He developed a 3 point shot and is hitting his free throws. I’ve pleasantly surprised with his improvements.
Btw, Moreland is actually a RS freshman, not a sophomore.
Glad to hear Eric Moreland is a RS freshman, which I didn’t realize (just confirmed on the OSU basketball site that EM was granted a medical hardship exception on Aug. 4, 2011, so the four games EM played last season don’t matter). That’s very good news.
Agreed that Joe Burton and Angus Brandt have improved from last season. I have always liked Burton’s willingness to fight for rebounds inside, and his unselfishness. Burton also just seems like a really good guy (I met JB once in a local grocery store, and struck up a short conversation with him — Burton could not have been more open and friendly). Unfortunately, I’m afraid that Joe Burton is still going to commit way too many turnovers this season, based on what I saw last night at Gill. Still too many no-look passes. Still too many times that JB fails to protect the ball, and gets stripped or tied up by guards dropping down into the paint. Still too many plays where JB is out of control, trying to do too much. He’s better than last season, but he’s still essentially the same player, or so it seems to me…
I believe Parker talked about that last night. Said something to the effect of Nelson unsure of going full speed and all out because of concern of his ankle. Said he was fine now though. I expect he will come out really ready to go against Hofstra.
UCLA got stomped at home by Middle Tennessee State tonight, 86-66. Yikes. That team is bad. Reeves Nelson suspended and they have horrible guard play. They’ll be lucky to see any postseason at all this year. The Pac-12 has so many bad teams this year. ASU, UCLA, USC, Utah, Colorado. WSU and Stanford are mediocre right now. The conference should be better next year but right now it is pretty bad.
Link for the game tonight:
http://www.firstrowsports.tv/watch/92014/1/watch-west-alabama-vs-oregon-st.html
My comments don’t seem to be showing up on here. I’ve tried posting the link to tonight’s game but it has not been showing up. Not sure what’s up with that.
Since my comments with the link aren’t going through, everyone should just go to http://www.firstrowsports.tv and click on basketball and towards the bottom of the page everyone should see the link to the game.
Sorry. I think the program I use is marking it as spam. Probably because of the links. If anyone ever has a post that doesn’t show up, it’s because it has been marked as spam. I go through and approve them once a week (I’ll do it now).
As far as tonight’s game goes, I have the Beavers cruising tonight to a 89-57 win. What I would like to see is some aggressiveness from Roberto Nelson. He’s a key to the squad. Hopefully he shows signs of being more aggressiveness and stops being passive. He’s really talented. Better defense on pick and pop/rolls and cutting down the turnovers is something I will keep an eye on. Hopefully we some improvements in those areas tonight.
I was impressed with Barton. He looked confident and poised given it was his first game. I want to see more of him and less Nelson.
hard to judge Nelson or Barton after just 2 games. Basketball is a game of confidence. I would love to see guys like Brandt and Nelson get some confidence in this game. I still think Nelson has significant up-side.
I agree with Barton. He was really underrated and didn’t seem too anxious or nervous out there. He played within himself and has a nice shot. I think if Nelson struggles tonight and against Hofstra, Barton will start playing a lot more starting against Texas. I don’t think Craig is gonna just keep waiting around for Nelson to come around. I’m a fan of Nelson, so I hope he gets things figured out, but if not they sure look to have a pretty good option with Barton.
That’s what I’m thinking. Give Nelson a few games to figure it out, but if Barton plays within himself and actually contributes then Robinson must make the change. Nelson would be a nice option off the bench. Granted, it is way to early to consider this, but from what I saw on Saturday Barton looked like the better player, and that situation is something everyone (including CR) should keep their eye on.
i agree. nelson has been a disapointment in my eyes
I completely agree about Nelson. When he has the ball in his hands there’s no doubt he’s one of the most skilled players out there. My thoughts during that first game were that he simply doesn’t seem to know what he’s supposed to be doing. Either that or he plays kind of lazy. Hopefully I’m wrong because I agree having Nelson fire on all cylinders this season will be key for this team to get where we’re hoping they’ll go (NCAA tournament).
Going to the game tonight at Gill. Looking forward to seeing whether Eric Moreland plays well again. Also would like to see smarter and more aggressive play out of Nelson and Collier. Enjoying the post-Calvin-Haynes era a lot so far…..
So true…not having to worry about Haynes is priceless.
This is a Gazelle Group thing.
Another stream link:
http://apps.ohlulz.com/ncaa/flash.php?lulz=rtmp://cp98724.live.edgefcs.net:1935/live&id=orst_m-baskbl@31490
Go Beavs!
So what would everyone prefer? Out in the first round of the NCAA tourney, or make it a few games into the NIT? I am not familiar with basketball so I don’t know what would be considered “better”.
NCAA apearrance would be better because it is the better tournament. Winning the NIT essentially makes you ranked 69 while appearing in the NCAA means you are top 68 (theoretically). I would take a first round NCAA loss as long as it wasn’t in the “play-in” round aka “First Four”. The NCAA would add to our prestige but NIT wins could add to depth of experience.
Ahh okay. Thanks for the information.
Definitely NCAA tournament.
Gill looks empty tonight, I’m hoping attendance picks up with the league games.
Once the win streak hits 10 games, you won’t be able to find a ticket
Beavs look like a real team. Less street ball, more designed plays with execution. I don’t want to speak to soon…but they look good.
Beavers looking good as I thought they would be. Great passing, loving the rotation on defense. Nobody is getting easy shots for West Alabama. Beavers have an advantage inside and that’s where they have been going. They’re also getting a lot of easy baskets in transition. Love what I’m seeing so far.
Really like what I’m seeing from Roberto Nelson. He’s being much more aggressive and making better decisions.
Its kindof funny hearing Mike Parker talking to the producers between timeouts.
Barton and Murphy have been rather careless the last few minutes. Need to correct that in the second half
Yea, they definitely look inexperienced. Like that CR is giving them a chance.
Murphy has a nice, pure looking shot on those threes. Moreland needs to finish. I break out in a cold sweat whenever a Beav misses a layup.
Moreland looks like he’s going to be a nice player for the Beavers.
Wow, after tonight the basketball program and football program are going to be tied at 2 wins a piece!
Parker is funny when he starts babbling.
Anyone else notice how quickly and confidently the team got into their zone offense? Last year Wallace,Haynes and Omari would have dribbled around aimlessly confused by the change.
I was just gonna say that. This squad knows how to attack the zone and they make great passes. This squad passing so much better than in previous years. Truly was addition by subtraction.
I’m starting to wonder if Angus Brandt could actually have an NBA future. At 6-10 240lbs he has a heck of a jump shot for somebody with that size.
Is everyone’s feed getting bad or is it just mine?
Mine still looks fine.
Mine is bad. Real choppy and keeps buffering. Is that the issue you’re having?
Yes, but seems better now.
Phillip Morris should play with a cigarette in his mouth!
Haha
Beavers getting real sloppy. Barton and McShane in particular are making a lot of bad decisions. Having such a big lead has caused em to lose focus.
The last five minutes looked too much like last year for my taste, but I guess it’s understandable in this type of game. I hate to rain on anyone’s parade, but Kevin McShane is not a D-1 caliber player. I don’t get it.
The last ten minutes were brutal…left a bad taste.
That won’t get it done versus Hofstra.
They should have scored 100 easy. I hope Craig chews their asses a little because the competition is going to get much more difficult.
Have to take into account that they were up by 30+ for the final 10 minutes and Cunningham, Brandt, Burton and Starks weren’t playing much in the final 10 minutes. They had mostly inexperienced guys out there, aside from Nelson and McShane. They lost focus with the big lead. Inexperienced guys will do that from time to time. I they will handle Hofstra. Hofstra is definitely good but I think the Beavers are better and will handle em. We will see how good the Beavers truly are in the next 3 games. I think they will be very good.
Overall a good game, not great…
Teams with any size will give the Beavers trouble. They need to be taught the importance of each possession. They lose focus too easily. Too many forced 3s, too.
Sound is dead. Is Parker chewing on a napkin?
Before the sound went dead he was talking about “stacking them up”. I just assumed he was talking about napkins!
LOL
Off topic, but good god Utah is going to be bad this year….Coach Majerus will be rolling over in his grave…wait…nevermind. They had to come from behind to beat San Diego Christian by 3 points tonight. They lost their exhibition game. Their two best players are out with injuries and the rest of last years team bailed after the debacle with Jim Boylen. I don’t want to jinx it but I wish the Beavers were playing them twice instead of once this year.
The Beavers do play Utah twice this season.
I must be blind. I thought I read only once. Thanks for catching that.
They only play Arizona and UCLA once, so that might be a bit of a scheduling break. I don’t know if Colorado is supposed to be any good this year.
Colorado is supposed to have a down year. They lost a lot of guys and are in a rebuilding mode. The Beavers are better than they are and I’m sure want payback for last year. Love the fact that the Beavers don’t play in LA this year. They’ve struggled there for quite some time. Although, I wish they had the Trojans twice. They’ll struggle all year. A lot of injuries.
Pretty hard to criticize since it was really not in doubt for about 3/4 of the game. It is hard to maintain focus and not get sloppy. That said, McShane is a high energy guy that has a great story – CR needs to leave it at that. Put him in for 2 minutes and take him out. He has no business being out there with this team.
The problem with McShane is that he is starting to think off himself as a capable player and is trying to make plays he has no business even trying which makes him dangerous in a negative way. You are absolutely right. Give him two minutes to foul an opposing star hard or get a rebound and then get him the hell out of there.
In case you’re interested here’s a link to the WSU Gonzaga game which has just started, I guess. Don’t know if this is a replay or what.
ESPN is showing it as just started. Also it can be watched on ESPN 3.
http://www.justin.tv/zags_basketball_2010#/w/2072338304
At least they are winning the ones they should comfortably. Also, shot percentage seems to be much higher than last year with more points made in the paint. I know that the competition is poor but those are optimistic signs. Seem to be better with assists and rebounds too. I would like to see our FT percentage go up, we miss too many. FT’s make all the difference in big games.
angus now 8-10 from the field this year – beavers beginning to come together for first time in the coach robinson era – seen hopes dashed quickly in past, but this year has a different feel. we have some of the best talent here in years – now coach rob needs to coach. going to man to man D is a great start!
This post was written back in September. It is NOT about Oregon State. But as I read it, something felt slightly… familiar?
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7006213/misery-rooting-oklahoma-state-cowboys
What happened to Gomis? Is he still hurt or redshirting?
I read somewhere most likely redshirting. Didn’t he break his leg?
It was nice to see Murphy get his FIRST points as a Beaver (seems like he has been with the team forever already). I think he is going to play an important role as he gets back into the flow. He has a nice looking three and apparently has some hops. It was nice that he did not have to play much with the old guard either.
Not that it matters much, but why on earth would 13 guys play and Chris Brown (for the 2nd straight game) didn’t?
I mean there was even a Jones sighting for goodness sakes lol
He’s in Robinson’s doghouse.
I’m guessing it has something to do with his altercation with Rhianna
Well that makes sense I guess. No rumors as to his “issues?”
So I’ve attended both games at Gill, and came away most impressed with Eric Moreland, in terms of upside, and most concerned about Roberto Nelson (of whom so much has been expected, but so little delivered to date).
Sure, EM obviously needs to bulk up (weight and strength). Meanwhile, EM is already displaying remarkable agility and body control for a 6’10” sophomore. He did a nice job last night on defense, and on the boards (10 rebounds), where he was active and aggressive. On offense, he didn’t score much (8 points), but he made a few eye-opening plays.
I remember one play in particular, from the second half of yesterday’s game. EM drove the right lane on a fast break, and was faced with a small defender who was hoping to draw a charge by standing in the low post. EM tried to hurdle the defender and dunk the ball (and almost pulled it off). I was amazed EM even attempted such a play (CR seemed amazed, too, and not so pleased…)
EM is a work in progress. Not clear, for example, whether EM has an effective jump shot (something he needs to develop if he hasn’t already). But I think EM may have NBA-level talent. It will be interesting to see whether CR can develop that talent. Meanwhile, EM already add a lot of value to the team in a variety of ways (whether or not he can shoot a jump shot). I expect EM will get more and more playing time as the season progresses.
Roberto Nelson, to me, is almost the polar opposite of EM. I watched RN quite a bit last night. Obviously, RN has a beautiful, pure, shooting motion — he’s the smoothest shooter on the team. When he’s “on”, RN can score a lot of points quickly. Looks like RN can get a good mid-range shot pretty much whenever he wants, by dribbling hard and then employing his polished pull-up jumper. And RN can shoot from long-range, too (I’ve seen him hit 3-pointers from far behind the line). That’s all good.
But RN throws too many careless passes. RN often leaves his feet before passing, leading to bad, forced passes and turnovers. RN does not seem comfortable running a fast break, and does not seem adept at distributing the ball on the break to the right teammate, at the right moment.
RN also spends too much time hanging around the perimeter, waiting for someone to pass him the ball. When he doesn’t have the ball, RN doesn’t make enough hard cuts or V-cuts to get separation from defenders. Nor does RN seem to set many picks for his teammates, or crash the boards for rebounds. Some of that may be due to CR’s offensive schemes. But at least some of it is on RN.
Moreover, RN is not a good defender. He seems to have trouble moving his feet and staying in front of his man. He reaches way too often (resulting in dumb, bad fouls). He doesn’t seem to anticipate passes well, nor does he do a good job of cutting off or jumping the passing lanes.
I suspect that RN is going to be most valuable to the Beavers as a streak shooter, an “instant-offense” kind of guy, who can carry the team when he’s hot, but who won’t add much other value when his shooting touch goes cold, as it will from time to time. RN’s passing, rebounding, defense, screening, etc. are all average or below-average. With RN, it probably starts and ends with shooting, or so it seems to me. That’s disappointing (since RN was hyped so much as CR’s top recruit) but I suspect that’s a realistic assessment of RN’s value to the Beavers (although it’s based on a small sample…and I hope I’m wrong about RN’s limitations…)
Yeah, that’s a funny thing. I recall Nelson being talked of as our “best” player, back when he had to sit it out, waiting for NCAA clearance. Then he finally gets cleared and in games is a non-factor, much less not being our best player.
Is he a practice great, who then disappears in games? Or was he originally hyped just for his shooting skills and the rest ignored?
Anyway, its GREAT to see the team rolling to easy wins over weak teams. That sure wasnt the case in previous years. Now lets see em being really competitive against the better teams…
I think Nelson is slowly coming around. Early on he looked like the same guy as the one who played against Bakersfield but he started making better decisions and better passes. He showed some aggressiveness and was making some shots. I think he will be better against Hofstra. Less poor decision making.
I love Moreland’s potential. Once he adds some bulk and has some post moves he will be a star for the Beavers. But, I can’t say he will be too big of a star until the 2013-2014 season because, Burton and Brandt still got another year left at OSU. Those two guys have showed a lot of improvement, especially Burton. He’s making better passes. He’s playing smarter and he’s become a better shooter. He developed a 3 point shot and is hitting his free throws. I’ve pleasantly surprised with his improvements.
Btw, Moreland is actually a RS freshman, not a sophomore.
Glad to hear Eric Moreland is a RS freshman, which I didn’t realize (just confirmed on the OSU basketball site that EM was granted a medical hardship exception on Aug. 4, 2011, so the four games EM played last season don’t matter). That’s very good news.
Agreed that Joe Burton and Angus Brandt have improved from last season. I have always liked Burton’s willingness to fight for rebounds inside, and his unselfishness. Burton also just seems like a really good guy (I met JB once in a local grocery store, and struck up a short conversation with him — Burton could not have been more open and friendly). Unfortunately, I’m afraid that Joe Burton is still going to commit way too many turnovers this season, based on what I saw last night at Gill. Still too many no-look passes. Still too many times that JB fails to protect the ball, and gets stripped or tied up by guards dropping down into the paint. Still too many plays where JB is out of control, trying to do too much. He’s better than last season, but he’s still essentially the same player, or so it seems to me…
it could also, the ankle sprain he had few weeks ago is hampering his effectiveness
I believe Parker talked about that last night. Said something to the effect of Nelson unsure of going full speed and all out because of concern of his ankle. Said he was fine now though. I expect he will come out really ready to go against Hofstra.
UCLA got stomped at home by Middle Tennessee State tonight, 86-66. Yikes. That team is bad. Reeves Nelson suspended and they have horrible guard play. They’ll be lucky to see any postseason at all this year. The Pac-12 has so many bad teams this year. ASU, UCLA, USC, Utah, Colorado. WSU and Stanford are mediocre right now. The conference should be better next year but right now it is pretty bad.
CR had better take full advantage.
Don’t sell Stanford short. They have a great core of young players who can get it done.
And while Tad Boyle lost a lot from last years Buffs team, he’s a helluva coach who can scheme with the talent he does have.