5pm start.

I guess we'll get to see once more what is wrong with Oregon State hoops. The comments in that thread were interesting. Everything from fire CR to blaming injuries. I'm somewhere in between. I expected this year to be worse than last, but I don't think Angus Brandt was a huge piece who's injury should derail the entire season. Also, I see the fundamental issues, like not giving effort on defense (what happened to those 5am practices?) or not making adjustments, and blame those on the coach.

Anyway, I expect Arizona to win by 25.

Year over year statistics don't show any glaring differences. They had two more steals per game last year. FG% is down .10%. Rebounds are actually up (5 per game, though that could be due to more missed shots). It looks like a wash overall, though. You can see the stats here.

So what is the issue?

I want others' feedback since I have only watched a handful of games. What I saw on this games:

• Street ball offense…hardly any set plays, players improvising on every possession, sloppy, etc.
• Disinterest in playing defense…to many easy or uncontested shots.
• CR looks shot. Head down, hand holding up his slouched head. When he first arrived, he was fiery and into it.
• Players haven't developed enough or at all. The only guy who has clearly improved is Moreland. Joe Burton is almost the exact same player he was four years ago. Starks, too. Nelson has show minor improvement.
• Depth. The injuries have hurt, I suppose, but it's not like Brandt was a force. Jared Cunningham's departure is the biggest difference. There was talk the young guys were ready to step up and fill that void, but they haven't.
• Young players aren't ready. This isn't a plug and play school, unfortunately. The new guys need a year or two to develop it seems.
• Recruiting classes overrated? I'm not sure on this one. I think in a proper offense and with good coaching some of these guys could be great. Collier, Nelson, and Moreland all come to mind. They are legit players for the right coach/system.
• Games have all been fairly close, which tells me they're playing to the level of the competition. They want to do just enough to stick around rather than give all they have and win.

Thoughts?

Game thread.

7pm  PT.

Not feeling great about conference play. My hope is they've been playing to the level of competition and have another gear they've been waiting to use. Not likely, but that Kansas game gives me a little hope. We'll see.

Go Beavs.