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Some brief thoughts on the Oregon game

Posted by Trips Right on November 26th, 2008 under Basketball

The defense was once again smothering, inside and out.

We were sloppy with the basketball and missed way too many point blank finishes. We need to finish those against better competition. I rewatched the Notre Dame game and this was a problem as well.

It looked like we made a concerted effort to have some semblance of a post game. I love the counter off of the ball screen that includes a dive to the post by the screener to take advantage of the hedging defensive big. Big Dex and GJ got dunks out of it. All it requires is a quick reversal and a decent entry pass. Texas can make a living off it.

It was no accident that AJ was a bit more selective in his attempts today, despite what Barnes says to the public. It’s also no accident that Damion James had his best offensive game of the year. His bread is buttered roaming the baseline and using his athletic ability to finish. When he’s chasing long rebounds he’s not nearly as effective offensively. Go figure.

Justin Mason continues to impress. I’m almost ready to buy in to him being a bona fide lead guard full time. He’s the best finisher off the bounce, drops dimes, and continues to run the team effectively in half court. He plays the entire 90 feet like it belongs to him. Star.

Varez Ward and Dogus Balbay continue to improve. They look like they belong early on in their careers. That’s important.

Big Dex. Come on big daddy, I’m out here on a limb for you. Do you know what it’s like being me out here on a limb for you? It’s an up at dawn pride swallowing siege that few can comprehend. Cut the ticky tac fouls and keep booming on m’fers.

Chapman. You better start to bring it offensively or Alexis is going to steal your minutes. If he surpasses you on the offensive end, you risk going the way of Matt Hill.

Gary Johnson, when I’m not dreaming of Jessica Alba as a naked Dungeon Master armed with a 12 sided dice, I’m dreaming about you in the high post entering down low, taking fools off the dribble, or hitting that sweet little fifteen footer. Your ability to defend on the perimeter makes you down right scary. Great Game.

Connor. I get it. Tired legs. Way to bring it defensively.

In conclusion, the tournament has been a terrific learning experience for the team. Some one said it on another thread, but perhaps losing to Notre Dame was better for the team than getting their collective heads kicked in by Carolina. Maybe it helped this team get closer to finding it’s identity.

We’ll find out against UCLA.

Thoughts?

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11 Responses

  1. 8straight said:

    November 26th, 2008 at 4:26 pm

    I thought it was interesting that after the game Rick said that he just wanted to get a win. No style points needed in this one, even though he got some.

  2. Kafka said:

    November 26th, 2008 at 6:08 pm

    Congrats to UT for actually running an offense today. It was a little ragged today but with practise they will run it much better. Mason is turning into the man. It is obvious that he should be the PG.

    Wangmene should be playing ahead of Chapman. Wangmene is a beast. He has a better touch on his shot right now and is superior as a rebounder and defender. Wangmene also makes it much easier for the horns to press either half court or full court and to play help D half court.

    Dex is looking more explosive in terms of his movement and jumping. He is looking more confident and relaxed when he gets the ball. Once he gets into Big 12 play, he will get fewer fouls called on him just because much more contact is permitted in the Big 12 than in Hawaii. Most of the fouls on him in this tournament were ticky-tack.

    Gary is definitely a matchup problem. His 15 foot jumper makes a nightmare for your typical power forward to cover (because Gary is just going to bust right by the big defender if the defender tries to contest the 15 foot jumper).

    Gary’s driving classic hook vs. ND was absolutely beautiful. He was driving fast diagonally across the lane and then went up so rapidly with the classic hook that there was no way the big guy defending him could keep up.

    I would like to see Gary posting up high on the left side of the lane. That will permit him to either shoot immediately or fake the shot and drive from left to right across/down the lane.

    My gut feel is that Ward is going to be a big contributor before Balbay. They are both warriors.

    Might be interesting if Connor is used to make the entry pass to the post. At least he would be in the right position to make the pass. It would also bring Connor’s big defender out of the middle. If Connor’s defender tried to sink to the middle and help out on the post, Connor could shoot the uncontested 3. If Connor’s defender really gets in Connor’s face, it would open up give and go plays between Connor and the post man.

    It was good to see that Barnes was less angry and more business like today in admonishing the troops when they screwed up.

  3. uthookem said:

    November 26th, 2008 at 6:32 pm

    Much better game tonight, and Mason running the point cures a lot of ills. And yes, I’ll take credit for the pussy statement about losing to ND last night instead of getting whipped by UNC tonight.

    This sets us up much better to play UCLA next week.

    Hook ‘em!

  4. TTP, Fred said:

    November 26th, 2008 at 7:23 pm

    I wish Dex’s PPG = the frequency I’m reminded by the press about how much weight he’s lost and how much better he looks.

  5. ChrisApplewhite said:

    November 26th, 2008 at 10:13 pm

    I think I would like to see Barnes start to tighten the rotations down as OOC play goes on. We don’t really need 6 big men. Pick 3, give them the minutes, and have a 4th ready to go for depth and foul trouble.

    The other two can fall where they may.

    Also, as down as I’ve been on AJ for the last year, I think the biggest thing that gets to me is that you can tell when he’s going to jack up an awful shot. Everybody knows it’s coming. He starts dribbling, putting on moves, not looking to pass or fit in, he’s just trying to get enough space to get his shot. And it never goes in. He’s probably hovering around 8% on his forced shots.

  6. ChrisApplewhite said:

    November 26th, 2008 at 10:15 pm

    Forgot one thing — is anyone else as impressed by Balbay’s perimeter defense as I am? His reactions are cat quick and he plays with his legs.

  7. RansomStoddard said:

    November 27th, 2008 at 6:05 am

    1. It appears Dex has not progressed at all since last year. 2. Balbay has a long long way to go to give us any meaningful minutes. He seems completely paralyzed on offense. 3. Chapman needs to redshirt. 4. Atchley appeared tired, or sick. 5. Mason will be our point guard for the rest of the year. 6. Gary Johnson just looks like he should be more dominant than he is.

  8. Trips Right said:

    November 27th, 2008 at 7:40 am

    8straight, yep I think he got his point across Tuesday.

    Kafka, agree 100% with your takes. Love to see your writeups on these threads. Connor should be a counter to overzealous post help. Big men struggle to move and get out on Connor and I think we could deploy in some skip situations across the floor.

    ut, mason is going to go down as one of the Longhorn greats. Royal Ivey on steroids (figuratively ofcourse)

    Fred, it’s Sydmil Harris syndrome.

    CA, I think Barnes is in the process of doing that. Chapman better get his ass in gear, the train’s leaving the station. And great take on Balbay. Great defender. Offensively he needs to have good shooters at the 2 and 3 to be effective. Or we need to trap and run.

    Ransom, love your takes. They remind me of phone calls I’d have with my pop. He’d intersperse “that SOB” and “mfer” much more, but you knew you were getting the straight shit. Next year is going to be a crap ton of a lot of fun with Hamilton, Bradley, and Williams coming on the scene. They’ll make the game look a lot easier than it is. Watching the current team play half court offense is like eating soup with a fork, or trying to hit a Charlie Hough knuckler.

  9. CBT said:

    November 27th, 2008 at 8:30 am

    Impressed with Balbay’s D also. Hopefully his offensive game will start to show a bit more.

  10. The General said:

    December 1st, 2008 at 8:41 am

    Balbay manages to stay in front and move laterally while still playing high. That is hard to do and it makes him one helluva defender. He also pressures the dribble constantly, which is going to earn him some extra reaching fouls, but will also earn him some steals.

    I agree with the sentiment that Ward and Balbay look like they belong. Clint Chapman looks like he belongs . . . in intramurals.

    Wangmene deserves Chapman’s minute now.

  11. Bob in Houston said:

    December 1st, 2008 at 9:04 am

    Chapman doesn’t look to be any slower in development than Atchley in his sophomore season (which was his third on campus). He reminds me of Klotz (also a five-year guy), and not just because of his pigmentation.

    It’s rare to see Barnes give PT to guys who haven’t earned it. I don’t Chapman would be playing if he hadn’t showed something.

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