Pokes hoops arriving a year early???

[Cosmic Cowboy]

So I haven't got to see this team play as much as I'd like to but they look a year ahead of schedule! The games I have caught I was really happy with the depth of the team. I feel like they have a list of guys that can get buckets. The team has a nice mix of bigs as well. If they shoot hot they can play with a lot of teams and the 3 gives you the ability to roar back into games. Our rebounding is much improved. Coach Edwards is doing a job, hell just a Cali trip they'd like to forget away from being undefeated (Pokes always struggle out here in Cali man :tickedoff: ) This team has already surprised me.

Question for you guys who've got to take in the squad more then me. How's our D looking this year??? Sounds like it was awesome against Troy. I feel like it's been solid enough to hold us in the games I've watched. They really need to find a way to ramp it up a little. A team with this many guys capable of minutes needs to grind hard on D and make our opponents work for buckets. That's how you go undefeated in the AA, by outlasting squads in the altitude. It helps if we can keep em off the glass too.

 

[Adv8RU12]

Ask me that question at the mid-point of the conference season. Right now it is 50-50 the answer is yes. Defense? Thank the training of Shyatt. Will this hold a few years away with Edwards? Maybe.

 

[joshvanklomp]

The offense reminds me a lot of what NBA teams saw in Atlanta the past few seasons, with five guys on the floor who can handle the rock and shoot it from anywhere. That's what we see from the lineup when Dalton and Herndon are in the frontcourt together.

 

[307bball]

I'm on the fence about this team right now. I'm happy that Wyo has played the way they have defensively but at the same time...these guys haven't played a great schedule.

Offensively this team is figuring it out. I think we'll lose some head-scratchers in conference play. Take my opinion with a grain of salt though...I predicted we would go .500 in ooc play.

 

[poke_addict]

im starting to get basketball fever! I mean besides the cal trip this team has taken care of business. Think we definitely should have beat pacific but the team wasn't 100% focused. They got the chance to practice in the Warriors practice facility and also had lower bowl tickets to watch Larry take on golden state on that trip.

Defense has not been perfect at all times but this team is gritty.. We definitely have multiple options for buckets. Still think we're working some kinks out.

At this point I don't see why we can't be contenders come conference play. We have played weaker competition yes but so has the entire conference and guess who is taking care of business... The team picked last.... By the way this years ooc has been tougher than years past.. Go pokes

 

[Wyo2dal]

I feel like you can see the youth in the team when we're in the road.

Play great at home but just sluggish out of sync on the road.


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[joshvanklomp]

We have played weaker competition yes but so has the entire conference and guess who is taking care of business... The team picked last.... By the way this years ooc has been tougher than years past.. Go pokes

This is the important thing to remember. There have been a number of questionable losses (though the MVC losses probably won't hurt some teams as much as initially thought...those are decent teams).

 

[joshvanklomp]

I feel like you can see the youth in the team when we're in the road.

Play great at home but just sluggish out of sync on the road.

It's nice that we open conference play with the four teams with the lowest RPIs in the league. That should let the team hopefully get the bugs out of the system before things get tougher.

 

[NowherePoke]

We are a year away IMO. I like where we are headed for 17-18 and 18-19 though.

I think our defensive numbers are fools gold right now. On paper, we look pretty good as we have held team to very low shooting percentages, but I think a lot of that is quality of competition and OOC opponents at 7200'.

That's not to take a way from our record, as one of the things I always appreciated about Shyatt is that his teams took care of business OOC. Shyatt only lost 3 OOC home games in 5 years and only one bad loss (Southern last year, the other two were quality Cal and SMU teams) and it is nice to see Edwards continuing that trend as the Pokes have wrapped up the OOC 8-0 at home including a win over Northern Iowa. However, I don't think the fundamental issues that made us a poor defensive team last year (and make no mistake about it, we were a poor defensive team last year even with Papa Shy on the bench) have gone away. We just get physically manhandled in the post by teams that have the size/athleticism to do so. One thing that has changed from Shyatt is that we foul a lot more as we are more aggressive, but aren't really good at turning the other team over with our aggressiveness, so not sure it is balancing out.

On the plus side, we have all the tools to be a good offensive team. It has come in spurts so far, but you can see the ability to really challenge defenses. We have shooters everywhere and multiple guys that can get to the rim including James, Adams, and surprisingly McManamen. JMac isn't much of a playmaker for others off the dribble, but he is fearless putting his head and going to the hole. Has generated a ton of FT's this year to help offset the decline in his perimeter shooting. As James/Dalton/Adams continue to mature, this group will really challenge teams offensively. Herndon is the X-factor. His numbers suggest he should be taking more shots. He just isn't aggressive by nature and I don't see it changing, but he can really cause matchup issues. He is much smoother and efficient than Dalton, but is too content to just hang on the perimeter until he gets an open 3 while Dalton will put the ball on the floor and make something happen (sometimes bad, sometimes good).

I think that our lack of interior defensive presence and PG play will be our undoing this year. There aren't necessarily easy fixes for the next couple of years, but I think the continued development of Naughton/Dalton will at least give us the semblance of a defensive presence in the post and I trust Edwards will figure out something at the PG position. We really only lose one rotation player going into next year, so the future is bright.

 

[LanderPoke]

Our defense is better than last year in my opinion. Against Troy we threw in the wrinkle of helping down with a guard in the post and it made a world of difference. We also have been doing this trap double team thing on the wing and that's forced a few turnovers. We're coming around.

 

[LanderPoke]

We are a year away IMO. I like where we are headed for 17-18 and 18-19 though.

I think our defensive numbers are fools gold right now. On paper, we look pretty good as we have held team to very low shooting percentages, but I think a lot of that is quality of competition and OOC opponents at 7200'.

That's not to take a way from our record, as one of the things I always appreciated about Shyatt is that his teams took care of business OOC. Shyatt only lost 3 OOC home games in 5 years and only one bad loss (Southern last year, the other two were quality Cal and SMU teams) and it is nice to see Edwards continuing that trend as the Pokes have wrapped up the OOC 8-0 at home including a win over Northern Iowa. However, I don't think the fundamental issues that made us a poor defensive team last year (and make no mistake about it, we were a poor defensive team last year even with Papa Shy on the bench) have gone away. We just get physically manhandled in the post by teams that have the size/athleticism to do so. One thing that has changed from Shyatt is that we foul a lot more as we are more aggressive, but aren't really good at turning the other team over with our aggressiveness, so not sure it is balancing out.

On the plus side, we have all the tools to be a good offensive team. It has come in spurts so far, but you can see the ability to really challenge defenses. We have shooters everywhere and multiple guys that can get to the rim including James, Adams, and surprisingly McManamen. JMac isn't much of a playmaker for others off the dribble, but he is fearless putting his head and going to the hole. Has generated a ton of FT's this year to help offset the decline in his perimeter shooting. As James/Dalton/Adams continue to mature, this group will really challenge teams offensively. Herndon is the X-factor. His numbers suggest he should be taking more shots. He just isn't aggressive by nature and I don't see it changing, but he can really cause matchup issues. He is much smoother and efficient than Dalton, but is too content to just hang on the perimeter until he gets an open 3 while Dalton will put the ball on the floor and make something happen (sometimes bad, sometimes good).

I think that our lack of interior defensive presence and PG play will be our undoing this year. There aren't necessarily easy fixes for the next couple of years, but I think the continued development of Naughton/Dalton will at least give us the semblance of a defensive presence in the post and I trust Edwards will figure out something at the PG position. We really only lose one rotation player going into next year, so the future is bright.

I agree about Herndon's offense. He looks good this year and I wish we give it to him in the post more. He can score pretty well and passes well, too.

 

[JimmyDimes]

The game tonight will give us a better idea of how the team has progressed. DePaul will be a solid opponent and the Cowboys will need a good effort to win. Still a work in progress as the team is still adjusting to Edwards style of play. And, he is still making some odd substitutions. But, when the Pokes went down by 10 to Troy, he went with the bread and butter line-up of James, Adams, Dalton, Herndon, and JMac..with a little Naughton, Liebs, and Gorski tossed in to help. That 8 man rotation is how this team will be able to compete. I still expect others to play roles....but that is the rotation, if stuck to, that can make us a competitive MWC team.

 

[NowherePoke]

The game tonight will give us a better idea of how the team has progressed. DePaul will be a solid opponent and the Cowboys will need a good effort to win. Still a work in progress as the team is still adjusting to Edwards style of play. And, he is still making some odd substitutions. But, when the Pokes went down by 10 to Troy, he went with the bread and butter line-up of James, Adams, Dalton, Herndon, and JMac..with a little Naughton, Liebs, and Gorski tossed in to help. That 8 man rotation is how this team will be able to compete. I still expect others to play roles....but that is the rotation, if stuck to, that can make us a competitive MWC team.

Good observation on the rotations. That lineup you mention (James/Adams/JMac/Herndon/Dalton) is our version of the "lineup of death". 5 guys that can all shoot and put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. That lineup can really challenge in transition as well with James and Adams going to the rim, Dalton crashing as the secondary lane runner and Herndon/JMac spotting up for transition 3's. The lineup does pose some issues in terms of defensive post play and lack of PG, but I think it is apparent at this point that the PG play doesn't exist on the roster so it is what it is.

I am still a big fan of Naughton and his potential and I think he will be critical to the rotation come conference play. Gorski is an ideal bench contributor that can contribute offensively as well. Will be interesting to see if Lieberman or Kelley gets those additional perimeter minutes. Not sure Kelley hasn't been better thus far to be honest. Will be interesting to see if Edwards finds any minutes in the frontcourt for either Moemeka or Barnes.

 

[JimmyDimes]

The game tonight will give us a better idea of how the team has progressed. DePaul will be a solid opponent and the Cowboys will need a good effort to win. Still a work in progress as the team is still adjusting to Edwards style of play. And, he is still making some odd substitutions. But, when the Pokes went down by 10 to Troy, he went with the bread and butter line-up of James, Adams, Dalton, Herndon, and JMac..with a little Naughton, Liebs, and Gorski tossed in to help. That 8 man rotation is how this team will be able to compete. I still expect others to play roles....but that is the rotation, if stuck to, that can make us a competitive MWC team.

Good observation on the rotations. That lineup you mention (James/Adams/JMac/Herndon/Dalton) is our version of the "lineup of death". 5 guys that can all shoot and put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. That lineup can really challenge in transition as well with James and Adams going to the rim, Dalton crashing as the secondary lane runner and Herndon/JMac spotting up for transition 3's. The lineup does pose some issues in terms of defensive post play and lack of PG, but I think it is apparent at this point that the PG play doesn't exist on the roster so it is what it is.

I am still a big fan of Naughton and his potential and I think he will be critical to the rotation come conference play. Gorski is an ideal bench contributor that can contribute offensively as well. Will be interesting to see if Lieberman or Kelley gets those additional perimeter minutes. Not sure Kelley hasn't been better thus far to be honest. Will be interesting to see if Edwards finds any minutes in the frontcourt for either Moemeka or Barnes.

Naughton played a much better game vs Troy than he has in the past few games. Getting more comfortable around the rim. We need him to continue to improve as the season progresses. Adams didn't have the best game, but he is a scoring threat when on the court. Shoots the ball well and can take it to the rim. As far as pg, Adams, James, and Herndon or more than capable bringing the ball down the court. The problem against Troy is we tried to make too many fancy passes into tight coverage (kind of like the football game last night). If the team can learn how to take care of the ball better and play a little better in your face D, I think this team has a legitimate shot at knocking off anyone in the MWC. Things they need to improve.

Kelley and Liebs are interchangable. I think Liebs experiences helps him. And, he is a good FT shooter.

I think we will continue to see most of the guys getting PT every game. But, Edwards knows what his bread and butter line-up is.

 

[LanderPoke]

The game tonight will give us a better idea of how the team has progressed. DePaul will be a solid opponent and the Cowboys will need a good effort to win. Still a work in progress as the team is still adjusting to Edwards style of play. And, he is still making some odd substitutions. But, when the Pokes went down by 10 to Troy, he went with the bread and butter line-up of James, Adams, Dalton, Herndon, and JMac..with a little Naughton, Liebs, and Gorski tossed in to help. That 8 man rotation is how this team will be able to compete. I still expect others to play roles....but that is the rotation, if stuck to, that can make us a competitive MWC team.

Good observation on the rotations. That lineup you mention (James/Adams/JMac/Herndon/Dalton) is our version of the "lineup of death". 5 guys that can all shoot and put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. That lineup can really challenge in transition as well with James and Adams going to the rim, Dalton crashing as the secondary lane runner and Herndon/JMac spotting up for transition 3's. The lineup does pose some issues in terms of defensive post play and lack of PG, but I think it is apparent at this point that the PG play doesn't exist on the roster so it is what it is.

I am still a big fan of Naughton and his potential and I think he will be critical to the rotation come conference play. Gorski is an ideal bench contributor that can contribute offensively as well. Will be interesting to see if Lieberman or Kelley gets those additional perimeter minutes. Not sure Kelley hasn't been better thus far to be honest. Will be interesting to see if Edwards finds any minutes in the frontcourt for either Moemeka or Barnes.

I agree. We need more Naughton. He rebounds at a very right rate. Efficient rebounder.

I'd honestly be happy if Kelly and Lieberman got like 2-3 min per game.

 

[wyoair]

I haven't been able to watch them nearly as much as I would like to. Wyovision has been for me essentially the same as not watching at all. Its definitely a good sign when arguably your best player or one of the best (Adams) can have an ok game but we can still score. Points to our depth. Has Moemeka seemed to have improved his play as of late?

 

[joshvanklomp]

The biggest sign we are arguably peaking a year ahead of schedule is our youth. JMac is our only senior in the regular rotation, and while he's had a great career, I don't think going from him to Mack will be a huge fall-off. Marshall is the other senior, and he hasn't provided much that needs to be replaced.

Then beyond that, we'll be getting a couple of talented transfers in the lineup in Redding and Jones. They both have this whole season to integrate into the team and the system, so it shouldn't mess up chemistry too much early next year either.

And I haven't even brought up the two Hunters, who will probably redshirt next year. If either play though, they could still be solid contributors too.

 

[Cowboy Junky]

I don't see this season as one where the Cowboys are arriving a year early.

Under Shy, our program was consistently a team that was one of the three most competitive teams in the league, at full strength. They year we lost Luke for his Suge Knight incident we we're very good with little depth. The same can be said the year Nance went down with the knee issues and the year Nance and Herndon got mono. We we're one of the best teams in the league each one of those seasons and just didn't have the depth to finish most of the time.

The program has been in a consistently good place for a while now.

I think last year was a blip on the radar, where we lost five seniors and the majority of our minutes from an NCAA tourney team. Last season was the abnormal one.

The program arrived several years ago, now it's just about reloading/retooling to remain one of the top 4 MWC basketball programs every season.

The next few seasons, we'll likely have more potential for greatness, but we're still a top MWC basketball squad this year.

 

[joshvanklomp]

The program has been in a consistently good place for a while now.

I think last year was a blip on the radar, where we lost five seniors and the majority of our minutes from an NCAA tourney team. Last season was the abnormal one.

The program arrived several years ago, now it's just about reloading/retooling to remain one of the top 4 MWC basketball programs every season.

The next few seasons, we'll likely have more potential for greatness, but we're still a top MWC basketball squad this year.

The team is completely different though, when you look at head coach, offensive tempo, not relying on one guy to carry the offense, etc. I don't think anyone thought the transition would be as smooth as it's been, especially with JMac not really improving. I thought he'd have to have a Korver-like season for us to be playing this well.

 

[Cosmic Cowboy]

I don't see this season as one where the Cowboys are arriving a year early.

Under Shy, our program was consistently a team that was one of the three most competitive teams in the league, at full strength. They year we lost Luke for his Suge Knight incident we we're very good with little depth. The same can be said the year Nance went down with the knee issues and the year Nance and Herndon got mono. We we're one of the best teams in the league each one of those seasons and just didn't have the depth to finish most of the time.

The program has been in a consistently good place for a while now.

I think last year was a blip on the radar, where we lost five seniors and the majority of our minutes from an NCAA tourney team. Last season was the abnormal one.

The program arrived several years ago, now it's just about reloading/retooling to remain one of the top 4 MWC basketball programs every season.

The next few seasons, we'll likely have more potential for greatness, but we're still a top MWC basketball squad this year.

I like your way of thinking CJ and I hadn't really thought like that myself. I'd still say we're ahead of schedule by a year since much like football we were picked last and are surprising our own fanbase. Still I think your spot on. Barring those snake bitten seasons UW was a legit top 4 MWC team every year and it sorta got washed out by our finishes. We're just right were we should be :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

This USC game tonight is BIG. Winning that gives us our first signature win on the season and could start to open up NCAA talk. You only lose 2 on the road OOC then rattle off 4 or 5 straight conference wins and people start to take notice a little. Posted Saragrin ratings below and UW is hovering closer to the top 100. Nevada is top in conference ranked 67 and the team to beat with BSU, SDSU ranked inside the top 100 as well. A lot of teams hovering around the 120 range in the MWC. UW has to go on a streak and put these teams away to separate themselves from the pack.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaab/sagarin/2017/conference/

Edit- Not picked last but damn close