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View Full Version : The Seaon as I see (hope) it goes



stoopified
9/24/2008, 04:04 PM
First of all the starting 5:



Post: 6'10 251 so. B. Griffin

Post: 6'9 231 jr. R. Wright

Wing: 6'6 206 jr. T. Crocker

Wing:6'4 207 fr. W. Warren

Point: 6'3 176 sr A. Johnson

Second Team:

Post: 6'8 245 so. K. Cannon

Post: 6'7 238 sr. T. Griffin

Wing: 6'6 212 jr. J. Patillo

Wing: 6'5 208 so. C. Davis

Point: 5'10 173 sr. O. Leary

I think because he has had weight and injury issues O. Allen 6'11 267 so. will be the 5th post on te team.It is possible that he could beat out Cannon for the 4th post spot I think the other post spots are a given as the Griffins are veterans and Wright was reportedly impressive in practice last year.At only 172 and 6'6 I think Willis needs to bulk up for Big 12 basketball,also he was the vitim of a stabbing earlier this month.All that leads me to think redshirt for Ray.

Many of you may cringe looking at AJ as OUr starter at point BUT two things lead me to think this is so: 1) Over the last two years AJ has an assist -turnover ration of 2-1.By comparison Scottie Reynolds(remember him) is 1-1 as was Jai Lucas( name sound familiar?),2) AJ has bulked up now to 176(well at least he is not 165 anymore).Willie Warren is a true frosh and NOT a true point.With Willie at wing he can be a tremedous scoring threat(scoring IS his forte) and still create in the open court.With Warren and Crocker as outside threats and with Blake and Wright crreating havoc down low for foes AJ can relax,not worry about HAVING to score,and just run the offense. On the flip side without having to carry the burden of running the offense WW can cut loose as a scorer and create(think Terrell Everett,he led OU in assists as a senior from the wing).Anyhow that is my take FWIW.

As for the season I see us going 2-1 in the NIT Tipoff( winning 2 in Norman,losing in NY) and finishing non-con at 12-1.In conference I think we can finish at around 13-3.I see a likely loss at UT, a split with either oSu or aTm and an upset loss(more than likely on the road ) somewhere in there.That would put us at 25-4 heading into the Big 12 tourney.I say we go 1-1 there (who really wants to even play on Sunday?),Then on to THE DANCE where I hope for at least a SWEET 16.That would put us at a final mark of 28-6.Sounds good to me,so am I crazy?

IronHorseSooner
10/17/2008, 09:25 AM
I think the last starting spot will be between AJ and Patillo. It all depends on Coach's assessment of WW as a point or a 2-guard. I could see WW being a wing this year, and a point next year, as he grasps more of the offense. I believe Coach will use an 11 man rotation with Allen. Willis does need to bulk up and fully recover from the unfortunate incident. I have always thought he would redshirt.

As far as a season's prediction goes, I agree with one loss in the non-con. These days, it is virtually impossible to go undefeated in non-con (not even KU or Memphis did that last year). In conference, I see 12-2. I agree with the split with UTerus, even though I believe there is a greater shot at sweeping them than the other way around. I haven't decided where the other loss will come. We play KU, CU, and Nebbish in Norman (three teams that we have traditionally done better with at home), and ISU, KSTATE, and Mizzou on the road. ISU and KSTATE will stink this year, but Mizzou will be better. It could come at Mizzou in a letdown type game. In the South, split with UTerus. A&M, while good, lost three critical players last year, two of whom matched up against Blake. I see a sweep there. OSU will still need another year under Ford, OU is clearly better, and I see a sweep there. Tech stinks, end of story. Baylor is good, and better than advertised; however, Baylor has NEVER beaten the Sooners in Men's BBALL. I still see a sweep there, because the team will be on upset alert for this one. I say, again, 12-2 with a letdown against Mizzou and a split with UTerus. In the tourney, if they are only a 3-loss team, they could be playing for a 1 or 2 seed. If that is the case, I could see them winning it due to their superior depth. UTerus is not built for a tourney-style set-up. They don't have a lot of backcourt depth. I see the good guys winning the Big XII tourney. In that case, they would garner serious consideration for a 1 or 2, and would be favorites to get to the Final Four. To be conservative, I will say Elite Eight. That may sound a bit much, but look at the landscape of the game this year. No team, not even UNC, is that scary. This team has size (6 players 6'7" or bigger), 2 senior PGs, 2 HS All Americans, numerous athletic wing-type players, and a bright young coach. They don't rely on the three, and due to their size and wingspan, can cause mismatch problems.

S008NER
10/18/2008, 08:43 PM
Given the preseason predictions/expectations, I would say if healthy anything less then the elite 8 would be a disapointment. The talent is there.

SleestakSooner
10/20/2008, 04:11 PM
I see Warren being okay but not a world beater. AJ should be better this season and will be an important anchor on the team. Cade will have a break out season and become a real scoring threat.

You heard it here first, anything less than a conference championship and a final four appearance will be a disappointment if the team stays relatively healthy all season.

the_ouskull
10/20/2008, 09:34 PM
I'll bite...

My starting five: (no real regard to position, although I'm basically listing them 5 to 1)

- Blake Griffin
- Taylor Griffin
- Juan Patillo
- Tony Crocker
- Willie Warren

The immediate bench:

- Cade Davis
- Ryan Wright
- Austin Johnson

The "Where Austin Johnson Ought To Be" part of the bench:

Everybody else...

Early in the year, I'd like to see if any of the new guys that we're not redshirting can play. (I'm going out on a limb now - but not really - and saying that I don't think that Orlando Allen is going to be able to play...) I think that getting some guys, especially our undersized frontcourt guys, some early playing time will be key to having them be ready to really play come the conference season. If we're having to rely on heavy minutes from Taylor at the 3, or Patillo at the 4, or Crocker at the 3; all positions that those players CAN play, but won't have to play for us in an optimal situation - then we're going to be in a lot of trouble this year, I think. Blake HAS to stay healthy, and he HAS to stay out of foul trouble. He's our tallest player with any modicum of skill, not to mention our best rebounder.

What scares me the most about the starting lineup that I listed is size in the frontcourt, and ball handling from the guards. Yes, Crocker and Warren can both handle the ball, but not against full-court pressure, for an entire game... But, if Austin Johnson is the solution to that problem, then I honestly think that we're better off with the problem. With the team that we have this season, we can't afford to have someone running the point that's never averaged more than 3 assists per game for an entire season... and they're a senior point guard. When you throw in his field goal percentage and (related) his rather questionable shot selection, I think that he should really only see significant minutes in a three-guard set until he proves that he can both take care of, and distribute, the basketball.

...although if Warren can handle the point, and A.J.'s improved his shooting a great deal over last year, I wouldn't mind seeing him play some 2 for us.

I'm really just excited to see how the season plays out... I love basketball.

the_ouskull

And even with an undersized, thin frontcourt, I still think we'll be better this year without the "true center" we've had plugged in for the past few...

OUstud
10/21/2008, 12:58 AM
11/14/08 vs. American W
NIT Season Tip-Off
11/17/08 vs. Mississippi Valley State W
11/18/08 Davidson or James Madison Davidson; W

I think we go to MSG and lose close in the final. But overall, a solid start.

11/22/08 vs. Gardner-Webb W

Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series
12/04/08 vs. USC W, football probation chants aplenty

12/07/08 at Tulsa W, close
12/10/08 vs. Maine W
12/13/08 vs. Utah W
All-College Classic
12/20/08 vs. VCU W, high scoring affair

12/22/08 at Rice W, low scoring affair
12/30/08 at Arkansas W
01/03/09 vs. Coppin State W
01/05/09 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore W
01/10/09 at Kansas State W
01/12/09 vs. Texas W
01/17/09 at Texas A&M L, uncalled for road loss to inferior opponent
01/21/09 vs. Nebraska W
01/24/09 vs. Baylor W
01/26/09 at Oklahoma State W
01/31/09 at Iowa State W
02/04/09 vs. Texas A&M W
02/07/09 vs. Colorado W
02/11/09 at Baylor L, BU finally gets monkey off back vs. probably top-10 Sooners
02/14/09 vs. Texas Tech W
02/21/09 at Texas L (OT), down to the wire
02/23/09 vs. Kansas W
02/28/09 at Texas Tech W, no heroics necessary
03/04/09 at Missouri W
03/07/09 vs. Oklahoma State W

If we're as good as advertised, this schedule sets up well I think. As for the tourneys, Big XII Champs, and an Elite 8 exit as a 2 seed.

IronHorseSooner
10/22/2008, 07:49 AM
I can go with that. Baylor is the most interesting team in the conference. They have a bevvy of good guards, and will look to play teams uptempo. The only thing about them is that they have shaky interior play. That's how teams like KU and OU could expose them, because both have good interior players. UT couldn't as much because they 4 and 5 (James and Atchley) are really more like small forwards and hang out more on the perimeter.

the_ouskull
10/27/2008, 09:40 PM
11/14/08 vs. American W
NIT Season Tip-Off
11/17/08 vs. Mississippi Valley State W
11/18/08 Davidson or James Madison Davidson; W

I think we go to MSG and lose close in the final. But overall, a solid start.

11/22/08 vs. Gardner-Webb W

Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series
12/04/08 vs. USC W, football probation chants aplenty

12/07/08 at Tulsa W, close
12/10/08 vs. Maine W
12/13/08 vs. Utah W
All-College Classic
12/20/08 vs. VCU W, high scoring affair

12/22/08 at Rice W, low scoring affair
12/30/08 at Arkansas W
01/03/09 vs. Coppin State W
01/05/09 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore W
01/10/09 at Kansas State W
01/12/09 vs. Texas W
01/17/09 at Texas A&M L, uncalled for road loss to inferior opponent
01/21/09 vs. Nebraska W
01/24/09 vs. Baylor W
01/26/09 at Oklahoma State W
01/31/09 at Iowa State W
02/04/09 vs. Texas A&M W
02/07/09 vs. Colorado W
02/11/09 at Baylor L, BU finally gets monkey off back vs. probably top-10 Sooners
02/14/09 vs. Texas Tech W
02/21/09 at Texas L (OT), down to the wire
02/23/09 vs. Kansas W
02/28/09 at Texas Tech W, no heroics necessary
03/04/09 at Missouri W
03/07/09 vs. Oklahoma State W

If we're as good as advertised, this schedule sets up well I think. As for the tourneys, Big XII Champs, and an Elite 8 exit as a 2 seed.

Are you related to Issac Mendez?

the_ouskull

King Crimson
10/27/2008, 09:49 PM
I wouldn't be surprised to struggle some early. I'd guess less than 12-1 OOC. just for kicks, i think the Gardner-Webb game has "trap" written all over it (assuming we win the first 2 in the NIT).

i think those of you suggesting anything less than a round of 8 or 2 seed as "disappointment" are getting a little hasty. JMO. One: I think we are potentially a legit top 15 type team...better than that, too many unprovens outside Blake. Two: i'm not sure the NCAA tournament works like that. OU has a nice history but not one where we can just "expect" Sweet 16's or better based on preseason predicts.

at the very least, either Blake needs to shoot 70% from the line or we need to do a MUCH BETTER job of getting guys to the line who can than last year...or it will cost us on the road in conference and against good teams on bad shooting nights from the field for OU.

last year we couldn't stay within 10 points of a top 10-15 type team. there was a BIG gap between where we were (two pretty lucky baskets or out of the NCAA) and top teams. not saying we won't make that ground up, am saying it's not a guarantee.

stoopified
10/28/2008, 03:39 PM
I wouldn't be surprised to struggle some early. I'd guess less than 12-1 OOC. just for kicks, i think the Gardner-Webb game has "trap" written all over it (assuming we win the first 2 in the NIT).

i think those of you suggesting anything less than a round of 8 or 2 seed as "disappointment" are getting a little hasty. JMO. One: I think we are potentially a legit top 15 type team...better than that, too many unprovens outside Blake. Two: i'm not sure the NCAA tournament works like that. OU has a nice history but not one where we can just "expect" Sweet 16's or better based on preseason predicts.

at the very least, either Blake needs to shoot 70% from the line or we need to do a MUCH BETTER job of getting guys to the line who can than last year...or it will cost us on the road in conference and against good teams on bad shooting nights from the field for OU.

last year we couldn't stay within 10 points of a top 10-15 type team. there was a BIG gap between where we were (two pretty lucky baskets or out of the NCAA) and top teams. not saying we won't make that ground up, am saying it's not a guarantee.All very valid points.I freely admit my prognostication is based on best case scenario.I am hoping we don't suffer key injuries(Blake,Wright,Crocker,Johnson,Warren) and OUr unknown factors play up to expectations (Warren,Wright,Patillo,etc).


Bottom line is I'm counting on Capel to be the coach I think he is and a little luck on the injury front.One other thing I would add is that Capel has not backed away from the expectations being laid on his team nationally,he has embraced them.I hope the EXPERTS are right.

stoopified
11/19/2008, 10:01 AM
First of all the starting 5:



Post: 6'10 251 so. B. Griffin

Post: 6'9 231 jr. R. Wright

Wing: 6'6 206 jr. T. Crocker

Wing:6'4 207 fr. W. Warren

Point: 6'3 176 sr A. Johnson

Second Team:

Post: 6'8 245 so. K. Cannon

Post: 6'7 238 sr. T. Griffin

Wing: 6'6 212 jr. J. Patillo

Wing: 6'5 208 so. C. Davis

Point: 5'10 173 sr. O. Leary

I think because he has had weight and injury issues O. Allen 6'11 267 so. will be the 5th post on te team.It is possible that he could beat out Cannon for the 4th post spot I think the other post spots are a given as the Griffins are veterans and Wright was reportedly impressive in practice last year.At only 172 and 6'6 I think Willis needs to bulk up for Big 12 basketball,also he was the vitim of a stabbing earlier this month.All that leads me to think redshirt for Ray.

Many of you may cringe looking at AJ as OUr starter at point BUT two things lead me to think this is so: 1) Over the last two years AJ has an assist -turnover ration of 2-1.By comparison Scottie Reynolds(remember him) is 1-1 as was Jai Lucas( name sound familiar?),2) AJ has bulked up now to 176(well at least he is not 165 anymore).Willie Warren is a true frosh and NOT a true point.With Willie at wing he can be a tremedous scoring threat(scoring IS his forte) and still create in the open court.With Warren and Crocker as outside threats and with Blake and Wright crreating havoc down low for foes AJ can relax,not worry about HAVING to score,and just run the offense. On the flip side without having to carry the burden of running the offense WW can cut loose as a scorer and create(think Terrell Everett,he led OU in assists as a senior from the wing).Anyhow that is my take FWIW.

As for the season I see us going 2-1 in the NIT Tipoff( winning 2 in Norman,losing in NY) and finishing non-con at 12-1.In conference I think we can finish at around 13-3.I see a likely loss at UT, a split with either oSu or aTm and an upset loss(more than likely on the road ) somewhere in there.That would put us at 25-4 heading into the Big 12 tourney.I say we go 1-1 there (who really wants to even play on Sunday?),Then on to THE DANCE where I hope for at least a SWEET 16.That would put us at a final mark of 28-6.Sounds good to me,so am I crazy?Well after 3 games I like the way my season prediction looks based on our early performance.I am surprised at some things I did not expect to see: 1)T.Griffin in the starting lineup AND playing as well as he has,2)Patillo bsically being a non-entity,possibly headed to redshirt,3)Ray Willis has got some game and at least early on appears ready to contribute,4) Orlando Allen appears to be ahead of Cannon the rotation at least at this juncture,5) Cade Davis is doing VERY well(I was afarid he was going to turn out to be a not-ready-for-primetime player).

Don't know how everything will shake out BUT it looks good so far.

BTW Skull,I'm not sure but I think Orlando may already have scored more points than Oleg did in his entire OU career. :) I do understand your reservations about Allen BUT in spite of two years of injuries,weight issues in juco he was still well recruited(oSu,Nebraska,Minnesota,Baylor,Bowling Green,Kentucky).That leads me to think that being at least a Mayden -Jones type banger is more likely than an Oleg.In any case Capel seems to be really loading up on big men with the additions in this class(6'8 Hardrick,6'9 Alexander)..T'm still trying to figure where they will all fit in even with the departure of Brothers Griffin. GOOOO SOOOOONEEEERRRRRSSSS.


BTW I checked and Alen has scored 8 points in 2 GAMES,Oleg 6 points in 2 YEARS.

stoopified
11/28/2008, 09:49 AM
First of all the starting 5:



Post: 6'10 251 so. B. Griffin

Post: 6'9 231 jr. R. Wright

Wing: 6'6 206 jr. T. Crocker

Wing:6'4 207 fr. W. Warren

Point: 6'3 176 sr A. Johnson

Second Team:

Post: 6'8 245 so. K. Cannon

Post: 6'7 238 sr. T. Griffin

Wing: 6'6 212 jr. J. Patillo

Wing: 6'5 208 so. C. Davis

Point: 5'10 173 sr. O. Leary

I think because he has had weight and injury issues O. Allen 6'11 267 so. will be the 5th post on te team.It is possible that he could beat out Cannon for the 4th post spot I think the other post spots are a given as the Griffins are veterans and Wright was reportedly impressive in practice last year.At only 172 and 6'6 I think Willis needs to bulk up for Big 12 basketball,also he was the vitim of a stabbing earlier this month.All that leads me to think redshirt for Ray.

Many of you may cringe looking at AJ as OUr starter at point BUT two things lead me to think this is so: 1) Over the last two years AJ has an assist -turnover ration of 2-1.By comparison Scottie Reynolds(remember him) is 1-1 as was Jai Lucas( name sound familiar?),2) AJ has bulked up now to 176(well at least he is not 165 anymore).Willie Warren is a true frosh and NOT a true point.With Willie at wing he can be a tremedous scoring threat(scoring IS his forte) and still create in the open court.With Warren and Crocker as outside threats and with Blake and Wright crreating havoc down low for foes AJ can relax,not worry about HAVING to score,and just run the offense. On the flip side without having to carry the burden of running the offense WW can cut loose as a scorer and create(think Terrell Everett,he led OU in assists as a senior from the wing).Anyhow that is my take FWIW.

As for the season I see us going 2-1 in the NIT Tipoff( winning 2 in Norman,losing in NY) and finishing non-con at 12-1.In conference I think we can finish at around 13-3.I see a likely loss at UT, a split with either oSu or aTm and an upset loss(more than likely on the road ) somewhere in there.That would put us at 25-4 heading into the Big 12 tourney.I say we go 1-1 there (who really wants to even play on Sunday?),Then on to THE DANCE where I hope for at least a SWEET 16.That would put us at a final mark of 28-6.Sounds good to me,so am I crazy?That win over G-W in MSG puts at +1 over my season prediction.I thought we would win the 2 NIT games at home and lose at MSG.Now we have a shot at winning the Preseason NIT and going +2.

stoopified
11/28/2008, 07:11 PM
Not only are we now +2 in the win column,we aRE -1 IN THE LOSS COLUMN.tHIS TEAM HAS FLAWS BUT THEY ARE FIGHTERS.

soonervegas
11/28/2008, 07:28 PM
Well a two seed IS beginning to look possible.....we could be 15-0 when Texas arrives in Norman. I think we will lose one somewhere along the way and be 14-1, 13-2 absolute worst.

stoopified
1/18/2009, 04:09 PM
Here we sit at 17-1 and that still has us at +2 for the season.At this rate we could finish the regular season at 27-4(if my conference prediction of 13-3 holds true).

There have been a few surprises so far this year.The biggest to me is Taylor starting at the FOUR.All I heard all offseason was how he had worked on ballhandling and his outside shot so he could play his more hatural THREE spot.He has played well at the FOUR for the most part.I am still a little concerned that we have not developed any depth and are primarily a 7 man team.Cade has played well and is a better passer,defender than I figured him to be.I thought he was a strictly spot-up shooter type.Patillo opting to redshirt and THEN have his redshirtpulled puzzles me,I am curious to see if Patillo will have ANY impact this season.

I am most proud of AJ who thus far has been exlempary at the point.Likewise I am pleased with Warren as well,I expected him to make a big splash and he has. As for Cannon,Willis,Leary,Allen, and Patillo,at least a couple of these guys have to make acontribution at some point.

soonervegas
1/18/2009, 10:33 PM
At this point I probably need to be talked down from the ceiling. The 1st 3 conference games have me convinced we are a final four team.

Yes we have flaws (I.e. Bench) but this team is mentally tough. Combine that with the talent of the starting 5 and I am starting to expect great things.

I realize that anything past the 1st two rounds is a crap shoot these days, but I really like where they are headed...

stoopified
2/16/2009, 05:32 PM
I sit here looking at my belovedSooners standing at 25-1 and am amazed.Even though I picked OU to be 25-4 overall(I thought we would go 2-1 in the NIT,not 4-0) and 13-3 in conference it is still mindblowing to see us at 25-1 and #2 in the ENTIRE NATION.With 5 games left all we have to do match my preseason pick is fimsh 2-3.

Having said that,if we don't go at least 4-1 and win the Big 12 and make it to at least Elite Eight,I will be sorely disappointed.Funny how meeting expectations leads to raising expectations.Boomer Sooner.

BTW the concerns over depth and 3point shooting have been put to rest with the heating up of AJ,Crocker,Warren,Davis.Davis,Wright, and Patillo have been solid off the bench(Patillo,Davis spectacular at times) and Leary while not called on much has been solid when needed.

BTW Skull,are you ready to give AJ a little love for the season he has had?I think he deserves it.

the_ouskull
2/16/2009, 08:16 PM
Absolutely he deserves it... I've been saying so for a while, but I was also dead-on with what I said about his play, too.


I think that he should really only see significant minutes in a three-guard set until he proves that he can both take care of, and distribute, the basketball.

Both of which he's done this season, along with improving his shot selection (not that it had anywhere to go but up... fine, I'll stop) early in the clock. (After last weekend, that kid can do whatever the H*ll he wants to late in the shot clock... :D)

His defense still concerns me, because he seems to turn it on against less talented opponents, and then play more passively, or incorrectly aggressively, against more talented opponents. If he remains committed to defense, and worries more about taking care of the ball than dribbling and shooting it, we have a legit shot to make a deep run. I truly think that HIS play, and his play alone, will dictate how far this team goes. Do you think he's ready to be the leader of a national champion? Would you put a car on it? A house? I'd be a lot more likely to put, like, a DVD on it, or a lunch or something... 's'all I'm sayin'.

But, regardless, let me be public in announcing that Austin Johnson has, to date, had a much better year than I thought him capable of having, and I am pleased with his play... this season... so far...

the_ouskull

Readyfor8
2/16/2009, 09:19 PM
Samoan? Seton? Saton? Satan? Thats it right Satan?

No... Samsonite! I was way off...

stoopified
3/8/2009, 01:16 PM
I was sure hoping I was wrong about OUr conference record .On the plus side I was pretty darn close in my preseason pick of 25-4 for this team.I was off slightly in preseason as I expected to go 2-1 in the NIT instead of 4-0 and winning it.That 13-3 preseason pick in conference sounded a lot better in October than it does now,now I'm p'od because I know we are better than the Orange Cows and Screaming Blue Chickens.As for my earlier pick of going 1-1 in the Big 12 Tourney and the statement WHO WANTS TO WIN THE BIG 12 ANYWAY?The answer is ME,I wanna crush KU or UT or BOTH in OKC if possible.