OUSKINS
3/28/2009, 01:10 PM
First of all, last night was a thing of beauty. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we'd manhandle Cuse the way we did. Jonny Flynn did fly right by AJ on several occasions as expected, but we countered by closing out on their shooters and switching to the zone that kept Flynn at bay for much of the game. We were certainly aided by some stone cold shooting from the Orange-- especailly Devendorf the woman beater. But overall, our defensive intensity was exceptional-- Willie and Crocker were in people's faces and causing turnovers, etc.
Offensively, we did exactly what you are supposed to do against that zone, so major props to Capel for having the guys ready for it. Blake is just ridiculous-- it's funny to watch people bounce off of him and to watch opposing big men try to run the floor with him. A man amongst boys. But don't forget his brother either-- Taylor is playing the best ball of his career right now and he's picked a great time to do it.
Speaking of timing.....Crocker! I've never been happier for a kid. I have a bit of a soft spot for TC because he is the ONLY player that remains from the recruiting class that bolted on Capel when Sampson left. TC wasn't a major recruit and he was sort of thrust into the fray as a freshmen. Incredibly, assuming TC starts again next year, he will go down as a major rarity-- a 4 year starter. TC doesn't have the talent that most others starters do that remain in the Elite 8 right now, and he was in an awful awful slump for over a month, but he kept at it and had the game of his life last night-- I was thrilled for him.
When the brackets came out, I was hoping to avoid two teams prior to the Final Four: UNC and Louisville.
I think UNC is the most talented team in the country and it's been that way since the pre-season. They have NBA guys filtered throughout the roster and Hansbrough is a great leader and a go-to guy. I also think that he is on a bit of a mission to get his ring before he leaves.
UNC has had defensive problems all year--- we can score on them, but how do we stop them? They are rolling right now and scoring at will from both inside and outside. If the game is a shootout, I doubt we can keep up. But can we slow it down enough without turning it into a total halfcourt game, which isn't our strong suit either?
Here are the keys:
1. Blake must clearly outplay Psycho T. It can't be a wash and Hansbrough certainly can't get the best of him. We know Blake is the best player out there, but he needs to be the best player on the floor tomorrow.
2. Can't let Ty Lawson toast us. This scares me big time; again a tough match-up for AJ. Not sure how we'll keep Lawson out of the paint and/or from creating good looks for his teammates.
3. Get off to a good start. UNC will be a hard time to comeback against because they score so frequently. Keep it close and the game slowly will begin to bog down.
4. A little luck: We need a few bounces to go our way.
Bottom Line:
I think we hang tough, but lose by about 6-10 in the end. I just don't think we'll be able to stop their perimiter players. But I DO think we have a legit chance and I wouldn't be shocked if we won. And even if we lose, a 30 win season and an Elite 8 banner is a good accomplishment-- we can be proud of this OU team either way, but yeah, a trip to Detroit would be sweet!
Offensively, we did exactly what you are supposed to do against that zone, so major props to Capel for having the guys ready for it. Blake is just ridiculous-- it's funny to watch people bounce off of him and to watch opposing big men try to run the floor with him. A man amongst boys. But don't forget his brother either-- Taylor is playing the best ball of his career right now and he's picked a great time to do it.
Speaking of timing.....Crocker! I've never been happier for a kid. I have a bit of a soft spot for TC because he is the ONLY player that remains from the recruiting class that bolted on Capel when Sampson left. TC wasn't a major recruit and he was sort of thrust into the fray as a freshmen. Incredibly, assuming TC starts again next year, he will go down as a major rarity-- a 4 year starter. TC doesn't have the talent that most others starters do that remain in the Elite 8 right now, and he was in an awful awful slump for over a month, but he kept at it and had the game of his life last night-- I was thrilled for him.
When the brackets came out, I was hoping to avoid two teams prior to the Final Four: UNC and Louisville.
I think UNC is the most talented team in the country and it's been that way since the pre-season. They have NBA guys filtered throughout the roster and Hansbrough is a great leader and a go-to guy. I also think that he is on a bit of a mission to get his ring before he leaves.
UNC has had defensive problems all year--- we can score on them, but how do we stop them? They are rolling right now and scoring at will from both inside and outside. If the game is a shootout, I doubt we can keep up. But can we slow it down enough without turning it into a total halfcourt game, which isn't our strong suit either?
Here are the keys:
1. Blake must clearly outplay Psycho T. It can't be a wash and Hansbrough certainly can't get the best of him. We know Blake is the best player out there, but he needs to be the best player on the floor tomorrow.
2. Can't let Ty Lawson toast us. This scares me big time; again a tough match-up for AJ. Not sure how we'll keep Lawson out of the paint and/or from creating good looks for his teammates.
3. Get off to a good start. UNC will be a hard time to comeback against because they score so frequently. Keep it close and the game slowly will begin to bog down.
4. A little luck: We need a few bounces to go our way.
Bottom Line:
I think we hang tough, but lose by about 6-10 in the end. I just don't think we'll be able to stop their perimiter players. But I DO think we have a legit chance and I wouldn't be shocked if we won. And even if we lose, a 30 win season and an Elite 8 banner is a good accomplishment-- we can be proud of this OU team either way, but yeah, a trip to Detroit would be sweet!