How will the men's team do this year?

[badger]

Vote for 7 days since you all visit infrequently here. I'll do a similar one for the women asap.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

NIT Bay-be!

[badger]

I can live with the NIT. It's progress. It's more promising than our team ever looked since Blake went flopping in the NBA (and I love Blake Griffin, but holy cow is he a good actor, hehe)

[Boomer.....]

I'm thinking we are a bubble NCAA team this year. We finally have some depth.

[Sooner95]

I would be fine with an NIT. NCAA we'd probably be one and done, NIT goals would be hosting a first rounder and then putting together some good quality post season wins. Great building blocks for 2013-14.

[Eielson]

I'd be absolutely pissed if we didn't make the NCAA Tournament this year.

[SoonerorLater]

NIT anything beyond that I will consider above and beyond. I think we have a little more scoring punch. Hopefully enough to finish above .500

[OU_Sooners75]

20 wins is not an over exaggeration of expectations this year.

I think 20 wins and a NCAA bubble team. So NIT high seed if not the tourney.

[badger]

Welcome, usual-football posters!

As noted earlier, our mens team made sportscenter this morning for being in McCasland Fieldhouse. This team is worth talking about even before football season ends! Please stick around and give this team some love on SF.com!

[BoomerSooner123]

I believe. Sweet 16.

Happy if NCAA bid. Elated if one win. Just an upset from the final sixteen.

Of course I picked OU for the national title in 2000 and every other year.

[Soonerjeepman]

ok, I originally thought 20/21 wins. That still is POSSIBLE, anything is right? obama got elected a 2nd term..lol.

I watched the last exhibition game on the net. Hmmmm....yes we won by 30, but as I watched I noticed several things that well, if done against a stronger D1 team, doesn't go so well.

WARNING...I'm not a debbie downer just trying to really look at it through CLEAR eyes...lol YES I know it's only 2 exhibition games, there is time and room for growth.

The new guys are strong but not sure they will match up against upper class men on the Big 12 on defense. We over play and were open to several back door cuts, allowed the guards to bring the ball up (just hard dribble right past our guys, riding their hips instead of getting up in front of them). Our size in the post is small. If those guys are legitimate 6'9 then I'm 6'4 (only 6'1). I know everyone embellishes the height of their guys but I see post being an issue again. If we have to have Tyler Neal be a high post guy that might be trouble.

Clark AGAIN seems aloof. Had some decent shots then had some real head scratching moments. Maybe it's because he is coming off the bench. He seems to have the physical tools but sometimes has brain farts.

I do like our depth, that might be the biggest plus. we can run 10 guys out there without giving up too much of a difference, lots of good combos.

Obviously it's very early, and I'm sure by conf play the youngins will feel more comfortable and the team will jell. Thinking 9/3 non conf and hopefully 9/9 or 10/8 11/7 conf. KU, KSU, Bay UT are the top conf teams..thinking we'll be 5th.

Definitely on the right track.

[8timechamps]

It's going to be tough to get to 20/21 wins this year. We are so young overall, and that's going to hurt us throughout the season. The good news is that Osby looks even better than last year, and Pledger, well he's still Pledger, so we know we have two solid players. The rest is still unknown. If Hornbeck continues to improve (and he will), and Coach K can figure out the Grooms/Cousins situation, we should play in the post season this year.

Next year we will be really good.

[Eielson]

We have some young guys in the rotation, but I have a hard time calling this team young. Pledger, Fitz, Osby, and Grooms are all seniors, while M'Baye, Clark, and Neal are all juniors. I'd venture to say we're actually a pretty old team. All but three guys that even have a chance of playing meaningful minutes this year are upperclassmen (and I'm being generous and including 12 of the 16 on the roster...sorry Kruger, Fraschilla, Noworyota, and Cole). Granted, those three guys are freshmen that could potentially eat up every backcourt minute not given to Pledger.

With the inevitable loss of Pledger and Osby, mixed with the potential loss of M'Baye (currently projected as a 2nd round pick), now is the time.

[Eielson]

If M'Baye really is the best player on OU like some people have told me (haven't even seen him play, so I can't verify), we're going to have one of the best trios in the conference. We just need a couple guys to step up (ex: Clark and/or one or two guys in the trio of freshmen guards), and we could definitely be a top 25 team. We know we're going to get pretty good offense in the post off the bench (if he stays there) from Fitzgerald. If Grooms has developed any kind of three point shot (please be able to knock down wide open three pointers this year), we should get some good minutes from him at point.

[8timechamps]

We have some young guys in the rotation, but I have a hard time calling this team young. Pledger, Fitz, Osby, and Grooms are all seniors, while M'Baye, Clark, and Neal are all juniors. I'd venture to say we're actually a pretty old team. All but three guys that even have a chance of playing meaningful minutes this year are upperclassmen (and I'm being generous and including 12 of the 16 on the roster...sorry Kruger, Fraschilla, Noworyota, and Cole). Granted, those three guys are freshmen that could potentially eat up every backcourt minute not given to Pledger.

With the inevitable loss of Pledger and Osby, mixed with the potential loss of M'Baye (currently projected as a 2nd round pick), now is the time.

We definitely have some older guys on the team, but watch these guys over the next three years, all of the studs are very young. The guys that will see serious minutes, that aren't upperclassmen are:

Cousins
Cole
Hornbeck (he's going to be a star)
Heild

Those four guys will see far more action that Noworyota, Fraschilla & Kruger, unless one of those three blows up. In fact, I can see three of the aforementioned four on the floor at the same time.

I will admit that overall we are an older group than I realized (I forget that M'Baye is a transfer).

Also, I'm not sure that "now is the time". With the signing of Jordan Woodard yesterday, I think the next couple of years are looking very promising.

[Eielson]

The guys that will see serious minutes, that aren't upperclassmen are:

Cousins
Cole
Hornbeck (he's going to be a star)
Heild

Those four guys will see far more action that Noworyota, Fraschilla & Kruger, unless one of those three blows up. In fact, I can see three of the aforementioned four on the floor at the same time.

Noworyota, Fraschilla, Kruger, and Cole were the four I was saying DIDN'T have a chance at seeing the floor. I'm not sure if I was confusing, or I'm just reading your post wrong. In addition to that, I heard that Bennett is redshirting, so if that holds up longer than Patillo's, then I guess he won't see the floor.



Also, I'm not sure that "now is the time". With the signing of Jordan Woodard yesterday, I think the next couple of years are looking very promising.

Woodard is a good pick up, don't get me wrong, but I don't think the odds of him adequately replacing Pledger are very good. Losing Pledger and Osby (and potentially M'Baye) almost makes a step back inevitable. I don't have high expectations for Cole, but Bennett could potentially step in and play a big role down low for us. If that happens along with a few other things, then yes, we could be better next year than this year, but we'd have to depend on a lot of ifs. Four or five guys would have to step up that we have barely even seen play yet. We know we have really good players in Pledger in Osby, and they won't be here next year. If we're not top 25 this year, I'm gonna be pissed at Kruger. We haven't seen enough from next year's squad to know if they're at that level.

[S.PadreIsl.Sooner]

Welcome, usual-football posters!

As noted earlier, our mens team made sportscenter this morning for being in McCasland Fieldhouse. This team is worth talking about even before football season ends! Please stick around and give this team some love on SF.com!

Can do!

BOOMER!!!!