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Posted

Hey hey hey, I thought we collectively decided NOT to make major hot takes and doom about this team after 1 game against a top 5 team 

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Posted
1 hour ago, VinyVango said:


The lack of flow/distribution/leadership from the guards was definitely concerning.

We don't really have any true PG nor any shooters other than Pope.

Mark is our best PG option. 

Pope doesn't see the floor for shit.  He's a small streaky rhythm shooter

Posted
1 hour ago, Js1 said:

Hey hey hey, I thought we collectively decided NOT to make major hot takes and doom about this team after 1 game against a top 5 team 

Yea duke played some great defense which contributed to the offensive funk and shooting. But, we definitely do not have great shooters. Swain has one of the ugliest shots I’ve ever seen in my life and if he can hit like that last night that would be great. I think we will get better as the season goes on and offense always takes a little longer to find rhythm and the right rotations that work .

Posted

Texas at Duke (75-60) thoughts: Morning after - Gerry

Quote

Texas at Duke (75-60) thoughts: Morning after

 

Gerry Hamilton

By Gerry Hamilton

  • 5 hours ago
 

Texas at Duke (75-60) thoughts: Morning after 

If one is doom and gloom or looking for a bunch of negativity, this isn't the post for you. Want to get that out of the way. 

I'm more excited about the potential of this season after the Duke game, than before. Texas has a legit coach, very good concepts in the half court on offense, a team with enough size to compete in the SEC and some players on the perimeter that will look different against future opponents. I'm arrow up on this team after last night. That doesn't mean I'm predicting 24-7/23-8 or 22-9. There is literally no way to know what Texas will look like record wise by the end of the regular season. Too many variables in a long basketball season. But Where the team is this morning vs. where they can go ... Sean Miller's coaching/teaching and the upside is there to build into a quality squad. 

I went into the game knowing Duke was arguably the most NBA talented team in college basketball (they were last year too, and didn't win the NC - it takes more than the pure NBA talent). They have three projected NBA first round picks (two near lottery locks), and four draft picks in their starting lineup. But that's isn't what makes them unique. They are a team that was constructed with extreme length on the perimeter being targeted. The days of Duke starting two 6-1 or 6-2 guards is over. They look like a potential No. 2/1 seed level team if they stay healthy. Duke started 6-5, 6-6 and 6-8 on the perimeter. All guys that could guard multiple perimeter spots. And guards off the bench were 6-4 and 6-5. Texas won't play against a team with type of perimeter length again this season. And they don't play Duke 31 times. 

For instance, Texas next two high-major games will likely be against Arizona State and Washington State. ASU starting guards are 6-1 and 6-3, and bring 6-3 and 6-3 off the bench. Washington State's best two guards are 6-3 and 6-3. 

So what the Texas backcourt will look like in future games will be different that last night. But they have to play better within the system as they gain continuity. Tramon Mark needed to raise up and take a couple of three's early in the game last night vs. wanting to be a team runner in game one. He has to find that balance. Off the bounce, he will have much better opportunities moving forward. Duke played Dame Sarr on him for stretches last night ... 6-8 with long arms that could play a step away and still not allow a clear look vs. having to crowd and take away a players space. Mark and Wilcher will show better moving forward, and have to. Weaver will also be best when on the move and in transition. He will have more of those opportunities in future contests.

Duke wanted the non-go to shooters to take the three's last night. And they did it. Of Texas' 17 3-point FG attempts, nine came from Swain, Weaver and Codie. That will not happen against the majority of opponents. Duke has that very unique perimeter length to determine who and how many clean looks an opponent gets. 

They did a good job on Jordan Pope until he got more aggressive with step backs to create space. I really think Jordan Pope will have a very good season under Coach Miller. It's a much better offensive fit. Last year was ball screen isolation ... that's not his deal. He's a 13-15 ppg scorer potentially if the pieces come together around him. What he did last night will help the other guards, as future opponents will play to give him the least space possible. That creates more floor spacing and opportunities. 

The main issue that Texas has to improve, for me, was unforced turnovers. Duke will create some TO's due to their length. But there were too many unforced TO's ... and those led to Duke best transition opps - which is the norm. 

One of the reasons Im excited about where this team can go is the bigs. If you told me Matas and Lassina would combine for 23 points and 17 rebounds against Duke ... I would said not likely. Considering neither played in the scrimmages, first games on this team and playing for Sean Miller in a game and the level of talent Duke has --- that's a great sign in a league that has quality length and athleticism. And why that is exciting for me, those two guys weren't even close to what they can become. Matas' foot quickness/foot work for his size showed up against high-end talent. His physicality (over the edge at times) carried over to high-major basketball. He has to play without fouling as much, so he can really become an offensive factor long term for this team. That was Lassina's first college basketball game since March of 2024 after the ACL injury last year the first week of practice. He had some rust for sure. He forced a couple of times. But like Matas, his ability to rebound and get the ball to the rim carried over to high-major hoops. That's all good, good for Texas this season. They also bring size to the paint defensively, and some rim protection. What Texas simply can't have is 9 turnovers from the center position. That dog won't hunt, but I also don't expect that to be a norm at all. Charges count as TO's, and that is where Matas has to improve. 

This was also Nic Codie's first real game action against a high level power 4 opponent. He played 5-10 minutes in four SEC games last season. Where Codie can go will be pretty crucial for this team. He needs to hit 33% from three. He made two three's in the SMU scrimmage. He doesn't have to do it every game, but he has to have some games where he does. 

I'm not going to hit on Dailyn Swain. He's a playmaker at the wing. He's very good, period. He's a pro, and if he continues to show perimeter improvement this season will be a lock to be a future second round NBA draft selection (outside shot at first round). I'm most interested to see if Texas gets two years out of him. If he plays like last night all season, 50-50 at best. 

One player that I think will grow quite a bit over the season is 6-7.5 freshman forward Declan Duru. And Texas needs him to. If he had been with the team all summer, he would be much more of a factor early on. Since he wasn't, it will be more of a work in progress. But SEC time, Miller will need him to add a little scoring punch off the bench to go with his length and athleticism on defense. Adjusting to how the college game is officiated is also a test for the vast majority of kids that come to the state from overseas. 

Texas has a high-level basketball coach. A team that will improve with as the season moves along, and a team that can be an NCAA Tournament team. Nothing is a lock in year one. So many variables. But they have a shot. 

I will probably end most of my posts with this all season: 

Coaches that didn't make the NCAA Tournament year one at their current schools ... Danny Hurley at UConn, Todd Golden at Florida, Nate Oats at Alabama, Rick Pitino at St. John's, Chris Beard at Ole Miss, Mick Cronin at UCLA. All in the portal era. It's not a given for a first year coach. Ever those that did get in the tournament, most go out in Round of 64 or maybe Round of 32 in some cases unless you took over a loaded roster or at a Blue Blood program. 

I want to see program and team building, improvement in multiple areas and a team that is worthy of being in the NCAA Tournament. That's my goals for this season. Nothing last night changed my thoughts on that possibility, only enhanced it. We shall see how it all plays out. My early snap shot of this team will be after 10 games headed into the Dec. 12 game at UConn. Texas will have had four more high-major opponents, and five low-to-mid major level opponents to build against. 

 

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Posted

I missed the Duke game... is it too early to say what's the general character of this team going to be? Are we going to be the same team that passes the ball around the perimeter until we turn it over, or chuck up an off-balance 25-footer as the clock runs out?

Please tell we're stacked with guys who can penetrate and drive to the hoop, picking up easy layups & dunks, and put the other team in foul trouble. I want to dominate in the paint and around the rim.

 

 

 

Posted
7 minutes ago, Paper_jam said:

 

Please tell we're stacked with guys who can penetrate and drive to the hoop, picking up easy layups & dunks, and put the other team in foul trouble. I want to dominate in the paint and around the rim.

 

 

 

I've got bad news for you.  But we are a whole lot more physical this year.

Posted (edited)

I'm not worried about the shooting. We don't have a true PG but Mark and Swain are both good ball handlers. 

Vokey Titleist is going to be a beast. Just needs to be less aggressive with the ball and flesh out his scoring arsenal a little bit.

The Traore Swain chemistry is going to be nice. 

Given who Pope is as a player I thought he was pretty good. Good from the line and kept us in the game with those 3s. He's just never going to be a good playmaker.

Traore and big V combined for 9 turnovers. Can't have that. They won't do that against worse teams, though. 

Edited by ztejas

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