My Fiver on WVU's victory in Norman (finally!) last night --------
1. Starting with the positive. Beetle Bolden was absolutely clutch last night. It's completely unfair to ask Bolden to carry the team at this point in his career, but that is exactly what he had to do last night, particularly in the first half. And, he did it. At one point in the game, Beetle was 6/10 (60%) from the floor. At that juncture, the other players from both teams were a combined 13/55 (23.6%). Maybe it's a flash in the pan, but count me "in" as extremely impressed with this kid. After heating up vs. Iowa State by scoring 8 points in just 5 minutes (2 of 3 from "3"), he then goes for 17 in just ten minutes at Oklahoma, hitting 3 of 6 from "3". That is 25 points in just 15 minutes of play, while hitting 9 of 15 shots, 5 of 9 from beyond the arc. And, both of these games are conference road games. Dax is going to be out a few games, which sucks, timing-wise. I wanted a full deck of cards for Phog Allen, and in particular in this very difficult task we have Saturday at home against Bruce Weber. But, to my lying eyes, I believe it's time to give Beetle more minutes. The kid is on fire. As a matter of fact, here is a pic of Beetle walking to the bus after the game:
2. On to the negative. I am astounded that two coaches of the caliber of Bob Huggins and Lon Kruger could produce such a steaming pile of cow dung on hardwood, as what we endured last evening. That was a God awful display of basketball. In particular the first four minutes of the second half were just painful. Four minutes, 5 turnovers, 6 missed layups..SIX!..., two fouls, zero points. Good Lord.
3. Is there any doubt that right now Sags Konate gives WVU the best overall chance to win at the five spot? We've shuffled through Macon, then Watkins, then back to Macon. But, Sags is the guy who protects the rime the most effectively. Yes, he is frustrating on the offensive end at times - turnovers, in particular shuffling the feet when catching the ball, and his blinders (kick the ball back out son!). But, as Keno points out, he was +21 last night. 5 blocked shots. He'll dunk on your head. I have full faith & confidence in a starting group with Konate right now.
4. Esa Ahmad had a different mindset last night. You could tell that he had it in his mind to be aggressive...which is what we want. But, being aggressive doesn't necessarily always mean driving to the hole as hard as you can, defense be damned. He was trying to jam a square peg through a circular hole too often last night. OU defenders were giving him the outside "J". Esa needs to learn that it is OK to settle for jumpers. Da'Sean sure did. On a higher level, LeBron James really came into his own when he learned to hit soft mid-range jumpers and three-point shots. If Esa can knock a few of those down to start a game...then all of the sudden, the defenders are going to be exposed. They'll guard closely, and he'll be able to do a blow-by, and the lane will be his. This was also a great lesson learned by Joe Alexander. If the defense respects your jumper, then it will open up a great deal for you. Your entire tool kit will be in use. It all starts with the outside, and then you work inside.
5. Thought we turned up the dial on the press a good bit last night...and our half court Defense was OK. "OK" in the sense that we still give up a ton of open looks. Oklahoma just wasn't very good. Kansas will hit those shots. But, I do like seeing Jevon Carter and Tarik Phillip snag four steals a piece. That is what we need to do - in the press and beyond. This game vs. KSU on Saturday will tell the tale. That OU game was one that we needed to bag, and then move on. The Kansas game on Monday is the make-or-break for our conference title hopes. But, to determine if we're still even a viable candidate, then we need to win Saturday vs. KSU. (F'ing Bruce Weber) And, it will start and end with our Defense.
And, keep pouring gasoline on Beetle.
1. Starting with the positive. Beetle Bolden was absolutely clutch last night. It's completely unfair to ask Bolden to carry the team at this point in his career, but that is exactly what he had to do last night, particularly in the first half. And, he did it. At one point in the game, Beetle was 6/10 (60%) from the floor. At that juncture, the other players from both teams were a combined 13/55 (23.6%). Maybe it's a flash in the pan, but count me "in" as extremely impressed with this kid. After heating up vs. Iowa State by scoring 8 points in just 5 minutes (2 of 3 from "3"), he then goes for 17 in just ten minutes at Oklahoma, hitting 3 of 6 from "3". That is 25 points in just 15 minutes of play, while hitting 9 of 15 shots, 5 of 9 from beyond the arc. And, both of these games are conference road games. Dax is going to be out a few games, which sucks, timing-wise. I wanted a full deck of cards for Phog Allen, and in particular in this very difficult task we have Saturday at home against Bruce Weber. But, to my lying eyes, I believe it's time to give Beetle more minutes. The kid is on fire. As a matter of fact, here is a pic of Beetle walking to the bus after the game:
2. On to the negative. I am astounded that two coaches of the caliber of Bob Huggins and Lon Kruger could produce such a steaming pile of cow dung on hardwood, as what we endured last evening. That was a God awful display of basketball. In particular the first four minutes of the second half were just painful. Four minutes, 5 turnovers, 6 missed layups..SIX!..., two fouls, zero points. Good Lord.
3. Is there any doubt that right now Sags Konate gives WVU the best overall chance to win at the five spot? We've shuffled through Macon, then Watkins, then back to Macon. But, Sags is the guy who protects the rime the most effectively. Yes, he is frustrating on the offensive end at times - turnovers, in particular shuffling the feet when catching the ball, and his blinders (kick the ball back out son!). But, as Keno points out, he was +21 last night. 5 blocked shots. He'll dunk on your head. I have full faith & confidence in a starting group with Konate right now.
4. Esa Ahmad had a different mindset last night. You could tell that he had it in his mind to be aggressive...which is what we want. But, being aggressive doesn't necessarily always mean driving to the hole as hard as you can, defense be damned. He was trying to jam a square peg through a circular hole too often last night. OU defenders were giving him the outside "J". Esa needs to learn that it is OK to settle for jumpers. Da'Sean sure did. On a higher level, LeBron James really came into his own when he learned to hit soft mid-range jumpers and three-point shots. If Esa can knock a few of those down to start a game...then all of the sudden, the defenders are going to be exposed. They'll guard closely, and he'll be able to do a blow-by, and the lane will be his. This was also a great lesson learned by Joe Alexander. If the defense respects your jumper, then it will open up a great deal for you. Your entire tool kit will be in use. It all starts with the outside, and then you work inside.
5. Thought we turned up the dial on the press a good bit last night...and our half court Defense was OK. "OK" in the sense that we still give up a ton of open looks. Oklahoma just wasn't very good. Kansas will hit those shots. But, I do like seeing Jevon Carter and Tarik Phillip snag four steals a piece. That is what we need to do - in the press and beyond. This game vs. KSU on Saturday will tell the tale. That OU game was one that we needed to bag, and then move on. The Kansas game on Monday is the make-or-break for our conference title hopes. But, to determine if we're still even a viable candidate, then we need to win Saturday vs. KSU. (F'ing Bruce Weber) And, it will start and end with our Defense.
And, keep pouring gasoline on Beetle.
