2016 Maui Jim Maui Invitational Bracket Unveiled | Page 2 | The Boneyard

2016 Maui Jim Maui Invitational Bracket Unveiled

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Honestly, if I weren't a UConn fan and I had to pick an early season upset, this might be one of the games on my list. UConn clearly has more talent, but they are young, and Oklahoma State probably have the best player on the floor, and that means a lot in early season college basketball, especially when the player in question is a point guard. I'd be surprised if the spread were more than a few points.
 
champs99and04 said:
Honestly, if I weren't a UConn fan and I had to pick an early season upset, this might be one of the games on my list. UConn clearly has more talent, but they are young, and Oklahoma State probably have the best player on the floor, and that means a lot in early season college basketball, especially when the player in question is a point guard. I'd be surprised if the spread were more than a few points.
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I've been thinking about this, I made this same observation earlier. However, i'm starting to convince myself Larrier will pose a serious matchup problem for them. Larrier is the only player ollie mentions as a 'pro' so it speaks to his talent level, ok state also doesn't have anyone remotely like him getting major tick. No shot blocking either so he can attack at will. Couple that with the size advantage in the backcourt... I'm going to hold off until we see them vs northeastern and LMU . Losing to OK state would be devastating, i'm sure the team realizes this.
 
James said:
I've been thinking about this, I made this same observation earlier. However, i'm starting to convince myself Larrier will pose a serious matchup problem for them. Larrier is the only player ollie mentions as a 'pro' so it speaks to his talent level, ok state also doesn't have anyone remotely like him getting major tick. No shot blocking either so he can attack at will. Couple that with the size advantage in the backcourt... I'm going to hold off until we see them vs northeastern and LMU . Losing to OK state would be devastating, i'm sure the team realizes this.
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I agree. I just worry about him getting back into the swing of things after a year off. Camps over the summer help (he was raved about as a potential pro there), but there's nothing like real game experience.

But Larrier just has "it" in my eye. Just watching him move, you see someone who oozes athelticism, I just can't put my finger on it.
 
husky429 said:
I agree. I just worry about him getting back into the swing of things after a year off. Camps over the summer help (he was raved about as a potential pro there), but there's nothing like real game experience.

But Larrier just has "it" in my eye. Just watching him move, you see someone who oozes athelticism, I just can't put my finger on it.
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he moves better than hamilton, itll be obvious to uconn fans when they see him play. When i say that , i mean he has an explosive first step and really likes attacking the paint with an array of jump stop 'floaters' and other tricks ( hamilton was not a good finisher or scorer, but had great vision...perhaps by default) I also have high hopes for his defense , he made some heady rotations in the exhibition which shows he watches tape. let the hype train begin.
 
mauconnfan said:
The question is would he bet on this to happen with his own credit card or "borrow" one to call it in?:eek:
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As long as he doesn't ask Doug Wiggins for a laptop to place the bet
maybe he can use Weiner's
 
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HooperScooper said:
This would suck.

Wait, didn't Gottlieb play at Oklahoma St.? Ah, that explains it.

Here are five early season college basketball upsets to keep an eye on

2. Oklahoma State over UConn

Jawun Evans is the best point guard in the Big 12. He wasn't in great shape last year and earned a reputation last season and in the summer as having a bit of an entitled streak, but Brad Underwood has turned that around almost immediately with help from his fifth-year senior Phil Forte. It is obvious that the Cowboys will have to use smoke and mirrors on their interior at times, but their perimeter is talented and experienced.

Forte's shooting numbers will peak playing off Evans as well as Jeffrey Carroll. Mitchell Solomon is the key to opening up the defense as he has the ability to be a stretch 5, but has lacked the confidence. UConn's Jalen Adams is a stud, but with Daniel Hamilton's departure a freshman next to Adams in the backcourt, I'm going to guess UConn will be a little overwhelmed at what the Cowboys will have in store for them.
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Of course UConn is going to lose, they played 5 games in 5 nights in 2011, did everybody forget that already? Doug GottNothing predicted they were going to lose all the way to the national championship

and that was AFTER he said Roscoe Smith should decommit, the wheels were coming off the program

which was after he said Marcus and AJ have to transfer, they'll never succeed at UConn after laptopgate

Doug's got game alright, dude's an idiot (and I never even hear about him anymore, I'm sure he's embarrassed himself many more times)
 
James said:
I've been thinking about this, I made this same observation earlier. However, i'm starting to convince myself Larrier will pose a serious matchup problem for them. Larrier is the only player ollie mentions as a 'pro' so it speaks to his talent level, ok state also doesn't have anyone remotely like him getting major tick. No shot blocking either so he can attack at will. Couple that with the size advantage in the backcourt... I'm going to hold off until we see them vs northeastern and LMU . Losing to OK state would be devastating, i'm sure the team realizes this.
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If larrier can have a consistent jump shot and make a couple threes then I'd say he's a problem. But right now after one game he seems to be a problem driving and on the break
 
willie99 said:
Of course UConn is going to lose, they played 5 games in 5 nights in 2011, did everybody forget that already? Doug GottNothing predicted they were going to lose all the way to the national championship

and that was AFTER he said Roscoe Smith should decommit, the wheels were coming off the program

which was after he said Marcus and AJ have to transfer, they'll never succeed at UConn after laptopgate

Doug's got game alright, dude's an idiot (and I never even hear about him anymore, I'm sure he's embarrassed himself many more times)
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Judging from the other thread most people here would agree with him about paying players, but he embarrasses himself pretty regularly on Twitter on that issue (him and Seth Greenberg). Got called out by Ben Simmons when Gottlieb was talking about him making money off his documentary
 
HooperScooper said:
This would suck.

Wait, didn't Gottlieb play at Oklahoma St.? Ah, that explains it.

Here are five early season college basketball upsets to keep an eye on

2. Oklahoma State over UConn

Jawun Evans is the best point guard in the Big 12. He wasn't in great shape last year and earned a reputation last season and in the summer as having a bit of an entitled streak, but Brad Underwood has turned that around almost immediately with help from his fifth-year senior Phil Forte. It is obvious that the Cowboys will have to use smoke and mirrors on their interior at times, but their perimeter is talented and experienced.

Forte's shooting numbers will peak playing off Evans as well as Jeffrey Carroll. Mitchell Solomon is the key to opening up the defense as he has the ability to be a stretch 5, but has lacked the confidence. UConn's Jalen Adams is a stud, but with Daniel Hamilton's departure a freshman next to Adams in the backcourt, I'm going to guess UConn will be a little overwhelmed at what the Cowboys will have in store for them.
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Uconn is four deep at guard including Purvis and Vital who are lockdown defenders. That's a little bit more than Adams and "the freshman" in the backcourt. We shall see.
 
champs99and04 said:
Maybe we should pump the brakes on declaring somebody who hasn't played a college game a lockdown defender? I don't think Purvis is one, either, FWIW.
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You are correct, though I do think he's a pretty solid defender. Who has a clue about Vitale? I'm hoping AG comes in as advertised defensively. That's almost a must.
 
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champs99and04 said:
Maybe we should pump the brakes on declaring somebody who hasn't played a college game a lockdown defender? I don't think Purvis is one, either, FWIW.
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Your point is well taken re: Vital. His defensive skills have been mentioned as very good in most of the articles or comments I have read about him. I do think Purvis is a very good defender. After being torched by Danny Upchurch (33 pts and 0 turnovers) I expect KO addressed this in practice and planning. I expect that playing time will be predicated a lot on defensive performance and there is good depth. I just thought that the author's analysis was superficial. We shall see.
 
I'd love to know what exactly it was that caused thieving Douggie G to despise UConn at the level he does. A few years back he said something about JC recruiting him (and in DG's version, JC would have done anything to get him to commit) but ad Doug's parents were academics and UConn (per DG & family) was so deficient as aa school it made Louisville look like Harvard (what he said wasn't far from this) he couldn't consider attending,

I really doubt JC put too much effort in this kid twenty years ago but regardless, something had to have happened (perhaps JC told him he wasn't that good).
 
Way I read it is that the UC / Okla game is not on TV - or did I miss something?
 
Finally getting a chance to watch an Oklahoma State exhibition I recorded earlier in the week vs Pittsburg State. 33-7 10 min into the game and very impressive. Every possession is full court full speed pressure. Half court ball pressure extends wherever the ball goes and they stay glued to all four other players man to man. That means all offense must be run under pressure and a player like Gilbert might get caught up doing everything too fast. Phil Forte is deadly from 5ft outside the arc and 3 other players have hit 3's. On offense they run the offense fast with cut after cut after cut strong and hard until someone is open. Their 'center' is a 6'9 Jake type player who is setting picks and screens continuously at the top of the lane. They leave the lane open for cutting and their rebounding is based on quickness to the ball, rebounding out of their area regularly. Constant substitution due to the intensity of play demanded by the coach, (I think he was on Huggins Kansas State staff and they play like West Virginia has recently). They don't seem to lose anything no matter who is in the game. There were some early hand check fouls I thought might hurt them and change their play but it hasn't. Blocking them off the offensive boards is tough because they are loaded with 6'6 type guys with running starts due to their constant motion. We have a big advantage in length but it will take a good game plan by Ollie to keep our bigs on the floor and in the paint to protect the rim and take advantage. Our bigs can't put the ball on the floor and keep it. This is the kind of team a Bazz-Boat-Kromah-Giffey-Daniels small ball is the right counter punch. Now 45-17 shooting 50% from 3 with 3 minutes to half. The game plan for this team is why Ollie earns the bucks because as I watch, it seems they are going to dictate play. A deliberate Wisconsin type team might disrupt their ability to generate tempo, but our natural instinct is to run with them. I'll be impressed if Ollie can coach our young team to play this early in the season with enough discipline to control the game, and double impressed if we run and beat them at their own game. I really want this game and now I could really see it as a 50/50 toss up. Talk me off the ledge and tell me all will be well.
 
Sorry Ricker can't talk you off the ledge , my guess is there will be many more of us on the ledge with you by game time .
 
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Ricker said:
Finally getting a chance to watch an Oklahoma State exhibition I recorded earlier in the week vs Pittsburg State. 33-7 10 min into the game and very impressive. Every possession is full court full speed pressure. Half court ball pressure extends wherever the ball goes and they stay glued to all four other players man to man. That means all offense must be run under pressure and a player like Gilbert might get caught up doing everything too fast. Phil Forte is deadly from 5ft outside the arc and 3 other players have hit 3's. On offense they run the offense fast with cut after cut after cut strong and hard until someone is open. Their 'center' is a 6'9 Jake type player who is setting picks and screens continuously at the top of the lane. They leave the lane open for cutting and their rebounding is based on quickness to the ball, rebounding out of their area regularly. Constant substitution due to the intensity of play demanded by the coach, (I think he was on Huggins Kansas State staff and they play like West Virginia has recently). They don't seem to lose anything no matter who is in the game. There were some early hand check fouls I thought might hurt them and change their play but it hasn't. Blocking them off the offensive boards is tough because they are loaded with 6'6 type guys with running starts due to their constant motion. We have a big advantage in length but it will take a good game plan by Ollie to keep our bigs on the floor and in the paint to protect the rim and take advantage. Our bigs can't put the ball on the floor and keep it. This is the kind of team a Bazz-Boat-Kromah-Giffey-Daniels small ball is the right counter punch. Now 45-17 shooting 50% from 3 with 3 minutes to half. The game plan for this team is why Ollie earns the bucks because as I watch, it seems they are going to dictate play. A deliberate Wisconsin type team might disrupt their ability to generate tempo, but our natural instinct is to run with them. I'll be impressed if Ollie can coach our young team to play this early in the season with enough discipline to control the game, and double impressed if we run and beat them at their own game. I really want this game and now I could really see it as a 50/50 toss up. Talk me off the ledge and tell me all will be well.
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Ricker after reading this move over, I am planted firmly on the ledge next to you. To come out this early and execute the way you are talking is impressive. It would seem AB and SE will be sitting quite often then and we will be playing the game with AG, JA, RP, TL, Kelis Fisher and the smaller available lineups. It would be great if we could get AB to rebound the ball because he could actually change the game with his size.

Be fun to see how they react but for now I am still very concerned about Wagner anyway!;)
 
mauconnfan said:
It would seem AB and SE will be sitting quite often then and we will be playing the game with AG, JA, RP, TL, Kelis Fisher and the smaller available lineups. It would be great if we could get AB to rebound the ball because he could actually change the game with his size.
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Can't worry about them yet, but this point seems to be good for us, no? Small ball gets our best players on the floor together more often. Whether we can beat the other guys remains to be seen of course.
 
Before I bless this as a trap game, lets remind ourselves that Oklahoma State went 3-15 in Big 12 play last year and 12-20 overall.

They return their starting 5 yes, but I will take Husky talent over the illustrious back-court of Phil Forte and Juwan Evans.
 
Underwood is a hell of a coach. This will not be an easy game, but I like our depth here. OK State is shorthanded, and we can wear them down in the second half. Think it will be close until the end.
 
kansashusky said:
Underwood is a hell of a coach. This will not be an easy game, but I like our depth here. OK State is shorthanded, and we can wear them down in the second half. Think it will be close until the end.
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Replacing Ford with Underwood will make a big difference as Kansas notes. Ford had completely lost that team last year and he knew he was getting axed. Bringing in a well respected and proven coach in Underwood who's just flat won A LOT the last few seasons at SFA is great for Okla St. I still think UConn should win comfortably like the Michigan game in Atlantis last year, but someone better guard Forte on the perimeter or he's just gonna drill 3 after 3 all afternoon.
 
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ConnZag3 said:
Replacing Ford with Underwood will make a big difference as Kansas notes. Ford had completely lost that team last year and he knew he was getting axed. Bringing in a well respected and proven coach in Underwood who's just flat won A LOT the last few seasons at SFA is great for Okla St. I still think UConn should win comfortably like the Michigan game in Atlantis last year, but someone better guard Forte on the perimeter or he's just gonna drill 3 after 3 all afternoon.
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Good thing with Forte is he is coming off surgery, so no one knows how he will shoot, especially in a foreign gym.

Underwood will probably run the pinch post offense which will draw our bigs out and won't allow Brimah to protect the rim.

Their bigs are terrible, and Brimah should have a field day off lobs, but it will be critical for guards to penetrate.
 
Lets win our first 3 games and then focus on Okla St. I am honestly a little worries about going @ Loyola Marymount. Could be a trap game in a hostile gym.
 
Caronimo said:
Lets win our first 3 games and then focus on Okla St. I am honestly a little worries about going @ Loyola Marymount. Could be a trap game in a hostile gym.
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I don't really feel like any game is a trap game this early in the season. The team doesn't know who they are yet, and so aren't in the habit of judging/overlooking opponents. Everybody's trying to earn minutes and coming hard as a result. Now they can lose by not being together this early, not knowing their roles or not being in rhythm...but not because they overlook somebody. jmo
 
intlzncster said:
I don't really feel like any game is a trap game this early in the season. The team doesn't know who they are yet, and so aren't in the habit of judging/overlooking opponents. Everybody's trying to earn minutes and coming hard as a result. Now they can lose by not being together this early, not knowing their roles or not being in rhythm...but not because they overlook somebody. jmo
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The question is can they lose because we overlook somebody. And I think the obvious answer is, yes.
 
champs99and04 said:
The question is can they lose because we overlook somebody. And I think the obvious answer is, yes.
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Nah, the losses are never the Boneyard's fault. Losses are solely the fault of gutless players, clueless coaching, recruitment of players outside the top 100, poor strength training, casual fans, and Glen Miller. We are responsible for most of the wins though.
 
intlzncster said:
I don't really feel like any game is a trap game this early in the season. The team doesn't know who they are yet, and so aren't in the habit of judging/overlooking opponents. Everybody's trying to earn minutes and coming hard as a result. Now they can lose by not being together this early, not knowing their roles or not being in rhythm...but not because they overlook somebody. jmo
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Agree with this. I have heard a couple of times from players after the exhibition games "we need to play harder for 40 minutes" already which is really a generic statement I hate to hear at all times. But I get it in the exhibition games but I don't see it happening in from Friday on, as stated above they are all playing for minutes as ell as one goal it would seem. Having said that a bad game is not out of the question against a pretty good team so anything can happen early with a young team getting to know each other. This is a very interesting early season test and a good one I believe.
 
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