UCONN picked 5th in preason AAC

[mcs333]

Its put up or shut up time, thats for sure.

Ive been one of KO's biggest supporters on here in the face of people panicking. But this year is it. We dont have to be all world but we need to be good and contend. And we need to stop rolling over for the top of the league teams. I can take losing road games at Wichita and at Cincinnati, but we need to hold serve at home and if someone steals one from us we need to steal back wins on the road against the top of the league.

There are no more excuses.

UConn picked to finish 5th in AAC; Adams first team all-league, Gilbert top rookie

 

[mcs333]

The year of the guard in the AAC. All 5 first team players are guards!

 

[shizzle787]

If we finish 4th, which is around where I see us finishing, I think we'll get in, and then I believe we will make our patented run.

 

[NowInStorrs]

So everyone knows Tacko is tall, but meeting him in person during the AAC conference tournament was crazy. He's reeeaally tall. Also, his legs went completely over the stadium seat in the row ahead of him. I can't imagine that's a particularly comfortable way to sit.

 

[weyuo]

UConn has point guards and shooters but do they have guys that can carve out some room in the paint and own the boards? Can they defend the paint? If so the sky is the limit. If not 5th might be generous.

 

[Huskygamble19]

I don't mind seeing that we are ranked 5th in the AAC as long as we are in the final four.

 

[Fishy]

I think I’d swap UConn and UCF, but I don’t really have much of an argument about how the voters saw it. They have fewer question marks than we do. We have to have at least two players show something more than basic competence in our front court. (Head to head...the solution to a guy like Fall is a guy like Cobb.)

I also don’t think Cincy over WSU is a stretch. WSU will be ranked higher, but I think moving to the new conference, the second injury to Shamet’s foot, etc., will have an effect. I’d bet on Cincy winning the league.

 

[BFieldHusky]

I think I’d swap UConn and UCF, but I don’t really have much of an argument about how the voters saw it. They have fewer question marks than we do. We have to have at least two players show something more than basic competence in our front court. (Head to head...the solution to a guy like Fall is a guy like Cobb.)

I also don’t think Cincy over WSU is a stretch. WSU will be ranked higher, but I think moving to the new conference, the second injury to Shamet’s foot, etc., will have an effect. I’d bet on Cincy winning the league.

I agree on swapping Uconn and UCF. Both teams have a TON of new players. SMU is also a bit of a wild card for me. They lost their entire frontcourt, and while they have excellent guards/wings...we prob have a better front court than they do. Id watch out for Temple. They have a lot of talent.

After Cincy and Witchia, a lot of these teams seem very close.

 

[Fishy]

I agree on swapping Uconn and UCF. Both teams have a TON of new players. SMU is also a bit of a wild card for me. They lost their entire frontcourt, and while they have excellent guards/wings...we prob have a better front court than they do. Id watch out for Temple. They have a lot of talent.

After Cincy and Witchia, a lot of these teams seem very close.

I agree - I think the top two are pretty clear.

The next five teams are in a pigpile and then you have some real sludge in the bottom third.

 

[shizzle787]

I agree - I think the top two are pretty clear.

The next five teams are in a pigpile and then you have some real sludge in the bottom third.

Memphis sludge now...LOL.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Crazy to think Memphis was brought in for hoops and ECU for football. Memphis has at least seen a meteoric rise in football.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I’m pretty sure Brimah owner Wacko Tacko every time they played.

 

[Fishy]

Crazy to think Memphis was brought in for hoops and ECU for football. Memphis has at least seen a meteoric rise in football.

Memphis will be back.

They need to get back to what they do best - abandon all pretense of academics and recruit kids who understand that an impermissible benefit is just a starting point in a negotiation.

East Carolina is a harder case.

That is a program steeped in nothing. Lebo has been there for seven years and has only won 36% of his conference games in that time. That sort of failure over such a length of time is unheard of - most schools would have fired that kind of incompetence, but they barely even notice it at ECU.

Let this sink in - East Carolina was ranked 14th in the RPI last year....in the state of North Carolina. And they brought the coach back.

 

[gtcam]

Lebo received extra rope because of who he is and where he is from
I think ECU felt uncomfortable about cutting ties with a good ole Carolina boy
If he can't win this year - which I doubt he will - he'll find himself back at UNC teaching a course in basket weaving

 

[AntG168]

Tacko Fall is severely overrated. He's never impressed me. He's literally just tall.

 

[Stainmaster]

Tacko Fall is severely overrated. He's never impressed me. He's literally just tall.

26 and 12 against Mississippi State, 20 and 13 against then #3 Villanova, averaged 10.5 and 9.5 in 2 contests against Cincy (as well as 9.5 boards per game in 2 vs. SMU). He's a very talented player whom Brimah matched up exceedingly well against. I have a hunch that sticking any of our 6'9'' guys with shorter wingspans than Brimah on him will allow him to do a bit more damage against us this year.

 

[champs99and04]

Fall is underrated if anything, in my estimation. I'd have had both him and Clark on my first team.

 

[Fishy]

Tacko Fall is severely overrated. He's never impressed me. He's literally just tall.

He essentially averaged a double-double as a sophomore and hit 72% of his shot attempts. He plays 27 minutes a game and is rarely in foul trouble.

Top three in field goal percentage, top 20 in shot blocks and top 25 in rebounds per game.

Watch more basketball.

(While I was looking at his stats on ESPN.com just now, ESPN was updating the UCF roster info. Fall went from 270 pounds to 295 pounds in two minutes.)

 

[shizzle787]

He essentially averaged a double-double as a sophomore and hit 72% of his shot attempts. He plays 27 minutes a game and is rarely in foul trouble.

Top three in field goal percentage, top 20 in shot blocks and top 25 in rebounds per game.

Watch more basketball.

(While I was looking at his stats on ESPN.com just now, ESPN was updating the UCF roster info. Fall went from 270 pounds to 295 pounds in two minutes.)

That's called HGH.

 

[AntG168]

He essentially averaged a double-double as a sophomore and hit 72% of his shot attempts. He plays 27 minutes a game and is rarely in foul trouble.

Top three in field goal percentage, top 20 in shot blocks and top 25 in rebounds per game.

Watch more basketball.

(While I was looking at his stats on ESPN.com just now, ESPN was updating the UCF roster info. Fall went from 270 pounds to 295 pounds in two minutes.)

The numbers seem to disagree with me. But I'd think being 7'6 at the college level is a massive advantage even for someone with minimal talent. I've never watched him and been overly impressed. Though I must admit I don't sit around and watch UCF games regularly.

 

[UCDaveD]

Wrong.

 

[husky429]

26 and 12 against Mississippi State, 20 and 13 against then #3 Villanova, averaged 10.5 and 9.5 in 2 contests against Cincy (as well as 9.5 boards per game in 2 vs. SMU). He's a very talented player whom Brimah matched up exceedingly well against. I have a hunch that sticking any of our 6'9'' guys with shorter wingspans than Brimah on him will allow him to do a bit more damage against us this year.

That had less to do with brimah and more to do with how we played him schematically. Our guards (rodney and vital) were able to make tje gsme very difficult for him skirmishing in dluble teams

 

[rip7774]

Tacko Fall is severely overrated. He's never impressed me. He's literally just tall.

I am biased since I know Tacko and his family, but he has good hands and a good offensive arsenal (hook shots with either hand). He works at his craft, he started the year in a huge slump at the FT line and reworked his stroke and improved dramatically. You have to remember BJ Taylor is a shoot first second and third point guard in my opinion. I would be at games and my guy Matt Williams would hit 3 3's to start the game and never see the ball again until the second half. Taylor pounds the ball non stop and while a terrific talent, does not distribute nor does the staff push him to in my estimation (no inside info).

His development really reminds me of Thabeet. Starter but limited offensive impact as freshman, big jump his sophomore year, although they got away from him as the season progressed for some reason after dominating early. Certainly remains to be seen if he makes that colossal jump HT did his junior year to be one of the best players in America. And I'm not projecting that just saying the first 2 years were quite similar.

May not be possible with BJ Taylor not distributing like a PG. Plus they added a ton of high major transfers that sat out last year. There is a lot to like if they find a shooter to replace Matt Williams, who was a great kid as well.

 

[HuskyHawk]

One tall, awkward guy on a bad team that we beat twice last year with a depleted roster.

 

[RJScootin]

Rude and disrespectful.

This would be our best finish in three years.