Were you in the Mantle of the Clam today? If so how was the crowd?
Ole 73
++++++UGA vs Boogs++++++
- Thread starter MomentInTheSun
- Start date
Ole 73
You’re not wrong. We still look a little lazy on offense sometimes and our rebounding isn’t as good as it should be.
Apparently he made some post on Instagram after the ole miss game like “I’m way better than that Shit” and then deleted it.
I’ve posted before that we miss Murray. I think we miss his presence more than anything. He commanded attention when he was on the floor and was a real boost of energy. I do think he created a lot of problems off the court that kind of turned some guys off from him so much so that they were ready for him to transfer. But, yes, absolutely, I do believe we miss Murray. I’d almost say that I’d rather have his play than both of Samir and Purifoy at this point.
Went to the UAB game with my wife (she loves basketball, but not that knowledgeable) & she still keeps saying how we were out of sinc all damn night. And the little she has watched since, she is still pointing this out. TRUTH
Crowd was solid. Hard sell out with standing room only filled on both levels. Not particularly racous because it felt like a foregone conclusion we were going to win.
Someone over on tbb is calling for a synopsis from you by looking at topics. If they are fit, bring them over to the board of infinite wisdom on all college hoops where they can expand their knowledge beyond their wildest dreams. Main reason I’m gone from there is because I sent @Jay G. Tate a DM asking him why an article on ADAG who had just been hired, was done in an “orange box” FOOTBALL. I guess that idiotic POS thinks we only have one sport.
Love love reaction from the black dude with the goatee. Like whats the big deal (with chest slightly extended).
We have new roles and new faces out there and it takes time to gel. I thought it would happen a little faster this year, but IMO and it’s only an opinion I honestly don’t think this team would be any better with Heron. He wasn’t a vocal leader from what I saw. I wasn’t at practice, so I can’t speak for that. All I can speak for is what i saw in person at games and I would sit right behind the bench. He was quiet and didn’t say much at all. If anything I believe we would average less assist and more turnovers if he was here.
Again, my opinion. I’m not a big fan of Heron at all.
Kinda getting over it with DP
I don’t see any evidence that he’s matured or learned lessons or that he put in the real work to get better during the time off. I’m not saying he didn’t because I can’t know but the product we’ve seen so far tells a story. Even in warmups at UAB he was missing 10 consecutive warmup jumpers. He just doesn’t look good at all.
Didn't make it home till after 10 and haven't looked over there yet. I might post a thread with my game thoughts before bed. I'll be on the look out for decent bball posters to bring over. There are very few over there.
My post game wrap up posted on tbb....
Apologies to @ Powerman26 and anyone else who was waiting on pins and needles for my post game thoughts. I was at the game and knocked out a 10 mile run when I got back to Birmingham so didn't make it back to the house until just before 11.
Obviously a nice performance on offense. We shot the ball great, going 48% from deep and 50% from inside the arc. Great performance from Jared with 22 points, 7 assists, 2 steals and only one turnover. The sequence where he made the steal defending the break away, pushed the other way and through the perfect oop to Malik was incredible. Bryce was very efficient going 3/4 from long range and had some nice plays attacking the the basket as well. Samir also had a nice day going 3/4 from 3. My game MVP would be Mac as his 15 points, 9 boards, and 2 blocks was the best he has looked against a decent team so far this year. Our ceiling as a team is much higher with him playing the way he did last year so hopefully this is a sign he is turning the corner.
Defensively, we left something to be desired today which kept UGA alive until late. UGA shot 37.9% from deep which is well above their season average. The refs didn't do us any favors today with a lot of big calls going UGA's game which contributed to us not putting the game away early. Overall though, hard to complain about scoring 93 points and winning by 15. This was obviously a must win over one of the worst teams we will play the rest of the way.
My first bigger picture thought is what do we need to do to get Chuma to realize that he is an elite player? He has had several double doubles at Auburn so we know he is capable of putting a big game together. He may be the most unselfish player I have ever seen though as he's typically looking to get the ball to someone else rather than taking a shot or attacking the basket. On one possession, he drove it and kicked when it seemed he could go up and score or get fouled, then turned down another shot a few seconds later only to eventually take a 3 at the end of the possession. We obviously saw again today what he's capable of when he drove for the highlight reel monster slam late. I am not sure what needs to happen to get him to be the 16-20 point ppg guy that he clearly is capable of being. I think our upside as a team depends a lot on him figuring it out though as we need a third go-to scorer behind Bryce and Jared.
Second thought is that Malik needs to start and play more minutes. I really like Samir's game and I think he is an important player for us. He gave us 11 points, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals today. Malik played 14 mins and also gave us 11 points and 2 steals. Against Ole MIss, he played 14 mins and chipped in 11 points and 3 steals. This isn't about Samir being bad, it's about how good Malik has been in limited minutes. Give Malik 28 minutes against Ole Miss and I'm confident we win that game. Malik looked like the best player on the floor at times, making great effort plays on both ends. If given starter minutes, he is playing well enough right now to give us 17+ppg and 4-5 steals which would obviously be difference maker numbers. More than just the numbers, it's the kind of plays that Malik can make. Sure, he will make some mistakes, but he also comes up with incredible steals and is our best defender in blocking shots on breakaway. On offense, he is our most electric player on oops and he knocks down 3s in big moments. My solution would be to either shift Samir to a combo guard to back up Bryce and Jared or split time as the backup at the 2 and 3. The former seems more likely given that Bruce likes what McCormick is giving us as the backup 1.
Overall, we are in good shape right now heading into a pivotal early season week. As @MattAU05 point out in another thread, Ole Miss is much better than people thought even a week ago. They will probably be ranked this week. We have 3 losses to ranked teams away from home. We do need to prove we can win on the road though and that starts this Wednesday at TAMU. They are not a great team, but they are capable of beating us if we go in there and play the way we did at NC State or this week in Oxford. A win there would be big for our confidence. Next weekend is obviously a really big one with UK coming to town. Their PG was injured late today against Vandy so unclear if they will be at full strength. They have loads of talent though and it will be a national spotlight game that we need to win if we want to earn a high seed in the tournament.
Apologies to @ Powerman26 and anyone else who was waiting on pins and needles for my post game thoughts. I was at the game and knocked out a 10 mile run when I got back to Birmingham so didn't make it back to the house until just before 11.
Obviously a nice performance on offense. We shot the ball great, going 48% from deep and 50% from inside the arc. Great performance from Jared with 22 points, 7 assists, 2 steals and only one turnover. The sequence where he made the steal defending the break away, pushed the other way and through the perfect oop to Malik was incredible. Bryce was very efficient going 3/4 from long range and had some nice plays attacking the the basket as well. Samir also had a nice day going 3/4 from 3. My game MVP would be Mac as his 15 points, 9 boards, and 2 blocks was the best he has looked against a decent team so far this year. Our ceiling as a team is much higher with him playing the way he did last year so hopefully this is a sign he is turning the corner.
Defensively, we left something to be desired today which kept UGA alive until late. UGA shot 37.9% from deep which is well above their season average. The refs didn't do us any favors today with a lot of big calls going UGA's game which contributed to us not putting the game away early. Overall though, hard to complain about scoring 93 points and winning by 15. This was obviously a must win over one of the worst teams we will play the rest of the way.
My first bigger picture thought is what do we need to do to get Chuma to realize that he is an elite player? He has had several double doubles at Auburn so we know he is capable of putting a big game together. He may be the most unselfish player I have ever seen though as he's typically looking to get the ball to someone else rather than taking a shot or attacking the basket. On one possession, he drove it and kicked when it seemed he could go up and score or get fouled, then turned down another shot a few seconds later only to eventually take a 3 at the end of the possession. We obviously saw again today what he's capable of when he drove for the highlight reel monster slam late. I am not sure what needs to happen to get him to be the 16-20 point ppg guy that he clearly is capable of being. I think our upside as a team depends a lot on him figuring it out though as we need a third go-to scorer behind Bryce and Jared.
Second thought is that Malik needs to start and play more minutes. I really like Samir's game and I think he is an important player for us. He gave us 11 points, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals today. Malik played 14 mins and also gave us 11 points and 2 steals. Against Ole MIss, he played 14 mins and chipped in 11 points and 3 steals. This isn't about Samir being bad, it's about how good Malik has been in limited minutes. Give Malik 28 minutes against Ole Miss and I'm confident we win that game. Malik looked like the best player on the floor at times, making great effort plays on both ends. If given starter minutes, he is playing well enough right now to give us 17+ppg and 4-5 steals which would obviously be difference maker numbers. More than just the numbers, it's the kind of plays that Malik can make. Sure, he will make some mistakes, but he also comes up with incredible steals and is our best defender in blocking shots on breakaway. On offense, he is our most electric player on oops and he knocks down 3s in big moments. My solution would be to either shift Samir to a combo guard to back up Bryce and Jared or split time as the backup at the 2 and 3. The former seems more likely given that Bruce likes what McCormick is giving us as the backup 1.
Overall, we are in good shape right now heading into a pivotal early season week. As @MattAU05 point out in another thread, Ole Miss is much better than people thought even a week ago. They will probably be ranked this week. We have 3 losses to ranked teams away from home. We do need to prove we can win on the road though and that starts this Wednesday at TAMU. They are not a great team, but they are capable of beating us if we go in there and play the way we did at NC State or this week in Oxford. A win there would be big for our confidence. Next weekend is obviously a really big one with UK coming to town. Their PG was injured late today against Vandy so unclear if they will be at full strength. They have loads of talent though and it will be a national spotlight game that we need to win if we want to earn a high seed in the tournament.
hate that for him, he's stuck through SAT gate and all the FBI crap would love to see him flourish at AU
Well that was long but it was about basketball and well said so I enjoyed it. Here’s a few Denim thoughts:
1. I think @MattAU05 has been tampered with by tbb mod operatives to shun the Greg.
2. I’m not too worried about Chuma. He’s our best offensive weapon. Bruce knows it. The team knows it. We all know it. I expect him to realize it soon enough.
3. I’m torn on Malik starting cause he’s excelled off the bench but he should be getting starter mins. Get him 20+. Mix Samir in more at 2. Bruce even said after the game Bryce and Jared need to play less.
4. Love what we saw out of Mac but that J is still whack af. He looked like a stud yesterday regardless but to boog us to another level he needs that in his repertoire.
5. The Danjel thing is pretty frustrating but I guess it’s time to dramatically adjust what he could be. Preseason my thought was he’d eventually be a starter and a borderline all SEC caliber player. Now it’s like is he even on the squad?
6. Love Ho daddy. Him and Mac together did some good things but as brother @Fatz Geronimo mentioned those 2 together need Jared and Bryce out there. Can’t just go to some inept backup lineup with them. I’d still like to mix Malik or Danjel in at the 4 because their skill set is infinitely more what we like to do on O. Ho is such a burst of energy and force of nature on the glass so we need those mins.
7. One other general thought watching a bunch of ball yesterday I saw almost every team switching defenses. In and out of zone. I thought we’d do a lot of that this year but we don’t. We’ve got some guys that can lock up but then again we’ve got some guys with size/ length that can’t. Feel like that should be in our bag.
Totally agree that Malik is currently the most electric guy on the court wearing a boog jersey. He is willing to drive and be physical and the boogz desperately need that.
Samir needs to live at the 2/3, he's a good shooter but rarely seems to get good looks.
Chuma...all the talent in the world but just rarely allows himself to show it on offense. Still not sure why he's turned into such a spaz on D
To echo @Gran_Polla and the rest of the crew Bryce needs to stop dribbling. PERIOD. He's Embarriousing himself and making it harder to get points out of the possession. Shit from what i've seen the past month only Jared and Javon should even think about dribbling.
since everyone else is giving semi State of the Union addresses, I’ll offer mine, because it’s always easier to be critical after a win instead of appearing like a crybaby after a loss
so far, we’ve got:
3 guys over performing expectations - Jared, Malik, Horace
3 guys meeting expectations - Bryce, Samir, J’Von
4 guys underperforming - Chuma, Austin, Mac, Danjel
glass half empty = we overrated how good our perceived best players are
glass half full = we’re 12-3 with 0 “bad” losses, and continue to show flashes of dominance, with 4 of our “fill in the blank - best/most talented/potential difference making” 6 players underperforming, so there’s so much room for improvement over the next 2 months
I’m somewhere in between... Danjel is a write off, and Austin is just a square peg in a round hole with this roster and BRUCE’s style - we can still take better advantage of his strengths, but the fit just doesn’t maximize them, nor does his presence help get us as many good looks on the perimeter as we hoped... so that leaves Chuma and Mac
how far we go this year will depend on Chuma and Mac... and the good news is, their issues are mostly mental... we’ve got 7-8 weeks to have them ready to be killers, and I’ll take my chances against anybody
so far, we’ve got:
3 guys over performing expectations - Jared, Malik, Horace
3 guys meeting expectations - Bryce, Samir, J’Von
4 guys underperforming - Chuma, Austin, Mac, Danjel
glass half empty = we overrated how good our perceived best players are
glass half full = we’re 12-3 with 0 “bad” losses, and continue to show flashes of dominance, with 4 of our “fill in the blank - best/most talented/potential difference making” 6 players underperforming, so there’s so much room for improvement over the next 2 months
I’m somewhere in between... Danjel is a write off, and Austin is just a square peg in a round hole with this roster and BRUCE’s style - we can still take better advantage of his strengths, but the fit just doesn’t maximize them, nor does his presence help get us as many good looks on the perimeter as we hoped... so that leaves Chuma and Mac
how far we go this year will depend on Chuma and Mac... and the good news is, their issues are mostly mental... we’ve got 7-8 weeks to have them ready to be killers, and I’ll take my chances against anybody
As I’ve perused (use that word cause Keller dog taught me what it means) the safe space, I’ve kinda changed my thinking. I’ve been wanting BRUCE & the Boogs to recruit like lower 4* talents that might stay with the program for their entire eligibility. Seems to work for mid-majors, but not so much for us as I consider our roster & don’t see anyone that’s a sure lock for the League. Now of the opioin that if we have some leave early, other HYGS will follow. Maybe not to the extent of our Blueblood Brothers from the Bluegrass Commonwealth, but we really need a few to make a splash to keep us out front & center of all things college basketball. JMO of course.
The thing about Bryce is that he does a good job driving when the defense is rotating to him, but if he catches a ball and there’s already a defender there he needs to keep the ball moving.
driving is one thing, sitting at the key dribbling in place for 7-10 secs 1) is dumb, 2) shows off that he's not great at handling the ball, and most importantly 3) allows the defense to settle in and makes it harder for AU to get open looks.
I just busted up and signed in over there to read the Powerman thread on another account. Looks like @Jay G. Tate is still pretty frustrated with folks coming here to the GREG. You tell him I'm watching him #SAFEPLACE
