I now know how it feels to be Missouri

[ProdigalHorn]

This team really does remind me of typical Mizzou teams - talented, athletic and for some reason unable to put the pieces together consistently.

The irony is that in a lot of ways, I liked what I saw against Baylor. The FT shooting has gotten better, Gary Johnson converted in the paint better than I've seen a UT player do in a long time, and we shot over 50 percent from the floor. Defense certainly wasn't great, but it hasn't been all year.

To me, Saturday came down to a team with seasoned guard play against one with no seasoned guard play. Who going into the season would have thought backcourt depth would be an issue? Or that Varez Ward would be a badly missed piece to this puzzle? But there it is, we have freshmen guards playing 20-30 minutes a game and still not having a grasp on defense or patience in running the offense.

 

[busterbrown16]

Great comparison PH. I think you hit the nail on the head. Add to that the lack of defense played by this team and you pretty much describe Mizzou every year. The sad thing is that the freshman may have figured it out by now if they (save for Bradley) were not playing 20-30 minutes one night and 2 the next because they pissed in Rick Barnes' cheerios the day before.

 

[Bob in Houston]

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[busterbrown16]

Bob - I realize that they have made HUGE mistakes. Hamilton and Brown are the biggest culprits, no doubt. But, from what I have seen, Rick does not allow them to fight through these mistakes. After a mistake, pull them from the game, talk to them, and get them right back out there. Don't sit them on the bench for extended periods of time so that we can continue to suffer through Justin Mason at the PG position.

I would personally be shocked to see Hamilton and Brown on the team next year. I doubt they are very happy with how Rick Barnes handled them on the team this year.

 

[gdu]

busterbrown, you have lost it if you think they won't be on the team next year.

 

[busterbrown16]

gdu - I would not be so sure. This is purely speculation on my part, but I think Hamilton goes professional (even playing in Europe). Brown is the more likely of the two to come back, but that is not a guarantee (in my purely speculative mind).

And, I hate to say this, but I am not sure Barnes would be too beat up about either loss.

 

[Owlhorn]

when Barnes was racing to 17-0, he should have been letting these guys grow. Instead its March and you still have freshmen.

 

[ProdigalHorn]

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[busterbrown16]

Agree, Full Flask pretty much summed up the team this year (unfortunately).

And not to be the Debbie Downer, but one of the guys I work with (who is a HUGE high school basketball fan and follows it closely and whose opinion I trust), says that Tristan Thompson is still very raw and needs A LOT of work. He is shocked that the guy is ranked top 10 (at the risk of being called out by bierce, I will just say top 10 even though I think he is #5 or #6). I have seen the guy play once and he seemed alright to me, albeit against high school talent. Here is to hoping he is wrong.

 

[bierce]

Sorry, busterbrown16 about the Bradley argument.

Thompson seems even more than Bradley to be a you love him or don't prospect--a guy with great upside but needing development.

That consensus site I used for Bradley has Thompson 6th as of September. Rivals, which is included in the composite, has him 17th.

The Link

 

[busterbrown16]

No worries bierce, you are defending Barnes, et al, and I was being pretty rough on him/them. Deservedly or un-deservedly so.

I think 17 is about right and it may even be a prediction of where he will wind up after 2-3 years (as in a top 15 player by his junior or senior year). People expect these guys (either rightly or wrongly) to come in and be All-Americans right away. I would say that is unfair, but so many kids have done it (even in our own backyard). From what I am told, if people expect that out of Tristan, they will be severely disappointed. A major project, but amazing upside, if you can tap into it.