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Cam Ugo get us there? Need Z???

Can Ugo get us back to the FF playing 30+ mins a game?

  • Yes

    Votes: 18 36.0%
  • No

    Votes: 32 64.0%

  • Total voters
    50
He played 21 against MS St. He is also a bit foul prone, which plays into him not getting many minutes. He gets abused on defense. Lately, his 3's aren't falling, which is really his biggest asset to this team.

In 8 minutes yesterday, he had 2 fouls, 1 turnover and a block. He didn't need more minutes if we wanted to win.

If we are dependent on Big Z to go far, I don't like our chances.
You keep repeating the foul prone mantra and it just isn’t true. He played 61 minutes against Alabama, Miss. St, and Arkansas and committed 5 fouls. Also blocked 9 shots, had 32 points and 18 rebounds. I don’t think you will find a 60 minute stretch of numbers like that for UGO. I think yesterday worked fine obviously because we won but Z has never played well when utilized like he was yesterday. He has to be allowed to get into the flow of the game and he’s not one that will do so in short term intervals. He did come up with a big block yesterday against knecht however that would have cut our lead to 3 with just over 5:00 to go.

Was disappointed to see that cal did not run any high pick action with Z and Dillingham while Z was in the game. That worked extremely well last time out and didn’t even give it a look this time. Reasons like this and 6-7 turnovers from merely taking the ball out of bounds because we don’t run any sets at all is one of the reasons that make cal the bad coach he is.
 
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Ugo played great yesterday and Z gave him a rest when he needed it. I am not fan of Bradshaw as he just is not that good and is a very poor shooter. Go with Ugo and Big Z most of the games. Only use Bradshaw when Ugo and Big Z get in foul problems.
 
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Z was slow and flat footed on D. He was passive and got pushed Around in the paint. Ugo was dominant against top competion. Z will get better, but he's not a big help right now.
This.
He's always out of position on defense and gets blown by leading to the help defender catching a cheap foul.
If he stays, he will be 1st team SEC next year no doubt. He has 0 muscle tone. I love his attitude!
 
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You keep repeating the foul prone mantra and it just isn’t true. He played 61 minutes against Alabama, Miss. St, and Arkansas and committed 5 fouls. Also blocked 9 shots, had 32 points and 18 rebounds. I don’t think you will find a 60 minute stretch of numbers like that for UGO. I think yesterday worked fine obviously because we won but Z has never played well when utilized like he was yesterday. He has to be allowed to get into the flow of the game and he’s not one that will do so in short term intervals. He did come up with a big block yesterday against knecht however that would have cut our lead to 3 with just over 5:00 to go.

Was disappointed to see that cal did not run any high pick action with Z and Dillingham while Z was in the game. That worked extremely well last time out and didn’t even give it a look this time. Reasons like this and 6-7 turnovers from merely taking the ball out of bounds because we don’t run any sets at all is one of the reasons that make cal the bad coach he is.

His per 40 avg is over 5 fouls a game. That's the definition of foul prone.
 
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Like it or not, the 5 spot is going to have to be by committee and take into account matchups, opponents’ style of play and hot hand on a game-by-game basis.

I would like to see the three of them combine for 10 ppg, 12 rpg and 4 bpg. Anything more is absolute gravy.
 
I know we won on the road. Love It! But...

29 mins and zero pts from Ugo. Look he payed decent D at times but also was dunked on here and there. He struggles to rebound ir even grab the ball when it falls right in his lap. I worry Cal has fallen back I'm love with this zero offense some defense look. I know Z didn't do much. How much could anyone do in 2 mins, 3 mins and 2 mins?

He played 8 mins and by the time he's even thinking rhythm he's back out. I guarantee with 29 mins he would have done better than Ugo. But we won. Yes.

I'm more worried about the future games where we have to have something more than 0-4pts out of the 5 to win. I felt Bam. Cal was leaning into the right lineup then bam. Some will say Z couldn't handle it and Ugo was needed but guys like Knect were dunking. I'm fine with Ugo out there half the time if he's playing good D but worried Cal doesn't see what Z gives us. We ate a better team with Z out there. He's not perfect but blocks shots, causes guys to avoid the paint and he can actually score.

Who could play well in stretches of 2, 3 and 2 mins?

I just feel like we will need Z down the stretch and will see too much Tre and Ugo. I hope I'm wrong.
Ugo has to be the primary big due to D. He isn’t strong but his shot blocking and footwork on D does make a huge difference. Z literally gets tossed around like paper. Bradshaw wants no part of contact. The way the team is constructed forget about offense from our bigs. Gotta have the guy who can at least impact some possessions defensively. Ugo altered a number of shots and played with intensity.
 

His per 40 avg is over 5 fouls a game. That's the definition of foul prone.
Statistics that are skewed due to 8 fouls picked up in 22 minutes of action while he was still struggling to learning to play. His last 103 minutes played since @vandy when he got 5 fouls in 12 minutes he has a total of 11. 11 fouls in 103 minutes for a big is not foul prone. You have no clue what you’re talking about. He’ll even 5 fouls for 40 minutes is not foul prone for a big in today’s physical nature of the game.
 
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Statistics that are skewed due to 8 fouls picked up in 22 minutes of action while he was still struggling to learning to play. His last 103 minutes played since @vandy when he got 5 fouls in 12 minutes he has a total of 11. 11 fouls in 103 minutes for a big is not foul prone. You have no clue what you’re talking about. He’ll even 5 fouls for 40 minutes is not foul prone for a big in today’s physical nature of the game.
Okay, man. You win! You're 100% right. More than 5 fouls per game is terrific, and we should certainly question why a role player didn't play more after a win against a top 5 team on their court in which the guy that did play was a defensive juggernaut.

The 2 fouls and 1 turnover in 8 minutes yesterday certainly warranted more minutes and points to no issues with him fouling a lot. The 3 fouls in 17 minutes against Vandy this week certainly doesn't point to a foul problem either. And his 6 points on 7 FG attempts is exactly what this team needs!
 
Z got pushed around some yesterday, not showing the defensive prowess he had been lately, but he did change a few shots. Ugo played great defensively and rebounded pretty good, but we will need some offense from our bigs because we are not going to hit like yesterday every game. We will need all 3 going forward to get where we want to go.
 
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I'm a huge fan of Z and think he could offer much more to our teams success than the current way Cal is using him ..But Ugo was really a rim protector yesterday , he was hot , dont mind Cal riding him , but here's the thing .. can Ugo consistently bring that sort of game , he cant disappear in a big EE game or sweet 16 .. And he's really up and down. I think Z would have been ahead of Ugo if used properly when he first became eligible , but Cal's already screwed that up . At this point it's by committee .. but by all means let Tre chill until he shows hes ready to compete . He's gun shy at the moment.
 
I'm a huge fan of Z and think he could offer much more to our teams success than the current way Cal is using him ..But Ugo was really a rim protector yesterday , he was hot , dont mind Cal riding him , but here's the thing .. can Ugo consistently bring that sort of game , he cant disappear in a big EE game or sweet 16 .. And he's really up and down. I think Z would have been ahead of Ugo if used properly when he first became eligible , but Cal's already screwed that up . At this point it's by committee .. but by all means let Tre chill until he shows hes ready to compete . He's gun shy at the moment.

Tre had a perfect opportunity right at the basket yesterday and missed it badly. He is really struggling right now. Hope he can get it going.
 
I'm thrilled, but did you even read what I posted? The future, that's what counts, that's what I'm worried about. When Ugo plays 29 mins and scores zero ok. But when he has 4 other guys that are not 5s grab as many or more rebounds some in less time that's gonna be a problem down the road. Wake up!

Sheppard, Reeves, Theiro and Edwards grabbed as many boards and Reeves a guard grabbed more than Ugo. So if Uho is a defensive juggernaut ok. But he hasn't shown that. It usually takes him 30+ mins to record a soso stat line. Check history. I just think we can do better with Z getting a real chance and worry this will bite us when it's lose and go home.
It’s gonna have to be by comittee based on the needs of the team. We are still weak inside but ugo stays at home. Some games we will absolutely need that guy surrounded by 4 potent players offensively. Z has a tendency to disappear which is a problem. If he’s not clicking we need ugo to rim protect and rebound. He was a difference maker for us defensively yesterday. The area where we need difference makers
 
Tre had a perfect opportunity right at the basket yesterday and missed it badly. He is really struggling right now. Hope he can get it going.
I don’t even want to see tre on the floor trying to get it going. He is a massive liability
 
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I don’t even want to see tre on the floor trying to get it done. He is a massive liability
We’ll need Mitchell to get where we want to go. But, I think Cal just gives him a few first half minutes to make it happen. Mitchell just had 7 mins yday. I’m guessing this is about what he gets until he breaks out of his slump.

In a perfect world, we blow someone out Fri and give Mitchell a lot of run.

Regarding comments from other posters about Z not getting enough mins to get into rhythm. Our bigs know (which is a good thing) they have a short window to impact the game or they’re coming out. Ugo impacted the game immediately or Z would have been in with Reed and Rob. He earned the right for more mins. All 3 of them have to impact the game in some way to get more run.

I was fine with the 5 yesterday. I’m sure (like prior games) it’ll be Z getting most of the mins in some upcoming games.

The OP wanted to know about how the 5 position impacts blueprint for success. This team will lean on guard & wing play, while shuffling through big men to find the best big player for that particular game. Sure, they’ll have a gameplan based on matchup, but they’ll shuffle if need be to find the best fit for that game. Bottom line - we are not dependent on either of them to win the game! They can be an asset, but if we HAVE to get great big man play to win, then we’re in trouble!
 
The original post speaks as if you looked at the box score and didn’t see the game. Anyone that watched the game knew why Ugo got the bull of the minutes yesterday even though he didn’t score and had 6 rebounds. He absolutely shut off anything going to the basket, and had Tennessee looking over their shoulders when they did get there. He contained the dribbler when a switch was called and also did a good job in rotation. Z was absolutely lost when asked to do that. Watch the game, not the box score.

All 3 bigs will be needed in different games. Calipari has been going with who the game situation calls for, and that is the right strategy.
 
Ugo surprised me against Tennessee. He was very solid defending the rim and rebounding the ball. You gotta give him credit. And he's obviously a great guy to have available. But a couple games ago it was Bradshaw who had a great game, and in several recent games it was Ivisic who looked like he should be the starting center.

So, I say, it's good to have all 3 of those guys. Depending on the opponent, any of the 3 could be the answer, and they've all shown they can get it done when called upon. The correct answer is ALL 3, in my opinion.
 
No . Guards win in the tourney. All u need is defense and rebounding at the 5 spot, and Ugonna does that.

Well my point is, what, if anything do you think will be this teams undoing?

It won't be our guards, won't be wings, won't be our PF most likely. It's going to be our center, whichever of the 3, not being able to handle a guy like Edey. If we lose, it's likely going to be because our Big3 at center just can't quite handle a premier front court
 
Every team needs a Rodman type of guy. We have UGO that can make a difference with or without scoring a point. Then we have Z, who can score but against most quick guys will not get a chance to play as he cannot keep a bicycle with Square wheels in front of him. Bradshaw can get 12 pts at any time. He can also go for 0 across the board. Between the 3 we do not have to have 20 points. We do have to have 12rebounds, 6 blocks and solid play.

The thing I like is if we need to go small we can with Adou in the post with Edwards and then 3 guards.
We could play like Nova a few years back. Again do not have to but we have so many options. If we win and move forward this week we could have 3 different guys lead us along with 2,3 or 4 others going off in the same game.

We have not seen the total buzz saw that we could be if we play both ways for 35 to 40 minutes. That might be coming this week.
 
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Z got abused on defense. They went right at him. Ugo actually had a chance of defending Knecht when he went inside. Z didn't even get off the floor in time.
Ugo played PHENOMENAL defense yesterday! We don’t really need offense from the 5 spot. We needed rim protection in that game badly. We probably lose if Ugo didn’t play 29 minutes. He had 4 monster blocks that should’ve been 5! Like you said, he changed many others as well.
 
I know we won on the road. Love It! But...

29 mins and zero pts from Ugo. Look he payed decent D at times but also was dunked on here and there. He struggles to rebound ir even grab the ball when it falls right in his lap. I worry Cal has fallen back I'm love with this zero offense some defense look. I know Z didn't do much. How much could anyone do in 2 mins, 3 mins and 2 mins?

He played 8 mins and by the time he's even thinking rhythm he's back out. I guarantee with 29 mins he would have done better than Ugo. But we won. Yes.

I'm more worried about the future games where we have to have something more than 0-4pts out of the 5 to win. I felt Bam. Cal was leaning into the right lineup then bam. Some will say Z couldn't handle it and Ugo was needed but guys like Knect were dunking. I'm fine with Ugo out there half the time if he's playing good D but worried Cal doesn't see what Z gives us. We ate a better team with Z out there. He's not perfect but blocks shots, causes guys to avoid the paint and he can actually score.

Who could play well in stretches of 2, 3 and 2 mins?

I just feel like we will need Z down the stretch and will see too much Tre and Ugo. I hope I'm wrong.
I would say if Cal is smart this will be a play it by ear, some teams they play Z will be the man, others the Cats will need Ugo, and in some games it may be Bradshaw.
 
Okay, man. You win! You're 100% right. More than 5 fouls per game is terrific, and we should certainly question why a role player didn't play more after a win against a top 5 team on their court in which the guy that did play was a defensive juggernaut.

The 2 fouls and 1 turnover in 8 minutes yesterday certainly warranted more minutes and points to no issues with him fouling a lot. The 3 fouls in 17 minutes against Vandy this week certainly doesn't point to a foul problem either. And his 6 points on 7 FG attempts is exactly what this team needs!
Don’t get pissy with me because you don’t comprehend that 1 foul every 8 minutes for a big is not exactly foul prone. Nor his 1 foul ever 9:30 which has been the case for Z the last 7 games. You’re also making shit up. I never once said that Z should have gotten more minutes yesterday, I’m merely stated he is not effective when utilized the way that he was, which is short term intervals.. the only other thing I expressed was I was disappointed in how Cal used him when he did not do any pick and roll or pick and pop action with he and Dillingham.
 
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Don’t get pissy with me because you don’t comprehend that 1 foul every 8 minutes for a big is not exactly foul prone. Nor his 1 foul ever 9:30 which has been the case for Z the last 7 games. You’re also making shit up. I never once said that Z should have gotten more minutes yesterday, I’m merely stated he is not effective when utilized the way that he was, which is short term intervals.. the only other thing I expressed was I was disappointed in how Cal used him when he did not do any pick and roll or pick and pop action with he and Dillingham.
I'm not getting pissy, I was just taught not to argue with an idiot. You do you, dude!
 
Um...Reed was the guy guarding that under the basket play, not Ugo. Ugo was actually defending his man. I guess Reed giving up the 3 against UF in regulation was on UGO, too?

Also, how does Z playing change that? He isn't a great rebounder, shot blocker or defender.
In his 2 minutes in that game, he already had a foul. At that pace, he could have provided 10 min before he fouled out
Dillinghams man was the one that scored the winning basket. He missed the blockout allowing his man to get to the rim . He said it in the post game interview.
 
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Dillinghams man was the one that scored the winning basket. He missed the blockout allowing his man to get to the rim . He said it in the post game interview.
Yes, Rob's man beat him, got into the paint, where Reed switched onto him and tried to block the 2nd shot attempt. Reed was on the guy that scored when he scored. That's how man 2 man works. Rob just took the heat as any good teammate would.

Here is the video:
 
You know, Tennesee isn't a particularly "tall" team. One true center, Ziegler at 5'9, Vescovi at 6'3.. Ugo did pretty well against them with his shot blocking and altering. And Ole Miss where he had 11 blocks, they have a lot of size, but much of it is on the bench, and the guys who get the minutes, also not very tall. 5'11 guard, a few other guards and wings between 6'3 and 6'6.

So it makes me wonder if we need to look at this a little situationally. Ugo might be the guy if the other team is guard heavy, where he can be a difference maker as a shot blocker.

Where as Big Z might be a better guy for teams with traditional bigs as he's a tough matchup offensively (or tougher than Ugo is).
 
Yes, Rob's man beat him, got into the paint, where Reed switched onto him and tried to block the 2nd shot attempt. Reed was on the guy that scored when he scored. That's how man 2 man works. Rob just took the heat as any good teammate would.

Here is the video:
You are correct . Had Dillingham blocked out his man there would have been no need for Reed to switch . Rob was owning up to his misses assignment . As any responsible player would.
 
You are correct . Had Dillingham blocked out his man there would have been no need for Reed to switch . Rob was owning up to his misses assignment . As any responsible player would.
You can't really block out someone on the perimeter. Rob's man went right and Rob went left and ultimately got blocked by the guys on that side of the lane. Reed appropriately switched to guard that guy and got scored on. Had it been the opposite, it would have been Rob that got scored on.
 
New idea..

We send one of the three centers out for the tipoff, and right as the ball gets tossed up, he nut taps the opposing center. Our big gets ejected (saving his body for the next game), and theirs throws up profusely on the court and gets ruled out for the game. Then we put in one of our backup centers. Wash, rinse repeat.

Ok, on three, one two three Break!
 
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