Arkansas is better without Fland

[wkycatfan]

For me this continues to illustrate the difficulty of trying to win with freshmen, even if OAD. The flaw in Cal’s philosophy and players first imo. Plus Cal couldn’t beat Oakland (and others) but he can come into Rupp and beat us. Cal has always done his best coaching when he’s backed into a corner.

 

[jwphelps]

For me this continues to illustrate the difficulty of trying to win with freshmen, even if OAD. The flaw in Cal’s philosophy and players first imo. Plus Cal couldn’t beat Oakland (and others) but he can come into Rupp and beat us. Cal has always done his best coaching when he’s backed into a corner.

I agree, the Hogs had two ball dominate guards who did not like to pass.

 

[LmdCat]

For me this continues to illustrate the difficulty of trying to win with freshmen, even if OAD. The flaw in Cal’s philosophy and players first imo. Plus Cal couldn’t beat Oakland (and others) but he can come into Rupp and beat us. Cal has always done his best coaching when he’s backed into a corner.

How many games has Arkansas won without Fland vs with him. I think your proclamation is a bit premature.

 

[wkycatfan]

I agree, the Hogs had two ball dominate guards who did not like to pass.

When Cal was the UK coach I always felt the OAD players had one eye on March and one eye on the NBA, bad mix if you’re a UK fan.

 

[UK90]

Johnell Davis looks like he’s been set free from prison since Fland went out.

 

[JonathanW]

For me this continues to illustrate the difficulty of trying to win with freshmen, even if OAD. The flaw in Cal’s philosophy and players first imo. Plus Cal couldn’t beat Oakland (and others) but he can come into Rupp and beat us. Cal has always done his best coaching when he’s backed into a corner.

They are not.
They just got hot this 1 game. I bet the boos directed at 3 of them also gave extra motivation.
Also announcers said Davis is getting healthier.

 

[shaudyshaud]

Without Fland their offense never looked this good .

 

[UK90]

They just got hot this 1 game. I bet the boos directed at 3 of them also gave extra motivation.
Also announcers said Davis is getting healthier.

They also beat Georgia without Fland.

0-5 in the SEC with Fland, but 2-1 without him. Is that just coincidence?

 

[the nail at the foul line]

Ball dominant guards are usually bad for team success.

 

[FitchandMurray29]

Not that he would’ve continued playing this way but he missed 56 shots in 5 SEC games. He shot them out of wins they would’ve had vs Ole Miss, at LSU, and maybe Florida.

 

[UK90]

Not that he would’ve continued playing this way but he missed 56 shots in 5 SEC games. He shot them out of wins they would’ve had vs Ole Miss, at LSU, and maybe Florida.

It was the same thing we saw here. Cal giving WAY too much leash to the freshman who was the highest rated NBA draft prospect at the expense of veteran players.

Fland’s injury was a bit of a blessing in disguise in that it stopped Cal from continuing to make that mistake this season.

 

[Runnin'Ramel]

Fland's injury had me worried for sure. I knew Davis would be unleashed and Arkansas would improve. Just sucks it all came to a head in Rupp. It is what it is.

 

[katwest]

I wanted this game bad and losing last night, it feels just as bad this morning. I don’t see us beating them there next year either, which pisses me off even more. It’s going to be really hard for us to go to Bud Walton and beat them as long as Cal is there. Even if next year is like this year has been for them, which hasn’t been that good. As long as he beats Kentucky at Arkansas he will have a job there.

 

[Wonky]

How many games has Arkansas won without Fland vs with him. I think your proclamation is a bit premature.

Uhh well, they were 0-5 in the SEC with him and are 2-1 without him.

 

[LmdCat]

Uhh well, they were 0-5 in the SEC with him and are 2-1 without him.

I see you. I like how you narrowed it down to SEC play.

 

[Wonky]

I see you. I like how you narrowed it down to SEC play.

Considering SEC play is by far the strongest portion of their schedule, I fail to see how their performance against Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas is relevant.

 

[LmdCat]

Considering SEC play is by far the strongest portion of their schedule, I fail to see how their performance against Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas is relevant.

There is an expectation that teams do improve over time. Surely you are not suggesting that DJ is better than Fland. Lol

 

[chroix]

There is an expectation that teams do improve over time. Surely you are not suggesting that DJ is better than Fland. Lol

Better what is the question. Better individual player no. Better facilitator, probably. More experience, obviously.

 

[Smashcat]

For me this continues to illustrate the difficulty of trying to win with freshmen, even if OAD. The flaw in Cal’s philosophy and players first imo. Plus Cal couldn’t beat Oakland (and others) but he can come into Rupp and beat us. Cal has always done his best coaching when he’s backed into a corner.

They were coming off a bad home loss to OU without Fland. And I predict Texas will wreck them. They just won one for the gipper last night.

 

[G-PIP]

For me this continues to illustrate the difficulty of trying to win with freshmen, even if OAD. The flaw in Cal’s philosophy and players first imo. Plus Cal couldn’t beat Oakland (and others) but he can come into Rupp and beat us. Cal has always done his best coaching when he’s backed into a corner.

I've also said on here that I thought Ark. might actually be a better team without Fland, but that was mostly due to what I thought was a bad fit issue with him and Wagner. So, I would have thought the same thing if it were Wagner out instead of Fland. In my opinion, those two needed to share the PG role. One needed to start and one needed to be the backup playing plenty of minutes, giving two different looks. Fland made a lot of negative plays that hurt Ark., but if he was going to be the starting PG I think he and the team would have been better with Wagner playing behind him (or vice versa).

 

[HamuelLJackson]

How many games has Arkansas won without Fland vs with him. I think your proclamation is a bit premature.

Sometimes your posts make it look like you don't watch a whole lotta basketball.

Our offense is way better without Fland. He's got talent, unquestionable. Where will he play in the NBA? He won't be a PG and he's pretty small to be a SG.

He had terrible shot selection and was becoming a ball stopper and black hole.

Last five games he was
2-13
6-17
4-13
5-20
5-15

A lot of those shots were just inside the three point line and early in the clock.
Not what you need from your 1

 

[cats#1again]

How many games has Arkansas won without Fland vs with him. I think your proclamation is a bit premature.

2 sec games

 

[Zuma75]

For me this continues to illustrate the difficulty of trying to win with freshmen, even if OAD. The flaw in Cal’s philosophy and players first imo. Plus Cal couldn’t beat Oakland (and others) but he can come into Rupp and beat us. Cal has always done his best coaching when he’s backed into a corner.

Duke seems to be doing OK with OAD this year. At first Cal stopped getting the “best of the best,” and then he apparently just stopped even bothering to coach the players he did get.

 

[catfan220]

For me this continues to illustrate the difficulty of trying to win with freshmen, even if OAD. The flaw in Cal’s philosophy and players first imo. Plus Cal couldn’t beat Oakland (and others) but he can come into Rupp and beat us. Cal has always done his best coaching when he’s backed into a corner.

I posted about this possibility at the time Fland was announced out. Cal went and got arguably the best transfer in the portal in Davis and then sat him behind a freshman. Undoubtedly a talented freshman, but a freshman nonetheless. Fland is a Ewing Theory candidate, if you will, except Arkansas will go from the 14th best team in the SEC to the 12th or something. Of course Cal only has like 8 scholarship players left, so he's got other problems with the Fland injury.

There's some talk that Caleb Wilson chose UNC in part bc it's unclear how much Pope will lean on freshmen. I'm fine with that, I hope a 5 star freshman only starts if they're undeniably the best guy for the position. If Wilson came here and we get a talented 4 out of the portal, and let’s say they're deemed essentially equal contributors, I would rather the upperclassman plays starter minutes. I would rather we fill the roster with transfer with 2 or 3 years of eligibility and one instant impact freshman and one freshman that expects to be a 11th man his first year.

 

[Docpath1972]

This reminds me of last year when we had a smooth functioning offense with great ball and player movement. And then the seven footers arrived. On paper they looked better but on the floor they were not