Full disclosure, I'm at a family dinner night and typing this from my phone. I wrote all this with four minutes to go in the game and it all deleted. I'm frustrated, hungry and going to keep this brief.
1. Skal: He obviously struggled in the first half but loved the way he responded in the second half. That's called bouncing back. But, foul trouble is very concerning. He has to be smarter. He'll get better as he gets more experience but there will definitely be games he'll be on the bench because of foul trouble.
2. The guards: Throwing Briscoe in with Murray and Ulis this time. These three are going to be special.
3. Ulis is in attack mode, something we didn't see last season. That's scary for opposing teams and good for Ulis. He won't be around for four years.
4. Murray is the best guard in the country, or will be. He can do everything and even tho he didn't dominate from the perimeter tonight, he showed he can impact the game a variety of ways.
5. Briscoe is going to do good things, and bad things, but he's always going to be capable of making something out of nothing. He's so strong with the ball. Foul shooting was terrible, and he needs to learn to hit when tired.
6. Shot Blocking: Saw a lot of this tonight. There may be no Noel or Davis on this team, but collectively the Cats will protect the rim. Poythress and Lee will lead the charge, Labissiere will be there, too and several other will alter shots. Will be tough to score over UK's length.
7. Press: I'm not ready to eat crow but the trapping press was MUCH better tonight. Still need to see it against a good opponent but much improved from Monday. Didn't give up nearly as many wide open looks.
8. Willis: On my radio show I've been raving about Willis and he's proving me right. He's going to play this year. My only complaint is he's too unselfish. He's a great shooter and if he's open he shouldn't hesitate.
Let's get the season started.
1. Skal: He obviously struggled in the first half but loved the way he responded in the second half. That's called bouncing back. But, foul trouble is very concerning. He has to be smarter. He'll get better as he gets more experience but there will definitely be games he'll be on the bench because of foul trouble.
2. The guards: Throwing Briscoe in with Murray and Ulis this time. These three are going to be special.
3. Ulis is in attack mode, something we didn't see last season. That's scary for opposing teams and good for Ulis. He won't be around for four years.
4. Murray is the best guard in the country, or will be. He can do everything and even tho he didn't dominate from the perimeter tonight, he showed he can impact the game a variety of ways.
5. Briscoe is going to do good things, and bad things, but he's always going to be capable of making something out of nothing. He's so strong with the ball. Foul shooting was terrible, and he needs to learn to hit when tired.
6. Shot Blocking: Saw a lot of this tonight. There may be no Noel or Davis on this team, but collectively the Cats will protect the rim. Poythress and Lee will lead the charge, Labissiere will be there, too and several other will alter shots. Will be tough to score over UK's length.
7. Press: I'm not ready to eat crow but the trapping press was MUCH better tonight. Still need to see it against a good opponent but much improved from Monday. Didn't give up nearly as many wide open looks.
8. Willis: On my radio show I've been raving about Willis and he's proving me right. He's going to play this year. My only complaint is he's too unselfish. He's a great shooter and if he's open he shouldn't hesitate.
Let's get the season started.
