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We are definitely a deeper, more talented team this year. We're also stepping up in weight class. I'm going to chalk this game up to a lot of new faces mixing and matching. I'm digging the two point guards ability to penetrate and defend and we look better on the perimeter even though it was a poor shooting night overall. Our dee needs some work though especially in the paint. Damn, if we had those transfers on appeal...

(11-06-2023 11:10 PM)Bearcatbdub Wrote:  

(11-06-2023 11:07 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Wes mentioning how well we did running their best shooters off the 3 point line.

Nice try, wes. Pretty sure they didn’t have any shooters.

That team was going to beat us with layups. And they nearly did.

Lol DRAMATIC. The outcome was never really in question.

Lahkin being capable of having such an off game on defense at this stage in his career is alarming. Especially considering Wes seemingly gambled the season on two guys getting unlikely waivers.

Other than that, there were a lot of positives you could find in tonight’s game

As much as we worry about the rim protection they still gave up only .81 points per possession.

I was able to go to the game. My thoughts -

I agree UIC got to the rim too easily.

UC's point guards are a definite improvement.

Lakhin looked out of shape. Could Miller use Tolentino for just a few minutes to give Lakhin a break?

Fredrick looked very good at times.

It's nice to actually have PGs despite their inexperience. We had combos playing PG last year and it lead to lots of pounding the ball, standing around and hero ball.

Simas will be fine. He's slick to watch work the openings in the D.. Great feel for the game. Going to have to game plan to help him some on D.

CK is a shooter like we haven't had in a long time. Quick trigger and it lands "soft".

Vik is still a Euro big. If one of the waivers gets approved I think we'll see him move over where he is way more comfortable.

We remind me of last year's Rutgers team.

Decent size/length/athleticism, solid depth, lots of potential on defense (especially if you add Aziz/Reynolds), no alpha scorer but lots of guys who can give you 10-12 on any given night.

I haven't watched the game yet, but Sage not getting minutes is quite concerning. If it's just Vik/Ody, not only are they not going to be great at interior defense, they can't afford to take risks either.

It seems like Wes gambled everything on at least one of Aziz/Jamille being eligible. We got guards who aren't great on defense on the idea that our centers would be shut down on the interior.

Now it seems we have no big man depth, so Ody/Vik have to play cautious, further reducing their ability to help defend and rebound at a high level.

(11-06-2023 11:14 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  We are definitely a deeper, more talented team this year. We're also stepping up in weight class. I'm going to chalk this game up to a lot of new faces mixing and matching. I'm digging the two point guards ability to penetrate and defend and we look better on the perimeter even though it was a poor shooting night overall. Our dee needs some work though especially in the paint. Damn, if we had those transfers on appeal...

Bolded, a good summary and the point guards BOTH appear to have the makings of very special (and entertaining) players for UC. Having two such players will serve this team well. Very few comments here on Skillings and I really liked his game and saw considerable improvement from year one. Lakhin's performance was puzzling but I'm wondering if he's been practicing more as a big forward for weeks now with the two ineligibles in the post? He just seemed surprisingly uncomfortable in his customary role out there last night. Newman is a saavy veteran. Had he been available last year UC would have made the NIT finals.

Finally, CJ may be the secret sauce with that pure 3 point stroke off the bench. How many years have we watched a guy come off the pine for X and shoot UC out of a game? Maybe CJ returns the favor at Cintas this year.

(11-06-2023 11:10 PM)Bearcatbdub Wrote:  

(11-06-2023 11:07 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Wes mentioning how well we did running their best shooters off the 3 point line.

Nice try, wes. Pretty sure they didn’t have any shooters.

That team was going to beat us with layups. And they nearly did.

Their two bigs shot 41% and 36% from three last year. Wes mentioned in the post game playing close attention to those guys.

Rivera shot 38% at Colorado St. last year. He shot 42% the year before and 42% as a freshman.

Jones shot 34% for them last year so he was just an average shooter.

Definitely first game jitters to work out and lots of new pieces, so there were some miscommunications. The offense moved well. We never saw the ball stop and sit in someone's hands. Spacing was excellent and they made the extra pass a lot (Sometimes too often). Most of the 3s were wide open in the flow of offense and we will hit more of those. Lots of options and different lineups out there. We have a lot of height at forward and guard, so we can play a bit smaller and faster.

Simas got a lot of good looks, they just didn't fall. That won't last, so he will be a definite plus. He did a great job of moving without the ball and had a ton of wide open looks that he will usually make.

Vik had one of his worse games, but that likely won't last and there will be better days. I think at times he was not helping to try to avoid foul trouble, knowing he can't afford it.

The PGs look freaking legit. A lot of trying to do too much mistakes that will get fixed, but many they are going to be a special. Day Day and Jizzle are going to be a great rotation and both are so fast and strong, we can wear down other teams.

CJ is a huge add with his shooting and he moves really well. That cut he made to the hoop for the layup when they overplayed the 3 was a thing of beauty.

Skillings seems more under control and is just a freak. He rushed a couple 3s, but believe that will come and he will at least be a threat from the 3 that will only help his drive. But he really crashed the board.

I thought Ody gave us good hard minutes.

Having Newman back definitely helps as well, though even he got burnt on defense by the faster players a couple times.

I think UIC was better than expected and they definitely had a couple legit players. I see why Okani flirted with the NBA. He is a baller. Yes they got a lot of layups, but they made a lot of contested and tough shots too. They were very quick and did a good job of exploiting some of the switches with their speed and out slow rotations. They looked like a 150-200 team (Still not good, but definitely not the 300+ we were expecting, especially when you have a potential NBA guy leading the team).

Overall we had some good size out there across the board, but we definitely struggled with dribble penetration, though our rotations on the help side were slow. That will get better.

This defense is going to get a ton of steals, but also get burnt a decent amount as well, especially against fast teams. I think we did a good job taking away UICs shooters (Yes they had a few good 3 point guys that did nothing, though they also wound up getting those layups). The rotations will get better, but we still don't have the backend help. So we will be in more offensive games. I would also expect a bit more zone this season, but with so many new pieces, that is going to take time.

We need one of the bigs. If we get Aziz, look out. Those layups are no longer there and this team can definitely be top 25. Come on NCAA, do the right thing.

Overall I think there is a lot to be excited about. There will be some ups and downs, but excited in the direction we are going, especially if we get one of the bigs in the next month. Without the bigs, the NCAA will be a bit tougher, though I still think we are at least a bubble team, but on the outside. We just have a lot of weapons that can score and will put a lot of pressure on teams. If we get one of the bigs, this is a legit squad that could definitely surprise the Big 12. Not going to win the big 12, but I can see them in the upper half.

(11-07-2023 09:06 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(11-06-2023 11:14 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  We are definitely a deeper, more talented team this year. We're also stepping up in weight class. I'm going to chalk this game up to a lot of new faces mixing and matching. I'm digging the two point guards ability to penetrate and defend and we look better on the perimeter even though it was a poor shooting night overall. Our dee needs some work though especially in the paint. Damn, if we had those transfers on appeal...

Bolded, a good summary and the point guards BOTH appear to have the makings of very special (and entertaining) players for UC. Having two such players will serve this team well. Very few comments here on Skillings and I really liked his game and saw considerable improvement from year one. Lakhin's performance was puzzling but I'm wondering if he's been practicing more as a big forward for weeks now with the two ineligibles in the post? He just seemed surprisingly uncomfortable in his customary role out there last night. Newman is a saavy veteran. Had he been available last year UC would have made the NIT finals.

Finally, CJ may be the secret sauce with that pure 3 point stroke off the bench. How many years have we watched a guy come off the pine for X and shoot UC out of a game? Maybe CJ returns the favor at Cintas this year.

Yes, Skillings looked more in control and he's put on some beef. He "quietly" finished with 13 points, 8 boards, 2 assists and 0 PF. I know it's just one game but imagine if the kid can give us consistent minutes like that this year...

Frosh with the penetration and hops. Man, if this kid continues improving with minutes and experience...

I like the aggressiveness from James for being a freshman, but he also has that HS mentality that's he's the man and has to score every time he touches the ball.

Same with Skillings. I like the aggressiveness but he doesn't have to shoot or take it to the rim every time he touches the ball.

Not a great game, but nice to get things started.

Very impressed with Thomas. So quick, pretty skilled, moved the ball and attacked. He and James are both small, but they will be a fun combo at PG.

Skillings baseline is nearly unstoppable. He really has a nose for the ball on the glass too. He's out of control at times still and his shot is awful, but he's a fun player.

Frederick was great. Simas was broke, looked to be pressing a bit? Rumors of Vik's new 3 point abilities might need to be put to rest. John Newman had an alright game, but I'm concerned that he got so many minutes. The ball stops when he gets it. He crammed on some guy at the end of the shot clock, but otherwise he's so passive on O.

Ody was solid. Reed was in for a bit but did nothing?

No Rayvon, which I sort of expected. Redshirt? Kinda risky these days, no?

Great to be back. Crowd was good considering it was 9:00 pm on Monday of daylight savings. Lots of empty seats in the lower level--must be the Bengals fans.

Can’t remember the last time UC had a quick Point guard that could get into the lane and finish. As good as DeJulius was that wasn’t his game at all. Cash Wright probably.

This year they have two

(11-07-2023 06:09 PM)BcatMatt13 Wrote:  Can’t remember the last time UC had a quick Point guard that could get into the lane and finish. As good as DeJulius was that wasn’t his game at all. Cash Wright probably.

This year they have two

DDJ and MAW were both very steady guards, but they lacked the athleticism to compete against the elite guards. Day Day and Jizzle showed they are certainly an upgrade athletically in the first game. How they control the offense and the game going forward remains to be seen, but I'm certainly optimistic.

(11-06-2023 10:55 PM)Billy_Bearcat Wrote:  

(11-06-2023 10:51 PM)Murph45 Wrote:  Where’s Rayvon? No minutes?

Wondering if Wes is thinking about redshirting him this season. He’s got a lot of dudes in front of him. Not sure he’ll get meaningful minutes this season.

that puzzles me about Rayveon. I seen zero articles of him being redshirted.

(11-07-2023 07:48 PM)RuckleSt Wrote:  

(11-07-2023 06:09 PM)BcatMatt13 Wrote:  Can’t remember the last time UC had a quick Point guard that could get into the lane and finish. As good as DeJulius was that wasn’t his game at all. Cash Wright probably.

This year they have two

DDJ and MAW were both very steady guards, but they lacked the athleticism to compete against the elite guards. Day Day and Jizzle showed they are certainly an upgrade athletically in the first game. How they control the offense and the game going forward remains to be seen, but I'm certainly optimistic.

Yep, thinking about recent National Champions and Final Four teams, having plenty of quality guards seems to be a necessity. I agree, both add an entirely new dimension to the Bearcats and that's with no disrespect to any team members last year.