ACE

Not really. He already has 2 losses and sitting at 99 in KenPom. You really think an at large is realistic for him?

And how screwed up is college basketball, especially for non P6 programs. But really, why does it matter for Drew? Does he really think he's got a chance at an at large bid?

It needs to be pointed out that GCU went on an 11-0 run in the final 3:30 with three of their starters and their 6th man playing against primarily our 3rd string and two walk-ons. In fact, we were winning 78-56 with 2 minutes to go when Jaden and Isaac checked in. That would have been the time for Drew to respond in kind. Schertz may have have underestimated how big of a tool Drew is. Drew was getting embarrassed so I guess he decided to leave his best players out there to try to save face.

My biggest question about this team heading into the season was the defense. I was hoping it would be better, but until seeing it, I wasn't sure. The first five minutes of the game on the defensive end set the tone. That was the type of defense we didn't see last year. I'm proud to say I was one of the first to get on the Dion Brown bandwagon. What a bulldog! Otieno is the rim protector we did not have last year. McCottry and Thames hunt steals, and the length of Jones is disruptive. A big improvement in athleticism, length and toughness on this roster. I think we are now capable of still winning games when the other team effectively slows the tempo down or our shots aren't falling, as long as the defense consistently brings it like last night. I'm also encouraged that Schertz did not shorten the bench against our first decent opponent. Continue to try to wear opponents down and take over in the second half.

A_dud is one of the most clueless posters on the board. Consistently a tool for the P5 programs.

This is spot on.

And you care too... obviously

Goodwin was a +32, not too shabby! He was one rebound away from a double/double.

Good question - kinda like the ineligible players it seems.

Here are some observations from just one game. There is no way we win a game like that by that margin last year. We would had have runs in games like that and then go cold. It looks like we have the horses now to keep running and keep attacking. We absolutely killed them on the boards. We should be a better rebounding team. Robbie is in better shape. We are a very big team, I'm not talking about in the traditional sense with a big frontline, but when Green is out of the game, we are very big at guard and wing. There was a lineup where Jones was the shortest player on the floor. A lot of good wingspans. The defense concerned me after the first 10 minutes, but then we got in the flow of the game and started imposing our will. I'm gonna love Dion Brown - a real bulldog. We really missed a player like that last year. He plays much bigger than his size. We were terrible at generating turnovers last year, but should be much better this year with our length and athleticism. It was nice to have a big like Otieno knock down some free throws. It was such a cluster with Anya last year. I know it won't be as easy against better opponents, but man do we have several guys who can get out in the open floor and attack the rim. Also, I loved the play where Brown went high to grab a defensive rebounding, immediately started sprinting the other way and found Sharma on the wing for a 3. The passing and 3-point shooting should improve as the team gains familiarity. There were several good passes that a teammate wasn't expecting. Especially from Robbie, i think guys will be more ready to receive some of those passes. Turnovers remain a concern and while I think the defense should be much better this year, I want to see how we do against better opponents. As good as the offense figures to be, we're gonna need the defense to help win games on nights when the shots aren't falling. Finally, in the postgame, I've never heard Schertz so free and easy and giddy after a victory. He had his share of coach speak, talking about the things they need to work on like passing and turnovers, but you can tell he is excited about the potential of this group... and so am I.

Nepo baby

It is - usually gonna be a one bid league too. I’ve been beating the drum about the extinction of “mid majors.” It’s a term in danger of becoming obsolete. There’s a reason Memphis has desperately trying to buy there way into any multi bid P6 league that would take them.

Yep, agreed. I think players 5-9 could really vary from game to game based on match-ups and riding the hot hand. I'm projecting minutes per game. I could see certain games where Sharma or Dunlap catch fire and get more minutes than usual.

With a few couple of exhibition games in the books, numerous Schertz interviews and practice reports, plus Anya redshirting, this is now my revised final best guess on minutes played before the start of the season... 1_ Green 2. Robbie 3. Jones 4. Otieno 5. Thames 6. Brown 7. McCottry 8. Dunlap 9. Sharma 10. Kerr

My guess: Robbie, Otieno, Green, Jones... the only one that is a little uncertain for me is Thames or Brown.