NH Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Like many of you all I was very, very worried after that Santa Clara game. We looked undisciplined, not very talented and over-matched on our own home court. However, these past two games really instilled a lot of hope in me, despite the 14 point loss. Two of the big positives I took from the games: -Jake Barnett has carved out a role for himself on this year's squad. Though not very quick, he is no longer a liability on defense. He also got some confidence on offense and it seems as if he's found his three-point stroke. He seems to be a shooter we can bring off the bench to spell our guards and that is something we can really use. -How about Cory Remekun? I was a big CR fan from day one but even I would admit he has not lived up to my hopes these past few seasons. But against two BCS opponents he looked like the second best big out there behind Withey. Showed some good post moves, better assertiveness and he looks like an even more improved shot blocker. I think he could be a viable post presence this season as Manning continues to come along. Other observations: I also really liked the way McCall ran the point. When KM gets back he'll be able to look for his shot a little more too. Our FT shooting is much improved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintLouBlue Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Agree with everything in your post. Playing Kansas to a 34-34 tie in the 2nd half with really a 6 man line-up, 5 of which played over 31 minutes with just over a days rest, was pretty impressive to me. At the half, I was scared to go back to my seat assuming that we were just going to be run off the court the last 20min as I thought our legs would fail us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Like many of you all I was very, very worried after that Santa Clara game. We looked undisciplined, not very talented and over-matched on our own home court. However, these past two games really instilled a lot of hope in me, despite the 14 point loss. Two of the big positives I took from the games: -Jake Barnett has carved out a role for himself on this year's squad. Though not very quick, he is no longer a liability on defense. He also got some confidence on offense and it seems as if he's found his three-point stroke. He seems to be a shooter we can bring off the bench to spell our guards and that is something we can really use. -How about Cory Remekun? I was a big CR fan from day one but even I would admit he has not lived up to my hopes these past few seasons. But against two BCS opponents he looked like the second best big out there behind Withey. Showed some good post moves, better assertiveness and he looks like an even more improved shot blocker. I think he could be a viable post presence this season as Manning continues to come along. Other observations: I also really liked the way McCall ran the point. When KM gets back he'll be able to look for his shot a little more too. Our FT shooting is much improved you must have watched a different barnett defense than i saw. mclemore pretty much did what he wanted when he got the ball. i will say barnett showed some confidence and made a couple of big shots and got some rebounds, but jake barnett is far behind the top 7 billikens imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp18 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 you must have watched a different barnett defense than i saw. mclemore pretty much did what he wanted when he got the ball. i will say barnett showed some confidence and made a couple of big shots and got some rebounds, but jake barnett is far behind the top 7 billikens imo. I disagree with this. I thought Barnett was fine defensively. McLemore is one of the best players in the country. I wouldn't say 11 points and one assist in 25 minutes is having your way with a player. I thought he held his own fine, considering the circumstances. Barnett is gaining confidence and playing much better. I was much more perplexed by the defense of Dwayne Evans. He had an awful night against Releford. I'm not sure if the game plan was to allow him to shoot wide open threes but it sure seems Evans was daring him to shoot. I didn't get that at all. I would have expected Evans to get the better of that matchup but he didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billboy1 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Also, would have been a little different if our 7 footer could have been physical with their 7 footer. We didn't need a 3 point shooter who forgot about paint defense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmbilliken Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I think Barnett showed he can help, but he has trouble staying with his man. His man seemed to go around him more often than not. His rebounding is a big plus. If he can get his shots to fall he could be an energizer off the bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willie Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I disagree with this. I thought Barnett was fine defensively. McLemore is one of the best players in the country. I wouldn't say 11 points and one assist in 25 minutes is having your way with a player. I thought he held his own fine, considering the circumstances. Barnett is gaining confidence and playing much better. I was much more perplexed by the defense of Dwayne Evans. He had an awful night against Releford. I'm not sure if the game plan was to allow him to shoot wide open threes but it sure seems Evans was daring him to shoot. I didn't get that at all. I would have expected Evans to get the better of that matchup but he didn't.It was obviously the game plan to let him shoot.Don't blame Dwayne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlebill Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 McLemore is one of the best players in the country. I wouldn't say 11 points and one assist in 25 minutes is having your way with a player. I thought he held his own fine, considering the circumstances. Barnett is gaining confidence and playing much better. This. McLemore will be one of the best, if not the best, player we'll play against all year. I thought Barnett did a solid job holding him to eleven. He didn't contest a three with a couple minutes left, which put the game out of reach, but other than that, I thought this was easily JB's best game in a Billiken uniform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 fan Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I was at the pregame meeting and DE did what he was instructed. They wanted back side support on Whittey and close out on Mclemore. Releford went off for a half. What a trash talking, classless player he was last night, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gister Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I was at the pregame meeting and DE did what he was instructed. They wanted back side support on Whittey and close out on Mclemore. Releford went off for a half. What a trash talking, classless player he was last night, in my opinion.I believe Releford had a pretty dismal record shooting the 3 before this game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp18 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I was at the pregame meeting and DE did what he was instructed. They wanted back side support on Whittey and close out on Mclemore. Releford went off for a half. What a trash talking, classless player he was last night, in my opinion. Yeah, I noticed him backing off early. It seemed like he adjusted after he hit a few, though, and still wasn't closing out and working through screens. Either way, not sure I agree with that strategy as Withey is a complete stiff when he isn't dunking. Loe has to do a much better job of stopping that pass over the top. He was awful last night defensively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 fan Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I thought Withey made many of the key baskets in the second half for KU. Low was outmanned throughout and CR wasn't tall enough. Our boys gave all they had, nothing was left in the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonka Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I know there are no moral victories, but I was very pleased with the effort from the Billikens. A few things I noticed: - Barnett - he moves the ball better than I thought. He is not the offensive liability I thought he may end up being. I am more comfortable with him coming off the bench. I think he will get even better when his confidence builds. I thought his defense was decent. It's a little misleading, because I thought McLemore could have done more but he was deferring to Releford who had the hot hand. - Loe perplexes me - I expected a break out year for him. His defense is really bad and his shot does not look good. - Corey - I am proud of Corey. Even the play by play guys said he will be a tough match up for most A-10 inside players. I don't think what we have seen from Corey is a fluke - I think we will see this and even better play from Corey this year. - Jett seems to get winded too soon - I realize with that style of play that you wear down quickly, but it seems odd this early on that he gets so winded - he seemed winded early in the game before the groin injury. - I think Crews has done a nice job piecing together line ups with all these injuries All in all, I feel good about going into conference play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billboy1 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 At this point there is optimism if the injuries heal and stay away. RL is a liability and JM needs to be thrown into the fire so his abilities can be seen. He's not going to get better sitting on his hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiseAndGrind Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I know there are no moral victories, but I was very pleased with the effort from the Billikens. A few things I noticed: - Barnett - he moves the ball better than I thought. He is not the offensive liability I thought he may end up being. I am more comfortable with him coming off the bench. I think he will get even better when his confidence builds. I thought his defense was decent. It's a little misleading, because I thought McLemore could have done more but he was deferring to Releford who had the hot hand. - Loe perplexes me - I expected a break out year for him. His defense is really bad and his shot does not look good. - Corey - I am proud of Corey. Even the play by play guys said he will be a tough match up for most A-10 inside players. I don't think what we have seen from Corey is a fluke - I think we will see this and even better play from Corey this year. - Jett seems to get winded too soon - I realize with that style of play that you wear down quickly, but it seems odd this early on that he gets so winded - he seemed winded early in the game before the groin injury. - I think Crews has done a nice job piecing together line ups with all these injuries All in all, I feel good about going into conference play. I'll add a couple of my thoughts here: * I agree with you. Although I would've loved a victory, I was pleased with how they played. * Corey is going to own the A10. He won't see another big as good as Withey this entire year. * Barnett seems to be getting better and better. * Jett has had a couple of tough defensive assignments early in the season, he should be getting some much needed rest soon. * The team need KM and KC back. It's too taxing on McCall & Jett to play all these minutes and it is showing. * Why isn't Manning playing? It's ridiculous. * I don't know what is wrong with Rob, but his shot does not look good. * How much longer can they attempt to redshirt Drew? Playing 6/7 guys is not going to work. * Cody Ellis is a damn good basketball player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Box and Won Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I really wish we would have had the opportunity to redshirt Remekun as Rick originally wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Yeah, I noticed him backing off early. It seemed like he adjusted after he hit a few, though, and still wasn't closing out and working through screens. Either way, not sure I agree with that strategy as Withey is a complete stiff when he isn't dunking. Loe has to do a much better job of stopping that pass over the top. He was awful last night defensively. you sure you werent watching loe instead of withey? imo withey was all anyone could expect of a college big. made some very difficult catches and most importantly, finished. even when fouled or bumped. and then he made his foul shots as well. cant say the same for our guys. second, he was blocking shots without fouling and his help defense was nothing short of fantastic. the guy is an all american and was the real difference of the game. relaford might have had a great first half, withey had a great game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicCityBilliken Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I really wish we would have had the opportunity to redshirt Remekun as Rick originally wanted. Thank you Brett Thompson! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp18 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 you sure you werent watching loe instead of withey? imo withey was all anyone could expect of a college big. made some very difficult catches and most importantly, finished. even when fouled or bumped. and then he made his foul shots as well. cant say the same for our guys. second, he was blocking shots without fouling and his help defense was nothing short of fantastic. the guy is an all american and was the real difference of the game. relaford might have had a great first half, withey had a great game. When he actually shot the ball at the end of the game he air balled one from five feet along the baseline and bricked another off the back board - I don't remember him making a shot outside of a free throw. He is great defensively and rebounds well but I don't think he has an offensive game besides dunking, which is fine if he can keep getting dunks. The Kansas offense obviously knows how to utilize that. He uses his size well, which is the smart thing to do, but I wouldn't front him defensively. Make him put his back to the basket and make some moves to score. So despite all his points, I wasn't impressed offensively. I was much more impressed with his defense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 i wish our bigs could stay within 3 feet of the basket on the offensive end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Box and Won Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I was very impressed by Withey. Not bad for a former walk-on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kappy96 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 you sure you werent watching loe instead of withey? imo withey was all anyone could expect of a college big. made some very difficult catches and most importantly, finished. even when fouled or bumped. and then he made his foul shots as well. cant say the same for our guys. second, he was blocking shots without fouling and his help defense was nothing short of fantastic. the guy is an all american and was the real difference of the game. relaford might have had a great first half, withey had a great game. Was thinking the same thing. The only stiff I saw out there last night was Loe. If he's not hitting 3's why is he in the game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOSLU68 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Kansas acted as if they were saving their players to play in the next nights game. We played really hard to stay up with 10 or so players they ran in on us. After Releford established his offense they came back and established Whithey second half. Saying Loe should stand up to a guy as strong as Withey is dreaming. He is what he is and if he was in the game doing what Cody has learned to do that would help. I do think Loe took a real beating physically the first two minutes of the game; he was knocked on the floor at least three times. That was one of their plans to beat up Loe. We are going to have a really good team if they play with the heart they showed last night. RM picked players for the motion offense. He liked these slight built bigs who could run and shoot. For the first time I watched him Loe did not always try to get down to the other end of the court. On the other hand I can't imagine Majerus being more proud of anyone than Cody Ellis last night. As a freshman he seemed gun shy. Last night he took at least a half dozen charges and at least 5 had fouls called on his opponent. I think DE, CE, MM, Jet all did great work. How come we look like we have no bench all of a sudden; I was worried guys wouldn't get enough playing time? What do I know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizziken Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 TOP OF THE KEY SCREENS!!!! They were abysmal! You would think our bigs would have learned from Conk. They aren't set, and flare too early...it's very frustrating. The guards are also somewhat to blame as they don't set the picks up very well. It's a timing issue that needs to get resolved fast! Kwamain is amazing at drawing his man into a screen and going shoulder to shoulder with the big setting the pick. Much smoother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billboy1 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 If Loe is what he is maybe he should become "was". He should have been able to hold his own against Withey-we need a big who plays like a big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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