Texas v. Zags

Go Horns! Beat the Zags (or bulldogs or whatever they are called).

I am hoping we have gelled as a team (we seem to) and can stay tough in the paint and pull off an epic win in Spokane. No matter what the outcome, this will be a great litmus test for the team.

If Texas can limit the second-chance points by the Zags I like our chances.

Horns 68 - Zags 65

 

If we stay within 10 I will be happy. It is our 2nd game with a mostly new roster.

 

Agree Sangre - I think this team has the potential to be really special but this early in the season with no real competition under our belt, going to their gym, I'll be happy with a good showing and close game. Not to say we won't win, but I'm expecting more as the season progresses and these guys continue to gel. Regardless I'm looking forward to pressing play to start from the beginning after I get home from DKR.

 

Good coaching is HUGE in college basketball and we have an "all time" coach here now. That's how highly I think of Beard. I know the Zags are a good team and we're on the road, but I think we might take this game. I think if we lose or win it goes down to the last possession or two.

 

I think we keep it within ten. ZAGS are excellent. Experienced, well coached, and know their teammates well.

I like our chances should we meet them again in March 2022.

 

9:30 pm ESPN 2

We have more good outside shooters than before, so if one or two are cold, we can still score. Mitchell’s inside offense is something we’ve been missing for a while. Bishop ain’t too shabby either.

Horns with the upset!

 

I keep hearing we are way outmatched in the front court and that the rebounding problems we had in the last game will bite us big time today if it's not fixed. That could be the difference maker.

 

Zags - 77
Horns - 68

 

Horns up by 20 points, loses in OT (remember that game a few years ago vs Duke?).

 

Is Sark coaching basketball now?

 

Beard has the chops to push Few on the x’s & O’s. If we have a game plan for Timmayyy we should be able to hang close and push past at the end.

 

Good God Drew Timme is putting on a fu%#ing low post clinic. Beard obviously has no game plan for him, but, no one will this season. Dat dude is going to win the Wooden. Mark the tape.

Good news is Horns will have the best film they could possible have scouted for themselves to build from.

 

Looks like the experts were right this time.

 

Yeah the rebounding against HBU was not good, but I thought it was relatively improved against the Zags.

Today was two issues:
1. Timme is just too good. We didn't have any defender come close to matching his intensity. We REALLY need Disu back. It would have made a huge difference underneath.
2. Ramey/Carr trying to do too much. Askew and Febres were playing with a lot more giddyup. Bolton always seemed to find his spot whenever Carr and Ramey were out of control, but he would get bottled up when they weren't forcing the issue.

I fully expect us to go undefeated between tomorrow until early January. It's going to be a hell of a ride if we come together as a unit.

 

Very very few teams are going to have an answer for Timme. Texas really didn't do that bad considering the size of our front court. Really needed Disu. But the good news is there's only 1 Timme in all of college BB.

Not disappointed one bit. This team is going be good in a couple of months.

 

Good take Horns11.

Texas actually out rebounded the Zags 33-32 and shot better from the arc. The only way to defend Timme is double team him early, but obviously that exposes you elsewhere. I was a little surprised at Beards lack of adjustment on him, but, he knew what he was doing I guess.

We have the most experienced and mature team in the league. Once we figure out who’s going to be ‘the’ guy (I think Carr or Allen) we should be good. They need to be more selfish with the ball. This team has the tools and will figure it out.

 

I am happy enough with this game, considering the second half. We were a mess in the first half, couldn't hit anything, couldn't get a rebound, didn't go inside. Beard did some coaching at halftime and I thought we were much better in the second, more aggressive, going inside, playing looser. I think we'll be pretty good, maybe very good by the end of the season. We shouldn't have been ranked #5 (and won't be now). I can't remember what Baylor did to neutralize Timme in last year's championship, but they did.

 

Baylor sent waves of 6'9" or taller guys to swarm Timme every damned time he touched the ball. We don't have the personnel to do that.

I'm reasonably pleased to see the in-game improvements in rebounding and communication. I am very very pleased to see the holdovers from Shaka's group didn't press and attempt to play hero ball. Then again, I am also very very pleased that we have an offensive scheme that consists of more than a weave up top for 30 seconds followed by a hero ball attempt at an ill-advised 3 or an impossible drive. Must be the coaching.

We should be fine this year barring catastrophic injuries.

 

Down low: our inside offense is noticeably improved from last year with Mitchell and others able to score lots of points posting up.

Our inside defense is a step down from Jericho Simms--one of the best big man defenders in the college game last year. Simms guarding Timme would have been a good match to watch.

 

I really wish Jericho had stayed one more year. He would have made a lot of NBA money playing for Beard.

 

Jericho still needed to bump up his offensive game inside. His inside D was NBA level.

 

And his inside defense would have put the Horns at the top level of college BB this season.

 

To be fair to last year's team, we kind of WERE at the top level of college BB. Top-10 team, won the conference championship. That ACU game is forever a shitstain on the underoos of this program.

 

In my view, this is the only limiting factor for Texas. Sims' inside defense and I would be booking a ticket to New Orleans now.

Texas needs to find a way to stop Timme in March and other teams that are big inside before March. Offensively we will be fine and perimeter defense is good. Just got to defend the paint. Disu may be the answer (he will at least help) but we got to get him healthy first.

 

I haven't seen enough of Mitchell yet to know for sure about his D. Obviously, his inside offense is very good, and we've been (mostly) missing that for a while. Hopefully he's not one of these guys that lives to play offense, but barely cares about defense. I don't think that would go over well with the coaching staff. I doubt he'd make all conference multiple years if his defense stinks.

In our big mens' defense, we won't face anyone else like Timme unless we meet Gonzaga in the tournament.