At any given point down the stretch, I think you could say that Balbay, James, Hamilton, Pittman and Bradley all made shots when we needed them. Last year, everyone was looking around for someone else to get it done, but I don't see that happening this year at all. Taking away the free-throw laden stretch to end the half, and I liked the way they played today!
This was a tough game to analyze, imo.....very inconsistent calls by the referees really made it difficult for either side to get in a flow. Part of me is scared to death if we play a team with a decent inside game, because neither Wangmene or Johnson particularly impressed me after Pittman got into foul trouble. Although, I thought both Wangmene and Johnson had a couple of very questionable calls against them that may have really had an impact on their play. Bradley continues to look impressive on both ends. Iif he can continue to play solid lock down defense on the best backcourt option for the opponent without trying to be overly aggressive (and picking up needless fouls), sky's the limit for him and this team. I really like the way Balbay is playing right now, especially considering his style of play corresponds nicely with some of the best offensive teams Texas has had under Barnes. If Balbay can continue to play like that, opening things up for Pittman and James, look out.
I love the hustle that Balbay shows. He doesn't have the best outside shot, but he's a helluva penetrator and plays "irritating" D. Just amazing how deep this team is. Even without Ward, Chapman & Lucas, they still had 9 guys that played significant minutes.
I liked how Barnes just let them play and didn't over coach. I think he saw them struggling (late in the first, early second) and let them play on to see if the young guys could figure it out on their own.
Positives: Guys are all in great shape. It seems like they are constantly in their highest gear. Guys seem to be crashing the boards. Team clearly likes to play defense. Depth at every position. Senior Leadership. Young Talent. Negatives: Can't make a free throw. Team doesn't know how to run an offense other than exploiting 1:1 matchups. Needs to learn to slow down the offense from time to time and set something up. Not all the time, but sometimes.
I agree with all of the positives mentioned. It's obvious that the players realize that they have to give 110% on defense or they'll be pulled for the next guy. We are gonna frustrate the hell out of most teams that we play. If I had one criticism, I think Barnes needs to pay attention to how many 'scorers' we have on the floor. When Wangmene, Mason, and Balbay are out there at the same time, we feel like last year's team. We're better when we've got 3 legitimate scorers, and we have enough options to make that happen.
I agree with you THI. Unless we're in a position where we MUST get a defensive stop, Barnes has to be careful not to handcuff the offense.
If we dont shoot above 65% from the line we will lose a few games that we had no reason to and most close games.
J'Covan Brown's development will be crucial for close games. He will need to be our primary ball handler if we want to make free throws, but he can't turn it over in those situations.
Agree that J'Covan needs to be a primary scorer and also agree that Wangmene has some offensive skills. Gotta love the way the team defends; that will really wear on opponents.
