I am far from a basketball expert like peaches, but....
Everyone seemed to play with a lot better effort for whatever reason. Every time someone got the ball that Stewart was guarding, I expected them to get stripped of it. There was not one person that I thought had a bad game, except maybe Bost, and even then it wasn't "bad" by any sorts.
Still, Dee is starting to remind me a lot of Gary Ervin. I know his left hand is hurt, but the only way I've seen him drive is with his right hand. The last 3 games, it seems like he drives in with his right hand to get right under the basket, and then either can't finish or he tries some wild pass back to the 3 point line that inevitably gets stolen very easily or swatted out of bounds on the baseline. At the same time, he did a pretty good job on fast breaks last night of not outrunning everybody and we had some decent high percentage shots because of it. It's a shame that we don't have many people who can alley-oop because I think Dee throws up a good chance for that most of the time when he tries it. I worry about having Dee next year without Barry there to keep him in check for game pace.
I really liked the 3 forward lineup toward the end of the game. It gave us a lot of size on the inside against a team who doesn't shoot from the perimeter very well. Plus, both of our 4s are guys with 4 size who play like 3s. They are both pretty quick and have decent jump shots. It was a lot better than having Ravern in on one of the wings in the zone and him getting beat every time by his man going around him. Romero and Kodi could be a good 4-5 next year, and after last night I feel a lot better about our inside game for next year if we don't have Sidney (likely) especially with Bailey coming back for depth. I think Osby has matured a lot this year and looks better every single game. I think Stans realized this last night and he got a lot of 2nd half minutes because of it (or it seemed like it to me).
Here's the thing about Ravern. If he added like 20-30 lbs and learned to play defense he could play in the league. He's got good ups, height, and can shoot 3s and has good range for them too. He's like a Shan Foster that doesn't play defense and is very streaky at times. I just had a seizure typing that name. Also, for a basketball player he probably has worse hands than big feces, and that's saying something. Every time he dribbles the ball and it isn't on a drive to the basket, I cringe. I've seen toddlers dribble better than that.
I have no idea why Benock gets any minutes.
All that said I still don't see us making the tournament. This was probably the best game we've played all year, and it was a rivalry game. I don't see us beating UK, South Carolina, or UT (when was the last time we won at Thompson-Boling?). At best that puts us at 9-7. That won't be enough, and I personally think Stans will have to go. If you would've been asked at the beginning of this year if we should fire Stans if we don't make the tournament, what would you have said? If you said you were ok with the NIT, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">you suck</span>.
Our coach next year will inherit a pretty talented, veteran team and will have a legit chance at winning the SEC if he's a good enough Xs and Os coach. Worst case, we're looking at Kodi, Osby, Bailey, Lewis, and Riek on the inside, with 2 of them able to play the 3 somewhat. Ravern, Bost, Smith, Beckham, Turner, and Benock(barf) for guards. That's still a solid team with the right offensive mind. Not world beaters, but should be good enough to make it to the tournament.
Everyone seemed to play with a lot better effort for whatever reason. Every time someone got the ball that Stewart was guarding, I expected them to get stripped of it. There was not one person that I thought had a bad game, except maybe Bost, and even then it wasn't "bad" by any sorts.
Still, Dee is starting to remind me a lot of Gary Ervin. I know his left hand is hurt, but the only way I've seen him drive is with his right hand. The last 3 games, it seems like he drives in with his right hand to get right under the basket, and then either can't finish or he tries some wild pass back to the 3 point line that inevitably gets stolen very easily or swatted out of bounds on the baseline. At the same time, he did a pretty good job on fast breaks last night of not outrunning everybody and we had some decent high percentage shots because of it. It's a shame that we don't have many people who can alley-oop because I think Dee throws up a good chance for that most of the time when he tries it. I worry about having Dee next year without Barry there to keep him in check for game pace.
I really liked the 3 forward lineup toward the end of the game. It gave us a lot of size on the inside against a team who doesn't shoot from the perimeter very well. Plus, both of our 4s are guys with 4 size who play like 3s. They are both pretty quick and have decent jump shots. It was a lot better than having Ravern in on one of the wings in the zone and him getting beat every time by his man going around him. Romero and Kodi could be a good 4-5 next year, and after last night I feel a lot better about our inside game for next year if we don't have Sidney (likely) especially with Bailey coming back for depth. I think Osby has matured a lot this year and looks better every single game. I think Stans realized this last night and he got a lot of 2nd half minutes because of it (or it seemed like it to me).
Here's the thing about Ravern. If he added like 20-30 lbs and learned to play defense he could play in the league. He's got good ups, height, and can shoot 3s and has good range for them too. He's like a Shan Foster that doesn't play defense and is very streaky at times. I just had a seizure typing that name. Also, for a basketball player he probably has worse hands than big feces, and that's saying something. Every time he dribbles the ball and it isn't on a drive to the basket, I cringe. I've seen toddlers dribble better than that.
I have no idea why Benock gets any minutes.
All that said I still don't see us making the tournament. This was probably the best game we've played all year, and it was a rivalry game. I don't see us beating UK, South Carolina, or UT (when was the last time we won at Thompson-Boling?). At best that puts us at 9-7. That won't be enough, and I personally think Stans will have to go. If you would've been asked at the beginning of this year if we should fire Stans if we don't make the tournament, what would you have said? If you said you were ok with the NIT, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">you suck</span>.
Our coach next year will inherit a pretty talented, veteran team and will have a legit chance at winning the SEC if he's a good enough Xs and Os coach. Worst case, we're looking at Kodi, Osby, Bailey, Lewis, and Riek on the inside, with 2 of them able to play the 3 somewhat. Ravern, Bost, Smith, Beckham, Turner, and Benock(barf) for guards. That's still a solid team with the right offensive mind. Not world beaters, but should be good enough to make it to the tournament.
