Offense ran smoother. Better spacing. Otega seemed more effective with it. We aren’t as physical but faster. Passing was better.
Think Williams and Moreno stick in the starting lineup?
- Thread starter theKybluedude
- Start date
I'll guess yes on MM for a few more weeks. I'd say MoD goes back into the starting five but since we also need Kam to play some at the three, maybe that's okay.
I’m all for that lineup personally. Dioubate is our best per minute rebounder and one of our best on-ball defenders though. It’s a good problem to have two great options at the four but I like the Kam lineup better
Mo should try some small ball fives
Our space is better when a shooter like Kam on the floor
I’d freaking *love* to try some small ball 5 with Mo. No doubt
Hopefully Moreno replaces BG. Since Pope cited offensive efficiency numbers (stated BG was number one) I am attaching the most recent. Kam is now número uno and MM is basically tied with BG.
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But for small ball 5, can he still have advantage in rebounding, and physical size, it will be problem. Can he protect the rim well as five. Playing small ball five is way different with playing four.
But Moreno/Mo, Garrison/Mo seem all bad at space in offense. Probably some new combinations considering JQ could make difference?
Mo isn’t a natural post defender. He can guard it but it’s not his bag, so I’d have no idea if it will work. Rebounding-wise, I have no doubt he’d still gobble them up, but 6’7” is tiny compared to a lot of elite bigs. My guess is Pope has given it looks in practice and it didn’t show the results he was looking for. Don’t know that with certainty, but the fact that we saw a BG-MM tandem before MoD at the 5 could be evidence of that
I hope this is our lineup Wednesday. Just think we're better at spacing the floor and with our passing. As already stated think this helps Oweh a lot.
I’m not sure why Pope recruited Mo because he doesn’t fit Pope’s style of play.
He’s got to accept the role as a defensive stopper on anyone he gets put on. Maybe off the bench at times. Offense is secondary.
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I'm not going to claim this would be UK's best lineup - I just can't say that confidently - but I'm curious how this starting lineup would fare:
C - Jelavic
PF – Williams
SF – Oweh
2G – Chandler
PG – Aberdeen
C - Jelavic
PF – Williams
SF – Oweh
2G – Chandler
PG – Aberdeen
I just don’t think you can tell much playing these cupcake teams. I mean these are quad 4 teams. Of course everything looked better. Beat UNC or none of it matters.
He's the key to our long term season, hes gotta start knocking down them 3s like he did at Tulane. He shot 42% from 3pt range,so I think once we get our offense to start clicking i think he will make a difference with spacing and having the ability to penetrate with our guards being able to go straight to the hole or kick it out for more uncontested 3s.We will get better if these guys care about the program and each other .
No way. I’m not starting Oweh or Jelavic. I like the other three plus Mo and Deobante. Oweh and Jelavic off the bench
He recruited him because we got punked in the SEC last year. He went out and got a dog to keep that from happening again.
Honestly, I think Pope has a little Cal in him. He falls in love with certain guys and he sticks with them no matter what.
It’s hard to go from trying to build a guy up, to putting him in a backup role, I get that, but Pope needs to do the right thing here. If BG is our starter, we are going nowhere.
He needs to make the difficult call here and if BG pouts, well, he's not the right guy for the goals that are set.
It’s hard to go from trying to build a guy up, to putting him in a backup role, I get that, but Pope needs to do the right thing here. If BG is our starter, we are going nowhere.
He needs to make the difficult call here and if BG pouts, well, he's not the right guy for the goals that are set.
Oats didn’t try to keep him but you might be on to something.
Our 5 best so far:
Aberdeen
Chandler
Dioubate
Williams
Moreno
Play some bully ball lol
Aberdeen
Chandler
Dioubate
Williams
Moreno
Play some bully ball lol
Unless Pope is willing to not start either Oweh or Chandler then I think Kam will come off the bench when Dioubate is healthy. And I think he will continue to start both of them as long as Lowe is out.
If Lowe does come back, he’ll probably come off the bench to begin with, but I’m guessing he makes it into the starting lineup eventually. It will be interesting who sits in that case.
I laughed out loud when I saw Moreno and Garrison playing together. I almost wonder if Pope is using that as a proxy for when JQ is back, to see if either Moreno or Garrison can be effective as a second big man. I don’t know, I hope we don’t see much more of it.
This came up in another thread, but Dioubate has been a better shot blocker than BG or Moreno so far. Of course it’s a very different thing to get blocks as a help defender vs as the primary defender.
There are a lot of quotes and articles out there that would suggest Oats loved having Dioubate, and I’m curious what evidence you’ve seen that he “didn’t try to keep him”?
Id say Pope will bench Williams and put Mo back in there. Which is fine but I feel like it clogs the lane up and takes away another shooter.
Aberdeen, Kam, Chandler, Moreno are best players in roster with eye test
These four should be starter. Plus one of Oweh/Mo, this will be our best lineup
These four should be starter. Plus one of Oweh/Mo, this will be our best lineup
Man that is a crap ton of room for everybody to work in. I agree there are question marks involved but I would flat out love to see it given a serious try. If it works it would be the closest thing this current squad could come to what we were last year at our height when everything was clicking and almost no one was injured yet, say around the time of the Florida game.
Even if we hadn’t changed the Friday lineup, the offense still would’ve run smoother, Otega still would’ve looked better, and our passing still would’ve been better. And for a very simple reason: we were playing a MUCH crappier opponent.
So I don’t know if it tells us anything. Those home games against bottom tier mid-majors are basically just glorified exhibitions. It’s EASY to look good in those games.
So you might wait till we’ve seen how this new lineup does against real competition before passing judgment.
Aforementioned quotes and articles, which I’d link but I don’t think you’re looking for the truth, just an argument.
I think our biggest issue offensively is spacing. Mo can't shoot. Oweh can't shoot. Garrison and Moreno can't shoot. I really think Oweh struggles because defenses can clog the lanes, especially with Mo as a 4.
I think Kam as your starting/main 4 gives you better shooting and spacing. That in turn opens up driving lanes. And then the rest can follow.
Dioubate at the 5 sounds like a great idea for most situations.
I think Kam as your starting/main 4 gives you better shooting and spacing. That in turn opens up driving lanes. And then the rest can follow.
Dioubate at the 5 sounds like a great idea for most situations.
The fact that Pope diodn't wait long to bench BG and start MM, is probably the most positive take-away since the MSU loss. It says he's willing to make the right changes, promises to players or NIL be damned.
I'd love to see this lineup for a good stretch:
Aberdeen
Chandler
Oweh
Williams
Jelavich
Aberdeen
Chandler
Oweh
Williams
Jelavich
Agree. But why did Pope bring BG in before the first TV timeout?
100% agree with this.
I've read a lot of posts that Pope is too nice and big hearted to make changes and hurt kids feelings--or that Pope is too concerned with how much NIL someone is making.
Pope defended BG with his words. But his actions--startinig Moreno and benching BG--show that Pope does in fact recognize the issues and is willing to change things to address them.
Man, that IS infuriating. Dude likes subs more than Danny Devito in those Jersey Mike's commercials.
If you look at the box score Moreno played 23 minutes and Garrison 20 so it really wasn't that big of a change.
Yeah the subbing is weird. The other thing is, for whatever we think of BG, the coach can't just throw him to the curb so quick. There is a world where BG can pull it together and maybe just needs to be benched a few times. Pope is probably trying to get him there.