5 Things I Think I Think
Hey there, sorry for the long layoff, here's 5 Things I Think I Think:
1. The Golden Eagles will be fine without Lott and Kinsella.
Without these two big men, the center position will be filled mostly by Ouse and Amo, which isn't a big change. Neither of these two have rebounded well, so their prescence will not be missed all that much. I did think that Kinsella needed more playing time, but that was mostly because he has a nice jump shot and I thought his rebounding would improve with more playing time. Ultimately, though, I don't think we're really losing anything except for fouls. I do feel bad for Kinsella, though, this guy just can't catch a break when it comes to his health. Lott should bounce back alright, although his season may be over. It all depends on how quickly he can get his strength back. Amo and Ouse will have to step up, especially as far as rebounding is concerned, but the team should be fine.
2. The team will be okay without Novak next year.
Steve is the team's undisputed leader, there is no doubt of that. He is also the only true 3 point threat on the team (True, Dan Fitzgerald has been stepping it up as of late, but generally he is not a guy that you expect to just knock them down one after the other. His strength is hitting a three here and there). But several things have to be looked at. One is the progression of the freshman, and not just the three guards. DJ stopped playing like a freshman a long time ago, and while Wes and Jerel still make some freshman mistakes, they are making them less often than they were and they show more and more flashes of their future greatness. All three will be even better next year, and that will begin to compensate for the departure of Novak. Also, Dwight Burke and Matt Mortensen will be better next year as well. True, Burke rarely plays(although that will change will Lott and Kinsella out for the forseable future) and Mortensen is redshirting, but both will be improved. Mortensen can also hit the three. He may not be anywhere near the marksman that Novak is, but like Fitz he can knock one down occaisionally. New recruit Lazar Heyward can also shoot from downtown. Mortensen, Fitz, and Lazar, along with improved outside shooting from Wes should be able to compensate for Novak's shooting. True, there won't be that one guy that you can always count on to knock it down, but there will be several guys that you can have confidence in. Now, where will the leadership come from? Dominic James is certainly a born leader, but I don't know that you can really count that since he already has a large leadership position. Maybe he steps into Novak's role, but then someone will have to step into his role as number two. Lott and Kinsella will be the only seniors, but juniors Barro, Amo, and Fitzgerald might be able to step up. Also, Matthews and McNeal are likely candidates.
3. This team can play with anybody in the Big East.
Unfortunately, that hasn't translated into wins at Pittsburgh and Villanova. Part of that has been a young team making mistakes in the clutch, although one could make the case that the Pitt game would have been a win if DJ doesn't injure his shoulder. Both of those games likely would have been wins if they had been played at the Bradley Center. This team won the Great Alaskan Shootout, they beat UCONN, and they played tight against 'Nova and Pitt on the road. This team should go at least 10-6 in Big East play, and that, along with a good showing in the conference tourney, will get them a good seed in the Big Dance, where the sky's the limit.
4. With a dominant center, this team would be unstoppable.
The one thing that this team is lacking is a big man that can finish down low and pull down ten boards a night. This team's offensive strength is outside shooting, and that can be shut down by a good perimeter defense. All of the big men have trouble finishing down low, and there is nobody that is a great rebounder. Novak leads the team in rebounding because of his length, no one really boxes out or has good rebounding form. Also, while Novak picks up some key rebounds and had a career high 16 against UCONN, he doesn't pull down that many. A great big man would make this team great.
5. Duke is the best team in the country, not UCONN.
UCONN is good, there's no doubt. But they are not Duke. The Blue Devils have the best player in the country in J. J. Redick, and one of the better big men in Shelden Williams. Both teams have lost only once, on the road, but UCONN was destroyed by Marquette in a game they were never in, while Duke played a poor first half and came back in the second. If the game was a minute longer, Duke would still be undefeated. UCONN could have played all night and they wouldn't have won that game. UCONN is an overrated team that took advantage of the fact that the only two teams in front of them lost on the same day, moving the Huskies up to the top spot. It has been proven that they are in fact better than the Florida Gators, but not the Blue Devils. Rudy Gay has underperformed, and anytime he has a bad game UCONN has a chance to lose. Great teams find ways to win even when their best player isn't having a big night.
1. The Golden Eagles will be fine without Lott and Kinsella.
Without these two big men, the center position will be filled mostly by Ouse and Amo, which isn't a big change. Neither of these two have rebounded well, so their prescence will not be missed all that much. I did think that Kinsella needed more playing time, but that was mostly because he has a nice jump shot and I thought his rebounding would improve with more playing time. Ultimately, though, I don't think we're really losing anything except for fouls. I do feel bad for Kinsella, though, this guy just can't catch a break when it comes to his health. Lott should bounce back alright, although his season may be over. It all depends on how quickly he can get his strength back. Amo and Ouse will have to step up, especially as far as rebounding is concerned, but the team should be fine.
2. The team will be okay without Novak next year.
Steve is the team's undisputed leader, there is no doubt of that. He is also the only true 3 point threat on the team (True, Dan Fitzgerald has been stepping it up as of late, but generally he is not a guy that you expect to just knock them down one after the other. His strength is hitting a three here and there). But several things have to be looked at. One is the progression of the freshman, and not just the three guards. DJ stopped playing like a freshman a long time ago, and while Wes and Jerel still make some freshman mistakes, they are making them less often than they were and they show more and more flashes of their future greatness. All three will be even better next year, and that will begin to compensate for the departure of Novak. Also, Dwight Burke and Matt Mortensen will be better next year as well. True, Burke rarely plays(although that will change will Lott and Kinsella out for the forseable future) and Mortensen is redshirting, but both will be improved. Mortensen can also hit the three. He may not be anywhere near the marksman that Novak is, but like Fitz he can knock one down occaisionally. New recruit Lazar Heyward can also shoot from downtown. Mortensen, Fitz, and Lazar, along with improved outside shooting from Wes should be able to compensate for Novak's shooting. True, there won't be that one guy that you can always count on to knock it down, but there will be several guys that you can have confidence in. Now, where will the leadership come from? Dominic James is certainly a born leader, but I don't know that you can really count that since he already has a large leadership position. Maybe he steps into Novak's role, but then someone will have to step into his role as number two. Lott and Kinsella will be the only seniors, but juniors Barro, Amo, and Fitzgerald might be able to step up. Also, Matthews and McNeal are likely candidates.
3. This team can play with anybody in the Big East.
Unfortunately, that hasn't translated into wins at Pittsburgh and Villanova. Part of that has been a young team making mistakes in the clutch, although one could make the case that the Pitt game would have been a win if DJ doesn't injure his shoulder. Both of those games likely would have been wins if they had been played at the Bradley Center. This team won the Great Alaskan Shootout, they beat UCONN, and they played tight against 'Nova and Pitt on the road. This team should go at least 10-6 in Big East play, and that, along with a good showing in the conference tourney, will get them a good seed in the Big Dance, where the sky's the limit.
4. With a dominant center, this team would be unstoppable.
The one thing that this team is lacking is a big man that can finish down low and pull down ten boards a night. This team's offensive strength is outside shooting, and that can be shut down by a good perimeter defense. All of the big men have trouble finishing down low, and there is nobody that is a great rebounder. Novak leads the team in rebounding because of his length, no one really boxes out or has good rebounding form. Also, while Novak picks up some key rebounds and had a career high 16 against UCONN, he doesn't pull down that many. A great big man would make this team great.
5. Duke is the best team in the country, not UCONN.
UCONN is good, there's no doubt. But they are not Duke. The Blue Devils have the best player in the country in J. J. Redick, and one of the better big men in Shelden Williams. Both teams have lost only once, on the road, but UCONN was destroyed by Marquette in a game they were never in, while Duke played a poor first half and came back in the second. If the game was a minute longer, Duke would still be undefeated. UCONN could have played all night and they wouldn't have won that game. UCONN is an overrated team that took advantage of the fact that the only two teams in front of them lost on the same day, moving the Huskies up to the top spot. It has been proven that they are in fact better than the Florida Gators, but not the Blue Devils. Rudy Gay has underperformed, and anytime he has a bad game UCONN has a chance to lose. Great teams find ways to win even when their best player isn't having a big night.
posted by Rob Stack @ 7:59 PM
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