Men vs Florida Game Thread

[AU64 10,122]

BB throughout the college ranks finally paying the price for "one and done" and "early out commitments".....such that teams like AU are mostly left with lesser talents who are still in school and finally able to get some playing time.   Even the so-called blue bloods are weaker this year....UNC below 50% at this time and Duke or Kansas losing at home is something they almost never do.

Good news for AU is that nobody is beyond getting blown out while on the road by  a team that is probably about the equal if playing on a neutral floor.   So win the home games and try to get a couple of them on the road...

 

 

[Mikey 16,576]

5 minutes ago, dyehardfanAU said:

At this point in their careers why does it matter that Wiley and Purifoy were top level recruits?  They are seniors and have shown their ceilings, the games are not played on paper using recruiting rankings.  J'Von and Samir should be coming off the bench but we don't have that luxury this season thanks to Harper leaving early and a lost recruiting class due to the Chuck Person mess.

The raw talent is there. The experience is there. Every year some mid-level team makes a lot of noise because they have an experienced team. We have an experienced team with way, way above mid-level talent. We should be expected to make some noise at season's end. Failing to do so will be disappointing.

[Eagle-1 3,821]

30 minutes ago, Mikey said:

There's a football forum with plenty of threads that serve no purpose but to bash and whine about Gus. Please don't clutter the BB forum up with more of this tired old garbage.

I didn't start it dude. I was just making light of the comparison others seem to want to make. 

[NoALtiger 3,850]

9 minutes ago, Mikey said:

The raw talent is there. The experience is there. Every year some mid-level team makes a lot of noise because they have an experienced team. We have an experienced team with way, way above mid-level talent. We should be expected to make some noise at season's end. Failing to do so will be disappointing.

I agree that we should expect some noise from this year by years end and I agree with most of what you’ve said. There is talent and experience, and even more talent waiting in the wings. I will disagree though with what you’ve said in a prior post about being very disappointed if we don’t make the Sweet Sixteen. Teams can have great years and not make the final 16, that I can live with. We have 5 seniors certainly, but more importantly lost 5 from last year, including two who could still be here. That’s tough I don’t care who you are. 

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

14 hours ago, AUTigersfan89 said:

I think part of it has to do with history. Gus has made a lot of us pessimistic due to his stubborn tendencies. Pearl is the opposite and has made us optimistic due to his tendencies for teams to improve.

another factor is the composition of basketball season. It’s long and has enough games where you can have a mid season slump and it be a good thing. In football, a mid season slump wrecks the season.

Good points.

[SumterAubie 3,031]

<puts this game in the rear view mirror> Looking to get back right Wednesday vs SC

[GwillMac6 20,666]

This team is not built for March like last year's team is. We don't have 2 great college guards like we did last year. We don't have a closer like we did in Jared, Bryce and chuma and we absolutely do not have a good three point shooting team. When we get down away from home it's tough for us to make a comeback without a reliable three point shot.

[NoALtiger 3,850]

37 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

This team is not built for March like last year's team is. We don't have 2 great college guards like we did last year. We don't have a closer like we did in Jared, Bryce and chuma and we absolutely do not have a good three point shooting team. When we get down away from home it's tough for us to make a comeback without a reliable three point shot.

This is correct. Last year literally everyone was saying we weren’t a team you wanted to play in the tournament and they were right. Different team, different set of talent and leadership. We don’t seem to have the right mix this season but its coming though. 

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

6 hours ago, Mikey said:

The raw talent is there. The experience is there. Every year some mid-level team makes a lot of noise because they have an experienced team. We have an experienced team with way, way above mid-level talent. We should be expected to make some noise at season's end. Failing to do so will be disappointing.

I'm not saying you're wrong but what raw talent do you see stepping up at PG?  Guard play is what wins in the tourney.

[GwillMac6 20,666]

7 minutes ago, dyehardfanAU said:

I'm not saying you're wrong but what raw talent do you see stepping up at PG?  Guard play is what wins in the tourney.

I wish we had the shooters to surround okoro with this season. Teams are packing in the paint vs us and it is making finishing in the paint and at the rim extremely difficult. SEC teams are just packing it in the paint and daring us to make outside shots.

[fredst 9,064]

2 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

I wish we had the shooters to surround okoro with this season. Teams are packing in the paint vs us and it is making finishing in the paint and at the rim extremely difficult. SEC teams are just packing it in the paint and daring us to make outside shots.

Yes. We desperately need one reliable spot up/catch-and-shoot guy and we could be dangerous. I really thought that Purifoy could be that guy- he’s got a good looking stroke when he really sets up correctly but his form is really inconsistent 

[GwillMac6 20,666]

32 minutes ago, fredst said:

Yes. We desperately need one reliable spot up/catch-and-shoot guy and we could be dangerous. I really thought that Purifoy could be that guy- he’s got a good looking stroke when he really sets up correctly but his form is really inconsistent 

He def has the best looking shot on the team and probably is our best 3 point shooter. Him or Jamal but I never feel like he is a sniper and every shot is going to go in like I did with Bryce and Jared. 

[auburnphan 6,050]

20 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

He def has the best looking shot on the team and probably is our best 3 point shooter. Him or Jamal but I never feel like he is a sniper and every shot is going to go in late or I did with Bryce and Jared. 

We got scorers as to shooters.  I agree with u and Fred.   Lots of guys have good looking shots, just need them to get hot at the right time and not all cold at the same time. Teams that win championships peak at the end of the season, not the beginning or middle.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

4 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

I wish we had the shooters to surround okoro with this season. Teams are packing in the paint vs us and it is making finishing in the paint and at the rim extremely difficult. SEC teams are just packing it in the paint and daring us to make outside shots.

I suggested something similar during the UF game after seeing the fella try to slash from the baseline and have like 3 people swarm him...people that were defending our other guards. You should never be able to help off a guard in today's basketball landscape the way they were doing in that game. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

Like as amazing as Okoro has looked, his offense could be at least 2x better if he played in last year's spacing versus this clunk of junk we've become. 

[AU64 10,122]

24 minutes ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

I suggested something similar during the UF game after seeing the fella try to slash from the baseline and have like 3 people swarm him...people that were defending our other guards. You should never be able to help off a guard in today's basketball landscape the way they were doing in that game. 

Everyone but Auburn packing the lane... The last couple of games it was like we had a sign on the foul line saying  "we are open,, come on in.". I lost track of how many uncontested layups that Lewis had against us.

And of course now that everyone has found out that we don't have outside shooting as a threat, they are not going to allow our guys too have access to the basket from close in.

[Mikey 16,576]

7 hours ago, dyehardfanAU said:

I'm not saying you're wrong but what raw talent do you see stepping up at PG?  Guard play is what wins in the tourney.

We'll just have to line our team up so that front line play wins in the tourney. We've got an entire half season to get this team ready to go win some tournament games.

[Eagle Eye 7 2,535]

Until the guys start playing as a team instead of individuals we are going to have problems. To many wasted shots , poor excuse handling the ball. My though might be to move Okoro to Point to handle the ball maybe he can find an open shooter. The team is better talent than they are playing right now. 

[Tiger 8,818]

Playing PG is so much more than just dribbling around and passing to an open guy. Okoro doesn't have the natural skill-set to be a PG or, trust me, some coach along the way would've had him and his freakish athletic physical stature playing PG a looong time ago.

[triangletiger 1,599]

17 hours ago, dyehardfanAU said:

I'm not saying you're wrong but what raw talent do you see stepping up at PG?  Guard play is what wins in the tourney.

I haven't given up hope on Turbo.  He obviously wasn't ready at the start of the season, but he may get there by season's end.  If not, he can be a rotation guy with Sharife next season.  I recall a True Freshman Jared Harper struggling and coming back a much better player his second year. 

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

Just now, triangletiger said:

I haven't given up hope on Turbo.  He obviously wasn't ready at the start of the season, but he may get there by season's end.  If not, he can be a rotation guy with Sharife next season.  I recall a True Freshman Jared Harper struggling and coming back a much better player his second year. 

Bruce has said Turbo is a 2 guard.  I'm sure he's cross-training but it doesn't sound like Bruce expects him to be a real contributor at PG.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

2 hours ago, Tiger said:

Playing PG is so much more than just dribbling around and passing to an open guy. Okoro doesn't have the natural skill-set to be a PG or, trust me, some coach along the way would've had him and his freakish athletic physical stature playing PG a looong time ago.

I don’t think he could be a PG either but I wish we had more sets that flowed through him. He has pretty solid vision positionally, probably better than Samir imo. 

[GwillMac6 20,666]

34 minutes ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

I don’t think he could be a PG either but I wish we had more sets that flowed through him. He has pretty solid vision positionally, probably better than Samir imo. 

I think we would if the offense was like last year and had a lot more shooters surrounding him. If he trys to go create at the rim there is 2 trees waiting for him and it's a incredibly difficult finish. We need to get him out there with our best shooting lineup surrounding him during the course of the game. Whatever that is this season. I def want to see more offense run through him for sure.

[AU64 10,122]

14 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

I think we would if the offense was like last year and had a lot more shooters surrounding him. If he trys to go create at the rim there is 2 trees waiting for him and it's a incredibly difficult finish. We need to get him out there with our best shooting lineup surrounding him during the course of the game. Whatever that is this season. I def want to see more offense run through him for sure.

Good point but I have no idea what that might look like.   We obviously did not recruit any marksmen and none have learned to shoot well since they have been at AU.  Defenders lately have just stood by (filling the lanes) and mostly let our guys fire away from behind the 3 point line.  Harper and Brown made 'em pay for letting them loose....but nobody is a true threat on uncontested 3s.  

Not sure how that problem gets solved this year.

 

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Somebody on this team has to step up and charge. These 2 loses have been very painful to watch.