I'll say this year's team is better IF we can fix our offensive rebounds allowed problem. 12, 13, 15, 15... offensive rebounds allowed in our first four B12 games. We have more scoring options on this team. Niang gives us interior scoring we didn't have last year. Lucious has really settled into a steady, clutch player. Ball handling and defense seem to be improved from last year as well. A question that's been asked a thousand times... what if Royce came back for one more year. I honestly think we'd be talking national championship potential.
Better team - this year or last year?
- Thread starter CurvedAir
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I think it's too early to tell. But it is a very good question. Ejim is consistently awesome. Lucious is dishing like a boss. Niang, Clayburn and Babb are working together with everyone and scoring. The bench is doing great. We're missing Mizzou as a benchmark this year, but we're damn good so far.
I disagree with that last part. The reason I disagree is that you are either taking the ball out of Lucious's hands or Niang isn't playing as much. Either way, we are losing production from one of those guys. Taking Ejims minutes isn't a question. You can't do that on this team. You could cut Babbs down but then, defensively, we are worse than we are now and that isn't very good. Yeah, Royce was great but I like this teams number of options much more with Luscious, Clyburn and Niang doing what Royce did. We don't have the one on one option but that's fine with me.
I don't know how Royce would mesh with this team. He wouldnt be the primary ball handler and he would slow us down IMO. He was great for last years team since they didnt have a PG but I would take Lucious (after non-conference games) over Royce handling the ball all day.
White would have to play more traditional on this team, but you could still have him run the offense as well. Lucious is a much better shooter than I was expecting. You could move him off the ball. He reminds me a little bit of Mike Nurse. I don't think there's any question that White would make this a better team...if he'd accept the role of not having the ball in his hands every possession.
And since he needs all of the attention on him at all times that wouldn't happen.
I actually think I like this year's teams potential over last year's team. But it's only potential right now. As someone said, if we don't fix our defensive rebounding problem, we won't be anywhere near as good. We just cannot continue to give up so many easy offensive rebounds to the opposition every night.
And we need to start putting teams away when we have the chance. We're lacking a killer instinct right now.
And we need to start putting teams away when we have the chance. We're lacking a killer instinct right now.
Last year.
This team would be a National title contender with White. I have no concerns about how he would fit in with this team. Just the opposite. Fred would have the other team so dazed and confused on how to stop such a versatile team with mismatches everywhere. White's bulk and power would also help our defense and rebounding, at least in the big games.
This team would be a National title contender with White. I have no concerns about how he would fit in with this team. Just the opposite. Fred would have the other team so dazed and confused on how to stop such a versatile team with mismatches everywhere. White's bulk and power would also help our defense and rebounding, at least in the big games.
This team may have a higher ceiling.
More offensive firepower overall this year (last two games notwithstanding)
Better scoring balance and more experienced depth.
Still top 10 nationally in scoring* and rebounding, top 20 in assists -- I don't think last year's team was even close to that in any of those categories.
*That could drop drastically after today's game.
More offensive firepower overall this year (last two games notwithstanding)
Better scoring balance and more experienced depth.
Still top 10 nationally in scoring* and rebounding, top 20 in assists -- I don't think last year's team was even close to that in any of those categories.
*That could drop drastically after today's game.
Gipson last year > Gipson this year
Booker last year > Booker this year
Chris Allen = Korie Lucious
Ejim last year < Ejim this year
McGee last year < McGee this year
Royce White > Clyburn
Babb last year = Babb this year
Clutch player this year = Niang = Clutch player last year = Christoperson
I think the tie breaker is that the competition in the Big 12 was much more competitive last year.
Last year we were a better team.
Booker last year > Booker this year
Chris Allen = Korie Lucious
Ejim last year < Ejim this year
McGee last year < McGee this year
Royce White > Clyburn
Babb last year = Babb this year
Clutch player this year = Niang = Clutch player last year = Christoperson
I think the tie breaker is that the competition in the Big 12 was much more competitive last year.
Last year we were a better team.
I'll take Will over a traditional Royce. Another thing is this team doesn't have to be so dependant on the three like last years team did which devalues Royce slightly. Here's your lineup with Royce
Luscious
Clyburn
Ejim
Niang
Royce
That's not very good defensively. You also have two shooters on the floor without McGee and Babb. Put Babb in and you have to take away Ejim or Will which is either you most complete offensive player or best all around producer. I'm not saying the team wouldn't be better with Royce. I'm just saying he doesn't make us talk National Championship. The pieces we have just fit so well together when playing well that I think Royce throws a wrench in that at times.
Of course this year's team would be really good if you added White. Duh. What team wouldn't? But that wasn't the question.
I like our scoring options better this year. But I do miss White's ability to find the open guy. This year's team wouldn't need White's scoring at all IMO, but would LOVE to have his ability to draw the double team and find the open guy.
If Royce was on this team, I feel like the floor would be really spread out on fast breaks. When we snag defensive rebounds we go uptempo and throw outlets right away. I really think that it would be interesting to watch.
I still think that I like this years team more, and that is not what I expected at the beginning of the season. We are extremely balanced this year. I know we aren't Kentucky of last year, but I feel like we have very balanced scoring similar to them. We can get 5 guys in double figures very easily.
Korie is really turning it up. I hated his play 6 games ago, and he is playing some real good ball now. He is so dangerous if he stays his ground and doesn't try and be too flashy. I'm excited to see the rest of the year.
I still think that I like this years team more, and that is not what I expected at the beginning of the season. We are extremely balanced this year. I know we aren't Kentucky of last year, but I feel like we have very balanced scoring similar to them. We can get 5 guys in double figures very easily.
Korie is really turning it up. I hated his play 6 games ago, and he is playing some real good ball now. He is so dangerous if he stays his ground and doesn't try and be too flashy. I'm excited to see the rest of the year.
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Gibson*
And Chris Allen and Korie Lucious are very different players. Allen was a SG attempting to play PG. Was not effective. I don't think your simplified analysis accurately depicts the differences between this team and last year's. Royce was our PG last year, so any comparison of this player versus this player last year is a waste of time.
If Royce had stayed, we'd be 10 deep. Think about how much running we could do with no worries about conditioning. I agree Niang wouldn't progress near as quickly. In the short run, this year's team would have been a title contender, but next year, we'd have 6 players leaving the team - hard to replace that.
To answer the original question, I think this year's team is better. Last year, all teams had to do was shut down Royce and limit Scotty's attempts. This year, we have 7 guys that can go off for 20. Hard to defend that.
IMO our inside game is lacking. I know that Niang is making his presence known, but we are under-sized in the post, lack depth and most importantly we don't establish the low post until only after our outside shooting fails. @ KU we established the post game early and should have come away with the W, but since then we have seen the opposite, especially today and against WV. I feel that Gibson and Booker need more involvement and we need to see more attacking from players like Babb and McGee if we hope to beat teams like K State and OU. I like our record, but I feel that we are the most over-hyped team in the conference. Every time I question CFH coaching he blows me away with a perfect gameplan, so I'm not terribly worried - but to answer the OPs question my answer is last years team gets the nod until we see how the team performs in Stillwater and Manhattan.
Seriously? The Big 12 blows this year, it may be the worst power conference in the country this year. The Big 12 has two legit teams that deserve to be in the tourney this year, ISU is the 3rd best team in the conference no question. The rest of the teams are MAC caliber.