ephul

That was pathetic

X brings more than Lander, even at this point. So I agree with you, I've not been impressed with X, but X can defend better and get to the hole better than Lander. He has better size than Lander. Johnson playing like crap doesn't make Lander better. It just means they are both playing like crap. Fortunate for Johnson, he does a few things better than Lander that gives him the nod.

Lander is going to have to hold his own defensively... And I think he can play "good enough" defense if he's playing solid offense. The issue with piss poor defense is, it can get you in foul trouble, but worse yet, it can get Thompson or TJD in trouble. And that's where I think Phinisee's defense is a little overlooked. We've been a pretty bad fouling team defensively. Having a guy that can hold their own has value on this team.

In the middle of the B10 season, Rob's defense is going to get him time on the court. If both make boneheaded plays, Woodson is going to go with the guy that can at least provide defense. I agree, if Lander can settle in, there is time there to take. No doubt. And a chunk of that time will be Rob's.

But Johnson is better in nearly every other facet of the game, and against better competition. Johnson can get to the hole, much quicker, has size, average shooter, and better defense. I agree, turnovers need to be cleaned up everywhere. But if you are lagging behind, as you are with Lander, you damn sure better excel at what you are suppose to excel at. If being a playmaker is what you are depending on to get you on the court, you better excel at it if defense and shooting are average to below average. If Lander continues with sloppy turnovers and boneheaded mistakes, I'll take Phinisee and the fact that he "only excels at defense". Good. Know your strengths, know your weaknesses. If he can play defense, that's one less thing we have to worry about when he's on the court.

I guess I'm in the minority that just isn't as high on Lander. He's not a great shooter. He lacks size, he's not extremely quick on defense. And, he turns the ball over too much. I agree, if he reaches his potential, he could give us a slight upgrade over Rob, despite Rob's shortcomings. But I just don't see this "high ceiling" kid with the current tools I see. If he can learn to come in to a game, be a steady presence and create for teammates, wonderful. But making boneheaded plays and turning it over is going to kill us against B10 competition. Hopefully with more PT, he cleans up the turnovers and can be a trustworthy backup PG.

Just win the game. Better to learn after a win than a loss. And with this staff, I'm confident we can actually learn and improve. And we found out a lot about this team... we suck at free throws, Xavier Johnson is really important, and Jordan Geronimo needs to be taking Race Thompson's perimeter shots.

This officiating is atrocious

That's the one!

I wish I had the "Major League" movie GIF of the Asian guy

We better start making free throws

And I saw johnson lay into one of his teammates too. Loved that.

Bardo needs to just stop talking

Bardo is a complete idiot

A freshman's first game in a jacked assembly hall? I'm gonna guess some jitters

A little off topic, I just love seeing Woody on that sideline. We don't have guys frantically drinking Diet Cokes, tucking in shorts, acting wigged out, etc.

Pathetic.

I disagree a little bit. I think this team is talented enough to win without Trayce posting a double double. He does have to be involved though. We can't have lackadaisical Trayce from last year at moments. He doesn't need to score a ton for us to win. But as long as we use him, dump the ball to him, and allow him to find open guys, we should be fine. He just can't go 3-20 and miss 70% of his free throws.

When you're not a good shooter, it'll get you a spot on the bench. Maybe he just had a bad night? But if he keeps missing wide open shots, that green light will go away.

Race. Although it was great to see Trayce bust it on fast breaks

Oh no question we should be better "on paper". No argument there. My only point to this was, we ain't playing 10-12 guys.

The point is, Woodson is saying he could so the majority of players getting minutes. My point is, he's optimistic and we don't really know. We hear that every year. I agree with you on Durr. He is the most ready to play, and should be able to log some valuable minutes. The rest that I named? We don't know, and I think most would agree, we aren't playing 10+ players. The rotation will tighten up to 8-9 come B10 time.

Durr has never played B10 ball, although I agree... out of all of them, I think he can admirably fill a Deron Davis type role. As for the rest? Who knows. We shall see.

Define depth. A warm body big man is not "depth". We have no idea what to expect from Durr or Duncomb. We really don't know if Leal can contribute, and Galloway was pretty up and down last year. Same with Lander. Geronimo is going to need to show more than a few flashes. I think Bgleas' point is, come crunch time in a critical game, do you really think the people I named above will be trusted enough to get in the game?

Or burn down cities because a druggie died of a drug overdose?