Originally Posted by Rams Fan:
I think Duke has a higher ceiling than Auburn does solely due to Flagg and the potential for him to play at a high level in March compared to Broome. Sears shouldn’t be even mentioned in the same atmosphere as the two players who arguably the best in CBB this season.
You are correct in that Duke is very dependent on Flagg, but their ceiling is much higher than Auburn’s, albeit with a much lower floor due to volatility with freshmen.
Auburn is arguably the most complete college basketball roster constructed in like a decade in terms of performance and how the players compliment one another.
I think Mizzou has a high ceiling, but I’m not sure I’d say F4 or title one unless the defense improves.
Again -- I'm not saying Sears at the same level as those two.
I'm saying that on Wednesday, he absolutely played at that level. No, he's not in the player of the year discussion or anything, but the game he played Wednesday was as good a game as Flagg or anyone else has played this year. Well Flagg had that insane game against ND -- that was probably a little better than what Sears was...but not by a ton. Sears was absolutely incredible.
I just have to assume you didn't watch that game for 2 reasons -- A) You're missing the point w/r/t Sears and B) You think Mizzou's defense wasn't good on Wednesday.
It was. It was EXTREMELY good. Alabama just wasn't missing. I mean they're taking challenged fadeaway 3s at the buzzer and they were going in.
Mizzou played very very good defense with a few exceptions on plays where they got too aggressive collapsing on the ballhandler. And it just didn't matter.
Mizzou's defense isn't amazing because Gray somehow manages to be huge and still can't handle powerful bigs. That's a problem. They don't really have an answer there especially when putting him on the floor at the same time as Mitchell really screws up our offense.
But the defense seems to be improving week by week to the point that it's...good. Not great, but it's good.
They definitely have a FF ceiling.
But the question with Mizzou is always if, when and how they'll step on their dicks. The ceiling barely warrants mentioning other than the awe it inspired for 40 minutes last week. The floor is what will control their destiny and I really don't know that ANY team in college basketball has a high enough floor to say they're a lock FF team anymore. Auburn, as you've noted, is as close as it gets. [Reply]
Missouri is made for March
Dennis Gates really might do this, y’all.
He really might get off the mat after a 0-18 SEC record and take a team to the Sweet 16- or beyond- the following March.
Missouri defeated No. 4 Alabama 110-98 on Wednesday night in a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score. The Tigers led wire-to-wire and by as many as 20 in the first half before coasting down the stretch to their third-yes, third—win over an AP Top 5 team this season.
If I voted today, Mark Mitchell would be on my All-SEC ballot. In Missouri’s win over Alabama. Mitchell was magnificent, scoring a career-high 31 points on a stupendously efficient 11-15 from the field. This bucket, on a silky pass from SEC Sixth Man of the Year contender Caleb Grill, was art.
Mitchell bet on Gates when he transferred back home to Missouri from Duke last spring.
“I came here for Coach Gates, more than anything,” Mitchell told SDS at SEC Media Days. “The opportunity to play closer to home was big, but if you are going to leave a place like Duke, you better believe in what someone is building. That’s how I felt about what’s happening at Mizzou.”
What’s happening at Missouri is that the Tigers have been the best offensive team in America over their last 10 games, per Bart Torvik, and they guard well enough—thanks to outstanding on-ball, switchable defenders in Mitchell and Grill and immense depth in the frontcourt—to beat you if you slow them down. In other words, the Tigers can beat you in a bunch of different ways, making them far less susceptible to the whims of an NCAA Tournament draw, where styles make fights.
Gates warrants not only SEC Coach of the Year consideration, but a spot in the national coach of the year conversation. His team just keeps getting better. [Reply]
Originally Posted by jjchieffan:
From SaturdayDownSouth.Com
Missouri is made for March
Dennis Gates really might do this, y’all.
He really might get off the mat after a 0-18 SEC record and take a team to the Sweet 16- or beyond- the following March.
Missouri defeated No. 4 Alabama 110-98 on Wednesday night in a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score. The Tigers led wire-to-wire and by as many as 20 in the first half before coasting down the stretch to their third-yes, third—win over an AP Top 5 team this season.
If I voted today, Mark Mitchell would be on my All-SEC ballot. In Missouri’s win over Alabama. Mitchell was magnificent, scoring a career-high 31 points on a stupendously efficient 11-15 from the field. This bucket, on a silky pass from SEC Sixth Man of the Year contender Caleb Grill, was art.
Mitchell bet on Gates when he transferred back home to Missouri from Duke last spring.
“I came here for Coach Gates, more than anything,” Mitchell told SDS at SEC Media Days. “The opportunity to play closer to home was big, but if you are going to leave a place like Duke, you better believe in what someone is building. That’s how I felt about what’s happening at Mizzou.”
What’s happening at Missouri is that the Tigers have been the best offensive team in America over their last 10 games, per Bart Torvik, and they guard well enough—thanks to outstanding on-ball, switchable defenders in Mitchell and Grill and immense depth in the frontcourt—to beat you if you slow them down. In other words, the Tigers can beat you in a bunch of different ways, making them far less susceptible to the whims of an NCAA Tournament draw, where styles make fights.
Gates warrants not only SEC Coach of the Year consideration, but a spot in the national coach of the year conversation. His team just keeps getting better.
Remember the clowns in the Mizzou thread last year crying about how Gates couldn't coach defense, and couldn't coach in general? Go back and look at that thread if you want a refresher course on who has absolutely no idea what they're talking about. [Reply]