The Squad

[salim'sheadband]

Allen
York
Trier
Anderson
Zeus

There's your starting 5. I liked what I saw from Trier last night, even though he went 1-10. He was aggressive and, at least to my eyes, a willing defender. Tollefsen was a complete liability on defense. If, on balance, they're basically bringing the same thing to the table let's run the kid out and get him some experience.

[luteformayor2]

I say we run:

Tarc
Dusan
Chance
Anderson
PJC

[Beachcat97]

I say we run:

Tarc
Dusan
Chance
Anderson
PJC

Huh?

Did Comanche even get in the game yesterday?

[UAEebs86]

I say we run:

Tarc
Dusan
Chance
Anderson
PJC

Huh?

Did Comanche even get in the game yesterday?

Yea he did.

[PennZona20]

^^^^ Length for days lol

I say we go:

Allen
York
Stanley
Anderson
Zeus

Errr ....

Allen
York
Damian Lee
Anderson
Zeus

Wait, no:

Allen
York
Smith
Anderson
Zeus

Uhhhhh:

Allen
York
Trier I guess
Anderson
Zeus


Sorry I'm still bitter about what could have been.

[Longhorned]

Allen
York
Trier
Anderson
Zeus

There's your starting 5. I liked what I saw from Trier last night, even though he went 1-10. He was aggressive and, at least to my eyes, a willing defender. Tollefsen was a complete liability on defense. If, on balance, they're basically bringing the same thing to the table let's run the kid out and get him some experience.

I agree on Trier but for whatever it's worth, Miller is going with his usual "1 position for newcomers to learn" approach. The 2 and 3 are pretty interchangeable in Miller's system, but not fully so, and nothing suggests that Trier is being groomed as a swingman. How quickly will MIller change course and put Trier at the 3, especially when he hasn't seen Pitts on the floor in a real game lineup yet and stuck with Tollefsen at the 3 in game 1?

[HiCat]

Trier on the floor should get better with each game. I like that above combo of players on the court as starters. Toll needs to step it up soon.

[Beachcat97]

Trier on the floor should get better with each game. I like that above combo of players on the court as starters. Toll needs to step it up soon.

Allen
York
Trier
Anderson
Zeus

Does this lineup strike anyone else as smallish? Probably a non-issue unless we play a team with a huge SF.

[Longhorned]

Trier on the floor should get better with each game. I like that above combo of players on the court as starters. Toll needs to step it up soon.

Allen
York
Trier
Anderson
Zeus

Does this lineup strike anyone else as smallish? Probably a non-issue unless we play a team with a huge SF.

No, not small. A huge SF couldn't guard Trier unless he's a future NBA 3 in the second weekend of the tourney or later. But who would that be, who doesn't have to play at the 4?

[EOCT]

Trier on the floor should get better with each game. I like that above combo of players on the court as starters. Toll needs to step it up soon.

Allen
York
Trier
Anderson
Zeus

Does this lineup strike anyone else as smallish? Probably a non-issue unless we play a team with a huge SF.

Sure. I noted this when I proffered the lineup in the Allen thread.

But keep in mind Allen, with his span, plays much taller. Sure, we wouldn't want to match the with a big team that can run and has some quickness maybe, as well----but Coach probably wouldn't worry against a big, slow team. Remember, this lineup is fast and quick and has a strong pestiness quotient.

[gumby]

No smaller than:

Simon, Bibby, Dickerson, Davison, Bramlett.

Stoudamire, Reeves, Geary, Owes, Blair.

[salim'sheadband]

Trier on the floor should get better with each game. I like that above combo of players on the court as starters. Toll needs to step it up soon.

Allen
York
Trier
Anderson
Zeus

Does this lineup strike anyone else as smallish? Probably a non-issue unless we play a team with a huge SF.

Trier is 6'5" which is more than big enough for a college 3.

[Puerco]

No, not small at all BC97.

Allen is > than average.
York is =
Trier is <
Ansderson is = or >
Tarc is >>

The only place we'd be noticeably small would be at the 3, and like others have said we're not that small. Not too many 6'8" SF's out there these days.

[gumby]

No, not small at all BC97.

Allen is > than average.
York is =
Trier is <
Ansderson is = or >
Tarc is >>

The only place we'd be noticeably small would be at the 3, and like others have said we're not that small. Not too many 6'8" SF's out there these days.

Not healthy ones, dammit!

[HiCat]

Trier should start. Made his case tonight. Ft 14 14

[Longhorned]

My guess is that Trier will start for the rest of the year.

[Airizona]

The versatility and depth of this team has been a big advantage through two games (3 if you count exhibition). There were quite a few different lineups out there tonight and that makes it tough for other teams to defend. I have a feeling this team will be good at finding mismatches because we have so many players who can play multiple positions. Tolly can play the 3 or the 4, ristic played the 4 alongside tarc tonight, Kadeem can play the 1 or the 2, trier can play the 2 or the 3, Pitts can play the 2 or the 3, and York ran the point a little bit tonight. Simon hasn't played much but he may be the most versatile player on the roster. Excited to watch this team cause frustration for a lot of opposing defenders.

[rgdeuce]

Triers gotta be the guy after tonight. Pitts needs to start knocking them down. He played a great game otherwise, must have had 6 or 7 assists, moved the ball well, was an effective penetrator, played solid d, did everything. Tollefsen wasnt terrible, but I think Trier and Pitts are going to be taking away a lot of his minutes moving forward.

[TucsonClip]

Triers gotta be the guy after tonight. Pitts needs to start knocking them down. He played a great game otherwise, must have had 6 or 7 assists, moved the ball well, was an effective penetrator, played solid d, did everything. Tollefsen wasnt terrible, but I think Trier and Pitts are going to be taking away a lot of his minutes moving forward.

Been saying it for a while, mostly the other board, but Tollefson as the stretch 4 with Ristic. Bring him off the bench and give him minutes with PJC and Ristic.

[PennZona20]

I like this squad ...... A lot.

Different team but overall not much drop off from last few years come March.

I like Tolly, but he was never brought in to be a starter. He was brought in to back up Stanley, or Lee or Smith.

I think we should start Trier in all games v teams that don't have a huge front line. Like against the Zags or Cal or some tourney teams maybe start the big lineup , but 80% of the time the starters should be :

Allen
York
Trier
RA
Zeus

[Puerco]

I like what Trier did, but if Pitts is going to ring up 7 assists in 20 minutes it's going to be hard to keep him off the floor too. Options, options...

[dcZONAfan]

I like what Trier did, but if Pitts is going to ring up 7 assists in 20 minutes it's going to be hard to keep him off the floor too. Options, options...

Not to mention he might never miss so many wide open threes again in his life. We put up 90 and it could have easily been over 100 if the open 3s, which will fall, had gone down tonight.

[gumby]

Not to mention the missed free throws, which kept the game interesting in the first half.

Trier and Pitts did what they did without starting. That's a good thing. All that matters is minutes and results. Did the team improve appreciably when Rondae finally started? Not really. The slow starts continued.

PJC or Allen at the point? Make 'em battle. Tollefsen or Trier? Battle.

After Game 1, Allen is anointed the point guard. It's not over. PJC had a nice bounce-back game. He pushes the ball more consistently. Tollefsen's job is in jeopardy. Better battle harder. Figure a way to fit in.

Why is it that we must match the other team on size? No need for us to go big. If Trier starts at the three against Gonzaga, who guards him? Wiltjer?

What other massive team is on the schedule? Cal is kinda massive if Rooks starts, but their hard-to-guard team is smaller.

Works both ways. Nice to have versatility and depth. That's our strength. Who starts is a parlor game, but not that significant. Heck, we had two starting lineups last night.

[rgdeuce]

Triers gotta be the guy after tonight. Pitts needs to start knocking them down. He played a great game otherwise, must have had 6 or 7 assists, moved the ball well, was an effective penetrator, played solid d, did everything. Tollefsen wasnt terrible, but I think Trier and Pitts are going to be taking away a lot of his minutes moving forward.

Been saying it for a while, mostly the other board, but Tollefson as the stretch 4 with Ristic. Bring him off the bench and give him minutes with PJC and Ristic.

You and I both several times in the 2015-16 thread.

[salim'sheadband]

Not to mention the missed free throws, which kept the game interesting in the first half.

Trier and Pitts did what they did without starting. That's a good thing. All that matters is minutes and results. Did the team improve appreciably when Rondae finally started? Not really. The slow starts continued.

PJC or Allen at the point? Make 'em battle. Tollefsen or Trier? Battle.

After Game 1, Allen is anointed the point guard. It's not over. PJC had a nice bounce-back game. He pushes the ball more consistently. Tollefsen's job is in jeopardy. Better battle harder. Figure a way to fit in.

Why is it that we must match the other team on size? No need for us to go big. If Trier starts at the three against Gonzaga, who guards him? Wiltjer?

What other massive team is on the schedule? Cal is kinda massive if Rooks starts, but their hard-to-guard team is smaller.

Works both ways. Nice to have versatility and depth. That's our strength. Who starts is a parlor game, but not that significant. Heck, we had two starting lineups last night.

I'd be shocked if Rooks starts or even plays that much. He's played 12 and 14 minutes in blowouts and Kingsley Shacklebolt has played 7 and 8. I don't know much about how Martin runs his guys out but if they're not getting in against UCSB and Rice I can't imagine being thrown into the fire against us.

Cal's going to go small with their best 5 guys which they probably should, but that means Brown is guarding Anderson, which will be interesting.

[rgdeuce]

Why is it that we must match the other team on size? No need for us to go big. If Trier starts at the three against Gonzaga, who guards him? Wiltjer?

What other massive team is on the schedule? Cal is kinda massive if Rooks starts, but their hard-to-guard team is smaller.

Works both ways. Nice to have versatility and depth. That's our strength. Who starts is a parlor game, but not that significant. Heck, we had two starting lineups last night.

Agree on the size thing. We are going to have it at the 4 and 5 and match up with anyone. Not going to be too many solid 6'7" or 6'8" 3's, Trier and Pitts size will be plenty big for most, and Tollefsen is showing he cannot guard any 3, regardless of size, so what does it matter? I'd rather have the offense and increased speed and quickness Trier brings. Even with Pitts not finding his shot yet, we are better with him at the 3 than Tollefsen because of two prior years experience in the system, better defense, and a guy who showed yesterday that he can contribute to the offense even without his shot. No knock on Tollefsen, he's going to be able to get minutes as a backup at the 4 possibly the 3 in certain situations where it is a favorable match up.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I like what Trier did, but if Pitts is going to ring up 7 assists in 20 minutes it's going to be hard to keep him off the floor too. Options, options...

We have a lot of options to flip the mode of our squad. That versatility should enable us to keep most opponents in check.

[TucsonClip]

Triers gotta be the guy after tonight. Pitts needs to start knocking them down. He played a great game otherwise, must have had 6 or 7 assists, moved the ball well, was an effective penetrator, played solid d, did everything. Tollefsen wasnt terrible, but I think Trier and Pitts are going to be taking away a lot of his minutes moving forward.

Been saying it for a while, mostly the other board, but Tollefson as the stretch 4 with Ristic. Bring him off the bench and give him minutes with PJC and Ristic.

You and I both several times in the 2015-16 thread.

Great minds...

Seriously, I think we legitimately have a good bench with Tollefson and Ristic at the 4/5., Mix in any combination of PJC and two guards and thats a good second unit.

[rgdeuce]

Yep. He's just a completely different player playing within 15 feet, and THEN stretching it out a little if it is given, rather than primarily playing on the wing and getting almost all of his touches outside the arc. It's not just efficiency on paper either, he's got some very nice skills on the interior, whereas I find him to be completely one dimensional with the ball in his hands on the wing. Oh it's not open, pass, or if it's open shoot (and so far, clank). That isn't even getting started on defense, I know we and a few others have voiced concerns about him guarding 3's as well. People are down on his rebounding, which I do see and might be a concern for those who are concerned with Tarc's low rebounding numbers and if they are on the floor together as a 4-5, but Dusan has rebounded extremely well thus far and I think that is who most of us see him playing with. Our guards/wings have rebounded well, as almost always under CSM.

I agree on you second unit. He goes from being just another body out there as a starting 3, to a much more productive player and a solid bench piece as a 4 off the bench. He's a completely different player at the 4.

[Alieberman]

I just love how versatile this team is. I think we are going to be very good come March and without a true superstar on this team. We don't have any guys where you can say "We can't win without a big game from (insert name). Our scoring is going to come from everywhere and our 6,7,8 guys are going to be big contributors

It's gonna be a fun year and my expectations are very high considering we just lost TJ, Rondae, Stanimal and BAsh.

A Players Program

[rgdeuce]

90 pts against a weaker opponent, and kind of funky because of the number of fouls, but:

Trier 22
Anderson 15
Zeus 11
York 10
Ristic 10
Tolly 7
PJC 6

Pitts shots are going to fall eventually, he could have easily had a double digits night. Allen's minutes were limited due to foul trouble, but he has shown us he can get us double digits. And how many points did guys not named Trier leave on the floor with the foul shooting too.

[gronk4heisman]

Pitts shots are going to fall eventually, he could have easily had a double digits night.

Why is this a given? He lost his shot before conference play started last year and has not "found" it since. I think one of the biggest fallacies out there is that Pitt's is a 3pt specialist, TJ hit the same amount of 3's in conference play last year at a much higher rate.

[rgdeuce]

It's not, but he has a nice stroke (pause). His inconsistency and late season slump last year is always in my head, believe me, but the odds are in his favor. I'm probably more cynical of this than most here, but, what he showed last night are things that are going to be consistent and enough to keep him on the floor whether they are falling or not, unless he keeps chucking and is killing the team.

[gronk4heisman]

I agree, Pitts adds a lot to this team. He is probably the person I trust most off the bench along with Dusan to make a seamless transition from our starters. If he does ever find that missing shot that will just be gravy.

[gumby]

Not to mention the missed free throws, which kept the game interesting in the first half.

Trier and Pitts did what they did without starting. That's a good thing. All that matters is minutes and results. Did the team improve appreciably when Rondae finally started? Not really. The slow starts continued.

PJC or Allen at the point? Make 'em battle. Tollefsen or Trier? Battle.

After Game 1, Allen is anointed the point guard. It's not over. PJC had a nice bounce-back game. He pushes the ball more consistently. Tollefsen's job is in jeopardy. Better battle harder. Figure a way to fit in.

Why is it that we must match the other team on size? No need for us to go big. If Trier starts at the three against Gonzaga, who guards him? Wiltjer?

What other massive team is on the schedule? Cal is kinda massive if Rooks starts, but their hard-to-guard team is smaller.

Works both ways. Nice to have versatility and depth. That's our strength. Who starts is a parlor game, but not that significant. Heck, we had two starting lineups last night.

I'd be shocked if Rooks starts or even plays that much. He's played 12 and 14 minutes in blowouts and Kingsley Shacklebolt has played 7 and 8. I don't know much about how Martin runs his guys out but if they're not getting in against UCSB and Rice I can't imagine being thrown into the fire against us.

Cal's going to go small with their best 5 guys which they probably should, but that means Brown is guarding Anderson, which will be interesting.

Agree with this. Was reacting to needing to go big against Cal (someone said that). Can only be true if Rooks starts.

[PennZona20]

I said that and maybe not Cal so much as the Zags and teams like UK or UNC if we can get to the promised land.

Then again, I like the idea of bringing Tolly off the bench as well for he most part in every game. As I said, he wasn't brought here to be a starter. He was brought here for quality depth. Any of our initial plans at the 3 (Stan, Lee, or Smith) would all be thriving right now and we would have a very complete team if even one of those options had worked out.

[Puerco]

'Kingsley Shacklebolt'?

Wasn't he part of the Addams Family?

[ASUHATER!]

Harry potter

[Spaceman Spiff]

Won "most likely to be knighted" in high school.