The 2021-2022 Season Thread

[YoDeFoe]

Ballo just turned 19 this past summer and has 4 years of eligibility remaining. He's basically a freshman despite spending two seasons at Gonzaga.

He's 7 feet tall with a 7'6" wingspan and y'all might not have seen it but I saw great touch on his FT and some nice agile footwork.

Does he need to get better with his fundamentals? Absolutely. But that's the expectation. What he has with his catch radius, strength, and body control is really nice.

[Beachcat97]

Which former player does Mathurin most remind ya'll of? Arenas? N. Johnson? Maybe Dickerson?

The headband and hops reminded me of hot sauce at time last night. Higher ceiling than Hassan though

If memory serves, Hot Sauce didn't have the best handle. He was incredible in the open court and on lobs, but he wasn't quite as effective driving to the basket in traffic. Based on what I've seen, BM has better control of his dribble.

[gronk4heisman]

Which former player does Mathurin most remind ya'll of? Arenas? N. Johnson? Maybe Dickerson?

The headband and hops reminded me of hot sauce at time last night. Higher ceiling than Hassan though

Hassan was then turned into a PF which hopefully is never the case for Mathurin. A different era...

[AzCatFan2]

Ballo is still very raw. But what I saw last night was an improvement over his limited play with the Zags. I can see Ballo getting 5 minutes a half to play defense and lean on the opponent's bigs to wear them down a bit. Any points and rebounds we get are plusses.

Mathurin reminds me a lot of Dickerson, now that the shot is falling. Just smooth and a step quicker than everyone else on the court. Dickerson could score 20+ without looking like he was giving much effort or fanfare. You'd look up and wonder how Dickerson scored so many. Mathurin did that last night. 18 points and he made it look effortless. If Mathurin can step up and have a killer instinct with a belief he's the best player on the court, and the confidence that comes with it, he'll have a monster year and probably be gone next year. Which I'm fine with, especially since Bal reminds me a lot of Mathurin.

[Merkin]

Tried to make Hassan into Charles Barkley.

Hassan also had the last shot in 2 NCAA games that both clanked away, but in all fairness no play was called for him. Shakur just panicked and couldn't perform the play Lute called.

Mathurin will get plays called for him.

[azgreg]

Which former player does Mathurin most remind ya'll of?

Pastner
~Olsondogg

[Olsondogg]

Which former player does Mathurin most remind ya'll of?

Pastner
~Olsondogg

I’ll cut you

[RawleArenas]

I watched last night's game and came away with some positive things. I try to be careful because players read these boards and I very much want a happy locker room this season. I've always been wary about celebrating a new offense considering that we were tops in the Pac last year and 15th nationally in KenPom. Contrary to popular belief, there are some nice things to say about Lloyd and I will start with those first.

Murph said that the attention to detail on ball screens and spacing was amazing to watch in practice. Coming from someone that has been around the block that does say a lot. I think Lloyd has a specific view on teaching offensive principles in ways that it sticks and becomes intuitive over time.

Lloyd has a different view on player evaluation and I'm interested in seeing what his philosophy is. The announcers mentioned that Lloyd felt that only Terry and Kriisa were the only ones who were ready to contribute in a significant way on the court (or some sort of approximation of that). If his evaluations are spot on and it leads to better consistency, then I'm all for that.

I'm worried about the defense. Gonzaga got run off the court when they faced a strong Baylor team that took no prisoners and struggled against a hobbled UCLA. I'm more of a defensive person and so I'm concerned about how the team will adjust as the coaches gameplan for Lloyd. I'm concerned that he is not used to being a target as we already have two coaches in the conference who have final fours. Every game will be a battle as opposed to the WCC where there were a handful of games you had to be worried about.

I like Gronk's comparison to Byron Scott with Mathurin. As a life long Laker fan, I thought that was spot on, although Mathurin is a little longer than Scott. When I look at Benn, he is everything I was expecting from Brandon Randolph, who was a fringe five star player. The ranking system is so political, those two players should have switched rankings based on level of expectation vs. actual performance. Benn plays with no fear, he has that 'it' factor that Gil had, which is exciting to watch and I hope he continues to mature.

I am not sold on Ballo. I watched him after he committed to Gonzaga the first time around. I am not going to give him a pass because he is young. He's spent two years in the top development school in the west and plays like a timid lapdog. He should be much further developed considering he was ranked I believe higher than Chance Comanche was when he was here. Chance was 20 when he left and he was a good rim protector, had a 15 foot shot, had nice post moves and was a decent rim runner. Comanche was disappointing because he could have been a first rounder had he stayed four years. Ballo, I just don't see it. It goes further than coaching, I don't think he has the mental makeup to be an impact player. If he doesn't have the mind and heart to play the game, he can't use the natural gifts he has.

Lastly, I'm really high on Larsson. I think he has NBA potential and can be our version of Luke Kennard or JJ Reddick, whichever you prefer. He has a calm confidence about him that will really help our team. I see him and Benn as an awesome 1-2 punch that can rival any tandem in the conference.

I don't like our big depth, but it's up to Lloyd to figure that out and either help Ballo understand his limitations and become an elite rebounder, rim protector and 50/50 guy. I'm pleasantly surprised by Terry considering I wasn't the biggest fan of his game. He could be a real difference maker. I like Bal. I see the same trajectory that Joel Ayayi had at Gonzaga, meaning that by year three all conference with NBA buzz. He could develop much quicker, which I wouldn't mind, especially if he stays. Can't wait till we play real competition.

[Olsondogg]

I love post exhibition evals so much. I only love red/blue evals more.

[97cats]

i love the recap thank you for your thoughts and opinions, much appreciated.

for context:

In the 2004–05 season, JJ Redick led Duke in scoring with 21.8 points per game. He won the ACC Player of the Year award, and the Adolph F. Rupp Trophy for national player of the year

Mathurin reminds me of Gilbert Arenas, said that over a year ago - long arms, wide shoulders, uber athletic, streaky shooter and is a right handed player who LOVE LOVES LOVES to go left....just a little off in the head too while on the floor. little taller than Gil but damn they look so similar to me...

[Beachcat97]

Is anyone feeling ready to try a depth chart? Starting 5, second 5? I'm really just curious to see how deep our bench is.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can post this today.

[gronk4heisman]

PG: Kerr - 27, Pelle - 8, Kier - 5
SG: Terry - 17, Pelle - 18, Kier - 5
SF: Mathurin - 28, Kier - 10, Terry - 2
PF : Tubelis - 20, Terry - 5, Aiken - 15
C: Koloko - 25, Tubelis - 10, Ballo - 5

I expect a lot of different lineups, there will not be full line changes as positions are less rigid in this system than Millers.

[Beachcat97]

PG: Kerr - 27, Pelle - 8, Kier - 5
SG: Terry - 17, Pelle - 18, Kier - 5
SF: Mathurin - 28, Kier - 10, Terry - 2
PF : Tubelis - 20, Terry - 5, Aiken - 15
C: Koloko - 25, Tubelis - 10, Ballo - 5

I expect a lot of different lineups, there will not be full line changes as positions are less rigid in this system than Millers.

The first thing that stands out is our frontcourt defense. Aside from Koloko, are Tubelis and Ballo going to be able to give us good minutes and not just send the other team to the FT line frequently. Ballo did not look particularly effective on D last night.

We look pretty stacked in the backcourt and wing spots. Once Larsson comes back, even more so.

[goslingswagg]

yeah I'd go with something like this (rounded and probably can siphon a minute or two from each of these guys for garbage time to Bal, Nowell, Ballo, and the walk ons):
PG: Kerr - 30; Kier - 10
SG: Mathurin - 10; Larsson - 25; Kier - 5
SF: Terry - 20; Mathurin - 20
PF: Azoulas - 20; Aiken - 15; Terry - 5
C: Koloko - 25; Azoulas - 10; Aiken - 5

Feels like a clear-cut 8 man rotation to me...struggling to see how Ballo is in the rotation right now. Thought he looked pretty raw last night, too sloppy with the ball/offensive fouls, not good enough athletically to disrupt a couple interior buckets for ENM, etc.

I feel pretty darn good about that top 8 though - I am very excited to see this team grow over the year. Lots to like about the roster makeup.

[Olsondogg]

The biggest beneficiary from the coaching change will be Mathurin. I truly believe he will have a fantastic year and needs to play 30 plus every night imo.

I don’t have the trepidation that most media does about the PG position. Kerr and Kier can handle that role well, and it appears the offense is built on any of the 5 on the floor pushing fast up the court.

[Olsondogg]

I’d also say I have a sneaking suspicion that Aiken is a hidden gem.

I honestly have no knowledge of Larsson outside his stat lines, but I keep hearing that he’s a starter for most teams in the league.

[Beachcat97]

I have to say: it's only one game, and a freaking exhibition, but the initial reviews are encouraging.

Let's see what they do vs. NAU.

BTFD!

[TucsonClip]

First, great to see some actual transition basketball in McKale again. A few brief observations I noticed tonight about the system, some of the guys and what we can expect moving forward.

First, I enjoyed the extended pick up on defense. Kier and Benn picked up 3/4 court or further multiple times, a few of which came with additional high pickups from the rest of the rotation on the floor.

Along with that, I mentioned this summer I expected to see our defense extended and up in passing lanes. That was clearly the case tonight. Its a pretty big change from the packline, which is going to have guys sitting in gaps off the ball, help ready. I thought there wasn't much scheming for the opponent, but it appears the base defense is going to rely on pressure, sticking to your man off the ball to not give up open looks, lock and trailing off screens, switching inconsequential off ball actions, switching on ball when appropriate, playing ball screens up at the level of the screen, and finally, relying on the 5 to rotate and help at the rim.

We'll see how thing progress from there, but that's what I've taken from the pretty vanilla base defense tonight.

Love seeing Terry out in transition handling the ball, slashing off side ball screens, applying pressure up in passing lanes, and just playing free. You are going to see the best version of him in this system.

Benn looked very confident early. If he's able to use our tempo to be able to attack off one or two dribbles and draw fouls, he's going to be all conference. Still a lot left to see from him, but his confidence and aggression is something we really need.

Kerr couldn't get anything to fall, and I know people desperately want to grade him out as a PG. However, you need to see a PG as a function of what the team is trying to do on offense. He was trying to get us into our base continuity, which is why you see him set up, come off a ball screen and immediately swing the ball to the wing. The problem is that broke down quite a bit and I didn't think we saw enough of the quick, side to side actions we will as the year progresses. Additionally, that's where you are going to see guys playmaking, coming off the wing. The ball never really got back to him in that regard, and the traditional PNR with Zu was bleh. Lots of time to grow, and I didn't see anything to ding him on, but this offense isn't going to allow you to evaluate him like Akinjo, Trier or even PJC.

The bigs have a lot to work on handling the ball, because they had 6 of the 10 turnovers in the first half. Considering how much they are going to be handling the ball, and Lloyd said the exact same thing, they need to be much better.

Finally, going back to my opening remark... This is transition basketball. Get a stop, force a turnover, run the floor wide, push opposite and attack a lane. Stick around everyone, you're gonna love Lloyd's style.

[azgreg]

I know this is just an exhibition game against a DII school but god damn I'm excited!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jefe]

I say this every year we aren't ranked but we'll be Top 25 by week 2

[Beachcat97]

I say this every year we aren't ranked but we'll be Top 25 by week 2

Think we're gonna knock off Wichita St? That game's getting here real quick.

[YoDeFoe]

First, I enjoyed the extended pick up on defense. Kier and Benn picked up 3/4 court or further multiple times, a few of which came with additional high pickups from the rest of the rotation on the floor.

Along with that, I mentioned this summer I expected to see our defense extended and up in passing lanes. That was clearly the case tonight. Its a pretty big change from the packline, which is going to have guys sitting in gaps off the ball, help ready. I thought there wasn't much scheming for the opponent, but it appears the base defense is going to rely on pressure, sticking to your man off the ball to not give up open looks, lock and trailing off screens, switching inconsequential off ball actions, switching on ball when appropriate, playing ball screens up at the level of the screen, and finally, relying on the 5 to rotate and help at the rim.

Kerr couldn't get anything to fall, and I know people desperately want to grade him out as a PG. However, you need to see a PG as a function of what the team is trying to do on offense. He was trying to get us into our base continuity, which is why you see him set up, come off a ball screen and immediately swing the ball to the wing. The problem is that broke down quite a bit and I didn't think we saw enough of the quick, side to side actions we will as the year progresses. Additionally, that's where you are going to see guys playmaking, coming off the wing. The ball never really got back to him in that regard, and the traditional PNR with Zu was bleh. Lots of time to grow, and I didn't see anything to ding him on, but this offense isn't going to allow you to evaluate him like Akinjo, Trier or even PJC.

Edited the above for commenting.

Really enjoyed seeing us play up on the ball screen and rely on the 5. Between Koloko and Ballo I like using them to absorb anything that gets past the first line of defense (and potentially absorb some fouls).

Relating to the offense, out of everything I wanted to see that was the biggest for me and it wasn't great haha - we just weren't instinctively running the action and it broke down pretty quickly. Which is fine - it's early, we'll get some good tape to learn from. But this won't be a well oiled machine to start the season. That's not to say we won't be able to score when the ball screen action breaks down - there's enough skill and talent here to just roll the ball out and get buckets. But yeah, we won't be looking like Gonzaga anytime soon.

[TucsonClip]

Relating to the offense, out of everything I wanted to see that was the biggest for me and it wasn't great haha - we just weren't instinctively running the action and it broke down pretty quickly. Which is fine - it's early, we'll get some good tape to learn from. But this won't be a well oiled machine to start the season. That's not to say we won't be able to score when the ball screen action breaks down - there's enough skill and talent here to just roll the ball out and get buckets. But yeah, we won't be looking like Gonzaga anytime soon.

Yeah, if you watch some of Gonzaga over the years, they get the defense spinning because they are running through the actions so quick and going side to side, that the defense just breaks. We are no where near that level, but there were a few times where we got to the 2nd and 3rd side of the floor and voila, an easy basket.

[Jefe]

Think we're gonna knock off Wichita St? That game's getting here real quick.

I was pretty thrilled with what I saw last night. We should overwhelm them down low but we have to keep turnovers down. Some of those entry passes were awful. I imagine we'll play 8-9 guys and there are several mismatches with our length and athleticism.

[YoDeFoe]

I say this every year we aren't ranked but we'll be Top 25 by week 2

Think we're gonna knock off Wichita St? That game's getting here real quick.

Here's what we're looking at with Wichita State:



Deep dive in here: https://www.three-man-weave.com/3mw/ame ... 22-preview

Bottom Line: With a star in Etienne, a 1v1 interior threat in Udeze, and multiple shooters dotting the perimeter, the Wichita State offense should be a powerful unit. The defense seemed to lack some of the relentless tenacity that Marshall was always able to extract, but hey, if that means players aren’t getting punched, that’s probably for the best! Still, this Shocker squad needs to make strides on that end – particularly on the glass – to find itself back in the NCAA Tournament.

[84Cat]

Looks like we need Pelle so we can play small against Wichita St

[Postmaster]

Ackerly looks like a deep threat.

[YoDeFoe]

Looks like we need Pelle so we can play small against Wichita St

I think this is a game where we're going to be very very thankful for our floor raising transfers. Kier is a good defensive match for Etienne (6'1" outside shooter) and Qua Grant (6'1" DII First Team All American). Aiken the same for Joe Pleasant (6'8" with an outside jumper) and Udeze (6'8" with smart post moves).

You hope that Mathurin and Terry and Tubelis and Koloko can handle these guys. But it's nice to have Kier and Aiken to be able to specifically put out there to spend their energy negating the other team's best scorers.

[billk78]

Ackerly looks like a deep threat.

I think he has won the starting PG position.

[azgreg]

Arizona 32nd

[KaibabKat]

Most of the preseason polls are in. Here is where the Wildcats are ranked in some of the better known ones:
24 Massey
25 Doktar Entropy
29 AP Writers
29 Sports Illustrated
32 USA Coaches
32 Sagarin
32 Massey Composite of 15 polls
35 Team Rankings
42 Pugh VS
47 Pomeroy
72 ESPN Power Index

The Massey Composite preseason rankings of the Pac-12 teams:
7 UCLA
16 Oregon
20 USC
32 Arizona
36 Colorado
55 Oregon State
65 Stanford
75 The Normal School
77 WSU
84 Utah
110 Washington
116 California

The fun begins Tuesday!

[U.P. Zona Fan]

Bart torvik has us at 26, right behind USC and 9 spots ahead of Oregon.

[Beachcat97]

Bart torvik has us at 26, right behind USC and 9 spots ahead of Oregon.

My takeaway from the recent turn in this thread: no one knows what to expect from, and thus where to rank, AZ this year.

We'll know more soon.

[IndianaZonaFan]

Season starts tomorrow!

Let’s fucking go!!!!

Bear the fuck down!!!

[Beachcat97]

Season starts tomorrow!

Let’s fucking go!!!!

Bear the fuck down!!!

Just win. One game at a time. Sometimes tourney bids are earned before January 1.

[Chicat]

Let’s not make it a tradition that new coaches lose to NAU.

BEAR DOWN

[Longhorned]

I was surprised just how well the team clicked on both sides of the ball against semi-real competition and without shots falling. The challenge is completely different with an offense predicated on motion and multiple looks on defense. That looked more like the kind of dangerous teams we used to play against in late December, not game 1.

Also, Ballo has a pretty high floor for a supposedly raw project. I think about meaty bigs like Fendi Onubon who never even reached that ability to find his spots, establish his space, and impose himself with control. Ballo grabbing offensive boards looks like shopping for produce on a motorcycle surrounded by appalled old ladies. Then he gets to the line and you expect a Shaq clank, but it's just buttered velvet. At one point, he set a high screen that sent a player to the hospital. He's in motion, and then all of the sudden he anchors all of his weight with double gravity and becomes an immovable brick wall.

[Olsondogg]

Excited to see us play better competition. Enjoyed the blocks and getting in passing lanes.

How anyone picked Rado and Oregon St. to finish ahead seems comical. There are maybe 4 good PAC teams and the rest are mediocre at best.

[SabinoDrifter]

Refreshed KenPom this morning and the Cats are #1 in assists to FGM in college basketball. Stop the Count!

[azgreg]

Refreshed KenPom this morning and the Cats are #1 in assists to FGM in college basketball. Stop the Count!

[Beachcat97]

Kriisa, Ballo, Larsson and Terry...them boys impressed me yesterday. Just getting started.

Love the new look offense.

[Lando05]

I love the new style of play on both sides of the ball. Excited for this new era. BEARDOWN

[Fishclamps]

I was surprised just how well the team clicked on both sides of the ball against semi-real competition and without shots falling. The challenge is completely different with an offense predicated on motion and multiple looks on defense. That looked more like the kind of dangerous teams we used to play against in late December, not game 1.

Also, Ballo has a pretty high floor for a supposedly raw project. I think about meaty bigs like Fendi Onubon who never even reached that ability to find his spots, establish his space, and impose himself with control. Ballo grabbing offensive boards looks like shopping for produce on a motorcycle surrounded by appalled old ladies. Then he gets to the line and you expect a Shaq clank, but it's just buttered velvet. At one point, he set a high screen that sent a player to the hospital. He's in motion, and then all of the sudden he anchors all of his weight with double gravity and becomes an immovable brick wall.

Can't wait to see Ballo the rest of the season.

[billk78]

Things I liked seeing:
- going 2 for 1 before a half
- Guys not being pulled off immediately after a tiny mistake
- Full court pressure
- Real ball movement
- Offensive freedom
- Guys seemed to really be having fun and not so much pressure.

[97cats]

Things I liked seeing:
- Guys not being pulled off immediately after a tiny mistake

how bout guys not being pulled off immediately after a make?

[pc in NM]

Things I liked seeing:
- going 2 for 1 before a half
- Guys not being pulled off immediately after a tiny mistake
- Full court pressure
- Real ball movement
- Offensive freedom
- Guys seemed to really be having fun and not so much pressure.

And one thing I did not miss at all: guards standing and dribbling the ball!!!

[Merkin]

Things I liked seeing:
- Guys not being pulled off immediately after a tiny mistake

how bout guys not being pulled off immediately after a make?

Gotta keep those rotation schedules!

[Longhorned]

These posts are fair but the one thing I hope Lloyd retains from Miller's playbook is the final possession of the game where we inbound to our shooting guard and then everybody stands completely still until he dribbles the ball off his foot.

[TheCat]

I'm a little worried about the secondary offense if the running game isn't working. Grind out games are going to be the norm once PAC play begins. They are also what dominates in the post season. Got to get Koloko to rebound as well as he blocks shots.

[Frybry02]

I'm a little worried about the secondary offense if the running game isn't working. Grind out games are going to be the norm once PAC play begins. They are also what dominates in the post season. Got to get Koloko to rebound as well as he blocks shots.

I know you it was only one game but I am curious to see some data on half court efficiency and how it improves as the season goes along and versus better competition.