Bear Down Wildcats

Honesty if we only lose AT for the semester and don't lose CC long we may be better for it come March. The experience Kobi and Rawle and Keanu will be forced to get will be invaluable. Trial by fire will be best thing for them come the dance. Only downside is losses and corresponding tougher seeds.


That's , of course, a big IF we get Cc back soon and AT back soon enough to shake off rust and get in game shape. And the latter IF is prob less than probable.

I started this year with super high hopes -- and high expectations. Now, with Smith gone, Trier possibly gone for all or part of the year, and Chance in limbo, I am a bit depressed. So what do we have -- 7 scholarship players? Frack!!!!

Call me pessimistic but I don't think we get AT back....probably Chance back by P12 play. Hope I'm wrong about Trier but damn, we are just having crappy luck now (except recruiting which has been stellar).

Just hoping to compete for the P12 championship and deep run in the P12 Tourney. Also for a Sweet 16. Without Trier and Smith, I think this would be a good year for us now IMHO.

Bear Down

Bangkok Wildcat wrote:Call me pessimistic but I don't think we get AT back....probably Chance back by P12 play. Hope I'm wrong about Trier but damn, we are just having crappy luck now (except recruiting which has been stellar).

Just hoping to compete for the P12 championship and deep run in the P12 Tourney. Also for a Sweet 16. Without Trier and Smith, I think this would be a good year for us now IMHO.

Bear Down

You can't know that about AT, BW. We have no idea why his eligibility is in question, nor do we have reason to expect he'll miss the entire season. Let the process play out. You can bet your arse that CSM and our AD are fighting to get AT back on the court. As long as there's no NCAA violation, AT will be back.

Beachcat97 wrote:

Bangkok Wildcat wrote:Call me pessimistic but I don't think we get AT back....probably Chance back by P12 play. Hope I'm wrong about Trier but damn, we are just having crappy luck now (except recruiting which has been stellar).

Just hoping to compete for the P12 championship and deep run in the P12 Tourney. Also for a Sweet 16. Without Trier and Smith, I think this would be a good year for us now IMHO.

Bear Down

You can't know that about AT, BW. We have no idea why his eligibility is in question, nor do we have reason to expect he'll miss the entire season. Let the process play out. You can bet your arse that CSM and our AD are fighting to get AT back on the court. As long as there's no NCAA violation, AT will be back.

That's why I said 'think' not 'know' BC....I'll be damned happy if I'm wrong but the way things have been going down so far and the NCAA being such a screwed up organization fuels my pessimism.

In any case, my expectations are lowered and I will really enjoy watching how this team deals with the adversity and hopefully comes together to outperform! BTFD.

Bangkok Wildcat wrote:Call me pessimistic but I don't think we get AT back....probably Chance back by P12 play. Hope I'm wrong about Trier but damn, we are just having crappy luck now (except recruiting which has been stellar).

Just hoping to compete for the P12 championship and deep run in the P12 Tourney. Also for a Sweet 16. Without Trier and Smith, I think this would be a good year for us now IMHO.

Bear Down

We'll have Chance back much sooner than P12 play.

That would be a hell of a suspension if Comanche were out until January.

Longhorned wrote:That would be a hell of a suspension if Comanche were out until January.

Bill Walton says Commanche is on track to be 7'10" tall. We need him back.

PennZona20 wrote:Honesty if we only lose AT for the semester and don't lose CC long we may be better for it come March. The experience Kobi and Rawle and Keanu will be forced to get will be invaluable. Trial by fire will be best thing for them come the dance. Only downside is losses and corresponding tougher seeds.

That's my thought to, we could be the perfect storm come NCAA tournament time, which is all that matters. The season ain't over yet.

Cuse made the Final 4 last year. Just sayin'.

At some point things even out, they always do.

Most Final Fours have 2-3 favorites and 1-2 surprises. I don't necessarily see us hitting the favorite line, but I would have no problem seeing us as a surprise if we have Trier.

Of course, we could also be cursed.

I just don't buy shitty "ceiling" arguments at the beginning of the season. It's fair to say that we won't be as good as we could have been with certain players, but really...there isn't any reason to say that yet. This isn't Bash going down mid PAC season, the season has not even started yet and most of our players (and frankly alot in CBB in general) are unproven commodities.

There's no reason we can't be a surprise team this year. Those "surprise" teams are often teams who got a favorable draw in the tourney, or they pulled an upset over a high seed who had an off game; it happens every year. The '97 team got hot, and we were led by three guards, only one of whom (Bibby) was an NBA level talent (Dickerson, too, perhaps, but injuries got in his way). If you look at that '97 roster, it's nothing like these recent superteams at UK or Duke or UNC. Lute had been in the tourney many times, had even gotten to the FF, and had a businesslike approach to things. His teams were excellent at FT shooting and defense. The '97 team lost 9 games. They weren't dominant. They were solid. This year's team has similar potential, more so if AT and CC are back of course, but we may be alright regardless. We'll probably lose around 10 games this season; that wouldn't surprise me. We just need to avoid bad losses, continue to improve, and earn a bid. I like it when we're under the radar a bit, if AZ can ever truly be under the radar. Takes pressure off our guys. Maybe that's the edge this team needs.

Hope springs eternal but man what is it about AZ sports this year. Football has a tragedy with Zach right before the season and then BBall as a loss that is heartbreaking with Ray Smith.

No silver lining in football but hopefully bball can generate some hope

azcat49 wrote:Hope springs eternal but man what is it about AZ sports this year. Football has a tragedy with Zach right before the season and then BBall as a loss that is heartbreaking with Ray Smith.

No silver lining in football but hopefully bball can generate some hope

Keep the faith, azc. There's also the angle that we can dedicate this season to Ray. Gives them something larger to play for, an emotional edge.

Olsondogg wrote:Cuse made the Final 4 last year. Just sayin'.

Honestly one of the biggest crimes in college basketball history. That program deserves nothing good to ever happen to them under Boeheim's watch let alone a fluke like that.

Beachcat97 wrote:You can bet your arse that CSM and our AD are fighting to get AT back on the court. As long as there's no NCAA violation, AT will be back.

I wonder if the NCAA will have a little compassion on us considering we just lost Ray. Probably not..

Jefe wrote:

Beachcat97 wrote:You can bet your arse that CSM and our AD are fighting to get AT back on the court. As long as there's no NCAA violation, AT will be back.

I wonder if the NCAA will have a little compassion on us considering we just lost Ray. Probably not..

I mean, if AT really f***ed up, then we've got what's coming to us, as it should be. I don't want the NCAA doing us any favors. Here's hoping there was actually no violation, and that there's some misunderstanding soon to be resolved.

Beachcat97 wrote:

azcat49 wrote:Hope springs eternal but man what is it about AZ sports this year. Football has a tragedy with Zach right before the season and then BBall as a loss that is heartbreaking with Ray Smith.

No silver lining in football but hopefully bball can generate some hope

Keep the faith, azc. There's also the angle that we can dedicate this season to Ray. Gives them something larger to play for, an emotional edge.

Think '00-'01...The year Bobbi Olson died...we made it to the Ship. Maybe we have a shit load of heart on this team and it wills us to the end. Not practicle but not impossible. I still like this team to make some noise even if we just get CC back.

I don't know what to expect this year. I will say the excitement I had of this team making a deep run at the beginning of October is completely gone due to the recent events.

Could we be really good? Yes

Could we be a bubble team? Yes

I have given up any hope that Trier will suit up.

That's kinda where I am

Me too.....no matter what, it's disappointing as to what could have been.......starting with TFerg, Zo, Chance then Ray. Am guessing that we will end up battling for 3rd in the conference this year without Zo.

Yikes. That was ... rough.

Kinda expect Simmons and Alkins to be somewhat lost, and they were, but Parker and Kadeem were so passive. Couldn't find openings. Too many possessions with shot clock winding down. Couldn't feed the post. Lauri was our only reliable offense. Pinder is valuable.

Defense was ... inconsistent. Also to be expected.

But close game not expected. The guards have to step into those threes with confidence. Too many times they drove with not much there, because they didn't want to shoot. Have to shoot it. Only way to gain confidence. Tough to see the best guard in street clothes.

Fortunately, we were good at the stripe -- and they didn't call the charge -- or that could've been an L.

If AT isn't back, this could be one of the weaker teams CSM has had in a while.

I may be wrong but Chico State has given the Wildcats trouble before.

It is a well disciplined team that shows the Cats how they have to play tough defense or get beaten. I thought it was a very good lesson. It also showed some weaknesses in the freshmen on defense. I think it is also showing how PJC is now far and away the best option at pg. KA is one of the best perimeter defenders. The Cats have no idea how to attack a zone defense. The team is a very good ft shooting team (except Pinder who thankfully didn't shoot fts). That our big guys are still a bit slow on defense.

We have one three point shooter and don't rebound well. That's not encouraging.

Beachcat97 wrote:We have one three point shooter and don't rebound well. That's not encouraging.

They are a very young team and have a lot to improve on. There is probably a lot of good tape to watch and points for Miller to teach.

Beachcat97 wrote:We have one three point shooter and don't rebound well. That's not encouraging.

Agreed....very distressing....on the positive side, damn, Lauri has a sweet looking 3 point shot!

Daryl Zero wrote:I may be wrong but Chico State has given the Wildcats trouble before.

It is a well disciplined team that shows the Cats how they have to play tough defense or get beaten. I thought it was a very good lesson. It also showed some weaknesses in the freshmen on defense. I think it is also showing how PJC is now far and away the best option at pg. KA is one of the best perimeter defenders. The Cats have no idea how to attack a zone defense. The team is a very good ft shooting team (except Pinder who thankfully didn't shoot fts). That our big guys are still a bit slow on defense.

This is dead on. Chico is a very well-coached team. They don't have near our athletic talent, but they're experienced and don't make a lot of mistakes. They're a test, and we struggled.

We shot 16%, 4/25 from 3 combined in the two exhibtions (3/4 were made by Lauri). We're going to get zoned to death if our backcourt can't show that they can hit from long range.

R E L A X

Agreed. Chico State is exceptionally coached. You also got to understand, they hit a ton of shots that had no business going in. Contested 3's five feet from beyond the arc with the shot clock expiring. Those don't go in, that's the difference of 12 points. But that is part of the game and it is easy to see why those shots fall when they stay warm all game because of wide open looks. They were running double screens all night and moving well without the ball and our guys were getting killed. The team defense is just not where it needs to be and last night was a good lesson. There was promise in the College of Idaho game, even if they are an NAIA team, but it was clear to see what an offense that actually works off ball will do to us until things improve.

Individually, guys were getting exposed on D. Rawle Alkins was bad. Don't mean to pick on the dude, but he could not go two defensive possession without his man blowing by him, being out of position, a half-hearted closeout, or committing to help on the perimeter when it wasn't needed and leaving his man for a wide open look from deep. I saw signs of it in the first exhibition, but it really got exposed last night. I'm going to go against the grain of everyone on this one, but considering Kobi is only a freshman playing in his 2nd exhibition, I think he has been a good defender. He works hard, he moves his feet very well and doesn't foul (0 last night, 2 in first game). The few gripes come with being a freshman and will get figured out, but IMO, he is clearly our second best individual perimeter defender. I couldnt even count how many times his man put the ball to the floor and Kobi beat him within 2-3 steps. This kid will be an elite perimeter defender as a sophomore. If Trier comes back, I'd have Kobi ahead of Rawle on the bench depth chart. Pinder is a very valuable piece and is saving this team from being in "the sky is falling" trouble.

Offensively, from the get go I have thought this team's identity should start with Dusan and Lauri inside from the tip off. Lauri had a big game but it was almost all from the perimeter. Lauri got 10 shots, which is very light considering who we were playing. Even worse, 7 of those 10 were 3's or mid-range jumpers. He got to the line 8 times and was perfect. Yes, he is valuable from 3 but we need him to be our workhouse inside and outside. He needs more touches from 15 feet in. He has continued to show his ability to put the ball on the floor and finish (even on his weak side). Dusan had only 7 FGA last night and that is inexcusable when the other team's tallest player is 6'9". When we were down 12 and struggling to get baskets, neither of those guys even got more than a token touch on the perimeter for several consecutive possessions. Too much perimeter passing and draining the shot clock before the offense gets going. They aren't even looking into the low post a lot of the time. Rawle needs to figure out how to use his strength to his advantage now that he is playing against quicker athletes. Play within the offense, attack when there is an opening and use your body to draw the foul or keep the space needed to finish. Again though, part of that is the poor operation of the offense in general. Parker has to be better than average with Trier out. I think this all improves once the team figures out its identity on offense.

Post entry passes. Post entry passes. Post entry passes.

Good stuff, rdeuce. Alkins isn't as athletic as I first thought. Muscular, strong, but not near as quick as Simmons and Allen. My guess is that Kobi gets more minutes next game.

Against zone, why, oh why, is Lauri not camping at the free-throw line? Can hit that shot. Can see over the D for the pass. Can drive it.

gumby wrote:Against zone, why, oh why, is Lauri not camping at the free-throw line? Can hit that shot. Can see over the D for the pass. Can drive it.

I am beginning to think that Miller hates coaching zone on both ends of the floor.

Miller wants Lauri on the perimeter in a zone so that he can shoot three pointers. I agree though, I'd stick Lauri down there and let him suck the defense in for an interior pass to Ristic or a perimeter pass to an attacking/shooting wing.

Interesting quote from Sean Miller..........hopefully he is referring to Trier

https://twitter.com/Wildcat_Country/sta ... 4754287616" target="_blank

dmjcat wrote:Interesting quote from Sean Miller..........hopefully he is referring to Trier

https://twitter.com/Wildcat_Country/sta ... 4754287616" target="_blank

Maybe he has a bad case of acne or an std. Or maybe it's Trier.

dmjcat wrote:Interesting quote from Sean Miller..........hopefully he is referring to Trier

https://twitter.com/Wildcat_Country/sta ... 4754287616" target="_blank

Hope that's Trier too.....but could also just be the poor performance on the boards, defense and 3 point shooting in our two exhibition games.

gumby wrote:Against zone, why, oh why, is Lauri not camping at the free-throw line? Can hit that shot. Can see over the D for the pass. Can drive it.

They had no one in the gaps. Everyone just standing around the perimeter.

YoDeFoe wrote:Miller wants Lauri on the perimeter in a zone so that he can shoot three pointers. I agree though, I'd stick Lauri down there and let him suck the defense in for an interior pass to Ristic or a perimeter pass to an attacking/shooting wing.

Yep. Lauri is the only option we have for this right now. Others need to step up and knock em down when they are open.

Joe Lunardi and Dino Gaudio picked Arizona as a Final Four team and Miller as coach of the year. I am not sure if that is a positive or a negative.

Dino must work for the New York Times.

jsbowl16 wrote:Joe Lunardi and Dino Gaudio picked Arizona as a Final Four team and Miller as coach of the year. I am not sure if that is a positive or a negative.

Well we can't have that now, can we? Ayton said he would come here to get CSM his first FF. Guess he will go pro if that's already been done this season.

Sorry, I was channeling my inner Beachcat for a second.

I am worried about this team guarding explosive 3s. Alkins has to improve defensively. We are going to need him.

We have to rebound better. This is a game Ristic should have made such a positive impact . Improved defensive rebounding will also allow this team to run the floor.

Kobi was a beast.

PJC and Allen did their jobs. So happy for Allen on that last shot.

Lauri will become the offensive focal point. He should touch the ball every time down the court.

Main Event wrote:

Thanks. I was wondering why there was no help by MSU. Bridges went the wrong way.

That was a great team win that should pay dividends later on. I worry about the defense of our bigs when both Dusan and Lauri are on the floor. Lauri needs to get better with his positioning. Not harping on the guy after one game. I am sure he will improve throughout the season.