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Simmons is going to be a star. Love Lauri and Rawle too!97cats wrote:im excited to see this group of freshman in person on Saturday
Go Cats!!
You have to understand, though, that this is a special collection of Arizona fans. We are not the norm, which is why myself and I'm sure many others came and stayed here and why this site continues to thrive. I spent several months on the Scout board and that place was a mess. There were obviously quite a few very knowledgeable and level-headed posters there, but it was riddled with a lot of over-reactors and fake coaches who knew what was best for the team. Look at comment sections on social media, the guys who call into the talk radio shows, the commenters on the Daily Star (before they made u pay to look at more than 10 pages), or conversations around the office. Tucson and Arizona in general are just not great and knowledgeable sports fans. Obvious exceptions, but yea. You can generally gauge a fanbase by the amount of "Fire ______" when adversity comes. There was a ton of "Fire Millers" a few years back. "Fire Stoops" was as frequent as the wind. Again, not here (absent a few) but in general.Chicat wrote:I think if you were to really search your memory you'd be hard pressed to find more than a handful of posters who have expressed those sentiments. And I'd bet it was the same posters every time. Including one in particular.....rgdeuce wrote:Well he is kind of right. Not the Butler game itself, but there have been instances where people have complained about losses that "shouldn't have happened." If not that, it's something to the effect of "the sky is falling" and "this team is horrible, they are a bubble team, they are at best a team who will get to the round of 32" when they have a close game against someone we are expected to cream. Last year's Santa Clara game jumps out in my mind, but there are plenty of others. Nothing wrong with being critical of a performance as long as it is focused on a poor performance in that particular game. Or if it's a trend, then you can talk about it without being knee jerk, but then you also have to consider other factors too (eg it's early in the season, we are young, we will get better)
Just because literally one or two people are talking about the sky falling doesn't make it a disturbing trend amongst Arizona fans. All fanbases have their Eeyores, and ours is no exception.
We just have a numbers problem right now. Kadeem, Kobi and Rawle are all competent, but they are basically it on the perimeter.rgdeuce wrote:Not too many people who can guard Kobi. His shots are falling and he is getting more and more confidence. This team is going to have to be a three-headed freshman monster until things resolve with Trier and PJC comes back. Lauri needs the ball in his hands more; last night he continued he could create for himself and find other guys wide open under the basket. Dusan just needs to catch the ball on some of them.
I disagree, at least about Miller not wanting Rawle to take threes. As I couldn't watch the game (thanks, 8 hour time difference!) I can't be sure, but I would imagine Rawle took an ill-advised three (maybe he rushed it early in the shot clock, maybe someone else was open, maybe he was very well covered). There's no doubt Rawle can hit the three and is MUCH more dangerous when the defense has to play him as a shooter. CSM knows that, so it sounds simply like a coaching moment about a bad shot.CatFanOneMil wrote:I think Kobi and Kadeem will be our saviors because they both can do those "in-the-lane-soft-floaters" that go over the defense without crashing into anyone...
I noticed after Rawle attempting a three in the corner (and missed)...Miller speaking directly at him "Is that your shot?"...I heard him say Miller wants him to be more aggressive and shot more, but it is obvious Miller does not want him taking three's...and probably not Pinder either...
Every missed three pointer ends up a lost possesion...whereas a drive can be a dish or draw a foul...
Rawle, you want Rawle shooting the right threes. With Rawle, you want his first option to be getting to the rim to create and and 1. If he's open and in rhythm, fine, shoot the 3. Lauri is the only guy we have right now that you want to be shooting as often as he can. The rest, they need to not take the kind of threes that you can get any time.dcZONAfan wrote:I disagree, at least about Miller not wanting Rawle to take threes. As I couldn't watch the game (thanks, 8 hour time difference!) I can't be sure, but I would imagine Rawle took an ill-advised three (maybe he rushed it early in the shot clock, maybe someone else was open, maybe he was very well covered). There's no doubt Rawle can hit the three and is MUCH more dangerous when the defense has to play him as a shooter. CSM knows that, so it sounds simply like a coaching moment about a bad shot.CatFanOneMil wrote:I think Kobi and Kadeem will be our saviors because they both can do those "in-the-lane-soft-floaters" that go over the defense without crashing into anyone...
I noticed after Rawle attempting a three in the corner (and missed)...Miller speaking directly at him "Is that your shot?"...I heard him say Miller wants him to be more aggressive and shot more, but it is obvious Miller does not want him taking three's...and probably not Pinder either...
Every missed three pointer ends up a lost possesion...whereas a drive can be a dish or draw a foul...
Pinder, however. That dude shouldn't shoot a three unless there is one second on the shot clock.
I hear what you are saying. The fact that he had to take even one major booster talking shit to him for "only" making the Elite Eight 3 times in his first 5 years is an example of the fan you are talking about. And they are all over Tucson. They have memory issues remembering ALL of the Lute Olson era. And I am a huge Lute fan, and am the first to defend the reasons we had as many tournament failures as we did (I like to say "other programs have down years by not making the tournament...our down year is making it and losing early"). But it was not such a rosy path to the 4 Final Fours and one title, and I am also really not one who understands this hang up people have over a single round/marketing name. 3 Elite Eights in the first 5 years of a program that took the blow we took is remarkable. But we have fans who are obsessed over the lack of a Final Four, and talk about the program as if it is a shell of the Lute Juggernaut.rgdeuce wrote:You have to understand, though, that this is a special collection of Arizona fans. We are not the norm, which is why myself and I'm sure many others came and stayed here and why this site continues to thrive. I spent several months on the Scout board and that place was a mess. There were obviously quite a few very knowledgeable and level-headed posters there, but it was riddled with a lot of over-reactors and fake coaches who knew what was best for the team. Look at comment sections on social media, the guys who call into the talk radio shows, the commenters on the Daily Star (before they made u pay to look at more than 10 pages), or conversations around the office. Tucson and Arizona in general are just not great and knowledgeable sports fans. Obvious exceptions, but yea. You can generally gauge a fanbase by the amount of "Fire ______" when adversity comes. There was a ton of "Fire Millers" a few years back. "Fire Stoops" was as frequent as the wind. Again, not here (absent a few) but in general.
I thought you might be in attendance. Will the lucky black shirt make an appearance as well?97cats wrote:im excited to see this group of freshman in person on Saturday
Go Cats!!
yes!Jefe wrote: I thought you might be in attendance.
Jefe wrote:Will the lucky black shirt make an appearance as well?
yes, that woulda been coolJefe wrote:I dont know what I was thinking, I should have bought tickets a long time ago and made the trip.
i will be in Hawaii so wont be able to go, have a beer and Jameson for me pre-game if you do!!Jefe wrote:Still trying to plan a Bay Area trip for those New Years games
There are a lot of people who just have a hard on for Miller, for whatever reason. The Lute angle is the easiest way for them to do it. Trust me, I love our four final fours one of them being a national championship, but out of 23 tournament appearances, 13 times Arizona teams went home in the first (10) or second (3) rounds. Until the 97 title, Lute was considered by many to be a tournament choker. Sweet 16 losses arent bad in my book, but we had some very high quality teams that went home then too. This was during a time when roster turnover was not even close to being what it is now, and before mid-majors/smaller schools really started making the noise in the tournament that they are now. I'm not going to pit Lute against Miller here, but if you take a step back, Miller is doing some things that Lute wasn't and in a new era where you are lucky if you get two years out of elite talent, at a time where mid-majors wins against young powerhouse programs aren't really shocking anymore, and dealing with the whole shoe company influence mess with recruiting. Miller really hasn't laid a stinker in the tournament outside of last year, but that was a combination of a lot of things and many of us saw it coming, and he has had beyond crap luck otherwise for the most part that has kept him out of 3 final fours. I love our final 4s and titles under Lute, but if you ignore those, how many of below can you say Miller has had, especially when you consider us getting screwed with a special Wisky team in our bracket for two straight years:EVCat wrote: I hear what you are saying. The fact that he had to take even one major booster talking shit to him for "only" making the Elite Eight 3 times in his first 5 years is an example of the fan you are talking about. And they are all over Tucson. They have memory issues remembering ALL of the Lute Olson era. And I am a huge Lute fan, and am the first to defend the reasons we had as many tournament failures as we did (I like to say "other programs have down years by not making the tournament...our down year is making it and losing early"). But it was not such a rosy path to the 4 Final Fours and one title, and I am also really not one who understands this hang up people have over a single round/marketing name. 3 Elite Eights in the first 5 years of a program that took the blow we took is remarkable. But we have fans who are obsessed over the lack of a Final Four, and talk about the program as if it is a shell of the Lute Juggernaut.
And you are right...it isn't so much this board, though we have a few. But it is a common "average fan" response around Tucson and Phoenix...Miller can't win the big one. They ALL are big ones when the tournament starts.
I will also say we have less of this than other big time programs. I guess you can measure your metaphorical program dick by how many "fans" hatewatch their own team and claim it was better back in the day.
No PJC, we have a really paper thin perimeter lineup. It makes sense.HiCat wrote:Vegas early lines has Zags by -5
Sharks smell blood in the water?
http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-bas ... las-vegas/" target="_blank
Yes Gonzaga is a really good team...but even good teams have been known to airball critical free throws that determined the outcome of a game...Longhorned wrote:It would be a shock if Arizona can win this game with only 7 scholarship players.
Maybe the refs will give us the benefit on fouls to make it a fair contest.CatFanOneMil wrote:Yes Gonzaga is a really good team...but even good teams have been known to airball critical free throws that determined the outcome of a game...Longhorned wrote:It would be a shock if Arizona can win this game with only 7 scholarship players.
Not saying we win...but they might lose.
What and ruin a perfect record? Are you on crack?Longhorned wrote:Maybe the refs will give us the benefit on fouls to make it a fair contest.CatFanOneMil wrote:Yes Gonzaga is a really good team...but even good teams have been known to airball critical free throws that determined the outcome of a game...Longhorned wrote:It would be a shock if Arizona can win this game with only 7 scholarship players.
Not saying we win...but they might lose.
Longhorned wrote:Maybe the refs will give us the benefit on fouls to make it a fair contest.CatFanOneMil wrote:Yes Gonzaga is a really good team...but even good teams have been known to airball critical free throws that determined the outcome of a game...Longhorned wrote:It would be a shock if Arizona can win this game with only 7 scholarship players.
Not saying we win...but they might lose.
UAEebs86 wrote:Longhorned wrote:Maybe the refs will give us the benefit on fouls to make it a fair contest.CatFanOneMil wrote:Yes Gonzaga is a really good team...but even good teams have been known to airball critical free throws that determined the outcome of a game...Longhorned wrote:It would be a shock if Arizona can win this game with only 7 scholarship players.
Not saying we win...but they might lose.
Good one LH! Are you here all week?
Try the veal...
I'm not writing them off, I'm saying the same thing you are. You're not going to come in here if we lose and say that was an upset. if Arizona wins, it will be a great win.PHXCATS wrote:Plenty of teams have won big games and more with only 7 scholarship guys. Don't get why everyone is writing this team off.
Usually those teams have more than 3 total guards and wings. They also typically have an actual point guard too.PHXCATS wrote:Plenty of teams have won big games and more with only 7 scholarship guys. Don't get why everyone is writing this team off.
We have 3 perimeter players, 2 are freshmen. This lineup can only do so much against a good, experienced team.ChooChooCat wrote:Usually those teams have more than 3 total guards and wings. They also typically have an actual point guard too.PHXCATS wrote:Plenty of teams have won big games and more with only 7 scholarship guys. Don't get why everyone is writing this team off.
Truth.rgdeuce wrote:Enough cannot be said about the heart and grit of this team. Most similarly situated teams lose that game by 20 plus. Makes u just shake your head knowing what could have been and may possibly not happen solely because of absolute shit luck
Yeah, so whats the sitch' with Trier, Nostradamus?ChooChooCat wrote:Usually those teams have more than 3 total guards and wings. They also typically have an actual point guard too.PHXCATS wrote:Plenty of teams have won big games and more with only 7 scholarship guys. Don't get why everyone is writing this team off.
If you would have just waited a few more daysChicat wrote:I think if you were to really search your memory you'd be hard pressed to find more than a handful of posters who have expressed those sentiments. And I'd bet it was the same posters every time. Including one in particular.....rgdeuce wrote:Well he is kind of right. Not the Butler game itself, but there have been instances where people have complained about losses that "shouldn't have happened." If not that, it's something to the effect of "the sky is falling" and "this team is horrible, they are a bubble team, they are at best a team who will get to the round of 32" when they have a close game against someone we are expected to cream. Last year's Santa Clara game jumps out in my mind, but there are plenty of others. Nothing wrong with being critical of a performance as long as it is focused on a poor performance in that particular game. Or if it's a trend, then you can talk about it without being knee jerk, but then you also have to consider other factors too (eg it's early in the season, we are young, we will get better)
Just because literally one or two people are talking about the sky falling doesn't make it a disturbing trend amongst Arizona fans. All fanbases have their Eeyores, and ours is no exception.
And after a game virtually none of us expected us to win.Jesus man are you ok? I know this situation is frustrating, but you don't have to be an ass for no reason. I said there's one more hurdle to clear, I never said "he'd be back by this specific time," because he needs to clear that last hurdle. Guess what? He hasn't cleared it yet and it's out of everyone's hands at this point. The last thing I said was we're looking at several weeks still and that hasn't changed unfortunately.CalStateTempe wrote:Yeah, so whats the sitch' with Trier, Nostradamus?ChooChooCat wrote:Usually those teams have more than 3 total guards and wings. They also typically have an actual point guard too.PHXCATS wrote:Plenty of teams have won big games and more with only 7 scholarship guys. Don't get why everyone is writing this team off.
You said he'd be back by now, or are you pulling an Ace and enjoy watching us grovel for info.
Fact is, you probably don't know anything like the rest of us.
I mean you are being an ass with the Trier thing...ChooChooCat wrote:Jesus man are you ok? I know this situation is frustrating, but you don't have to be an ass for no reason. I said there's one more hurdle to clear, I never said "he'd be back by this specific time," because he needs to clear that last hurdle. Guess what? He hasn't cleared it yet. The last thing I said was we're looking at several weeks still and that hasn't changed unfortunately.CalStateTempe wrote:Yeah, so whats the sitch' with Trier, Nostradamus?ChooChooCat wrote:Usually those teams have more than 3 total guards and wings. They also typically have an actual point guard too.PHXCATS wrote:Plenty of teams have won big games and more with only 7 scholarship guys. Don't get why everyone is writing this team off.
You said he'd be back by now, or are you pulling an Ace and enjoy watching us grovel for info.
Fact is, you probably don't know anything like the rest of us.
Go have a beer or start a new hobby or something, your baseless attack on me for no reason is beyond pathetic and desperate.
How exactly? Because I won't openly tell the world when I've been told not to? If everyones' feelings are so hurt by me commenting on it I'll stop it altogether I suppose.ASUHATER! wrote:I mean you are being an ass with the Trier thing...ChooChooCat wrote:Jesus man are you ok? I know this situation is frustrating, but you don't have to be an ass for no reason. I said there's one more hurdle to clear, I never said "he'd be back by this specific time," because he needs to clear that last hurdle. Guess what? He hasn't cleared it yet. The last thing I said was we're looking at several weeks still and that hasn't changed unfortunately.CalStateTempe wrote:Yeah, so whats the sitch' with Trier, Nostradamus?ChooChooCat wrote:Usually those teams have more than 3 total guards and wings. They also typically have an actual point guard too.PHXCATS wrote:Plenty of teams have won big games and more with only 7 scholarship guys. Don't get why everyone is writing this team off.
You said he'd be back by now, or are you pulling an Ace and enjoy watching us grovel for info.
Fact is, you probably don't know anything like the rest of us.
Go have a beer or start a new hobby or something, your baseless attack on me for no reason is beyond pathetic and desperate.
My bad man, I didn't look at the date, all is fine, was just taken off guard after the previous back and forth we had. CST I've said as much as I can say publicly, I wish I could share details, but ive given pretty good hints on what happened and have been very forward on the current unfortunate up in the air timeline of his return.CalStateTempe wrote:my post above was written on the 12/3 after the Zags loss when I had a few in the tank. I said I was sorry in another post when clearer heads prevailed, must of forgot about this one, which you saw today.
Sorry again.
Its just some posters, like 97, have info and are extremely selective of what, when, how, and mode of delivery of said info. When they post, it means something, even if you (speaking for myself) aren't complete sure if you can read between the lines.
You're a good poster choo with most things CATS BB, but with this situation, some of your posts read as if you are dangling a piece of meat just beyond the electric fence for us (me) starving dogs.
So you have us losing 7-8+ conference games?Beachcat97 wrote:This team will struggle to reach the NCAA tourney.
Without Trier, I agree.Beachcat97 wrote:This team will struggle to reach the NCAA tourney.
Weak troll.Beachcat97 wrote:This team will struggle to reach the NCAA tourney.
Yep.ASUHATER! wrote:So you have us losing 7-8+ conference games?Beachcat97 wrote:This team will struggle to reach the NCAA tourney.
Lemme guess...you're hitting some Blue Dream right now. amiright?Beachcat97 wrote:Yep.ASUHATER! wrote:So you have us losing 7-8+ conference games?Beachcat97 wrote:This team will struggle to reach the NCAA tourney.
We have no PG; the freshmen play like freshmen (and not the lotto-bound type); Lauri is still adjusting to the college game; Ristic is one of the softest big men I've ever seen; our offense is basically pass it around a few times and then let Kobi or Rawle or Lauri go one on one; and we can't shoot FTs.Daryl Zero wrote:First game I went to and man, that was awful.
I'm assuming it was post-finals blues.
First game that Laurie didn't look like he could shoot.
Terrible turnovers. Some good and bad defense.