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Juicer

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I've watched 3 of the 5 games, the three that have been against more legit opponents (UTA, SJU, ARK).

The good:
- Coffey; better than advertised, very good with the ball and in transition, best passer on the team.
- Curry; he is very, very smooth and doesn't look overwhelmed, shooting stroke is solid, will be a very, very solid player for a long time.
- Mason; another poster mentioned his physical improvements, looks quicker, solid mid-range game and is a calming presence out there.
- Lynch; adds a missing dimension and he is a just a force, so nice to see a coordinated big man.
- Overall athleticism; going into the season, so many new faces and names so lots of questions about what the identity of the team would be; seems that it is up-tempo, transition-focused team that is so much more fun to watch.

The questionable:
- Depth; very thin in the backcourt, will be much better next year with Jelly and Harris coming in.
- Murphy; reverting to the mean a bit from last year, but probably just because last year it was him and no one else in the frontcourt.
- 3 point shooting; still a concern, while it's been good so far, lots of wide open looks and easy transition 3s.


Overall, so much better! Still not expecting a tourney team, but this team plays hard, plays with some passion, gets up and down the court, and overall is just so much more fun to watch.
 

Juicer said:
I've watched 3 of the 5 games, the three that have been against more legit opponents (UTA, SJU, ARK).

The good:
- Coffey; better than advertised, very good with the ball and in transition, best passer on the team.
- Curry; he is very, very smooth and doesn't look overwhelmed, shooting stroke is solid, will be a very, very solid player for a long time.
- Mason; another poster mentioned his physical improvements, looks quicker, solid mid-range game and is a calming presence out there.
- Lynch; adds a missing dimension and he is a just a force, so nice to see a coordinated big man.
- Overall athleticism; going into the season, so many new faces and names so lots of questions about what the identity of the team would be; seems that it is up-tempo, transition-focused team that is so much more fun to watch.

The questionable:
- Depth; very thin in the backcourt, will be much better next year with Jelly and Harris coming in.
- Murphy; reverting to the mean a bit from last year, but probably just because last year it was him and no one else in the frontcourt.
- 3 point shooting; still a concern, while it's been good so far, lots of wide open looks and easy transition 3s.


Overall, so much better! Still not expecting a tourney team, but this team plays hard, plays with some passion, gets up and down the court, and overall is just so much more fun to watch.
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Agree with pretty much everything based on what I have seen of the team this year as well. They absolutely have to keep Mason and Lynch healthy because the depth behind those two is a little dicey right now. That said, if they can, this team could make a little noise this year and I wouldn't rule out them making it to the tournament.

Coffey has the look of being one of those truly special players and the other guys around him are fast, long, and athletic. I love how they attack the basket this year and get to the line on a regular basis. On top of that when they get there they are knocking down the free throws pretty consistently (72% middle of the pack).

They might not be quite where they want to be but it is night and day the improvement from last year to this year. This current team is a ton of fun to watch.
 

Lynch

As good as Amir has been (especially recently), I still would start with Lynch. Think we all knew he'd be a big upgrade, but I had no idea he'd be this good, this impactful, this early. He's gone well past my expectations, and he's not even in shape yet.
 

SelectionSunday said:
As good as Amir has been (especially recently), I still would start with Lynch. Think we all knew he'd be a big upgrade, but I had no idea he'd be this good, this impactful, this early. He's gone well past my expectations, and he's not even in shape yet.
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Well said. He has been huge so far. Extremely athletic. Not a big scorer but has made a huge impact down low.
 

I was not expecting Lynch to be as good as he has been, especially offensively. He's surprisingly quick and can run past his defender at times.

If he can make that sky-hook more consistently...wow. This team will have so many options for scoring.
 


I just love that we have more than one guy that can dunk now... It's been what? 4 years since that's been the case?

I think we are all overlooking McBrayer as well, he is soo quick, there have been quite a few blow by's this year that have had me going WOW. He's also finishing at the rim and shooting much better from outside. He's a foul creator, good in the beginning of games to get us to the bonus by pushing the ball to the rack.
 

MissouriGopher said:
I was not expecting Lynch to be as good as he has been, especially offensively. He's surprisingly quick and can run past his defender at times.

If he can make that sky-hook more consistently...wow. This team will have so many options for scoring.
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Sky hook? Are you referring to the spin move where he dips down to 5 feet and then shot puts the ball toward the rim while he pivots? As good as Lynch has been on defense, he's only been good for put backs or a direct pass where he catches and dunks. I have yet to see this sky hook you are referring to.
 

MennoSota said:
Sky hook? Are you referring to the spin move where he dips down to 5 feet and then shot puts the ball toward the rim while he pivots? As good as Lynch has been on defense, he's only been good for put backs or a direct pass where he catches and dunks. I have yet to see this sky hook you are referring to.
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Seriously? Have you watched the games? He tries it almost every single time he posts up somebody. He'll back them up then move laterally while hooking it up. It's not nearly as smooth as Kareem but it goes in sometimes, maybe like 25% of the time.
 

Yeah, Lynch is developing that hook shot, I saw it last night. He can also catch the ball at the high post, turn and pass, OR put the ball on the floor and dribble to the hole. He's a bit of a gazelle, but I don't feel like he's going to turn it over every time he dribble drives. And, his eyes are up - he's able to pass while doing any of the above options.
How in the name of Jesus did this kid end up at Illinois State??? He's a ball player. Compare this to Joey King going to Drake and transferring back home and multiply it TIMES 20. Lynch is a huge addition to this team.
 



my expectation is for the team to make the tournament. There is plenty of talent and skill on this roster for a top 5 conference finish
 

Looking great so far. Need Gilbert and Hurt to step up in the eighth and ninth roll.
 

MissouriGopher said:
Seriously? Have you watched the games? He tries it almost every single time he posts up somebody. He'll back them up then move laterally while hooking it up. It's not nearly as smooth as Kareem but it goes in sometimes, maybe like 25% of the time.
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I guess I don't call it a sky hook. I call it the shot put pivot.
 




Very impressed by Coffey's agile ability to score in transition while being fouled by a guy who significantly out weighs him.
 

MennoSota said:
I guess I don't call it a sky hook. I call it the shot put pivot.
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Indeed. I like Lynch and think he's been the single most influential addition to the team this year, but that shoulder-level shot is pretty odd and nowhere near the sky. More of a Horizon Hook.
 

Ha! Love the names for the very odd Lynch shot. I totally agree with your comments. I have hope that the staff can work with him to improve that shot and his post moves. I think he has a much better touch that we all expected. I don't even cringe when I see him at the free-throw line. The reality is that we don't need him to be a step-out shooter guy on this team. If he can continue to protect the rim, grab boards, and give us a few put-backs a game, he is worth his weight in gold. From what I've seen, we might even see him in double digits scoring throughout the year. What an improvement at center for our beloved Golden Rats!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

builtbadgers said:
my expectation is for the team to make the tournament. There is plenty of talent and skill on this roster for a top 5 conference finish
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They are much improved and fun to watch. That's a victory.

However, they beat two schools at home that won't make the post season and we have attached significance to the wins only because we've heard of the opponents.

I'm thrilled not to watch squirrel stick the ball in his cheek for the winter, Dorsey playing 1 on 4 and Joey's pump fake that faked no one.

The absence of the negative is the biggest positive because they haven't hit the road and they haven't played anybody yet.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Before the season, I figured we were an NIT team. However, like others I'm thinking we have a decent shot at the big tourney in March. If we were in the SEC, Big 12 or Pac 12, I'd feel good about that prediction. Hopefully we can go 10-8 and make it in.
 

Donovan said:
Before the season, I figured we were an NIT team. However, like others I'm thinking we have a decent shot at the big tourney in March. If we were in the SEC, Big 12 or Pac 12, I'd feel good about that prediction. Hopefully we can go 10-8 and make it in.
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Same place I'm at. I'm pretty upbeat about this team.
 

jamiche said:
They are much improved and fun to watch. That's a victory.

However, they beat two schools at home that won't make the post season and we have attached significance to the wins only because we've heard of the opponents.

I'm thrilled not to watch squirrel stick the ball in his cheek for the winter, Dorsey playing 1 on 4 and Joey's pump fake that faked no one.

The absence of the negative is the biggest positive because they haven't hit the road and they haven't played anybody yet.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Can't just let us have one thread where we think about the good can you?
 


builtbadgers said:
my expectation is for the team to make the tournament. There is plenty of talent and skill on this roster for a top 5 conference finish
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Can't help but think this post was meant to establish your future hot take arguing that Pitino is nothing like Tony Bennett, Dick Bennett, Bo Ryan, Greg Gard etc. and that the Gophers need to fire him immediately and bring in someone that never falls below top 3 in the conference.
 

Many of us kept telling people that last year was a perfect storm of problems. Pitino has learned from his mistakes and for the first time has a team that has talent and depth at every position. I am sticking with what I said at the end of last season, this team will play in the NCAA tournament.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

I knew this team would be much better but even better than I expected.

Mcbrayer is not even getting enough credit for his improved play. I love what Springs, Gilbert, Curry and Hurt bring to the table of the bench.

They have so many players that bring different things to the table. I love the balance of this team.

3 big improvements from last season..
Rebounding, few Turnovers, ball movement, looks to be better FT %

I do expect this to be a bubble team and to sneak into NCAA
 

I hope you are all right. I would like to see how the first four big ten games go for the gophers. My worries is our big ten schedule is just brutal this year. We open up against Michigan state then Purdue on the road. Then northwestern on the road Ohio state and Michigan state again. I hope we keep up our strong play and win half of those games.
 

Not at all. I have been a huge booster of the U for 40 years and each year is a fresh start. I would never have to make the Tony Bennett argument. What he did at WSU, multiple coach of the year awards, Three ACC crowns all make it a zero discussion. Now is the time for Pitino to make the NCAA and to be top 3 in the BIG 10 by next year if he is superb. Go out and do it.
 

XMan said:
I hope you are all right. I would like to see how the first four big ten games go for the gophers. My worries is our big ten schedule is just brutal this year. We open up against Michigan state then Purdue on the road. Then northwestern on the road Ohio state and Michigan state again. I hope we keep up our strong play and win half of those games.
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Michigan State is currently 3-3, granted all of their losses are to ranked teams, but their lack of size seems to really be hurting them. Lynch, Murphy, and Curry could pose some problems for them. I don't think our home opener against Sparty is a guaranteed loss. If we go into the game undefeated, which seems possible, we could even be favored.
 

Cayman said:
Michigan State is currently 3-3, granted all of their losses are to ranked teams, but their lack of size seems to really be hurting them. Lynch, Murphy, and Curry could pose some problems for them. I don't think our home opener against Sparty is a guaranteed loss. If we go into the game undefeated, which seems possible, we could even be favored.
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So long as Schilling is still out we have a legit chance. If Schilling is able to come back MSU will become much tougher I think.
 

Cayman said:
Michigan State is currently 3-3, granted all of their losses are to ranked teams, but their lack of size seems to really be hurting them. Lynch, Murphy, and Curry could pose some problems for them. I don't think our home opener against Sparty is a guaranteed loss. If we go into the game undefeated, which seems possible, we could even be favored.
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Gosh we need a big crowd for that game. Those kids would be sooo amped up if they enter it undefeated.
 

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