I've been in hotel rooms for the last 8 nights so I've spent an inordinate time watching and thinking about college basketball. Part of me still can't believe that this year's Tech team is in the position it is in and more specifically that they pulled out a win last week against a very good BYU team. McCasland is a damn good coach and is going to win a ton of games at Tech. Just a few very belated thoughts on the game:
OU by the numbers:
Player Summaries:
- Tech is definitely not an untough team (pretty sure that is awful grammar) but they sure started the game that way. Box-outs were soft, close outs were nonchalant, screen coverages were nonexistent or slow and the offense was disjointed and stagnant. Then the second half happened. Tech was physical and aggressive both at the POA and on ball screens and generally made BYU uncomfortable to the point of timidity. BYU is a very good offensive team, but Tech's intensity and physicality made them unsure and disjointed. Heck of an effort.
- Warren Washington is a dude. He is an anchor for an otherwise very average Tech defense. Not only is he an excellent deterrent at the rim but he is everywhere on the defensive end of the floor. Just an example of one defensive possession.... Joe T. and Warren switch on a ball screen at the top of the FT line extended. Joe is put in post a up w/ Traore leaving WW on the PG (Dallin Hall) Hall drives but WW beats him to a spot forcing a pass to a cutting Saunders. Washington comes off Hall meets Saunders at the rim and blocks the shot. Gets the rebound, makes the outlet pass, runs the floor and catches a lob (gets fouled). Just wow.
- Joe Toussaint is really struggling offensively rn. Whether it's due to the length in B12 play, being gassed or something else... Tech needs him on that end. Pop can't always be on a heater. And if I see another foray into the paint end with Joe jump stopping short of the basket for no reason I might punch a baby. He played his ass off on defense the other night tho.
- When Pop is playing at his tempo he is a ton of fun to watch. He has a tendency to get sped up at times but when he finds that sweet spot he is tremendous. Not many guards can work in a ball screen like Pop when he's on.
OU by the numbers:
- 28th in the country per Kenpom
- 60th on offense
- 22nd on defense
- 29th in the country per Haslametrics
- 55th on offense
- 24th on defense
- 34th in the country per Torvik
- 70th on offense
- 22nd on defense
- Torvik and Haslametrics have OU favored by ~3.5
- Not a great 3p shooting team -214th in 3PAR and 163rd in % (34%)
- Shoot a ton of shots in the paint - 29th in near proximity attempt rate
- 10th in the country in Second chance conversion %
- Hold opponents to 30% from 3 - 18th in the country (but allow alot of looks)
- get alot of shots blocked - 275th in the country
- Good defensive rebounding team - 40th in the country
Player Summaries:
- Javian McCollum - Transfer guard from Siena and probably OU's best offensive player. Doesn't look like a B12 guard but he can score. Solid all around scorer with a deep bag. Plays in a ton of ball screens and is especially dangerous going to his right hand where he has a nice righty scoop shot, he likes to use. Solid finisher for his size but is prone to getting his shot blocked at times. Better shooter from deep than his % suggests (36% on high volume) and shoots most of his threes off the bounce. Has a quick trigger from deep. Good passer off of penetration. Talented offensively but can be bothered by physical guards. Defensively his size really works against him, and he is not much of a ball-hawk. Just so-so on that end. Averaging 14.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.9 apg. 6'1 170.
- Otega Oweh - Sophomore guard/wing who has really exploded this season for OU. Was a big-time recruit but was just okay as a Freshman. Probably Oklahoma's best all-around player. On offense he is very efficient (almost 55% from the field), is built like a tank at 6'5 and is very athletic. At this point he is mostly a straight-line driver and uses his size very well to get to the rim but will take the occasional midrange jumper off a drive. Does not shoot a high volume from deep but is shooting 57%. Almost all come off CnS looks. Oweh is dangerous in transition. Lately he has been struggling on the offensive end. OU's best player defensively: guards up and down the lineup, slides in space, and has good hands. Cannot be loose with the ball around him. Averaging 13.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg. 1 apg, 1.8 spg. 6'5' 215.
- Milos Uzan - Big combo guard who had a good Freshman year and killed Tech last season. I was very high on Uzan (he was talked about as a possible NBA draft guy) but he has largely underperformed to this point in the season relative to expectations. He moves like a really good player, has the size of a really good player but he has struggled at times this year. Offensively his game is mostly predicated off of him playing in the ball screen. OU puts both he and McCollum in a ton of ball screens. Uzan has real shake to his game and can get to his spots on the floor well. He changes speeds very well and is a hard guard off the bounce. Attacking the basket, he isn't explosive but uses his size and aforementioned shake to get into the paint where he really likes to shoot floaters from 8-10 feet out. But he is best passing out of these situations as he has very good vision and is adept at finding shooters and cutters off of his drives. Probably the best passer on the team. He is an "ok" finisher, but he has a tendency to take very tough shots and runs hot and cold. His 3 point shooting has fallen off a cliff this year at 28% and he doesn't really get to the line at all. Good defender who can guard in space, uses his size well and will pick your pocket. Averaging 8.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.4 spg. 6'4 190.
- John Hugley - Big man transfer from Pitt. Hugley is an interesting player as he is probably OU's most talented big but comes off the bench and doesn't play big minutes. He is very skilled offensively. OU likes to run actions with him similar to how Tech runs actions with WW at the top of the key. Hugley looks like someone who wants to bang inside but has great footwork inside, can faceup and even handle a bit. Good post up guy and screener, if he gets you on his hip there is not much you can do and he is much quicker than he looks. Has 3 point range (36%) and is a very good FT shooter. Defensively he is just okay and is a solid positional defender but isn't great in space and doesn't offer much rim protection. Good rebounder but has trouble staying on the floor because he is not in great shape and is easily winded. Averages 9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.1 apg in 18 mpg. 6'10 275.
- Sam Godwin - Former walk-on and transfer from Samford. Godwin looks like he cooks for Coach Venables but don't let his appearance fool you.... he is a legit B12 player. He is one of the best offensive rebounders in the conference. Godwin averages 3.2 ORPG in only 17 minutes a night. He looks goofy as hell but is actually a very good athlete, is relentless attacking the glass and has a knack for positioning himself for boards. He gets his points almost exclusively off of put backs and dump offs but is only a passable post up guy. Active defensively and a solid shot blocker but is prone to fouling. Averages 6.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .7 spg and .7 bpg. 6'10 235.
- Jalon Moore - Transfer from Georgia Tech. Plays on the wing and in the front-court. Very long and is likely OU's best athlete. On offense he is mostly a finisher who gets most of his shots created by others. Has a ridiculous wingspan and can really jump but is not a great ball-handler. Does a bit of everything: crashes the glass, posts some and is a good cutter. Shoots a decent clip from three (36%) but on very low volume. Gets most of his looks in the corner. Very good in transition. A bit of a chaos agent on defense as he can guard 3-4 positions and has a knack for the ball. Good weakside shot blocker. Averaging 9.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, ,7 spg, 1 bpg. 6'7 220.
- Rivaldo Soares/Le'Tre Darthard - OU's perimeter platoon off the bench. Soares is a journeyman who played at SPC for Steve Green, then at Oregon for two years and now at OU. He is very big for a guard (6'6 215) and very athletic. Has real ball skills for his size and finishes well. Half of his shots are three's, but he is an atrocious shooter (25% for his career). Very good rebounder and defender but can be a bit trigger happy on offense. Averages 6.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg. Darthard is his antithesis. He is ultimately there to shoot threes and play a bit of defense and doesn't stray outside of that. He is historically a pretty good shooter but is just average this year (33%). Shoots almost all of his shots from deep and doesn't put the ball on the deck much.
- Turn OU over - OU hasn't turned the ball over much this year as a whole but have really started to struggle in that area in conference play. Tech needs to cause a bit of chaos.
- Avoid slow starts - the comeback wins against BYU and K State were awesome but.... can't do that shit on the road.
- Get Joe rolling - not much more to it than that. Pop needs some help.
- Cut off second chance points - OU has really struggled to score when the game has slowed down lately. They are bigger and more athletic than Tech. Can't give them an out by getting crushed on the offensive glass.
- Containing the ball screen - OU's offense is a steady diet of Uzan and McCollum in ball screens. Tech has to contain them off the bounce and stay solid in screen coverage (do the opposite of the BYU 1st half). OU goes as these two go. Limit them and they will have trouble scoring.
