So I'm late to the part in terms of posting here so I figured I'd post a couple thoughts -- ideally they are not just rehashing what others have posted. Regardless:
First, What is going on with Geno?
I'm not going to hammer the kid b/c he's a kid and most of these kids have pretty big egos -- it's part of what helps them get to this level. I also don't know what was sold to him as he was making his decision on where to attend school. I also know JB can be rough on kids at times. So, all of that said, I just get confused as to why there aren't more folks in these kids' ears giving them what would seem like common sense advice. The point is this: If you hate it, you really don't have another great option so fighting through it and working toward the grad degree that is worth something after your basketball career is really your only option. Second, you can't be too upset with being buried to an extent b/c A) you had a fairly legit injury issue as you were trying to assimilate to a new program and B) the two guys ahead of you have been playing really well on both ends of the floor (as has Brissett, which is a factor as well. Third, you never know what's going to happen. We've already seen battle dealing with a back injury (yes, I realize this didn't lead to huge minutes for GT) and this past game Frank ended up in foul trouble. Bottom line, a lot can happen between now and the end of the season. Sticking this out is by far your best option. Worst case scenario, you play in cool arenas against big-time teams and possibly even get a trip to the tourney to show for it. There are far worse outcomes. Oh well, just wish these guys got better advice.
Frank's foul trouble hurt
Very obvious here but Frank missing a couple minutes with two fouls and then picking up his third took us down to basically Battle and Brissett as scoring options on the floor. That was a big part in turning a game that was competitive with 6 mins left to being a 14-point game at the half. Anyway, I realize this is not a phenomenal observation but it underscores that we really need Frank and Battle to be healthy and not in foul trouble -- particularly if Thorpe is gone.
36-31 -- SU wins the rebounding battle
Despite Azubuike, KU isn't the tallest or most physical rebounding team we'll face. Still, we did a nice job on the glass and that's a good sign. Obviously defense and rebounding are key for us and winning that battle against the no. 2 team in the country is a good sign.
Defense was active and effective for the most part
Graham got red hot and we didn't do a great job of running him off that one spot at the top of the key. Vick was OK in the middle but I'll live with that. The lobs will be a thing all season b/c our wings have to play up due to all the three-point shooters teams have. I'm OK with that as well. At the end of the day though I thought we played well enough defensively to hang in this game. Issues at the offensive end hurt worse. The two banked jumpers for five points that Kansas got when the game was competitive hurt.
Thought Marek played better than his line looked
It would be great if Marek had a bit more to offer on the offensive end but still thought he was effective. He was given three turnovers but thought one was a pretty nice pass to Sidibe that he just whiffed on and it went out of bounds. Another was a solid drive that was called a charge but I actually thought could have been called a reach before the charge on KU. Ultimately feel like he is a pretty positive contributor at all times.
Moyer struggled
Not going to crush the kid b/c he seems like a good kid and good teammate. Was nice to see him log 17 minutes in a key game. He hustles and works hard. But he just doesn't have a clue right now on the offensive end and he's a hard-worker but doesn't give you a whole lot defensively either. One board, one assist and one pretty ugly turnover is all he had to show for 17 minutes. That hurts.
Chukwu played Azubuike to a draw, basically
Azubuike had six points and nine boards in 23 mins, though he had the put-back dunk in garbage time so really for the most part had 4 points, 8 boards and a block. Chukwu had 7 and 7 with two missed dunks. I'd call that essentially a draw which is a lot better than I would have guessed.
Sidibe's tendinitis might be the biggest issue this team has
Dude was obviously in pain and that stuff usually doesn't go away quickly. If he's gone or severely limited the rest of the way, that would really hurt.
Next step for Battle is creating for teammates
Logged 40 mins and dropped 22 points on a tough shooting night against a great team that was obviously keying on him. Can't ask for a lot more than that. The one thing he doesn't do a lot of is creating opportunities for others. We've seen Frank do a really nice job of this. Obviously not a lot of these guys are finishing terribly effectively, but with all the attention he draws it would be great if we could see some folks capitalize and get some opportunities themselves.
First, What is going on with Geno?
I'm not going to hammer the kid b/c he's a kid and most of these kids have pretty big egos -- it's part of what helps them get to this level. I also don't know what was sold to him as he was making his decision on where to attend school. I also know JB can be rough on kids at times. So, all of that said, I just get confused as to why there aren't more folks in these kids' ears giving them what would seem like common sense advice. The point is this: If you hate it, you really don't have another great option so fighting through it and working toward the grad degree that is worth something after your basketball career is really your only option. Second, you can't be too upset with being buried to an extent b/c A) you had a fairly legit injury issue as you were trying to assimilate to a new program and B) the two guys ahead of you have been playing really well on both ends of the floor (as has Brissett, which is a factor as well. Third, you never know what's going to happen. We've already seen battle dealing with a back injury (yes, I realize this didn't lead to huge minutes for GT) and this past game Frank ended up in foul trouble. Bottom line, a lot can happen between now and the end of the season. Sticking this out is by far your best option. Worst case scenario, you play in cool arenas against big-time teams and possibly even get a trip to the tourney to show for it. There are far worse outcomes. Oh well, just wish these guys got better advice.
Frank's foul trouble hurt
Very obvious here but Frank missing a couple minutes with two fouls and then picking up his third took us down to basically Battle and Brissett as scoring options on the floor. That was a big part in turning a game that was competitive with 6 mins left to being a 14-point game at the half. Anyway, I realize this is not a phenomenal observation but it underscores that we really need Frank and Battle to be healthy and not in foul trouble -- particularly if Thorpe is gone.
36-31 -- SU wins the rebounding battle
Despite Azubuike, KU isn't the tallest or most physical rebounding team we'll face. Still, we did a nice job on the glass and that's a good sign. Obviously defense and rebounding are key for us and winning that battle against the no. 2 team in the country is a good sign.
Defense was active and effective for the most part
Graham got red hot and we didn't do a great job of running him off that one spot at the top of the key. Vick was OK in the middle but I'll live with that. The lobs will be a thing all season b/c our wings have to play up due to all the three-point shooters teams have. I'm OK with that as well. At the end of the day though I thought we played well enough defensively to hang in this game. Issues at the offensive end hurt worse. The two banked jumpers for five points that Kansas got when the game was competitive hurt.
Thought Marek played better than his line looked
It would be great if Marek had a bit more to offer on the offensive end but still thought he was effective. He was given three turnovers but thought one was a pretty nice pass to Sidibe that he just whiffed on and it went out of bounds. Another was a solid drive that was called a charge but I actually thought could have been called a reach before the charge on KU. Ultimately feel like he is a pretty positive contributor at all times.
Moyer struggled
Not going to crush the kid b/c he seems like a good kid and good teammate. Was nice to see him log 17 minutes in a key game. He hustles and works hard. But he just doesn't have a clue right now on the offensive end and he's a hard-worker but doesn't give you a whole lot defensively either. One board, one assist and one pretty ugly turnover is all he had to show for 17 minutes. That hurts.
Chukwu played Azubuike to a draw, basically
Azubuike had six points and nine boards in 23 mins, though he had the put-back dunk in garbage time so really for the most part had 4 points, 8 boards and a block. Chukwu had 7 and 7 with two missed dunks. I'd call that essentially a draw which is a lot better than I would have guessed.
Sidibe's tendinitis might be the biggest issue this team has
Dude was obviously in pain and that stuff usually doesn't go away quickly. If he's gone or severely limited the rest of the way, that would really hurt.
Next step for Battle is creating for teammates
Logged 40 mins and dropped 22 points on a tough shooting night against a great team that was obviously keying on him. Can't ask for a lot more than that. The one thing he doesn't do a lot of is creating opportunities for others. We've seen Frank do a really nice job of this. Obviously not a lot of these guys are finishing terribly effectively, but with all the attention he draws it would be great if we could see some folks capitalize and get some opportunities themselves.
