SB Nation - Matt Hill

Texas vs. Pittsburgh Gameflow

GhostofBigRoy — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:40:38 -0000

Player	+/- (game)	+/- (per minute)
Gary Johnson	+23	+1.04
Dexter Pittman	+20	+1.11
Avery Bradley	+19	+.65
Damion James	+13	+.41
Jordan Hamilton	+12	+1.09
Dogus Balbay	+10	+.36
Alexis Wangmene	+6	+.35
Justin Mason	+5	+.29
J'Covan Brown	+5	+.22
Matt Hill	-6	-3

Previous Gameflows:

UC-Irvine

Western Carolina

Rice

A few thoughts after the jump, as well as the Four Factors, Gameflow, and Player Impact charts...

NCAA Basketball Stats

Barnes substituted much less frequently in this game than he did in the following game against Rice, particularly in the second half. It's hard to say that doing so less frequently resulted in the strong second-half performance, as it most likely had more to do with the team locking defensively and Pittsburgh getting fatigued, leading to easy transition opportunities for Texas.
Strange things happen with an unadjusted +/- rating and Gary Johnson is a perfect example -- looking at his four points and three rebounds, it's hard to say that he had a great game in any traditionally measurable way, except the team played extremely well when he was on the court.
In looking at the Four Factors chart, it's clear that the Longhorns had the biggest advantage in their eFG%, which adjusts for the higher value of three pointers. In looking at the box score, it's easy to see why -- the Longhorns shot over 65% in the second half, while also knocking down four of six from distance, good for 67%. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, shot only 37% in the second half and missed all eight of their three-point attempts.
Besides the strange +/- from Gary Johnson, Dexter Pittman had the strongest game by that metric even though he didn't score during the stretch in the middle of the second half when the Longhorns broke open the close game. Jordan Hamilton scored five points (showing the impact he can have on a game), James had an And 1, and Justin Mason had a layup -- the most important play Pittman made during that stretch was to set a crushing screen to free up Mason for his transition layup.
Though Mason and Balbay did reasonably well when on the court together in the Rice game, they were not good, as the Longhorns were -8 during the stretch at the end of the first half when they were on the court together. In that respect, the loss of Avery Bradley to fouls early in the game really hurt because he had only three negative stretches in the game, each of only one point. Damion James may have been the real culprit though, as he allowed his man to knock down two three pointers, turned the ball over once, and took a bad jumper in that period of time.
Alexis Wangmene had a pretty poor game, turning the ball over twice and fouling out of the game. In fact, he probably had the single worst second in the history of +/- in basketball -- checking into the game and promptly fouling Gary McGhee, who made both free throws, then checking out. Three of Wangemene's fouls resulted in free throws for Pittsburgh, of which they made five of six.
It would be nice to see the adjusted +/- numbers that they use for the NBA, but I don't have the available information to do that. Where are the college basketball sabermetricians?!?

Texas vs. Rice Gameflow (Updated)

GhostofBigRoy — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:36:59 -0000

Gameflow from the Texas/Rice game on Sunday. I haven't worked much with Excel, so I wasn't able to use +/- symbols because I couldn't get the program to stop adding and subtracting. If anyone knows how to get that to turn off, I would appreciate it. Otherwise, hopefully it's readable and provides some insights. Also, if anyone has any thoughts on the best way to determine the best five-man groups for the team, that would also be helpful.

Previous Gameflows:

UC-Irvine

Western Carolina

A few thoughts:

In a game that the Longhorns won by 18 points, any player with a negative +/- in the game didn't add much to the team. Throwing out Matt Hill, who ended up with a -2 after one minute, and Shawn Williams, who played two minutes, the three players who come out looking poorly in this metric are Jordan Hamilton at even, Justin Mason at +1, and Gary Johnson at +2. It's difficult to make direct correlations between the play of an individual to the results of the team, but the first two players listed aren't a huge surprise -- Hamilton shot 3-9 from the field and still failed to make entry passes to the big guy down low, while Mason missed both of his field goals and three of his four free-throw attempts. It's a broken record now -- he just doesn't add anything offensively. For Johnson, it's harder to figure, though he did only have one rebound in his 16 minutes and turned the ball over twice.
James (+21), Bradley (+18), and Balbay (+17) all had the best games by this metric. Most surprising of these three is James, who shot poorly from the field, but rebounded well and didn't turn the ball over. For Bradley, it was probably about playing good defense and playing efficiently, as he shot 3-7 from the field, 2-2 from the line and had four assists and no turnovers. Balbay is interesting as well, as he didn't score much and only had one assist, but rebounded extremely well and probably helped the team by pushing the ball in transition and playing good defense.
Despite what is seemingly a bad combination in Balbay and Mason, the two played five different stretches together and finished +4, with only one of those stretches a net negative for the team at -1. Something to keep an eye on, although the fact that neither can shoot and the amount that tangibly affects the spacing on the court probably trumps this data.
The amount of substituting that Rick Barnes does may also affect the data, as the longest that any group was on the floor together was the nearly three minutes that Brown/James/Pittman/Hamilton/Mason were on the court and registered a -5, by far the worst stretch of basketball during the game, when Rice climbed back into it, cutting the lead 12 to seven and then to five when Bradley replaced Mason. Does substituting so frequently hurt the rhythm of the team because the players on the court don't have time to establish a good dynamic and decide where they want to go with the ball? There's certainly accountability, but there may be side effects as well.
It's not surprising in some ways that the group of Brown/Bradley/James/Pittman/Hamilton registered a +4 in the first half, as that's probably the best combination on paper right now for the Longhorns, although that group also registered -2 in their appearance together in the second half, when Hamilton earned himself a spot on the bench for the rest of the game by jacking a step-back three pointer after making a three the previous trip down the court.
Context plays a factor here, as the needless fouling by Rice at the end of the game resulted in a +5 and +4 for the players on the court at the end of the game, despite not having to do anything offensively other than hold onto the ball long enough to get fouled and make free throws, which James and Brown did at a high rate -- 7-8 in the last minute. However, those two groups did also help hold Rice scoreless over the last 4:17 of the game.

[Update]: Here are some other charts from StatSheet for the Rice game. I'll try to post them after every game.

NCAA Basketball Stats

As a note, the last chart has J'Covan Brown's numbers listed as Varez Ward, hopefully they will get that changed.

Longhorns Roll Past Anteaters in Season Opener

awiggo — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:26:21 -0000

More photos » by Harry Cabluck - AP

Rick may have his most complete Texas team yet. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

Browse more photos »

Game Recap: The #3 Longhorns notched their first victory of the season, 89-42 over UC Irvine at the Drum behind strong performances from seniors Damion James and Dexter Pittman.

Along with James and Pittman, Varez Ward, Justin Mason, and freshman J'Covan Brown completed the starting lineup. Brown started slowly and sloppily at the point guard spot, and Coach Barnes was forced to sit him down after two early turnovers and again after a couple of more. After the game, Rick said this about his freshman point guard, "J'Covan wore us all out before the games. I've never seen a guy as amped up. Ever."

As will be a theme this season, the depth of this team allowed the ‘Horns to quickly find their stride. Dogus Balbay was inserted for Brown and helped the Longhorns turn a 19-18 deficit after the first ten minutes of action into a 42-21 halftime lead.

Balbay played solid on-the-ball defense and helped protect the ball in the halfcourt where James and Pittman could dominate. Both big men finished with 21 points a piece. Most of Dexter's 10-of-11 from the floor came off dunks or lay ins. James had a few buckets of length but most of his scoring came around the basket as well. The smaller Anteaters were simply overmatched in height, strength, and athleticism.

During the back and forth start, I thought Texas struggled to communicate on defense. There was some confusion on how to defend ball screens. Some players were also over running their pursuit on the pass and over committing on shot fakes. The substitution patters of three, four, or even five players at a time help explain the early defensive lapses. However, after that back and forth start, the Longhorn defense played more consistently and more together. Texas contested shots better, didn't allow second chance points or almost anything in the paint, and, for the most part, controlled dribble penetration.

The outcome was: Exciting. Exciting because this was the first game; exciting because I finally got to see the four freshman live and in a college game; and exciting because the potential of this team is clear.

Unlike last year, this year's Longhorns will not have trouble scoring from the perimeter. Jordan Hamilton and Brown can both shoot the ball from deep. They both have good form, which should help produce consistent buckets, and good size, which will allow them to easily shoot over zones.

Unlike last year, foul trouble, even if it's Dex, won't be an issue. The ‘Horns are deeper than any team in the country and can run as many as 14 different players on the court for double digits in minutes every game.

Unlike last year, Barnes does not have to play smaller, three guard lineups. While Texas did start three guards, that was by choice not out of necessity. Hamilton (6-7) and Williams (6-6) will give Texas excellent size from the wing, and I won't be surprised to see James (6-7) play some at the three too when Rick wants to play with an even bigger lineup. Texas has real size at the two guard spots also. Avery Bradley, listed at 6-2, and Brown, listed at 6-1, both played bigger and stronger than their listed heights. The days of playing two sub six foot guards plus Mason at the wing are thankfully over.

The biggest thing I took away from the ‘Horns first game was potential. Right now, they are so much less than the sum of their parts. And right now, they're pretty good. The parts are all there-talent, size, depth, and experience. There is no reason why Barnes shouldn't be able to mold this team into more than the sum of their individually talented parts and national championship favorites by tourney time.

Stats of the Game: 49-30 Texas on the glass. 54-18 Texas points in the paint. If you didn't get a chance to see the game, that is about all you need to know. As expected, Texas was able to dominate the smaller Anteaters in the paint on both ends.

The Offensive MVP was: Damion James. DaMo started his senior campaign in style-21 points (7-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-2 from three, 5-of-6 from the line), 15 boards, two assists, and a steal in just 22 minutes of action. James came back to Texas for a lot of reasons, but the big one was to play himself into a NBA first round selection. So far, so good. He looked confident, in control, and hungry. If he can produce the same smart and solid performances against the Michigan States and North Carolinas of the world, the NBA will be forced to take a second look at DaMo.

The Defensive MVP was: Texas in the second half. I don't have the exact stats but UC Irvine was something like 9-of-18 to start the game. They finished 17-of-62 for just 27% from the floor. Needless to say, the defense was the key to the 47 point victory.

I want to note a few more things, player by player:

Damion James: After the games, DaMo noted that the younger players looked up to him and that he has tried to take them under his wing. He also said that while the freshmen are very talented, that they still have a lot to learn. I can imagine the exact same thing coming out of Rick Barnes' mouth.

During the off season, we've noted that team chemistry is something of a concern and definitely something to watch. While James has not been a loud and vocal leader in his first three seasons, it sounds like he recognizes that now it's his turn. This veteran to freshman leadership, along with the development of a point guard, whoever it ends up being, are the two biggest keys to a Final Four run, in my opinion.

Dexter Pittman: More important than throwing down one-handed slams over guys standing just 6-6, Dex only picked up one foul. The more Pittman can stay on the floor, the better this team can be offensively. I was also impressed with the one post move when he turned over his right shoulder for an easy lay in. In previous seasons, he has almost always turned over his left shoulder to produce the easier right handed jump hook. If he has added the ability to go the other way with his back to the basket, look out.

Avery Bradley: Bradley is going to be so much better than his stats. Texas will be a Dexter and Damion focused team first. Second, it looks like J'Covan and Hamilton won't be afraid to let it fly. Therefore, Bradley would easily be the fifth scoring option among these five and probably still no better than third or fourth with some others on the floor. He will definitely get his-in transition, off dribble drives, and in second chance opportunities-but given the offensive skills of some other ‘Horns, Bradley won't be a 20 point scorer. It doesn't matter though. He is too good. His two late-game mid-range jumpers were things of beauty-in balance, form, and arc. The defense is also already there. Last, from Barnes' comments during the off season, this is a kid who knows he can get better and his ready to work on his weaknesses.

Varez Ward: If Barnes wants his point guard to pass the ball and play lock down defense, then Ward may be the man. Varez has the size, athleticism, and vision to be a true pass-first, shoot second floor general.

J'Covan Brown: J'Covan is raw, talented, and emotional. Unfortunately for him, he was too hyped for this game and it showed during the first half. Fortunately for us, it was his first game in over a year, after sitting out all of last season, and his upside is huge. If Barnes wants his point guard to score and stretch the defense with his perimeter jumper, then Brown is his man. From everything I saw though, J'Covan is more of a shoot-first, pass-second point.

Dogus Balbay: Dogus is third head of the ‘Horns point guard machine (with a fourth, Jai Lucas coming in December). Balbay played really well this afternoon. Six assists to no turnovers in 19 minutes from your point guard is every coach's dream. That said, I am not as big a fan of Dogus as are many of you. His offensive limitations make me hope that Barnes uses Balbay as more of spark off the bench than 25+ minute contributor.

Justin Mason: Mase has started for the better part of his three seasons at Texas and removing him from the starting lineup won't be easy. He still can do the little things-rebound, play solid d, and push the basketball in transition. However, I can't see how he ends up averaging more than 15 minutes per game once the freshmen become more comfortable.

Jordan Hamilton: Does Jordan have a nickname? He needs one. Hamilton looked smooth, long, and ready to score. Jordan may not have the defensive mindset that Barnes would like yet, but you can already see how important he'll be to the ‘Horns success.

Shawn Williams: I guess Shawn won't be redshirting this year. Williams played a productive (6 boards), yet sloppy 13 minutes against UC Irvine. His size will give Texas a much needed third rebounder and his ability shoot the three ball should open up driving lanes on the other end.

Alexis Wangmene: Wingman, I've missed you. With scorers at nearly every position, Lexi is the perfect bruising big man to bring off the bench. He showed strong hands and a willingness to fight for boards in his eight minutes of action. I expect his playing time to directly correlate to Dexter's foul trouble and stamina.

Gary Johnson: Like Dogus, I am not as in love with Gary as most Longhorn hoops' fans but recognize that he can be important role player on this team. GJ is always going to bring the energy. I just wish he was two inches taller and had a higher basketball IQ. Hopefully, Gary realizes that he is going to be the third, fourth, or even fifth scoring option during most of his minutes this season. Rebound, pass the ball from the post, and make your free throws and I'll love ya. I promise.

Matt Hill: Hill is a big body with limited athleticism. Gary and Wingman will likely be the first two off the bench as bigs, so I can't see Matt getting much playing time.

Clint Chapman: Clint wasn't in uniform. I couldn't see him from my seat either. I have no idea. Anyone?

Box Score

NEXT GAME: Home vs. Western Carolina - Wednesday 11/18 8 pm ESPNU

Evening Brewsky is Short and Sweet

GhostofBigRoy — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:44:14 -0000

Sooners lead slightly for Franklin. Expected to announce his decision some time in the next two weeks, Marshall linebacker Aaron Franklin hasn't revealed much about his current thoughts, but does say that he feels more comfortable with the Oklahoma Sooners at present, the result of a longer length of time getting to know the coaching staff. He also says that he does not plan on making another trip to Austin, making it more difficult for the Longhorns to close that gap. At this point, it's safe to say that the decision will come down to Oklahoma and Texas, with the Sooners holding the slight edge because of his comfort level in Norman.

New 2009 baseball commit. As the 2010 Texas baseball roster stood after losing to LSU in the College World Series back in June, sophomore-to-be Jordan Etier was the main candidate to replace departed senior Travis Tucker at second base. With the recent addition of Concord De La Salle High School's Noah Perio, Etier has some competition. A middle infielder with plus athleticism, Perio is a lefty with a line-drive swing that projects to increase in power as he gains strength -- he did, however, manage to hit six home runs as a senior, along with his .422 batting average. Perhaps more impressively, he only struck out eight times on the season, while demonstrating his ability in the clutch by recording four walk-off hits. A slot receiver and defensive back for his school's football team, Perio used his athleticism to steal 23 bases as a senior and once stole second, third, and home over the course of four pitches.

Lamb latest to surface on 2010 radar. As the July evaluation period winds down and the Longhorns hone in on their final few 2010 targets, Northcross, GA's 6-4 combo guard Jeremy Lamb now registers as more than a blip on the Texas radar -- he now has a Longhorn offer. Like the other fresh 2010 names (James Johnson, Michael Cobbins, and Keith Davis), Lamb's impressive play on the summer circuit after only two years of high school basketball has drawn the notice of top coaches across the country. At only 170 pounds, Lamb is extremely thin at this point, but has an excellent mid-range game (a la Avery Bradley) and can knock down the three-pointer consistently, along with the quickness to get where he wants to go on the court. His ESPN page lists only Georgia State and UNC-Greensboro as the schools Lamb is currently considering, so expect the Longhorns to jump near the top of the list as Lamb begins to re-evaluate his options after his recent strong performances, with UConn and Kentucky other top programs that have recently offered the Georgia native.

From the Land of Miscellany. Jake Matthews committed to Texas A&M ($). No surprise there. The big surprise, though, is just how strong this Aggie recruiting class is becoming. Mike Sherman may be buying himself some time...Word out of the early pick-up basketball games is that Matt Hill is playing with increased mobility now that his foot problems are completely behind him and may be a factor in the deep frontcourt rotation this year...Dogus Balbay now has the cast off of his broken left hand...Darius White probably won't make a decision until NSD...Barking Carnival has 7-on-7 news from last week's scrimmage against Texas State.

Morning Coffee Kicks the Tires on Julien Lewis

GhostofBigRoy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:00:19 -0000

Finally, positive recruiting news. After two de-commitments on the football side, an extended timetable for Darius White to make a decision, and the continued, um, drama surrounding Lache Seastrunk, the only good recruiting news in the last month and a half has come from the basketball side of recruiting. Early in May, Bellaire's Sheldon McClellan announced that he will officially become a Longhorn in 2011.

Now there is a third member of the 2011 class. It wasn't a particularly well-kept secret over the weekend, with La Marque's Julien Lewis making it clear that he would commit to Texas if offered. After a spectacular performance at the Texas Elite Camp on Thursday and Friday, Lewis received his offer and committed shortly after, publicly announcing his decision on Monday.

So what exactly did Lewis show the Texas coaches ($) at the Elite camp?

I showed them I can come off ball screens really well, I showed them I could defend real well. I showed I can shoot, showed them I have a step back. I showed I can back my man down into the mid range. I did everything. Showed I can always find my teammates; I did a lot of incredible things. They told me I'm strong and all I need to do is hit it a little harder [in the weight room], and work a little more on finishing.

Lewis took off as a player during his sophomore year after transferring to La Marque from Galveston Ball. Despite missing 10 games during the season because of eligibility concerns, Lewis returned to take his game to another level, eventually averaging more than 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. While Lewis is known as a good shooter and penetrator with the ability to create for himself and teammates and possessor of a high basketball IQ ($), perhaps the most impressive aspect of his developing game is his willingness to defend. Excellent at sinking into his defensive stance, Lewis has the quick hands and feet to guard point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards, using his length to disrupt the offensive games of opposing players and his anticipation to beat his opponent to the spot.

His ability on the defensive end does not outshine his offensive abilities, however. A strong athlete who can get into the paint and finish at the rim, Lewis complements that ability with three-point range. Like most players his age, he could improve his ball-handling abilities, but that aspect of his game is not considered a weakness at this point. The most impressive part of his offensive game is his ability to change speeds, along with a developed spin move. Lewis also has the ability to back down opposing players to get into his mid-range game, a rarity for a young player. The area of his game Lewis needs to improve the most is being more consistently aggressive in taking over games, as he often lets the game come to him or spends his time getting his teammates involved.

Besides being a native Texan, Lewis' commitment illustrates the continually accelerating recruiting momentum the Longhorns have been building ever since receiving TJ Ford's commitment. Lewis explains how he became such an avid following of the Texas basketball program:

I started liking Texas when I was in the 5th or 6th grade watching T.J. Ford and Daniel Gibson play. They had success at Texas and now the NBA. I really, really started watching Texas closely when Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustin came through. Kevin was awesome and is going to be one of the best players in the NBA. D.J. Augustin is one of the best point guards I've ever seen and I think he'll be one of the best in the NBA.

If Rick Barnes and company are lucky, they might someday receive a commitment who says that he picked Texas because he grew up watching Julien Lewis play.

Tragedy strikes Daniel Bejarano. Condolences to the Longhorn commit and his family, as Bejarano's father, Damion Gosa, was shot and killed late Thursday night during an apparent burglary attempt at his Phoenix apartment. Though Bejarano and his father weren't close throughout much of Bejarano's life, the two had become close in recent months, making up for lost time in their relationship.

The 6-5 shooting guard learned of his father's death on Saturday while participating in the NBPA Top 100 Camp. After being informed of the horrible news, Bejarano decided to stay at the camp for one last game. While the Phoenix North star didn't have any monster scoring games at the camp, he said that basketball isn't always about scoring:

To me, the challenge was you have a lot of great players on your team. So how do you get to the championship? After we lost our first game, I tried to step up and be a leader, do the small things. I tried to step up to try to motivate them, bring us together like a family. Everyone there is good, so I did what I had to do - pass the ball, rebound, block shots.

The first game, I took some bad shots. After that, I stopped to think and that's not me. I needed to stop that. I just played my game, tried to knock down 3s, take it to the hole, rebound, whatever I could.

People think scoring 30 points makes you the best, but it's not all about scoring. In scouting, that's not what it's all about.

His comments are certainly indicative of the maturity of his game, but right now basketball pales in comparison to the life events that will force Bejarano to become even more mature off the basketball court. Best wishes and condolences to Daniel and his entire family.

Rivals 5-star Academy a showcase for local talent. Many of the talented prospects in the Austin area made their way to the Palace ($) on Friday. However, a few players from outside the area had big days. Foremost among them was Texas commit Darius Terrell, the best among a deep group of receivers and recipient of the overall camp MVP award after showing off the ball skills that made him so desirable to the Longhorns and the crisp route-running that helps him make up for a lack of elite speed. Terrell's Desoto teammate Adrian White also had an impressive day, though Vista Ridge's Jaylon Finner won the Defensive MVP.

Bowie's DeAndre Perry had an impressive day, winning the Offensive MVP award after showing his ability to catch the ball in traffic and proving himself a difficult match-up on the inside or the outside. Several Stony Point players turned in good performances, highlighted by defensive tackle Jordan Wade, an extremely talented player still learning the game, safety Desmond Martin, younger brother of Baylor's Glasco, and linebacker PL Lindley, who showed the length and footwork that makes him an appealing prospect. Cibolo Steele's Blake Gardner showed that Malcolm Brown and Marquise Anderson are not the only talented 2011 prospects on the team, as the young receiver continued his impressive spring on the camp circuit.

Todd Wright talks Texas hoops. Gerry Hamilton spoke with Longhorn S&C coach Todd Wright ($) about off-season workouts and the upcoming season. The insights include improvement from Clint Chapman and Matt Hill, as well as thoughts on the conditioning of Varez Ward, Shawn Williams, and Dexter Pittman. Wright says that Chapman is improving his strength, a major concern throughout his first two season, as well as making major strides in his game this summer. Matt Hill, who dealt with a variety of foot injuries early in his career, has regained his mobility according to Wright, and may be in position to contend for minutes in a crowded frontcourt.

As for Varez Ward, Wright says that the player he termed as one of the most advanced players physically to ever enter the program now has now improved his outside shot, the most critical aspect of his game to improve. Dexter Pittman is working hard as always, but the concern with him is not working him too hard throughout the year. Last season, Rick Barnes rested him during the start of the conference season to keep him fresh for later in the year and that will probably be the plan again this season.

From the Land of Miscellany. What is the deal with DeMarco Cobbs? He was a no show in Knoxville as well last week...Darius White took an unofficial visit to Norman ($) last week, but has no other visits planned for the summer...It looks like Harrison Smith will help alleviate the scholarship crunch at Texas by transferring, mostly likely to SFA...There are rumors swirling that J'Covan Brown is now officially eligible and on campus, but no official confirmations yet.

On the Usefulness of Clint Chapman

GhostofBigRoy — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:30:41 -0000

Anecdotal and statistical evidence suggest that Clint Chapman has far underperformed his four-star rating out of high school. In fact, to say that the most successful stretch in a nearly two-year career came when scoring 7,4, and 6 points hints at something failing even to achieve mediocrity -- hardly promising, to say the least. Add in the free-percentage at under 16 and a field goal percentage under 35% and Chapman's career at Texas looks even less promising. Not promising at all, really.

None of this comes as news even to the casual Texas basketball fan. It's worth bringing up because PB has essentially given up on Chappy (see comments of following link), while Scipio Tex wonders if Chapman is a potential transfer candidate after the season. Given Damion James' struggle completing his transition to the perimeter and the resulting hit to his draft stock, it's entirely plausible that he returns for his senior season, with a group of players that will be able to stretch the floor more capably and give him more room to operate. The problem -- Texas would be one over the scholarship limit if James returns and two over if J'Covan Brown manages to find his way into school, certainly not outside the realm of possibility, but only barely so.

All of that sets up the question about whether Chapman will ever have a chance to succeed in burnt orange. Count me among the frustrated at Chapman's rushed shots near the basket and inability to finish what should be easy plays. However, his athleticism for his size and much better touch than he has shown this season gives me hope. In his freshman season, Chapman made nearly 70% of his free throws, demonstrating an ability to hit from the line.

For Chapman, the problem appears to be his release point -- when he struggles, he shoots the ball long, releasing it too far in front of his body and not finishing high enough. I wouldn't be surprised if Chapman was a guard in middle school and perhaps early high school before hitting a growth spurt. He shoots like someone who has yet to completely grow into his body. That is to say, with minor tweaking, he could return to consistency at the line. It seems like a stretch to consider a missed jump shot a success, but his stroke looks good in rhythm out to 17-18, actually an easier shot for him than a free throw with his release.

Much like Connor Atchley, his general problems appear mostly mental, combined with a continued struggle to adjust to the speed of the college game, an adjustment lengthened by inconsistent minutes. Chapman has yet to lose himself in the game with any regularity -- he struggles against himself as much as he does against the opponent.

Since I count myself a realist, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that he could well break out at some point in his next two seasons. Despite the struggles at the free throw line, Chapman does have a soft touch, demonstrated on two plays in the last three games spinning to his left in the lane and finishing. One such play came off the bounce, showing a rhythm that he has rarely been able to find, but that suggests the ability to reproduce such plays.If Chapman can consistently replicate those plays, developing a shot fake and drop step off the move could result in easy layups.

Two more plays came off the bounce on quick moves to the basket, one finishing with a lay up and the other with a ill-conceived dunk attempt against Baylor where he was too far away to finish. The aggressiveness, however, was not ill-conceived, and exactly the mentality he needs more often on the offensive end.

Also like Connor Atchley, Chapman struggles to maintain rebounding position, needing to work on consistently getting low and boxing out with authority. Truthfully, he will never be a good rebounder for his position, but that limiting factor won't be the element of his game keeping him from being successful. In fact, Chapman already rebounds at a slightly higher rate than Atchley on both the offensive and defensive ends -- also better than Matt Hill.

Defensively, Chapman has the athleticism to move his feet well, particularly when hedging on ball screens, he just needs to exhibit better awareness. On one play matched up against James Singletary, Chapman bodied up on him too much, allowing the dribble drive, then tried to beat Singletary to the spot. Ostensibly a good move, unless that spot is the free throw line. Needless to say, Chapman committed the foul. For comparison, Matt Hill doesn't have close to the footspeed to even beat Singletary to that spot enough to commit a foul -- he would be trailing on the play. As a post and help defender, Chapman has the ability to block shots -- with the third highest rate of blocked shots, behind Connor Atchley and Dexter Pittman.

All told, I'm not ready to give up on Chapman, yet. He will certainly consider his options after the season and wonder where his playing time will come from if James stays. However, Matt Hill is much less valuable to the program, as he demonstrates far fewer raw skills, instead being limited to setting screens, rebounding, and making easy baskets -- skills that Chapman needs to demonstrate an ability to consistently execute, but skills that ultimately provide the team with little upside. As harsh as it may sound, Hill is a stiff and Chapman, whatever his faults, is not.

Chapman is not a complete loss, and, in fact, shows sign that he could be finally breaking out -- albeit in a limited way. His playing time will decrease when Gary Johnson returns to the lineup for the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments, but the last three games have set Chapman up for a productive finish to the season, a finish that could springboard him to much bigger things next season, which I hope will come in burnt orange and not on the bench in street clothes at another university, sitting out his transfer season.

Feel free to disagree.

Tracking: Justin Mason Against Texas Tech

GhostofBigRoy — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:02:36 -0000

The Context

After horrendous team performances against Arkansas and Oklahoma sandwiching a listless performance opening the Big 12 season at home against a poor Iowa State squad, Rick Barnes promised changes and delivered, as the Longhorns played an outstanding second half against Texas Tech, turning a competitive game into a blowout.

Benching Dexter Pittman in favor of Gary Johnson and playing Dogus Balbay significant minutes at the point, along with AJ Abrams, Rick Barnes sought to relieve pressure on Justin Mason by returning him to his more comfortable position off the ball, giving him the ability to crash the offensive glass without worrying about giving up easy transition baskets. Mason responded, scoring 15 points on 5-8 shooting, converting four of five free throws, while pulling down 10 rebounds, six of them on the offensive end. While Mason had only one assist in the game, his first game failing to record two or more assists this season, his movement off the ball helped the other aspects of his game.

Rick Barnes took personal responsibility for the recent sub-par play of Mason, saying:

I took Justin Mason away. I kept trying to put him in a position where he wasn't comfortable and he got confused.

It's gut-wrenching. It kills you. He got confused. Should I shoot? Not shoot? We had to let Justin be who and what he is.

Great decision on the part of Rick Barnes, but ultimately the responsibility to perform on the court falls on the player, with Mason adding,

Today I just let it go and played like I'm used to playing. It helped a lot.

The results speak for themselves...

The Scoring

First field goal attempt (11:29 first half) - Coming out of the 12-minute television timeout, the Longhorns inbounded the ball underneath their basket. A poor offensive possession, Texas failed to get the ball into the lane at all, with Varez Ward and Dogus Balbay spending most of the possession pounding the rock on the perimeter. Finally, with five seconds left on the shot clock, Matt Hill found Mason on the left wing, where he attempted to pump fake the defender for several seconds, finally taking one dribble right and launching a contested jump shot from just inside the old three-point line. Predictably, the shot was a brick, hitting above the square on the glass and barely grazing the rim on the way down.

Commentary - Of the three guards in the game at that game, neither Ward, Balbay, nor Mason should have the ball in their hands away from the basket with five seconds or fewer on the shot clock. In other words, it's a disastrous combination and one that should not see the court again together for the rest of the season. Recognizing this, Rick Barnes inserted Abrams into the game at the next dead ball, sitting Balbay.

First point (9:00 first half) - Matt Hill rebounded his own miss to provide the Longhorns with an extra possession, screening for AJ Abrams, who took over ballhandling duties after entering the game for Dogus Balbay several minutes earlier. Abrams took a three coming off the screen and Mason, allowed to crash the boards from his position off the ball, secured the offensive rebound, though it looked like he might have pushed off to do so, as the Texas Tech defender hit the floor in front of Mason. Fouled on his subsequent attempt, Mason headed to the free throw line, where he struggled against Iowa State, making only one of eight attempts on that day. The first free throw looked pretty good, but was too strong, hitting the back of the rim. On the following attempt, Mason recalibrated and made his second attempt.

Commentary - Mason probably got away with a push on this play, but at least did so without extending his forearm, a movement that will almost always result in a foul call. Had Mason been handling the ball, he would have been in position to crash the glass and would have needed to stay back to help in transition defense. Playing two other guards alongside Mason allow him to attack without worrying about his defensive responsibilities, though the combination of Mason, Balbay, and Ward is a poor one, meaning it needs to be Abrams back there if Barnes wants to play with three guards.

First made field goal (5:44 first half) - After Gary Johnson secured a weakside defensive rebound, an outlet pass to Dogus Balbay started the fastbreak. Balbay found Abrams running the left wing, where he took a dribble and stepped into a three-pointer that he left short and on the front of the rim. No one blocked out Mason, who ran to the rim, missing his first put back long, but using the glass on the second and finishing over a Tech defender earlier caught on the wrong side of the rim.

Commentary - Free to run the court in transition without having to wait for the outlet pass, Mason playing off the ball allowed him to run to the rim and secure the offensive rebounds, and, eventually, the lay up.

Second made field goal (17:52 second half) - Tech's John Roberson made a three-pointer out of a Tech timeout and AJ Abrams brought the ball up the court on the subsequent Texas offensive possession, executing a dribble hand off with Damion James before running the baseline and eventually handling the ball again out at the top of the key. After a pass to Damion James on the left wing and a cursory look at making an entry pass to Gary Johnson, James reversed the ball out top to Connor Atchley, who found Mason cutting towards the basket from the right wing going to his left against Alan Voskuil. Mason finished nicely with a left-handed finger roll near the basket.

Commentary - Nice pass by Connor Atchley, who does a good job of moving the ball and facilitating the offense from the perimeter, making several nice passes to cutting teammates for assists on the day. Even when Atchley doesn't score, he can still affect the game by doing little things like finding open teammates for easy baskets.

Second and third made free throws (15:45 second half) - A Connor Atchley missed three and poor transition defense lead to an easy lay up for Texas Tech. Quickly inbounding the ball, Abrams brought it up the left wing, dribbling left and coming back right to the top of the key and finding Mason on the right wing, who passed to Damion James in the right corner. James looked to Gary Johnson on the right block, then found Mason cutting to the basket after slipping a double screen for Abrams. Mason was fouled on the play, giving him two shots after the 16-minute television break. Mason left the first free throw just a little bit short and on the left part of the rim, but it nestled in anyway, before draining the second.

Commentary - The play was made by the shooting acumen of Abrams, as Mason's defender was too concerned with keeping Abrams from getting an open look to keep Mason out of the lane. Nice find by Damion James, who is still adjusting to his role on the perimeter and isn't a guy asked to find cutting players very often.

Third made field goal and fourth made free throw (12:52 second half) - A good box out and rebound in traffic by Mason secured the ball for the Longhorns and Mason navigated some more traffic into the open court, advancing the ball to the top of the key and receiving a solid screen from Matt Hill, giving an ever-so-slight hesitation move to get John Roberson off balance, then exploding to the basket and finishing with strength at the basket, absorbing contact from the rotating Tech big and drawing the foul. Mason left the free throw well short on the front of the rim, but across the fulcrum point of the basketball and settling into the basket on the bounce.

Commentary - When Mason plays with confidence, he shows of a great hesitation move and explosiveness to the basket, where he finishes well. It's likely that Mason loses aggressiveness when he lacks confidence in his free-throw shooting, leading him to avoid any excursions to the basket that could result in a trip to the line.

First made three pointer (12:30) - Connor Atchley cleaned up a lay up attempt by Nick Okorie after a nice cut and pass from John Roberson, leading to a Justin Mason rebound and transition opportunity. In keeping with his role off the ball, Mason passed ahead to Dogus Balbay at center court, then filled the lane on the right wing. Balbay penetrated to just inside the three-point line on that right wing and with the sense of a good point guard, found Mason in rhythm stepping into a three pointer several feet away. Confident from his three point play only 20 seconds before, Mason released the shot without hesitation, finding nothing but the bottom of the net (his first made three-pointer since the game against Michigan State) and completing a personal six-point run.

Commentary - Mason often fails to "put his hand in the cookie jar," not breaking his wrist on his follow through, perhaps the greatest mechanical flaw in his shooting stroke. On this play, however, Mason followed through with the wrist pronation of an accomplished shooter, reaping the results of an accomplished shooter. Great job by Balbay to find the hot scorer in rhythm and further increase his confidence by giving Mason an easy look. This play demonstrates how important it is for Mason to shoot with confidence. While not a pure shooter by any stretch of the imagination, his respectable three-point percentages during his freshman and sophomore seasons (39.8% and 34.2%, respectively) indicate that he is capable of making shots, but must be confident and shoot in rhythm and without hesitation to do so. Any made three-point baskets by Mason make the Longhorns a much more dangerous team.

Within the context of the game, Mason's conventional and unconventional three-point plays and personal 6-0 run stretched a 12-point lead to 18 and effectively ended any chances of a Red Raider comeback.

Fifth made field goal (7:27 second half) - Once again, the Longhorns pushed the basketball after a made field goal by Texas Tech, clearly a point of emphasis by Rick Barnes. Intelligently, Damion James surveyed his options on the left wing and seeing no advantage reset the offense with Abrams handling the point-guard duties. Finding James again on the perimeter, James this time attacked quickly on the baseline, finding Mason opportunistically filling open space near the basket and finishing easily at the rim.

Commentary - James has struggled knowing when to be aggressive off the bounce from the perimeter but made three good decisions on this possession, first reseting the offense early after the initial push, then attacking off the dribble when he saw the opening, and finally, showing the court awareness to find Mason for the easy basket. The Longhorns need James to make plays off the dribble.

The Verdict

A hallmark of Rick Barnes teams is a mid-season slump, followed by adjustments and momentum gained during the middle of the conference season, culminating the team often peaking at or near the start of NCAA tournament play. The ability to make adjustments not only reflects on the flexibility and capability of Barnes to reverse course when necessary, but also on the long-term strategic planning Barnes uses. As a Bulls fans and admirer of Phil Jackson, who was always willing to lose a game to prove a point to his players and plan for the long term, I have a great deal of respect for that quality in a coach. Rick Barnes is equally willing to lose a game to prove a point, as I believe Fran Fraschilla remarked during the Oklahoma game last week.

(As a quick aside, Fraschilla may be the best color commentator currently doing college basketball and Big 12 fans are lucky to have him call conference games for the World Wide Leader.)

Back to the topic at hand -- Barnes made tough adjustments this week, benching Dexter Pittman and putting Abrams and Balbay on the ball. Another point of emphasis over the last couple weeks, pushing the ball up the court to put pressure on defenses before they get set, has also helped establish a quicker tempo for the Longhorns. But taking Pittman out of the game opens up driving and cutting lanes to the basket for other players, while taking Mason off the ball always him to concentrate on defense and hustle plays, like offensive rebounding.

Long term, Mason will probably get some opportunities to run the team, as he did last season when DJ Augustin took his rare breaks, but look for Balbay and Abrams to continue with the bulk of the point guard duties, particularly Abrams, since setting high screens for Abrams allows him opportunities to get good looks from deep.

The keys for Mason are twofold, but related. In each of the last two seasons, Mason reached a point where he was struggling mightily with his confidence, which reduced his aggressiveness. That low point this season came again Oklahoma, a game in which he did not attempt a field goal or free throw. On a team lacking a true playmaker (here defined as someone who can create shots for himself or others), Mason is perhaps the closest the team has, possessing the ability to get to the rim and finish, while also showing the vision necessary to find open teammates after breaking down the defense -- the new-look offense will create those opportunities for him by leaving cutting and driving lanes open for him.

With reduced ball handling responsibilities and a renewed commitment to crashing the offensive glass puts Mason in a better position to take advantage of his skill set. After dropping between 10 and 15 pounds after his freshman season, his increased explosiveness made him a better penetrator to the basket, which is a skill Mason must continue to use, even when off the ball. Altogether, the decisions by Rick Barnes made between the Oklahoma and Texas Tech games paid immediate dividends. Where Dexter Pittman fits into the plans for the rest of the season remains to be seen, but if the Tech game proves anything, it's that Rick Barnes is willing to make tough decisions about his basketball team.

Anatomy of Stagnation: Longhorns Against Iowa State

GhostofBigRoy — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:37:40 -0000

Context

After a 17-5 run against Iowa State in the Big 12 conference opener for both teams to stretch a one-point lead at 12-11 to a 29-16 advantage, the Longhorns went through a period of almost three minutes without scoring points of any kind (from 4:25 to 1:41), sandwiched between a Damion James basket and a Gary Johnson put back after an offensive rebound. The Longhorns went 0-5 from the field during that stretch, failing to get to the foul line. Fortunately for the Longhorns, Iowa State scored only six points during that same stretch, which saw the Longhorns compound their problems by committing three fouls. The first foul put Iowa State into the bonus, putting Iowa State on the line after each subsequent whistle against the Horns.

First possession

Following a foul on Clint Chapman that resulted in split free throws by Justin Hamilton, Matt Hill secures the defensive rebound, makes an outlet pass to AJ Abrams, who quickly finds Varez Ward on the perimeter. With no advantage, Ward passes the ball back out to Abrams, who sets up the offense, finding Damion James on the left wing. James quickly hoists an 18-foot jumper in rhythm that rims out off a Connor Atchley screen. Having just made a jumper on the previous possession, it's hard to fault James for this shot, although it was early in the shot clock.

Second possession

Good help defense by Connor Atchley strips Craig Brackens of the ball in the midst of a post move. AJ Abrams comes out of traffic with the ball on the right side of the court. Cutting through the middle, Abrams passes from the left elbow to Damion James beyond the three-point line left side. James takes two dribbles to the middle of the court, taking another jumper from just beyond the free throw line, leaving it short on the front of the rim. Connor Atchley was wide open on the right wing, barely 10 feet away from James, who doesn't see him. Barely six seconds elapsed from the shot clock between the steal by Abrams and the shot by James. Justin Hamilton knocks the ball away from Justin Mason, who nearly secured the offensive rebound. Texas ball.

Third possession

Damion James inbounds from the right side to Justin Mason at the top of the key. Mason passes to AJ Abrams coming off a Matt Hill screen, but Abrams mishandles the pass and turns the ball over.

Fourth possession

AJ Abrams brings the ball up the floor after a made free throw by Diante Garrett. Rick Barnes takes his first timeout of the ballgame, which he would lose if not used by halftime. Good decision by Barnes with roughly three minutes left in the half and the Longhorn offense misfiring on the previous three possessions. Justin Mason brings the ball up the court, finding Abrams on the right wing tightly guarded by Bryan Petersen. Gary Johnson posts up on the right block, but Abrams passes out top to Damion James, who shot fakes, then shoots, looking relatively out of rhythm and leaving the ball short on the front of the rim again.

Fifth possession

Following a Gary Johnson foul, Justin Mason brings the ball up the floor, finding Abrams once again on the right wing. Abrams enters the ball to Gary Johnson, but good defense in the post and good denial by Petersen on the wing force Johnson to catch the ball near the three-point line and close to the baseline. Iowa State immediately sends a double team by Diante Garrett, the man guarding Justin Mason, leaving the non-shooter alone in the opposite corner. Johnson dribbles twice out of the double team, which leaves Johnson, who finds Damion James standing on the edge of the Texas coast, 10 feet beyond the three-point line. Connor Atchley sets a screen at the top of the key as James dribbles left. Stopped by the hedging defender, James finds Atchley at the three-point line, slightly to the right of the top of the circle. The Iowa State defender closes out well, so Atchley dribbles right into a handoff with AJ Abrams, who shoots quickly. Just long off the back of the rim.

Sixth possession

Varez Ward pushes the ball up the court after a nice banker by Diante Garrett, attempting to push the tempo. Ward penetrates right side, getting all the way down to the right block, where he takes a contested and forced five footer that gets a piece of the backboard and the back of the rim. Gary Johnson, on the weak side, gets the rebound and makes the put back, fouled in the process.

Verdict

While watching the game, I thought that James' shots early in the shot clock weren't horrible decisions on his part. With an offense that often struggles in the half court, early shots, if they are reasonably high-percentage looks, aren't negative plays because they come early in the shot clock, therefore lengthening the game and allowing the Longhorns more possessions. In other words, not all bad shots are created equal. A bad shot early in the possession is much less damaging than a bad shot late in the possession since so much more time expires. However, Mike D'Antoni demonstrates that such shots need to be taken with confidence and without fear that the coach will bench a player for a quick shot. Just coming down and jacking up shots isn't the idea, rather, the shot should come within the flow of the offense, which is designed to facilitate such quick shots.

That being said, the Longhorns failed to penetrate to the basket during this stretch, which breaks down the defense, forces rotations, and creates scramble situations for the defense. The first shot for James was a heat check after making his jumper on the previous possession, but the next two probably fall under the category of forced shots. Likewise for the Abrams jumper, when he failed to use a shot fake to give himself an easier look, a consistent problem for Abrams, who seems to believe that he doesn't need a shot fake because he needs so little room to get a shot off. Not true, AJ.

As for the shot by Varez Ward, it was forced, but he still broke down the defense off the dribble, forcing a weakside defender to come over to contest the shot, opening up the offensive glass for Gary Johnson. Basically, Ward took a bad shot, but it wasn't as bad as the shots by James and Abrams because it come off of dribble penetration and gave his teammate a chance for the offensive rebound, which was secured and led to three Longhorn points.

As if the extent of the loss of DJ Augustin needed further illustration, this stretch provides it. Rick Barnes told Augustin last year to hunt his shot if the Longhorns failed to score for three consecutive possessions. In this instance, the Longhorns went five consecutive possessions without making a basket, but had no playmaker to turn to when the drought needed to end. Instead, freshman Varez Ward, not known for his offensive ability coming out of high school, overpenetrates, but draws enough help to allow his teammate to grab the offensive rebound. What the play does illustrate, besides how much losing Augustin hurts, is that dribble penetration is the remedy for many offensive woes.

During the stretch, Iowa State reduced the Longhorn lead from 29-16 to 29-22, a significant move at the end of the half that allowed the Cyclones to keep the game close for most of the remainder of the contest. Had the Longhorns made several of their baskets during this stretch and defended without fouling, they would have taken a significant lead into halftime that may have discouraged any attempts at a comeback in the second half. As a firm believer in the importance of finishing halves well, this was an unacceptable performance over the course of several minutes by the Longhorns and forced them to expend much more energy than they might have had to otherwise.

Morning Coffee Loads Up For Bear

GhostofBigRoy — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:40:59 -0000

Griffin extraordinaire. Besides new coach Art Briles, true freshman quarterback and all-around stud Robert Griffin is the biggest story for this year's Baylor Bears. The Copperas Cove product won the Big 12 400-meter hurdles before he even stepped onto the football field for Baylor. After that? Well, he just went 209 pass attempts without throwing an interception, a streak that ended last week as the Bears tried to rally against Missouri.

The easy comparison here is Vince Young, which many people are quick to make. Personally, I don't see it. Griffin is two inches shorter than VY and weighs about 20 pounds less. He's also much thinner in the joints, which I believe will leave him less durable in the long run and more susceptible to big hits. I have seen him nicked up a little bit in the several games I've seen Baylor play. Yes, he's so good that he will make you watch Baylor football. He's also a much more polished passer coming out of high school than Vince Young. In terms of body type and running ability, I would compare Griffin more to former Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon, except perhaps even more explosive running the football.

How to stop him? Well, I'm not really sure, although I do know that Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Missouri have all held him under two yards per carry. Not having watched those games, I'm not sure what those teams did schematically, but I can guarantee that Will Muschamp knows.

The Art of coaching. Any discussion of the current state of Baylor football would be remiss not to mention Art Briles, the new football coach. Griffin originally committed to Briles when he was at Houston and decided to follow his future coach to Waco. Briles has energized the program and looks like the type of head coach that Texas A&M made a monumental mistake not to pursue. Not only is he an innovative offensive mind, but he's also a former successful high school football coach at Stephenville. Chalk up resurrecting the Houston football program to Briles, as well. Briles is still so revered among Texas high school football coaches that I believe he doesn't even have to thank them at every opportunity. And that's an enormous advantage at a school like Baylor that really has had to pick up the scraps left over after Texas, Oklahoma, LSU, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and even A&M and programs like TCU pick and chose their players. The dreaded question for every Bears fan is this: If he's successful at Baylor, what other major programs will come calling? With his ability to recruit Texas, I don't see him leaving the state, or at least staying close enough to still recruit in Texas, so that doesn't leave him many opportunities, although I imagine Tech could be a possibility if Leach finally gets a major job offer. Enjoy him while it lasts Baylor, because it might not be for that long.

That game with the sphere. Don't look now, but basketball season is almost upon us. I know that doesn't usually mean much in Texas, but it should with the program that Rick Barnes is building in Austin. A program that now ranks among the elite in college basketball for the first time, well, ever. For both of the Texas hoop junkies out there, Trips Right has your preview. He's right to mention the major question facing the team this season: How to replace do-everything star DJ Augustin?

It won't be easy, and it will probably take the combined efforts of several players. Trips Right puts Justin Mason first in line to fill the point guard duties, citing the supposed troubles Dogus Balbay has had in practice going against J-Mase and incoming freshman Varez Ward. I haven't heard anything to that extent and I tend to believe that Balbay will be fine because he's a pure point and has significant international experience playing for his native Turkey. Trips Right also doesn't have much faith in AJ Abrams playing the point for stretches, although I don't agree with that assessment. Abrams was effective handling the ball and making plays for his teammates his freshman year when Daniel Gibson struggled handling the rock. The subsequent banishment to running the baseline and spotting up at the three-point line was more about filling a need for the team and the appearance of DJ Augustin than anything else. While Abrams size does make it harder for him to hold space will driving, i believe that Abrams can be effective at the point for 10-15 minute a game, if necessary.

In terms of the frontcourt, Texas is as deep as it has ever been. Expect Rick Barnes to abandon the mostly ineffective zone defense of the past several years for his preferred man-to-man with the deeper team, perhaps even pressuring full-court this year with the ability to bring so many weapons off the bench. With the size and depth of the frontcourt, expect this to also be a good rebounding team. Dexter Pittman has continued to lose weight, while Gary Johnson, Alexis Wangmene, Clint Chapman, and the finally-healthy Matt Hill should all show improved post games. The ability to dump the ball into the post and let the big men go to work will take enormous pressure off of the ball handlers to make plays for their teammates, which should ease the transition to point guard by committee.

Pencil the Longhorns in for another Elite 8 appearance. You're the man, Rick Barnes.

No remorse for Muschamp. Muschamp, asked if he would call the same defense on Tech's game-winning play, responded that he would have played the same defense again. He noted that he had two players responsible for covering Crabtree on that play, but neither one of them were able to make it. Curtis Brown was in good position, but looked like he got caught between trying to make a play on the ball and making the ball. He was able to do neither, while Earl Thomas took a bad angle on the play and never gave himself a chance to tackle Crabtree. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, the play came down to two freshman with a chance to make a play and they just flat-out didn't do it. It wasn't an issue with the defensive call, it was just an issue with the players putting themselves in position to make the play, and then making it. Talent and experience won out over talent and inexperience.

From the Land of Miscellany. The Texas-Texas Tech tilt was the most viewed primetime game on ABC this season, drawing 8.59 million households...Mack Brown, Colt McCoy, and Brian Orakpo are all semifinalists for the three Maxwell Club awards: Brown for the Munger, the nation's best coach, McCoy for the Maxwell, the top offensive player, and Orakpo for the Bednarik, the nation's best defensive player...Quan Cosby is practicing this week, but his availability for the Baylor game is unknown. After not being hit in practice last week, it seems hard to imagine he is this week. I say sit him out this week and save him for the trip to Lawrence and the rest of the season.

Morning Coffee Reminds You That OU Still Sucks

GhostofBigRoy — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:00:47 -0000

Shortish, undersized dude takes over tight end. Short maybe, but very quick and quite a football player. That would be Jordan Shipley, national Offensive Player of the Week and owner of the longest kickoff return in TX/OU history. Cedric Golden is right about Greg Davis calling a great game and inserting Shipley in the pseudo-tight end slot position was the highlight, answering my calls during the week and early in the game to keep Peter Ullman and Greg Smith off the field.

I expect it to become our base formation for the rest of the season, testing the depth of opposing secondaries or creating absurd mismatches against linebackers. It baffles me that Brent Venables kept a linebacker on Shipley instead of going to a nickel package. Either the OU nickel back is terrible (perhaps he only has one leg), or Venables made a serious tactical error. What a minute, am I suggesting that Greg Davis out-coached the OU staff? Why, I believe I am. Kudos, GD.

Stay at home, defenses. Mack Brown commented in his Monday presser that Missouri blitzes 50% of the time (although he failed to thank Texas high school football coaches for the OU win--egregious oversight on his part). Considering the pass blocking excellence of the Texas offensive line and the superlative blitz pick-up abilities of Chris Ogbonnaya makes me wonder whether Missouri follow that tendency.

Blitzes haven't bothered Texas much, particularly because Colt McCoy is so comfortable and accurate hitting his receivers quickly. Texas didn't move the ball as well in the first half when OU was blitzing as they did in the second half, but that's more about the move to four wide receivers than anything. Picking up the OU blitz wasn't a big problem and seemed like a tactic borne of fear. Any Missouri blitzing will be as well.

Straight out of HALO. PB and dimecoverage picked up on Mack Brown's comment about Blake Gideon being the biggest surprise on the football team. It's less surprising considering he's a coach's kid (Mack always asks if there are any who should know about when recruiting) and enrolled early. Still, he plays with a maturity belying his age, evidenced by the great quote about how he asks Mack Brown if the latter is nervous before the game. No nerves on that young'un.

Not only does he play with great maturity, but there's something about the way he moves that I really like. It took me a couple of weeks to figure out what it was, finally settling on his robot/soldier-like economy of movement. Coupled with his visor, it reminds me of a guy from HALO, while his tacking of Jermaine Gresham, who has five inches and 60 pounds on him, looked like Michael Huff tackling USC's much-larger Fred Davis or a cheetah bringing down it's heavier prey. Relentless and unaccepting of failure.

Don't make Culpepper mad. Former Longhorn linebacking great Pat Culpepper sounded like he was about ready to start looking for a helmet and an OU player to hit. Sitting behind the OU bench, he heard an assistant yelling to his players, "They haven't changed one bit. They're out of shape. They can't stand the pressure." The next play, Jordan Shipley took the kickoff 96 yards to paydirt. So in the way of analysis, 1) no, 2) no, and 3) no.

Aside from the offensive playcalling, the biggest revelation in the game was Texas wearing down the OU offense and defense and proving the assistant wrong (Darian Hagan would call it getting clowned, I suspect). Texas was simply a better-conditioned football team on Saturday. Phil Loadholt's holding of Brian Orakpo throughout the game was criminal (the fine will come from his smaller NFL contract) and OU's defense tired late in the game, a result of the Longhorns dominating possession of the football, which will be key again in the coming weeks.

Rick Barnes is the man. Hey, I'm only sayin' it so I can win the understatement of the year trophy, which I covet, being an understated person (well, when not watching football that is). News of the ongoing negotiations with North Carolina on a four-year series (yes, please sir, may I have another and another and another?) only further reinforces the official declaration of "The Man"'-ness of Rick Barnes after inking stud Jordan Hamilton. Wow, talk about how getting guys like Kevin Durant and TJ Ford can continue the positively impact the program. And I haven't even mentioned 2010 no. 1 player Tristan Thompson.

Looking ahead to this season, Andy Katz puts the 2008-09 version of the Longhorns' basketball team in the second tier of contenders, which seems legitimate, while calling the interior of the team a question. It's probably true, since Matt Hill hasn't shown much and Sexy Dexy hasn't logged significant minutes either. It seems an easily-answerable question, however, as Pittman seems poised for a breakout season and Alexis Wangmene, Clint Chapman, and Gary Johnson should all improve after a year in the program. I think the biggest question there is the allocation of minutes.

Katz is spot-on in wondering about offensive playmaking abilities without DJ Augustin. Balbay is certainly a question mark, but I believe the offense will operate inside/out rather than running as much and several players will step up to make plays, particularly Damion James if he has improved his handle. Even considering the potential loss of James to the NBA, the narrative for 2008-09, while reasonably optimistic, mostly likely says look to 2009. But we all know how that can change, right?

From the Land of Miscellany. Mark Mangino was as surprised as any skeptical Texas fans by Greg Davis's play calling against OU. Good thing he didn't have a heart attack...Colt McCoy now leads the Heisman race...Hard to watch Quan Cosby de-cleat Lendy Holmes too many times...Still hard for Mack Brown to get any respect...Great story about why he's so positive with the team ($):

I do think that Coach (Barry) Switzer helped me with that [staying positive] in 1984 in that we were playing a really bad Kansas team, they were the worst in the league, we were the best, it was the Big 8 then, and Troy Aikman was our quarterback because Danny Bradly got hurt and another one had gotten suspended. It was raining and we were ahead, 10-7, and we were awful. It was an older offense with a true freshman quarterback and I went in and yelled at the offense and cussed them out and told them how bad they were doing and if they didn't do better they'd lose the game, and we lost the game. After the game we were getting on the plane going back and Barry walked over and he basically said "You've got to be really careful of what you convince your team. You convinced them at halftime they could lose and they did." So, walking off the field with the 35-14 Oklahoma State lead, that moment hit me, and I walked in and said "Boy are they playing good. Give 'em credit, that team is really playing good and they can't play that good for the rest of it, so let's start over here, we're going to be fine."

Throw your Horns up, baby, it's time to believe!