vs ASU
- Thread starter COUGinNCW
- Start date
Good first half. ASU with a bunch of turnovers thanks to Coug pressure and some sloppy play.
Our bigs suck. It’s surprising to me how well this team has played when we don’t have a big that can catch the ball in the paint.
Elleby 27 & 12. Coug's 10-2 at home.
Glad we get an extra day this week. Some tired legs down the stretch.
Glad we get an extra day this week. Some tired legs down the stretch.
Wow, what a game. One of those rare occasions where a team deserved to win, but got very lucky.
Pretty incredible season so far. Arizona will be tough.
Pretty incredible season so far. Arizona will be tough.
A game of runs, for sure. Amazing to see CJ more than make up for the missed front ends of a 1 and 1. He really does have the flare of a star player. That was one gassed team by the end of the game, but they persevered. Great defense once again with an incredible 12 steals for the game. ASU was careless, so were the Cougs at times....but this team is really competing and has grown quite a bit since the beginning of the season. I'm hoping for a bigger, more energized crowd vs. UA on Saturday.
Glad Cougar
Glad Cougar
Crowd wasn't bad considering. There were many people with kids who didn't come because of the late hour. They played hard all 40 minutes. Vodo got quite a few minutes and played pretty well. He needs to play to get better but you really don't want him in there in crunch time. I really like Bonton but damn he can be infuriating. He just gets out of control too much. Would have been much less of a heart stopper if they had made free throws. Also had several shots that were half-way down and came back out. The refs were horrible, especially the bald one.
Vova did some good things defensively and rebounding. He altered shots some just by his presence. He has a lot to work on but he provided some solid minutes and allowed Pollard rest. There’s no way Pollard is 100% but we need him to convert those inside looks. We can’t get Miller back soon enough.
We should get a pretty good crowd Saturday off of a win.
We should get a pretty good crowd Saturday off of a win.
Indeed. I recall one play in the first half when a Sun Devil drove down the middle of the lane and Vova was standing in the way. It could've been called an offensive foul except that Vova never budged after being run into. The Sun Devil collapsed like he hit a brick wall and threw the ball away. Smith admitted that Vova needs game minutes to improve and he's likely to get a few more, especially with Pollard continuing to be less than 100%.
Glad Cougar
It's surprising when preseason Smith was talking about Vova pushing for minutes and then he mostly sits. He's not going to improve without getting on the floor.
Other than maybe Stanford (and Udub on the downside) we are the biggest surprise of the Pac 12 this year. Currently 10-2 at home with 1 bad loss to Nebraska-Omaha. If we can cut down on turnovers and we have the health & legs we definitely have a shot against Arizona.
What about the number Jervae Robinson did on Remy Martin. A lot of people question why he's playing. Here's why. Last night Martin, possibly the best PG in the Pac, had 2 assists, 5 turnovers and shot 4-15/1-4. Once he gave it up Robinson denied him the ball. He had to work his butt off to get it again and ASU's other guards didn't have his skills.
I'm super excited about Kyle Smith, and I think he's a strong candidate for P12 coach of the year. The question moving forward is how much of this years success is attributed to the phenomenal skill set that CJ brings to the court, and will we be able to continue the next year if he leaves the program?
The defensive transformation and energy we play with is clearly attributable to Smith's coaching, but a lot of team shortcomings are masked when you have the best player on the floor. I'm curious how things will look next season. At the beginning of the season, I didn't think there was any way CJ would be ready for the NBA, but he's looking more and more like someone who could be drafted. Still not a lock though.
The defensive transformation and energy we play with is clearly attributable to Smith's coaching, but a lot of team shortcomings are masked when you have the best player on the floor. I'm curious how things will look next season. At the beginning of the season, I didn't think there was any way CJ would be ready for the NBA, but he's looking more and more like someone who could be drafted. Still not a lock though.
I don't know how strong this class is but he seems like a late 1st to mid-2nd round. Would love to get another year ala Klay. Seemed to work out for him to stay 3 years.
CJ's energy and overall competitiveness is infectious. The play where he saves the ball at half court and then gets back on the court in time to sink a 3 was highlight real stuff. Still there are large parts of his game that could definitely use another year. I think Klay was more polished and was certainly a better shooter.
