MarkInAustin

I watched my recording of the game late last night. I did not know that we had won, beforehand, for once, so I stayed involved. Have to say it is pleasant to FF through timeouts. I assume every upside within the game has been detailed even beyond Jeff's recap, so I will go back and read the game thread.

Strike 3

So this will be Schloss's 1000th win?

Jordan Pope is not a defensive threat against most of the guys he must cover in the SEC. In fact, he is a liability. He physically cannot defend the three point line because he must be in the face of the shooter to defend it, which guarantees a foul. He is better off leaving his man open for three and crashing the boards - it is that bad. I write this as someone who had the same problem defending guys three inches taller than I on the perimeter. Might as well race to the boards as the shooter committed. [That was in City League, I never played in school]. There are some good man defenders on the team. What I find disappointing are team lapses - open lanes, open baselines, allowing a man to get behind the entire team at the basket... . Two of the best man defenders are the engines of the offense, Swain and Mark. They may suffer fatigue in grueling games, which shows on defense first. I think Matas is quicker than you think he is, Jordan, but I think he simply hasn't mastered the game yet as he is still relying on his height and strength, rather than his positioning. I believe he is often guilty of [fortunately for Texas uncalled] three second violations, btw.

So Ohio State football players rely on tutors and do not necessarily attend classes? I could not play the media.

lamar has been very sloppy even when the bobbles were not scored as errors. switching over to hoops.

That would have been a broken bat but for aluminum

Have you ever seen a shift against a right handed hitter?

What a powerful shot

Rifle shot.

Newman over Chatman? Is Chatman not yet recovered?

These salaries are of enhanced value compared with most competitors because Texas has no state income tax. Explain Professional Services Payments, please. Aside from his job description, what services are to be rendered? If this is simply additional salary for the same job description why is it separately denominated? Is it contingent upon some additional service being rendered? Is the source of the funding other than the Athletic Department?

What would you think of using Pope situationally as a sub rather than as a starter?

We don't know the nature of Seymour's incapacity in 2023 so we don't know anything about what the NCAA might do. We can infer that he had to be more incapacitated than Trinidad to be successful. We can also infer that a decision from the NCAA is on the near horizon, just in time for litigation.

That is a rational view, yet I have slightly more hope. First, Mark has become a consistent high level defender, when he was not early in the season. Second, Matas shows signs of playing smarter now, and more improvement for him is probably an expectation. On the other hand...Wilcher is regressing on offense and defense. The Wilcher disappointment puts Pope or Mark in the lead guard position too often, when both are better offensive threats off the ball. My thoughts on the downside for the season center around lack of depth. Codie is effectively already gone, apparently checked out. Heide is starting by necessity when he was slated to have been a role playing sub. Weaver is starter quality, of course. Traore is limited, but does give decent minutes on D and as a rebounder. Seven guys. Could be eight if Wilcher were as advertised, but now only seven. Duru has not shown anything yet, so I don't count him.

The Rams use JWhitt sparingly and it seems to me they use him like a TE. He sometimes comes off the wide position and bursts into the line to hit a LB. I have never seen a WR used like that.

My back deck, looking over Walnut Creek and the pocket park beyond it, in northwest Austin, at 8 AM. No limbs down!

Stay warm, dry, and safe y'all.

Was Lynch good? I did not see game.

I think that Wemby looks like KD more than he looks like Wilt or Kareem. A 7'5" KD. Something I never thought I would see.

He is so much fun to watch, for me, especially on defense.

I am copying over what I wrote on the game thread. If I had read this first I would not have written what I did because it would have been pretty much a rubber stamp here. I wrote what I did on the other thread to point out how Jeff and Jordan's exchange, directly on point, fit my take on the game. So here again: I watched this game late last night from the recording I made while out to dinner with family. I have nothing specific to add, but I thought the more glaring shortcomings were on defense. Defensive focus is difficult to maintain. The second half against Vandy was an example of how well it can be done by this same team, this second half was not. In hindsight, I think Jeff's comment about lack of a strong 4 and Jordan's suggestion of a three guard lineup fit both the failures of the defense in the second half. Within the game and without hindsight there is the desire to keep enough outside shooting on the floor against a zone to keep up. In hindsight, playing three out would have likely improved the defensive intensity, as would have playing both Traore and Matas together. Would having more limited shooting options against a zone have made it worse? IDK. I think Miller will trot out these lineups situationally in other games to come and he and we will learn as the season progresses. There is this: were Wilcher or Weaver reliable shooters the whole problem would disappear because defensive intensity could be maintained without giving up outside shooting.

And for those who doubt Baker as a guard, he was rated as high as #1 IOL in America in HS. I kid you not.

If you watched Baker late in the season you saw a reliable blocker with good footwork and quickness. There is no reason at all that a wide built tackle with good footwork and quickness cannot be an excellent pass protection blocker as a guard. The Oregon St. guard only allowed one sack and he was protecting a QB with a big arm who was neither a scrambler nor very evasive. If pass pro is the be all and end all I think it will be as good or better than it was at the end of last season with what we have. I am not making that same optimistic assessment about run blocking because Campbell was sometimes a force. But the slick little RBs we got can make yardage through quick opening holes that don't stay open long. Don't worry, be happy~

The Lane Kiffin story posted above is a complication, if true. If there is an enforceable contract between Ole Miss and P.U. and it is analogous to a performance contract the typical courtroom result would be an injunction against P.U. playing for anyone else. He could not be ordered to play for Ole Miss, of course. The contract may also provide for liquidated damages, which would be another wrinkle to test. One would assume the venue and jurisdiction provisions in the contract would fix litigation in a Mississippi state court, in Oxford if that is a county seat. We may be getting a test of these "contracts" soon.