HookEm

My daughter is a freshman at Arky in Supply Chain as I have mentioned. She loves it there, has made great friends already and is doing well in school. Just be aware that the school is VERY Greek. If your kid isn't going to rush (mine didn't), then they should be prepared to find a like minded set of friends, which can be difficult. She is staying at Gregson Hall, which I would highly recommend. Great location and the culture seems to be better than the other dorms. My son is at UT and is living in an apartment as a sophomore. The overall cost is about the same. In fact, I would say cost is higher at UT once they move off campus. Apartments in Austin aren't cheap. Parking isn't cheap. Food, eating out and entertainment isn't cheap. All of that is much cheaper in Fayetteville in my experience. Heading up there on Thursday decked out in burnt orange for the game. Hook'em.

Weaver should have gotten even more minutes last year because of how bad Horton was. He was slow, didn't play defense, wasn't in shape and was 38% from the floor. Horrid. This year though, I think we have enough depth that he doesn't need to be getting 32 mpg. If he could run point, it would really open up some interesting lineups. He shot 40% from 3 at UT-A, so I know he has the ability if he will slow down a little. His best future would be playing a 2012 Russell Westbrook style of PG where he can use his athleticism to get to the rim, rebound from the guard position, and just out energy everybody. He has put on some muscle in the offseason, so he is starting to look the part. What would be wrong with this lineup: Weaver + Mark + Johnson + Kent + Kaluma? Everybody can defend. You could play somewhat positionless basketball on offense and switch everything on defense.

It will be interesting to see how the lineups shake out as the season moves along and we get Mark integrated into the team. To me it is clear that (so far) Tre Johnson and Arthur Kaluma are our best players and need 30+ minutes a night. I assume that Mark is going to need 30 minutes a night as well. I think Kent is a winning player and needs more minutes at the expense of Shedrick. A "small" lineup with Kaluma and Kent at the 4/5 needs to see the floor 10-15 minutes a game. Onyema doesn't need to see the floor at all. Kent and Kaluma are solid defenders and also very active rebounders. Given our guard/wing size, we can afford a little less size down low. Shedrick is an "ok" post defender, but I have seen him get exposed bigtime when he has to switch off on smaller players or step out and try to defend the perimeter. If there is a wide open 3, chances are Shedrick was responsible. That doesn't happen with Kaluma and Kent. In the end we should have an 8-man rotation with: Starters: Pope, Johnson, Mark, Kaluma, Shedrick 2nd Unit: Larry, Weaver, Kent rotating in to give whatever composition we need. If we need another big body, bring in Vinson. That's it. Unless we are up by 25, nobody else needs to see the floor. Pope really needs to get it together. The dude is a bigtime scorer, averaging 17+ ppg in the PAC10 last year. He is a career 37%+ from 3 and an elite free throw shooter (88%). This year he is averaging 20% from 3 and hasn't even gotten to the line once. If he plays like he is capable, it will completely transform the team. If I was Terry, I would spend a game or two making sure that Pope gets fed and see if he can get going. If not, Larry needs to start getting more time. He seems to be a much better defender than Pope. He is also a better distributor and protects the ball well. It might ultimately be better to start him and let Pope come in with Weaver for a spark off the bench. Weaver is also getting too much playing time. I suspect that will change dramatically when Mark gets healthy.

Here are our national award winners for reference: National Player of the Year (Wooden / Naismith) TJ Ford - 2003 Kevin Durant - 2007 All American - 1st Team Clyde Littlefield - 1916 Abb Curtis - 1924 Jack Gray - 1935 Chris Mihm - 2000 TJ Ford - 2003 Kevin Durant - 2007 DJ Augustin - 2008 All Americans - 2nd Team John Hargis - 1947 PJ Tucker - 2006 Jordan Hamilton - 2011 If Tre Johnson can make an All-American team that makes him one of the top-10 BEST UT players of all time, if not higher. That doesn't mean it gives him a top-10 UT career.

Hunter was good when he started on the ISU Sweet 16 team and was good when starting on the UT Elite 8 team. He was fine deferring to Carr and Rice. Regardless, no point in arguing it. He’s gone. Maybe the new guys will end up being better.

Tre Johnson’s offensive game kind of reminds me of Kawhi Leonard when he was in his prime. He is a confident ball handler in traffic and can get his shot off from anywhere. He also isn’t an “explosive” athlete but his balance and body positioning and instincts are all great. He is also a big time competitor, especially when you consider he is a freshman. I think this team will get a lot better. It is constructed to win in a way that last year’s team wasn’t. We are stacked on the wings and have so many different lineups. Hot take alert: I like Tyrese Hunter better than Pope or Larry. He would have fit in so much better on this team than the last one. Shedrick is looking better. I really like what I see out of Kent. He is an awesome garbage collector / rebounder and is decent from distance. If Tre Johnson or Mark could play point guard we could roll out a lineup of: Johnson, Mark, Kent, Kaluma, Shedrick and out size anybody.

Anybody looking to sell their Men's Season Basketball Tickets? If so, shoot me a DM.

Ok sounds good. I will likely be tied up with parenting duties for this one, so I doubt I can spend a lot of time running a big tailgate. That said, if anyone picks up the banner, let me know and I may be able to help. We will likely park at the Fayetteville High School - and it would also make for a decent tailgate spot. I assume there would be plenty of room if people show up early. Closer to the stadium would have required some additional pre-planning.

Are there any plans underway for the Arkansas game? It is shaping up to be a big game. 11 AM kickoff. I’ll be there. I would imagine a good number of Surly posters will be as well as many of us have kids there.

Ha. Yes, exactly. What a cluster F. We ended up parking at the high school for $20 and walking to the game. That will be my plan when we go back for the UT vs. Pig game in November.

F Chris Beard. F Ole Miss.

Opinions vary, but I think looking historically is much more valid than just looking at the last 5 years. Coaches change and teams run hot and cold. Taking a longer view smooths that out. Long term results also generate lasting fan engagement which results in infrastructure improvements. Those improvements generates better recruiting and more long term success and the cycle continues. Take Houston for example. They currently have a great coach in Samson. He is 68 years old. They have made the tourney 6 of the last 7 years and have gone to a Final Four, an Elite Eight and 3 more Sweet 16s. Over that time, their attendance has grown to the point that they were at capacity last year (2,635 -> 3,705 -> 3,661 -> 6,052 -> 6,817 -> 7,150 -> 7,400). For reference, you need 12,000+ attendance to crack the top-30. What is going to happen when Sampson retires? Odds are low that they will hire someone who replicates his success. More likely they will gradually trend back to their long term averages and draw 3,000 fans and be mediocre. On the other hand, Arkansas averaged 19,000 fans last year, despite being down, and are generally in the top-10 in attendance. If I had to bet who will have a better next 30 years between Houston and Arkansas, I would take Arkansas all day every day. I also expect schools like Wisconsin are going to beat out TCU and BYU, even if they are a little down at the moment.

I took that post as satire.

The big thing the Big 12 has going for it in basketball is lack of really crappy teams at the bottom, at least as it currently stands. They are having a pretty good run in hoops, but in terms of true blue bloods, they currently only have one: Kansas. If the SEC wanted, they could add UNC and then suddenly they have the top two brands in college basketball: Kentucky and UNC. Nobody is locking Kentucky and UNC out of the tourney. Get real. Adding UConn doesn't get the Big 12 anywhere close to that outcome. According to Kenpom, here are the top 64 team hoops program rankings since 1997: SEC: 2. Kentucky, 10. Texas, 11. Florida, 16. Tennessee, 25. Alabama, 30. OU, 36. Arkansas, 41. Auburn, 47. LSU, 53. MSU, 54. Mizzou, 60. Aggy, 62. Vandy 1 top-5, 5 top-25, 13 top-64 ACC: 1. Duke, 4. UNC, 15. Louisville, 21. Syracuse, 26. Virginia, 35. FSU, 37. Stanford, 39. Pitt, 43. NC State, 45. Miami, 49. Notre Dame, 55. Clemson, 57. Wake 2 top-5, 4 top-25, 13 top-64 BIG12: 3. Kansas, 5. Arizona, 14. Baylor, 27. Cincinnati, 29. Okie St, 32. West Virginia, 38. Iowa State, 44. Houston, 48. Tech, 50. K-State, 52. BYU, 58. Colorado, 61. ASU, 63. Utah 2 top-5, 3 top-25, 14 top-64 BIG10: 6. MSU, 12. UCLA, 13. OSU, 17. Wisconsin, 18. Purdue, 19. Michigan, 20. Illinois, 22. Maryland, 23. Indiana, 24. Oregon, 34. USC, 46. Iowa, 51. Washington 0 top-5, 10 top-25, 13 top-64 Other: 7. UConn, 8. Villanova, 9. Gonzaga, 28. Memphis, 31. Marquette, 33. Xavier, 40. Creighton, 56. Butler, 59. Providence, 64. SDSU In terms of the top basketball programs over that period, you would have to say the ACC is the strongest at the top, but the Big 10 is the deepest with ten of the top-25. Really though, they all look about equal and the Big 12 doesn't stand out in any way. And while teams like Baylor, TCU and BYU are good right now, they are only a hire away from being terrible.

The Big 12 would be really stupid to add UCONN. The ACC is on the verge of implosion. There will be much better schools to add in the near future. They should be gearing up to add FSU, Miami, Virginia Tech, Pitt, Louisville, etc. There are probably 10 schools I would add before UCONN. This is the litmus test: Is anyone going to tune in to watch X team play Texas Tech in football in October? I would tune in to watch Miami vs. Tech. Or Virginia Tech vs. Tech. Louisville vs. Tech could be fun. Nobody cares about UCONN vs. Tech or any other member of the Big 12.

The top end of the Big 12 will be outstanding, but the depth of the SEC might actually be better this year. Here are ESPN's early preseason rankings: SEC - 1 top-10, 9 top-25 #2 Alabama #11 Auburn #12 Texas A&M #13 Tennessee #14 Arkansas #20 Ole Miss #21 Florida #22 Texas #23 Kentucky Big 12 - 5 top-10, 6 top-25 #1 Kansas #4 Houston #6 Baylor #7 Iowa State #9 Arizona #19 Cincinnati Here are CBS's early preseason rankings: SEC - 2 top-10, 7 top-25 #2 Alabama #10 Auburn #11 Texas A&M #13 Arkansas #14 Tennessee #20 Texas #22 Florida Big 12 - 4 top-10, 6 top-25 #1 Kansas #3 Houston #6 Iowa State #7 Baylor #16 Arizona #25 Cincinnati

Horton was the definition of a journeyman. He played for four different schools in his college career and he was inefficient at every stop, averaging only 38% FG over his last two years. But last year for us he was even worse, and even his free throws dropped off. When someone goes from 87% FT down to 71%, I attribute a lot of it to conditioning, especially when they are expected to play defense at a higher level. And Horton looked fat and out of shape, even in the 20 minutes per game. His defense was generally abysmal. Then you have Weaver who is in better shape than 99% of players on the court. Running around tipping balls, getting steals, etc. And even though it SEEMED like he was playing recklessly due to his raw speed, he didn't turn the ball over much. I like RT and have been a supporter, but managing these two dudes was definitely a red mark on his time as head coach here.

I really like Chendall Weaver. I view him as a poor man's Russell Westbrook. He is a perfect spark plug off the bench and can really attack the rim from the perimeter. I have no doubt that his 3P% will improve as he gains comfort at this level of competition. The stats don't really show what an impact player he is. He by far led the team in offensive rebounds during conference, even over guys like Dillon Mitchell. And he only had 7 turnovers across 18 conference games. It is criminal that he was losing time to Ithiel Horton. I dare say we would have won 2-3 more games, and moved up to a 5-6 seed if he had gotten more minutes. These games stand out: K-State - Lost by 4. Weaver got 11 min while Horton played 32! Baylor - Lost by 8 (giving up a huge lead). Weaver got 13 min. Horton got 27. UCF - Lost by 6. Weaver got 4 minutes vs. Horton's 35. And they killed us with their energy and on the glass.

Some other options: Drag for Flagg In Rags for Flagg Dismantle for Randall All horrible

Ok fine, but that wasn't really my point in bringing it up. My main point is that there is no chance Terry would be doing as good of a job with South Sudan as Ivey. Does anyone on this site disagree?

Agree. I honestly like Brown better as a player than Tatum. I would be 100% fine swapping the two.

If Jaylen Brown wasn't good enough to make the team in his absolute prime at 27, I don't think he is going to make it four years from now at 31.

Agree. And Durant's game should continue to age like fine wine. That lets me kick Tatum to the bench. And I'll add Cooper Flagg and jetison Jarrett Allen. I don't see anybody beating this team. Starters PG - Jalen Brunson - 31 SG - Anthony Edwards - 26 SF - Kevin Durant - 39 PF - Paolo Banchero - 25 C - Chet Holmgren - 25 Bench PG - Haliburton - 28 SG - Devin Booker - 31 SF - Jason Tatum - 30 PF - Cooper Flagg - 21 C - Bam Adabayo - 31

Regarding the 2028 team, we are going to have to see a complete changing of the guard. Only two players on the current team will be under 30 when the next Olympics roll around. Durant will be LeBron's current age in the next Olympics. Would be great to see him still out there, but I'm not counting on it. Here is my guess, but who knows what will happen over four years. Starters PG - Jalen Brunson - 31 - He is a dawg and can score and distribute. Will be late prime. SG - Anthony Edwards - 26 - Will be an absolute beast by then SF - Jason Tatum - 30 - Meh, but probably the best bet. PF - Paolo Banchero - 25 - I assume he will be all-NBA by then C - Chet Holmgren - 25 - If he stays healthy he will likely be the starter Bench PG - Haliburton - 28 SG - Devin Booker - 31 SF - Brandon Miller - 25 - I think he has the most upside of the young SF options PF - Bam Adabayo - 31 C - Jarrett Allen - 30 - He is still improving. I would rather have him on the team than Embiid right now. Others Ja Morant - 28 - He was 2nd Team All-NBA as a 22 yr old. If he gets his head on strait he could make the team LaMello Ball - 26 - He is still very young and definitely has the talent to make the team four years from now Zion Williamson - 27 - Dude is going to have to lose some weight and stay healthy. Could be a fun add if so. Evan Mobley - 26 - Already all-defense at 22 and still improving Tyrese Maxey - 27 - Already an all-star (6'2) Scottie Barnes - 26 Jalen Williams - 27 Desmond Bane - 29 Too Old Derrick White - 34 Joel Embiid - 34 Anthony Davis - 35 Jrue Holiday - 39 Kevin Durant - 39 Steph Curry - 40 LeBron - 43