Texas Basketball 2022-23

[ztejas 43452]

This team is going to fuck. 

 

[shadow_operative 15932]

15 minutes ago, ztejas said:

This team is going to fuck. 

 

yep. we are far from perfect, but so is almost everyone else. this is going to be a second weekend team, health permitting. great blend of senior leaders and stud freshmen + role players, plus a top tier coach. damn i can't wait for the season. 

[SL Xpress 7515]

4 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

yep. we are far from perfect, but so is almost everyone else. this is going to be a second weekend team, health permitting. great blend of senior leaders and stud freshmen + role players, plus a top tier coach. damn i can't wait for the season. 

A couple more wins in the regular season and last year’s team had a good shot at being a second weekend team. Just needed to get to that 4/5 seed line to give themselves their best chance, and didn’t quite get there. 

[Red Five 40859]

8 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

in case anyone wanted to know whether or not this year's team will be more athletic than last year's:

 

I could probably do that. If you gave me a ladder. I'd need you to hold on to it tight though so I wouldn't fall off. 

[jimmyjazz 45957]

Crimony.  Somebody put a guess on that vertical leap.  Gotta be well past 30", right?

[ztejas 43452]

Probably mid 30s. Looks like a running vertical off of one foot. 

He's a good athlete but not a jump out of the gym type of guy. I mean he doesn't leap like that with the ball in his hands if you watch highlights. I'm not sure how much he'll play this season but he should wind up being a very good college PG that sticks around for a 3-4 years. 

[shadow_operative 15932]

[Braff Zacklin 13573]

Future outlook:

[SL Xpress 7515]

46 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

They only have so much space for their write up, but the other blatant weakness of this team is having 2 post defenders in Bishop and Disu. It’s still going to be a very exciting team for me to watch. It will be nails on the defensive end, and explosive on offense, even if a lot of the perimeter shots are mining for iron. 

[shadow_operative 15932]

 

[shadow_operative 15932]

RB seems like a cool, confident guy. really looking forward to his development here.

 

[Js1 85338]

3 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

RB seems like a cool, confident guy. really looking forward to his development here.

 

I foresee him as a fan favorite and a guy opponents hate that we have, but would love to have on their team. 

[SL Xpress 7515]

1 hour ago, shadow_operative said:

RB seems like a cool, confident guy. really looking forward to his development here.

 

These are so great. Alex’s voice is amazing. 

I love Chris Beard so much. All of these get to know you clips have the same kind of vibe as the fireside chats. 

[jimmyjazz 45957]

7 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

These are so great. Alex’s voice is amazing. 

I love Chris Beard so much. All of these get to know you clips have the same kind of vibe as the fireside chats. 

I'm not saying it's intentional -- it probably is -- but sticking random pairs of guys together and having them do these videos most likely helps the team bond.  People are lazy, if you don't force the learning, it might not happen.

[shadow_operative 15932]

 

[SL Xpress 7515]

I posted in the recruiting thread about a French player they missed on who recently chose Illinois. 

[ztejas 43452]

1 hour ago, shadow_operative said:

 

Yes Rodney you told us you were in Spain already. 

[LTtxfan 49188]

 

[Braff Zacklin 13573]

2 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

 

Love these hype vids but ain't buying that one until the players prove otherwise. BTA shooting definitely figures to be a weakness.

[shadow_operative 15932]

Carr showing out for Canada's U23 team:

Edited July 6, 2022 by shadow_operative

[SL Xpress 7515]

1 hour ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Love these hype vids but ain't buying that one until the players prove otherwise. BTA shooting definitely figures to be a weakness.

Beard is like some kind of Frankenstein’s monster of a coach with an unholy amalgamation of Tom Penders and Bob Knight. The one thing Penders did as well as anyone is make his players feel like they were 100 foot tall giants when they stepped into an arena, regardless of opponent. There’s a good bit of hucksterism with both Penders and Beard in that regard. Which bothers me not in the slightest, since I feel like we need that as a program to get to where we all want to be. 

I don’t know how effective it’s going to be from a 3 point % basis. It certainly didn’t work last year where he regularly said the same kind of things throughout the year, “We’ve got great shooters on this team. We’re just not knocking down shots.”

But I think it makes more sense to constantly be reinforcing players’ confidence than to emphasize reality a bit more, “You know, we’re not really that good of a perimeter shooting team. I don’t even know why we try to be.” I think especially of that Tre Mitchell bank shot versus KU in the FEC that practically won the game towards the end. Sure, there was luck involved, but the kid didn’t hesitate, and that’s what you want from players in that situation. 

All that said, I’m right there with you.

[Braff Zacklin 13573]

Yup.

Even if past and present form holds and they turn out to not be so accurate from the perimeter, I'm not worried. The team will win not because it makes more 3-pointers, but because it takes better 3-pointers.

No more of the "any one, from any where, at any time" green light that Texas saw under Shaka. Team proved that last year. Mostly. LoL

[SL Xpress 7515]

7 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Yup.

Even if past and present form holds and they turn out to not be so accurate from the perimeter, I'm not worried. The team will win not because it makes more 3-pointers, but because it takes better 3-pointers.

No more of the "any one, from any where, at any time" green light that Texas saw under Shaka. Team proved that last year. Mostly. LoL

I feel highly confident this team is going to be so much better at attacking the basket off the bounce. When there isn’t anyone who can take their defender one on one off the dribble it makes everything so much more difficult on offense. That’s what is going to help this motion offense hum at a higher level than last year. 

That said, I’ll be shocked if we don’t see regular complaints on this board about the offense. It’s tough for me to see Beard running a casual fan friendly offense. Not that it’s only casual fans who take issue with it. But the folks who want to see more transition, and an overall quicker pace I feel will be continually disappointed. That said, I posted the same thing about Barnes prior to TJ. He didn’t exactly change his spots to stripes per se, but they certainly at least became a different color for a period of time. 

So we’ll see what kind of evolutions if any Beard goes through depending on the talent he brings in. I’m all in for it. 

[Revolution512 1487]

Agreed, have to keep firing. Beard has to keep their confidence up and he’s terrific at that.

[LTtxfan 49188]

5 minutes ago, Revolution512 said:

Agreed, have to keep firing. Beard has to keep their confidence up and he’s terrific at that.

Confidence and free them up to play with fun and effort -- amazing how loose several of Penders teams played in the NCAA tournament...

[HookEm 2467]

Any fan of a team that Beard coaches needs to change their perspective.  His teams are more like those Ohio State football teams that would grind people down and win 17-3. 

Enjoy the frustration of the other team trying to score on us.  Enjoy the team defense.  Enjoy the methodical offense that is surprisingly efficient.  Don't worry if we don't win by 30 points most nights.  Just know that this style of play wins in March.

[jimmyjazz 45957]

37 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

I feel highly confident this team is going to be so much better at attacking the basket off the bounce.

Despite the fact that they're hype videos, it does appear that this team should be better inside/out.  Ball movement looks crisp.

[SL Xpress 7515]

1 minute ago, LTtxfan said:

Confidence and free them up to play with fun and effort -- amazing how loose several of Penders teams played in the NCAA tournament...

Well, that’s where the “Knight-side” of Beard kicks in. The guy is a control freak. I don’t mean that in a pejorative way, necessarily. More of a “the sky is blue.” He is going to demand the team runs his system. On both ends of the floor. If players get too far outside of that, they’re going to see the bench.

I think what drove me the most crazy about Penders - and while I liked TP for the good things he did, I can’t say I was ever actually a fan - was how loose-y goose-y his teams played. His best teams IMO were the rosters he inherited from Wetlich’s North Korean regime that Penders allowed to play with abandon. There was enough internal discipline already inculcated that it ended up being the best of both worlds. 

But on both ends of the floor Penders’ teams were not exactly the picture portrait of the fundamentals of basketball. But they rarely lacked for confidence, that’s for sure. 

[SL Xpress 7515]

2 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Despite the fact that they're hype videos, it does appear that this team should be better inside/out.  Ball movement looks crisp.

Better ball movement. More athleticism. They have 6 guys with some experience at initiating an offense in Hunter, Carr, Morris, Brumbaugh, Rice, and even Allen. I also see how many taller HS school point guards Texas is recruiting for 2023 and 2024. That’s obviously a key component in Beard’s search for an ideal positionless team. 

[SL Xpress 7515]

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

Despite the fact that they're hype videos, it does appear that this team should be better inside/out.  Ball movement looks crisp.

BTW, to add to this, specifically at the 11 second mark Hunter’s pass to Brumbaugh is the highlight of the clip. 

[ztejas 43452]

Here are the last 10 champs and where they ranked in 3p%:

 

2022 Kansas - 36.1% (53rd)

2021 Baylor - 41.3% (1st)

2020 Kansas (AP #1 - just for another data point) - 34.4% (117th)

2019 Virginia - 39.5% (7th)

2018 Nova - 40.1% (13th)

2017 UNC - 35.5% (154th)

2016 Nova - 36.2% (112th)

2015 Duke - 36.6% (41st)

2014 UConn - 38.7% (30th)

2013 Louisville - 33.3% (214th)

2012 Kentucky - 37.8% (38th)

 

So 3/10 were in the top 20 - 7/10 were in the top 60 and only one was below average (and 2017 UNC was right in the middle). I think a quick takeaway would be that being an average team from behind the arc isn't prohibitive to a deep tourney run but being a good team from behind the arc certainly helps.

Those are also full season numbers and we all know that it ultimately comes down to your last 6 games. 

Edited July 6, 2022 by ztejas

[MoJames 8244]

I thought Tech won in 2019.

[SL Xpress 7515]

32 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Here are the last 10 champs and where they ranked in 3p%:

 

2022 Kansas - 36.1% (53rd)

2021 Baylor - 41.3% (1st)

2020 Kansas (AP #1 - just for another data point) - 34.4% (117th)

2019 Virginia - 39.5% (7th)

2018 Nova - 40.1% (13th)

2017 UNC - 35.5% (154th)

2016 Nova - 36.2% (112th)

2015 Duke - 36.6% (41st)

2014 UConn - 38.7% (30th)

2013 Louisville - 33.3% (214th)

2012 Kentucky - 37.8% (38th)

 

So 3/10 were in the top 20 - 7/10 were in the top 60 and only one was below average (and 2017 UNC was right in the middle). I think a quick takeaway would be that being an average team from behind the arc isn't prohibitive to a deep tourney run but being a good team from behind the arc certainly helps.

Those are also full season numbers and we all know that it ultimately comes down to your last 6 games. 

 

The good news is only the 3 teams you're pointing out were elite. Percentages can change drastically with very small incremental improvements in the middle range.

For example, if Texas simply makes one more 3 pointer every other game rather than missing it, UT's 33% turns into 36.4. Now, if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle, so I'm not trying to argue that the statistics are wrong regarding what kind of 3 point shooting team Texas was. Simply that it doesn't require otherworldly shooting to make the kind of improvement that would land Texas squarely among the teams on this list. 

Not only that, but if we're saying 3 point shooting is important to tournament success - and anyone trying to argue differently is completely off their rocker (It is THE most important evolution in basketball over the past 30 years) - then we should be taking into account UT's prowess in defending the 3 point line, which will be a program strength under Beard. In that regard Texas is elite. Only a 32% defense percentage, but opponents only shot around 17 of them per game to rank 10th in the nation. It would behoove Texas to be more effective behind the line, but it shouldn't be analyzed in a vacuum. It's more critical that Texas is relatively better than their opponent.  

[Js1 85338]

51 minutes ago, MoJames said:

I thought Tech won in 2019.

They’d never shut up if they did. 

[jimmyjazz 45957]

1 hour ago, MoJames said:

I thought Tech won in 2019.

OT loss to UVA in the championship game.

[MoJames 8244]

3 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

OT loss to UVA in the championship game.

Can't be right, all the Tech fans I spoke to suggest otherwise.

[CurlyDumps 4471]

1 hour ago, MoJames said:

Can't be right, all the Tech fans I spoke to suggest otherwise.

They paid more to see a regular season home game vs. Texas than they did to see their team in the NC game, so I can see how they got confused. They won their Superbowl.

[Brian Fantana 6689]

7 hours ago, Js1 said:

They’d never shut up if they did. 

Lol bitch neither would you

[SL Xpress 7515]

2 minutes ago, Brian Fantana said:

Lol bitch neither would you

Name me just one national championship Texas has won in any major sport in the last 17 years or thereabouts that our fans won’t shut up about. I bet not a single one comes immediately to mind. 

[Bottlecap 1523]

Canada beats Team Baylor representing the entirety of the USA for whatever reason. 

 

[SL Xpress 7515]

1 hour ago, Bottlecap said:

Canada beats Team Baylor representing the entirety of the USA for whatever reason. 

 

 

It's not even team Baylor. It's like Team Baylor missing three of their starters. Again, for whatever reason.

[shadow_operative 15932]

i'll say it now: Carr, Allen, and Bishop returning is going to make up for the couple of glaring flaws that we have. those guys came back together, and on a mission. similar to last season, im not super concerned about anything before march, save injury woes or massive underachieving. i see those guys similarly to how we usually see freshmen- their biggest jump is from year one to year two.  it only should they all be better players than they were last year, but these are some grown men now, and the moment will not be too big for them. very few teams in the tourney will have a senior core that's as experienced and talented as those three.

as a side note, if Dylan Disu is healthy and playing to his potential, fuhgettaboutit. playing to his potential = 38%-40% from deep, a more than capable scorer, and a plus rebounder and help defender. this team will be more than the sum of its parts.

[SL Xpress 7515]

4 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

i'll say it now: Carr, Allen, and Bishop returning is going to make up for the couple of glaring flaws that we have. those guys came back together, and on a mission. similar to last season, im not super concerned about anything before march, save injury woes or massive underachieving. i see those guys similarly to how we usually see freshmen- their biggest jump is from year one to year two.  it only should they all be better players than they were last year, but these are some grown men now, and the moment will not be too big for them. very few teams in the tourney will have a senior core that's as experienced and talented as those three.

as a side note, if Dylan Disu is healthy and playing to his potential, fuhgettaboutit. playing to his potential = 38%-40% from deep, a more than capable scorer, and a plus rebounder and help defender. this team will be more than the sum of its parts.

 

I said it at the time it was such a pivotal moment for Beard's tenure. Not saying he wouldn't have succeeded without those three returning, but it puts such a tremendous stamp of approval on what he's trying to accomplish. Those guys have 100% buy in from the word go. It's a massive steroid level culture injection shot. 

I will say that as huge as those three are --- and they are --- Tyrese Hunter is bigger in some ways because he can actually beat his defender off the dribble and he's a true playmaker rather than the hybrid Carr is. Not to be critical of Carr, because I never felt the same way others do (although I understood the frustration), but Hunter and Carr have different strengths. I think they're going to be great on the court together. 

My thing is, Beard doesn't have to make it to the national championship like he did at Tech in his second year to be a success. I wouldn't complain, mind you, but that's not the kind of expectation I have for this team. But they can be better than last year's team. It frustrates me to a mild degree to see so many writers quickly label Beard's first season at Texas a disappointment. I don't see it that way at all. The expectations were based on a collective talent level that wasn't there, and then Mark Adams did a superlative job at Tech, and Otzelberger had a miraculous turnaround at Iowa State. Both of them made the Sweet Sixteen, whereas Texas was knocked out in the second round. It is what it is, but what I saw in Beard's first season gives me a huge sense of excitement for what's to come. 

This team is fully capable of earning a top 4 seed. If they can somehow make it to a #3 spot, they don't have to face the #1 seed in their regional until the regional finals. Baylor and KU will be the favorites in the conference, but Texas should be a clear #3. Be in the top 3 in the conference, make it to the Sweet 16, and there's a profound sense of progress towards the basketball team Beard will be able to continue to build off of.

The opening of Moody combined with Beard's relentless solicitation of the student body is going to pay huge dividends this year. People aren't going to believe the so called transformation of the fan base, when so much of it will be changing the system of ticket allocation, no longer treating students like 2nd class citizens, and having a coach that understands he has to be a critical part of getting the students involved as well. 

I'm so pumped. I can hardly wait for the season to begin, really. 

[Rockethorn1978 6078]

18 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

 

I said it at the time it was such a pivotal moment for Beard's tenure. Not saying he wouldn't have succeeded without those three returning, but it puts such a tremendous stamp of approval on what he's trying to accomplish. Those guys have 100% buy in from the word go. It's a massive steroid level culture injection shot. 

I will say that as huge as those three are --- and they are --- Tyrese Hunter is bigger in some ways because he can actually beat his defender off the dribble and he's a true playmaker rather than the hybrid Carr is. Not to be critical of Carr, because I never felt the same way others do (although I understood the frustration), but Hunter and Carr have different strengths. I think they're going to be great on the court together. 

My thing is, Beard doesn't have to make it to the national championship like he did at Tech in his second year to be a success. I wouldn't complain, mind you, but that's not the kind of expectation I have for this team. But they can be better than last year's team. It frustrates me to a mild degree to see so many writers quickly label Beard's first season at Texas a disappointment. I don't see it that way at all. The expectations were based on a collective talent level that wasn't there, and then Mark Adams did a superlative job at Tech, and Otzelberger had a miraculous turnaround at Iowa State. Both of them made the Sweet Sixteen, whereas Texas was knocked out in the second round. It is what it is, but what I saw in Beard's first season gives me a huge sense of excitement for what's to come. 

This team is fully capable of earning a top 4 seed. If they can somehow make it to a #3 spot, they don't have to face the #1 seed in their regional until the regional finals. Baylor and KU will be the favorites in the conference, but Texas should be a clear #3. Be in the top 3 in the conference, make it to the Sweet 16, and there's a profound sense of progress towards the basketball team Beard will be able to continue to build off of.

The opening of Moody combined with Beard's relentless solicitation of the student body is going to pay huge dividends this year. People aren't going to believe the so called transformation of the fan base, when so much of it will be changing the system of ticket allocation, no longer treating students like 2nd class citizens, and having a coach that understands he has to be a critical part of getting the students involved as well. 

I'm so pumped. I can hardly wait for the season to begin, really. 

[LTtxfan 49188]

 

Edited July 7, 2022 by LTtxfan

[Valmy77 13226]

So when roughly does the basketball schedule get released typically?

[shadow_operative 15932]

i imagine we'll have the full schedule some time around mid september.

[ztejas 43452]

 

[BigOrange1 6437]

this thing that marcus carr is playing in, is there a way to watch it?  and if so, does someone have a schedule?

[OB3 3625]

26 minutes ago, BigOrange1 said:

this thing that marcus carr is playing in, is there a way to watch it?  and if so, does someone have a schedule?

https://www.sportsnet.ca/article/globl-jam-standings-schedule-and-results/?sn-amp
I’m not sure where to watch, might be online only