I'll repeat what I threw out there in the Belmont thread: the most intriguing way to tweak the rotation may be to try Rupert at the 4 alongside Ebube or Muila for parts of games. Sure, not optimal since neither Rupert, Ebube or Muila are going to space the floor well with their shooting, but Rupert can score and does have some versatility to his game, and I think having him and one of the other bigs out there together offer more upside than continuing to give major minutes to some of the other guys who haven't done much with their opportunities.
Mullins has talked a lot about the team's depth and versatility, and it seems like it would at least be worth taking a look at what a bigger lineup could do, at least for a few minutes here and there.
At Saint Peters Rupert often played alongside another quality big (can't remember his name) who was a fantastic shot blocker and interior rebounder/scorer. It worked there. I definitely think its worth looking into here.
KS Ndefo, a 6' 7" forward who was the National Defensive Player of the Year. 2nd team MAAC. Very good shot blocker.
Against Kentucky in the NCAA, had 7 pts, 2 blocks, 3 rbs. Clarence had 4 rbs and 6 pts.
Had 17 pts and 10 rbs and 6 blocks against Murray in the NCAA.
Against Purdue in the Sweet 16, he had 4 pts, 3 rbs, no blocks.
Against Purdue, Clarence had 11 pts, 3 rbs, 2 blocks, 3 stls.
St. Peters' guards were outstanding the whole tournament.
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If JD and CR are on the floor at the same time with JD at center, our offense will be hurting more than usual.
SIU sits right at #100 in the Kenpom. Hopefully, by tomorrow night we are back in double digits for the first time in a while.
A lot of moving parts there!Not a bad start at 11-4 and of the 4 losses, one should have been a W, and two could have been a W. It is the defense & reduced TOs that are winning games, yet it has been frustrating to watch, especially the substitution pattern. For example, why is JDM now getting more playing time than CR? If each got 20 minutes/game, CR would average 10 pts. & 5.5 RB, while JDM would average 4 pts & 6 RB, and it cannot be defense as CR is quicker, more agile, and fouls less. On the same subject, if TB and FW each got 20 minutes/game, TB would average 3 pts. & .5 RB while FW would average 8 pts. & 1 RB. All very strange, indeed. It seems unlikely we can win the conference or the tourney if this pattern continues.
A lot of assumptions. I see the point he is trying to make, but you can't take these stats in a vacuum. Some believe that Brown's defense is overrated and it is a debatable topic, but Foster can really be a liability on defense. The stats don't show that. Granted, I still want Foster on the floor because I love watching the guy shoot, but making a complete argument for playing time based on a couple of numbers is ridiculous.
FWIW, looks to me like Wonders has made progress with his defense and overall floor game, and I'm sure that would accelerate with more minutes. He did a nice job hustling for a long rebound in the corner against Belmont.
Agree, Wonders should be getting more minutes. He can score and we play team D. People talk about Brown - he often gets beat by quicker players yet he started the last game.
I really dislike how quickly BM was pulling Rupert out of the game against Belmont. He's our best big and can get us some points inside. JD had a nice rebounding game against Belmont but no O. Also don't think he's much of a shot blocker.
We can't win just shooting threes, except on that very rare night we can't miss. Against Drake, we need some inside presence. Play Clarence and Foster. I'd like to see Hornecker in there too.
@mr_woogers I am looking forward to when we have Scottie back. He will hopefully add a whole lot more to the 5 spot. JD is definitely big but he is super inconsistent. Never really has a good look, struggles to catch the ball, and doesn't block super well. I thought he had a great game vs Belmont, but I think Clarence, Scottie, and even CH should get more looks.
In Mullins I trust. Six games ago I had some doubts. Winning cures a lot of ills. We are well on our way to a 20+ win season. The team plays gritty defense and our depth is a big advantage, and will be even more so when Scottie gets back. Mullins has increased the tempo of his game and the team seems to be buying into the whole "first you build the culture" thing. A win tonite will have me drinking some maroon Kool-Aide. Go Dawgs.
Muila has had elite defense the last few games. I know he’s not an exciting player and everyone is loving on the younger guys recently, and for good reason. But Muila has been really impactful these last few games. Hard to argue playing him when he’s looked this way recently.
Feels like tonight is one of the most important games in the Mullins era
@kyle_saluki_17 What has JDM done that has been so impacful to deserve more playing time than CR? Could it be a few more RB? It is certaininly not scoring (not even close) and the few he did make, anyone could make. He does foul more. Stats don't lie - in no way do the total stats favor JDM over CR.
I'll repeat what I threw out there in the Belmont thread: the most intriguing way to tweak the rotation may be to try Rupert at the 4 alongside Ebube or Muila for parts of games. Sure, not optimal since neither Rupert, Ebube or Muila are going to space the floor well with their shooting, but Rupert can score and does have some versatility to his game, and I think having him and one of the other bigs out there together offer more upside than continuing to give major minutes to some of the other guys who haven't done much with their opportunities.
Mullins has talked a lot about the team's depth and versatility, and it seems like it would at least be worth taking a look at what a bigger lineup could do, at least for a few minutes here and there.
At Saint Peters Rupert often played alongside another quality big (can't remember his name) who was a fantastic shot blocker and interior rebounder/scorer. It worked there. I definitely think its worth looking into here.
KS Ndefo, a 6' 7" forward who was the National Defensive Player of the Year. 2nd team MAAC. Very good shot blocker.
Against Kentucky in the NCAA, had 7 pts, 2 blocks, 3 rbs. Clarence had 4 rbs and 6 pts.
Had 17 pts and 10 rbs and 6 blocks against Murray in the NCAA.
Against Purdue in the Sweet 16, he had 4 pts, 3 rbs, no blocks.
Against Purdue, Clarence had 11 pts, 3 rbs, 2 blocks, 3 stls.
St. Peters' guards were outstanding the whole tournament.
------------------------------
If JD and CR are on the floor at the same time with JD at center, our offense will be hurting more than usual.
Yeah that's him. He was a lot of fun to watch in the tourney.
And yeah, I'm not thrilled at the idea of playing Rupert alongside Muila, but I'd be intrigued to see him get some run with Hornecker. I think the skill-sets of those two in particular could compliment each other nicely. I'd wager we'll see it somewhere down the road.
--Insert something witty here--
JDM vs CR. Why even go there? They are teammates, for God's sake. Together they were 13 pts, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks and 1 steal against Belmont. I'd say things are working out pretty good at the 5 spot.
This one worries me a lot. Drake has all the urgency after the MSU game. DeVries will have them ready. Southern needs to come out with energy to begin the game. None of this digging a first half hole and having to crawl back.
On the interview with D'Amico, Rodney Watson asked Troy whether he could be the Salukis' version of Garrett Sturtz, an analogy I floated over the offseason.
That would be great but obviously Troy has a long ways to go to be as effective of a swiss-army knife as Sturtz is. If he's going to continue to be a regular in the rotation, he needs to find his confidence at the offensive end and find ways to get a few buckets when his 3 isn't falling.
Given I'm attending I expect we'll lose... We haven't won a game I've been at since CLo's 1st year... Granted, a sample size of 2 (the AJ Graves buzzer beater and the game at Loyola in January 2020)
Anyway, what's the concessions payment situation, do they take credit or is it cash only?
Scottie will be a "game-time decision" whether he will get minutes in tonight's game, according to BM.
