Started By
Message

Expectations for the basketball team

Posted on 11/9/20 at 8:24 am
Posted by WDE24
Member since Oct 2010
54838 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 8:24 am
What are yours?

Should be fun to watch the team grow and develop an identity. With such little production returning and all of the additions, this team enters the season more unknown that I can remember in years past.

Do you think this team can mesh and develop an identity quickly enough to make the tourney? Schedule will be tough this year with Gonzaga, Baylor, UK x2, etc.
Posted by TailbackU
ATL
Member since Oct 2005
13044 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 8:36 am to
Gonna take some time to develop all these young guns. And we wont have to overwhelming home court advantage due to COViD but I think they come around mid-year and still win 20 games to get us to the tourney as an 9-seed or something like that.
Posted by The Nino
Member since Jan 2010
21810 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 9:11 am to
My early expectations are too high already. I know there will be growing pains for this young team, but I can't help but be optimistic with Bruce at the helm
Posted by Tigerpro2a
Huntsville, AL
Member since Sep 2018
631 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 9:19 am to
Im with the Nino lol, I already am having to tamper my expectations. This is what I think we can bank on.

This team will look well coached from the get go. They will improve week to week, game to game.

I think the talent on this team may be as high as any AU team, but they will need to gel quickly. I think we definitley make Tourney though.

What will the starting 5 look like?
Posted by TheSandman
Waffle House
Member since Nov 2010
19513 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 9:23 am to
Heard through the grapevine that expectations need to be pretty tempered, especially early in the season, and that Bruce’s “we’re probably middle of the SEC” isn’t just coach-speak
Posted by auburnnyc94
Member since Nov 2017
9961 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 9:26 am to
I think this team will be plagued with inconsistency and scoring droughts. I think it has a chance to be a very good team defensively, though.
Posted by AuSteeler
montgomery. AL
Member since Jan 2015
2989 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 10:07 am to
quote:

I think this team will be plagued with inconsistency and scoring droughts. I think it has a chance to be a very good team defensively, though.



THis....and They will have to learn who their go to guys are on offense to be in the top half.

That takes time...so I think we will start off very slow, and as BP tweaks his lineups early...not till mid way of the SEC, then we will know if we have a NCAA team.

But agree I expect us middle of the SEC, and hope for better if we find consistent scorers inside and out.
Posted by AA7
Birmingham, AL
Member since Nov 2009
28447 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 10:15 am to
I suspect we will really struggle early and flat out look bad at times, but by the end of the year we are a team that could be in the talks for the tourney and a team that higher seeds don't want to draw.
Posted by auburnnyc94
Member since Nov 2017
9961 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 10:30 am to
I think Cooper, Williams, and Cambridge will all 3 avg double digit scoring. Who will be our 4-6 leading scorers? That's where I have no clue. Have to think Flanigan is in that mix. Who else?

And who will be the reliable option to end a drought?

Who will be our reliable late game option?

I think Cooper will be a very good late shot clock option.. which is always a huge asset.
Posted by makersmark1
earth
Member since Oct 2011
20495 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 11:27 am to
40-0 ‘ship
Posted by AUNashville
New Haven
Member since Jul 2014
3561 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 11:36 am to
FYI, we're playing the top 2 preseason teams this season in Gonzaga and Baylor.
Posted by AA7
Birmingham, AL
Member since Nov 2009
28447 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 11:42 am to
Thankfully even though we likely lose both of those, basketball rewards teams for playing the big dogs.
Posted by TigerProwl24
Gulf Coast
Member since May 2015
4238 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 11:43 am to
quote:

What will the starting 5 look like?


1- Cooper. Powell/Turbo
2- Flanigan/Johnson. Powell/Turbo
3- Cambridge/Flanigan.
4- JWill. Thor/Moore/Franklin
5- Stretch. Cardwell/Thor
Posted by jangalang
Member since Dec 2014
50801 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 11:44 am to
I expect maturity and growth pains. We have lost 5 or 6 seniors players two years in a row now. Lost a lot of experience and ball usage players.
Posted by CorchJay
Member since Nov 2018
21104 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 11:45 am to
Bubble Team for the NCAA. I expect somewhere between 5-8 in the SEC. Depends on if we can steal some of the tougher out of conference games or at least stay within a couple of possessions. I've said all along if Bruce can get us in the Top 4 of the SEC this year he should be national coach of the year with the inexperience.

Scoring and leadership on the court is going to be the biggest issue. We really wanted a "good" transfer to bring some experience in to help with the grind of a long season.

I think the team has been working very hard and the kids look like studs with their physical maturity so we might play defense like South Carolina. Kill you if you come near the basket. We will see how that plays out if we play physical every game some of the ticky tack stuff doesn't get called if the officials know it's gonna be full contact basketball.
Posted by CorchJay
Member since Nov 2018
21104 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 11:51 am to
quote:

1- Cooper. Powell/Turbo
2- Flanigan/Johnson. Powell/Turbo
3- Cambridge/Flanigan.
4- JWill. Thor/Moore/Franklin
5- Stretch. Cardwell/Thor



1 - Cooper/Powell
2 - Flanigan/Turbo/Johnson
3- Cambridge/Moore
4 - Williams/Thor
5 - Stretch/Cardwell

Moore is at the 3 for now. I could see the starters getting about 25 minutes and backups 15 minutes early. Remember none of these guys are used to playing big minutes in the SEC.
Posted by aujerm
North ATL burbs
Member since Oct 2016
1011 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 12:25 pm to
Pearl is such a great evaluator and developer of talent and I’m hoping he’s sandbagging a bit with this talk about being middle of the SEC. I’m hoping that Powell, Cardwell, and Moore were all underrated as has been hinted at and that we are in the upper 1/3 of the SEC.
This post was edited on 11/9/20 at 12:26 pm
Posted by TheJones
Member since Nov 2009
34512 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 12:27 pm to
It’d be great to make the tournament again and I think that’s my ceiling for my expectations this season
Posted by AA7
Birmingham, AL
Member since Nov 2009
28447 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 1:03 pm to
quote:

I’m hoping he’s sandbagging a bit with this talk about being middle of the SEC

Pearl has been a straight shooter in the past. When we were good, he wasn't shy about saying we would be good. I would guess that he's being transparent this year as well.
Posted by marshallcotiger
Member since Dec 2009
8346 posts
Posted on 11/9/20 at 1:36 pm to
I think we'll look a lot like the team from Harper's freshman year. We'll score some points and be fun to watch but struggle closing teams out late in games due to poor defense.

quote:

WDE24


Good to have you back on here. Your youngster old enough to start playing sports yet?
This post was edited on 11/9/20 at 1:41 pm
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 2Next pagelast page

Back to top
logoFollow SECRant for SEC Football News
Follow us on X and Facebook to get the latest updates on SEC Football and Recruiting.

FacebookTwitter