re: Hoops prediction for tonight?

I was at a meeting and only arrived home in time for OT....

Enjoyed that part!

Young team, but they are improving. reached.500 tonight. Would be great if they can finish season with that or better win record.

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I'd also agree that it seems KA was holding back a bit on the offensive end.

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I've seen this said a few times now. I really don't think it was a case of 'holding back' as much as it was a case of defense first, then we started working on the offense. They weren't doing any offensive work in the preseason workouts. There were a few articles stating that. KA wanted to instill a defensive mentality as a foundation of who he wanted his teams to be. I pointed this out earlier this season when some were bitching about the point guards and their inability to run an offense-you gotta have one to run before you can run it. then you add in the fact that the HC had to learn his players and what their strengths and abilities are. Then add in the fact of a lot of inexperience, and lack of experience playing with each other. As I've been watching the games, the offense has bit by bit been coming together, and it's just now starting to get to the point where they are running plays instead of thinking about how the play is suppose to be run.

Also, few are mentioning it, but the defense is already better than it was the last few seasons. This team has potential; maybe not this year as far as the NCAA, but it could be a factor in the SEC race. By beating LSU, they already have factored in.

Just to add to that, all in the last 2.5 weeks.

People laugh at us now, we're 1-3 years away from the best team mizzou has ever put on (potential wise)

Depends who they add in the next 1-2 recruiting classes. If they land top level kids then maybe.

Puryear and VanLeer, while maybe what Mizzou needs, are not top level kids. Land the top instate kids like Tatum, Porter and others, and then we'll talk.

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I'm not sure there's anyone left on the board that's likely for us that leads me to believe that next year's class will be able to signfiicantly lift the performance of this team to the level the previous poster alluded.

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From what little I've read and seen, next year's class is not high on talent but high on role players. Which is fine in one sense because we need that too.

I think, two years from now this team will be really good if they stay together.

Williams and Clark will be seniors. Teki, Allen, Gant, Wright and Isabell will be JRs.

So in the next two years, you have to hit on at least one quality big and a true PG.

Jabari had 50 in his D League game. Could have really used him this year.

To think what could have been. So yes, this is coming to KA's defense in a sense. If Jabari stayed around another year, there's the outside shooting we're lacking. If Price didn't turn out to be the douche he is and actually contributed, there's the big man we're lacking.

Not to mention, with Teki and Bello out, KA is working with awfully thin numbers every night. Really makes me hold my breath when I see Clark or Isabel or whomever coming up gimpy.

Gant is averaging about 6.5 ppg with about half the minutes per game as guys like J3, Shamburger and Clark. Does he deserve more time if he promises to not shoot anymore 3's and play defense? I know it's not as simple as saying double his time and double his points, but he's not far off from averaging double digits himself.