re: 2019-20 Basketball (16-16) SEC CO-CHAMPIONS!

For what it's worth, the Memphis game had us looking vastly improved on D from where we started the season. I'm not confident this team will be making the tourney or anything yet, but if that trends the right direction through SEC play, I think we can weather the TO issues to some degree with how efficient we play saree able to score. The TO troubles are a bit of a byproduct of pushing the tempo with younger, inexperienced players... Particularly if we can start to get a little more consistent from outside the arc. Right now we're deficient there but elite with 2pt FG %...

I think we gave up like 55-60% shooting to Michigan St earlier this year. If we'd held them to under 50% that's another quality win...

FT% is weird to me... Can't recall if any of the youngsters were particularly good FT shooters in HS, but that's one thing that could definitely be costly if we can't boost it a bit.

If UGA can win tonight, the chances of making the tournament improve dramatically.

We already got one Top 25 vote in the coaches poll

this is way off topic but it realy pisses me off how well pearl recruits georgia. He si a good coach, it's impossible to deny that, but his AU stint would be nothing without everyone he's gotten from GA. I really hope crean can start to keep some of those guys hoem .

Excellent outlet. This squad cam play with anyone.

I didn't think we drove toward the hoop enough. Especially in the 2nd half. When we did in the 1st, we were typically successful with a point or 3 depending on the foul shots. D wasn't as aggressive in the first 2/3 of the 2nd half. We have good potential but need more development. Overall a good performance against a highly esteemed opponent. Kirby was excited.

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The difference was the final 7 minutes.

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There was a stretch run there starting around the 9 minute mark IIRC where we subbed very strange. Kentucky took advantage, took the lead and our offense went cold. Crean needs to take a hard look at that one.

Still sloppy with the ball though, particularly *after* getting turnovers. I think I saw 2-3 plays where we got solid steals, only to turn it back over AND give up an easy bucket because of the 2x transition.

I love this team though... it's a hell of a lot more fun to watch than the Fox grind out close losses method.

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pisses me off how well pearl recruits georgia

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Agreed.

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I really hope crean can start to keep some of those guys hoem .

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He's *got* to. Antman was the first domino, but we've got to start preventing guys from leaving Georgia for other SEC teams not named Kentucky. We'll almost always lose the guys that want to go to the Dukes and Kentuckys of the world (see: Hagans) if that's where they have their heart set on, but for the ones that don't, there's no reason for Auburn to be the destination over Athens if Crean is doing his job.

On the upside, I think he *knows* this, because one of the top criticisms he got from his stint at IU was that he sucked at instate recruiting and pissed off the HS and AAU coaches, so he was pulling great talent but had to look outside the state for it (at least according to my IU buddies). Thus some of the hires that he made to make sure the relations in state are strong.

It won't be an overnight swing, but over the next couple of cycles, hopefully we see an adjustment to that trend. Though to be fair, as someone else mentioned, we likely have a limited amount of space in the next class at a minimum maybe the next 2, due to the size of last year's freshman class.

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We also need to get away from Edwards shooting contested jumpers.

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100%. It's a hard habit to break for kids as good as him straight out of HS. The risk/reward ratio was much lower in HS. He's *so* damn good inside... I don't even mind the occasional early in the shot clock 3, but it's gotta be a known quantity so the team can crash and try and get the board. It seems like some of his longer range shots are last minute decisions taken from awkward angles.