UNI the real deal?

[Cdizzle]

I thought we looked like winners, same as the past couple of years...

UNI looks legit to me. They have the talent, experience and coaching. They are also back to playing defense this year. Good combo. Should be a Top 25 team the 2nd half of the year.

[Jhook89]

I definitely think it is fair to question our team at this point. We all know they are a good team, but they honestly haven't looked like the number 11 team in the country to this point. The best and arguably the only legitimate team we have faced so far (Utah) beat us and besides for the first few minutes and the last few they controlled the whole game. There aren't many teams remaining on our schedule that are better than mediocre, so we probably won't know how good this team is till march when somehow we will have to play Kentucky the first weekend

[ShockerFever]

I definitely think it is fair to question our team at this point. We all know they are a good team, but they honestly haven't looked like the number 11 team in the country to this point. The best and arguably the only legitimate team we have faced so far (Utah) beat us and besides for the first few minutes and the last few they controlled the whole game. There aren't many teams remaining on our schedule that are better than mediocre, so we probably won't know how good this team is till march when somehow we will have to play Kentucky the first weekend

Uh, if we played Kentucky the first weekend, that would mean we're equivalent to an 8/9 seed. Is that what you think this team is?

You can't play 40 minutes of perfect basketball. It's impossible. We've played the 6th toughest schedule in America to date and we've faired 8-1 against it, with the lone loss being a 1 point OT loss at a Top 15 team with our big load out with foul trouble the entire game.

Just stop.

[_kai_]

We are ranked 4th in the country in RPI and currently ranked 13th in SoS. I'm not saying people can't question this team, I'm not forcing some "sunshine pumping" as people like to say around here, but I just don't see it. We've played solid competition this year in our non con. We have one loss, and it's to a team ranked 14th in the country behind us ranked 11th. We've had some close games, but that's basketball. There are plenty of teams out there with bad losses already, and some of those aren't even being questioned in regards to if they're a good team. It's basketball, there will be hot games, and cold games.

But if we're talking about question marks, at this point in the season our biggest question marks are FT shooting and post production. As someone has said before, the difference in last year's FT% at this point in the season compared to this year is the equivalent of just 2 points per game lower. And the post production is definitely an issue but should hopefully work itself out with time. Inexperience down low just takes time, and I'm hoping that Kelly will be the guy that has found the spark and will start taking over games downlow in addition to our veteran Carter who just needs to put a bigger emphasis (which he has recently) on staying out of foul trouble.

[Cdizzle]

Does every team that is "the real deal" or in the Top 25 have to be undefeated to be deserving? That seems to be the current measuring stick a lot of folks are using. I think it makes complete sense to point out and talk about certain deficiencies the team may/may not have. I think most reasonable fans are aware that there are some weaknesses and some areas of concern. But to frame that conversation in a way that says a team that is 8-1 against a good, if not great, non-conference schedule is, in my opinion, where we get a little off.

For instance, I've seen several posters note how good UNI is (and fairly so) because of their performances at VCU and against Iowa. Then turn around and point out major deficiencies of WSU. In the end though, UNI lost in OT to VCU, and beat a decent Iowa team after trailing at half. How you compare that to WSU losing at Utah in OT and beating the likes of Seton Hall or Alabama and come away thinking UNI is definitely the superior team, I cannot say.

Good teams lose. Great teams lose. Sometimes to sub-par or even crappy teams. Good/great teams struggle through some games and pull out wins. Sometimes even to sub-par or crappy teams. I'm excited that it appears at least two (and most likely just 2) teams in the Valley are legit this year. I'm also excited that we play in a league with a balanced schedule that allows everything to work itself out on the court.

[Dan]

My biggest concern about our team is about the new guys stepping up. Rashard is doing a solid job and Shaq has glimpses, but we need these 2 plus some others to be more than bodies on the court. For us to make a run down the stretch, we have to get deeper as a team. If not, the big 4 will start wearing down and it won't bode well for us.

[ShockerFever]

Not to mention that UNI's schedule has been underwhelming. They have 1 ok win but has struggled in games as well. How come no one is pointing out their OT win at home against a bad George Mason team?

No doubt that UNI has improved and is a quality team, but let's not get crazy, k? We don't have a bad team ourselves. No, not UNDEFEATED good, but good.

[_kai_]

My biggest concern about our team is about the new guys stepping up. Rashard is doing a solid job and Shaq has glimpses, but we need these 2 plus some others to be more than bodies on the court. For us to make a run down the stretch, we have to get deeper as a team. If not, the big 4 will start wearing down and it won't bode well for us.

I've been underwhelmed with Nurger. To me, early in the season he was showing the most upside and then just disappeared. Just vanished. Kelly silently snuck into the rotation and started doing big things.

I want Shaq to excel so badly, but he just has moments where I'm just scratching my head. He's come in off the bench and gotten some REAL QUICK fouls and I'm screaming at the TV. I couldn't imagine how Gregg handles it in practice, surprised he still has hair.

[Dan]

Shaq has shown some great passing ability out of the post. Unlike a lot of big guys, he's not a black hole and has the ability to do some things. He just needs to avoid the silly fouls, hopefully he'll get there. I'm not too concerned about Nurger in that we've seen enough of him to see that there's hope. We've seen almost nothing from Glass and Wamukota, which has been the biggest disappointment for me, considering their age and experience.

[jocoshock]

Shaq has shown some great passing ability out of the post. Unlike a lot of big guys, he's not a black hole and has the ability to do some things. He just needs to avoid the silly fouls, hopefully he'll get there. I'm not too concerned about Nurger in that we've seen enough of him to see that there's hope. We've seen almost nothing from Glass and Wamukota, which has been the biggest disappointment for me, considering their age and experience.

With Evan's injury, I can see Glass, Brown, and Wamukota getting more PT against the weaker opponents. Tevin has demonsrtated a nose for offensive boards, stickbacks and FTs (75%). True it has been mostly in mop up duty, but getting any opportunity at all will help down the road,

[im4wsu]

With Evan's injury, I can see Glass, Brown, and Wamukota getting more PT against the weaker opponents. Tevin has demonsrtated a nose for offensive boards, stickbacks and FTs (75%). True it has been mostly in mop up duty, but getting any opportunity at all will help down the road,

Brown is the most intriguing to me. Long -- did I say long -- with a very nice offensive skill set. When he learns the system, where to be and when, he could be very very good. Can be a real huge asset on team defense with his length and quickness.

Really the same for Glass, he has great per 40 rebounding stats, but is too often in the wrong place.

BushW is limiting his time by cheap fouls on the perimeter on the ball screens. I'd like to see him get some continuous minutes where he can slow down a bit.

[Jhook89]

Uh, if we played Kentucky the first weekend, that would mean we're equivalent to an 8/9 seed. Is that what you think this team is?

You can't play 40 minutes of perfect basketball. It's impossible. We've played the 6th toughest schedule in America to date and we've faired 8-1 against it, with the lone loss being a 1 point OT loss at a Top 15 team with our big load out with foul trouble the entire game.

Just stop.

Uh, apparently you can't take a joke, because the part about playing UK the first weekend was sarcasm. Was UK an 8/9 seed last year?

Teams currently in the top 50 in the RPI: Incarnate Word (44), Eastern Washington (40), Rhode Island (33), Buffalo (29), Green Bay (17). Any quoted statistics from the RPI at this point in the season is unreliable and doesn't really tell you much. UCLA got destroyed by Kentucky and went up 5 spots in the RPI rankings. We may have the "6th toughest schedule" according to the RPI at this point, but what is that really worth?

I think it is perfectly acceptable to be a little worried about this team after the way they have played 1/2 the season. Am I worried they are going to fall out of the top 25? no. Am I worried they are going to lose the MVC? nope. Am I worried we could get knocked out the first week of the tourney? yes. I trust 3G to get us playing better by march, but the team hasn't played great lately and it is perfectly understandable why someone would question how good we really are.

[Cdizzle]

Rhode Island and Green Bay definitely appear to be good. Eastern Washington and Buffalo appear pretty decent. Your point is somewhat valid that the RPI is still pretty highly in flux, and so is the SoS. But we're in late December now and those numbers aren't really meaningless at this point either. Should we also ignore that Kentucky, Kansas, Virginia, Duke, Villanova, Gonzaga, Louisville and Texas are in the Top 10 of the RPI? Or do those have meaning because we recognize the names and expect them to be there?

[ShockerFever]

Uh, apparently you can't take a joke, because the part about playing UK the first weekend was sarcasm. Was UK an 8/9 seed last year?

Teams currently in the top 50 in the RPI: Incarnate Word (44), Eastern Washington (40), Rhode Island (33), Buffalo (29), Green Bay (17). Any quoted statistics from the RPI at this point in the season is unreliable and doesn't really tell you much. UCLA got destroyed by Kentucky and went up 5 spots in the RPI rankings. We may have the "6th toughest schedule" according to the RPI at this point, but what is that really worth?

I think it is perfectly acceptable to be a little worried about this team after the way they have played 1/2 the season. Am I worried they are going to fall out of the top 25? no. Am I worried they are going to lose the MVC? nope. Am I worried we could get knocked out the first week of the tourney? yes. I trust 3G to get us playing better by march, but the team hasn't played great lately and it is perfectly understandable why someone would question how good we really are.

Uh, that's why I said 6th toughest schedule TO DATE. I never said anything about what our final numbers will like. But since you are questioning the team on what theyve done TO DATE, I'm providing factual information based upon that timeframe.

Do you not understand the concept of it's impossible to play 40 minutes of perfect basketball? Especially early in the season?

Have you watched every team in the Top 25 play? Have you watched them play 40 minutes of perfect basketball?

If you wanna bring up certain weaknesses of the team (i.e. free throw shooting), then by all means do it. But if you're just gonna make blanket statements about WSU not being good without any supporting evidence, then you should probably consider toning down your pie hole, because the statistical evidence that has been laid it out before you, does not support your case.

[shockerfan]

These games we have played have been against long, athletic, physical players. Not the easiest games for new guys to learn and for coach to build depth. There are plenty of teams that depth can be built against coming up in the conference. I won't be worried about depth for another month or so.

FT shooting I am mildly concerned but I have faith that will get a better