This was a great game, a great win, no question. But it was a basketball game and as such, not perfect. It is early, and we will get better than this as time goes on.
The good:
Cuonzo’s first win against a big time program and on a big time stage. This is really great for the Cal program, for national recognition, and for recruiting, both national and local Bay Area.
The Bears were clearly up for this one, after playing 4 very weak opponents and not looking like they could do a lot better. However they did do better. They improved in several areas.
Everyone in the rotation contributed, some more than others, of course. Individually, the brightest spots for me were Kravish, Bird, Mathews, Singer, Behrens and Okoroh. You get this many players playing well and playing together on the same night, and you will win nearly all those games.
Kravish finally played up to form, and better, in all phases. Gone was the reluctance he had in earlier games. Aside from DK, Bird carried the team in the first half, and Mathews carried it in the second half. Singer dished and played good D. Behrens played good D against very strong athletic players.
75% from the free throw line. With all the shooters we have, we should always be over 70% from the line, but this was the first game this season in which we were.
22 assists for 26 baskets is astounding. This means we played as a team. But we know that. For the season we have 66 assists for 98 baskets, which is amazing. Let us hope this is a trend we can continue.
The not so good:
Syracuse had some very quick and strong athletic players, but after losing three of their best from last season, they are clearly a work in progress. They should not have been rated a top 25 team, but that is the usual East Coast sportswriter media bias. It always has been a fact of life. At least now they know we exist and will have to be reckoned with. But a win against a rebuilding team like this would not mean as much for Cuonzo and the team as a win or good game against a very good team like Texas tonight or Wisconsin and Arizona down the road.
Rebounding is still not where it could be, as we tied Syracuse at 38 apiece. Tonight’s game will be a real test for our rebounders.
Some players could do better. Okoroh can improve in all phases, but it is amazing how fast he IS improving. Behrens could improve his shooting. Tarwater could look to get open more, eliminate air-balls, and RMB can improve in all areas. The player I was most disappointed in was Wallace. Joseph was a much quicker point guard, and beat Ty off the dribble several times, twice leaving him in the dust as he drove past him for easy layups. 4 turnovers for the second game in a row. Defenders stole the ball from him on his dribble, and he lost the ball and got shots blocked in the paint. He air-balled a shot from three. He threw away a pass to Bird on the break, by leading him too much, but I think they gave the turnover to Jabari. Wallace is close to the point where he is giving up as many points as he is passing for or scoring himself. He can play a lot better than his. I think he was just too amped up for this game, his first trip to NYC, and first trip to MSG. I think he will do better tonight.
:beer:
The good:
Cuonzo’s first win against a big time program and on a big time stage. This is really great for the Cal program, for national recognition, and for recruiting, both national and local Bay Area.
The Bears were clearly up for this one, after playing 4 very weak opponents and not looking like they could do a lot better. However they did do better. They improved in several areas.
Everyone in the rotation contributed, some more than others, of course. Individually, the brightest spots for me were Kravish, Bird, Mathews, Singer, Behrens and Okoroh. You get this many players playing well and playing together on the same night, and you will win nearly all those games.
Kravish finally played up to form, and better, in all phases. Gone was the reluctance he had in earlier games. Aside from DK, Bird carried the team in the first half, and Mathews carried it in the second half. Singer dished and played good D. Behrens played good D against very strong athletic players.
75% from the free throw line. With all the shooters we have, we should always be over 70% from the line, but this was the first game this season in which we were.
22 assists for 26 baskets is astounding. This means we played as a team. But we know that. For the season we have 66 assists for 98 baskets, which is amazing. Let us hope this is a trend we can continue.
The not so good:
Syracuse had some very quick and strong athletic players, but after losing three of their best from last season, they are clearly a work in progress. They should not have been rated a top 25 team, but that is the usual East Coast sportswriter media bias. It always has been a fact of life. At least now they know we exist and will have to be reckoned with. But a win against a rebuilding team like this would not mean as much for Cuonzo and the team as a win or good game against a very good team like Texas tonight or Wisconsin and Arizona down the road.
Rebounding is still not where it could be, as we tied Syracuse at 38 apiece. Tonight’s game will be a real test for our rebounders.
Some players could do better. Okoroh can improve in all phases, but it is amazing how fast he IS improving. Behrens could improve his shooting. Tarwater could look to get open more, eliminate air-balls, and RMB can improve in all areas. The player I was most disappointed in was Wallace. Joseph was a much quicker point guard, and beat Ty off the dribble several times, twice leaving him in the dust as he drove past him for easy layups. 4 turnovers for the second game in a row. Defenders stole the ball from him on his dribble, and he lost the ball and got shots blocked in the paint. He air-balled a shot from three. He threw away a pass to Bird on the break, by leading him too much, but I think they gave the turnover to Jabari. Wallace is close to the point where he is giving up as many points as he is passing for or scoring himself. He can play a lot better than his. I think he was just too amped up for this game, his first trip to NYC, and first trip to MSG. I think he will do better tonight.
:beer: