A quick update on conference foe Utah before we get into the FAU preview. Utah recently lost an exhibition game against DII opponent, Adams State 61-60. The game may have cost them more than their dignity. David Foster, their gigantic 7-3 senior center, is undergoing foot surgery that will keep him out indefinitely and possibly the entire season. They also lose junior guard Chris Hines for 2-4 weeks with a rib injury. Both players were hurt during the exhibition game. If the Utes were looking rough before, its even worse now.
Florida Atlantic is the returning Sun Belt champion, posting a 22-11 record, 13-3 in conference. With 4 returning starters and a line-up with 5 juniors and 3 seniors, the Owls have the experience and skill necessary to take the Sun Belt conference again. Joe Lunardi currently has FAU in one of the four play-in games as a 16 seed. The Owls return 3 of their top 4 scorers including leading scorer, Greg Gantt, at 14 points per game. Their top two scorers, Gantt and Raymond Taylor, are also their top returning 3 point shooters, each hitting about 33% with 60 or so makes.
FAU does lose their top rebounder, a category they definitely struggle in at only 33 boards per game. With their tallest player standing at 6-8 and Taylor at 5-6 it is no surprise that the Owls have trouble on the glass. This is an area where UW can gain a HUGE advantage using their clearly superior size. FAU will add a 7-1 transfer next season to their roster as he is currently sitting out his transfer year as per NCAA regulation.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups:
Florida Atlantic:
Raymond Taylor 5-6 145lb
Alex Tucker 5-11 165lb
Greg Gantt 6-2 205lb
Jordan McCoy 6-6 185lb
Kore White 6-8 245lb
Washington:
Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
C.J. Wilcox 6-5 190lb
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Darnell Gant 6-8 230lb
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb
Keys to the Game:
Rebounding:
Washington should and will dominate the glass in this match-up. With such a ridiculous size advantage we can expect the Dawgs to come out with a +15 or more rebounding margin. This is the type of game where N'Diaye and Ross could both go for double doubles with points and rebounds as well as guys like Gaddy and Tony Wroten could possibly double-double with points and assists.
Push the Post Option:
This is a great time for UW to get some serious points in the paint, valuable experience for later in the season against bigger frontcourts and tougher match-ups. With N'Diaye having a 4 inch and 20lb advantage and Gant with 2 inches and 50lbs on his man, its tough to see either of them struggling significantly with posting up their man. Ross, Wilcox, and especially Gaddy will also have significant size advantages that will allow them to drive the lane as well as elevate for some nice three point attempts.
Force the Backcourt Pressure:
With our frontcourt having definitive size and skill advantages, the Dawgs can afford to push their backcourt defense a bit harder and cheat a little more on cutting off passes. The Owls scoring also finds most of its success on the perimeter so shutting down their guard play with tough, in-your-face defense will prevent many opportunities.
Final Score Prediction:
UW-94 FAU-60
As bad as GSU looks, FAU is a much better match-up for the Huskies. Not only is our backcourt anywhere from 4 to 12 inches taller than theirs, our frontcourt also has a huge advantage in size and strength. FAU is similar to UW in that their frontcourt is their weakness and the backcourt is their strength and our strength is much stronger than theirs by any stretch of the imagination. UW should have another dominate victory, but one in which our scoring in the paint will prove to be much more decisive than usual.
Showing posts with label David Foster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Foster. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
University of Utah 2011-2012 Preview
Utah comes into the Pac-12 looking much worse off than they did in football. A 13-18 season, 6-10 in the Mountain West Conference, does not bode well in what is definitely a stronger conference. Utah comes in missing a lot of past seasons players. Let's look quickly at a list of everyone they lost and then we will pursue a more in depth look at the key losses for the Utes.
Players Lost:
Jay Watkins 6-8 215lb
Chris Kupets 6-0 175lb
Antonio DiMaria 6-6 195lb
Will Clyburn 6-7 200lb
Shawn Glover 6-7 195lb
Seth Tippetts 6-8 235lb
J.J. O'Brien 6-7 215lb
Neal Monson 6-10 230lb
Dominique Lee 6-4 205lb
Michael Hodgman 6-1 175lb
Preston Guiot 6-0 185lb
Josh Fuller 6-7 210lb
Count it, 12 players down. 12. Wowza. Somehow they have managed to fill their roster back out with members from each class, including 5 freshmen. With only 4 returning players, not starters mind you just players in general, Utah is far and beyond the team with the most work to do. Anything better than a last place finish in the Pac-12 should be considered a success. Heck, I'd be amazed if they pull off 10 wins total with this kind of turn over. Sure they are bringing in players with some experience, but the Utes will be missing a lot of team cohesion and chemistry that is extremely important in winning close games and staying in what could otherwise be complete blowouts. If Utah and Colorado thought they were being stepped on in football, just wait until basketball season when UW, UA, and UCLA come marching in to greet them properly. Utah missing playing UW and WSU on the road as well as UCLA and USC at home. So Utah will play UA and Cal twice as well as UW and UCLA once, which most fans on either side of the ball should chalk up as 6 losses for Utah. The opposing team must be certain to never overlook a team, even one as beat up as Utah. Anyone can be beaten on a given day. Just look at SPU who beat Arizona by 1 in Arizona. Arizona was also down 12 at one point to Humboldt State in their most recent exhibition and only pulled out the win in the final 4 minutes or so when foul shots allowed Arizona to keep their lead. With that in mind, let's look at who the key losses are this off season.
Key Losses:
Will Clyburn 6-7 200lb
With a team leading 17 points and 8 rebounds a game, Clyburn was the heart, soul, and star of the Utah basketball team. He also led the team in steals per game and 3 point shooting percentage. Keep in mind Clyburn also made twice as many 3 pointers than anyone else on the roster, so it was not just a "fluke" or low attempt number that gave him such a good percentage. He will be greatly missed.
Jay Watkins 6-8 215lb
Older brother of returning leading scorer, Josh Watkins, Jay was third in scoring at nearly 15 points per game and had a team high 3.5 assists per game. Unfortunately, he also had a team high 3.4 turnovers which essentially negates whatever good he did for the team.
J.J. O'Brien 6-7 215lb
With 7 points and 6 rebounds a game (good for second on the team) O'Brien was another solid wing lost by the Utes this past year. I can't comment too much on what any of these players brought to their teams outside the statistics I've found as I really didn't watch them play last year. All I know is that Utah will be hurting in a very bad way.
Incoming Freshmen:
Kareem Storey 6-0 190lb
Storey is known to be a solid scorer with the ability to hit inside with a good driving attack as well as outside with a decent 3 pointer. He does force a lot of shots, hordes the ball, and often lacks the court vision to see open teammates. Storey could be more of a hindrance than an asset for Utah, but he is a college level player, which Utah would have been severely lacking otherwise.
Anthony Odunsi 6-3 195lb
Odunsi is a combination guard, much like Isaiah Thomas, but not nearly as skilled and lacking a consistent 3 pointer. He is a solid rebounder with the strength to bounce around in the lanes. He seems like a much more reliable point guard prospect for Utah.
George Matthews 6-6 190lb
Matthews has a great scoring skill set. At 6-6 he can shoot over players in the lane and at the post. He can also finish outside the arc, which forces defenders to stay honest at all times. He energy level can waver at times on offense and defense, occasionally forcing shots or letting the opposition blow by him.
Utah also brings in 3 JC transfers, plus 7 other transfers/redshirts.
Returning Players:
David Foster 7-3 255lb
Josh Watkins 6-0 200lb
Jason Washburn 7-0 230lb
Chris Hines 6-0 195lb
Well that was easier than usual.
Predicted Starting Line-Up
Josh Watkins 6-0 200lb
David Foster 7-3 255lb
And that's about as far as I can guess. They have so many incoming players I can't even begin to ponder who will be in their starting 5 outside those two. It's anyone's to take.
What to Expect:
Don't expect Utah to come close to competing. Even ASU and WSU should be able to make Utah look bad. Utah does return some size in a pair of 7 footers, but neither has shown too much offensive promise yet. Defensively they are a dangerous duo, especially if they could play on the court at the same time. Utah will be lucky to win 3 or 4 games in conference. If they manage to string together some sort of consistent starting 5 and find some decent enough bench players, Utah could struggle out of the basement to maybe 11th or 10th place. Higher than that would be asking far too much of the players and coaching staff. Utah won't be competitive in conference for at least another 2 or 3 year, in my opinion.
Players Lost:
Jay Watkins 6-8 215lb
Chris Kupets 6-0 175lb
Antonio DiMaria 6-6 195lb
Will Clyburn 6-7 200lb
Shawn Glover 6-7 195lb
Seth Tippetts 6-8 235lb
J.J. O'Brien 6-7 215lb
Neal Monson 6-10 230lb
Dominique Lee 6-4 205lb
Michael Hodgman 6-1 175lb
Preston Guiot 6-0 185lb
Josh Fuller 6-7 210lb
Count it, 12 players down. 12. Wowza. Somehow they have managed to fill their roster back out with members from each class, including 5 freshmen. With only 4 returning players, not starters mind you just players in general, Utah is far and beyond the team with the most work to do. Anything better than a last place finish in the Pac-12 should be considered a success. Heck, I'd be amazed if they pull off 10 wins total with this kind of turn over. Sure they are bringing in players with some experience, but the Utes will be missing a lot of team cohesion and chemistry that is extremely important in winning close games and staying in what could otherwise be complete blowouts. If Utah and Colorado thought they were being stepped on in football, just wait until basketball season when UW, UA, and UCLA come marching in to greet them properly. Utah missing playing UW and WSU on the road as well as UCLA and USC at home. So Utah will play UA and Cal twice as well as UW and UCLA once, which most fans on either side of the ball should chalk up as 6 losses for Utah. The opposing team must be certain to never overlook a team, even one as beat up as Utah. Anyone can be beaten on a given day. Just look at SPU who beat Arizona by 1 in Arizona. Arizona was also down 12 at one point to Humboldt State in their most recent exhibition and only pulled out the win in the final 4 minutes or so when foul shots allowed Arizona to keep their lead. With that in mind, let's look at who the key losses are this off season.
Key Losses:
Will Clyburn 6-7 200lb
With a team leading 17 points and 8 rebounds a game, Clyburn was the heart, soul, and star of the Utah basketball team. He also led the team in steals per game and 3 point shooting percentage. Keep in mind Clyburn also made twice as many 3 pointers than anyone else on the roster, so it was not just a "fluke" or low attempt number that gave him such a good percentage. He will be greatly missed.
Jay Watkins 6-8 215lb
Older brother of returning leading scorer, Josh Watkins, Jay was third in scoring at nearly 15 points per game and had a team high 3.5 assists per game. Unfortunately, he also had a team high 3.4 turnovers which essentially negates whatever good he did for the team.
J.J. O'Brien 6-7 215lb
With 7 points and 6 rebounds a game (good for second on the team) O'Brien was another solid wing lost by the Utes this past year. I can't comment too much on what any of these players brought to their teams outside the statistics I've found as I really didn't watch them play last year. All I know is that Utah will be hurting in a very bad way.
Incoming Freshmen:
Kareem Storey 6-0 190lb
Storey is known to be a solid scorer with the ability to hit inside with a good driving attack as well as outside with a decent 3 pointer. He does force a lot of shots, hordes the ball, and often lacks the court vision to see open teammates. Storey could be more of a hindrance than an asset for Utah, but he is a college level player, which Utah would have been severely lacking otherwise.
Anthony Odunsi 6-3 195lb
Odunsi is a combination guard, much like Isaiah Thomas, but not nearly as skilled and lacking a consistent 3 pointer. He is a solid rebounder with the strength to bounce around in the lanes. He seems like a much more reliable point guard prospect for Utah.
George Matthews 6-6 190lb
Matthews has a great scoring skill set. At 6-6 he can shoot over players in the lane and at the post. He can also finish outside the arc, which forces defenders to stay honest at all times. He energy level can waver at times on offense and defense, occasionally forcing shots or letting the opposition blow by him.
Utah also brings in 3 JC transfers, plus 7 other transfers/redshirts.
Returning Players:
David Foster 7-3 255lb
Josh Watkins 6-0 200lb
Jason Washburn 7-0 230lb
Chris Hines 6-0 195lb
Well that was easier than usual.
Predicted Starting Line-Up
Josh Watkins 6-0 200lb
David Foster 7-3 255lb
And that's about as far as I can guess. They have so many incoming players I can't even begin to ponder who will be in their starting 5 outside those two. It's anyone's to take.
What to Expect:
Don't expect Utah to come close to competing. Even ASU and WSU should be able to make Utah look bad. Utah does return some size in a pair of 7 footers, but neither has shown too much offensive promise yet. Defensively they are a dangerous duo, especially if they could play on the court at the same time. Utah will be lucky to win 3 or 4 games in conference. If they manage to string together some sort of consistent starting 5 and find some decent enough bench players, Utah could struggle out of the basement to maybe 11th or 10th place. Higher than that would be asking far too much of the players and coaching staff. Utah won't be competitive in conference for at least another 2 or 3 year, in my opinion.
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