BASKETBALL 3-2-1 for MT Hoops
- Thread starter C-Bow
- Start date
Thus far, MT has done well vs good "mid-major" teams for a good record and good RPI. Now the stretch of the schedule comes where MT will be tested vs teams recognized on the national stage. For where MT wants to go, these upcoming games will be telling.
While it's good MT won the tournament in Nashville, I'm still not so sure the team has really come together to make a successful run vs these upcoming programs that garner more national attention.
It seems fairly clear that Williams, Upshaw, and Potts are getting into the swing of things close to what would be expected. To this point, the offseason's work on FTs has not yielded any improvements. While the FT % seems to be approaching last season's, there still seems to be a difference. Last year, the players would struggle at the line most of the game, but they would hit the critical FTs down the stretch to close out games. It remains to be seen if this team can do that or improve on FTs overall.
While Giddy struggled in the first few games, he seems to be getting back into the swing of things. Most notably, Giddy finally seems to be settling down and hitting the 3s.
The other big concern is an almost over reliance by the rest of the team on Williams, Upshaw, and Potts for offense. Specifically, Simpson and Habersham need to step up. Those two asserting themselves on the offensive end could very well make the Blue Raiders more potent. They both seem to have good scoring ability. Walters appears to have big potential, but it looks like he needs some time and experience. Gamble has really only shown flashes, hopefully Gamble will start to become a reliable contributor. Dixon seems pretty close to being really good. As a true freshman, it is understandable that Dixon needs a little more time and experience to develop. Foote seems to be hampered by an injury recently, hopefully Foote will be back up to full speed soon.
As good as Williams is at scoring, it would still be nice to see the team better settle into good ball movement and more assists.
While it's good MT won the tournament in Nashville, I'm still not so sure the team has really come together to make a successful run vs these upcoming programs that garner more national attention.
It seems fairly clear that Williams, Upshaw, and Potts are getting into the swing of things close to what would be expected. To this point, the offseason's work on FTs has not yielded any improvements. While the FT % seems to be approaching last season's, there still seems to be a difference. Last year, the players would struggle at the line most of the game, but they would hit the critical FTs down the stretch to close out games. It remains to be seen if this team can do that or improve on FTs overall.
While Giddy struggled in the first few games, he seems to be getting back into the swing of things. Most notably, Giddy finally seems to be settling down and hitting the 3s.
The other big concern is an almost over reliance by the rest of the team on Williams, Upshaw, and Potts for offense. Specifically, Simpson and Habersham need to step up. Those two asserting themselves on the offensive end could very well make the Blue Raiders more potent. They both seem to have good scoring ability. Walters appears to have big potential, but it looks like he needs some time and experience. Gamble has really only shown flashes, hopefully Gamble will start to become a reliable contributor. Dixon seems pretty close to being really good. As a true freshman, it is understandable that Dixon needs a little more time and experience to develop. Foote seems to be hampered by an injury recently, hopefully Foote will be back up to full speed soon.
As good as Williams is at scoring, it would still be nice to see the team better settle into good ball movement and more assists.
Watched VU destroy TSU last night. The Dores don't put a player on the floor who can't shoot. Defense will surely be tested at home next week.
Agreed that how we do against the two $EC teams and VCU (the best OOC on our schedule IMHO) will go a long way in determining how this MT team is perceived by the local and national media along with area casual fans.
As indicated we must find more players who are consistent scoring options, the PG position must solidify (either Dixon or Copeland need to be on the floor at all times - Simpson and Giddy have other responsibilities), and we need another "big" to step up (gotta believe the staff thinks either Walters or Gamble will step up or they wouldn't be trying so hard to red-shirt Thomas).
IMHO a real key for this team is for Foote to recover from his injury and to start making the impact he made late last year.
Agreed that how we do against the two $EC teams and VCU (the best OOC on our schedule IMHO) will go a long way in determining how this MT team is perceived by the local and national media along with area casual fans.
As indicated we must find more players who are consistent scoring options, the PG position must solidify (either Dixon or Copeland need to be on the floor at all times - Simpson and Giddy have other responsibilities), and we need another "big" to step up (gotta believe the staff thinks either Walters or Gamble will step up or they wouldn't be trying so hard to red-shirt Thomas).
IMHO a real key for this team is for Foote to recover from his injury and to start making the impact he made late last year.
