Positives/Concerns

[Khan4Cats]

With the non-conference season concluded (minus BracketBusters). What are everyone's thoughts on how the team looks.

For me:
Positives-
Record- 9-2 with the inexperience outside the three returning starters is a big plus. I wasn't sure we could go through the four road games at .500. I think the Bucknell win, especially, will look very good by season's end.

Brooks- I think he's been very underappreciated for what he has done. He's stepped up even more this year with his ball distribution and has scored at a solid clip to force teams to respect him a little.

Coleman- Despite double teams and zones, he's just becoming even more of a beast. I like his running the floor, though not necessarily as the ball handler Free throws are still a little low, would like him to be at 65% or better.

Coach Jake- I like the demeanor he brings of calm leadership and patience as a teacher. Just watching how he is handling the youngsters is fun. I like the introduction of a transition game.

We have bench depth- Wow, it is nice to see guys not have to go 40 plus every night, should pay big dividends come February.

Concerns-
Team Free Throw Shooting- Maybe its just contagious, but we seem to miss way too many to be able to survive tight games in the Valley, even if we do typically shoot more.

3 position defender- The only player I miss a lot right now is Erik Crawford because of his size to match up with the 6'5"ish shooters. JJ did great on Haluska, but I'm not convinced he can do that to some of the players in the Valley.

Stout- Hard to put a guy who is nearly at a double-double, but he doesn't seem to be playing with the aggresiveness of the past few years. He needs to take it hard inside, no way should Wartburg guys keep him away from the rim. His free throw % has been way down this year as well.

Sorry for the ramble. Would love to read everyone else's thoughts.

Khan

[UNIAlum95]

I still worry about our ball handling under pressure situations. Teams like SIU, Drake, and Bradley will try to exploit that.

While our bench minutes have been good in blowouts, I worry that we will see a trend like last year in the MVC. At Iowa, we did not get any minutes off the bench. I hope we can continue to give guys a breather regardless of the score. This is especially true of Brooks who seems to play closer to 37 minutes a game.

Team free throw shooting has dropped off steadily over the years. We will need to be shooting better to win on the road in the valley.

We need to see some improved D from Travis. JJ on the three is a mismatch that will be exploited during the conference season. I would also like to see Travis more aggressive in driving to the basket or taking more short jumpers. We still don't have a good driving threat and if he can get defenders on their heels from dribble penetration, the three pointer will be wide open.

Coach Jake said last night before the game that Stout isn't quite as strong as he was last year and he's going to have to find a way to get through that. Hopefully, it will start to come back here in the next few weeks.

[wloopanther]

While our bench minutes have been good in blowouts, I worry that we will see a trend like last year in the MVC.

This year we have to have good quality bench minutes in the MVC or we will not even be close to the top half.

I really think that Stephen Jones is coming around and looks like he is playing with a lot of confidence. If Viet can continue to get open and drain
3's like he is that will be a definite plus come MVC time. Koch also played pretty well off the bench @Loyola and I think Kwadzo will only get better. The only person I see that hasn't really improved or scares me a lot if Stout or Coleman get hurt or into foul trouble is Eglseder. He just looks very slow and his hand seem like rocks. Hopefully, he can improve as well.

But, overall, I think that our depth will help us at the end of the year much more than last year's team.

[BCPanther]

As far as Eglseder,
Being this young and coming from the level of basketball he came from a lot of his success will come from matchups that benefit his experience. His best game was against Washington because Hawes presented a matchup that was very favorable to him.

There are some of those same matchups in the Valley. The four that stick out to me are:

Greg Dilligard- Illinois State- 6'10" not terribly athletic and plays exclusively with his back to the basket

Matt Webster- Evansville- 6'8" The guy has been tearing it up against players his size and smaller but really struggles against taller players. Will start to get a little cheap if things don't go his way. Eglseder will give him fits due to size and Coleman's aggressive style will also cause problems

Anthony Tolliver- Creighton- 6'11"- More athletic than Eglseder but again is most comfortable within 10 feet. He is capable of shooting outside and is very streaky from there. Defensively he relies on his hands way too much and Eglseder's above average footwork will pay off.

Aliou Keita- Drake- 6'8"- This guy is a mauler that is much more proficient on the offensive end. He struggles against players that can block shots and those that are not wearing uniforms that say "IOWA" across the front.

Jordan will find favorable matchups to build confidence and when the light finally goes on for good he is a no doubt All-Valley player. We do need to remember that those four guys are freshman going through the Valley for the first time. This year may be frustrating at times but the future is bright.