Well, after the past three games, I'm certainly feeling much more optimistic that we won't see a big drop-off vs. last year, relative to what I felt after Milwaukee. Obviously I'm not alone in this. So I got to thinking about how the rosters from the two seasons compare:
Point guard: Monte Morris (Sr.) vs Nick Weiler-Babb (Jr.): Morris was great. Good passer, great ball handler, and became a very good scorer too. NWB is only three games into his point-guard career, so there will surely be some growing pains, but he brings size and athleticism to the position beyond what Morris did. Advantage still to the 2017 lineup, but not as glaring as it looked a week ago. I have to admit that I am very pumped about the possibilities for NWB at PG.
Shooting guard: Donovan Jackson (Sr.) vs Matt Thomas (Sr.): I think I might give the edge to Jackson here. Both are great shooters and Thomas learned to become a very good defender, but Jackson has some quickness edge on Thomas, and has proven to be great in the clutch.
Combo guard: Naz Mitrou-Long (Sr.) vs. Lindell Wigginton (Fr.): Wigginton has the higher ceiling but the question is how quickly he will fully adjust to the college game. Mitrou-Long hit a lot of big shots over his career but also shot us out of a few games, and there were times even last season where fans were calling for his benching. Assuming good development from Wigginton this year, I see this position potentially being a push and maybe even becoming an edge for this year's team.
Small forward: Deonte Burton (Sr.) vs. Jeff Beverly (Sr.): Burton had incredible athleticism and versatility, and at this point this slot has to be considered a major edge for last year's team, though Burton also had some much rougher stretches before he really hit his groove. Beverly seems like a hard working garbage man, but I'm guessing we're not going to see dramatic improvement over the season since he's already such a veteran and doesn't possess Burton's athleticism. The equation may change if Lard continues to adjust and cracks the starting lineup although if that happened, it would be a comparison of very different skill sets vs. Burton.
Power forward: Solomon Young (Fr.) vs Solomon Young (So.): Assuming no sophomore slump, the edge has to go to the more seasoned Young.
Guard reserves: Donovan Jackson (Jr.) and Nick Weiler-Babb (Jr.) vs. Jakolby Long (So.) and Terrence Lewis (Fr.): First off the bench, junior Jackson seems like a stronger piece than sophomore Long, assuming Long's Tulsa performance doesn't become routine. Last year's NWB never really seemed to get totally comfortable. Lewis has a lot of potential but it is hard to know if he will start to flower this year yet. Long and Lewis are really more wing players than true guards, it seems. I think the edge here has to go to last year's team based mainly on Jackson.
Post reserves: Darrell Bowie (Sr.) and Merrill Holden (Sr.) vs. Cam Lard (Fr.), Zoran Talley (Jr.), and Hans Brase (Sr.): Neither of last year's post reserves were really effective post players, though Bowie found a productive role toward the end of the season. Holden basically fell out of the rotation but did play a key role in a few wins. Lard oozes potential and Brase brings good size as well as a reputed shooting touch that hasn't been too much on display yet. Talley was a lone bright spot in the early going but hasn't seen as much time in the wins. Definite advantage to this year's squad, I'd say.
Intangibles: Morris, Mitrou-Long, and Thomas formed a great core of four-year senior leadership, with Burton clearly being a critical part of that senior class as well. Only one freshman cracked the rotation, and he had time to grow into his role. This year, the leadership falls onto the shoulders of NWB and Jackson. I had my doubts a week ago but feeling better at this point. I have also liked what I have seen from Brase on the floor in terms of pulling the team together. Maybe this is an area where Beverly contributes too -- he's been through the grind and seems to want the experience of being on a winning team. This year's team counts on one freshman starter as well as one key reserve and another in the rotation, which could be a bit of a weakness especially in the early going. Both teams have shown the propensity to lose leads. Hard not to give the overall edge to last year's team until proven otherwise.
With the apparent strength of the Big 12, a slide in the standings is probably to be expected, but I'm pretty excited to watch the season develop.
Point guard: Monte Morris (Sr.) vs Nick Weiler-Babb (Jr.): Morris was great. Good passer, great ball handler, and became a very good scorer too. NWB is only three games into his point-guard career, so there will surely be some growing pains, but he brings size and athleticism to the position beyond what Morris did. Advantage still to the 2017 lineup, but not as glaring as it looked a week ago. I have to admit that I am very pumped about the possibilities for NWB at PG.
Shooting guard: Donovan Jackson (Sr.) vs Matt Thomas (Sr.): I think I might give the edge to Jackson here. Both are great shooters and Thomas learned to become a very good defender, but Jackson has some quickness edge on Thomas, and has proven to be great in the clutch.
Combo guard: Naz Mitrou-Long (Sr.) vs. Lindell Wigginton (Fr.): Wigginton has the higher ceiling but the question is how quickly he will fully adjust to the college game. Mitrou-Long hit a lot of big shots over his career but also shot us out of a few games, and there were times even last season where fans were calling for his benching. Assuming good development from Wigginton this year, I see this position potentially being a push and maybe even becoming an edge for this year's team.
Small forward: Deonte Burton (Sr.) vs. Jeff Beverly (Sr.): Burton had incredible athleticism and versatility, and at this point this slot has to be considered a major edge for last year's team, though Burton also had some much rougher stretches before he really hit his groove. Beverly seems like a hard working garbage man, but I'm guessing we're not going to see dramatic improvement over the season since he's already such a veteran and doesn't possess Burton's athleticism. The equation may change if Lard continues to adjust and cracks the starting lineup although if that happened, it would be a comparison of very different skill sets vs. Burton.
Power forward: Solomon Young (Fr.) vs Solomon Young (So.): Assuming no sophomore slump, the edge has to go to the more seasoned Young.
Guard reserves: Donovan Jackson (Jr.) and Nick Weiler-Babb (Jr.) vs. Jakolby Long (So.) and Terrence Lewis (Fr.): First off the bench, junior Jackson seems like a stronger piece than sophomore Long, assuming Long's Tulsa performance doesn't become routine. Last year's NWB never really seemed to get totally comfortable. Lewis has a lot of potential but it is hard to know if he will start to flower this year yet. Long and Lewis are really more wing players than true guards, it seems. I think the edge here has to go to last year's team based mainly on Jackson.
Post reserves: Darrell Bowie (Sr.) and Merrill Holden (Sr.) vs. Cam Lard (Fr.), Zoran Talley (Jr.), and Hans Brase (Sr.): Neither of last year's post reserves were really effective post players, though Bowie found a productive role toward the end of the season. Holden basically fell out of the rotation but did play a key role in a few wins. Lard oozes potential and Brase brings good size as well as a reputed shooting touch that hasn't been too much on display yet. Talley was a lone bright spot in the early going but hasn't seen as much time in the wins. Definite advantage to this year's squad, I'd say.
Intangibles: Morris, Mitrou-Long, and Thomas formed a great core of four-year senior leadership, with Burton clearly being a critical part of that senior class as well. Only one freshman cracked the rotation, and he had time to grow into his role. This year, the leadership falls onto the shoulders of NWB and Jackson. I had my doubts a week ago but feeling better at this point. I have also liked what I have seen from Brase on the floor in terms of pulling the team together. Maybe this is an area where Beverly contributes too -- he's been through the grind and seems to want the experience of being on a winning team. This year's team counts on one freshman starter as well as one key reserve and another in the rotation, which could be a bit of a weakness especially in the early going. Both teams have shown the propensity to lose leads. Hard not to give the overall edge to last year's team until proven otherwise.
With the apparent strength of the Big 12, a slide in the standings is probably to be expected, but I'm pretty excited to watch the season develop.
