UNC and KU rosters have a lot in common

[ThePhog08]

Granted Dave had injuries all year but

Dave and Bacot both 6'10 and 250

2 guys who shoot from anywhere , Remy and Love

Two guys who average 5.5 a game and play great defense, Black and Harris

The differences , Manek is a 6'8 guy who shoots 3's and Jalen is 6'8 and drives.

RJ Davis shoots way more than Braun

The X factor is Och. UNC doesn't have a guy quite like him.

 

[UNC71-00]

Dont you have some size on your bench? Carolina has none to speak of

I think the key to this game will be Bacot and fouls

 

[Big_C_KU]

Dont you have some size on your bench? Carolina has none to speak of

I think the key to this game will be Bacot and fouls

Wouldn’t call Mitch size he’s only 6-7. He has experience, solid finisher with his jump hook, and solid shot blocker but terrible rebounder. KU will basically be going 7 deep tomorrow night with Remy and Mitch off the bench unless there is some foul trouble and Self has to steal some minutes with KJ and JCL.

 

[IUfanBorden]

Granted Dave had injuries all year but

Dave and Bacot both 6'10 and 250

2 guys who shoot from anywhere , Remy and Love

Two guys who average 5.5 a game and play great defense, Black and Harris

The differences , Manek is a 6'8 guy who shoots 3's and Jalen is 6'8 and drives.

RJ Davis shoots way more than Braun

The X factor is Och. UNC doesn't have a guy quite like him.

Manek is only 6'8"? Dude seems like he's 6'10".

Och is the X factor for sure----How Leaky can defend him is key.

This game is gonna be fun as shit, IMO----Unless of course you're a UNC/KU fan.....then its valium, bourbon, sweating, pacing, yelling, more valium....more bourbon....

 

[coryfly]

Yeah, Agbaji is the key without a doubt. I really like Braun, though will probably hate him tomorrow. Watching him I would guess the rest of the Big 12 despises the guy. He is run to watch though.

 

[imajericho]

If Davis can contain the point, I feel good about our chances. Leaky and Love are very good defenders. Manek should have a mismatch and easier defensive assignment as he can lag off their 20% 3point shooter.

 

[imajericho]

What surprised me was how McCormick doesn't seem to rebound as much for his size. He averages under 7 rebounds a game and almost half are offensive. It means they all crash the boards on D which is weird for an up and down transition team.

 

[CrimsonNCreme84]

Manek being a former sooner of 4 years and being a Mizzou grad has me all in on UNC.

 

[coryfly]

Transition will be huge. UNC hasn't always been great at getting bac so Kansas will try and exploit that for sure.

 

[RustyTrambone]

If Davis can contain the point, I feel good about our chances. Leaky and Love are very good defenders. Manek should have a mismatch and easier defensive assignment as he can lag off their 20% 3point shooter.

Harris is not much of an offensive threat. That's not the matchup that's gonna make or break anything. Not sure manek has as much of a mismatch as you think. Wilson is just as big and a better athlete than manek. He will shoot the 3 if he's sagging off. Wilson is more of a driver though and he definitely has an advantage there. Go to the hole. Get manek in foul trouble, game over.

 

[Big_C_KU]

If Davis can contain the point, I feel good about our chances. Leaky and Love are very good defenders. Manek should have a mismatch and easier defensive assignment as he can lag off their 20% 3point shooter.

Jalen is capable of shooting the 3 if left open. He shot 33% in conference play but has struggled in the tournament. Where Jalen has an advantage is driving on Manek. Jalen has the quickness advantage but he’s also very crafty attacking the basket because he has very good handles. Jalen is also a very good rebounder as he’s averaging a double double in the tournament.

 

[ExitFlagger]

What surprised me was how McCormick doesn't seem to rebound as much for his size. He averages under 7 rebounds a game and almost half are offensive. It means they all crash the boards on D which is weird for an up and down transition team.

Not too long ago, McCormack led the nation in offensive rebounding %. Not sure where he ranks right now. Keep in mind that he's averaged way fewer minutes than Bacot and many other starting bigs.

As for Wilson's 3 pt shooting, he's a little better than that 27% figure. He missed some games at the start of the year due to a suspension, and when he saw action, he played really poorly for awhile before settling into a groove. Since early January, he's shot 33% from behind the arc, which is what he averaged last year on more attempts. But I'd much rather see Agbaji, Braun or Martin shoot from outside.

 

[12375CAT]

They were both accused of cheating 👎

 

[IUfanBorden]

Harris is not much of an offensive threat. That's not the matchup that's gonna make or break anything. Not sure manek has as much of a mismatch as you think. Wilson is just as big and a better athlete than manek. He will shoot the 3 if he's sagging off. Wilson is more of a driver though and he definitely has an advantage there. Go to the hole. Get manek in foul trouble, game over.

Not so sure getting Manek in foul trouble equates to the game being over---but it would certainly be an issue...Look for Hubert to have Manek play off of Jalen, and make him some perimeter shots. He does that, and now theres a problem.

TBH, 1-5, I think these two teams are evenly matched----Och being the exception...BUT, I mean RJ and Love are playing at an elite level, alas when Boatwright and Shabazz went nutso in 2014. Just not sure outside of Harris, KU has anyone who can defend Love and RJ.

3-point shooting is gonna be huge....IF KU shoots as they did vs Nova, they are gonna win the title. ut then again, Love is a dude capable of matching you shot for shot. And dude has been a monster in the 2nd half of games.

Really think this gonna be a very good game...

UNC 80-77.

 

[Big_C_KU]

Not so sure getting Manek in foul trouble equates to the game being over---but it would certainly be an issue...Look for Hubert to have Manek play off of Jalen, and make him some perimeter shots. He does that, and now theres a problem.

TBH, 1-5, I think these two teams are evenly matched----Och being the exception...BUT, I mean RJ and Love are playing at an elite level, alas when Boatwright and Shabazz went nutso in 2014. Just not sure outside of Harris, KU has anyone who can defend Love and RJ.

3-point shooting is gonna be huge....IF KU shoots as they did vs Nova, they are gonna win the title. ut then again, Love is a dude capable of matching you shot for shot. And dude has been a monster in the 2nd half of games.

Really think this gonna be a very good game...

UNC 80-77.

KU has been the best defense in the country since March 1st at forcing teams into taking poor quality shots. KU’s defense has been really good against everyone including teams that like to go 1v1. Love and Davis are going to have to hit tough shots for UNC to win which they are both more than capable of doing.

 

[imajericho]

Jalen is capable of shooting the 3 if left open. He shot 33% in conference play but has struggled in the tournament. Where Jalen has an advantage is driving on Manek. Jalen has the quickness advantage but he’s also very crafty attacking the basket because he has very good handles. Jalen is also a very good rebounder as he’s averaging a double double in the tournament.

That's why Manek sags back. Cut off the driving ability, entice the lightly contested 3 from him.

You seem supremely confident though.

 

[coryfly]

I usually like cutting off a driver by actually playing closer to the player so you suffocate them and crowd them but you obviously run the risk of fouling depending on the crew. So yeah, Manek probably needs to lay off to a degree but that also gives Jalen a bit of a start driving, which I don't care for. If Manek is on Wilson that is simply going to be a situation where he needs his offense to counter what happens on the other end.

 

[imajericho]

I literally can't make sense of McCormack's minute totals in games.

 

[Big_C_KU]

I literally can't make sense of McCormack's minute totals in games.

There’s “Good Dave” and “Bad Dave”. Good Dave can give you 15 and 10 in 30 minutes. Bad Dave can give you 2 and 2 in 15 minutes. We also have “Great Dave” which you saw yesterday or “unplayable Dave” which we see occasionally.

The good thing is KU has learned to win a ton of games with Bad Dave. We usually see bad Dave when we play smaller teams that like to crowd the post and a bunch of guards are getting there hands in when he posts. I expect UNC will play Dave straight up which is usually a good matchup for Dave. Self at times has kind of held back with Dave as well and played him few minutes because of his injured foot. We need good Dave to win tomorrow night.

 

[IUfanBorden]

KU has been the best defense in the country since March 1st at forcing teams into taking poor quality shots. KU’s defense has been really good against everyone including teams that like to go 1v1. Love and Davis are going to have to hit tough shots for UNC to win which they are both more than capable of doing.

What exactly is a poor, quality shot? 😁

But as you said, Love/Davis are very capable of hitting tough shots----see Love's shot over Williams to seal the deal, basically.

I think KU is better----but TBH, not by very much. This isn't a typical 1 seed vs a cinderellla 8 seed, making a run....THis is 1 seed vs a team that has found its stride,and is playing like a 1 seed.

Also, 8 seeds are 1-2 in title games, and on a 2 game losing streak, so..........

1985: Villanova over Gtown
2011: 8 seed Butler lost to 3 seed Uconn
2014: 8 seed UK lost to 7 seed UConn.

8 seed is due...

 

[imajericho]

Per 100 possessions this year
Name / O Rating / D Rating / WS per 40 / PER

UNC
Bacot / 122.6 / 94.6 / .234 / 29.5
Love / 104.3 / 104.1 / .114 / 15.6
Manek / 120.8 / 102.8 / .176 / 21.9
Davis / 114.8 / 103.8 / .140 / 16.6
Leaky / 123 / 103 / .113 / 12.6

Johnson / 125.1 / 103.4 / .138 / 14.4
Styles / 92.1 / 101 / .065 / 11.4

Kansas
Agbaji / 117 / 99 / .185 / 21.1
Braun / 117.2 / 97 / .177 / 19.9
McCormack / 117.2 / 94.7 / .212 / 24.7
Wilson / 114.8 / 94.7 / .171 / 18.4
Harris / 109.3 / 100.4 / .107 / 11.3

Martin / 113.7 / 98.9 / .159 / 17.4
Lightfoot / 115. 7 / 94.9 / .167 / 19.4


Based on this, Love is our worst player and Harris if your worst player for starters. lol It does show your defense being better than ours however almost across the board. But both teams having significant offensive firepower. Your team is more all around. Harris is your one ??? player according to these stats. By them, he is your worst major player by a large margin.

Likely a lot of this gets skewed by our beginning of the season though where we never passed the ball and regularly got blown by over and over on defense.

 

[Big_C_KU]

That's why Manek sags back. Cut off the driving ability, entice the lightly contested 3 from him.

You seem supremely confident though.

Sagging off doesn’t mean you stop the drive. Still have to have lateral quickness because you’re giving the offensive player a head of steam. Where Jalen is good is he’s crafty with his dribble especially the closer he gets to the basket.

Not supremely confident but know KU’s strengths. KU has been great defensively and they’ve really played well against teams who like to go 1v1. Where they’ve struggled is against teams who play a ton of PnR with a big that can step out and hit jumpers or put the ball on the floor and go around Dave. We’ve had better success against bigs who are more traditional.

Offensively we have 5 guys all capable of putting up 20 points and we can be strong at times on the offensive glass. Where we’ve struggled offensively is when shots aren’t falling and not being aggressive attacking the basket and just settling for jumpers. We’ve lacked the 2nd half of the season someone who can score when the offensive play got off schedule but that’s something we gained with Remy coming back.

I love the matchup because KU and UNC matchup well with each other and they both really are very different than what they were a month or so ago.

 

[Big_C_KU]

Curious about this. Does Davis call TOs when he sees his team is clearly struggling? By far the thing that always frustrated me the most about Roy was him refusing to call a TO when things were going south. He’d watch a 2 point deficit turn into a 16 point deficit in 3 minutes without calling a TO.

 

[imajericho]

Curious about this. Does Davis call TOs when he sees his team is clearly struggling? By far the thing that always frustrated me the most about Roy was him refusing to call a TO when things were going south. He’d watch a 2 point deficit turn into a 16 point deficit in 3 minutes without calling a TO.

Yes. He also doesn't pull players for mistakes nor does he do 5 on 5 substitutions to send a message.

 

[RockChalk82]

Manek being a former sooner of 4 years and being a Mizzou grad has me all in on UNC.

You’re a Mizzou grad but hardcore ou fan?

 

[RockChalk82]

What exactly is a poor, quality shot? 😁

But as you said, Love/Davis are very capable of hitting tough shots----see Love's shot over Williams to seal the deal, basically.

I think KU is better----but TBH, not by very much. This isn't a typical 1 seed vs a cinderellla 8 seed, making a run....THis is 1 seed vs a team that has found its stride,and is playing like a 1 seed.

Also, 8 seeds are 1-2 in title games, and on a 2 game losing streak, so..........

1985: Villanova over Gtown
2011: 8 seed Butler lost to 3 seed Uconn
2014: 8 seed UK lost to 7 seed UConn.

8 seed is due...

Unc is a 4 seed. ACC just had a goofy year

 

[CrimsonNCreme84]

You’re a Mizzou grad but hardcore ou fan?

Yah born and raised as a sooner fan.

 

[ThePhog08]

Dont you have some size on your bench? Carolina has none to speak of

I think the key to this game will be Bacot and fouls

We have Mitch Lightfoot who is 6'8 and pretty good. Top 50 freshman 6'10 if need be.

 

[ThePhog08]

If Davis can contain the point, I feel good about our chances. Leaky and Love are very good defenders. Manek should have a mismatch and easier defensive assignment as he can lag off their 20% 3point shooter.

KU is familiar with Manek though. Years at OU

 

[cooljeff]

You’re a Mizzou grad but hardcore ou fan?

my nephew is about to be a mizzou grad but he is a lifelong Kansas fan! the brainwash took early

 

[imajericho]

KU is familiar with Manek though. Years at OU

Manek clearly isn't the same player as he was at OU. Davis has given him the green light to do whatever and it's like a light went off. I think it was the Baylor coach before our game that said the Manek from OU and now is a night and day difference.

 

[ExitFlagger]

Manek clearly isn't the same player as he was at OU. Davis has given him the green light to do whatever and it's like a light went off. I think it was the Baylor coach before our game that said the Manek from OU and now is a night and day difference.

True. His beard is much longer. Barely even recognizable.

 

[Big_C_KU]

Manek clearly isn't the same player as he was at OU. Davis has given him the green light to do whatever and it's like a light went off. I think it was the Baylor coach before our game that said the Manek from OU and now is a night and day difference.

Overall his game isn’t much different but how he’s being used is considerably better. I see Manek more as a big wing at UNC than as a stretch 5 which is what he basically was at OU.

 

[toonces11]

Well, he was damn good at OU. Probably why UNC wanted him. He is playing at a very high level right now. I hope he has an off night

Manek clearly isn't the same player as he was at OU. Davis has given him the green light to do whatever and it's like a light went off. I think it was the Baylor coach before our game that said the Manek from OU and now is a night and day difference.