I just had a chance to watch a replay of the Pac12 Championship Game where they lost to Oregon. I came away with a better idea of what we'll be up against. Here are some key observations.
* Larry Drew - The Bruins offense is controlled by their PG Larry Drew about 80% of the time. He has a really nice handle and can really pass the ball. His 7.4 to 2.4 assists to turnover ratio is one of the best in the nation. He's a senior and plays like it. He is a pass 1st PG so, I believe Dre has to sag off him a little and force him to make shots. He can make 3's and with a late hot spell he has got his 3 point shooting % up to 45% after starting slowly. But he's only made 29 for the season, so its not the biggest sample size. I say force him to shoot and don't double him. I would rather go down with him having to make shots as opposed to watching our wing players leave Muhammad or Wear open for 3's. Defensively, he's just average and allowed a bunch of open 3's for Oregon. Drew is the guy to foul late in games if we are behind or close. His FT shooting is only 59% for the season.
* Travis Wear is a nice forward. He's not athletic or dominent physically but he has a nice array of shots and shows pretty good form and shooting. He's a decent rebounder, but not great. Averaged just 5.4 for the season. Many Bruin fan lement about his lack of toughness and finishing problems.
* Shabazz Muhammad - Most observers had him pegged as the #1 recruit in the nation. After seeing him play against Oregon and the bulk of the season, I think he's an over-rated gunner. Doug Gottlieb also pointed out that he has 26 assists in 28 games. For a guy getting doubled and seeing so much of the ball, that's an awful number. I checked his box-scores...15 games with ZERO assists. He's a selfish player and once he gets the ball, you know what he's going to do. He's also a bit of a finesse player. He likes to hang out on the wing and wait for Drew to drive and kick to him. Whoever draws this assignement, be it Austin, Joe or Rodney is small doses, CAN NOT leave him or be tempted to help Andre chase Drew around. YOU CAN NOT LEAVE HIM. He shot 40% on 3's this year and can get very hot. I would overplay him and force him to drive in the paint where he's less effective. Keep him from heating up and he might just pull a vanishing act. Force the other guys on that team to beat you.
* Kyle Anderson - He's a nice Freshman and the Bruins best rebounder, averaging 8.4 a game...He's also a decent and gritty defender at 6-9. He can handle the ball in traffic and score in the paint. He's not a great shooter, only hitting on 42%. I'd say, back off him, force him to launch from the outside.
* Norman Powell is the new shooting guard for the Bruins and will get the majority of the minutes vacated by Adams' injury. He's not a great shooter and definitely has hurt them this year. He's capable, so I wouldn't wanna totally leave him open. But we'd rather have him shooting than Muhammad.
* The bench is headed up by Travis Wear's brother David and he's a solid Freshman who can score and rebound a little. Like his brother, he's not overly athletic but certinaly servicable. Tony Parker (This one is kinda portly) is a decent player for them. He has been in and out of Ben Howland's doghouse all season. Looks like Howland is planning to use him more.
Bottom Line: Gopher players need to be aware of their assignments and who you can leave open and cant. Play with passion and energy, make some shots, run in transition and make FT's down the stretch. I came away thinking the Gophers will win this 71-63. I really hope the tempo is fast because we will kill them in transition.
* Larry Drew - The Bruins offense is controlled by their PG Larry Drew about 80% of the time. He has a really nice handle and can really pass the ball. His 7.4 to 2.4 assists to turnover ratio is one of the best in the nation. He's a senior and plays like it. He is a pass 1st PG so, I believe Dre has to sag off him a little and force him to make shots. He can make 3's and with a late hot spell he has got his 3 point shooting % up to 45% after starting slowly. But he's only made 29 for the season, so its not the biggest sample size. I say force him to shoot and don't double him. I would rather go down with him having to make shots as opposed to watching our wing players leave Muhammad or Wear open for 3's. Defensively, he's just average and allowed a bunch of open 3's for Oregon. Drew is the guy to foul late in games if we are behind or close. His FT shooting is only 59% for the season.
* Travis Wear is a nice forward. He's not athletic or dominent physically but he has a nice array of shots and shows pretty good form and shooting. He's a decent rebounder, but not great. Averaged just 5.4 for the season. Many Bruin fan lement about his lack of toughness and finishing problems.
* Shabazz Muhammad - Most observers had him pegged as the #1 recruit in the nation. After seeing him play against Oregon and the bulk of the season, I think he's an over-rated gunner. Doug Gottlieb also pointed out that he has 26 assists in 28 games. For a guy getting doubled and seeing so much of the ball, that's an awful number. I checked his box-scores...15 games with ZERO assists. He's a selfish player and once he gets the ball, you know what he's going to do. He's also a bit of a finesse player. He likes to hang out on the wing and wait for Drew to drive and kick to him. Whoever draws this assignement, be it Austin, Joe or Rodney is small doses, CAN NOT leave him or be tempted to help Andre chase Drew around. YOU CAN NOT LEAVE HIM. He shot 40% on 3's this year and can get very hot. I would overplay him and force him to drive in the paint where he's less effective. Keep him from heating up and he might just pull a vanishing act. Force the other guys on that team to beat you.
* Kyle Anderson - He's a nice Freshman and the Bruins best rebounder, averaging 8.4 a game...He's also a decent and gritty defender at 6-9. He can handle the ball in traffic and score in the paint. He's not a great shooter, only hitting on 42%. I'd say, back off him, force him to launch from the outside.
* Norman Powell is the new shooting guard for the Bruins and will get the majority of the minutes vacated by Adams' injury. He's not a great shooter and definitely has hurt them this year. He's capable, so I wouldn't wanna totally leave him open. But we'd rather have him shooting than Muhammad.
* The bench is headed up by Travis Wear's brother David and he's a solid Freshman who can score and rebound a little. Like his brother, he's not overly athletic but certinaly servicable. Tony Parker (This one is kinda portly) is a decent player for them. He has been in and out of Ben Howland's doghouse all season. Looks like Howland is planning to use him more.
Bottom Line: Gopher players need to be aware of their assignments and who you can leave open and cant. Play with passion and energy, make some shots, run in transition and make FT's down the stretch. I came away thinking the Gophers will win this 71-63. I really hope the tempo is fast because we will kill them in transition.
