Coach Bud 🍊

Tennessee, Auburn, Queens, Kansas State, SDakSt, LMU thoughts from the last two days: Tennessee 90, Wofford 59. Still expecting a bumpy ride here. Said after Xavier that putting this many guys together from high usage roles was going to take some time, and I still feel that way. Three-point game at half, win by 31. The good stretches are going to be really good. Need to make the bad ones shorter. Brown is still their best big to me. The motor, the work on the glass, the willingness to keep going after it. 17 and 17 with five offensive boards. This is what I wanted from the front court. You have enough guys who want to score, need somebody who wants to go get them another possession. Four turnovers to clean up, but really encouraging from him. Better from Rubin in the 2H. Brown found him for two dunks right out of halftime, and there was a possession between those where Rubin blocked the shot and Brown finished it with the rebound. Like those two working together. Still have the same questions about Rubin’s motor. Need that activity consistently, against bigger and more physical front courts too. Good stretch to build on. Still love Hill for this group. The change of pace, getting into the lane, getting them running off his defense. Went 0/6 from 3 and still got 17 bc he was 6/7 inside the arc and got to the line. His steals turned into a Juke 3 and a layup for himself during the run. This is why I was so high on him after X. Can give you a burst in several different ways. Getting Lundblade in there helps the fit. He was the guy missing in the preseason, and having somebody you have to stay attached to gives Hill, Juke and Dai Dai more room to work. Three 3s in the 1H while the offense was struggling. Juke only taking five shots is still part of the feeling out process. Want him aggressive, want him defending, don’t need him trying to prove everything on every possession. Still high on the ceiling here. I’m also fully prepared for some ugly halves before they get there. South Dakota State 68, Kansas State 66. No Squires or Van Kalsbeek, both dealing with back issues. Davis Kern gets 37 minutes in his first college game and gives them 24 and eight with five 3s. A 6’9 redshirt freshman who can pull your big away from the basket. Pretty good guy to discover you have when you’re short in the front court. K-State has to get on the same page guarding those pick-and-pops. Too much confusion on switches, too much help off shooters. Once Kern has hit a few, getting back to him has to be a priority. Don’t really care if he makes a tough one over you. Do care if two defenders are looking at each other while he gets another shot. Loved the late action with Garry and Sayler. Garry brings his defender toward Sayler, they draw two to the ball, it comes back to Garry and he beats the closeout for the 3. Two experienced guards getting a shot they want. Garry also got eight boards. Still had some shaky possessions finishing it off, but really good road win with that thin of a rotation. N’Diaye gave K-State 18 and eight in 18 minutes. Have to keep him out of foul trouble and on the floor. Abraham was 6/7 too. Want more of the offense going through those two. Get a post touch, get somebody cutting, make the defense turn its head. Too much happening outside the 3pt line. You have a guy getting to the line and making all eight, keep giving him something to work with. Auburn 92, Southeastern Louisiana 59. The Pettiford thing I liked was the ball security. Said after Bama that the decision making looked better and some of those turnovers would get cleaned up. Four assists, zero turnovers here, even with the 0/8 start. Then he scores 11 in the last 73 seconds of the half. Layup, and-one, and-one, bank from beyond half court. Getting to the rim is still there when the jumper isn’t. Keep going back to it. The Mountain gave them 10 and nine in 19 minutes. Five offensive boards, one foul. Ngoy doesn’t need a bunch of plays called for him to hurt you. Catch it, finish it, go get somebody else’s miss. Still love the hands. Still want to see how he handles longer stretches. The production he can give you in those minutes is already there. Oboye, five blocks and only two fouls in about 20 minutes. That’s a good follow-up to what we talked about after Bama. The athletic ability and effort have never been the question. Can he stay on the floor long enough to keep giving you those plays? Better here. Now the whole group has to finish possessions, bc SELA still got 18 offensive boards. When your big goes to block it, somebody else has to find a body. Getting Freeman and King back gives Auburn more of the quality depth they were missing against Bama. Freeman had seven and six in 11 minutes, three offensive boards, stepped out and made a 3. King gave them 12 and seven in 14 minutes. Seven boards from a guard in that little time, love that. More guys who can give you something while the starters sit. Caleb still plays older than he is. Three assists, three steals, one turnover. His steal and pass got Pettiford his first basket after the cold start. Like having a freshman who can help get your best player going. Doesn’t need every contribution to be his own bucket. I really like the way he fits with these guards. Dowd, continuing to show there’s more offense there. Two 3s, six boards, two blocks, no turnovers. Said after Bama that the offensive expansion was going to be lineup dependent, and I still think that. Keep letting him take the shot when it’s there. Teams are going to load up on Pettiford, Dowd can do more than just clean up the miss. Kimble still has that burst. Got a steal and took it right in during the 12–0 run with Pettiford on the bench. Another guy who can create some offense when the first group sits. But four fouls in 16 minutes. Same note as the exhibition, gotta stop fouling. Want him on the floor long enough to get his rhythm back. Still feel good about Auburn, but the wing question is still there. Mantas was the guy I wanted connecting all of this, and that option is gone now. Getting Freeman and King back helps the depth. Still need that bigger slasher who can make the next read when the guards draw attention. Caleb’s development and how they use Dowd become even more interesting to me. Lots to like, still some lineup work to do. Queens 96, LMU 95. So Queens has scored 199 in two games and won by six combined. I’m having a great time, IDK how their fans are doing. What I like offensively is that they got 56 in the paint here and only attempted 12 threes. They prove they can put up a huge number without needing to spend the whole night shooting over you. Mann was ridiculous. 28 on 11/13, five made 3s. Porter puts LMU up five with 1:23 left, Mann answers nine seconds later. Then Watford gets to the rim to tie it and eventually makes the winning FT. Already had 26 against Winthrop, now 20 here. Love having both of those guys available late. You can go get a two, you can find Mann outside, you have options. Caleb Jones deserves another shout. Had 15 in the opener, only seven here, but look at the plays. Henry misses both FTs, Jones gets the offensive board and that possession ends with a Mann 3. Then he gets the steal with 17 seconds left that gives Watford the last possession. Freshman finding a completely different way to help them win two days later. Love that. LMU has enough scoring. Wright and Sensley each had 22, Porter had 17. Need to make it harder for teams to get into the paint, and need better possessions at the end. Up five with 1:23 left, then a shot-clock violation and another turnover on the possessions that let Queens tie it and go ahead. Got 95 points and couldn’t get a shot when they needed one. Brutal way to lose that game.