Gameday Thread: No. 8 Baylor (0-1) versus No. 16 Arkansas (1-0)

Quinton said:

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Vj could become an elite offensive rebounder. Best jumper in the country

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He's going to be a really good energy guy. I just want him to stop thinking he's an alpha scorer -- at least until the results come much closer to matching that profile.

The physicality of the men's college game makes for a really tough transition for physically immature freshman.

Edgecombe has a bright future, but he's at best the fourth-best scoring option on this team right now. I'd like to see him settle into a support role and focus more on hustle plays and easy stuff at the rim.

IowaBear said:

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Really nice November resume builder. Willing to bet by March the win looks even more impressive

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For sure. Really solid win tonight.

Big12Fan2024 said:

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I don't know that we've ever had a big who moves as well off the ball on O as Norchad. For years I've watched guys stand around and not do anything when a ball handler is trapped. Norchad is the first to help in those situations. Just keep your eyes on him.

And not to mention he has the best hands of any big we've had.

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I am super impressed with his game

bear2be2 said:

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Quinton said:

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Vj could become an elite offensive rebounder. Best jumper in the country

---

He's going to be a really good energy guy. I just want him to stop thinking he's an alpha scorer -- at least until the results come much closer to matching that profile.

The physicality of the men's college game makes for a really tough transition for physically immature freshman.

Edgecombe has a bright future, but he's at best the fourth-best scoring option on this team right now. I'd like to see him settle into a support role and focus more on hustle plays and easy stuff at the rim.

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To me his niche on O is the proverbial junk guy because he's so athletic he should score a lot on putbacks from karoms off the rim, tip-ins at the rim due to his incredible vertical leap, driving to the basket when he has a mismatch and drawing fouls, things like that. He can contribute 10-12 points a game just doing that. He is definitely not who you want as a set and shoot from the outside guy. And he has never been noted as a strong 3 point guy. But he brings so many other things.

Hopefully the Gonzaga disaster was one of those inexplicable one off flukes that sometimes happen to good teams. Plus looks like for now we're a zone team.

Big12Fan2024 said:

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bear2be2 said:

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Quinton said:

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Vj could become an elite offensive rebounder. Best jumper in the country

---

He's going to be a really good energy guy. I just want him to stop thinking he's an alpha scorer -- at least until the results come much closer to matching that profile.

The physicality of the men's college game makes for a really tough transition for physically immature freshman.

Edgecombe has a bright future, but he's at best the fourth-best scoring option on this team right now. I'd like to see him settle into a support role and focus more on hustle plays and easy stuff at the rim.

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To me his niche on O is the proverbial junk guy because he's so athletic he should score a lot on putbacks from karoms off the rim, tip-ins at the rim due to his incredible vertical leap, driving to the basket when he has a mismatch and drawing fouls, things like that. He can contribute 10-12 points a game just doing that. He is definitely not who you want as a set and shoot from the outside guy. And he's definitely not a 3 point guy.

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Exactly. He can be an impact player just doing the dirty work and taking advantage of driving/cutting lanes

DallasBear9902 said:

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The VJ block on the dunk attempt looked clean from about 35 feet away. Arena replay didn't show a foul.

Was it a foul?

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I thought that was a terrible call. Looked clean to me from every angle.

BU Born&Raised said:

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Terry Black!

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That's not a bad comparison. The only major difference is that Terry was much stronger physically, just because he was older and more mature by the time we got him.

BU Born&Raised said:

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Terry Black!

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Yes! Forgot about Terry! He could leap out of the gym too!

Love the pieces on this team.

There are the typical freshman downsides to Wright, but I love this kid. Reminds me of tweety, dare I say.

I think VJ will end up being this fanbase's favorite 1-and-done.

Hotsauce said:

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Love the pieces on this team.

There are the typical freshman downsides to Wright, but I love this kid. Reminds me of tweety, dare I say.

I think VJ will end up being this fanbase's favorite 1-and-done.

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He'll have a hard time surpassing Jeremy Sochan for me. And Missi is my current No. 2.

But I think I will like his game much more than I liked Keyonte George's or Ja'Kobe Walter's.

And Quincy Acy did have 10 dunks in a game against Texas with Pat Riley in attendance

VJ was loading up for another posterizing dunk to seal the game when the ball got knocked out

Those were grown men on the court tonight. Great bounce back win! Sic 'Em!

Great win. Sic'em

VJ will come around. His skills were still developing, that was known on the scout. But he is better than he's shown so far. Will get there.

Quinton said:

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VJ will come around. His skills were still developing, that was known on the scout. But he is better than he's shown so far. Will get there.

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Agreed. Takes a while for the game to slow down jumping to D1. VJ will be fine.
Really impressed with Wright's comfort dribbling in traffic as a freshman. He's very poised.

You know little about basketball. He has court vision and can pass. He will be the best athlete on the floor every game this season. We will not play another team as athletic as Arkansas.

Y'all need to remember Henry Dugat

I hope somebody posts online a video of the complete game for those of us who don't have ESPNU.

bear2be2 said:

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Hotsauce said:

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Love the pieces on this team.

There are the typical freshman downsides to Wright, but I love this kid. Reminds me of tweety, dare I say.

I think VJ will end up being this fanbase's favorite 1-and-done.

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He'll have a hard time surpassing Jeremy Sochan for me. And Missi is my current No. 2.

But I think I will like his game much more than I liked Keyonte George's or Ja'Kobe Walter's.

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And to be fair to Edge, I didn't see him a 3 point attempt out of the context of the offense. Our offense just needs to find ways to keep him playing downhill instead of standing at the 3 point line. Downhill is where his quickness and athleticism cannot be contained. He also has terrific vision and the ability to create for others. Had a couple terrific assists last night.

Crawfoso1973 said:

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bear2be2 said:

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Hotsauce said:

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Love the pieces on this team.

There are the typical freshman downsides to Wright, but I love this kid. Reminds me of tweety, dare I say.

I think VJ will end up being this fanbase's favorite 1-and-done.

---

He'll have a hard time surpassing Jeremy Sochan for me. And Missi is my current No. 2.

But I think I will like his game much more than I liked Keyonte George's or Ja'Kobe Walter's.

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And to be fair to Edge, I didn't see him a 3 point attempt out of the context of the offense. Our offense just needs to find ways to keep him playing downhill instead of standing at the 3 point line. Downhill is where his quickness and athleticism cannot be contained. He also has terrific vision and the ability to create for others. Had a couple terrific assists last night.

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He wasn't taking bad shots. They were just bad shots for a poor shooter.

At some point, there's a reason you're being left open. The defense views those shots as wins for them.

Like Walter, I don't think Edge is selfish. I think as a blue-chip, sure-fire one-and-done, he has a vision of himself and his game that isn't exactly accurate at the high-major college level. These guys come in with a ton of confidence based on what they've done at lower levels or even in the much less physical international game and need to have their role massaged over time.

We don't do enough role massaging in our program IMO, but the thing I like about VJ is that he will be much better equipped than either George or Walter were to contribute in significant ways when he's struggling to score. His athleticism and motor are both potential difference-makers with or without the type of skill we've seen from our last two blue chip guards.

He just needs to slow down a tick or two. He plays way too fast, which leads to poor, out-of-control decisions at times.

bear2be2 said:

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Crawfoso1973 said:

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bear2be2 said:

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Hotsauce said:

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Love the pieces on this team.

There are the typical freshman downsides to Wright, but I love this kid. Reminds me of tweety, dare I say.

I think VJ will end up being this fanbase's favorite 1-and-done.

---

He'll have a hard time surpassing Jeremy Sochan for me. And Missi is my current No. 2.

But I think I will like his game much more than I liked Keyonte George's or Ja'Kobe Walter's.

---

And to be fair to Edge, I didn't see him a 3 point attempt out of the context of the offense. Our offense just needs to find ways to keep him playing downhill instead of standing at the 3 point line. Downhill is where his quickness and athleticism cannot be contained. He also has terrific vision and the ability to create for others. Had a couple terrific assists last night.

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He wasn't taking bad shots. They were just bad shots for a poor shooter.

At some point, there's a reason you're being left open. The defense views those shots as wins for them.

Like Walter, I don't think Edge is selfish. I think as a blue-chip, sure-fire one-and-done, he has a vision of himself and his game that isn't exactly accurate at the high-major college level. These guys come in with a ton of confidence based on what they've done at lower levels or even in the much less physical international game and need to have their role massaged over time.

We don't do enough role massaging in our program IMO, but the thing I like about VJ is that he will be much better equipped than either George or Walter were to contribute in significant ways when he's struggling to score. His athleticism and motor are both potential difference-makers with or without the type of skill we've seen from our last two blue chip guards.

He just needs to slow down a tick or two. He plays way too fast, which leads to poor, out-of-control decisions at times.

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"role massaging" ...?

It's got to be a tough balancing act for Drew. When you bring in one of the top recruits they aren't coming to be a second or third option on offense....but their game maturity may dictate that's the role they should play.

But...if Drew really throttles back the role of a Walter or Edge it makes less likely future top players are going to want to come here.

Double edged sword of the one and done game.

Big12Fan2024 said:

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bear2be2 said:

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Quinton said:

---

Vj could become an elite offensive rebounder. Best jumper in the country

---

He's going to be a really good energy guy. I just want him to stop thinking he's an alpha scorer -- at least until the results come much closer to matching that profile.

The physicality of the men's college game makes for a really tough transition for physically immature freshman.

Edgecombe has a bright future, but he's at best the fourth-best scoring option on this team right now. I'd like to see him settle into a support role and focus more on hustle plays and easy stuff at the rim.

---

To me his niche on O is the proverbial junk guy because he's so athletic he should score a lot on putbacks from karoms off the rim, tip-ins at the rim due to his incredible vertical leap, driving to the basket when he has a mismatch and drawing fouls, things like that. He can contribute 10-12 points a game just doing that. He is definitely not who you want as a set and shoot from the outside guy. And he has never been noted as a strong 3 point guy. But he brings so many other things.

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Thinking more about this post today, and more freshman need to be like Jeremy Sochan. No one would look at his freshman year stats and think, "Man, this guy's a super star," but he was the best player on that team IMO because he focused on being the absolute best he could be at the things he did well.

He played the perfect role for that 2022 team and didn't try to do more than he was able to do ... and lo and behold, the NBA noticed and rewarded him handsomely for that.

You don't have to put up 15-20 points a game to be an elite college player. Sochan didn't even average double figures. But everyone who watched that Baylor team knew he was the heart and soul of it.

VJ doesn't have Sochan's skill, but like Sochan, he can impact the game in a lot of different ways. If he focuses more on that and less on trying to get his own offense, I think his value will shine through regardless of what his final stat line shows.

TWD 1974 said:

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bear2be2 said:

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Crawfoso1973 said:

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bear2be2 said:

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Hotsauce said:

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Love the pieces on this team.

There are the typical freshman downsides to Wright, but I love this kid. Reminds me of tweety, dare I say.

I think VJ will end up being this fanbase's favorite 1-and-done.

---

He'll have a hard time surpassing Jeremy Sochan for me. And Missi is my current No. 2.

But I think I will like his game much more than I liked Keyonte George's or Ja'Kobe Walter's.

---

And to be fair to Edge, I didn't see him a 3 point attempt out of the context of the offense. Our offense just needs to find ways to keep him playing downhill instead of standing at the 3 point line. Downhill is where his quickness and athleticism cannot be contained. He also has terrific vision and the ability to create for others. Had a couple terrific assists last night.

---

He wasn't taking bad shots. They were just bad shots for a poor shooter.

At some point, there's a reason you're being left open. The defense views those shots as wins for them.

Like Walter, I don't think Edge is selfish. I think as a blue-chip, sure-fire one-and-done, he has a vision of himself and his game that isn't exactly accurate at the high-major college level. These guys come in with a ton of confidence based on what they've done at lower levels or even in the much less physical international game and need to have their role massaged over time.

We don't do enough role massaging in our program IMO, but the thing I like about VJ is that he will be much better equipped than either George or Walter were to contribute in significant ways when he's struggling to score. His athleticism and motor are both potential difference-makers with or without the type of skill we've seen from our last two blue chip guards.

He just needs to slow down a tick or two. He plays way too fast, which leads to poor, out-of-control decisions at times.

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"role massaging" ...?

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Guys come in thinking they're alpha scorers and lead us in field goal attempts while shooting sub-40 percent from the field and sub-34 percent from 3. That mentality needs to be massaged out of those players, so more efficient players can get more shots.

We don't do a very good job IMO of holding guys accountable on the court. This is especially true on defense, where our effort/intensity at times would get guys kicked out of the gym by someone like Kelvin Simpson. But it's true on offense too. We seem more concerned at times about making sure certain players are playing the roles they want to play to showcase themselves for the next level than we are about putting the best/most efficient team we can on the court every night.