Not too early

[oilerpimp]

I'll put a million dollars on the under.

Who are going to be the two at large teams next year? Creighton will likely be picked to win the league again...so you think that two teams from the group of UNI, ISU, BU, WSU, or SIU are going to somehow put together an at large resume? I don't know...I really don't see it.

You're assuming Creighton is going to win the Valley tourney. I agree they will likely win the regular season, but I think history shows us that doesn't translate into winning in St. Louis. If Creighton doesn't win the auto, then I still like their chances as an at large. Now...only one other team must produce a resume deemed worthy by the NCAA. I think that could happen. I belive Wichita will be a contender next season.

[braveatheart]

Next years team will be deep at gaurd with the bigs a question mark.
The gaurds will really be something. Going into this year(without AW) our guards had 1 year experience with BU and 2 total D1 years of experience. Next year our gaurds will return 8 years of BU experience and 9 total D1 years. That is a huge difference! We will have put all those 1st year adjustments behind us.
The bigs are a question mark again. TB is awesome and could put up numbers similar to what AW did as a sophmore. If WE picks up where he left off we will be pretty good. Throw in JP and maybe we will be real good. Lets hope for the best from MK and AT and who ever else we sign. One more year experience for Les and new practice digs!
The league will be better but I am drinking the Koolaid for sure.

[SFP]

I would bet that we are looking at a JUCO big for next year. It will take a bit for WE to work himself back to complete game shape mentally and physically. I hope we are only holding AT back because he is just not physical enough yet to handle playing minutes and JL does not want to see him get hurt. I really have no idea what AT can bring to a game
JP and MKwill be freshmen with two different skill sets. My predictions are that TB will start at the 4 with MK backing him up. JP has a great chance to start at the 5 unless WE is a real quick healer or AT is the real deal or we get a legitimate 5 from a JUCO. It would be nice to have JP at the 4 and a real 5 at the 5 but I doubt it. My ideal line up and back ups for next year.

EM - SM backup
AW - SM and DN backup
TB - DD and CR backup
JP - MK backup
WE - JUCO and AT backup

What we will probably see though is:
EM - SM backup
SM - DN, DD Backup
AW - DD, CR backup
TB - CR, JP, MK backup
WE or JUCO AT Backup

Small ball again!

[thefish7]

For me you'd have something like this (players in specific order) --

1 - EM, SM, DN
2 - AW, SM, DN
3 - DD, CR, AW, MK
4 - TB, JP, MK, AT
5 - WE, JP, AT

[braves12]

I am not for bringing in a juco 5. The bigs next year just need to get it done. My opinion is that the type of juco big BU could get would take a minimum of half a year to get up to speed. By that time WE should be back. With the juco coming from his 2 year morman work and possibly JW, BU will have enough size. Knowing that in 1 year DD and CR will be gone and 1 more year and AW and SM will be gone, BU will be left with 2 short guards. I think BU needs to get a freshman guard who has some size and can shoot the 3. Also, when SM is a senior and EM is a junior, BU better be finding another point guard. I do not want to see anymore seasons where if the point guard is out for an injury, a 2 guard has to play point.

[ER3]

For me you'd have something like this (players in specific order) --

1 - EM, SM, DN
2 - AW, SM, DN
3 - DD, CR, AW, MK
4 - TB, JP, MK, AT
5 - WE, JP, AT

I'm sorry, but any starting lineup that doesn't have Maniscalco in it really makes no sense to me.
Either McCain or Dunson will not start over Maniscalco next year...don't know which one, but Maniscalco will start....without a question.

[braves12]

I'm sorry, but any starting lineup that doesn't have Maniscalco in it really makes no sense to me.
Either McCain or Dunson will not start over Maniscalco next year...don't know which one, but Maniscalco will start....without a question.

Based on what I have seen this year, defense will be a concern then. By next year, EM could be a very good defensive player. He has quickness, long arms, the ability to get out on the 3 point shooter, and the quickness to keep point guards in front of him. SM is a tough, tough player but he has quickness limitations that hurts team defense. Not sure that his defense doesn't allow as many if not more points then his offense brings. I can still see why you would say that Coach Les would start him.

[thefish7]

I'm sorry, but any starting lineup that doesn't have Maniscalco in it really makes no sense to me.
Either McCain or Dunson will not start over Maniscalco next year...don't know which one, but Maniscalco will start....without a question.

You're probably right-- particularly with the coach's tendencies. I was trying to construct a lineup that plays 3 guards but tries to keep the 6 ft guards on the court to 1 at a time. I think SM will get lots and lots of minutes next year (30+ per game) but I don't see a lot of reason to play more than 1 6 ft guard for more than 15 minutes a game.

I think SM and EM are both worthy of playing lots of minutes next year, but I think EM is a better defender at this point. SM is a better scorer than EM. I think both are good at distributing the ball.

If I get a chance I'll try to put together minutes by position or something and see how that works out.

[houstontxbrave]

SM is JL's boy and regardless of who is brought in or anything else SM starts the majority of games from now until he graduates in 11. There is no reason to debate this. JL sees himself in SM, trusts him and relies on him to be the leader of this program.

[braves12]

SM is JL's boy and regardless of who is brought in or anything else SM starts the majority of games from now until he graduates in 11. There is no reason to debate this. JL sees himself in SM, trusts him and relies on him to be the leader of this program.

I agree 100%. The team defense will suffer though. Defense wins championships.

[amckillip]

I'm sorry, but any starting lineup that doesn't have Maniscalco in it really makes no sense to me.
Either McCain or Dunson will not start over Maniscalco next year...don't know which one, but Maniscalco will start....without a question.

Agreed completely, people see that Maniscalco does not have any major physical gifts and so they don't want him to be a starter. But he has all the intangibles, and will start next year for sure. JL has been having Sam run the point some the last few weeks to slow things down when Edge is a little trigger happy, and right now EM drives too many times without anythign to do but what he call a 'DRuff' shot, and he is an offensive liabilty most times.

[braves12]

Agreed completely, people see that Maniscalco does not have any major physical gifts and so they don't want him to be a starter. But he has all the intangibles, and will start next year for sure. JL has been having Sam run the point some the last few weeks to slow things down when Edge is a little trigger happy, and right now EM drives too many times without anythign to do but what he call a 'DRuff' shot, and he is an offensive liabilty most times.

I am trying to stay positive and say that EM brings the best for the team defense at the point position. He makes the other team's point guard start farther from the basket, he is better at stopping the drive to the lane, he is better at fighting through picks and getting to the shooter, he is better at helping and recovering etc. Defense wins championships and it starts at the point guard position.

[ER3]

I agree 100%. The team defense will suffer though. Defense wins championships.

This statement makes for a great slogan on the back of a t-shirt....but I think it is overused.
To win games, you need to score more points than the other team. Period.
Teams that win consistently play solid defense and have players that are offensive weapons.

If you wanted to trot out our best defensive lineup this year...all year long...because that "wins championships"...I'm assuming you would bench Maniscalco...but do you realize what those games would look like? Do you realize how awful of a team we would be? We may be marginally better defensively...but we would be nowhere near a championship...without Maniscalco, we would probably have the most dysfunctional, ugly offense in America...we would lose games 45-30, and every recruit in America would avoid our program like the plague because no one would want to play for a team that can't score...

I'm not saying that Maniscalco is the next coming of Allen Iverson or anything of the sort...he has his limitations...but he is the best overall offensive player we have on our team this year...he's the best free throw shooter we have, he's the guy that takes the shots in the guts of the game, he and Dodie are probably the only two guys that can score from both the perimeter and by taking the ball to the hole on a consistent basis...

I don't think Sam's defensive limitations are as glaring as you believe them to be....and quite simply we are 100 times better as a team with him on the floor than without him...

[Bradleyguy10]

I've noticed the EM doesn't do some of the little things he did towards the beginning of the year. Things like no look passes and just trickier things that reminded me a little of Steve Nash. It resulted quite a bit of turnovers and I haven't seen them in a long time (accept for one that was nice against evansville) and it's probably because JL told him to stop to reduce the turnovers, but I got excited when I saw that. I thought wow in a year or two this is going to be a GOOD point guard when he controls those "tricky" passes. I'm a little disappointed that he doesn't do it anymore. I know I'm advocating more turnovers but it would pay dividends down the road to have a PG like that rather than the one he's kind of turning into...where he drives and has no where to go every so often.

[BUFAN]

I am just so affraid we will be man handled inside next year, and in a conf. like MVC with no legit big men that is a problem. We are a week rebounding team this year and we lose 42.6% of this years boards. I am also worried about scoring inside and out AW can make a jumpshot but I wonder who we will look at to score other than him. I am affraid next year might be longer than this year...