If roundball is your blood, this is the place to discuss the Flames as they move into the Ritchie McKay era for the 2nd time.

Moderators: jcmanson, Sly Fox, BuryYourDuke

#623661
Kalib, AA (Avery Anderson), and Cade are OSU's key players. Due to all the missed games this year, we can go 10 deep, but 2 of them will probably play less than 10 minutes. Foul trouble usually isn't an issue unless it is multiple people at the same position.

We typically out rebound teams and rebound as a team, so there isn't just one guy leads the way.

We will randomly press and I think that will cause Liberty some issues with our length and athleticism. If Rode receives the inbound, I would expect OSU to trap him immediately. Liberty needs to keep the ball in McGhee and Parker's hands. BTW, I like the Freshman Dobbs. I don't think Liberty drops off very much, when he is in the game.

Currently OSU is a 7.5 pt favorite. We have only won 5 games by 10+. Iowa State (2), Kansas State, Oakland, and Texas Southern (won last night in First Four). Even if OSU dominates I don't expect a blow out.

As for the pack line defense. It will be new to us, however it has typically been the extend and trap defenses that have given us the most issues. We have good off-ball movement on offense, so it is not a 1 man show offense where someone is trying to create for himself. Kalib works great with the inside - outside game, however MAM can be a black hole. We have developed a mid-range game over the last half of the season and Cade and AA can hit the 15 footer consistently.

On defense, we will switch it up a lot.
TH Spangler liked this
#623663
SlurrrPup wrote: March 19th, 2021, 11:22 am Kalib, AA (Avery Anderson), and Cade are OSU's key players. Due to all the missed games this year, we can go 10 deep, but 2 of them will probably play less than 10 minutes. Foul trouble usually isn't an issue unless it is multiple people at the same position.

We typically out rebound teams and rebound as a team, so there isn't just one guy leads the way.

We will randomly press and I think that will cause Liberty some issues with our length and athleticism. If Rode receives the inbound, I would expect OSU to trap him immediately. Liberty needs to keep the ball in McGhee and Parker's hands. BTW, I like the Freshman Dobbs. I don't think Liberty drops off very much, when he is in the game.

Currently OSU is a 7.5 pt favorite. We have only won 5 games by 10+. Iowa State (2), Kansas State, Oakland, and Texas Southern (won last night in First Four). Even if OSU dominates I don't expect a blow out.

As for the pack line defense. It will be new to us, however it has typically been the extend and trap defenses that have given us the most issues. We have good off-ball movement on offense, so it is not a 1 man show offense where someone is trying to create for himself. Kalib works great with the inside - outside game, however MAM can be a black hole. We have developed a mid-range game over the last half of the season and Cade and AA can hit the 15 footer consistently.

On defense, we will switch it up a lot.
Thanks for coming over and sharing your thoughts. Hoping for a good game, you guys are strong, we don't have much in the way of BIGS, but we play hard. If we hit our 3's, it could be a close game. Good luck.
SlurrrPup liked this
#623665
Stopping by after a long while to wish y'all good luck tonight.

Who at the NCAA thought it healthy to put LU and Winthrop at the same venue? A Big South reunion with two fanbases that never cared for one another. Spicy.

I'm just glad we had hoops this season. My alma mater did about what I expected, looking forward to 21-22, but we've already lost two to the portal. Going to be tough for us and other mid-majors to keep our talent. I am happy for Nate Johnson getting another year at Xavier, and for Jose Perez finally breaking in the rotation a bit for Marquette late in the season.

Again, good luck y'all. :D
#623666
I'm a Liberty alum that was raised an OU fan. I've had the displeasure of watching Cade Cunningham absolutely dominate OU twice in the span of three days. And he did it in two very different ways. The first game he went for 40+. The second he didn't score a point until late in the second half. But he was controlling the game with double teams, smart passes and great defense.

LU will have their hands full for sure. But this OSU team is beatable. They have been on a roll recently but everything comes to an end at some point. I think it will be key to weather the late surge where Cunningham decides to just get whatever basket he wants.
#623670
South Tulsa Poke wrote: March 19th, 2021, 11:14 am Just thought about this last night. Food for thought. Liberty has only played this season against a single team that is in this year's March Madness. That was in a double digit loss to Purdue of the Big 10.

Oklahoma State has victories over Texas Southern, Oral Roberts, Wichita State, Texas, Texas Tech (2), West Virginia (2), Oklahoma (2), Kansas, Arkansas and Baylor.

One of the things I'll be watching for in today's game is how well the Flames are able to get back on defense after a missed shot and an Oklahoma State rebound. The Pokes like to run and run fast in transition. Can Liberty maintain their intensity on both ends of the court if OSU is able to push down court and score before Liberty can get into they're base defense? How good is the Flame's conditioning? How deep is their bench?

Basically, I believe Liberty's success in this game will come down to shooting percentage, because they're not likely to have success on the offensive glass. And when the Cowboys get a defensive board, they're going to make you run.

Hope today's game is injury free.
Ritchie McKay will have his team ready to play. OSU will have their hands full.
#623671
SlurrrPup wrote: March 19th, 2021, 11:22 am Kalib, AA (Avery Anderson), and Cade are OSU's key players. Due to all the missed games this year, we can go 10 deep, but 2 of them will probably play less than 10 minutes. Foul trouble usually isn't an issue unless it is multiple people at the same position.

We typically out rebound teams and rebound as a team, so there isn't just one guy leads the way.

We will randomly press and I think that will cause Liberty some issues with our length and athleticism. If Rode receives the inbound, I would expect OSU to trap him immediately. Liberty needs to keep the ball in McGhee and Parker's hands. BTW, I like the Freshman Dobbs. I don't think Liberty drops off very much, when he is in the game.

Currently OSU is a 7.5 pt favorite. We have only won 5 games by 10+. Iowa State (2), Kansas State, Oakland, and Texas Southern (won last night in First Four). Even if OSU dominates I don't expect a blow out.

As for the pack line defense. It will be new to us, however it has typically been the extend and trap defenses that have given us the most issues. We have good off-ball movement on offense, so it is not a 1 man show offense where someone is trying to create for himself. Kalib works great with the inside - outside game, however MAM can be a black hole. We have developed a mid-range game over the last half of the season and Cade and AA can hit the 15 footer consistently.

On defense, we will switch it up a lot.
The pack fits McKay's offensive style. That's why he committed to it. More importantly, this group plays outstanding team defense.
#623691
thepostman wrote: March 19th, 2021, 7:06 pm OSU is forcing us to play through Preston and it is proving to be s successful strategy. The turnovers are killing us.
It’s a GREAT strategy. I’d do the same thing. He’s ......not the best post player.
#623693
Can’t really argue with the results so far. I’m sure they’ll get going a bit in the 2nd half, but I’m glad we also have a lot of room for improvement. We are definitely controlling the pace. I don’t think any of us thought we would let them run anyway. I’m surprised how well we are getting back despite all the turnovers.
#623697
35% from three is the magic number. And we need to get close to 25 shots off. That's the formula that works for us. We're gonna need more from Cuff & Rode in 2nd half, unless Darius gets a ton of looks. TBH, McGhee might just need to go in high volume mode, if we're gonna pull this one out. Wouldn't be surprised if that's the strategy.
Last edited by paradox on March 19th, 2021, 7:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.
#623698
Preston is light years ahead of last year. So impressed with the team's resilience. Take what the defense gives us. Our patience has totally frustrated OSU. Flames have proven that they can be cool in close games and this gives us a big edge. If we can keep it close and withstand an opening salvo in the second half, I like our chances. McKay has done his best coaching job ever and this program has no ceiling as long as he is here!
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