Arkansas-Little Rock will surely be in for a stern test tonight going into the raucous Gallagher-Iba Arena. However, I think this is just too many points for the Cowboys to cover this early in the season, especially against a formidable foe.
Yeah, that's right, I said formidable. This UALR squad is returning seven seniors from a team that won the East division of the Sun Belt last year. Steve Shields (2004 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year) has done a great job in taking over the program as it certainly looks to be on a major upswing. There is plenty of experienced and talented players on this team. Brandon Freeman can fill it up, they have a senior PG in Zach Graber, and a nice inside presence with senior Darius Eason, plus some serviceable role players. I honestly think this is a dangerous team that could hang with OSU throughout the game this evening.
Yes, Oklahoma State is absolutely loaded with thoroughbreds, and have been impressive in both exhibition games and the one win over Northwestern State (LA). On paper, they are certainly capable of covering this big number. That being said, this UALR team is leaps and bounds better than any team they have faced thus far. The loss of Tony Allen has not really shown up as much in the final scores yet for OSU, but taking a look at the boxscores you can see it. Even the coaches have stated that Tony Allen was the one guy on the Final Four team last year that almost single-handedly brought a high level of intensity to practices and games, especially on the defensive end. He was the leader of this team and brought so many intangibles to last year's Cowboys team. Thus far, turnovers are up from last year and rebounds are down. What I see is a lack of aggressiveness at times on defense and less effort on the boards. Those qualities don't make for covering 20+ point spreads against decent teams. If the Cowboys are lax on D tonight, the Trojans have enough weapons to make them pay.
Thus far, the offense has shined for OSU this season, but Eddie is still searching for someone to step up and be that necessary inside presence. Thus far that area is still a concern. I think someone of Darius Eason's ability and experience may be able to exploit that tonight. Lots of lineup shuffling is to be expected tonight, too, as the Suttons search for the best lineup to put out on the floor. All the tinkering is tough to make for any sense of continuity.
All in all, I just really feel good about UALR tonight, even playing them +12.5 in the first half. Hopefully, things will play out like I envision. We shall see.
Good Luck to All,
-JC
Yeah, that's right, I said formidable. This UALR squad is returning seven seniors from a team that won the East division of the Sun Belt last year. Steve Shields (2004 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year) has done a great job in taking over the program as it certainly looks to be on a major upswing. There is plenty of experienced and talented players on this team. Brandon Freeman can fill it up, they have a senior PG in Zach Graber, and a nice inside presence with senior Darius Eason, plus some serviceable role players. I honestly think this is a dangerous team that could hang with OSU throughout the game this evening.
Yes, Oklahoma State is absolutely loaded with thoroughbreds, and have been impressive in both exhibition games and the one win over Northwestern State (LA). On paper, they are certainly capable of covering this big number. That being said, this UALR team is leaps and bounds better than any team they have faced thus far. The loss of Tony Allen has not really shown up as much in the final scores yet for OSU, but taking a look at the boxscores you can see it. Even the coaches have stated that Tony Allen was the one guy on the Final Four team last year that almost single-handedly brought a high level of intensity to practices and games, especially on the defensive end. He was the leader of this team and brought so many intangibles to last year's Cowboys team. Thus far, turnovers are up from last year and rebounds are down. What I see is a lack of aggressiveness at times on defense and less effort on the boards. Those qualities don't make for covering 20+ point spreads against decent teams. If the Cowboys are lax on D tonight, the Trojans have enough weapons to make them pay.
Thus far, the offense has shined for OSU this season, but Eddie is still searching for someone to step up and be that necessary inside presence. Thus far that area is still a concern. I think someone of Darius Eason's ability and experience may be able to exploit that tonight. Lots of lineup shuffling is to be expected tonight, too, as the Suttons search for the best lineup to put out on the floor. All the tinkering is tough to make for any sense of continuity.
All in all, I just really feel good about UALR tonight, even playing them +12.5 in the first half. Hopefully, things will play out like I envision. We shall see.
Good Luck to All,
-JC
