Cal's team's don't look good, until the PG play is good

[boomdaddy]

The John Wall year and the Ulis sophomore year are the only years, that I did not worry about PG at the beginning of a Cal coached Kentucky season. When ever his teams don't look good early, the fan base has a "the sky is falling" mentality for the rest of the season. After this game against UNC, it appears that Coach will have the good PG play that he has to have to have a great season.

Ulis sophomore season was the only season that Calipari has had a top notch PG with experience coming back. All the other seasons, he was playing with freshman with the exception of the year he had no viable PG.

I wasn't super confident that the Cats would beat the Tar Heels. But, the team is improving by leaps and bounds and those naysayers that grumble that Cal has forgotten how to coach, will have to wait for the next loss, to have ammunition for their argument. Hopefully it will be a ways off.

The Vols are the best team in the SEC right now. The CBS guys were calling them a final four team, and also heaping praise on a few other teams, before the UK tip off. I really like this Kentucky team. They can be really, really good by tourney time. Cats need to beat UL by 10 to 15 or more. I think they will. This team is led by player that should be in his senior year of high school. Is that crazy or what?

Go Cats!

[KCKUKFan]

There was no reason to worry with De'Aaron Fox or Brandon Knight at point, either. Both were more consistently reliable at the position early in the year than John Wall, if not quite as explosive or flashy.

And you're right, but this holds true for most college basketball team.

[Joneslab]

I've loved Hagans since the beginning. The obvious problem is that he can't score unless he's in the paint, and even then it's an adventure.

What you hope is that he'll get more comfortable offensively as the year goes on, a la Teague. But as far as electricity and his motor, he has it. I thought he was a pro the first time I saw him play and haven't changed my opinion. But he's more raw than most one-and-dones we've had and I think you'll start seeing guys just backpedal like crazy on him. In fact I would imagine Louisville will put his man in the paint and not even look at him when he has it on the perimeter. That's going to make things really clogged for us and Hagans will have to adjust.

Quade being removed may have been a kind of blessing. Team looked so much more together yesterday. Have no idea if that was about Quade or not but the most shocking thing was how together they were. Sometimes getting a guy out of the locker room who's miserable makes a huge difference.

[justford]

I was glad you to see Nick have a good outing. He was also cheering while on the bench.

[Joneslab]

But he's more raw than most one-and-dones we've had and I think you'll start seeing guys just backpedal like crazy on him. In fact I would imagine Louisville will put his man in the paint and not even look at him when he has it on the perimeter.

Louisville indeed did just this in the second half. There were possessions where Hagans' guy was literally standing beside Reid Travis under the goal.

Hagans did okay against it. He did hit one jumper. But this is going to be the treatment for the rest of the year now that Hagans is the guy at point: teams are just going to not even look at him when he has the ball out top.

That's a hard way to play and we've seen some other point guards who couldn't shoot struggle a little with that kind of defense. De'Aaron Fox comes immediately to mind, but obviously the major difference with Fox and Hagans is that Fox was a great lay-up maker. Hagans is still up and down there.

[J.Jennings]

Whole lot of truth to this statement from D. Rose, Evan, etc etc to the play of SGA last year that changed that team. Enter A. Hagans as of late and look at this team go, i do think Cal's success depends on the PG but that could be said with any team. The only thing Cal has missed on this year is a scoring PG but Hagans is looking better getting to the rim and i do think he can hit his freethrows so that's a plus...

[Blue Heaven]

Hagans can get to the rim but he misses some easy ones. I liked his confidence when he drove and scored those two times late in the game. He has a bulldogs mentality with lights out defense. That’s a dynamite thing to have in your PG. If he can develop any kind of a jumper then we have a chance to be really good.

[SCBlu]

I'd love for him to develop a mid-range shot.

[Lighthouse]

I'd love for him to develop a mid-range shot.

He's going to have a bunch of open looks until he develops a mid-range jumper.

[teamchemistry15]

I'd love for him to develop a mid-range shot.

That's the down side to having one and done players. He won't be here long enough to develop a mid range game.

[85 Fly]

I'd love for him to develop a mid-range shot.

I'd love to see him develop A SHOT! But you have to remember he's also missing bunny's...he's really a senior in HS and at times I see him play like it but in recent weeks his defense has greatly improved so I'm hoping he sticks around Soph year giving him more time to get that offense up- to- par