Ranking Our probable Starting Lineup for Next Year

[Norm Peterson]

I'm curious what people think.

 

If you were writing a piece on the Big Ten for one of next season's pre-season pubs, and you had to rank each of the following by thirds (top, middle, bottom) within the conference how would you rate us?  How do our players and groupings of players compare with those of the rest of the conference?  If you were ranking Big Ten back courts our centers, etc., where do we fit in that list?

 

So, rank (top, middle or bottom third of the conference) our projected starters at ...

 

PG?

SG?
SF?
PF?

 

(I leave off C b/c that's an unknown for us at this time.  Assume for the sake of argument, though, that we find someone and that our PFs, therefore, can play PF.)

 

Backcourt (including non-starters)?

 

Frontcourt (including non-starters)?

 

 

The reason I ask is because, if we are to entertain any realistic thoughts of reaching the NCAA tourney next year, then we probably ought to have top 1/3 type talent in at least one, maybe two categories and no more than 1 category in the bottom third of the league.  Am I right?

 

Edited to make things more clear.

[KarlHessEatMy....]

Watson

Gill

White

Morrow

[khoock]

PG: Watson

SG: Gill, Webster

SF: White

PF: McVeigh, Jacobson, Morrow

Gill prob beats out Webster (Also Tai is comfortable coming off the bench already). I have no clue who wins the 4 spot, especially if we get a good center and Jacobson can move back to the 4.

[Norm Peterson]

Sorry, I didn't make this clear.  I'm not talking about ranking our players within the team but rather ranking them compared to their Big Ten counterparts at the same position.

 

I'll start off trying to answer my own question:

 

Starting SF -- Top 1/3.  No doubt.  Andrew White finished this season in the top 6 in individual scoring, top 15 in rebounding, top 12 in 3-pt FG%, top 15 in steals for goodness' sake.  You'd have to consider him one of the top 5 SFs in the league next year.

 

Starting PG -- Top half? Maybe? As a team, we don't generate enough assists to get him in the rankings for assists.  But we know he's clutch as hell and he'll probably be an even better player next year.  I think I could go with top half.  Not sure I could go top 1/3.

 

Starting SG -- I'll say it now: I don't think you're going to find 7 better shooting guards in the league next year.  I've seen enough of Anton Gill that I think he'll be as good as Andrew White was this year.  So, top half.  But I said thirds.  And I don't know that I could put him in the top third with no more than we have to go on.  So, middle third?  Yeah, I'm comfortable with that.

 

Based on that, I think there's a good chance we wind up with one of the top 5 back courts in the conference.

 

Frontcourt, it's tough to say.  I don't know who that big man is going to be and I don't think I can honestly rank any of our individual front court players in the top 2/3 of the conference as things stand right now.

 

Having said that, though, I think depending on who we get as the final piece or pieces of our puzzle, we have enough quality depth that our front court could conceivably be among the middle third of the conference.

 

That's kind of where I am right now.

[Huskerpapa]

PG - Glynn and Tai put us in the top five of the league...no doubt in my mind

SG - Combination of Gill and Tai again puts us in the top five of the league. 

PF - I will place MJ, Horne, Ed and Jack in this position.  This four headed monster is on the rise.  I certainly place this grouping in the top five. 

Wing/SF - Combination of Drew and Roby (and Fuller) look pretty darn good.  Top 3 strictly due to Drew, anything more is a cherry on top

C - Currently we are one of the bottom dwellers. In fact, we likely are on the bottom 3.  Unfortunately, this position is critical for our success.  The next two + months are going to be critical.  If we get a good one...then baby, watch out.

 

By the way, as an added bonus; many in this group can play multiple positions which gives the coaching staff the opportunity to create match-up problems.  Again, getting a quality big man that can score in the post, provide consistent rebounding and can protect the paint is sooo important.

[hhcmatt]

PG currently better than/as good as Watson

 

Corey Sanders - Rutgers

JaQuan Lyle - Ohio St

Bryant McIntosh - NW

Derek Walton Jr - Mich (4 star frosh coming in as well)

Melo Trimble - Maryland (4 star frosh coming in as well)

 

Incoming

Tony Carr - Penn St (4 stars)

Cassius Winston - Mich St (4 stars)

[hal9000]

I'd like to research the rest of the league to provide a more educated opinion, but based on my gut feeling...

 

PG - Middle.  Watson doesn't have a true backup point.  I assume Tai will play some point.  Bakari will get a shot at it as well, but as of right now I don't see him being a factor. 

 

SG - Top.  No reseason to think Gill won't be a huge contributer for us next year, and Tai has become an extremely reliable player for us. 

 

SF - Middle.  No doubt White is one of the better players in the league.  McVeigh will be better I think, but still a lot of growth needed there.  Lot of hope for Roby, he's 6-8 and athletic, but is still a true frosh.

 

PF - Bottom.  If we get a good Center, this may change, because Morrow and Jacobson are pretty good low post guys, they just need a little help.  They should be better individally,  but they are still sophmores. 

 

Backcourt - Top.  With Watson, Webster, and Gill, I definitely feel we have one of the top thirds. 

Frontcourt  -  Where do we put White?  Part of the back court, or front court?  He's a forward, but he's essentially a perimeter player.  I'm going to say our front court is our 4-5 positions, and right now I'm saying bottom. 

[khoock]

PG: Watson and Webster I would say are in the top half of the league for sure. Idk if I would go top 5 tho.

SG: I think Gill and Webster will be top 3.

SF: White, Roby and McVeigh are gonna be a top 5 position group. Possibly even top 3.

PF: Morrow, Jacobson, and Horne have the potential to be in the top half of the league but I would prob but them just outside of the middle.

[Norm Peterson]

To me, back court is going to include your 3, particularly on offense. I'd say that means we'll almost certainly have one of the best back courts in the conference next year. Top third, should be. So, key to our season will be what kind of front court we end up with.

[Blackshirt83]

Kind of difficult to tell until we see who leaves early around the league. Do Koenig, Schowalter or Happ leave early for some reason? Do Trimble and Stone not go pro for some reason? What does Corey Sanders do? Etc.

[Hoops_Legend]

1)  PG - we are not top 1/3.  We are middle to bottom 1/3.  Glynn Watson didn't even beat out Bennie Parker for a starting spot.  C'mon guys, I'm as hopeful as the next guy, but man you gotta be real.

 

2)  SG - Hope top 1/3.  But, remains to be seen with Gill.

 

3)  SF - Top 1/3.  Andrew is a great player, only to get better.

 

4)  PF - Bottom 1/3.  We need a miracle in recruiting.

 

5)  C - Bottom 1/3.  We need another miracle.

[uneblinstu]

1)  PG - we are not top 1/3.  We are middle to bottom 1/3.  Glynn Watson didn't even beat out Bennie Parker for a starting spot.  C'mon guys, I'm as hopeful as the next guy, but man you gotta be real.

Man, the line between "gotta be real", pessimism and trolling is so blurry... But you're right he didn't start over Benny. When he started, he started over Tai Webster, the team's third leading scorer, who averaged more than 10 points a game. Watson also initiated the offense most of the time when he was on the floor, regardless of whether Benny was on the floor or not, improved dramatically as a defender over the course of the season. I don't know if he's a top third PG in the Big Ten, but he's not bottom third, I'm confident in saying that.

[Norm Peterson]

1)  PG - we are not top 1/3.  We are middle to bottom 1/3.  Glynn Watson didn't even beat out Bennie Parker for a starting spot.  C'mon guys, I'm as hopeful as the next guy, but man you gotta be real.

 

2)  SG - Hope top 1/3.  But, remains to be seen with Gill.

 

3)  SF - Top 1/3.  Andrew is a great player, only to get better.

 

4)  PF - Bottom 1/3.  We need a miracle in recruiting.

 

5)  C - Bottom 1/3.  We need another miracle.

Wow, golfer3 departs and Hoops_Legend shows up.

 

Has anyone ever seen the two of them in a room together? At the same time?

[throwback]

 

1)  PG - we are not top 1/3.  We are middle to bottom 1/3.  Glynn Watson didn't even beat out Bennie Parker for a starting spot.  C'mon guys, I'm as hopeful as the next guy, but man you gotta be real.

Man, the line between "gotta be real", pessimism and trolling is so blurry... But you're right he didn't start over Benny. When he started, he started over Tai Webster, the team's third leading scorer, who averaged more than 10 points a game. Watson also initiated the offense most of the time when he was on the floor, regardless of whether Benny was on the floor or not, improved dramatically as a defender over the course of the season. I don't know if he's a top third PG in the Big Ten, but he's not bottom third, I'm confident in saying that.

 

Good points - and the reason Glynn didn't start early is because his defense was a mess, which shouldn't be a surprise for a true frosh. I'm still having nightmares watching him try to chase NW's guards in the game in Lincoln. Ugh.

 

But he improved throughout the season on that end, so that's a good sign that he bought into what the coaches told him. He's still not a lock down defender, but he's more than passable now, especially for someone who provides so much on the offensive end. 

 

And for a true freshman to have his limited number of turnovers was impressive. Get him in the weight room this off season, and he's poised for a nice jump forward.

 

I'll admit being skeptical when he arrived about how much he'd be able to get done at NU. I'll also admit I was pretty clueless for thinking that way. He's definitely deserves to be ranked in the upper half of the B1G at PG in 2016-17, and depending on who leaves/comes back, top 1/3 isn't a stretch.

[uneblinstu]

Good points - and the reason Glynn didn't start early is because his defense was a mess, which shouldn't be a surprise for a true frosh. I'm still having nightmares watching him try to chase NW's guards in the game in Lincoln. Ugh.

 

But he improved throughout the season on that end, so that's a good sign that he bought into what the coaches told him. He's still not a lock down defender, but he's more than passable now, especially for someone who provides so much on the offensive end. 

 

And for a true freshman to have his limited number of turnovers was impressive. Get him in the weight room this off season, and he's poised for a nice jump forward.

 

I'll admit being skeptical when he arrived about how much he'd be able to get done at NU. I'll also admit I was pretty clueless for thinking that way.

I think it's ok to have a healthy dose of skepticism for any freshman that comes in. You never really know until they show up on campus how good they'll be. We saw a lot from Watson that I think shows if he continues to develop will be an excellent player at this level.

[Hoops_Legend]

 

1)  PG - we are not top 1/3.  We are middle to bottom 1/3.  Glynn Watson didn't even beat out Bennie Parker for a starting spot.  C'mon guys, I'm as hopeful as the next guy, but man you gotta be real.

Man, the line between "gotta be real", pessimism and trolling is so blurry... But you're right he didn't start over Benny. When he started, he started over Tai Webster, the team's third leading scorer, who averaged more than 10 points a game. Watson also initiated the offense most of the time when he was on the floor, regardless of whether Benny was on the floor or not, improved dramatically as a defender over the course of the season. I don't know if he's a top third PG in the Big Ten, but he's not bottom third, I'm confident in saying that.

 

The fact remains that if anyone is considering Watson in top 1/3, he was a bench player at season's end.  He did not start over either Benny or Tai, so unless we feel like our lineup was good enough to keep a top 1/3 guy from starting....well, I guess I'll just stick with what the evidence says, not what I hope and dream for.

[HB]

 

 

1)  PG - we are not top 1/3.  We are middle to bottom 1/3.  Glynn Watson didn't even beat out Bennie Parker for a starting spot.  C'mon guys, I'm as hopeful as the next guy, but man you gotta be real.

Man, the line between "gotta be real", pessimism and trolling is so blurry... But you're right he didn't start over Benny. When he started, he started over Tai Webster, the team's third leading scorer, who averaged more than 10 points a game. Watson also initiated the offense most of the time when he was on the floor, regardless of whether Benny was on the floor or not, improved dramatically as a defender over the course of the season. I don't know if he's a top third PG in the Big Ten, but he's not bottom third, I'm confident in saying that.

 

The fact remains that if anyone is considering Watson in top 1/3, he was a bench player at season's end.  He did not start over either Benny or Tai, so unless we feel like our lineup was good enough to keep a top 1/3 guy from starting....well, I guess I'll just stick with what the evidence says, not what I hope and dream for.

 

 

Don't kid us for a second that you "hope and "dream" for good things for NU hoops.  And you may want to look past whether someone starts and look at the whole package.

[ajb5856]

Anytime I watched a TV game down the stretch (and those were just road games and the B1G tourney) the commentators would gush over how good Watson was going to be. Fact is, we haven't had a freshman on the floor doing the things Glynn did at PG this year in a long time. You can just tell by watching him that he's got that moxy that we're not used to seeing in a Husker jersey. He will be special. It is not unreasonable at all to think top 1/3 for him next season.

[throwback]

The fact remains that if anyone is considering Watson in top 1/3, he was a bench player at season's end.  He did not start over either Benny or Tai, so unless we feel like our lineup was good enough to keep a top 1/3 guy from starting....well, I guess I'll just stick with what the evidence says, not what I hope and dream for.

 

So you distrust our coaches enough that you're pining for Dana Altman, yet you trust who they choose to start as evidence that Watson is a "middle to bottom third" PG in the B1G? 

 

Uh-huh.

 

I think you were closer to reality when you said that we fans just have to "decide that we're tired of not watching our team in the NCAA Tournament" and everything will be fixed.

[Cazzie22]

PG currently better than/as good as Watson

 

Corey Sanders - Rutgers

JaQuan Lyle - Ohio St

Bryant McIntosh - NW

Derek Walton Jr - Mich (4 star frosh coming in as well)

Melo Trimble - Maryland (4 star frosh coming in as well)

 

Incoming

Tony Carr - Penn St (4 stars)

Cassius Winston - Mich St (4 stars)

What about Bronson Koening at Wisconsin?

[Cazzie22]

Our back court could be in the top 1/3 of the conference if you include White.  Everywhere else probably puts us in the bottom 1/3. 

 

Wisconsin returns everyone, Michigan should have Levert back, Ohio St. was young, Michigan St. has some good young players, Purdue returns Edwards and Haas.  One team that should fall off is Iowa.  Others on this board are probably more up to date on incoming talent than I am.

[hhcmatt]

 

PG currently better than/as good as Watson

 

Corey Sanders - Rutgers

JaQuan Lyle - Ohio St

Bryant McIntosh - NW

Derek Walton Jr - Mich (4 star frosh coming in as well)

Melo Trimble - Maryland (4 star frosh coming in as well)

 

Incoming

Tony Carr - Penn St (4 stars)

Cassius Winston - Mich St (4 stars)

What about Bronson Koening at Wisconsin?

 

 

Yup. That was a big overlook on my part

[lanigan123]

I like to look at PG/SG together, I think we are probably right in the middle. White is top 5 at SF and I think PF/C we are just passed the middle. It really depends on where you place guys.

Nebraska finally had enough bodies next year to play deeper. Would love to add another guard and a big guy, but I think Jacobsen and Morrow at the 4 and 5 is a good pair.

[Huskerpapa]

It is always interesting to me that when many individuals compare players they look only at a few select offensive numbers.  I guess that provides an easy comparison/analysis; but it certainly is not detailed or accurate.

[AuroranHusker]

Nebraska is middle of the pack (b/w 4-10) in most of these categories. Huskers are improving, but so is everyone else (well, an exception could be Iowa).