Utah's Bogut Carries His Club
Andrew Bogut is a 7-foot center for the sweet-16-bound Utah Utes. He looks a little gangly and uncoordinated. The first time I saw him play, I was reminded of Quasi Modo on steroids. But when you see him play, I guarantee you'll be floored.
Bogut owns the lane. With an enormous wing-span on top of his 7-foot frame, Bogut swats or alters any shot within eight feet of the basket. His rebounding ability--again, funny looking--is unparalleled in college basketball.
Offensively, Bogut is at his best. His low-post play is unstoppable, his passing crisp and his range surprising. In the first round of the NCAA tournament, the Australian poured in 24 points to go with 11 boards. The performance was enough to convince Oklahoma that they could beat Utah as long as Bogut didn't score. In response, Bogut scored just 10 points on a miniscule 7 shots, but killed the Sooners with 11 rebounds, seven assists and enough decoys to seal the win for Utah.
The argument--and it's a good one--is that Bogut is just one player and doesn't have a lot around him. If and when the Utes run into a team like North Carolina, Bogut will have to deal with several big men. Just like Iowa State's Jared Homan, he may be able to hang with any of them--and maybe be better than any of them--but teams like UNC have two or three big guys in at once.
The difference is that the Utes, unlike the Cyclones, will try to slow the pace. They will make it a half-court game in which Bogut can shine. He is bigger than any UNC post player and can handle several at once. The only thing that will stop the Utes is a fast-breaking team that can force Utah into a up-and-down game, basically eliminating Bogut from the equation.
If that doesn't happen, look for Utah to make a serious run toward the Final Four.
Bogut owns the lane. With an enormous wing-span on top of his 7-foot frame, Bogut swats or alters any shot within eight feet of the basket. His rebounding ability--again, funny looking--is unparalleled in college basketball.
Offensively, Bogut is at his best. His low-post play is unstoppable, his passing crisp and his range surprising. In the first round of the NCAA tournament, the Australian poured in 24 points to go with 11 boards. The performance was enough to convince Oklahoma that they could beat Utah as long as Bogut didn't score. In response, Bogut scored just 10 points on a miniscule 7 shots, but killed the Sooners with 11 rebounds, seven assists and enough decoys to seal the win for Utah.
The argument--and it's a good one--is that Bogut is just one player and doesn't have a lot around him. If and when the Utes run into a team like North Carolina, Bogut will have to deal with several big men. Just like Iowa State's Jared Homan, he may be able to hang with any of them--and maybe be better than any of them--but teams like UNC have two or three big guys in at once.
The difference is that the Utes, unlike the Cyclones, will try to slow the pace. They will make it a half-court game in which Bogut can shine. He is bigger than any UNC post player and can handle several at once. The only thing that will stop the Utes is a fast-breaking team that can force Utah into a up-and-down game, basically eliminating Bogut from the equation.
If that doesn't happen, look for Utah to make a serious run toward the Final Four.
posted by Joe Siple | 9:09 AM
2 Comments:
Did I just read that you compared Iowa State's Jared Homan to Naismith hopeful and possibly #1 pick in the NBA draft, Andrew Bogut?
Homan is a "nice" big man that will have a "nice" career in finance working for a large company, but he should not even be mentioned in the same sentence as Bogut.
That being said, since I to listened to the ACC driven Sports Network and chose Wake Forest as my champ, I have shown I know nothing.
Yeah, Homan is no Bogut. But I do think he might have a chance to play at the next level. Of course, I have 5 teams left in my pool.
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