At least I still have the Zags!

[wiff]

Jeremy Pargo will be returning for the Zags this coming season, after testing the NBA draft waters this past summer. As we all know if you have a pro caliber PG you should have a decent shot at winning just about any game.

The way I see it the Zags are skilled and deep at every spot. Their first six players are three Seniors, one Junior and two Sophomores. If a Freshman touches the floor he is going to have to be damn good to get minutes over these guys.

They did lose toughness with Kuso and Pendergraph graduating, but they should be able to fill those voids.

A lot rest on Heytvelt shoulders. He simply did not play well last season. But if can get his head back into the game like he had it before his mushroom bust previous two seasons ago and if Daye continues to improve, they should be a very potent front line accompanied by Micha Downs. Everyone of those guys can stroke it from just about anywhere on the court.

A back court rotation of Pargo, Bouldin and Gray has got to be one of the best in the nation.

I know they play in a weak conference but their out of conference schedule is pretty brutal this season.

They play WSU, Arizona, UConn, Indiana, and Tennessee. All of these are on the road with the exception of UConn.

I know it only takes one game to get bounced early during "The Big Dance" but I see the Zags dancing all the way to the final four and at that point who knows what happens?

[Det the Threat]

I know they play in a weak conference but their out of conference schedule is pretty brutal this season.

They play WSU, Arizona, UConn, Indiana, and Tennessee. All of these are on the road with the exception of UConn.

I'm not sure about that.
UConn and Tennessee should be tough, but we'll play UConn at the Kennel, which should give us a good shot at beating them.
WSU lost a lot in Weaver and Low and even though they still play great defense, i don't think they're as good as they were those last two years. Arizona isn't all that great as well(they only shoot jumpers) and that programm is out of sync, thanks to Lute Olsen leaving. Indiana is just a mess(thanks to Sampson) and they just barely beat Division III Chaminade by 2 points(after being blown out by Notre Dame and St. Joseph's) at the Maui Invitational.

I know it only takes one game to get bounced early during "The Big Dance" but I see the Zags dancing all the way to the final four and at that point who knows what happens?

I really think they've got all you need, to be successfull, but i still think that there's only one guy who'll decide how far they go. That guy is Josh Heytvelt, who had a horrible season last year and needs to get back to where he was two years ago, before he got into all that trouble. If he's able to get back and play on that level, then there's hardly a team in the nation these Zags can't compete with.

[wiff]

Hey Det have you been watching the Old Spice Classic?

The Zags managed to fight off a shakey start to beat Doug Gottliebs beloved OSU Cowboys.

Gottlieb was the only media guy I know that thought it was a good idea to move the Sonics to OKC. Maybe because he played at OSU.

He didn't have many good things to say about the Zags at half then they blew them out. I hope his crow taste good.

I do have to say Heytvelt didn't have the best game against the Cowboys but the Zags are so stinkin' deep and can shoot the ball so well that they can still beat teams.

Now come time for the dance, you're right, they will need Heytvelt to play like he did against Maryland with 9-10 shooting 2-2 from beyond the arch and 9 boards.

I heard that in the offseason Heytvelt had a second surgery on his ankle because it was bothering him last year. Which would explain his poor play.

But if he can find his groove they shoul dbe incredibly scary.

[Det the Threat]

Hey Det have you been watching the Old Spice Classic?

Yes, but only the semi-finale against Maryland(Greivis Vasquez is a great player).
It looked really easy, but it should look like this, with all the talent on that Zags team.

The Zags managed to fight off a shakey start to beat Doug Gottliebs beloved OSU Cowboys.

Gottlieb was the only media guy I know that thought it was a good idea to move the Sonics to OKC. Maybe because he played at OSU.

He didn't have many good things to say about the Zags at half then they blew them out. I hope his crow taste good.

I do have to say Heytvelt didn't have the best game against the Cowboys but the Zags are so stinkin' deep and can shoot the ball so well that they can still beat teams.

Like i said, i only watched the semi-finale, so i don't no nothing about that game.
Though, you're right, there's a lot of talent on this current team, so a team like OSU shouldn't be a real challenge for them, especially on a neutral court.

Now come time for the dance, you're right, they will need Heytvelt to play like he did against Maryland with 9-10 shooting 2-2 from beyond the arch and 9 boards.

I heard that in the offseason Heytvelt had a second surgery on his ankle because it was bothering him last year. Which would explain his poor play.

But if he can find his groove they shoul dbe incredibly scary.

Yes, Heytvelt had lots of problems with his ankle last year, as he came back from offseason surgery. He never quite got back to his old self(while also never being 100% healthy during the season) and therefore had a horrible year last year.
Because of those ankle problems he opted for another surgery and it looks like he's back at 100%, which is huge for the Zags.

And yeah, he needs to find his groove, cause this team will only go as far, as he can lead it.

Also, they'll play Tennessee tonight and this should be the first real test of the season, cause Bruce Pearl's teams always play right into your face and pressure you and i'm interested to see how the Zags(who haven't been the most physical of teams since a guy like JP Batista left) react to that. Another thing that should be interesting is the match-up of Austin Daye(who's playing really well so far) against Tyler Smith. Should be a fun game to watch.

[wiff]

Tenn looks like they have a pretty solid team. Zags could lose this game just as easy as win it. Tenn seems like they really enjoy taking the big shots at critical spots of the game.

So I'm looking to watch a very good game today.