Defense

[Keithjacksontucson]

Could this be a good defensive team?
They couldn't hold the worst teams to 46 points the last two years
Clearly they can score

[DWIZZ]

It could be. The team played together well on defense and had a lot of intensity!

[Paper_Bag]

There are definitely a few things different about this team compared to our recent teams in terms of personnel. We have a player who can match up with long, athletic wings. The past two years we have been getting exposed by guys like Dillon Brooks, Jordan Bell, Boatwright. With Akot and possibly Ira Lee we have some players who can fill that defensive role.

The second major boost is Deandre Ayton. Lauri was phenomenal and improved drastically by the end of the season but he was never a rim protector. Ayton is so mobile and gifted physically that he has the potential to be a plus two way player. Even Tarczewski, while he was a terrific positional defender and altered many shots, wasn't athletic enough to be a real fierce rim protector. Ayton has off the charts defensive potential.

Throw in the fact that we have Trier and Alkins back with experience and we have the makings of a real juggernaut on both sides of the ball.

[GoCatZ]

Everyone was playing with a lot of energy on defense. It looked like the other team got tired in the second half, but we still locked them down defensively.  Hopefully it's a sign of things to come

[WILD]

What stood out to me the most was the fact that we didn't let off the gas like we seemed to do everytime we got a big lead. That's team has the potential to put teams away early, so they'll have no chance of making a comeback.

We are going to be so much better once the season begins!  BEARDOWN

[mvpreed2]

To answer simply, yes.
We have size (mass), length (height) and athleticism to be able to matchup with anyone.
Between Trier/Alkins/Randolph, they should be able to handle any programs guards.
Then Akot/Lee/Alkins/Randolph should be able to matchup with the longer perimeter players.

The one thing that concerns me would be our defensive rebounding.
We only have size inside with Ayton/Ristic, but after them, Pinder and Lee are our next "bigs" and that's not good.
Against a team like Florida State that has 3-4 7'0 will give us a problem in the tournament.