As bad as Nembhard was offensively, he was a step slow defensively and getting after loose balls. Arkansas was just too quick and athletic for Nembhard and the Zags.
I posted in another thread that Nembhard is a very good player, but as he showed here he wasn’t an elite-level SEC quality guard
That's what killed Gonzaga last year against Baylor. Talented team, but they don't see that kind of physical play in their conference.
Fun game to watch. I will root for the Hogs but they are another team we will have to fight against for recruits.
Just another drive-by shooting of another former Gator point guard (so what else is new). IMO, he came to UF with the intent of learning how to play PG and then going to the NBA after one or two years. I sort of get the first year's production but his "testing the waters" afterwards was pretty telling: his head was mainly in the next place instead of the current one. Not a good look, especially for one whose production/athletic potential was not up to professional standards. Then came the magical "40-0" season. Not only was it not magical it looked pretty dysfunctional. And the NBA wannabe looked pedestrian...again. And while I can see where there was an agreement between AN and White for two years and then moving on - including signing the new players taking his roster spot - I did not see anything that looked like an NBA prospect. Then came a MUCH better team in Gonzaga. Suddenly he looked a whole lot better. I have seen some clips the past two years but last night was the first I watched an entire game. What I saw was a player who was the straw that stirred the drink - and that is definitely important - but when the talent increased against them he still looked pedestrian. I know it would have been different if he had hit his shots but still, one of THE aspects of playing quality PG is to hit the open shots when the defense isn't taking their shooting seriously (see Cheez). And yes, his defense is NOT a part of his game. I do hope he had a fun time playing out his college career (does he have a C-19 extra year?) and I am glad he is a part of the Gator basketball history. But if he thought he was going to get some "real" instruction in Gonzaga/Few instead of playing with UF/White, it was VERY misguided. I can see a career overseas and that is all. Too little athleticism to be anything more.
yeah Notae is a little bit of a chucker at times, but to be fair to him, Arky doesn't really have anybody else that can create offense reliably. Without Notae, I think they lose that game to the Zags 10 out of 10 times, even with the superior hustle and intensity they showed last night. on Nembhard, like the OP said it was a rough night for him. IMO he's always going to be a guy who struggles with athletic pressure defenders who will get up in his face and body him - he's not quick or strong enough to beat that type of pressure consistently on his own, and it's exacerbated by what I think is his tendency to play a little soft and not fight through contact as much as you'd like to see. He also made a couple of terrible decisions with the ball in his hands at the end of the game, unfortunately.
I would be ok with it if their coach wasn’t so annoying. Arkansas must lose at all costs. We sometimes forget that Arkansas has championship pedigree from the Nolan Richardson years. They are a proud fanbase like we are. It also highlights how hard it is to remain an Elite 8 / Final Four team. They haven’t been highly relevant for a long time. That’s why I wasn’t losing my mind over Mike White’s tenure. When you look at the elite basketball team circle of life, almost all have a period where they have to scratch and claw back to the top and it could take a decade or more. But… I’m optimistic about CTG and looking forward to see what he changes.
AN had an off night. It happens. The Ark D was good, but AN missed some easy shots he normally makes. Just how it goes sometimes. Hate it for him though.
I agree on your comment about being able to get away with some weaknesses due to their conference that would probably get exploited more in a power conference. Gonzaga is obviously a super talented team that would still be good anywhere, but I think they tend to get unfairly overrated each year from playing in the WCC. They're a huge fish in a small pond that only really has to deal with a couple of teams with comparable talent during the entire last half of their regular season. I like the Zags and have a ton of respect for Mark Few. I just personally think that constant grind of playing in a better conference would result in less inflated records and expectations, but it would end up making them better over the long haul - sort of an iron sharpens iron thing.
Toward the end of the first half the whole Zag team looked a bit worn out and slow. They got a taste of 40 minutes of hell.
Arkansas also had incredible D versus zags. Great intense D and athleticism help. Gators had trouble this year in our Guard matchups. Point differential was not in our favor. Defense was lacking, as was 3 point shooting.
I was disappointed for Andrew. He did not have a good game. The first half the Zag's should have scored 50, wasn't just Andrew layin bricks. Zags Missed shot after shot. They had good ball movement and PLENTY of open looks. But it just got worse for him, the turnovers started getting worse, then it seemed he did not want to shoot, period. Just one of those progressively "worse" days on the court. But he still had two excellent years for the Zags and much to be proud of. And in acknowledgment of what IGWT just posted, credit to Arkansas, they played great.
