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For the first exhibition game, Mick Cronin rolled out a starting lineup of Ge'Lawn Guyn, Sean Kilpatrick, Jermaine Sanders, Titus Rubles, and Justin Jackson. Will these be the five to take the court against North Carolina Central on November 8? Let's see what our staff believes...
Jeff Gentil:
Point guard: I said it from the start and I'm sticking with Ge'Lawn Guyn as the starter. He knows what Mick wants and he has experience on his side. He's not going to light it up, but he doesn't necessarily have to.
Shooting guard: Sean Kilpatrick. Lock this one down for the full season barring injury.
Small forward: I'm not sure Jermaine Sanders is the guy here, but I kind of see Mick's motivation by starting him. It gives him a little boost of confidence that I think he still may need and it lets Shaq Thomas provide instant offense and energy off the bench. But, I'm still going with Shaq Thomas as the starter for game #1.
Power forward: I think Titus Rubles will start every game at the "4" even though he's not a true power forward. He brings so much more than just scoring to the floor. Rebounding, steals, passing, tenacious defense. I really think he could have a great year.
Center: Not your typical "center" but this should be Justin Jackson's job all year barring injury, and we have seen JJ miss time before due to injury. Let's hope it's not something more severe because the Bearcats are already very thin up front. Either way, I'm not sold on Justin's ability to provide offense after just one game. He's fooled us before. Still, he will provide enough on the defense and rebounding side to warrant the starting nod. He just has to stay out of foul trouble!!!
Justin Post:
My picks for starters aren't all that surprising since it's exactly what Cronin rolled out during the first pre-season game, but I had this in my head way before the Carleton game. Way before.
Point guard: Ge'Lawn Guyn - I think experience wins out early on, but if Guyn is pulling 25+ minutes a game, I'm worried.
Shooting guard: Kilpatrick - Yeah...next...
Small forward: Thomas - His size and versatility are too much to pass up. And, after this past weekend's game, I don't really want to see anyone else play this position.
Power forward: Rubles - He looked great early-on last year and struggled somewhat in conference play. Should be great early-on again.
Center: Jackson - #JustinJacksonMeanFace. Can we shorten this to #JJMeanFace? Come on, Twitter world - unite!
Matt Opper:
Point guard: Ge'Lawn Guyn
Shooting guard: Sean Kilpatrick
Small forward: Shaq Thomas
Power forward: Titus Rubles
Center: Justin Jackson
That was the starting group against Carleton, and I'd imagine it will be the starting lineup once the games start. Four of the five are no-nonsense locks. The only one I could see go a different direction is for Troy Caupain at point guard. It's simply a matter of time before he surpasses Guyn.
Matt DuMont:
Point guard: Ge'Lawn Guyn
Shooting guard: Sean Kilpatrick
Small forward: Shaq Thomas
Power forward: Titus Rubles
Center: Justin Jackson
In a way, there is height and there also is not. No one is over 6'8" with those guys on the floor, however, three of them are 6'7"+. It might be a slight matchup issue, but I wouldn't worry about rebounding. All 5 of those guys rebound extremely well. Almost everyone on the roster is going to see significant playing time in the first couple games, but I would expect this is how the starting 5 will look in the early part of the season.