Grandpa
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 732
|
Post by Grandpa on Mar 1, 2010 22:32:53 GMT -5
Well, at least we'll have the following working in our favor on Saturday vs. Cincy:
1) crazy student fans that will undoubtedly foresake spring break plans to pack both student sections at Verizon, ready to cheer on the team at the Noon tip; 2) our traditionally rabid alumni / local fanbase that will be ready to be loud and supportive for the team from the tip without needing anything to cheer for first; 3) a long-standing rivalry with the opposing team which will only serve to further accentuate #1 and #2 above; 4) emotion of senior day in which we honor the team's 4-year players who've shown much dedication to the university; 5) no chance that Cincy grads, transplants, or travelling fans in DC area might be louder than Hoya fans in the house if the Bearcats happen to get the jump on the Hoyas; 6) the hype surrounding a nationally televised game
Ugh... wait a second, do we have anything going in our favor for this game? Oh well, win anyway Hoyas... you are better than you've shown the last 4-5 games - now prove it and beat the Bearcats!
|
|
|
Post by williambraskyiii on Mar 1, 2010 22:42:47 GMT -5
a worse bearcats team embarrassed the hoyas at the VC last year.
|
|
joey0403p
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,586
|
Post by joey0403p on Mar 1, 2010 23:54:22 GMT -5
lets all just hope the team is healthy for sat. the team is a shadow of itself right now. i refuse to believe we are as bad as we've played in the last 4 or 5 games. I'm not saying we are the best team in the country - but i do think we are better than the ND's and the rutgers and the south florida's.
|
|
KHoyaNYC
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,900
|
Post by KHoyaNYC on Mar 2, 2010 0:34:44 GMT -5
At this point the question becomes can we reverse the slide and anyone who is drawing comparisons to 2009's collapse is perfectly justified in doing so. The second half wasn't bad tonight but the first half was atrocious with the laziness of the passes and transition defense. The good news in all this is there is time to regroup and still make this a successful season and ending the year with a home game against a beatable team is a good place to start. Let's get this one, take 2 or 3 in the BET and then rock the NCAAs. Believe me, I have my doubts, but either we get behind the Hoyas and believe or we call it a season tonight.
|
|
|
Post by Coast2CoastHoya on Mar 2, 2010 0:43:08 GMT -5
I'm not going to Solly's on Friday.
Last year I went to Solly's on Friday before this same game and we lost to Cincy in overtime. I'm staying home this year. I hope this random happenstance superstition results in at least a couple of points (perhaps freethrows or non-given up breakaway points?) that result in a W.
|
|
HoyaFanNY
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Never throw to the venus on a spider 3 Y banana!
Posts: 4,991
|
Post by HoyaFanNY on Mar 2, 2010 7:26:14 GMT -5
a worse bearcats team embarrassed the hoyas at the VC last year. + exactly. this cincy team is very athletic. i like our chances, IF we don't get down by 20 AGAIN.
|
|
KHoyaNYC
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,900
|
Post by KHoyaNYC on Mar 2, 2010 9:38:35 GMT -5
Was reminded this morning of a team that gave me some hope: The 1999-2000 UNC team was every bit as inconsistent as the Hoyas and then some -- limped to a 16-13 record, including a first round loss to Wake Forest in the ACC tourney. Got a #8 seed and made a great run to the Final Four before falling to Florida. They did have a senior in Ed Coda, but I'm pretty sure they were overall pretty young with a thin bench. There is precedent for turning this around.
|
|
FrazierFanatic
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 15,573
Member is Online
|
Post by FrazierFanatic on Mar 2, 2010 11:00:09 GMT -5
Austin's tweets on casual's blog sound like he is feeling better, wants to get out of the hospital and back to school - should have enough time to mend before Saturday. Despite the mess of the last 2 weeks, JTIII may need to give these guys a day off to recover and strengthen for Saturday.
|
|
tjm62
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 855
|
Post by tjm62 on Mar 2, 2010 11:33:56 GMT -5
Per facebook:
Roy Hibbert
watching my hoyas play WVA. Really really really want to see them pick it back up. Shouldn't be losing all these games.
Yesterday at 8:44pm · Comment · Like
|
|
CAHoya07
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 3,598
|
Post by CAHoya07 on Mar 2, 2010 11:42:15 GMT -5
All right, none of us feels "good" about the team right now, but I feel all right going into Cincy.
Cincy is on the wrong side of the bubble, and I think it will pop tonight with a loss to Villanova. That said, they are not a bad team, and it will take a much better performance than we've been accustomed to seeing recently to beat them. Stephenson, Vaughn, and Gates are all good. I look at this as our second chance to beat a South Florida-type opponent at home. With the same focused effort that we saw against Louisville, I think we win this one.
Let's just cut out the silly turnovers and not fall behind by 10-20 points again, it's really getting tiring. We need to come out to play ready from tip-off. I want a lead at halftime. We haven't had that in six games, and unsurprisingly, we are 2-4 in that span.
As far as Austin goes, I'm glad he has the whole week to recuperate and I expect him to be back. However, he's missed a lot of practice, so he may not be 100% right away. Even then, I expect to win this one, as long as we come out ready to play.
Season far from over. This is an NCAA team. Every team deals with adversity. How we remember this season has yet to be written.
|
|
|
Post by michaelgrahamfan on Mar 2, 2010 11:59:07 GMT -5
SFHoya is on the money. If we perform like we could, it could be St. John's 2009 all over again.
|
|
|
Post by michaelgrahamfan on Mar 2, 2010 12:06:44 GMT -5
Chep your hunch is correct. There is no way the fans are going to feel better about this team regardless of the outcome of the Cincy game.
|
|
PhillyHoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 2,016
|
Post by PhillyHoya on Mar 2, 2010 12:08:10 GMT -5
I'll be there. That's about all I can say. Whether or not the team will be is still up to debate.
|
|
|
Post by westendhoya on Mar 2, 2010 12:30:13 GMT -5
Chep your hunch is correct. There is no way the fans are going to feel better about this team regardless of the outcome of the Cincy game. Totally wrong...A solid win getting us a 6 or 7 seed in the BET will get everyone feeling better
|
|
|
Post by gtownforever on Mar 2, 2010 12:30:44 GMT -5
regarding the fans, no one should expect a huge student turnout. spring break always kills the student section for this final home game. it sucks, but it is what it is.
i think austin's return could give the team the extra boost it needs to get pumped, and get one good (debatable...) win under our belts before we head into the postseason. i'd love to destroy cincy as a little confidence booster before the BET.
if austin's still out, frankly i don't think that there is a chance. not because we can't beat cincy without him, but because of his absence's effect on the team's energy.
|
|
GIGAFAN99
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,487
|
Post by GIGAFAN99 on Mar 2, 2010 13:45:35 GMT -5
Was reminded this morning of a team that gave me some hope: The 1999-2000 UNC team was every bit as inconsistent as the Hoyas and then some -- limped to a 16-13 record, including a first round loss to Wake Forest in the ACC tourney. Got a #8 seed and made a great run to the Final Four before falling to Florida. They did have a senior in Ed Coda, but I'm pretty sure they were overall pretty young with a thin bench. There is precedent for turning this around. The only thing you can't overcome in college basketball is a lack of talent. String together a few wins, Chris' shot starts falling, we catch a break here and there and suddenly we can make a run. That's the nature of the game. Beat Cincy however you have to and it might start something.
|
|
|
Post by hoyaknockoff on Mar 2, 2010 15:00:31 GMT -5
Making my annual post here. Not a Hoya student or alum but a die-hard fan since '82. I am from Cincy and don't care for them. So its always personal with me when they play.
Cincy's main point lately has been Gates. They feed him in the post very well. He's very strong (and big). Vaughn will have a tough time with him. UC's goal will be to get Hoyas in foul trouble. So hopefully Monroe will not guard him much. Gates, like most Bearcats struggles at free throw line.
Stephenson has shown great moments and also great selfishness at times. He's excellent in fast breaks. But he gets selfish in half-court and likes to act like Jordan and take the step-back jumper. But with his size, don't be surprised if they post him up. Vaughn will shoot it from anywhere. He's had a very poor year this year. But will get hot if allowed to. UC has guards (Dixon, Wright) that can hit 3's in streaks.
UC likes to press. They will play a lot of guys. The wild card is Ibrahima Thomas. He's 6-10 and will hit 3's. The thing with UC is they are very foul prone. And they will get down as a team when it happens. They are extremely atheletic and rebound like crazy.
Personally I don't see anyone that can guard Monroe. They will pack a zone around him or double team him. If Freeman plays it will open things up.
My two cents...
|
|
|
Post by HometownHoya on Mar 2, 2010 15:34:39 GMT -5
Wait doesn't Cincy have Biggie McClain??!?!?! We're screwed
|
|
Dhall
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,679
|
Post by Dhall on Mar 2, 2010 17:02:13 GMT -5
Cincy is a decent team in the Big East. Whether we were riding a 5-game win streak or a 5-game losing streak, this would not be easy. Regarding fan/student support, it really helped against ODU didn't it?
If we lose this game but get a draw in the BE which does not involve UCONN, that would be fine. I see us losing to UCONN in the BE tourney if we play them and I'd hate that! No other team scares me as much in the Garden this year, not even Cuse.
|
|
|
Post by westendhoya on Mar 2, 2010 18:31:11 GMT -5
Austin on his way home from the hospital...In addition to obviously being a big relief for his personal health it bodes well for this game as well
|
|