joey0403p
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Post by joey0403p on Jan 28, 2014 22:51:59 GMT -5
Is there a meet up / event before or after?
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vv83
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Post by vv83 on Jan 28, 2014 22:52:23 GMT -5
Watched Mich. St - Iowa tonight. Most of the spartan offense consisted of their guards trying to get into the lane then kick out to open shooters. Half their shots were 3s. With two good frontcourt players our hurt, they did not look to post up much at all, and put the burden to create on their two (very good) guards. Defensively, I think they played all man-to-man. They fouled a ton - over 40 foul shots for Iowa. Mich. State does not really have anyone to protect the rim too effectively right now, so if the ball gets into the lane, they foul. But at the end of regulation/OT - Iowa went almost FIFTEEN MINUTES without a basket. Iowa hung in the game by getting fouled quite a bit. But I don't think even our struggling offense has gone 15 minutes without scoring a field goal.
A lot of that sounds pretty familiar - no consistent post offense, a lot of fouling on D, very guard dependent for driving the offense. With the style both team are playing right now - it could be a pretty aesthetically ugly game on Saturday! Unfortunately, they have much better shooters than we do for their guards to get the ball to. Kind of odd how both teams are facing a lot of similar kinds of challenges right now.
Kaminsky is a 6'8 shooter - almost all his shots this year are 3's. Kind of like Wragge, but not as good a shooter. Costello plays very hard and boards well. He is getting a lot of minutes for the injured players, and brings a real scrappy presence. Harris is really talented, Appling is also good. Valentine is a good "do a little bit of everything" kind of player. WIth the injuries, they are playing a couple of guys who have not played much. They like to run, but did not do so all that much/that effectively tonight. Given the lapses in transition D we have had in stretches of recent games, we really need to focus on getting back on D, even after made baskets. I could see Izzo scouting our recent games, and trying to run us hard.
It will be a really tough game, even with the Mich. st. injuries. If we play a highly energized, focused game; and Mich St. looks past us a little bit, or has a letdown and feels the impact of the missing players a bit more than they have in most of their games this year - we certainly have a chance. But Izzo is such a good coach, he'll likely keep his guys focused if they start to drift a bit mentally/emotionally.
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skyhoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
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Post by skyhoya on Jan 28, 2014 23:31:43 GMT -5
can't wait for Izzo to take III to the cleaners
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Jan 28, 2014 23:38:24 GMT -5
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biggmanu
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Post by biggmanu on Jan 29, 2014 9:17:28 GMT -5
For the Hoyas to win... 1. DSR has to outscore or match Gary Harris (hopefully DSRs ribs are feeling better and he goes off) 2. Markel has to outscore Keith Appling (who is sporting a sore wrist) 3. Jabril and Reggie must provide offense. (Jabril has to handle the ball, stop the hand checks, draw fouls and make some damn FTs) 4. Defend the perimeter so we don't get lit up by one of their shooters like Kaminsky, Valentine, Trice 5. Strong effort from Moses, Hop, and Nate.(Maybe a 10pt effort from Hopper with some offensive rebounds and put back dunks) 6. Bench - If we are doing a lot of 3/4 trapping we need some production from the bench and that means Bowen. Hope we don't have to go much deeper than Bowen/Caprio to keep legs fresh.
With Payne out, MSU going into OT with Iowa (Hoyas should be more rested). Good opportunity to knock off a top team and give this Hoyas squad something to hang their hats on. Reggie will be able to showcase his skills living the dream playing in MSG with friends/family watching. DSR and Markel have an opportunity to shine and prove they can hang with one of the best back courts in the country. Must be an even gutsier performance than what was put out against Nova/Marquette.
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Jan 29, 2014 10:33:42 GMT -5
Not sure about this game, but I do think the Hoyas follow this game with at least a 7 game win streak after this game. Season is far from over. Hoyas will make the NCAA tournament.
EDIT: also to those on twitter, there is an @ hoyasincebirth out there, but it is not me.
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Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Jan 29, 2014 11:18:53 GMT -5
The road to the NCAA tournament is rough, but still not impossible. In some ways, the MSU game is a freeroll of sorts. Nobody expects us to win, and it will have no impact on the conference standings. I don't think losing the game impacts our NCAA significantly, but a win would help a ton if we can also win a bunch of games afterward.
We are 3-6, and we have 9 games left. To have a shot without the Big East Tournament, we would probably have to end up with a 10-8 record, which means we would have to go 7-2 the rest of the way. One could also envision a scenario where we are 9-9, but make it to the BET finals, and maybe squeak in (that's where an MSU win could help keep us outside the bubble). All these scenarios are very unlikely, but given how hard our players are fighting, I think they could make a run.
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seaweed
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Post by seaweed on Jan 29, 2014 11:45:11 GMT -5
talk about media bias - hoyasaxa.com posts a ton of not so stellar stat but ignores that we still have the #1 Opponents Field Goal % in the BEast, Top 40 in the US. Since holding teams under 40% has long been a mainstay of our G-fensive approach, I think the omission is worth correcting (though I see statsheet doesn't track that...smh, #twowaygame)
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This Just In
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Bold Prediction: The Hoyas will win at least 1 BE game in 2023.
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Post by This Just In on Jan 29, 2014 14:11:54 GMT -5
can't wait for Izzo to take III to the cleaners Tom Izzo is a better coach than John Thompson III. I do not believe that he will take JTIII to the cleaners this time unless this game ends in a double digit loss (this is an NCAA type of game). Now for all who believe in JTIII, he has another chance like the Kansas game to show the world that his is a pretty good coach in his own rite. The Hoyas look to matchup better with the Spartans than the Jayhawks.
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Post by vanman on Jan 29, 2014 14:14:52 GMT -5
I'm really hoping we can pull the upset on MSU. It'd be great for the confidence of this team heading into some winnable BE games and would be great for the conference as a whole. MSU did just beat a good Iowa team, but there is always a chance they will be more focused on winning the Big 10 than winning this game. In order to stand a chance at pulling the upset, though, there are a couple things I think we're going to need to try to do better: (1) Increase Total Scoring-- Outside the Providence game, our offense has been pretty consistent lately. They put up 60 in regulation on Butler, 67 on Xavier, 57 on Seton Hall, 65 in regulation on Marquette, 63 on Creighton, and 60 on Villanova. Within the confines of these new rules, it's getting harder and harder to win "grind it out games" with scores in the 50s or low 60s. This offense probably would've won a good many BE games a year ago, but it's just not beating anyone good this year. Right now they probably need closer to 70-75, unless the defense can make just an incredible (and clean) effort. Honestly, this is the thing I think is least likely to change. Unless someone like DSR just goes off for like 30-40 points with truly a special night, I don't know that this team, overall, has 70 points in it. Maybe it can get there if Trawick feels more like himself after being back a game. (2) Decrease MSU's free throw attempts (or increase our own)-- I used to discredit the emphasis some folks place on always making sure you're making more free throws than the opponent takes. However, a lot of our recent opponents are getting somewhere in the range of 20-30 points at the line against us of late. With our offense mired in the 60's, if a team can get 25 points at the line they don't have to do very much from the field to beat us. Our defense hasn't been as good as in years past this year, and that's partially due to talent and partially due to these new rules. However, we just can't keep putting folks at the line at the current rate. One option is to just try to play cleaner defense and try to especially eliminate careless fouls at the other end of the court and away from the basket. The other option is to try to drive to the basket more and try to draw more fouls on MSU, maybe get some of their own diminished roster in foul trouble. If we could get to the line 5-10 more attempts a game, this would make it a lot more likely our offense could get to 70-75 points. (3) Stay mentally tough-- I give the team a lot of credit for keeping up the fight these past few weeks, but I really wonder exactly what toll it's beginning to take on the players. It has to be frustrating to stay in the game the whole way only to see the chance of victory vanish at the very end. If we are in a close game, say 62 all with 2 minutes to play, or even with a small lead, our guys will need to have the confidence that they can make the shots to win the game. This should be an interesting game. Hoya Saxa on Saturday.
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guru
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
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Post by guru on Jan 29, 2014 14:16:02 GMT -5
talk about media bias - hoyasaxa.com posts a ton of not so stellar stat but ignores that we still have the #1 Opponents Field Goal % in the BEast, Top 40 in the US. Since holding teams under 40% has long been a mainstay of our G-fensive approach, I think the omission is worth correcting (though I see statsheet doesn't track that...smh, #twowaygame) Even including that relatively good statistic, that rundown makes it pretty clear why this season is a struggle: This team isn't particularly good at *anything* and is remarkably bad at several things. Makes for a pretty bad combination and, I fear, our first losing season under JTIII. I'm really enjoying watching this group though and I feel good about the future. It's just a down year. These things happen.
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Post by vanman on Jan 29, 2014 14:41:06 GMT -5
I'm really hoping we can pull the upset on MSU. It'd be great for the confidence of this team heading into some winnable BE games and would be great for the conference as a whole. MSU did just beat a good Iowa team, but there is always a chance they will be more focused on winning the Big 10 than winning this game. In order to stand a chance at pulling the upset, though, there are a couple things I think we're going to need to try to do better: (1) Increase Total Scoring-- Outside the Providence game, our offense has been pretty consistent lately. They put up 60 in regulation on Butler, 67 on Xavier, 57 on Seton Hall, 65 in regulation on Marquette, 63 on Creighton, and 60 on Villanova. Within the confines of these new rules, it's getting harder and harder to win "grind it out games" with scores in the 50s or low 60s. This offense probably would've won a good many BE games a year ago, but it's just not beating anyone good this year. Right now they probably need closer to 70-75, unless the defense can make just an incredible (and clean) effort. Honestly, this is the thing I think is least likely to change. Unless someone like DSR just goes off for like 30-40 points with truly a special night, I don't know that this team, overall, has 70 points in it. Maybe it can get there if Trawick feels more like himself after being back a game. (2) Decrease MSU's free throw attempts (or increase our own)-- I used to discredit the emphasis some folks place on always making sure you're making more free throws than the opponent takes. However, a lot of our recent opponents are getting somewhere in the range of 20-30 points at the line against us of late. With our offense mired in the 60's, if a team can get 25 points at the line they don't have to do very much from the field to beat us. Our defense hasn't been as good as in years past this year, and that's partially due to talent and partially due to these new rules. However, we just can't keep putting folks at the line at the current rate. One option is to just try to play cleaner defense and try to especially eliminate careless fouls at the other end of the court and away from the basket. The other option is to try to drive to the basket more and try to draw more fouls on MSU, maybe get some of their own diminished roster in foul trouble. If we could get to the line 5-10 more attempts a game, this would make it a lot more likely our offense could get to 70-75 points. (3) Stay mentally tough-- I give the team a lot of credit for keeping up the fight these past few weeks, but I really wonder exactly what toll it's beginning to take on the players. It has to be frustrating to stay in the game the whole way only to see the chance of victory vanish at the very end. If we are in a close game, say 62 all with 2 minutes to play, or even with a small lead, our guys will need to have the confidence that they can make the shots to win the game. This should be an interesting game. Hoya Saxa on Saturday. I agree with the problems/issues you bring up and share your concern as to whether change is possible. I feel they could cut down on the fouls away from the basket or at the least off the ball. However improvement in offensive production is not likely due to the dearth of ball skills among the rotation. With defenses collapsing on the guards it makes it difficult to attack in the half court sets starting from up top and our front court is not strong enough to take it inside and convert. Having said that, it's imperative to attack in transition and to go after any and all rebounds.
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Jan 29, 2014 15:32:59 GMT -5
can't wait for Izzo to take III to the cleaners Yeah how is a terrible coach like JT3 going to beat an amazing coach like Izzo? I mean JT3 has beaten Hall of Fame Coaches K, Rick Pitino, Jim Boehiem, Jim Calhoun. Heck he's even beaten 10 time BE coach of the year Mike Brey but against Izzo he has no chance.
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Post by professorhoya on Jan 29, 2014 16:25:32 GMT -5
can't wait for Izzo to take III to the cleaners Tom Izzo is a better coach than John Thompson III. I do not believe that he will take JTIII to the cleaners this time unless this game ends in a double digit loss (this is an NCAA type of game). Now for all who believe in JTIII, he has another chance like the Kansas game to show the world that his is a pretty good coach in his own rite. The Hoyas look to matchup better with the Spartans than the Jayhawks. TJIHoyas, You're obviously a big Hoyas fan but, why do you hate the Thompsons so much? Escherick is not coming back. When are you going to let it go?
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bamahoya11
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Post by bamahoya11 on Jan 29, 2014 16:33:24 GMT -5
JTIII hasn't had success at the Izzo level yet in his career, but he's still a darn good (and young) coach who has won a lot of games against other great coaches. Obviously his tenure will ultimately be defined in significant part by whether he can find a way to improve in March, but he clearly knows how to scheme for a game. His defense of McDermott will probably be studied by most of the other coaches who have to face him this year, and that was with a short-handed team. During this difficult stretch, he has consistently come up with a plan that gives the players at least a chance to grab a win (outside Providence, and letdowns happen at times). My only potential critique of coaching this year would be how quickly we've adjusted to the new foul rules. I think we've been a little slow to change, but I'm confident they'll fix these issues in the off-season.
As to this game, I think we'll have a fine game plan, especially on the defensive end. Given our success limiting opponents from the field, I don't think their backcourt will get a ton of easy shots. I just hope the players can execute it for 40 minutes.
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skyhoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
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Post by skyhoya on Jan 29, 2014 19:57:46 GMT -5
glad to hear the homer comments. just tired of his bullheaded approach year after year.
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This Just In
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Bold Prediction: The Hoyas will win at least 1 BE game in 2023.
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Post by This Just In on Jan 29, 2014 20:07:40 GMT -5
glad to hear the homer comments. just tired of his bullheaded approach year after year.Are you referring to lack of in game adjustments?? or Use of player rotations??
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Post by FrazierFanatic on Jan 29, 2014 20:17:22 GMT -5
I don't think anyone here feels that JTIII is near Izzo's level. But the rest of us actually root for our Hoyas to win, and would never root for them to lose. If that makes me a "homer", so be it.
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skyhoya
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Post by skyhoya on Jan 29, 2014 21:09:07 GMT -5
homers by definition, do not allow any criticism s of how the team is managed.
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Post by FrazierFanatic on Jan 29, 2014 21:48:34 GMT -5
There are certainly a few on here who are far from objective about the coach's deficiencies, but I think most of us know that he still has much to learn about his craft, everything from recruiting to game management to player development. I will bet that he would admit to the same. But he has been pretty successful as a whole, so I am still confident he will keep working and keep improving. And no matter how many mistakes, and how critical I might be of any Hoya coach, I could never conceive of wanting us to lose. That is what really puzzled and me.
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