TuTigers2012

Ok, I'm going to bite on this.  I keep seeing that we "have improved by 8.5 games from a year ago." Counting the Non D1s we were 10-22 last year and currently are 17-12. If we lose the last 3 we would be 17-15 and that's a 7 game improvement, right? Am I missing something?

We also are 14th in FT shooting % as a team.

Either way, Hofstra is gonna be tough. Buie is a match up problem for us.

8 minutes ago, TSU88 said:

The improvement in foul shooting has been extremely impressive. Didn’t realize we were 15th in the nation. Credit to the players and the coaching staff 

Yes 15th in the nation and 2nd in the conference. NE Leads the country.  Caa actually has 4 of the top 25 teams in ft shooting

the increase is commendable. We are making a lot less fts than that team though. We were going to the line 25+ times a game or something absurd. 

Having 4 very good ft shooters and an above average shooting 5 man, is helpful late in games. Some of our defensive lapses and late game collapses in years past, haven’t reared their ugly head as often due to the shooitng

9 minutes ago, TSU88 said:

We’re 2-6 this year, going into these last 2 games, vs the other top 6 teams. TU2012’s statistical breakdown as to our record vs top 3 conference teams since 2014 is sobering (11W vs 31L). Objectively speaking, it’s hard to imagine we’re going to win 3 in a row in the conference tournament. Of course, you can’t win 3 in a row unless you win the 1st one, so I’ll see where we are after the 1st game of the tournament.

Its amazing to me that since the 08-09 season, the lowest seeded team to make the conference final is a #4 seed. Law of averages being what it is, that’s got to give, eventually 

1 Seed has a big advantage now with just 10 teams.  8-9 game starts at 4 not 12. Add in an hour daylight savings. You have less than 15 hours after your game ends, to rest, recover and get ready for the next game. A 1 seed is essential a double bye as no 1 has lost to an 8-9 seed.

4 minutes ago, mat1992 said:

It wasn’t the same last year when we were one of the bad teams.

We went 3-4 against the bottom 3 teams, our-self excluded on a 6-12 campaign.

Against the top 3 Teams (excluding us when we finished top 3)

20: 2-3 so far

19: 1-5

18: 1-5

17: 1-4

16: 1-3

15: 0-6

15: 3-2 F the last loss

14: 2-3

11-31  26.2%

1 hour ago, Royal Tiger said:

Will have to go 3-0 vs the top 5. Unless can steal one this weekend will most likely be 2-8 against on the year, none of which have been that close. 8-0 vs the PIG teams though!

This is the same year in and year out. Beat the bad CAA and crappy local teams. Split with likewise CAA teams and get smoked by the good ones.

12 minutes ago, BK_Brian said:

I think this year will be different, as any of the the top 6 teams can make it.  Except W&M, they will not make the championship game.  

I agree. This year everyone besides JMU can win atleast 1 game possibly 2. Elon has been good recently and Drexel still has winter and butler who are good players.  

Hope NOT! F WM

When he does play, will we run good/decent plays for him? Gotta be honest, I almost pooped myself Saturday, when our opening play we set a back-screen for a lob alley oop to Dennis. Good way to start his senior day, but where was that all 4 years?!?!

12 hours ago, El Tigre Oro said:

Since we joined the CAA has the #1 seed not made the final game? Seems like our tourney hasn’t had the crazy upsets that other mid-major tourneys seem to have every year.

Pretty much correct. Hide your eyes everyone. Since the 08-09 season its been:

1-2

1-3

2-4

1-2

1-3 **Only 7 teams total that year

1-3

1-3

1-2

1-2

1-2

1-2  2019
 

There is typically no madness in the CAA. Chalk. When there have been upsets its been the old 6-11 game and 6 vs 3.

Looks like a crazy athlete. Would nice if we knew how to better use those...

On the mims weight question. Roland, Buie, riller are on the skinnier side and doing pretty well 

Northeastern apparently lost their second best player (caa frosh of the year) today to injury. No word on how long

5 minutes ago, mat1992 said:

Then how is that free agency? I thought you meant paying players under the table, which you know happens.

Just poaching players. Should be their problem if they didn’t recruit and develop them. 

6 minutes ago, TSU88 said:

Interesting when you mention the importance of JUCO recruiting. There are a number of CAA basketball schools (W&M, Elon, NE, C of C, DE, Hofstra) who I have no recollection of having JUCO’s (perhaps because of academics). Other than us, the only other schools that recruit JUCO’s are Drexel, UNCW & JMU

Some of that. They are also seen as a quick fix/ band aid.  

Charleston couldn’t miss against us. But are 1-19 from 3 tonight. That’s 1-31 Towson level bad! Riller with just 11 shots is criminal 

2 minutes ago, mat1992 said:

That's fine. If schools want to cheat and pay players, ultimately most get caught. Would you cheat to get a Zane Martin? I wouldn't. That's why he ended up in New Mexico. But like I said, we can give a little bit in terms of stipends and you have to get good grades to leave. But this is why every team in the CAA has to deal with this shit. It's a year-to-year thing. It's why juco recruiting has become enormous. It's why Pat and other CAA coaches have to keep one eye on all the juco studs left, the transfer portal and grad transfers. It's a complete CF.

It’s not cheating but why couldn’t a coach Now just come say “hey player 1 you’re to good for the caa come to the a10”. Atleast before there would be the consequence of missing a year 

8 minutes ago, TSU88 said:

Look closer home, to the curious case of one Justin Gorham. He’s averaging 3ppg this season at Houston. Maybe his numbers will go up next year, but who knows. Perhaps he also would have been better served if he had set his sights a little lower 

I feel like he would have been a very good mid major stretch 4. Oh well

charleston getting hammered. They are good against the good teams but have lost to all of the bottom feeders. Crazy. Also coug fans calling for a change in leadership... see..

15 minutes ago, mat1992 said:

I don't know if I'd be that dramatic, but for mid-majors, it's going to be tough and might cause cheating just to try and keep players. But remember, we do have Cost of Attendance and a lot of other mid-major schools don't. It's about the only thing that can keep us competitive. We also need that in football, but that's another story.

Free agency. Just my opinion 

2 minutes ago, TSU88 said:

I just did a very quick read of an article discussing the possible elimination of the rule that an athlete who transfers has to sit out a year. The article I read suggests it’s not if it’s going to happen, but when. And the when is perhaps as soon as later this year. If/when this goes through, it’ll be terrible, IMHO, for mid-majors (like us), who will become farm teams for the P5. If a talented mid-major kid knows he can transfer to a bigger program without sitting out a year, that will lead to mid-major kids getting poached, even more than they are now

Exactly. It’s really the end of amateur athletics. Players should absolutely be permitted to transfer anywhere with out sitting out, only if their coach leaves/is fired or they graduate. 

12 minutes ago, mat1992 said:

Well, will there be sit-out transfers anymore? That's another story and I would think that would kill mid-major basketball if guys don't have to sit. Everybody thinks that grass is greener. 

But, it was a different feeling last season when the two seniors left. Great guys, but it was time to move on. Give me another two weeks and if we lay an egg in the CAAs with our seniors playing like crap. I might be saying the same thing I said about last year's class (lol). 

Grad transfers. Bilal Dixon? Good. The big kid from Dayton. Not so good. Alex Gavrilovic. Can't remember another grad transfer.

Let’s be honest grad transfers started as moving from higher schools to mids. Now it’s the opposite.  The exception is players coming form good academic high majors to good academic mids. That or a quick fix from a new coaching staff ala WM. 

It is a step. Hopefully a new coach comes in with a different philosophy than pats to help. Victor will be so much bigger than others out there. Should watch some tape what kansas does with udoka azoubouke. Lobs. Layups and dunks. 

88 Delaware would have to be. Drexel has some talent coming back. Jmu probably a new coach with lots of rising seniors. Elon is one of the youngest teams in the country. 

Want to add fobbs did a good job defending the post the last two games. Yes the foreign 7 footer from wm isn’t wilt chamberlain but he Held his own.   Gibson’s play was great today the effort to save it and just chuck the ball to the opponents hoop. It led to a layup which is nice but just nice to see good iq out there today 

14 minutes ago, mat1992 said:

BTW, as optimistic as I am about next season, I'm also beginning to realize we'll miss those three seniors more than I thought. Sanders' physical play on both ends, DT's long reach and athleticism and Fobbs' ability to score from deep and mid-range. I don't know enough about the new guys whether we have a replacement, though I do think Charles can be that physical player that Sanders was with more length (needs to shoot 500 FTs a day with a new form). We're going to have at least five new players with Gray, Solomon, Thompson, Gibson, Dottin, Betrand and Timberlake as returning players. Darrick Jones Jr.,  Demetrius Mims, Victor U. Cory Barnes Jr, and Chris Biekeu are the five new guys and there will be at least one more. So six new guys and now sit-out transfers at this point. We could really use a break-you-down wing.

Looks like I'm going to have to see a summer practice to find out about these guys because I haven't seen enough to form an impression.

We will. Fobbs has had two of the better seasons for a Towson player. Dennis does a lot of little things. He sets good screens, which isn’t always a given looking at go many illegal/moving ones players try and set. Also helped erase a lot mistakes and drives with his blocks.  I remember he has like 3 in the last minute of a game a few years ago

And it’s year 9, with 3 seniors and a weak conference. We are upset that the opinion and views of an insider of the program is that we could and should be the 5th best team at this point. Especially coming off a rebuilding year last year 

19 minutes ago, El Tigre Oro said:

Did anyone think this team was winning 10 conference games. Kudos to the players and staff. Let’s finish strong and play our hearts out in DC.

No. Not after the way they started 0-3. 2 at home and just looked like shit. And that’s putting it nicely. 

This is definetly a pat skerry coaches team. Beat up on the bottom feeders. Win a couple against similar ish teams. Lose to all of the better ones 

2 minutes ago, TSU88 said:

And a little freshman shall lead them.

Got to admit, I had my doubts during that 3-game stretch where he went scoreless, but Gibson has really come on. 19 pts, 5 boards and 4 assists. Yeah, that’ll work.

Great crowd today (can’t remember last time I saw so many people in the lower bowl). Nice to send the seniors out with a W, and we are now guaranteed not to be in the play-in games. 

This offense just is a lot better when Sanders is touching & passing the ball (but please, stop over dribbling). If he could only avoid senseless fouls. 

Great game by Timberlake; if he becomes more consistent....

Great foul shooting; I’m not sure if we missed the front end of a one-and-one

On to Hofstra & NE. I’d be satisfied with a split

 

Agreed. He even mixed it up getting some rebounds today.  We will miss fobbs as he is a great rebounding guard. 5 a game for his career 

The rebounding in the first half was beyond atrocious and frankly embarrassing. Great unselfish play though and we hit open shots. Everyone had a pretty good day and the bench was very good. 

The “prevent” defense we play late in second half gets alittle hairy luckily we have had semi big leads this year where it didn’t bite us in the ass. 

Locked in 2-6 seed now. Likely the 4-6 spot. Ideally we are 6 and Wm/hens 2-3 and hoftsra 1. Just my opinion. 4-5 is a shitty place and ne and Charleston have championship pedigree and seem to have our number. 

34 minutes ago, TowsonTiger11 said:

If we get beat by the same team 3 times in one year, then we don’t deserve it anyways. 

Beating the same team 3 times in one season is difficult. Especially in a 2 month stretch. I do want to pick who will be good or bad matchups at this point but.

Charleston owns us, can they have an out of body experience again and not miss??

Playing Hofstra would be ideal on the last day. Depth means nothing in college hoops except when you have 3 in 3 or 4 in 4 days. They always seem to fall flat in the last game. Wouldn’t mind having to go through pemberton on that last game 😂

2 hours ago, Chris Datres said:

Spiro said on the broadcast that they came up just short of the number so I'm guessing that was around a thousand maybe.  Certainly would have been nice to pay that off with a win to maybe get more out tomorrow.

Or just play a more aesthetically pleasing game to get them to come back out. Was a nice crowd though 

18 minutes ago, TSU88 said:

I’m going to reserve much of what I want to say until after the season. For now, the obvious focus is on tomorrow’s game vs Elon. A W & I believe we clinch a top 6 finish. A L means we remain in jeopardy of falling into a PIG and also the possibility of going into the tournament on a 4-game losing streak. At the risk of stating the obvious, tomorrow should tell us a great deal about this team.

Correct. Any 1 win and or Elon loss clinches the 6 for us. A win by us and NE loss, clinches the 5...

8 hours ago, mat1992 said:

I assume one of the strengths you'll be talking about is transition and when it comes to tempo and I think we're ranked 310th in the nation or close to it. We do try to run off of misses, assuming we corral the boards, but need to push the ball off of makes as well.

Yes, that and pressing a bit. We need to run some pick and rolls and pick and pops (with Gray) as well. Gibson is a good driver and in our offense, rarely is that occurring. Yes like Dottin he sometimes gets to deep and cant finish over big men, but when he drives and people actually CUT and MOVE, he finds them open!  Dennis could have been an adequate pick and roll player once in a while, but we rarely look that way.  Last night and a lot of the season, Sanders has done a very good job posting up and is open a ton. We are SCARED to give an entry pass to the post! That's very frustrating!! Also would like Nick to develop a baseline move to drive. He is best in transition or in the corner shooting. If he can get his guy in the air, and do something on the drive, that could be real good.

8 hours ago, mat1992 said:

Nobody wants to hear it after the loss, but the fact that we've worked on some form of the press is big. Especially for next year when we have Mims, Solly back, Darrick Jones and Victor. But I'm not going to go into that now. It's something that we can't use for 40 minutes right now. Not with 8 players. But on the first attempt against W&M, we forced a turnover, probably because they weren't prepared for it.

This. A press mixed in with a match-up zone once in a while is only going to help. I know we aren't doing it at this point in the year. Pat has gone zone a little more this year than in years past, which is not his style.