MBB comes back to beat Drexel 66-62

[TuTigers2012 1,079]

1 hour ago, mat1992 said:

Let’s remember that he wasn’t right in the first Drexel game as he was having physical problems and probably wasn’t close to 100% in the UNCW loss.

Just pointing out a fact.  Strange since he had been by far the best assist man we’ve had probably since Brian Morris and Troy Franklin (which is strange in itself!)

[Tiger93 299]

22 hours ago, TSU88 said:

This may not be a popular take at the moment, given how well we’re playing, but perhaps the reason our depth is so precariously thin is that the last 2 freshman classes (Biekeu, Jones, Coleman & Gill) have, by any objective measurement, been underwhelming 

While this is true, I think a big part of this has been the transfer portal. With guys having the remaining one-year of eligibility and Pat Skerry not having a great stretch of results (really only have one good year in the last three) getting transfers for immediate results made more sense to focus on for him. Even last year, we chose to go all in on Zane Martin, Cam Allen, Curtis Holland, Demetrius Mims and Victor Uyaelunmo. I am not saying it was the right thing to do (and of course last year it blew up in our face spectacularly), but you throw that many spots at transfers it is hard to put together a good freshmen class. This year it is working out alright. You are probably right overall about the quality of the freshmen, but hard to know completely because they are being block by better, more-experience players in the transfers we brought in this year. 

[TSU88 1,078]

1 hour ago, Tiger93 said:

While this is true, I think a big part of this has been the transfer portal. With guys having the remaining one-year of eligibility and Pat Skerry not having a great stretch of results (really only have one good year in the last three) getting transfers for immediate results made more sense to focus on for him. Even last year, we chose to go all in on Zane Martin, Cam Allen, Curtis Holland, Demetrius Mims and Victor Uyaelunmo. I am not saying it was the right thing to do (and of course last year it blew up in our face spectacularly), but you throw that many spots at transfers it is hard to put together a good freshmen class. This year it is working out alright. You are probably right overall about the quality of the freshmen, but hard to know completely because they are being block by better, more-experience players in the transfers we brought in this year. 

I will say that I’m much more bullish about the 2 incoming freshman who have been signed for the 22-23 season, May & Williamson. I don’t think it’ll come as a surprise to anyone if a couple guys on the current roster don’t return next season, opening the way for some more transfer portal guys to come onboard 

[Tiger93 299]

On 1/30/2022 at 8:07 AM, TuTigers2012 said:

We need all the help we can get and more bodies helps. Nolan has been great passing and solid on defense this year while his high volume shots have hurt at times… it is rather odd that we are 7-0 when he doesn’t play (or plays 5 minutes) and 9-6 with him. Just pointing out an oddity 

Here is the NCAA Stat Report. http://stats.ncaa.org/rankings/ranking_summary.

I agree the Nolan Jr. with and without record is an oddity (although three of those losses are Monmouth, San Francisco and Ohio State, who are probably three of the four best teams we have played, if not that three best). I always find it interested to see where Towson ranks individually and as a team in key areas as we get deeper in the season. A couple of things jump out to me. One, is our field goal percentage defense (which I have to imagine was abysmal last year) and the second is that we are back to doing a classic Skerry quality and that is getting to the line in bunches. By the way with referees calling the game inconsistently at the college level, our reliance on free throws may be one of the biggest reasons we historically struggled in the conference tournament. Still, it isn't a bad identity to have overall.  

More relevant to Nolan Jr., He is 18th in the nation in the assistant-to-turnover ratio and first in the conference at 2.88-1 assist to turnovers. As a team, we are posting a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. I did a quick scan at that stats, and it looked like we have not had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio since the 2008-09 season (not a particularly good season, but still interesting).

I will continue to say with a healthy Nolan Jr., we can plan on ways to get through the conference tournament because we have a strong enough roster to be one of the favorites. Without him, we are hoping everyone shows up and plays great for three straight days. It can happen, but the odds are very different. 

I am not saying this to contradict your post, because I actually find it very interesting. I am just reiterating what many others have said, that Nolan Jr.  really helps us distribute the ball better, give us more offensive options, and helps reliever some of the pressure on guys like Timberlake, Gibson and Rizzuto. 

 

Edited January 31, 2022 by Tiger93