Last night we finally broke out of the win one, lose one cycle that has been going on since the sixth game of the season. Now we enter one of the toughest and most crutial three game stretches of the season:

@ ULL - Always a tough place for the Trojans to get a win.
MTSU- At home against what may be the best team in the league.
@USA - Another place where wins have not come very often.

If we can come out 2-1 from those three games, the Trojans might be in pretty good shape. These three games might also give us an indication of how we are going to fare without the services of Smith.

If this Mike Smith situation is anything like what Stevie faced in November, then we may have a chance at Big Mike getting his together and being a positive factor down the stretch. We can only hope and pray. If not, we may be able to adjust and allow one of the newer guys to step up their game. Sometimes a good athlete needs an opportunity to show us what he's got and that often requires someone to step aside.

(01-11-2009 02:18 PM)PTJR Wrote:  If we can come out 2-1 from those three games, the Trojans might be in pretty good shape.

Using the "win at home / split the roadies" goal, I think you're right on. USA is a likely candidate for one those 4 road losses.

Beating Middle at home is a must have.

(01-11-2009 02:18 PM)PTJR Wrote:  If we can come out 2-1 from those three games, the Trojans might be in pretty good shape.

If we end up 3-3 over the 6-game stretch that those three games end, we will have done really well. Hope we beat that, though.

(01-11-2009 09:06 PM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  

(01-11-2009 02:18 PM)PTJR Wrote:  If we can come out 2-1 from those three games, the Trojans might be in pretty good shape.

If we end up 3-3 over the 6-game stretch that those three games end, we will have done really well. Hope we beat that, though.

My guess is that if we go 3-3 in the next six games, we can forget about post season play. I just checked out ULL's record so far this year, and am of the opinion that even though it is a road game, we should win if the Smith absence isn't going to be a big issue. If it is, and we lose the ULL game, we could be in for a really rough ride from here on out.

(01-13-2009 01:36 AM)PTJR Wrote:  

(01-11-2009 09:06 PM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  [quote='PTJR' pid='3889018' dateline='1231701482']
If we can come out 2-1 from those three games, the Trojans might be in pretty good shape.

If we end up 3-3 over the 6-game stretch that those three games end, we will have done really well. Hope we beat that, though.

My guess is that if we go 3-3 in the next six games, we can forget about post season play. I just checked out ULL's record so far this year, and am of the opinion that even though it is a road game, we should win if the Smith absence isn't going to be a big issue. If it is, and we lose the ULL game, we could be in for a really rough ride from here on out.

With the tournament, there's always a chance for post season play. Of course, we're probably not in line for an at large bid anyway, so that's really not an issue at this point. If we were to win every game from this point on, and get to the finals of the tournament, we'd be assured of at least an NIT bid, assuming that would win the league championship. However, the chances of doing that are practically slim and none.