(01-11-2014 03:30 PM)holybovine Wrote:  Buffalo is a tough place to win -- Out of the way location, difficult travel itinerary, and winning on the road in the MAC is difficult anyway. We look tired in the second half.

Usually true but EMU flew into Buffalo (rather than bus).

I think we are just in a rough patch of the game.

(01-11-2014 03:37 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 03:30 PM)holybovine Wrote:  Buffalo is a tough place to win -- Out of the way location, difficult travel itinerary, and winning on the road in the MAC is difficult anyway. We look tired in the second half.

Usually true but EMU flew into Buffalo (rather than bus).

I think we are just in a rough patch of the game.

I saw that -- but even flying there is rough...Unless it's direct.

Of course a kid that hits only 28% of his threes is on fire.

We need a nickname for Talley:

How about: MT, The Jet?

Too many turnovers killed us in this one.

As well as some kids on Buffalo shooting the lights out when they typically don't. What can ya do?

Tough loss at Buffalo got to get the next one at home to bring in the fans. Going from shooting 50% at the half to 41% for the game hurt us greatly. Buffalo went from shooing 38% for the first half to shooting 40% for the game. Our shooting fell off terribly in the second .

EMU has played a ton of games on the road, including first two MAC games, We now have 9 of 16 at home. :)

Four of the next five are at home.

Things will get better at home.

I was very impressed with EMU today and I thought it was just a really good college basketball game played this afternoon. I have no doubt that you guys are going to win a lot of games this season and I think you will compete for the MAC West.

It's a shame you all think the Buffalo trip is "out of the way." What do you think all of our trips are? The truth is, after Kent St. and Akron, Eastern Michigan is actually the third closest MAC school to us.

(01-11-2014 05:55 PM)BullBoy Wrote:  I was very impressed with EMU today and I thought it was just a really good college basketball game played this afternoon. I have no doubt that you guys are going to win a lot of games this season and I think you will compete for the MAC West.

It's a shame you all think the Buffalo trip is "out of the way." What do you think all of our trips are? The truth is, after Kent St. and Akron, Eastern Michigan is actually the third closest MAC school to us.

Actually it was one poster.

UB is not any worse trip than NIU, Ohio, etc.

Going thru customs would be a pain if driving thru Canada.

(01-11-2014 05:55 PM)BullBoy Wrote:  I was very impressed with EMU today and I thought it was just a really good college basketball game played this afternoon. I have no doubt that you guys are going to win a lot of games this season and I think you will compete for the MAC West.

It's a shame you all think the Buffalo trip is "out of the way." What do you think all of our trips are? The truth is, after Kent St. and Akron, Eastern Michigan is actually the third closest MAC school to us.

I've talked to some of our players in the past -- they hate the trip. And they flew there. I don't know what to tell you.

(01-11-2014 10:12 PM)holybovine Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 05:55 PM)BullBoy Wrote:  I was very impressed with EMU today and I thought it was just a really good college basketball game played this afternoon. I have no doubt that you guys are going to win a lot of games this season and I think you will compete for the MAC West.

It's a shame you all think the Buffalo trip is "out of the way." What do you think all of our trips are? The truth is, after Kent St. and Akron, Eastern Michigan is actually the third closest MAC school to us.

I've talked to some of our players in the past -- they hate the trip. And they flew there. I don't know what to tell you.

Was the bus trip through Canada?

If so, it probably is a nightmare getting into Canada, etc.

The good thing about flying is that it avoids customs and long delays getting into Canada.

If it was via bus through Cleveland, Amherst is 3 hours BEYOND Cleveland, which makes Akron/Kent a much easier trip.

Based on the typical WNY border crossings it's a lot quicker passing into Ontario than when you come in the US. The last time I went over I spent just 5 minutes at the border, and most of that was spent chatting with the border agent about our common past job experiences in the US. Coming back into the States there is a lot more traffic back-up.

Here's some of the local media stories, the last being quite complementary toward EMU's talent but pointing out shortcomings:

Buffalo News Write-up

Buffalo News Sport Editorial

buffalo.com Immediate Reactions EMU@UB

You can tell, in the last article, that he's seen EMU play once, and that's it. That's to be expected, but still...

"Hurley called Riley a good rim protector because of his height and length, doling out some credit for challenging McCrea, but—unless there’s an unforeseen development in his passion for the game—he won’t be the player that carries the Eagles to a surprising MAC title."

You don't say! He is what he is...a good defensive big man. We've known for about 3 years that he's not, and never going to be, Hakeem Olajuwon.

Most of our shortcomings against Buffalo were turnover related. We forced 3's at the end because, well, we had to. I thought we played a very good game for about 25 minutes. Not much you can do when guys like Skeete (a 28% 3-point shooter coming into the game) hit contested three after contested three. Those are the shots the 2-3 zone wants you to take. Unfortunately for us, Buffalo made a bunch of them.

I agree about Riley...he is a pretty good defender but oh, what a wasted opportunity! 7-0 athletic centers simply do not exist in the MAC. It's a damn shame that Murphy couldn't have gotten more out of the guy, but some players just never improve for some reason.

(01-13-2014 06:55 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  I agree about Riley...he is a pretty good defender but oh, what a wasted opportunity! 7-0 athletic centers simply do not exist in the MAC. It's a damn shame that Murphy couldn't have gotten more out of the guy, but some players just never improve for some reason.

My problem with Riley was that he started to take shots beyond his expanding range.

He showed a little range but decided it to extend it way beyond what one might expect.

Riley is developing range within the key, like, a 5 feet from the defensive arc under the basket.

Guys, Riley is just a softer player. You can't teach someone toughness and determination. I think we can all see that he is a very skilled player with huge upside but no matter how great the coach is you cannot teach character especially in a person this old.