(03-02-2014 09:40 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  

(03-01-2014 07:58 PM)MercerFan Wrote:  

(03-01-2014 04:52 PM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  This was still a better effort by ETSU than either FGCU or Mercer put out in losing to Lipscomb and UNF on Thursday.

This tournament is still up for grabs.

I don't know, I felt it was one of the worst ETSU game plans I have ever seen. The players gave effort for sure, but ETSU basically waved the white flag from the opening tip. They told themselves they could not score in the paint (which was false) and proceeded to (attempt to) live on the perimeter. Upstate dominated the paint on their end, and eventually the ETSU 3-point barrage broke down. I saw ETSU lose leads of 5, 5, and 7, and lose them quickly.

I know the fact that I wanted ETSU to win had me much more in tune to the game... but Harris could have challenged Glenn and at least tried to get him in foul trouble. Glenn didn't get a foul on him till very late in the game. [This is a compliment to Harris, saying that he deserved more opportunity]

The fact that it was still close at the end makes you wonder "what if" on so many possessions where a 2-point shot could have worked. There's absolutely no way IMO they could win more than 1 game in the tourney with this strategy.

The effort was from the ETSU players - and it is not very high praise to say that it was better than what FGCU put out against Lipscomb, or Mercer at home against UNF, performances that I called 'putrid' on another thread.

ETSU players hung in on the road against a team that overmatches them up front and has beaten them 5 times in a row over the last 3 seasons. FGCU and Mercer are supposed to be the class of the league. They had a chance to prove it and seize home court advantage. Instead, with everything riding on it, they choked. ETSU may not have been great, but they did better than that.

As for the game plan - you've got it right. How can the best free throw shooting team in the league fail to try to challenge that front line and draw some fouls? ETSU shot 14 free throws - USCU shot 33.
In a game that was within 2 with 45 seconds to go, that is mind boggling.

The poor play by FGCU against Lipscomb, and Mercer's failure to take care of business at home against UNF, with home court advantage on the line, tells me that either can be had in this tournament. That is what makes this tournament wide open.

Agree 100%

I would not be shocked to see JU knock off Mercer on Tuesday night. Beating a conference rival three times in a season is not always easy. Historically this is a heated rivalry. Beating JU twice in three days ratchets up the pressure on Mercer. MU needs to put JU away early.

I think the best way to approach the tournament games is to NOT CARE who we play. I think we can get caught up with who the game is with. Really is we just play flat out focused with no lapses then we can beat any of the teams.