Murphy must hit the off button inside of hitting the reset one pretty soon now the AD may be hitting the eject button

My best, and only explanation, and this is a wild guess, is that we will struggle more in the MAC than OOC because some of these coaches have had 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 years to try to perfect an offense against it.

What chance did Long Beach State have?

There is a big, big difference to play it (and for MAC PLAYERS) 2, 4, 6, or 8 times vs. it.

Coaches learn how to coach against a zone, but does a frosh REALLY know how to play it when they don't see it that often?

Think of last night: House has played I believe 8 times in reg season vs our zone. Compare that to someone from Vermont or L.B. State or Omaha. Those schools can't takes weeks trying to implement their offense to play us...

Think of the game years ago in which NIU scored 4 points in the first half. I really believe that was because they didn't know how to handle a zone. It wasn't because we are Kentucky and they were a Kentucky NAIA school. It wasn't because of a (y)uge talent discrepancy.

This is parallel to the service academies who see similar offenses multiple times per year (Army/Navy/AFA). We see Army once every 3 or 4 years and struggle against it.

Agreed, to an extent, Steve. I think it's a combination of that, and Murphy's failure to adapt on the other end.

Remember our first season with Murph, when we took the air out of the ball and let Lampley make a play at the end of the shot clock? It was an awful brand of basketball, but it succeeded in allowing by far the least talented team in the league to limit opponent possessions and win their division.

Since then, our tempo has increased, year by year, to where we now get our best offense on fast breaks. I like that a lot, but you need to have a system you can fall back on if we aren't forcing turnovers. Having "shoot first" guards doesn't help, but I wonder if Toney or Lee would be that way if there was more movement in the offense.

If this truly is Murphy's swan song (don't be surprised if it isn't), then I hope the next guy brings an offensive system predicated on movement, PnR, back-door passing, etc. I think we are all sick and tired of the improvisational crap, and would love to see efficient basketball. As long as the effort and discipline is there on the defensive end, I don't care what we play, but I highly doubt it's primarily a zone again.

(02-22-2017 02:47 PM)EagleSam Wrote:  Agreed, to an extent, Steve. I think it's a combination of that, and Murphy's failure to adapt on the other end.

Remember our first season with Murph, when we took the air out of the ball and let Lampley make a play at the end of the shot clock? It was an awful brand of basketball, but it succeeded in allowing by far the least talented team in the league to limit opponent possessions and win their division.

Since then, our tempo has increased, year by year, to where we now get our best offense on fast breaks. I like that a lot, but you need to have a system you can fall back on if we aren't forcing turnovers. Having "shoot first" guards doesn't help, but I wonder if Toney or Lee would be that way if there was more movement in the offense.

If this truly is Murphy's swan song (don't be surprised if it isn't), then I hope the next guy brings an offensive system predicated on movement, PnR, back-door passing, etc. I think we are all sick and tired of the improvisational crap, and would love to see efficient basketball. As long as the effort and discipline is there on the defensive end, I don't care what we play, but I highly doubt it's primarily a zone again.

I agree with you, Sam.

I've watched another team, high major, with limited talent and limited bench (and with a new coach) do exactly what Murphy did his first year here: Play a zone and take the air out of the ball.

That team had as little returning scoring as any in the country and has managed with 'smoke and mirrors' to make a run at March Madness...

I have to hand it to you guys for hanging in there. From what I've seen there is very little positive about this season.

(02-22-2017 10:30 PM)HuronRob Wrote:  I have to hand it to you guys for hanging in there. From what I've seen there is very little positive about this season.

As weird a season as I can remember.

For a month after the Syracuse game we looked really good and then...

I feel for those who handle MBB and WBB. Just think of the pep band, cheer/dance teams, EMU game day staff, broadcast/webcasters, etc.

I don't think either team has won a game in a month.

But there is a very big difference: WBB is very, very thin on talent this season. I predicted WBB 6 - 12 this year and I was being kind (I didn't expect 6 wins).

For MBB the wheels have simply come off... That said, we still have maybe a 50 - 50 chance to win our first MAC conference game. I saw a lot to like Tuesday night in Muncie.

(02-23-2017 05:04 AM)emu steve Wrote:  

(02-22-2017 10:30 PM)HuronRob Wrote:  I have to hand it to you guys for hanging in there. From what I've seen there is very little positive about this season.

As weird a season as I can remember.

For a month after the Syracuse game we looked really good and then...

I feel for those who handle MBB and WBB. Just think of the pep band, cheer/dance teams, EMU game day staff, broadcast/webcasters, etc.

I don't think either team has won a game in a month.

But there is a very big difference: WBB is very, very thin on talent this season. I predicted WBB 6 - 12 this year and I was being kind (I didn't expect 6 wins).

For MBB the wheels have simply come off... That said, we still have maybe a 50 - 50 chance to win our first MAC conference game. I saw a lot to like Tuesday night in Muncie.

Sunshine Steve, you saw a lot to like in Muncie? Really? I saw a team that had a few hot individuals early in the game and then totally collapsed. A deer-in-the-headlights look was very evident.

The preseason #1 team in the west is staring at a 10 or 11 seed. You can't put lipstick on that pig. The only way this team makes any sort of recovery is if they go back to the style from early in Murphy's tenure, ie, run the weave offense until there are five seconds on the shot clock then hope for the best.

I saw a lot of excellent defense, too, in the first half.

(02-23-2017 05:48 AM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  

(02-23-2017 05:04 AM)emu steve Wrote:  

(02-22-2017 10:30 PM)HuronRob Wrote:  I have to hand it to you guys for hanging in there. From what I've seen there is very little positive about this season.

As weird a season as I can remember.

For a month after the Syracuse game we looked really good and then...

I feel for those who handle MBB and WBB. Just think of the pep band, cheer/dance teams, EMU game day staff, broadcast/webcasters, etc.

I don't think either team has won a game in a month.

But there is a very big difference: WBB is very, very thin on talent this season. I predicted WBB 6 - 12 this year and I was being kind (I didn't expect 6 wins).

For MBB the wheels have simply come off... That said, we still have maybe a 50 - 50 chance to win our first MAC conference game. I saw a lot to like Tuesday night in Muncie.

Sunshine Steve, you saw a lot to like in Muncie? Really? I saw a team that had a few hot individuals early in the game and then totally collapsed. A deer-in-the-headlights look was very evident.

The preseason #1 team in the west is staring at a 10 or 11 seed. You can't put lipstick on that pig. The only way this team makes any sort of recovery is if they go back to the style from early in Murphy's tenure, ie, run the weave offense until there are five seconds on the shot clock then hope for the best.

I think Murphy's yelling and yanking approach has grown thin with his players and now they just ignore him. He's lost control of this team. He yanks them for a 35 foot shot they go back in and its back to a 35 foot shot, I'm surprised at the lack of intensity on defense. I'm not sure if there are off the court issues at play here as well. The key to a good coach is finding what is wrong and fixing it. On the other hand Izzo has the same problems at MSU except he hasn't lost control of his team. CC even when he went 1-11 we saw effort and the players didn't quit on him. I see players quitting on Murphy this season.

(02-23-2017 05:48 AM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  

(02-23-2017 05:04 AM)emu steve Wrote:  

(02-22-2017 10:30 PM)HuronRob Wrote:  I have to hand it to you guys for hanging in there. From what I've seen there is very little positive about this season.

As weird a season as I can remember.

For a month after the Syracuse game we looked really good and then...

I feel for those who handle MBB and WBB. Just think of the pep band, cheer/dance teams, EMU game day staff, broadcast/webcasters, etc.

I don't think either team has won a game in a month.

But there is a very big difference: WBB is very, very thin on talent this season. I predicted WBB 6 - 12 this year and I was being kind (I didn't expect 6 wins).

For MBB the wheels have simply come off... That said, we still have maybe a 50 - 50 chance to win our first MAC conference game. I saw a lot to like Tuesday night in Muncie.

Sunshine Steve, you saw a lot to like in Muncie? Really? I saw a team that had a few hot individuals early in the game and then totally collapsed. A deer-in-the-headlights look was very evident.

The preseason #1 team in the west is staring at a 10 or 11 seed. You can't put lipstick on that pig. The only way this team makes any sort of recovery is if they go back to the style from early in Murphy's tenure, ie, run the weave offense until there are five seconds on the shot clock then hope for the best.

Let me say this, I like Steve's optimism. All too often we don't have much to be happy about regarding sports at EMU on this forum. Steve finds the bright spots. I like that because I am not inclined to finding the bright spots. I see EMU basketball at less than .500 and I immediately think crap team or crap coach. I'm not a basketball guy but I was at EMU (Class of '90) when EMU was very good. I followed the team and went to all of the home games and the nearby away games when Braun was coaching; so, I vividly remember the "glory" days. Me being me...this era of EMU basketball just crushes any interest I have.

So, Steve, please keep being Mr. Sunshine. We need a cheerleader around here.

I've kind of morphed to 'Sober Steve'.

I do not go for the darkness that some do. When darkness hits, I check out. If I feel darkness in MBB, I'll sit home and watch the Washington Wizards.

By sober here I mean, we've hit a rough patch. That doesn't mean we have a bad team, bad coach, etc.

I'm still hoping for a strong finish and maybe a decent tourney. We have plenty of talent for next year.

To use an economic analogy, I know the difference between an American economy which struggles from time to time with recession and a third world country which has little economic hope.

The one thing which seems very, very tough for EMU MBB fans, is that many remember the unreal days of 1988, 1991, 1996, and 1998 and some intervening years like when we ran Wisconsin out of Bowen. The bar is real high in many fans' minds.

I've been lightly following George Mason here for say 20 years and I have seen some of the ups and downs, including the Final Four run, the strained relationship between their AD and Jim Larranga, his departure, the program's fall and now rebirth. Ups and downs are part of most, but not all, D-I college MBB programs.

Our program needs a breakout year ala the one we had in FB...

I think its fair to say most of us are stunned about how quickly this team turned south this season I honestly thought we would win the Mac west and at least make the NIT

Steele 5 points per game madray 2.6 points per game and lwh 1.8

Anyone else besides me who thought these guys would score more than this?

(02-23-2017 11:43 PM)emu steve Wrote:  I've kind of morphed to 'Sober Steve'.

I do not go for the darkness that some do. When darkness hits, I check out. If I feel darkness in MBB, I'll sit home and watch the Washington Wizards.

By sober here I mean, we've hit a rough patch. That doesn't mean we have a bad team, bad coach, etc.

I'm still hoping for a strong finish and maybe a decent tourney. We have plenty of talent for next year.

To use an economic analogy, I know the difference between an American economy which struggles from time to time with recession and a third world country which has little economic hope.

The one thing which seems very, very tough for EMU MBB fans, is that many remember the unreal days of 1988, 1991, 1996, and 1998 and some intervening years like when we ran Wisconsin out of Bowen. The bar is real high in many fans' minds.

I've been lightly following George Mason here for say 20 years and I have seen some of the ups and downs, including the Final Four run, the strained relationship between their AD and Jim Larranga, his departure, the program's fall and now rebirth. Ups and downs are part of most, but not all, D-I college MBB programs.

Our program needs a breakout year ala the one we had in FB...

Yes, our MBB needs a break out year and we'll never have one with Murphy as the coach.

(02-24-2017 06:54 AM)emu79 Wrote:  I think its fair to say most of us are stunned about how quickly this team turned south this season I honestly thought we would win the Mac west and at least make the NIT

Same here. Going to go to one more game tomorrow. Hope it is a win.

(02-24-2017 08:25 AM)emu79 Wrote:  Steele 5 points per game madray 2.6 points per game and lwh 1.8

Anyone else besides me who thought these guys would score more than this?

Agree and I don't know which positions they should be playing.

Steele is a center. Pure and simple.

I think Madray is a stretch 4.

LWH is also a 4.

I can't wait until next year to see a true PF, Minnie, playing that position and hopefully have JT4 back at defensive center.

Game day. Game time: 3 hours.

I'm betting (not literally) on a win. Think today we break the losing streak...

We are a FIVE point FAVORITE in Vegas (surely the books don't spend hours and hours on this forum. Lol).

Game Time... :)

Raven found his jumper about three weeks too late.

It is spring time where I am.

"Sunshine Steve" see the EMU "green shoots".

I started to see them @BSU Tuesday...