(02-18-2018 12:36 AM)WMtribe17 Wrote:  It's not a matter of we can beat anybody, it is a matter of we can't string together 3 perfect games on offense to compensate for our defense.

Respectfully disagree here. We showed tonight that we don't have to have a perfect game in order to beat Northeastern. It took terrible defense on one crucial play for Northeastern to win, which is a big difference than our game down here. If we have a coinflip's chance in each game, that's around 12% chance to take 3 games, and that's about a million times better chance than most people thought we had back in September.

With regard to the last play defense, if Tot doesn't hit against ODU, that game is the same as this one. If Knight doesn't block the shot against Hofstra in Williamsburg, that game is the same as this one.

(02-18-2018 12:36 AM)WMtribe17 Wrote:  I wasn't expecting our defense to improve, but I did expect to see us at least resolve the blown assignments on defense. Yet, we still manage to leave guys wide open on corner 3s and fail miserably at pick and roll defense. Luckily, NE shooters didn't hit many from the corner today, but it very easily could have been different (like the 1st game).

This is the difference between college and pros. In college, sometimes they miss. That's basically been our defensive strategy all season.

(02-18-2018 12:40 AM)WMtribe17 Wrote:  Not sure I would use the words clearly there... Elon and Delaware are teams I think we beat more times than not, but I wouldn't be confident in saying that for Drexel, JMU, or UNCW. Luckily UNCW and Drexel are terrible away from home (although Drexel did beat us in Williamsburg), but I could honestly see any team beating us except Delaware in the CAA tourney.

I'm not as confident against UNCW, mostly because their best players are really good. JMU next year may well be different, but this year it takes them playing their best and us playing poorly for them to beat us. Elon has the same skillset we do, but they're one step worse on offense. Drexel may be significantly improved with their injury returns, but I still felt like we lost the game in Williamsburg rather than them winning it.

Our defense is bad enough that we can certainly lose to anyone, but our offense is good enough that bad teams have to be perfect to beat us.

(02-18-2018 12:49 AM)TribeInTheBurg Wrote:  

(02-18-2018 12:36 AM)WMtribe17 Wrote:  I wasn't expecting our defense to improve, but I did expect to see us at least resolve the blown assignments on defense. Yet, we still manage to leave guys wide open on corner 3s and fail miserably at pick and roll defense. Luckily, NE shooters didn't hit many from the corner today, but it very easily could have been different (like the 1st game).

This is the difference between college and pros. In college, sometimes they miss. That's basically been our defensive strategy all season.

That's an atrocious defensive strategy. I mean I don't think Tony is a defensive guru but there's no way he ends every timeout with "gee hope they miss"

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(02-18-2018 01:05 AM)zablenoise Wrote:  

(02-18-2018 12:49 AM)TribeInTheBurg Wrote:  

(02-18-2018 12:36 AM)WMtribe17 Wrote:  I wasn't expecting our defense to improve, but I did expect to see us at least resolve the blown assignments on defense. Yet, we still manage to leave guys wide open on corner 3s and fail miserably at pick and roll defense. Luckily, NE shooters didn't hit many from the corner today, but it very easily could have been different (like the 1st game).

This is the difference between college and pros. In college, sometimes they miss. That's basically been our defensive strategy all season.

That's an atrocious defensive strategy. I mean I don't think Tony is a defensive guru but there's no way he ends every timeout with "gee hope they miss"

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Well, not out loud.

(02-18-2018 01:05 AM)zablenoise Wrote:  

(02-18-2018 12:49 AM)TribeInTheBurg Wrote:  

(02-18-2018 12:36 AM)WMtribe17 Wrote:  I wasn't expecting our defense to improve, but I did expect to see us at least resolve the blown assignments on defense. Yet, we still manage to leave guys wide open on corner 3s and fail miserably at pick and roll defense. Luckily, NE shooters didn't hit many from the corner today, but it very easily could have been different (like the 1st game).

This is the difference between college and pros. In college, sometimes they miss. That's basically been our defensive strategy all season.

That's an atrocious defensive strategy. I mean I don't think Tony is a defensive guru but there's no way he ends every timeout with "gee hope they miss"

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When he calls a 3-2 zone on defense, I honestly think he is just praying "please miss the open 3"

Two road games that, again, we might just as easily have won. Have to hope the team gathers itself, doesn't let these agonizing losses affect their play...we need to gather ourselves and take it to UNCW Thursday evening and restore their confidence by defeating Charleston Saturday afternoon.

We had our chances to win: two very good setups by the coaches in the final minute to set up wide open threes that just didn't go in would have salted the game away.

I, too, am puzzled by the "matador" defense on the final play Thursday night. Everyone knew where the ball was going: why not have two guys on him and prevent the ball from getting passed to him or, at the very least, have somebody at least step in front of him? And where was Knight under the basket?
And I might have had the taller Pierce on him, not David.

We had some bad first half turnovers, but at game's end were even with NE, who also had some bad ones.

Should have mentioned that the crowd at Northeastern yesterday was a stunningly poor 1129. Here's a NE team that's very good, it's a winter Saturday afternoon in Beantown, and this kind of a "crowd" shows up. NE is a huge school with, obviously, no presence in the Boston marketplace. It appeared that there might have been 75-100 students attending.

(02-17-2018 06:40 PM)Zorch Wrote:  

(02-17-2018 05:47 PM)LeadBolt Wrote:  Somebody needed to try to take a charge.

On the replay, it looked like Burchfield had the best chance at drawing a charge. But he backed off of it because he didn't want Pusica to dish off to his man for an easy short jumper. Even if Burchfield had drawn the charge, the refs would have called it a block and Pusica would have won it at the free throw line.

Burchfield appeared to have been getting out of Pusica's way. Knowing there was VERY little time left should have been his cue to hold his position and try to take a charge, but instead he literally moved aside and allowed the easy layup. Knight and Pierce were in poor position as well, but Burch - even though he was the last line of defense - had the best chance to stop the layup, or at least put Pusica on the line (which we all know was the more likely outcome - doubtful the Tribe gets that call in Boston, no matter now long Burch had the spot) to win it with FTs.

(02-18-2018 07:26 AM)BigTribe3 Wrote:  Should have mentioned that the crowd at Northeastern yesterday was a stunningly poor 1129. Here's a NE team that's very good, it's a winter Saturday afternoon in Beantown, and this kind of a "crowd" shows up. NE is a huge school with, obviously, no presence in the Boston marketplace. It appeared that there might have been 75-100 students attending.

It’s been a problem for years. Northeastern won the Beanpot (probably the biggest college hockey tournament in America outside the NCAA) this week. That gets way more publicity than basketball in a city like Boston.

Their biggest basketball crowd of the year was 2,259 against Elon. 3 of the 8 CAA home games so far haven’t even drawn 1,000. Last year, 1 of 9 CAA home games drew less than 1,000. CofC and Elon, at least when they come to Boston, make it a recruiting event for prospective students. The last time they had decent attendance was before the other VA schools left the league.

Coen should win coach of the year based solely on his ability to convince kids to play in that mausoleum environment for four years! Why a kid would ever want to play in that dump I’ll never know.

Northeastern is a very good school in a great city. I know two guys who played hockey and one woman who played volleyball there. They loved their experience. As far as basketball, they may not play in the best facility but they've been a perennial power in the CAA over the past decade. Pretty good deal if you ask me.

Now, their old football stadium was the worst thing I'd ever seen. That was a sight.

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Northeastern has been a consistent winner. Coen has done a great job. If Charleston doesn't win, Northeastern is the most likely next choice.

Kinda says it all when postgame comments are about the missed shots that could have won the game and not about a missed fundamental defensive stop that could have prevented the loss. We will not win a championship until that changes.

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(02-18-2018 11:54 AM)Tribal Wrote:  Northeastern is a very good school in a great city. I know two guys who played hockey and one woman who played volleyball there. They loved their experience. As far as basketball, they may not play in the best facility but they've been a perennial power in the CAA over the past decade. Pretty good deal if you ask me.

Now, their old football stadium was the worst thing I'd ever seen. That was a sight.

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Yeah they've always said that if you put Northeastern anywhere else it'd be a national name. Its just that the have to compete with Harvard, MIT, and BC in their own backyard.

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(02-18-2018 01:01 PM)zablenoise Wrote:  

(02-18-2018 11:54 AM)Tribal Wrote:  Northeastern is a very good school in a great city. I know two guys who played hockey and one woman who played volleyball there. They loved their experience. As far as basketball, they may not play in the best facility but they've been a perennial power in the CAA over the past decade. Pretty good deal if you ask me.

Now, their old football stadium was the worst thing I'd ever seen. That was a sight.

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Yeah they've always said that if you put Northeastern anywhere else it'd be a national name. Its just that the have to compete with Harvard, MIT, and BC in their own backyard.

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And BU, Tufts, etc.

Gotta be hard to be an Emerson grad (a decent school in its own right) looking for a job there.

I just watched that final winning drive to the bucket on B/R. Our point guard actually backed away from the ball and allowed an uncontested winning score. Mind boggling.