(03-06-2019 09:47 PM)ODUBB35 Wrote:  

(03-06-2019 09:36 PM)TTT Wrote:  Maybe ODU didn't play like ass. Maybe they just played the best defensive team in the league. Every team we've beaten this year always says the same thing "we played like crap"...and I'm like "we have a really friggin good defense".

Your free throw defense was especially tough tonight.

which is where you guys lost the game....

griff tried to miss in the end...

I'd almost bet my house this tourney is won at the line....

any way you cut it up, it was one helluva game and emotional tug-o-war...

this tourney will be interesting and fun to watch...

(03-06-2019 11:22 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(03-06-2019 10:58 PM)Volkmar Wrote:  Surely I'm not the only one thinking it, but unless I missed it, no one else has said it. ODU didn't want it tonight. Nothing against the quality ball USM is playing right now because UTSA struggled against them in Mississippi, but ODU already has the #1 seed on lockdown. It's more important for them to just stay healthy right now, and while I didn't see the game, it kinda sounds like that's the way they played.

No. This was senior night for Stith and Caver. They wanted it but couldn’t get it. It was a lack of focus more than lack of desire. For a while it was really a comedy of errors, I’m pretty sure Caver air balled a free throw. They played better but it was altogether ugly. USM played good defense, double teamed Stith every time he got the ball and clogged the lane. Best to get it out of our system now I suppose.

Splitting hairs here, but I feel you can have focus without desire. I don't see how you can have desire without focus though. Not saying your assessment isn't correct, but if you truly want something, how can you not be focused? I think we'll never really know for sure, but I'm still standing by my comment.

Speaking as someone who didn't watch the game, I'll ask you this though... Did ODU dive for loose balls, drive inside, and go for rebounds with the same intensity they always have? If they didn't, and they perhaps played more like they were going through the motions, they didn't want it, senior night or not, because perhaps they felt it was better for the team to play it a bit safe and not risk injury in their senior year before the tournament. And dare I say it, but they also know the draft is around the corner. They've had 4 years to think about this, and what's really most important to them, and I have a feeling that "senior night" isn't as high on that list as you may think.

None of the above. USM got all the 50/50 balls. They earned the win and played a great game and our lack of effort and hustle allowed them to take it with little resistance. Our defense played well in the 2nd half, but that was moot because we couldn't get a rebound. Caver got into foul trouble in the 2nd half and sat for about 5 minutes. That is when we made our run and took the lead. When Caver came back in we started turning it over and couldn't score again. Stith was atrocious. It was certainly an anomaly relative to the effort, senior leadership, and execution we saw throughout February, but the concern is we lost that momentum. Reminds me of what we saw from MTSU at the end of last year after the sealed up the regular season. As the #1 seed, we are going to get everyone's best shot. If we aren't ready, we'll be in the NIT and may not even get any home games there. If I had to guess UTSA or Marshall will be dancing.

It's like a broken record...everyone always says the same thing after USM beats them in basketball..."you guys played good but we played like crap"

...it's almost as if MAYBE, just MAYBE our good defense...causes...teams...to...play...like..crap. But what do I know.

(03-07-2019 09:33 AM)TTT Wrote:  It's like a broken record...everyone always says the same thing after USM beats them in basketball..."you guys played good but we played like crap"

...it's almost as if MAYBE, just MAYBE our good defense...causes...teams...to...play...like..crap. But what do I know.

Nah that's not it. ODU just played like ass. We curb stomped you by 14 in January. We already had the #1 seed locked up.

(03-07-2019 08:36 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  . If I had to guess UTSA or Marshall will be dancing.

There is no way Asshall is dancing. They are trash.

(03-07-2019 09:33 AM)TTT Wrote:  It's like a broken record...everyone always says the same thing after USM beats them in basketball..."you guys played good but we played like crap"

...it's almost as if MAYBE, just MAYBE our good defense...causes...teams...to...play...like..crap. But what do I know.

But we did play like crap. No one is saying y'all defense didn't contribute to that but we missed wide open shots. At the line we were atrocious.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

(03-07-2019 09:33 AM)TTT Wrote:  It's like a broken record...everyone always says the same thing after USM beats them in basketball..."you guys played good but we played like crap"

...it's almost as if MAYBE, just MAYBE our good defense...causes...teams...to...play...like..crap. But what do I know.

I didn't say that when you guys beat us. And I could be wrong, but I don't recall anyone else from UTSA saying that either. With the #1 seed already locked in, it's a fact that ODU just didn't have much to play for against you guys though.

ODU goes 11/22 at the line and USM thinks their D contributed to that.

(03-07-2019 09:33 AM)TTT Wrote:  It's like a broken record...everyone always says the same thing after USM beats them in basketball..."you guys played good but we played like crap"

...it's almost as if MAYBE, just MAYBE our good defense...causes...teams...to...play...like..crap. But what do I know.

I hear ya. We're used to that as well, having the actual best defense in the conference and the stats to back up the claim. Good defense doesn't explain poor free throw shooting, outrebounded against a team that we have a substantial size advantage and it's usually one of our strengths or unforced turnovers. You've got a good defense. Doc game planned well, every time Stith got the ball one or two defenders were on his ass. We made some adjustments but were still flat. We've played better defenses and won. But congrats.

(03-07-2019 09:48 AM)Daniel Wrote:  ODU goes 11/22 at the line and USM thinks their D contributed to that.

our guys were saying "miss it" when you were shooting free throws so in a way it did contribute

Good defense/turnovers can take a toll on you. ODU's guys looked really tired at the line. You could see it in their body language. Same for our guys at the line.

(03-07-2019 10:23 AM)TTT Wrote:  Good defense/turnovers can take a toll on you. ODU's guys looked really tired at the line. You could see it in their body language. Same for our guys at the line.

they looked like me walking up to a tap-in with a beer in my hand...

they were huffin'...

this is one of our best defensive teams since the Green days....

did I mention we have a true PG and pure shooter that makes the rest better....

it's finally become enjoyable talkin' hoop's smack again....

And I don't buy the "ODU already had the #1 locked up/don't have much to play for" argument. Okay...first of all, it's their senior night, second...ODU winning the conf. tourney isn't a given...there is a chance they could be in the bubble conversation if they lose in the champ game or something.

ODU had plenty of motivation to win last night.

(03-07-2019 12:06 AM)Volkmar Wrote:  I don't see how you can have desire without focus.

I'm no psychiatrist. And probably should defer to you since, if I recall correctly, you are a teacher (my apologies if that is not so).

But my own personal experience, and my experience in raising three kids, is that an excess of desire is entirely in inconsistent with maintaining focus. And that is what we saw last night from most of the ODU team.

Think of an 8th-grade boy, mooning over the cute girl sitting next to him. Is there even a speck of focus there? Think of the kid trying to impress his friends with his prowess on a skateboard. How much focus is going into the next stunt that the knucklehead is about to attempt?

These of course are overstated examples. And I fully understand the frustration of USM's posters getting the sense that we are dissing their legitimate victory. For the record: We were out-hustled and out-played last night, and got fairly and squarely beat by a better team.

But I also think that our absence of focus -- and, sorry TTT and others, that was just not a well-played game by ODU last night -- was more due to an overabundance of desire than any notion that we were dogging it.

I hope that our players feel like dirt this morning. Because the teams' performance last night, although mostly due to very good play by USM, was at least partly due to ODU not having their heads in the game. The only two of our players who seemed like they were fully ready to play last night were reserves Jason Wade (despite his atrocious foul shooting) and Justice Kithcart. Not because our team was mailing it in. But because the rest of our players were totally unfocused.

We've played 2 top 25 defenses (according to KenPom anyway) in VCU (#4) and Syracuse (#24) and we won both games so I am well aware of what it looks like when we play well against good defense. Last night didn't fit the bill. We made a lot of errors and credit to USM for playing good enough defense and taking advantage. You were the better team. It is still a fact that we did not play well. Frankly, I doubt USM played their best game either, though admittedly I haven't seen you much this year. Thought overall it was a pretty ugly game for both teams.

ODU is ASS in free throw shooting. #11 out of 14 teams in the conference. I’ve said in the past it could very well keep them from winning the tourney aside from them just flat out Jeff Jonesing it.

So maybe USM didn’t cause ODU to be ASS in free throw shooting. Perhaps ASS is their natural state.

I’ll tell you something the ODU fans aren’t ASS in. That’s in excuse making and justification after a loss. “Didn’t really care” “Nothing to play for” blah blah blah. Everything except USM handed that ass in Norfolk.

USM handed that ass in Norfolk. FACT.

dahbeed: always bringing the stench to #2.

(03-07-2019 11:24 AM)dahbeed Wrote:  ODU is ASS in free throw shooting. #11 out of 14 teams in the conference. I’ve said in the past it could very well keep them from winning the tourney aside from them just flat out Jeff Jonesing it.

So maybe USM didn’t cause ODU to be ASS in free throw shooting. Perhaps ASS is their natural state.

I’ll tell you something the ODU fans aren’t ASS in. That’s in excuse making and justification after a loss. “Didn’t really care” “Nothing to play for” blah blah blah. Everything except USM handed that ass in Norfolk.

USM handed that ass in Norfolk. FACT.

Saying that we played like shite is the opposite of an excuse. We were terrible and legit lost the game. No excuse.

Blaming the refs or the game location (a WKU staple) is an example of an excuse.

(03-07-2019 11:27 AM)AdoptedMonarch Wrote:  dahbeed: always bringing the stench to #2.

Don't let the stench fool you, they're #3 now. 69% chance they don't win a game in Frisco. 100% chance of them blaming the refs.