Need to avoid going 0 - 3.
1 - 2 is acceptable, and what I expect.
2 - 1 is my hope.
My preferred route is to win at JMU, and then split the Carolina trip.
Losing at Charleston is unacceptable.
I think we can win at JMU. While we have not been great away, they have not been great at home. Lost to NU (fine) but only beat Towson, Delaware and Elon at home by an average of 5 points. We need to win this one to prove that we can beat a decent team away from home.
UNCW will be the big one and I like that it is last of the 3.
I would rate the probability of winning each as 1. Charleston; 2. JMU; 3. UNCW. I would be ecstatic with 3 W's; very happy with 2 W's; disappointed with 1 W and apoplectic with 0 W's.
(01-29-2015 10:29 AM)LeadBolt Wrote: [ -> ]I would rate the probability of winning each as 1. Charleston; 2. JMU; 3. UNCW. I would be ecstatic with 3 W's; very happy with 2 W's; disappointed with 1 W and apoplectic with 0 W's.
+1.
Speaking of expectations, how much fun is it to have an exciting and competitive basketball team in back-to-back seasons?
All three road games are tough...even more so if Sheldon still unable to play.
Both JMU and UNCW are playing their best basketball of the season (as are we)...Charleston
might be overlooked "gotcha" game.
2-1 would be very good, 1-2 more likely. However, this team is exceeding all expectations when it comes to the level of their play so it should be very interesting.
Have to really play tough defensively for forty minutes.
Here's an interesting thought on the road trip: consensus seems to be that UNCW will be the most difficult game of the three, though if I had to pick one to lose it would be the Charleston game. Since we're not playing for an at large bid, our immediate goal should be to win the regular season (guarantees at least the NIT and gives us the 1-seed in Baltimore). With that in mind, beating UNCW while losing to Charleston helps us because we would be 2-0 against the sea pigeons in the event of a tie.
I think we beat JMU and Charleston and roll into Wilmington for a great showdown that we will win.
(01-29-2015 03:56 PM)BigTribe Wrote: [ -> ]All three road games are tough...even more so if Sheldon still unable to play.
Both JMU and UNCW are playing their best basketball of the season (as are we)...Charleston
might be overlooked "gotcha" game.
2-1 would be very good, 1-2 more likely. However, this team is exceeding all expectations when it comes to the level of their play so it should be very interesting.
Have to really play tough defensively for forty minutes.
Our play is drastically better at home than on the road. Essentially, we have 5 big games left before the tournament. Defense and rebounding are even more critical on the road because we do not shoot as well. Hopefully, we can stay out of foul trouble(esp. Dixon and Schalk). If Sheldon is out, Tarpey and Prewitt become even more important to help out on the defensive glass. While we have to show up and play hard every game, we will be significant favorites on the remaining 4 home games. That makes all the road games the main factor in the regular season race.
The Tribe will sweep this trip, 3-0.
If they are indeed a champion - and after the past two games, I believe - then they find a way to win all three.
We only have three games where we lost by more than 5 points (Florida, UNC, ODU) - all on the road.
2-1 has to be worst case.
I've watched the same games as everyone else on this board.
My take on the season:
Before Christmas we played well at times, didn't play well at times and lost a couple games we would have liked.
After Christmas we have been a team that goes on big streaks. We've been way up on teams and have crumbled and have been way down and come back. Lately though I've started to see a team that can close better and has the ability to blow teams out in every game.
Maybe I'm an optimist, but I'd be upset if we didn't win all three. We should win them all game by game, so why not?
As for Sheldon, this may be the best thing for us. We played really well without him on Wednesday and if we continue to do so while he's out, it will be almost like we are able to put it into another gear when he returns.
I've liked this team since we started in October and I think the best is still to come. I said 24 or 25 wins at the beginning of the season and that may be tough, but I'm not giving up.
Our offensive ball movement has been very impressive of late, even in the 1st half against Delaware before developing stage fright in the second half. If they can just find the same consistent focus and intensity on the defensive end, they can be very, very good.
Quirk of the schedule stretch in that the CofC game is a Thursday night unlike the rest of league play on Wednesday, so, a quick turnaround to overcome for the UNCW game. Maybe set up that way to tag team travel time and mean lees time away from class. UNCW has the extra travel back home, but still have the extra day of rest. Maybe a 2 mile an hour bus trip through a snowstorm coming back from Harrisonburg can be conjured up for the SeaPuppies. Storm is coming at the right time.
If we win Saturday, JMU may be a little more stiffer for UNCW on Wednesday. Think Drexel could possibly drop a wrench into UNCW's honeymoon on Saturday with Williams back in the lineup. Lee is a load when he has a supporting cast.
One other observation that has come out of Tom Schalk's emergence/play, Tom is who I want to see on the floor late in the game when we have a lead and are forced to win it at the free throw line. Not a lot of opportunites on the season, but he is 5-5, and very confident when on the line. Sean is 17-34 and Jack is 10-25. Nice to know we have a solution to that achilles heel if/when needed.
We'll win all three with an average margin of victory of 13 points. No hope or expectation, just fact. We're vastly better than CoC, much better than JMU, and UNCW would need a near perfect game to beat us. We're just superior. That is all.
(01-29-2015 10:22 PM)Tribal Wrote: [ -> ]We'll win all three with an average margin of victory of 13 points. No hope or expectation, just fact. We're vastly better than CoC, much better than JMU, and UNCW would need a near perfect game to beat us. We're just superior. That is all.
I like the excessive bravado.
(01-29-2015 10:22 PM)Tribal Wrote: [ -> ]We'll win all three with an average margin of victory of 13 points. No hope or expectation, just fact. We're vastly better than CoC, much better than JMU, and UNCW would need a near perfect game to beat us. We're just superior. That is all.
BOLD
I like it
I've alluded to this before, but it does get a little annoying to hear about games we are "likely" or "expected" to lose. We've all been fans of the Tribe for a long time and it's easy to fall into that frame of thought based on the program's history. But not this year. I too fully expect the Tribe to WIN the next three games. Why not? This team has beaten the best teams in this league already, and there is no reason why we aren't capable of extending that to the road.
Call me the eternal optimist, or even delusional, but this is our year and I expect the Tribe to win every game from here out, starting Saturday.
Just stay calm and need to finish the game. I am sure they learned a few lessons from Delaware game.
(01-29-2015 11:15 PM)WM_Destro Wrote: [ -> ]I've alluded to this before, but it does get a little annoying to hear about games we are "likely" or "expected" to lose. We've all been fans of the Tribe for a long time and it's easy to fall into that frame of thought based on the program's history. But not this year. I too fully expect the Tribe to WIN the next three games. Why not? This team has beaten the best teams in this league already, and there is no reason why we aren't capable of extending that to the road.
Call me the eternal optimist, or even delusional, but this is our year and I expect the Tribe to win every game from here out, starting Saturday.
At this point, Tribe is 7 - 2. They are 5 - 0 at home. They are 2 - 2 on the road.
The next three games are on the road. Judging by their record on the road so far, and judging by the standings, and judging by the historical difficulty of winning at Trask ...
If the Tribe stubs its collective toe over the next three games, a large factor will likely be that a three game road trip is the culprit.
The common denominator in all the road losses was weak defense and rebounding. Let's hope we limit the Dukes to one contested shot. The next 7 games with 5 on the road will prepare us for the tournament. I like Tribal ' s boldness, but it won't be easy.
(01-30-2015 07:33 AM)TribePride91 Wrote: [ -> ]The common denominator in all the road losses was weak defense and rebounding. Let's hope we limit the Dukes to one contested shot. The next 7 games with 5 on the road will prepare us for the tournament. I like Tribal ' s boldness, but it won't be easy.
I think the free throw struggles played a major role as well. They seem to have righted that ship recently and are shooting free throws like a good shooting team should. Hitting free throws are especially important with these 2nd half let downs the Tribe is prone to. It's hard to cut into a lead when you are cashing in at the stripe.
JMU press is a double-edged sword. We can look unsure and prone to turnovers against press, but our athletic players have also scored many easy layup baskets when they break it with their speed and, lately, spectacular passing. Let's hope we see lots of the latter Saturday afternoon.