After tonight's games, there have been 67 CUSA games this season. Care to guess how many games there have been where the game was won by 21 or more points?
There have been exactly 5 games. And UAB was the winner in two of them.
1. 30 – Louisiana Tech vs. Southern Miss
2. 23 – Marshall vs. Florida Atlantic
3. 22 – UAB vs. Texas San Antonio
4. 22 – Middle Tennessee vs. North Texas
5. 21 – UAB vs. North Texas
Blowouts are not that common in conference play.
I don't expect many twenty point wins. What I do want to see is that when the team gets a big lead, it puts a foot on their throat and keeps the pressure on. Twice tonight we had a twenty pointish lead and allowed them to get back within a couple.
(02-05-2016 02:17 AM)UAB Band Dad Wrote: [ -> ]I don't expect many twenty point wins. What I do want to see is that when the team gets a big lead, it puts a foot on their throat and keeps the pressure on. Twice tonight we had a twenty pointish lead and allowed them to get back within a couple.
UAB never had a 20 pointish lead in this game. Maybe you mean they keep blowing double digit leads???
It could be worse, we could be Memphis.
(02-05-2016 02:17 AM)UAB Band Dad Wrote: [ -> ]I don't expect many twenty point wins. What I do want to see is that when the team gets a big lead, it puts a foot on their throat and keeps the pressure on. Twice tonight we had a twenty pointish lead and allowed them to get back within a couple.
HCJH is well aware of this and addressed it specifically several times in the post game interview. Expect it to be a point of emphasis closing out the season & into tourney play.
(02-05-2016 05:30 AM)CourtsideBlazer Wrote: [ -> ] (02-05-2016 02:17 AM)UAB Band Dad Wrote: [ -> ]I don't expect many twenty point wins. What I do want to see is that when the team gets a big lead, it puts a foot on their throat and keeps the pressure on. Twice tonight we had a twenty pointish lead and allowed them to get back within a couple.
HCJH is well aware of this and addressed it specifically several times in the post game interview. Expect it to be a point of emphasis closing out the season & into tourney play.
It is an issue, and has been an issue several times this season. Haase has indeed pointed it out several times.
If time permits, I'll go back and look at some of the double digit leads UAB has squandered this season, and hung on to win in close finishes.
I agree it stinks, but I don't think there's call for panic.
First, this is a young team. Second, this is a team deep in conference play that is probably tired as all heck.
We have looked better this year than last, and we were lethal last season in the conference tourney and against Iowa State. Here's hoping there's something left in the tank for tourney time.
This is not a young team. They have played many D1 games.
Yeah, it is tough and frustrating to see us blow the big leads, but as a coach (in a different sport on the high school level) myself, I can tell you that just knowing that you don't hold big leads well is not enough to fix it. Sometimes, the players and the coaches struggle to pinpoint exactly why the problem is happening.
We fans can whine, "Why don't we finish them off!!!?" (I've asked this myself). The coaches and players are probably asking the same question. It's not like they are trying to blow leads. So, the solution is not obvious.
Also, maybe they change something in their approach thinking it will solve the problem, only to find out that wasn't it. Plus, they have to be careful about changing too much. After all, we've only lost once since November!!! Maybe we're doing just fine.
(02-05-2016 09:24 AM)Memphis Blazer Wrote: [ -> ]This is not a young team. They have played many D1 games.
Correct. We were young last year. We have a ton of experience this year. Rosters consisting of mostly sophomores and juniors are no longer young. Our leading scorers are: sophomore, senior, sophomore, sophomore, junior, junior, junior, sophomore, junior
I'm not going to speak on prior games because it's pointless.
In reference to last nights game, the "blown lead" can be attributed more to excellent coaching and execution from FIU than UAB's lack of both. FIU is one of the tougher match ups for UAB in CUSA. Every time we went on a run, FIU would sag in to the paint and force us to play deep in to our shot clock. Their guards and forwards are no scrubs. They all defended really well once they got us in our half court offense. Both of our runs that gave us double digit leads were attributed to fast breaks off turn overs and shot making early in the possession. FIU was going to make us make threes to extend our lead. Our guys were hesitant because none of them wanted to waste a possession on a contested late shot clock three. FIU's guards are tough to stop when they drive. They are big and they know how to get fouled or dish to Diaz.
We beat a pretty decent team last night. It was a game that was nearly polar opposite in style and atmosphere to last Saturday. The great teams find a way to win on good and bad nights. We are 19-4 and one game away from the best start in UAB history. It's a hell of a time, boys.
People seem to be forgetting that FIU was 4th in the conference before their slump last week.
FIU is going to be a major player for the conference title next season. Even Without Diaz.
CUSA as a whole will be leaps and bounds better next season than this season. Lots of young teams teams this year.
Charlotte: 4fr, 6sr
FAU: 4fr, 3sr
FIT: 3fr, 3sr(inc Diaz)
LaTech: 4fr, 3sr
Marshall: 5fr, 6so, 2 sr(inc Kelly)
MTSU: 2fr, 3sr
NT: 5fr, 3sr
ODU: 3fr, 5sr(inc Freeman)
Rice: 6fr, 1sr(Guercy)
SMiss: 4fr, 4sr
UTSA: 5fr, 2sr(inc Bowie)
UAB: 1fr, 6so, 1sr(Brown)
UTEP: 8fr, 4sr
WKU: 5fr, 3sr
I think the thing that's getting fans is watching our team play so streaky. We play next-to-perfect basketball for 6 minutes in the 1st half, then it looks like the guys take a break. Then we do the same thing in the 2nd half, but this time we squander a 17-pt lead with sloppy passing, poor shot selection, and a few selfish possessions that generate 0 points and allow FIU to get within 2.
We have a lot of sophomores and juniors taking mental breaks when we go up big... then Robert Brown has to come back in the game and get guys back on track.
Our team knows they are good. Our team knows they can take over a game and win in the final minutes because they've done it so many times this season. We all just don't want to see that attitude bite us in the butt later this season.
(02-05-2016 11:06 AM)UABslant Wrote: [ -> ]I think the thing that's getting fans is watching our team play so streaky. We play next-to-perfect basketball for 6 minutes in the 1st half, then it looks like the guys take a break. Then we do the same thing in the 2nd half, but this time we squander a 17-pt lead with sloppy passing, poor shot selection, and a few selfish possessions that generate 0 points and allow FIU to get within 2.
We have a lot of sophomores and juniors taking mental breaks when we go up big... then Robert Brown has to come back in the game and get guys back on track.
Our team knows they are good. Our team knows they can take over a game and win in the final minutes because they've done it so many times this season. We all just don't want to see that attitude bite us in the butt later this season.
You hit the nail on the head. It's not that I'm complaining really or that I expect us to blow everyone out, but I'm tired of this team not playing to its full potential. We need to snap our younger players out of this mentality that they can just play around and beat teams because they are more talented. It will end up biting us in the ass in a major way.
Our schedule has been so weak, that we've been able to play half of a game well and still win the vast majority of our games. That's not the mentality you want your team to have, no matter if they can get away with it most of the time or not.
We are not a young team anymore. I really wish people would stop saying that and using it as an excuse.
UTEP 8 freshman. Look out
Of the last seven games, in which UAB is 6-1, there have been four games where UAB had a double digit lead in the second half and had to hang on to win.
ODU: UAB was up by 11 (53-42) with 6 mins left in the game. Game went to OT.
Charlotte: UAB was up by 10 (72-62) with less than 4 mins left in the game. Game was tied inside of 1 min left.
Marshall: UAB was up by 10 (67-57) with 8 mins left in the game. UAB only led by 1 point (79-78) inside of 1 min left.
FIU: UAB was up by 17 (57-40) with 13 mins left in the game. UAB led by 2 (68-66) inside of 1 min left.
Just observations, nothing more.
There have also been games - MSTU, SFA, and Auburn, maybe others - where we've come out sleep walking and had to fight our way back into the game. The Auburn game can be somewhat excused, being it was the first game of the year on the road in a hostile environment. Against Rice we had a larger than 10 point lead at halftime, and they came back to take the lead against us after halftime. It's definitely an issue. The team needs to learn to keep an even keel. You can't come out sleep walking and you can't let teams come back on you all the time. I'm waiting for the day when we play an entire game well.
(02-05-2016 11:57 AM)blazerball25 Wrote: [ -> ]UTEP 8 freshman. Look out
They will transfer out when Floyd gets fired