Date: December 29th, 2018
Time: 4:00 PM
Opponent: Furman (12-1, 1-0 SoCon)
Place: Freedom Hall (6,149)
Television: none
Webcast:
ESPN+
Radio online:
640WXSM.com
FU 2018-2019
Schedule
FU 2018-2019
Roster
FU
Message Board
Time for the real season to start with the toughest, deepest SoCon lineup in years.
The stats mavens at Kenpom make #116 10-4 ETSU a 3 point home court favorite over #102 12-1 Furman. Home court makes a big difference in their predictions, although the Paladins have done awfully well on the road. Kenpom has not been swayed by Furman’s 12-1 record or its #24 national ranking. They put them 3rd in the SoCon behind #71 Wofford and #93 UNCG, but ahead of #116 ETSU.
12-1 Furman has gone on the road to knock off #18 9-4 Villanova, the defending national champs, and #86 Final Four team 7-6 Loyola. As those two teams have struggled, the wins now look a little less impressive than they did initially. But still pretty darn good. On the downside, Furman struggled at home to beat #180 9-5 Gardner Webb in OT, and REALLY struggled at home to beat #315 3-11 Western Carolina in double OT. Most recently they were beaten soundly on the road by a physically superior #41 LSU team 75-57.
The Paladins are personified by Senior leader Matt Rafferty who can’t jump, can’t bench press, can’t outrun you, but will outscore (16.5 ppg on .657 FG%), out rebound (9.2), out defend (2.2 steals), out pass (4.4 assists) and outsmart you. They are physically sound, but not the biggest, fastest, most athletic or deepest. Yet they are skilled, smart, patient and do not fold or panic. They will fight you for 40 minutes, and have shown they can win down the stretch in close games on the road. Jordan Lyons, Clay Mounce, Matt Rafferty, Alex Hunter and Noah Gurley have all really upped their games. And more importantly, Coach Bob Richey has molded them into a confident team that has learned how to play together and win.
They depend heavily on 6 guys:
At 33 minutes apiece, 6-8 215 Sr. Matt Rafferty, 5-11 203 Jr Jordan Lyons and 5-11 170 So Alex Hunter are 3 of the top 5 in minutes per game in the conference.
6-7 200 So Clay Mounce gets 28 minutes and 6-8 190 Rs Fr Noah Gurley gets 25.
They have been hurt by injuries to tough physical Andrew Brown 6-4 212 Sr who has only played in 6 of 12 games, averaging 21.3 minutes. But since he got 15 points in their last game versus LSU, I expect that he’ll be ready for the Bucs.
6-5 185 Rs-So Tre Clark has filled in, averaging 17.7 minutes. True freshman Guard 6-3 187 Mike Bothwell has been a regular contributor with 13 minutes.
They are high scoring, with 81.6 ppg, 66th in D1, to ETSU’s 78.7. With 10.7 made 3’s per game they are 13th in D1, about even with Wofford and significantly ahead of ETSU with 8.4, shooting .361 to .359 for ETSU. They are 19th in D1 with 18.2 assists per game to 15.2 for ETSU. Overall Kenpom rates them 125th for offensive efficiency to 195th for ETSU.
Their rebounding margin (+4.1) is third in the SoCon to Wofford (+8.2) and ETSU (+14.1, best in D1). On paper the Bucs were also better rebounders than Wofford or Illinois, but on the court got whupped by both.
Defensively, they lead the SoCon in steals with 9.5 per game and are second in t.o. margin with +3.31 to the Bucs paltry +0.07. They rank a solid 88th in Kenpom’s adjusted defensive stat. But the Bucs have moved up to an excellent 55th in that key Kenpom figure, best in the SoCon by that measure.
The Bucs played solid against Creighton and Georgia State, beat Georgia Southern but came up short on the road at Wofford and Illinois. They have still got the potential to be something exceptional. Time to take the next step forward and start proving it in conference.
Front Court:
#32 6-8 215 Sr. Matt Rafferty, 33 minutes, 16.5 ppg on .657 FG%, .167 from 3, 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals, 1.6 blocks
#45 6-7 200 So. Clay Mounce, 28 minutes, 11.9 ppg, .457 from 3 with 1.6 makes, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 blocks
#04 6-8 190 Rs-So Noah Gurley, 25 minutes 8.7 ppg, .306 from 3 1.0 makes, 3.7 rebounds,
#02 6-8 245 Rs-Jr Jalen Williams, 6 games, 8.5 minutes, 3.8 ppg, 3.8 rebounds
#20 6-7 206 Fr Jalen Slawson, 9 games, 7.6 minutes, 1.0 ppg, 2.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 1.0 blocks
Guards:
#23 5-11 203 Jr Jordan Lyons, 33 minutes, 17.8 ppg, .345 from 3 with 3.9 makes, 1.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists
#10 5-11 170 So Alex Hunter, 33 minutes, 9.1 ppg, .349 from 3 with 1.7 makes, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists
#05 6-4 212 Sr Andrew Brown, 6 games, 21.3 minutes, 9.3 ppg, .444 from 3 with 2.0 makes, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists
#00 6-5 185 Rs-So Tre Clark, 17.7 minutes, 5.4 ppg, .462 from 3 with 0.5 makes, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists
#03 6-3 187 Fr Mike Bothwell, 13.5 minutes 4.1 ppg, .227 from 3 with 0.4 makes 1.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists
(12-27-2018 08:25 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote: [ -> ]Time for the real season to start with the toughest, deepest SoCon lineup in years.
The stats mavens at Kenpom make #116 10-4 ETSU a 3 point home court favorite over #102 12-1 Furman. Home court makes a big difference in their predictions, although the Paladins have done awfully well on the road. Kenpom has not been swayed by Furman’s 12-1 record or its #24 national ranking. They put them 3rd in the SoCon behind #71 Wofford and #93 UNCG, but ahead of #116 ETSU.
12-1 Furman has gone on the road to knock off #18 9-4 Villanova, the defending national champs, and #86 Final Four team 7-6 Loyola. As those two teams have struggled, the wins now look a little less impressive than they did initially. But still pretty darn good. On the downside, Furman struggled at home to beat #180 9-5 Gardner Webb in OT, and REALLY struggled at home to beat #315 3-11 Western Carolina in double OT. Most recently they were beaten soundly on the road by a physically superior #41 LSU team 75-57.
The Paladins are personified by Senior leader Matt Rafferty who can’t jump, can’t bench press, can’t outrun you, but will outscore (16.5 ppg on .657 FG%), out rebound (9.2), out defend (2.2 steals), out pass (4.4 assists) and outsmart you. They are physically sound, but not the biggest, fastest, most athletic or deepest. Yet they are skilled, smart, patient and do not fold or panic. They will fight you for 40 minutes, and have shown they can win down the stretch in close games on the road. Jordan Lyons, Clay Mounce, Matt Rafferty, Alex Hunter and Noah Gurley have all really upped their games. And more importantly, Coach Bob Richey has molded them into a confident team that has learned how to play together and win.
They depend heavily on 6 guys:
At 33 minutes apiece, 6-8 215 Sr. Matt Rafferty, 5-11 203 Jr Jordan Lyons and 5-11 170 So Alex Hunter are 3 of the top 5 in minutes per game in the conference.
6-7 200 So Clay Mounce gets 28 minutes and 6-8 190 Rs Fr Noah Gurley gets 25.
They have been hurt by injuries to tough physical Andrew Brown 6-4 212 Sr who has only played in 6 of 12 games, averaging 21.3 minutes. But since he got 15 points in their last game versus LSU, I expect that he’ll be ready for the Bucs.
6-5 185 Rs-So Tre Clark has filled in, averaging 17.7 minutes. True freshman Guard 6-3 187 Mike Bothwell has been a regular contributor with 13 minutes.
They are high scoring, with 81.6 ppg, 66th in D1, to ETSU’s 78.7. With 10.7 made 3’s per game they are 13th in D1, about even with Wofford and significantly ahead of ETSU with 8.4, shooting .361 to .359 for ETSU. They are 19th in D1 with 18.2 assists per game to 15.2 for ETSU. Overall Kenpom rates them 125th for offensive efficiency to 195th for ETSU.
Their rebounding margin (+4.1) is third in the SoCon to Wofford (+8.2) and ETSU (+14.1, best in D1). On paper the Bucs were also better rebounders than Wofford or Illinois, but on the court got whupped by both.
Defensively, they lead the SoCon in steals with 9.5 per game and are second in t.o. margin with +3.31 to the Bucs paltry +0.07. They rank a solid 88th in Kenpom’s adjusted defensive stat. But the Bucs have moved up to an excellent 55th in that key Kenpom figure, best in the SoCon by that measure.
The Bucs played solid against Creighton and Georgia State, beat Georgia Southern but came up short on the road at Wofford and Illinois. They have still got the potential to be something exceptional. Time to take the next step forward and start proving it in conference.
Front Court:
#32 6-8 215 Sr. Matt Rafferty, 33 minutes, 16.5 ppg on .657 FG%, .167 from 3, 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals, 1.6 blocks
#45 6-7 200 So. Clay Mounce, 28 minutes, 11.9 ppg, .457 from 3 with 1.6 makes, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 blocks
#04 6-8 190 Rs-So Noah Gurley, 25 minutes 8.7 ppg, .306 from 3 1.0 makes, 3.7 rebounds,
#02 6-8 245 Rs-Jr Jalen Williams, 6 games, 8.5 minutes, 3.8 ppg, 3.8 rebounds
#20 6-7 206 Fr Jalen Slawson, 9 games, 7.6 minutes, 1.0 ppg, 2.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 1.0 blocks
Guards:
#23 5-11 203 Jr Jordan Lyons, 33 minutes, 17.8 ppg, .345 from 3 with 3.9 makes, 1.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists
#10 5-11 170 So Alex Hunter, 33 minutes, 9.1 ppg, .349 from 3 with 1.7 makes, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists
#05 6-4 212 Sr Andrew Brown, 6 games, 21.3 minutes, 9.3 ppg, .444 from 3 with 2.0 makes, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists
#00 6-5 185 Rs-So Tre Clark, 17.7 minutes, 5.4 ppg, .462 from 3 with 0.5 makes, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists
#03 6-3 187 Fr Mike Bothwell, 13.5 minutes 4.1 ppg, .227 from 3 with 0.4 makes 1.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Thank you.....and Go BUCS !!!
I hate that one of our most important (if not the most important) home conference games is when students are on break. That coupled with the Arby’s taking place does not bode well for attendance. I truly believe a sixth man home court presence is vital to getting a win on Saturday. ETSU needs to be more actively promoting this game on social media and news media.
(12-27-2018 10:14 AM)Bucs06 Wrote: [ -> ]I hate that one of our most important (if not the most important) home conference games is when students are on break. That coupled with the Arby’s taking place does not bode well for attendance. I truly believe a sixth man home court presence is vital to getting a win on Saturday. ETSU needs to be more actively promoting this game on social media and news media.
Plus we tip off opposite the Clemson-Notre Dame game. I wonder if consideration was given to moving the game to earlier in the day?
(12-27-2018 10:14 AM)Bucs06 Wrote: [ -> ]I hate that one of our most important (if not the most important) home conference games is when students are on break. That coupled with the Arby’s taking place does not bode well for attendance. I truly believe a sixth man home court presence is vital to getting a win on Saturday. ETSU needs to be more actively promoting this game on social media and news media.
Yes, one of 3 key home court games (others might be UNCG and Wofford), coming at an inopportune time. Fan turn out and support should be a BIG factor here.
(12-27-2018 08:25 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote: [ -> ]Time for the real season to start with the toughest, deepest SoCon lineup in years.
The stats mavens at Kenpom make #116 10-4 ETSU a 3 point home court favorite over #102 12-1 Furman. Home court makes a big difference in their predictions, although the Paladins have done awfully well on the road. Kenpom has not been swayed by Furman’s 12-1 record or its #24 national ranking. They put them 3rd in the SoCon behind #71 Wofford and #93 UNCG, but ahead of #116 ETSU.
12-1 Furman has gone on the road to knock off #18 9-4 Villanova, the defending national champs, and #86 Final Four team 7-6 Loyola. As those two teams have struggled, the wins now look a little less impressive than they did initially. But still pretty darn good. On the downside, Furman struggled at home to beat #180 9-5 Gardner Webb in OT, and REALLY struggled at home to beat #315 3-11 Western Carolina in double OT. Most recently they were beaten soundly on the road by a physically superior #41 LSU team 75-57.
The Paladins are personified by Senior leader Matt Rafferty who can’t jump, can’t bench press, can’t outrun you, but will outscore (16.5 ppg on .657 FG%), out rebound (9.2), out defend (2.2 steals), out pass (4.4 assists) and outsmart you. They are physically sound, but not the biggest, fastest, most athletic or deepest. Yet they are skilled, smart, patient and do not fold or panic. They will fight you for 40 minutes, and have shown they can win down the stretch in close games on the road. Jordan Lyons, Clay Mounce, Matt Rafferty, Alex Hunter and Noah Gurley have all really upped their games. And more importantly, Coach Bob Richey has molded them into a confident team that has learned how to play together and win.
They depend heavily on 6 guys:
At 33 minutes apiece, 6-8 215 Sr. Matt Rafferty, 5-11 203 Jr Jordan Lyons and 5-11 170 So Alex Hunter are 3 of the top 5 in minutes per game in the conference.
6-7 200 So Clay Mounce gets 28 minutes and 6-8 190 Rs Fr Noah Gurley gets 25.
They have been hurt by injuries to tough physical Andrew Brown 6-4 212 Sr who has only played in 6 of 12 games, averaging 21.3 minutes. But since he got 15 points in their last game versus LSU, I expect that he’ll be ready for the Bucs.
6-5 185 Rs-So Tre Clark has filled in, averaging 17.7 minutes. True freshman Guard 6-3 187 Mike Bothwell has been a regular contributor with 13 minutes.
They are high scoring, with 81.6 ppg, 66th in D1, to ETSU’s 78.7. With 10.7 made 3’s per game they are 13th in D1, about even with Wofford and significantly ahead of ETSU with 8.4, shooting .361 to .359 for ETSU. They are 19th in D1 with 18.2 assists per game to 15.2 for ETSU. Overall Kenpom rates them 125th for offensive efficiency to 195th for ETSU.
Their rebounding margin (+4.1) is third in the SoCon to Wofford (+8.2) and ETSU (+14.1, best in D1). On paper the Bucs were also better rebounders than Wofford or Illinois, but on the court got whupped by both.
Defensively, they lead the SoCon in steals with 9.5 per game and are second in t.o. margin with +3.31 to the Bucs paltry +0.07. They rank a solid 88th in Kenpom’s adjusted defensive stat. But the Bucs have moved up to an excellent 55th in that key Kenpom figure, best in the SoCon by that measure.
The Bucs played solid against Creighton and Georgia State, beat Georgia Southern but came up short on the road at Wofford and Illinois. They have still got the potential to be something exceptional. Time to take the next step forward and start proving it in conference.
Front Court:
#32 6-8 215 Sr. Matt Rafferty, 33 minutes, 16.5 ppg on .657 FG%, .167 from 3, 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals, 1.6 blocks
#45 6-7 200 So. Clay Mounce, 28 minutes, 11.9 ppg, .457 from 3 with 1.6 makes, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 blocks
#04 6-8 190 Rs-So Noah Gurley, 25 minutes 8.7 ppg, .306 from 3 1.0 makes, 3.7 rebounds,
#02 6-8 245 Rs-Jr Jalen Williams, 6 games, 8.5 minutes, 3.8 ppg, 3.8 rebounds
#20 6-7 206 Fr Jalen Slawson, 9 games, 7.6 minutes, 1.0 ppg, 2.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 1.0 blocks
Guards:
#23 5-11 203 Jr Jordan Lyons, 33 minutes, 17.8 ppg, .345 from 3 with 3.9 makes, 1.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists
#10 5-11 170 So Alex Hunter, 33 minutes, 9.1 ppg, .349 from 3 with 1.7 makes, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists
#05 6-4 212 Sr Andrew Brown, 6 games, 21.3 minutes, 9.3 ppg, .444 from 3 with 2.0 makes, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists
#00 6-5 185 Rs-So Tre Clark, 17.7 minutes, 5.4 ppg, .462 from 3 with 0.5 makes, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists
#03 6-3 187 Fr Mike Bothwell, 13.5 minutes 4.1 ppg, .227 from 3 with 0.4 makes 1.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists
LSU's coach said after their game with Furman that their plan was to limit the number of 3's on defense and on offense to use LSU's inside advantage to score. Sounds like a plan.
Are any Southern Conference games TELEVISED anymore? A quick look ahead to Saturday, the lineup on my AT&T service has no SoCon teams, but at least two Big South teams. This FURMAN vs ETSU game should be on old fashion TELEVISION! I know, I know — schedule has it on ESPN+, but it is not showing up in their listings yet.
(12-27-2018 08:52 PM)Buc66 Wrote: [ -> ]Are any Southern Conference games TELEVISED anymore? A quick look ahead to Saturday, the lineup on my AT&T service has no SoCon teams, but at least two Big South teams. This FURMAN vs ETSU game should be on old fashion TELEVISION! I know, I know — schedule has it on ESPN+, but it is not showing up in their listings yet.
Here is a listing for the only ones that will be on traditional television
http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.d...=211783137
(12-27-2018 09:15 PM)brock20 Wrote: [ -> ] (12-27-2018 08:52 PM)Buc66 Wrote: [ -> ]Are any Southern Conference games TELEVISED anymore? A quick look ahead to Saturday, the lineup on my AT&T service has no SoCon teams, but at least two Big South teams. This FURMAN vs ETSU game should be on old fashion TELEVISION! I know, I know — schedule has it on ESPN+, but it is not showing up in their listings yet.
Here is a listing for the only ones that will be on traditional television
http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.d...=211783137
Man, that’s about as restrictive as it gets. Unless one of these is your local channel, you just out of luck. SoCon should certainly have a better set up than this. Even the Big South is beating them out. Somebody in the SoCon office ain’t getting the job done on this front! For what little it’s worth, they’ll be hearing from me.
(12-27-2018 08:52 PM)Buc66 Wrote: [ -> ]Are any Southern Conference games TELEVISED anymore? A quick look ahead to Saturday, the lineup on my AT&T service has no SoCon teams, but at least two Big South teams. This FURMAN vs ETSU game should be on old fashion TELEVISION! I know, I know — schedule has it on ESPN+, but it is not showing up in their listings yet.
Well, their always listed here:
http://www.espn.com/watch/schedule/?star...e=upcoming
Just click on Saturday.
Interesting that ESPN+ lists the broadcast of the game for a Noon tip-off.
Finally, a home game to really be excited about. Hope to see a good crowd.
(12-27-2018 08:25 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote: [ -> ]12-1 Furman has gone on the road to knock off #18 9-4 Villanova, the defending national champs, and #86 Final Four team 7-6 Loyola. As those two teams have struggled, the wins now look a little less impressive than they did initially. But still pretty darn good. On the downside, Furman struggled at home to beat #180 9-5 Gardner Webb in OT, and REALLY struggled at home to beat #315 3-11 Western Carolina in double OT. Most recently they were beaten soundly on the road by a physically superior #41 LSU team 75-57.
The Paladins are personified by Senior leader Matt Rafferty who can’t jump, can’t bench press, can’t outrun you, but will outscore (16.5 ppg on .657 FG%), out rebound (9.2), out defend (2.2 steals), out pass (4.4 assists) and outsmart you. They are physically sound, but not the biggest, fastest, most athletic or deepest. Yet they are skilled, smart, patient and do not fold or panic. They will fight you for 40 minutes, and have shown they can win down the stretch in close games on the road. Jordan Lyons, Clay Mounce, Matt Rafferty, Alex Hunter and Noah Gurley have all really upped their games. And more importantly, Coach Bob Richey has molded them into a confident team that has learned how to play together and win.
They depend heavily on 6 guys:
At 33 minutes apiece, 6-8 215 Sr. Matt Rafferty, 5-11 203 Jr Jordan Lyons and 5-11 170 So Alex Hunter are 3 of the top 5 in minutes per game in the conference.
6-7 200 So Clay Mounce gets 28 minutes and 6-8 190 Rs Fr Noah Gurley gets 25.
They have been hurt by injuries to tough physical Andrew Brown 6-4 212 Sr who has only played in 6 of 12 games, averaging 21.3 minutes. But since he got 15 points in their last game versus LSU, I expect that he’ll be ready for the Bucs.
6-5 185 Rs-So Tre Clark has filled in, averaging 17.7 minutes. True freshman Guard 6-3 187 Mike Bothwell has been a regular contributor with 13 minutes.
Front Court:
#32 6-8 215 Sr. Matt Rafferty, 33 minutes, 16.5 ppg on .657 FG%, .167 from 3, 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals, 1.6 blocks
#45 6-7 200 So. Clay Mounce, 28 minutes, 11.9 ppg, .457 from 3 with 1.6 makes, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 blocks
#04 6-8 190 Rs-So Noah Gurley, 25 minutes 8.7 ppg, .306 from 3 1.0 makes, 3.7 rebounds,
#02 6-8 245 Rs-Jr Jalen Williams, 6 games, 8.5 minutes, 3.8 ppg, 3.8 rebounds
#20 6-7 206 Fr Jalen Slawson, 9 games, 7.6 minutes, 1.0 ppg, 2.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 1.0 blocks
Guards:
#23 5-11 203 Jr Jordan Lyons, 33 minutes, 17.8 ppg, .345 from 3 with 3.9 makes, 1.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists
#10 5-11 170 So Alex Hunter, 33 minutes, 9.1 ppg, .349 from 3 with 1.7 makes, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists
#05 6-4 212 Sr Andrew Brown, 6 games, 21.3 minutes, 9.3 ppg, .444 from 3 with 2.0 makes, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists
#00 6-5 185 Rs-So Tre Clark, 17.7 minutes, 5.4 ppg, .462 from 3 with 0.5 makes, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists
#03 6-3 187 Fr Mike Bothwell, 13.5 minutes 4.1 ppg, .227 from 3 with 0.4 makes 1.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Rafferty may not out jump or out bench press people, but he can outrun them. He is a classic rim runner who beats his man to the other hoop on a regular basis after defensive rebounds or turnovers. He has done that throughout his career. Not a sprinter, but a middle distance man.
A large part of the reason Furman has struggled in some games that, on paper, shoudn't have been close is that quite a few of the new starters and reserves have been dramatically inconsistent.
Rafferty has been very solid and Brown has been consistent when healthy but most of the rest of the younger players have had poor games mixed with the good ones. Mounce, for example, has had seven double figure scoring games. He has also had four games with five points or less. In his last six games he has scored -17,17,8,3,26, and 0. When he is good he looks like an all conference player. Other games you wonder what is going on. Same thing is true of Gurley - five games in double figures but three or four games where you hardly knew he was out there. Both of them had good games against Loyola and Villanova (Villanova was Gurley's best game of the season, so far) and bad games against LSU.
Lyons is leading the team in scoring but has also been up and down. Hunter seems to be warming to his starting role lately. He averaged about 5 points per game over the first seven games but over 13 the last six games and doesn't turn it over much.
Clark has been a pleasant surprise. He is one of the best athletes on the team and a good defender but has been shooting better than expected. He didn't hit any threes as a freshman but is hitting 46% this year.
Bothwell has been a steady ballhandler at the point and a decent defender.
Interesting pregame development:
Tiller is warming up in uniform
ESPN+ is a big step backward from the old ESPN streaming service.
Simply spectacular D by all hands.
Furman is good but I have no idea how they beat Villanova.
Tremendous effort on both ends. Seeing lots of unselfish play and a look of cohesion that had been lacking. Maybe the horrible road trip experience going to Illinois was a blessing in disguise for comradery.