Quick, name the only two CUSA MBB teams since Jan. 11 that have not lost a game by more than four points in regulation. (The last four weeks)

Uhhh RICE?

Well ODU is one. We've only lost one game since that time and it was the collapse against UTSA where they went up by one with 30 seconds left. If you take it back one day further though we lost at FAU by 7 on January 10.

(02-08-2019 10:41 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  Well ODU is one. We've only lost one game since that time and it was the collapse against UTSA where they went up by one with 30 seconds left. If you take it back one day further though we lost at FAU by 7 on January 10.

Not all one-point differentials are the same.

That one point is the tip of an 18-point iceberg. ODU is disqualified from this particular show-and-tell.

(02-08-2019 10:46 AM)AdoptedMonarch Wrote:  

(02-08-2019 10:41 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  Well ODU is one. We've only lost one game since that time and it was the collapse against UTSA where they went up by one with 30 seconds left. If you take it back one day further though we lost at FAU by 7 on January 10.

Not all one-point differentials are the same.

That one point is the tip of an 18-point iceberg. ODU is disqualified from this particular show-and-tell.

True, that had to be a painful loss.

Rice has also let at least four double-digit leads slip away, including second-half leads last night to WKU and earlier at UNT.

But yes,

ODU is 8-1 in that timespan with the only L being the aforementioned at UTSA. (After their slow 1-2 start to conference play)

RICE is actually 2-5 in the same timespan.
The FIVE losses are by a TOTAL of 10 points. Wow, think about that. (Last nite’s 2OT Loss we’re counting as a one-point loss since that’s how it counts in the NET as an OT game).

L-1 at UTEP
L-1 at UNT
L-3 vs UAB
L-4 at ODU
L-OT vs WKU

We can take heart that one of our two wins in there was a close game, so if nothing else we didn’t fold when it got tight against Charlotte

We’re now overall 3-2 in games decided in regulation by 5+ points, but 1-5 in the close ones.

(02-08-2019 11:45 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  

(02-08-2019 10:46 AM)AdoptedMonarch Wrote:  

(02-08-2019 10:41 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  Well ODU is one. We've only lost one game since that time and it was the collapse against UTSA where they went up by one with 30 seconds left. If you take it back one day further though we lost at FAU by 7 on January 10.

Not all one-point differentials are the same.

That one point is the tip of an 18-point iceberg. ODU is disqualified from this particular show-and-tell.

True, that had to be a painful loss.

Rice has also let at least four double-digit leads slip away, including second-half leads last night to WKU and earlier at UNT.

But yes,

ODU is 8-1 in that timespan with the only L being the aforementioned at UTSA. (After their slow 1-2 start to conference play)

RICE is actually 2-5 in the same timespan.
The FIVE losses are by a TOTAL of 10 points. Wow, think about that. (Last nite’s 2OT Loss we’re counting as a one-point loss since that’s how it counts in the NET as an OT game).

L-1 at UTEP
L-1 at UNT
L-3 vs UAB
L-4 at ODU
L-OT vs WKU

We can take heart that one of our two wins in there was a close game, so if nothing else we didn’t fold when it got tight against Charlotte

We’re now overall 3-2 in games decided in regulation by 5+ points, but 1-5 in the close ones.

It almost sounds like you guys are playing a lot of freshman that don’t know how to close out a game yet.

(02-08-2019 11:55 AM)dahbeed Wrote:  

(02-08-2019 11:45 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  

(02-08-2019 10:46 AM)AdoptedMonarch Wrote:  

(02-08-2019 10:41 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  Well ODU is one. We've only lost one game since that time and it was the collapse against UTSA where they went up by one with 30 seconds left. If you take it back one day further though we lost at FAU by 7 on January 10.

Not all one-point differentials are the same.

That one point is the tip of an 18-point iceberg. ODU is disqualified from this particular show-and-tell.

True, that had to be a painful loss.

Rice has also let at least four double-digit leads slip away, including second-half leads last night to WKU and earlier at UNT.

But yes,

ODU is 8-1 in that timespan with the only L being the aforementioned at UTSA. (After their slow 1-2 start to conference play)

RICE is actually 2-5 in the same timespan.
The FIVE losses are by a TOTAL of 10 points. Wow, think about that. (Last nite’s 2OT Loss we’re counting as a one-point loss since that’s how it counts in the NET as an OT game).

L-1 at UTEP
L-1 at UNT
L-3 vs UAB
L-4 at ODU
L-OT vs WKU

We can take heart that one of our two wins in there was a close game, so if nothing else we didn’t fold when it got tight against Charlotte

We’re now overall 3-2 in games decided in regulation by 5+ points, but 1-5 in the close ones.

It almost sounds like you guys are playing a lot of freshman that don’t know how to close out a game yet.

They’re learning... and I also think we have to have benefited some from the “don’t know what hit us” syndrome some teams have when facing a consensus preseason last-place team that’s still squarely in the bottom pod (12th this morning).

Probably describes how UNT and UTSA won some of their games in previous years as they matured.

Main sign of progress I see... against most anyone with a pulse in OOC we were just outmatched. By early CUSA we were punching above our weight class vs UNT and at UTSA (but most of our good play was in the first half of games).
We’re extending now into the second half (and tiring some teams out with our rotation). But the good teams are still finding a way to beat down and not let Rice steal one from them. Especially impressed with WKU as they had to be gassed in 2OT looking at the minutes of your top five. But looked like as tired as they were, I think they were mostly “tired” of letting us hang around

(02-08-2019 11:45 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  Last nite’s 2OT Loss we’re counting as a one-point loss since that’s how it counts in the NET

Also as I typed this I thought of Marshall’s epic loss at USM... which I guess will also ‘only’ count as a 10-point loss in the NET

(02-08-2019 11:45 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  

(02-08-2019 10:46 AM)AdoptedMonarch Wrote:  

(02-08-2019 10:41 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  Well ODU is one. We've only lost one game since that time and it was the collapse against UTSA where they went up by one with 30 seconds left. If you take it back one day further though we lost at FAU by 7 on January 10.

Not all one-point differentials are the same.

That one point is the tip of an 18-point iceberg. ODU is disqualified from this particular show-and-tell.

True, that had to be a painful loss.

Rice has also let at least four double-digit leads slip away, including second-half leads last night to WKU and earlier at UNT.

But yes,

ODU is 8-1 in that timespan with the only L being the aforementioned at UTSA. (After their slow 1-2 start to conference play)

RICE is actually 2-5 in the same timespan.
The FIVE losses are by a TOTAL of 10 points. Wow, think about that. (Last nite’s 2OT Loss we’re counting as a one-point loss since that’s how it counts in the NET as an OT game).

L-1 at UTEP
L-1 at UNT
L-3 vs UAB
L-4 at ODU
L-OT vs WKU

We can take heart that one of our two wins in there was a close game, so if nothing else we didn’t fold when it got tight against Charlotte

We’re now overall 3-2 in games decided in regulation by 5+ points, but 1-5 in the close ones.

Its what young teams do, especially one without a proven leader on it.

21 points (@ODU)
15 points (@Marshall)
15 points (FIU)
9 points (@Tech)

The above is the leads Western had in 4 CUSA loses and a couple OOC Western had 10 and 14 point leads then got beat....

Young teams find ways to lose because they dont have the leadership to withstand runs.

(02-08-2019 01:44 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(02-08-2019 11:45 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  

(02-08-2019 10:46 AM)AdoptedMonarch Wrote:  

(02-08-2019 10:41 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  Well ODU is one. We've only lost one game since that time and it was the collapse against UTSA where they went up by one with 30 seconds left. If you take it back one day further though we lost at FAU by 7 on January 10.

Not all one-point differentials are the same.

That one point is the tip of an 18-point iceberg. ODU is disqualified from this particular show-and-tell.

True, that had to be a painful loss.

Rice has also let at least four double-digit leads slip away, including second-half leads last night to WKU and earlier at UNT.

But yes,

ODU is 8-1 in that timespan with the only L being the aforementioned at UTSA. (After their slow 1-2 start to conference play)

RICE is actually 2-5 in the same timespan.
The FIVE losses are by a TOTAL of 10 points. Wow, think about that. (Last nite’s 2OT Loss we’re counting as a one-point loss since that’s how it counts in the NET as an OT game).

L-1 at UTEP
L-1 at UNT
L-3 vs UAB
L-4 at ODU
L-OT vs WKU

We can take heart that one of our two wins in there was a close game, so if nothing else we didn’t fold when it got tight against Charlotte

We’re now overall 3-2 in games decided in regulation by 5+ points, but 1-5 in the close ones.

Its what young teams do, especially one without a proven leader on it.

21 points (@ODU)
15 points (@Marshall)
15 points (FIU)
9 points (@Tech)

The above is the leads Western had in 4 CUSA loses and a couple OOC Western had 10 and 14 point leads then got beat....

Young teams find ways to lose because they dont have the leadership to withstand runs.

Agree 100%

I also think a factor in some of the big leads lost this season in CUSA games (we’ve lost a bunch of them but we’ve also scratched back from multiple double-digit deficits) is the sheer unpredictability of the 3-point bucket.

We’re a very good shooting team from long range... which by definition means we can come back and get two stops and 3 buckets and erase 9 points of deficit in under a minute. It also means we can go ‘cold’ and miss a few in a row and things can get out of hand

Back to your point about leadership... young teams need the guy who can understand what I just typed and tell everybody in the huddle or on the floor to shake it off, we’re still good, and if we stay focused we can beat anybody.

Looking forward to seeing several up and coming CUSA teams continue to do just that this year and next...

Different fun fact....USM is the only team in CUSA that has yet to allow an opponent to score at least 80 points in a game. The most we’ve allowed in a game this year is 78 and that a loss to NAIA member William Carey.

(02-09-2019 10:56 PM)usm99 Wrote:  Different fun fact....USM is the only team in CUSA that has yet to allow an opponent to score at least 80 points in a game. The most we’ve allowed in a game this year is 78 and that a loss to NAIA member William Carey.

They say defense wins championships...

(02-10-2019 10:45 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  

(02-09-2019 10:56 PM)usm99 Wrote:  Different fun fact....USM is the only team in CUSA that has yet to allow an opponent to score at least 80 points in a game. The most we’ve allowed in a game this year is 78 and that a loss to NAIA member William Carey.

They say defense wins championships...

I think that’s for football.

(02-10-2019 11:07 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(02-10-2019 10:45 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  

(02-09-2019 10:56 PM)usm99 Wrote:  Different fun fact....USM is the only team in CUSA that has yet to allow an opponent to score at least 80 points in a game. The most we’ve allowed in a game this year is 78 and that a loss to NAIA member William Carey.

They say defense wins championships...

I think that’s for football.

It can be applied in just about any sport except Golf and possibly* Track and Field

*(though a formidable defense anchored by strong javelin and hammer throwers is not to be underestimated, either)

(02-10-2019 11:07 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(02-10-2019 10:45 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  

(02-09-2019 10:56 PM)usm99 Wrote:  Different fun fact....USM is the only team in CUSA that has yet to allow an opponent to score at least 80 points in a game. The most we’ve allowed in a game this year is 78 and that a loss to NAIA member William Carey.

They say defense wins championships...

I think that’s for football.

Defense wins championships, offense wins games, and special teams keeps coaches employed.