elw4796
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MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
No news (either from local papers or Twitter or message boards) on whether Obioha, Polk, and Zidek will go for Pepperdine tomorrow. I'd say that the lack of news about serious injury means that Pera and the staff will be prepping as if they're all going to play. Max Lewis, a highly touted 4-star freshman, won't suit up because he's still trying to get his eligibility sorted. He's supposedly expected to be a starter when he's cleared.
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11-08-2021 10:39 AM |
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Fort Bend Owl
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
https://pepperdinewaves.com/documents/20...eNotes.pdf
The Pepperdine game notes have a nice touch with a copy of the latest game/box between Rice and Pepperdine (a game Pepperdine hosted back in 1981). Some familiar names (really on both teams for me at least), but even if you don't recognize any of the Pepperdine names, you should see some Rice people you know.
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11-08-2021 11:25 AM |
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Tomball Owl
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
Pepperdine lost their exhibition game to Division II Point Loma Nazarrene, 77-50. Ouch!
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11-08-2021 11:39 AM |
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Fort Bend Owl
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
Make no mistake, this Pepperdine team isn't as good as their team from last year (when they won the CBI Championship). They lost two really good seniors who are now playing professional basketball (one is with the Brooklyn Nets).
But if they can get back the three guys that missed their exhibition game (the three guys elw mentioned in the initial post - Polk, Obioha and Zidek), then they'll be much better than their effort at Point Loma. Obioha and Zidek are their two best interior players - Polk is a returning starter in the backcourt.
If Obioha and Zidek can't play, I suspect we'll mostly go with a four guard lineup (Sheffield and Geron included with the other guards). If their big guys play, then perhaps we'll see some Fiedler/Poteat combinations - since we may have to play those two together at Houston on Friday.
Either way, it should be an interesting game and hopefully some students will show up for the doubleheader. The women play first at 5 pm against St. Edward's.
(This post was last modified: 11-08-2021 12:13 PM by Fort Bend Owl.)
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11-08-2021 12:12 PM |
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ExcitedOwl18
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
(11-08-2021 11:39 AM)Tomball Owl Wrote: Pepperdine lost their exhibition game to Division II Point Loma Nazarrene, 77-50. Ouch!
Does not bode well for the Waves' future success.
That said, PLNU is one of the top DII programs in the country so perhaps it was just a great day for them and a terrible day for Pepperdine.
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11-08-2021 12:18 PM |
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elw4796
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
The big issue for us tomorrow is that Pepperdine under Romar struggles defending inside but is exemplary at defending the 3 (teams shot just 28.7% from 3 last year). That number won't be as low this year, because they lost some key defensive pieces, but Romar knows how to organize a defense to stop teams that like to (1) run and (2) shoot 3s.
The question for them is what lineup combination best achieves those goals. I'd be pretty surprised if Mitchell isn't the starting point. Since it sounds like Zidek is supposed to be a starter, the question becomes whether they're willing to sacrifice rim protection for mobility. I would guess Hartfield starts, because he's your best established scorer and his length can trouble shooters. I wouldn't be shocked if Mallette starts, because he gives you more scoring punch and like Hartfield has good length. Then it becomes a question of what you do at the 4 spot. Zidek is not a 5 - he wants to operate outside the paint. But if you start him at the 4, and then start Obioha or Munson at the 5, you're forcing Zidek to likely guard perimeter shooters who are all quicker than he is. I guess if you're willing to let Zidek defend Fiedler inside, you can start Deng or Smith and play four guards. I'd honestly use Zidek off the bench and start Keith Fisher at the 5 with four guards surrounding him. He gives up size to Fiedler, but IMO would also give Fiedler (and especially Poteat) real trouble defensively because he scores from all three levels. But if Zidek does start, as it sounds like he will if healthy, then my best guess is Zidek-Fisher-Hartfield-Mallette-Mitchell? I don't know, I'm always wrong when projecting lineups. I'd personally start Fisher-Hartfield-Smith-Mallette-Mitchell. I think starting two bigs (including Zidek) against a team that will likely start 4 guards makes no sense, especially because Zidek does not rebound well, so the added rebounding benefit of a second big would be negligible.
(This post was last modified: 11-08-2021 02:13 PM by elw4796.)
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11-08-2021 02:12 PM |
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GoodOwl
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
(11-08-2021 11:25 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote: https://pepperdinewaves.com/documents/20...eNotes.pdf
The Pepperdine game notes have a nice touch with a copy of the latest game/box between Rice and Pepperdine (a game Pepperdine hosted back in 1981). Some familiar names (really on both teams for me at least), but even if you don't recognize any of the Pepperdine names, you should see some Rice people you know.
Sure, a steal, but there was that one turnover. Fun to see those names again in a box. Thanks for posting the link.
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11-08-2021 02:19 PM |
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elw4796
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
Line has slowly creeped up to Rice -8 (which I think is way too high). Wonder if it's just betting activity or if Vegas knows something about injuries.
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11-09-2021 01:35 PM |
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jhruzek
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
Club 103 is empty tonight. Just Michael and me here so far. Where is everyone?
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11-09-2021 08:02 PM |
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Tomball Owl
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
(11-09-2021 08:02 PM)jhruzek Wrote: Club 103 is empty tonight. Just Michael and me here so far. Where is everyone?
Comal County
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11-09-2021 08:03 PM |
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elw4796
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
Realistically, Rice should never run anything like a blackout because it doesn't have the fan support to do so. For these types of things to work, and actually be impressive, you need better turnout than a Tuesday night game against a California opponent will ever have.
Starting lineups out.
Rice: Fiedler, Pierre, Olivari, Evee, Mullins (as expected)
Pepperdine: Obioha, Zidek, Fisher, Smith, Mitchell
Pepperdine goes *big*. Obioha is a true paint big, Zidek and Fisher are both stretch bigs. That's three players at 6-8 or taller for Pepperdine. Guess rather than going small to combat our shooting tendencies, they've gone big.
(This post was last modified: 11-09-2021 08:07 PM by elw4796.)
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11-09-2021 08:06 PM |
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jhruzek
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
Student section is filling up!
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11-09-2021 08:12 PM |
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jhruzek
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
WBB team is here to watch the Men
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11-09-2021 08:13 PM |
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Almadenmike
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
ESPN+ is showing that the start will be at t:20 (delayed by the long-running women's game).
(This post was last modified: 11-09-2021 08:15 PM by Almadenmike.)
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11-09-2021 08:14 PM |
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Almadenmike
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
The ESPN+ feed is up.
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11-09-2021 08:22 PM |
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ExcitedOwl18
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
Why don’t we schedule the men’s game at 7:30 instead of doing some Mickey Mouse where the men’s game start time is dependent on the women’s end time.
Reminds me of JV and Varsity in high school (though we had better crowds).
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11-09-2021 08:22 PM |
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elw4796
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
Little token pressure from Rice on its 3rd defensive possession.
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11-09-2021 08:25 PM |
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elw4796
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
Two quick fouls for Obioha. I'm not sure that really matters in the long run.
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11-09-2021 08:26 PM |
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jhruzek
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RE: MBB vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 9)
Defense looks much better than expected. On offense we are driving to the bucket more as well.
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11-09-2021 08:27 PM |
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