MU men's hoops winning record run could now be in trouble...news/views/notes & quotes
They need to go 9-4 the rest of the way in the NEC regular season to clinch it (16-14) prior to the NECs. It' could be close but I think they come up short. At this stage not enough depth or consistency (more on this a little later).
I think they will continue to struggle on the road and will lose again at home. The LIU home loss may turn out to be a real killer.
Notes.. in the two games MU had 16 assists and 31 turnovers...MU had not suffered consecutive NEC double figure regular season losses since that 5-21 season of '98-99.... Saturday was MU's only game vs. Qpac this season which could be damaging in various tie-breaker scenarios
Some quotes from Saturday I never got to use ---
Though Dave said in the Press Sunday story they won those four games in a row with basically those seven players (the starters plus Bunch an Nunner) he also briefly mentioned how the lack of depth hurt when SHU and QU went on their big runs....but then again spoke of the team not getting enough of out practice..
""We're not as deep (I guess he meant as they were earlier in the season) and then when guys get tired physically, and mentally, they make poor decisions, they don't concentrate and work on it (in practice) and therefore that run happens. That's all part of the same thing, preparing in practice. You do it consistently in practice you can do it consistently for 40 minutes. So when there is a tired moment you fight through it. But when you're not fighting through it consistently in practice you don't know how to fight through it consistently in the game.''
Marques Alston ..."'We're only playing about six-seven guys and guys are getting a lot of minutes and a lot of guys right now are having injuries they're trying to nurse at the same time..so guys are trying to play extra minutes and pick up for it (lack of depth I assume he means here).''
Alston said MU is not responding to runs "because guys are a little tired and guys are staying in (the game) longer.''
From me: The way I see it this lack of depth is a mushrooming concern. I asked Dave again about Shipman.. he said "no change." I asked Shipman who basically said he remained optimistic. If he's not eligible by Tuesday he is definitely done for the season.
They miss Shipman more than most people may have thought. Jhamar was going to play more anyway......but Shipman gave them their only true PG..no matter who you now put there. Nunner at the point has been suggested on the blog. If they had another exhibition game I'd be tempted to try it. It is somewhat intriguing. But they don't.
Marques on MU sinking in the standings....""This is the first time since I've been here we've been under .500 in the league.. We're 2-3 now, and in six weeks the season is over. I'm trying to keep telling these guys, we can't sit here and lollygag and think we're going to turn it on and off. ""
Marques on whether MU can get back in the title hunt - ""I think we can, even with the few guys we have we still have the heart we can do it. ''
Alston's remarks are admirable..the kid is all heart and guts but not enough team depth in my opinion, plus not enough consistency from the few players they use or consistency in how they play. This is beginning to look like a .500 or so NEC club to me.
They need to consistently slow it down to have a shot at success and over the course of 40 minutes, against some teams and especially on the road, that may well be impossible.
FDU losing tonight helped as the league is very much bunched up (no pun intended).
e-mail tonygsports@aol.com
I think they will continue to struggle on the road and will lose again at home. The LIU home loss may turn out to be a real killer.
Notes.. in the two games MU had 16 assists and 31 turnovers...MU had not suffered consecutive NEC double figure regular season losses since that 5-21 season of '98-99.... Saturday was MU's only game vs. Qpac this season which could be damaging in various tie-breaker scenarios
Some quotes from Saturday I never got to use ---
Though Dave said in the Press Sunday story they won those four games in a row with basically those seven players (the starters plus Bunch an Nunner) he also briefly mentioned how the lack of depth hurt when SHU and QU went on their big runs....but then again spoke of the team not getting enough of out practice..
""We're not as deep (I guess he meant as they were earlier in the season) and then when guys get tired physically, and mentally, they make poor decisions, they don't concentrate and work on it (in practice) and therefore that run happens. That's all part of the same thing, preparing in practice. You do it consistently in practice you can do it consistently for 40 minutes. So when there is a tired moment you fight through it. But when you're not fighting through it consistently in practice you don't know how to fight through it consistently in the game.''
Marques Alston ..."'We're only playing about six-seven guys and guys are getting a lot of minutes and a lot of guys right now are having injuries they're trying to nurse at the same time..so guys are trying to play extra minutes and pick up for it (lack of depth I assume he means here).''
Alston said MU is not responding to runs "because guys are a little tired and guys are staying in (the game) longer.''
From me: The way I see it this lack of depth is a mushrooming concern. I asked Dave again about Shipman.. he said "no change." I asked Shipman who basically said he remained optimistic. If he's not eligible by Tuesday he is definitely done for the season.
They miss Shipman more than most people may have thought. Jhamar was going to play more anyway......but Shipman gave them their only true PG..no matter who you now put there. Nunner at the point has been suggested on the blog. If they had another exhibition game I'd be tempted to try it. It is somewhat intriguing. But they don't.
Marques on MU sinking in the standings....""This is the first time since I've been here we've been under .500 in the league.. We're 2-3 now, and in six weeks the season is over. I'm trying to keep telling these guys, we can't sit here and lollygag and think we're going to turn it on and off. ""
Marques on whether MU can get back in the title hunt - ""I think we can, even with the few guys we have we still have the heart we can do it. ''
Alston's remarks are admirable..the kid is all heart and guts but not enough team depth in my opinion, plus not enough consistency from the few players they use or consistency in how they play. This is beginning to look like a .500 or so NEC club to me.
They need to consistently slow it down to have a shot at success and over the course of 40 minutes, against some teams and especially on the road, that may well be impossible.
FDU losing tonight helped as the league is very much bunched up (no pun intended).
e-mail tonygsports@aol.com
posted by Tony Graham at 1:08 AM
17 Comments:
Hate to say it, but I think MU is about done this year. They're a poor road team, even in the NEC. They're bound to lose a few more in conference before the season is over, so I believe they'll probably finish mid-pack in the NEC & qualify for the tournament (I hope).
The problem then becomes, with a low seeding, they probably won't have any home tourney games. To me it points to an early exit.
Last few years MU has been fortunate in while there have been defections, problems, injuries, etc. they could counter with depth ..and Azzarelli was able to return last year for almost the entire NEC season..
...
Certainly the loss, or probable loss, of three people they were counting on this year have reduced the depth dramatically...
Shipman..probably gone.
Simpson.. who knows, doubtful.
Rickie...enough said there.
To validate your comment..this year..in NEC gams..MU averaging about 63 ppg.
Last year..MU scored about 70 per game (in NEC games).!!!
Defense...allowing 66-67 ppg. , even with the last two defeats, is about the same.
I thought..for sure this year..Corey could average about six ppg (it's 2.6 ppg, all games), Bunch I felt was a lock for at least 8-10 ppg.)..it's 5.5 ppg. Coleman is at 8.8 ppg..up only a little from last year's s 6.8 ppg..I thought he would be a low double figure scorer ...so forth and so on.
Bottom line....defense hasn't been great, but there are serious offensive concerns as well...
It can't get any worse..I don't think..than this trip.
And while they're not this bad..they're probably not as sharp as they looked in the winning streak against less than glittering (even by NEC standards) opponents and outmanned LMU...
And if they don't rebound better the likes of FDU and RMU will feast on the boards...
I think FDU will do better than 11-7..off their good start and personnel.
Otherwise..yes..sort of a jumble. MU 10-8? I don't disagree. But who would have thought it??
Is 12-6 possible, if we play like we did on the 4 game winning streak Tony?
To go 12-6 from 2-3 they need to go.....10-3 (.769) rest of the way in NEC. But was that four game streak a mirage? A product of the opposition? And, all that said, they did play well in that run. But it was keyed by the defense which, I feel, was in good part a product of the mainly patient offense.
Of those 13 NEC games remaining they have six home and seven away
I wasn't blown away by the ability SHU or Qpac. They are OK NEC teams. So what does that make MU?
MU's gotta find a away to score more points and also rev up the "D' again.
I don't think they have the talent, with their limited and in part inexperienced (in terms of games played) roster other than Deki and Marques, to go 10-3.
Now..if Shipman somehow is eligible and Yaniv can ever provide some minutes ..and if Rickie..oh well...if, if, if, if....too many ifs.
It's over, it's over, it's over. Dont you people see it? There's no chance in hell this team is winning the NEC. Who even cares if they go 15-15 and lose in the first round of the NEC tourney. They have one road win all season, the run is over, the winning streak is over, the acsent is over, it's over, it's all over. It's sad and a hard pill to swallow, but Dave it's over.
Who cares at this point about a winning season. Why is everyone defending Deki also? Have you seen him play lately? He is out for himself and that's it. Why is it so hard to imagine that him and his fellow seniors have lost their edge after winning 2 NEC rings? It takes guts and hard hard work. Maybe they got complacent, Tony, isnt that possible? Last two games Delic jacked up three point shots with a chance to hold for one shot. Whats that? That is either poor basketball IQ, correct? Or its selfish basketball? Dave has eluded to this before. Many kids on this team are out for themselves, simple!
To "Upset Hawk Fan" --- let's see, first, if your subject matter becomes official.
I definitely feel your frustration/etc.
Then, if it does, please tone it down a little, and I will run it.
Thank you.
I do think they need to play better "team" basketball..but, you know, to start pointing fingers at this player or that player - what's the point? I think most of the players, may at times, be trying to do too much because of their ever shrinking roster.
Yes, I thought Deki took a "bad" shot there near the end of the first half Saturday. But it hardly
lost the game. He also led at least an attempt at a rally in the second half.
Overall, the basketball IQ of this team may not be as high as you'd like but it is what it is...though it looked a heck of lot higher when they were winning didn't it?.
It was shocking to see SHU and QC making better passes inside for layups than MU.
Also..MU's effort, or lack of, on the defensive glass, for me marked some of the most disappointing moments of the trip.
.
The question is..can they win three in a row in March??
Sort of depends on match ups and sites..as it usually does...but I would have to say - no....unless a few more players become more consistent.
Tony why are the big men so soft? I mean they just got man-handled on the glass by two smaller teams. How John Bunch and Corey cant out-rebound 6'4 and 6'5 forwards/centers in this league is beyond me. If I was Dave I would throw the ball up and tell the kids to "kill each other" to get the ball, then punish the loser. This team should strap on some helmet and pads and beat the living heck out of each other. They are such a soft team in general.
Tony, do you buy the belief that the seniors lost their edge? I hate to admit, but I see it too.
Seniors losing their edge?....you know ..it would appear that way..just the manner in which the team has played at times this season...I'm not saying that's true ..I'm not in their heads and they would say no of course...but you can say that off the team's up and down performances
The seniors are supposed to be the leaders and that maybe a problem as I see it..
Marques is more a leader by example and Corey, Deki, and Bunch are really not major "leader" types in my opinion ...
This from Marques on this blog - ""I'm trying to keep telling these guys, we can't sit here and lollygag and think we're going to turn it on and off. ""
In the end..... maybe it's just this team isn't that good.
Again (and this is not a knock on Jhamar) ..it has no real point guard....and that's a big issue right there...
Too many people make Deki the scape goat of this team...which is not right because he puts up some numbers. To say otherwise, well, I don't think you see the entire picture. Deki takes some bad shots but I think they are more out of desparation as opposed to selfishness. It's not his fault usually 2 out of the 5 players on the floor can't shoot.
Crews has blown too many chances and hopefully will be gone at the end of the season in favor of a new recruit. As much as he had blasted here in the past (including by myself), Rickie would have had a chance to redeem himself within this run where we are so short handed. He might've even come up big for all we know.
No way MU can 10-3 down the stretch in my opinion. 9-4 is a remote possibility, but I can't see MU coming up big against RMU, a must win if they are still having big dreams about a championship.
The last post (about Deki, etc.) was very solid. Deki is a shooter, that's what he does, and shooters do tend to take questionable shots at times. But please.. you'd hate to see where they'd be without him..
Hey TG
Its Tim Walker
Over the eagles game yet??
Well,the nay sayers and the Dave chopping blocks are back. We lose two in a row and all panic sets in again. Not that these losses don't scare me but hay what are you going to do. I am sure coach Krayl was beside himself giving up 70 in back to back games. Any way I still believe in Dave and the system. I am sure all schools at this level go through this at one time or another. Dave has had 6?? winning seasons in a row and everyone thinks its time to move on. Get a grip everyone.
BTW My team is 11-3 and has won 8 straight games. We are doing well
Take Care TG GIve Dave my Best
Tim Walker
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