Big East Tournament

Yakwe had a stomach virus against Providence.

I think Trimble might throw a big wrench in our possibilities. I would've loved to see us start out with a Ponds-Trimble-Simon-Ahmed-Clark lineup to start so we could go 5 out and let Ponds just get to work early and work a 2-3 trap zone on defense and try to force some turnovers to try and build a lead up early then switch to Ponds-Simon-Clark-Alibegovic-Owens to just always try to stay with a lead. Repeat for start of second half so we can try and give guys like Ponds, Simon, and Clark some rest at the end of the game. But Trimble situation makes me not want to play him if the stories are true.

Gotta hope we can win by at least 10 against Georgetown and hope Xavier comes out rusty to start and we are fresh and rolling. I think if we get to the 3rd round against Creighton or Providence, we won't lose that game and if we can draw Seton Hall or Villanova, I don't think either one of those teams is going to want to waste a ton of energy fighting with us to win a game that won't do much for Nova and might bump up Seton Hall one or two seeds.

We're gonna need some big breaks for sure. Key is beat Georgetown first. One game at a time.

I hear you on the lineups. If Yakwe is healthy, if, do we start him at the beginning of the first and second halves to steal four minutes each half? Save Owens and/or Clark from exposing foul trouble?
START: Yakwe, Clark, Ahmed, Simon, Ponds [hopefully].
BENCH: Owens, Ali, Cole.

I fully expect to beat Gtown. Xavier 14 hours later seems like the toughest obstacle. That game was specifically designed to put the 8/9 winner at a supreme disadvantage.

Well it comes down to this. We couldn't have asked for a better path.

4 games in 4 days on our floor to dance. If Ponds goes Kemba and they win the tournament, it will be the single greatest sports moment of my life.

Even if they don't do the implausible, I'd be really happy to see a win or two and some grit.

Just to make sure Marillac hyperbole is not in full effect, a big east tourney win would be bigger for you than:

1999 run to Elite 8
2000 Big East title
Mets NL pennants in 2000 and 2015?

Quote from: Marillac on March 03, 2018, 06:02:14 PM

Well it comes down to this. We couldn't have asked for a better path.

4 games in 4 days on our floor to dance. If Ponds goes Kemba and they win the tournament, it will be the single greatest sports moment of my life.

Even if they don't do the implausible, I'd be really happy to see a win or two and some grit.

Just to make sure Marillac hyperbole is not in full effect, a big east tourney win would be bigger for you than:

1999 run to Elite 8
2000 Big East title
Mets NL pennants in 2000 and 2015?

Given where we were a month ago plus where we are now and how poorly we've been in the BET since 2001, yes.

My #1 sports moment was Eli and the Giants winning their first Super Bowl. #2 is the Mets 2015 run. An improbable championship here would beat them both. I'm a sucker for worst to first stories. If Fordham96 ever puts together a week of good posting, I'd be in tears.

Ponds not being at the BET promo shoot got me irrationally worried. lol

Ponds not being at the BET promo shoot got me irrationally worried. lol

Questioning that abdominal strain?

Ponds not being at the BET promo shoot got me irrationally worried. lol

Saw that

Ponds not being at the BET promo shoot got me irrationally worried. lol

Probably rewarding the upperclassman

What a bunch of rubes. Ponds didn't suffer an "abdominal injury." He suffered internal injuries from an anal probe he received on the grassy knoll while meeting with operatives of ZOG and was afterwards whisked off to area 51 in a black helicopter. What you see on the bench is a hologram. Also, Trimble didn't play because of instructions from Putin that were passed to Mullin via russian bots on ancestry dot com. After having been benched for insubordination Trimble and Amar (real name Valentina Tereshkova) will lead SJU to the BE finals. At which game on national television Kassoum "Natasha" Yakwe will detonate the mole under Jay Wright's right eye - which obviously it's not a mole, it's large enough to have its own zip code, it's a thermo device designed to set off an EMT, after which Trump will be declared Emperor. I head this from a reliable source close to the program whose name I'm not at liberty to divulge. I immediately traded my finals tickets for a jug of water, a survival knife and a bar of gold on stub hub and fled to the Adirondacks with my family in a Winnebago. I suggest you do the same.

What a bunch of rubes. Ponds didn't suffer an "abdominal injury." He suffered internal injuries from an anal probe he received on the grassy knoll while meeting with operatives of ZOG and was afterwards whisked off to area 51 in a black helicopter. What you see on the bench is a hologram. Also, Trimble didn't play because of instructions from Putin that were passed to Mullin via russian bots on ancestry dot com. After having been benched for insubordination Trimble and Amar (real name Valentina Tereshkova) will lead SJU to the BE finals. At which game on national television Kassoum "Natasha" Yakwe will detonate the mole under Jay Wright's right eye - which obviously it's not a mole, it's large enough to have its own zip code, it's a thermo device designed to set off an EMT, after which Trump will be declared Emperor. I head this from a reliable source close to the program whose name I'm not at liberty to divulge. I immediately traded my finals tickets for a jug of water, a survival knife and a bar of gold on stub hub and fled to the Adirondacks with my family in a Winnebago. I suggest you do the same.

Any truth to the rumor that Dan Matic is the lone survivor of the  Dyatlov Pass incident?

I hear you on the lineups. If Yakwe is healthy, if, do we start him at the beginning of the first and second halves to steal four minutes each half? Save Owens and/or Clark from exposing foul trouble?
START: Yakwe, Clark, Ahmed, Simon, Ponds [hopefully].
BENCH: Owens, Ali, Cole.

That's definitely an option we should consider. I would actually rather start Owens and Clark and sit Ahmed as he's almost always the one to get fouls very quickly that end up hurting us down the stretch. I would say, first four minutes, start Ponds, Trimble, Simon, Clark, and Yakwe. Try to get Ponds going early, do the 2-3 trap zone and try to build up a lead in the first four minutes. Next four go with Ponds-Simon-Ali-Clark-Owens to try and keep the lead. Next four (if you we have a 10 point lead) go Simon-Ahmed-Ali-Clark-Owens (try to keep lead but willing to let it slide to 5). Final four of first half go with the Ponds-Simon-Ahmed-Clark-Owens and try to get the lead back up to 10 or grow it further.

I think we have to keep Georgetown guessing and on their toes. Have to switch up the defense every four minutes. Start with a 2-3 trap zone, then go to a 2-2-1 with a 2-3 zone, then go 3/4 man to man, close out the half with a full court press. Second half go full court press, 2-2-1 with man/man, 2-2-1 with 2-3 trap, and then whatever the game dictates.

I've noticed lately that we aren't dominating the turnover battle like we did for most of the season. We have to try and force turnovers in this game and win this game in transition.

I'm hoping this Ponds thing is a Trojan Horse of sorts. Make it seem like he isn't practicing so Ewing can't spend all of his time game planning for him and then unleash him. Or, try to get rest of the team to get the win and have a fresh legs Ponds against Xavier.

What a bunch of rubes. Ponds didn't suffer an "abdominal injury." He suffered internal injuries from an anal probe he received on the grassy knoll while meeting with operatives of ZOG and was afterwards whisked off to area 51 in a black helicopter. What you see on the bench is a hologram. Also, Trimble didn't play because of instructions from Putin that were passed to Mullin via russian bots on ancestry dot com. After having been benched for insubordination Trimble and Amar (real name Valentina Tereshkova) will lead SJU to the BE finals. At which game on national television Kassoum "Natasha" Yakwe will detonate the mole under Jay Wright's right eye - which obviously it's not a mole, it's large enough to have its own zip code, it's a thermo device designed to set off an EMT, after which Trump will be declared Emperor. I head this from a reliable source close to the program whose name I'm not at liberty to divulge. I immediately traded my finals tickets for a jug of water, a survival knife and a bar of gold on stub hub and fled to the Adirondacks with my family in a Winnebago. I suggest you do the same.

In fairness where there is smoke there is fire thing usually turns into the towering inferno for us.
Two years of Jordan stories and 3 years of Lovett stories did eventually come to pass. Just to name the two most recent ones.

I fully expect to beat Gtown. Xavier 14 hours later seems like the toughest obstacle. That game was specifically designed to put the 8/9 winner at a supreme disadvantage.

Actually, it was really designed to give the 1 seed, an extra two hours of rest going forward, against their semifinal opponent.  That's also why the 2 seed plays the 7/10 winner at night, before the 3-6 game.  If seedings hold, then the better team has the somewhat extra rest, and coaches do value that on back-to-backs. 

It's not an issue in the NCAA Tournament, because the day off in between games cancels it out (at least, that's the perception, anyway).

Quote from: Tha Kid on March 05, 2018, 08:11:32 PM

Quote from: Marillac on March 03, 2018, 06:02:14 PM

Well it comes down to this. We couldn't have asked for a better path.

4 games in 4 days on our floor to dance. If Ponds goes Kemba and they win the tournament, it will be the single greatest sports moment of my life.

Even if they don't do the implausible, I'd be really happy to see a win or two and some grit.

Just to make sure Marillac hyperbole is not in full effect, a big east tourney win would be bigger for you than:

1999 run to Elite 8
2000 Big East title
Mets NL pennants in 2000 and 2015?

Given where we were a month ago plus where we are now and how poorly we've been in the BET since 2001, yes.

My #1 sports moment was Eli and the Giants winning their first Super Bowl. #2 is the Mets 2015 run. An improbable championship here would beat them both. I'm a sucker for worst to first stories. If Fordham96 ever puts together a week of good posting, I'd be in tears.

Forgot you were a big giants fan.  That would be second to a BE tourney this year ? Come on...really?

I’m fairly spoiled as a sports fan - not only would this not make my top 10, it would not be in my top 3 for St. John’s alone....

EDIT:  impossible to rank before it happens, so depending on how and circumstances it sure could be top 3, but it won’t automatically be top 3.

Quote from: Foad on March 06, 2018, 08:42:51 AM

What a bunch of rubes. Ponds didn't suffer an "abdominal injury." He suffered internal injuries from an anal probe he received on the grassy knoll while meeting with operatives of ZOG and was afterwards whisked off to area 51 in a black helicopter. What you see on the bench is a hologram. Also, Trimble didn't play because of instructions from Putin that were passed to Mullin via russian bots on ancestry dot com. After having been benched for insubordination Trimble and Amar (real name Valentina Tereshkova) will lead SJU to the BE finals. At which game on national television Kassoum "Natasha" Yakwe will detonate the mole under Jay Wright's right eye - which obviously it's not a mole, it's large enough to have its own zip code, it's a thermo device designed to set off an EMT, after which Trump will be declared Emperor. I head this from a reliable source close to the program whose name I'm not at liberty to divulge. I immediately traded my finals tickets for a jug of water, a survival knife and a bar of gold on stub hub and fled to the Adirondacks with my family in a Winnebago. I suggest you do the same.

In fairness where there is smoke there is fire thing usually turns into the towering inferno for us.
Two years of Jordan stories and 3 years of Lovett stories did eventually come to pass. Just to name the two most recent ones.

I don't think so. I think this is a hysterical fan base that has nothing better to do than blow things completely out of proportion. For every rumor that comes true there's one that doesn't - remember how frantic every one was in the off season when Matt A was leaving for LSU - and half a dozen things that happen that no one knows anything about. If every rumor about this program that circulates came true all of the players would have each and every one of them transferred and Mullin would be somewhere in California because he put his house on the market, remember that, and Mike Rice would be the head coach.

Lovett was reportedly late for some meetings last year and this year he quit, I don't see cause and effect there and if there is cause and effect three years is a long time to wait for the cause to cause the effect. Jordan was allegedly AWOL under Lavin and left the program when Mullin came in, that's not an ah ha moment. Anyway what's the conspiracy theory here? That Ponds is hurt worse than they say he is? Why, because some fan board mook has a gut feeling that he's never going to play again? Well, I have  gut feeling he's going to play, so after three full innings its all tied up one gut feeling to one. Or is some vague four year old Magic Eight Baldi prediction that 'something bad is going to happen somewhere to someone sometime' about to come to pass. Why, he's like Nostradamus, nearly. If Ponds is seriously injured and his future's in jeopardy he sure spends a lot of time giggling on the bench. If he's pretending to be hurt to maintain his professional prospects and Mullin's complicit in that they should fire him.

Quote from: HowCouldUBeSoHarkless on March 05, 2018, 11:55:27 PM

Ponds not being at the BET promo shoot got me irrationally worried. lol

Probably rewarding the upperclassman

That's possible, but why would Owens or even Ponds (since he and Simon are in the same classification, per the court)?  <rhetorical>

I just assumed it may have been one of the team promos.  There are probably a couple more that were shot, but wasn't posted.

Quote from: Marillac on March 05, 2018, 06:46:04 PM

I fully expect to beat Gtown. Xavier 14 hours later seems like the toughest obstacle. That game was specifically designed to put the 8/9 winner at a supreme disadvantage.

Actually, it was really designed to give the 1 seed, an extra two hours of rest going forward, against their semifinal opponent.  That's also why the 2 seed plays the 7/10 winner at night, before the 3-6 game.  If seedings hold, then the better team has the somewhat extra rest, and coaches do value that on back-to-backs. 

It's not an issue in the NCAA Tournament, because the day off in between games cancels it out (at least, that's the perception, anyway).

Any way you slice it it's a mega screw job for the 8/9 winner.

If we win and depaul wins do we play nova in the late game?

Georgetown opens as 4.5 point underdogs against St. John's tomorrow night in the Big East Tournament.