Next 4 Games

Our next 4 games are: @ Depaul, @ Rutgers, Seton Hall, and Depaul.

If we are planning on turning around the season I think we have to win all 4 and at the very least win 3 of 4.  Need to take these games one at a time, but this is a key part of the schedule.

Agree, but am getting tired of laches "young team" spin which is just an excuse to succeed.  Instead of the usual roller coaster BS comments, he should be saying that " while we are a work in progress, the coaching staff and our players believe that we should be competitive on a nightly basis.  That's why we recruit high caliber talent". Another reason that we are a " young team" is by Lavin's choice to red shirt Gift

Yes, the next 4 games are important, but so are games against the better teams.  Good, competitive teams don't play the better teams expecting to lose, as they should paly the weaker teams expecting to win. I hope the ND game is the beginning of a turn around as I shall remain cautiously optimistic. Let's hope for the best.

Our next 4 games are: @ Depaul, @ Rutgers, Seton Hall, and Depaul.

If we are planning on turning around the season I think we have to win all 4 and at the very least win 3 of 4.  Need to take these games one at a time, but this is a key part of the schedule.

I hate looking ahead, but what the heck.  Agree that we need to at least take 3 of the next 4, because here's the remaining schedule: @GTWN, UCONN, @SYR, @LOU, USF, PITT, PROV, @ND, MARQ.  We go 3-1 for next 4 games, and then, let's say 4-5 for remaining 9 games, gives us a 17-13 record.  I think this is good enough for an NIT bid without taking into account any BE tourney wins.  However, if we want to dream big (e.g., NCAA bid), we should go 4-0 next 4 games, and then at least 5-4 for remaining 9, and sprinkle in 1 or 2 BE tourney wins, I think we could dance.

3-1 is the absolute worst they can do if the team wants to say they are playing up to the potential. I would say 4-0 to get back into thick of Big East play. We really need that Rutgers win back but winning there is difficult.

I also can't help but think that it isn't a coincidence that in the first game where we played man to man for the majority of the game, we were able to shut down a team's 3pt shooting.

I've been saying all along that the matchup zone had to go, maybe this is a sign of things to come.  Somehow I doubt it though. 

Unfortunately that D is not suited to Obepka.

I also can't help but think that it isn't a coincidence that in the first game where we played man to man for the majority of the game, we were able to shut down a team's 3pt shooting.

I've been saying all along that the matchup zone had to go, maybe this is a sign of things to come.  Somehow I doubt it though. 

+1 Man D plays to our athleticism IMO. Zone was a necessity last year, not now.

+1 Man D plays to our athleticism IMO. Zone was a necessity last year, not now.

Not disagreeing about the man playing to our strength (I said months ago I thought we would play more man this year) but if you have long atheletic players a zone can actually be much effecting shutting down the perimeter...   see Syracuse..

+1 Man D plays to our athleticism IMO. Zone was a necessity last year, not now.

Not disagreeing about the man playing to our strength (I said months ago I thought we would play more man this year) but if you have long atheletic players a zone can actually be much effecting shutting down the perimeter...   see Syracuse..

Agree, don't get locked into zone. Use it as warranted.

Rutgers tried to give us that 1st game and we would not take it......we need to return the favor. We can win the next four but we are so damn inconsistent. We need to spring board off the ND win.

+1 Man D plays to our athleticism IMO. Zone was a necessity last year, not now.

Not disagreeing about the man playing to our strength (I said months ago I thought we would play more man this year) but if you have long atheletic players a zone can actually be much effecting shutting down the perimeter...   see Syracuse..

It can.  But the way we play zone PMG, in that matchup zone, we extend ourselves out on the ball handlers, so we don't really pack it in and dare you to shoot over us.   But at the same time we switch on every screen and give up some easy 3s over the top.   At least when we play man we take away the 3 and know where our weakness is... Getting posted up down low.   Then u can focus on fronting down low or helping out.. Different things you can do.

I like the idea of a zone when we have so many long and athletic guys, but I don't like the type of zone we play.  To me it's the worst of both worlds.   That's why I really liked what we did last night. 

Can't see us winning all four.  The RAC is a tough place to play and, while I think SH has the least talent in the conference, they can hit a ton of threes and could easily beat us when they are on.  3-1 over the next four puts is in the conversation, which is all we can ask for right now.  Plus I think we will steal one more game that we probably shouldn't win on paper

Our next 4 games are: @ Depaul, @ Rutgers, Seton Hall, and Depaul.

If we are planning on turning around the season I think we have to win all 4 and at the very least win 3 of 4.  Need to take these games one at a time, but this is a key part of the schedule.

Funny as it seems we have a harder time with the teams we " should beat " then when we're the underdogs. Something about being Rocky juices this team and so I put the direction this season takes on the next 4 games. If we win 4 we'll make the dance, 3 that's about what we should win, 2 is probably what we will win. We split with Depaul, beat Rutgers, and lose to the Hall

we're going 2-2.

Lose @DePaul and @RAC.

DePaul really sucks, but we aren't much better either.  And while we should blow them out, we will play down to our competition and DePaul will play up. They gave Sincy a hard time yesterday.

We basically have to go 4-0 in this stretch to have any prayer of being on the bubble for the tournament. The backend of the schedule is pretty rough. My guess is we go 3-1

Loss at the Rac and a W in the rest.

I also can't help but think that it isn't a coincidence that in the first game where we played man to man for the majority of the game, we were able to shut down a team's 3pt shooting.

I've been saying all along that the matchup zone had to go, maybe this is a sign of things to come.  Somehow I doubt it though. 

Give and take.  We can't close out shooters in a zone but in a man our switching is bad and leads to bad rotations and some easy hoops.  But I agree man is a lot easier to watch.

Who knows what to think with this team.  Rutgers will be a close game, if the last game and even the past few years are any indication.  We have done well against DePaul, even last season.  As for the Hall, it seems in recent years that they always have great three-point shooting days against us.  I remember being in Newark two years ago when Burrell and Lavs got tossed, Edwin was draining wing/corner threes, and the Seton Hall assistants were acting like they just won the Super Bowl (in fact their assistants (not Willard though) always seem very animated against us -- maybe there is some bad blood I'm not aware of).

1 game at a time

We need to win our next 6