Dartmouth Game Thread

 can't have it both ways Needs2go.. We are either the least talented team or the worst coached team.  Pick a bitching point and stick to it.

Happy to see some up tempo play the last 5 or so minutes. Hopefully this will carry over.

 'Sheed with 2 3s!   Wow.. First ones I've seen him hit all season.   So frustrating that he doesn't get 30 min a night.. I know he gets in foul trouble, but he needs to be given the keys.. NOW.  This team needs to press and run w/ 'Sheed having the rock in his hands.. Lets see what happens..  Can't possibly be any worse.

Finally decent mins w jordan, branch, hrrison, jakarr and sanchez.  Could tell movement was better out there. 

Needed this win.  While their words the last few weeks suggested otherwise, it was clear these guys expected to lose before tonight.  The collective confidence of the team was very low and they played afraid at the end of games.  This was a good first step.   A win against SH will get that 0-for monkey off their back and prove they can do it in the Big East.  Hopefully that would start a nice run that can continue as the teams gels and gets better. 

Nice to see Branch actually play and both him and Jordan north of 20 minutes.  That absolutely needs to continue.  Dom with two three "pointers."  Why? 

 Gotta just take it one game at a time and hope for the best.   

There was no one on this thread.  Everyone must have been at the game.

 If we would have lost, the web traffic would be tenfold.. 

can't have it both ways Needs2go.. We are either the least talented team or the worst coached team.  Pick a bitching point and stick to it.

boo, I have been beating the same drum this entire time and I guess it isn't music to your ears.  Here you go, Lavin cannot coach a lick and he is totally over rated as a recruiter because the players he has brought in are totally hyped up and aren't very good.  Every player he has coached has regressed since their freshmen year lucky Harkless got out at the right time.  This is the least talented team in the Big East I don't care what type of athletes they have all 9 other teams are better.  So boo it cant be both that the coach stinks and the players aren't very good?

I hope you still aren't thinking about which players will be opting for the pros next year because get it through your head there aren't any pros on this roster.  Lavin has made all these players worse.  They were all great athletes in high school who still haven't learned how to play the game of basketball and never will until they get a new coach. 

2 years ago despite the losing was fun because you watched every player throughout the year improve under Dunlap.  Stop believing all the hype Lavin created with this team about all the pros they have and how Greene is the next Rondo and so on.  Lavin wants everyone to believe every recruit he signs is a pro or a total sleeper.  He screwed Balamou so bad to top all this off. What a complete fraud that had so many people fooled because of all his one liners and make believe hype.  Just a brutal brand of basketball he puts out.

Beating the same drum the WHOLE TIME.. The  whole time = your 1 week as a member of this board..  Where were you before this week?  Just curious..

Surprised you weren't on top of this earlier, to let the rest of us in on it..   

If we are the least talented team in the BE, then 0-5 and last place shouldn't surprise or shock anyone..  Seems to have set you off though... Even got you to post on a message board.. 

 FTR-  I've been consistent from the beginning. I thought we had a chance to be good this season.. I also said , in order to succeed, this team needed to press and run, and Jordan needed to live up the hype and ranking.. None of that has happened and most of it falls on Lavin..

 I'm just not calling for firings after a win, no matter who it is against.  Plus, he's not getting fired, so there is that..  So continue on  your crusade..  maybe write a letter or start a website.  Get that anger out.. It's just a game my friend..   remember that.. 

 I mean, I respect your opinion and all.  I totally get those that want to see him gone.  Honestly, I'm not sure what I want yet.  I need to see how this season ends.

 Peace.

We needed a win. But its not encouraging that Dartmouth held us to below 40% FG and we only out rebounded them by 3.

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can't have it both ways Needs2go.. We are either the least talented team or the worst coached team.  Pick a bitching point and stick to it.

 Every player he has coached has regressed since their freshmen year 
 

This is simply not true.  Sampson may not have exploded as some hoped, but he hasn't regressed.  He is averaging more offensive and defensive rebounds per minute than he did last year, he has improved his  already solid FG  % by 2%, reduced his turnovers per minute while keeping his blocks and assists the same.  I really expect him to give us a lot more before the season ends and I like his new offensive rebounding mindset. 

Greene is another guy that has improved dramatically, at least statistically.  He went from shooting 37% on two-point FGs last year to 45% this year and from 22.7% from three to 40% this year.  I understand that most of the anti-Greene camp that cited shooting %s every argument last year will want to have it both ways and defer to qualitative analysis of Greene's game.

I really hope Whitesell can help put in place a better half court offense.  I think Lavin will continue to recruit highly ranked players and I think this can start moving forward at a better pace.  I still think we are headed in the right direction, just slower than I had hoped.

We needed a win. But its not encouraging that Dartmouth held us to below 40% FG and we only out rebounded them by 3.

Yes, the 2 pt  FG % was low, but SJU was 8-16 from three.  That is probably the best they've shot all year from deep.  Don't forget, Dartmouth played top 25 Illinois tough on the road, losing by only 7. 

Phil Greene, 4-5 from three.  Player of the Game.

Also nice to see Jordan hit a couple.

Quote from: Needs2go on January 18, 2014, 09:25:24 PM

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can't have it both ways Needs2go.. We are either the least talented team or the worst coached team.  Pick a bitching point and stick to it.

 Every player he has coached has regressed since their freshmen year 
 

This is simply not true.  Sampson may not have exploded as some hoped, but he hasn't regressed.  He is averaging more offensive and defensive rebounds per minute than he did last year, he has improved his  already solid FG  % by 2%, reduced his turnovers per minute while keeping his blocks and assists the same.  I really expect him to give us a lot more before the season ends and I like his new offensive rebounding mindset. 

Greene is another guy that has improved dramatically, at least statistically.  He went from shooting 37% on two-point FGs last year to 45% this year and from 22.7% from three to 40% this year.  I understand that most of the anti-Greene camp that cited shooting %s every argument last year will want to have it both ways and defer to qualitative analysis of Greene's game.

I think the problem people have with Sampson's game this year is that he seems out of control on offense.  He takes way too many out of out of control shots.    He should be a junior right now.  That's not acceptable.  Branch also takes out of control shots.  They have to eliminate that.    These are one of many things that need to be improved.

I like Greene when he's slashing to the rim... and his jumpshot was certainly on today.  I think I noticed him not fading as much on his shot. Early this year he just automatically faded away on his shot, even if he wasn't guarded. I don't think he did that as much this game.

when I first logged on I saw no love for Phil--now some posters are giving him some props that are deserved. Phil gets negative comments regarding his lack of assists--maybe he is NOT as PG and shouldn't be judged as such.  He has been good on defense and gives a lot of hustle which can be seen in person if not on TV.  While Dangelo has scored a ton of points he seems disinterested of late,

Also my pet peeve regarding FT/fouls.  In BE we are shooting 12 per game less than our opponents yet outside the BE we are plus 5.5 coming into this game where we had 22 versus Dartmouth's 8 FT's.  What are we doing wrong that is creating this difference because it is killing us in the BE games.