Week # 10 - Games of Interest

[rambone 78]

weekend afternoon games are out for me.

Casinos' busiest days are Saturday and Sunday.....

I usually can only go on a Tuesday or Wednesday night game.....

[ramfan85]

These GW/Dayton announcers on ESPN are pumping the A10 like they're being paid by the A10. Love it.

One of them stated that the league was good, "for this level."

[RF1]

You're right. I assume the game was scheduled on a Friday so ESPN could televise it. That's one benefit of having a good program.

We are at GW and host Dayton in Friday night ESPN games in the next few weeks. We were "expected" to be a good program this season.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Win today, win at GW...and right back in the conversation...long season and warm-up for NY.

[Obadiah]

In addition to URI versus La Salle game at Ryan (on NBC Sports), Saturday action in the A-10 includes:

* UMass at Davidson. 12:30 PM. On NBC Sports.

* Fordham at Saint Joseph's. 1 PM.

* St. Bonaventure at Duquesne. 6 PM.

* In the City rivalry game, VCU at Richmond. 2 PM. On CBS Sports.


Ten games on tap involving URI OOC Opponents with four opponents on the road and six playing at home:

* Ohio State at #3 Maryland. 12 Noon. On ESPN2

* Lehigh at Holy Cross. 1:05 PM.

* TCU at #1 Kansas. 2 PM. On ESPN.

* Nebraska at Illinois. 2:30 PM. On BTN.

* Middle Tennessee at Old Dominion. 4 PM. On FSN.

* Seton Hall at PC. 4:30 PM. On FSN.

* Brown at Yale. 5 PM. On ESPN3.

* Cleveland State at Northern Kentucky. 7 PM. On ESPN3.

* Green Bay at Valparaiso. 8 PM. On ESPN3.

[TruePoint]

Maybe Ohio State will drop their failure of a basketball program after they were blown out by Maryland today.

[Stop! Rammer Time]

Maybe Ohio State will drop their failure of a basketball program after they were blown out by Maryland today.

+1

I'm beginning to think at this point that maybe, just maybe, Maryland is really good at this basketball thing. /sarcasm/

[RF1]

Davidson beat UMass 86-74 at home. UMass is now 8-9 after losing their last four.

St. Joe's handles Fordham at home easily 80-55. Bronx Rams not looking good against decent teams.

[ramster]

Jack Gibbs with another great game for Davidson. Played all 40 minutes, 43 points, 8 rebounds
and 8 assists. He hit 15-16 FTs.

PC loses to Seton Hall 81-72 on their home court.

[Obadiah]

Wrapping up Saturday action elsewhere in the A-10:

* UMass could not sustain its good play late in game as Davidson with a 43 point contribution from Jack Gibbs took command in last four minutes to seal the win, 86-74.

* In a game they never trailed, Saint Joseph's easily handled Fordham. 80-55.

* In a game that went back and forth with no team leading by more than three in the second half, VCU eventually prevailed in OT over Richmond, 94-89.

* Duquesne wrested the lead from the Bonnies at the 10 minute mark and never relinquished it by countering every SBU surge and hitting free throws in the waning minurtes for the victory, 95-88.


URI OOC Opponents went 4-5 for the day:

* #3 Maryland trounced Ohio State, 100-65.

* On hot shooting, Lehigh in an easy win over Holy Cross, 87-66.

* #1 Kansas gets back on winning track with a 70-63 win over TCU.

* Nebraska takes a road win at Illinois, 78-67.

* Middle Tennessee beats Old Dominion, 64-61. The Rams loss at ODU looking worse.

* Seton Hall beats PC, 81-72. Another downer for our RPI.

* Brown loses at Yale, 77-68.

* Cleveland State over Northern Kentucky, 70-65.

* Valparaiso pulls away in second half to take down Green Bay. 85-70.

[Obadiah]

On this last day of Week # 10, only one game in A-10:

* George Mason at Saint Louis. 3 PM. On NBC Sports.

In OOC action:

* American at Army, 12 Noon. On CBS Sports.

* UConn at Houston. 2 PM. On CBS Sports.

* Iona at Rider. 4 PM. On ESPN3

[NYGFan_Section208]

I think most of the above is good, though (with the exception of ODU)...
*Looks like Fordham 'shouldn't' be too tough
*If VCU had a tough time with Richmond, URI can obviously play with them
*That, and Duquesne beating SB reinforces there is no clear-cut 'best team in the conference by far' (Dayton lost to LAS and Chattanooga)

Some might think that the top teams need to win to make the conference look stronger...I just think Rhody needs to win the conference, whatever that takes and perform in Bklyn. Would suggest it's all about numbers and A10 tourney seeding...that strength of conference' is not going to be anything that helps URI this year. Then again, I could be wrong (happens a lot )

[ace]

ASU is also 11-7 but 1-4 in conference. Because of the situations he's walked into as a head coach (including the current one), Bobby's not really faced much adversity as a head coach. Hope he can ride this out and manage to stay around for the entirety of the rest of their games.

Iona will be without Jordan Washington. Apparently it's not cool if you slap an opposing player during the handshake line.

VCU and Richmond are also not happy with they way their handshake line went down either. Did Wade celebrate too much and look like a jerk? Did Mooney blow him off and look like a jerk? Opinions, shockingly, seem to be divided along team fandom lines.

[adam914]

VCU and Richmond are also not happy with they way their handshake line went down either. Did Wade celebrate too much and look like a jerk? Did Mooney blow him off and look like a jerk? Opinions, shockingly, seem to be divided along team fandom lines.

I saw that live, and immediately thought to myself "oh man both sides are going to have a field day with this" but as an outsider thought it was absolutely nothing there from both sides. Mooney kind of gave him a "good game" slap to the back or something if I remember correctly. I think he just saw Wade celebrating and there was that awkward "is he gonna put his hand out" moment as they got close.

[Cameron_Dollar]

Ace,
What am I missing. Why should anyone really care about Bobby Hurley? He used our program as a one year stepping stone to get a head coaching job. Then he bailed on U Of Buffalo to take a better job. At least Dan is giving it the old college try. Rather than allowing Bobby to use us, I would have preferred Dan bring in an experienced veteran bench coach right from the get go to ease him into the transition of big time coaching.

[NYGFan_Section208]

I think most of us, if given the chance to do a solid for a family member like that and help jumpstart a career, would do the same. I think both Bobby and Dan did what any one of us would do. Not sure why there's any expectation for these guys to be any more 'loyal' to their employers (and not bail) than for us to ours. Good luck, Bobby Hurley (even though I hate Duke ).

[rambone 78]

Bobby is on the fast track to a big time job down the road. I mean ASU is a P5 school, but I doubt he stays there too long.

He also had some financial issues which I won't discuss, but that was a factor in him leaving here, and Buffalo too, for the bigger bucks.....

[ace]

Ace,
What am I missing. Why should anyone really care about Bobby Hurley? He used our program as a one year stepping stone to get a head coaching job. Then he bailed on U Of Buffalo to take a better job. At least Dan is giving it the old college try. Rather than allowing Bobby to use us, I would have preferred Dan bring in an experienced veteran bench coach right from the get go to ease him into the transition of big time coaching.

Chill, fam. It's not all that serious. These are games of interest. I'm interested, as are, apparently, the few people who can't stop mentioning how much better they think he is than his brother (but if that would stop, I'd be totally fine with that). I don't necessarily think he's better, but he does have different ambitions and ways he finds ok to get there. Your assessment of the Buffalo situation is incomplete. Their first year at URI was their third year working together. It was advantageous to both of them, and Bobby turned down a head coaching job to come along. If you like watching any of that first class or EC or Hassan, Bobby was part of that.

[NYGFan_Section208]

"...the reality was that Bobby Hurley needed a job. His brother threw him a lifeline."

Still a good story and best wishes to both of them.

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/20 ... ament-duke

[rambone 78]

Bobby, as far as I know, felt he was ready to take a head coaching job when he left here.

I think he turned down replacing Dan as the HC of Wagner. The pay there as head coach was probably not much more than the paltry money he made here as an assistant to Dan their first year here.

Anyway, he's moved on, never to return. I think the talk about him being better than Dan stems from the fact he's more of an offensive minded coach, where Dan has always been focused more on defense.

And of course, Bobby making the Dance before Dan, has people thinking he's a better coach.

Yes, I know Bobby had more to work with at Buffalo at the beginning, than Dan had here.

But that's a few years ago now, so now it's fair game........

[NYGFan_Section208]

From the story, sounded like Bobby felt like he needed more experience before he took a head job...

Re: Buffalo...did he have more to work with? less to work against? or both?

I think it's still too early in their careers to declare one better...but wish them both the best.

[rambone 78]

208, Dan is getting a rep in coaching circles, whether some want to hear it or not, as a coach who can't close the deal.

That's not an easy thing to shake. He needs to change that, and soon.

I could care less about his sideline antics, as long as they aren't affecting his players' performance.

Coaches are judged by their NCAA appearances, and their record once there. Not just their W-L record.

Both Hurleys haven't been coaching that long, but the clock is ticking, more so for Dan.

[RoadyJay]

208, Dan is getting a rep in coaching circles, whether some want to hear it or not, as a coach who can't close the deal.

That's not an easy thing to shake. He needs to change that, and soon.

I could care less about his sideline antics, as long as they aren't affecting his players' performance.

Coaches are judged by their NCAA appearances, and their record once there. Not just their W-L record.

Both Hurleys haven't been coaching that long, but the clock is ticking, more so for Dan.

Which coaches told you this?

[NYGFan_Section208]

208, Dan is getting a rep in coaching circles, whether some want to hear it or not, as a coach who can't close the deal.

That's not an easy thing to shake. He needs to change that, and soon.

I could care less about his sideline antics, as long as they aren't affecting his players' performance.

Coaches are judged by their NCAA appearances, and their record once there. Not just their W-L record.

Both Hurleys haven't been coaching that long, but the clock is ticking, more so for Dan.

"Getting a rep in coaching circles"? Do you have firsthand knowledge of coaches that have actually said that he's gained a rep as someone that can't close the deal? "Fans" might feel that way...but you can name coaches that have said that?

Coaches ARE judged by NCAA appearances...and I'm guessing that the sound of...'after 4 (or 5 or 6) years...got XYX University to the dance for the first time in more than 15 years' would play pretty well. W-L does matter and I'm willing to bet that a few 20 win seasons in a row here will result in a bid at some point.

Do you think, if they win 20 this year and next, but don't get an NCAA bid...he should be replaced?

[NYGFan_Section208]

208, Dan is getting a rep in coaching circles, whether some want to hear it or not, as a coach who can't close the deal.

That's not an easy thing to shake. He needs to change that, and soon.

I could care less about his sideline antics, as long as they aren't affecting his players' performance.

Coaches are judged by their NCAA appearances, and their record once there. Not just their W-L record.

Both Hurleys haven't been coaching that long, but the clock is ticking, more so for Dan.

Which coaches told you this?

LOL, Roady Jay, I had the same question! Btw..on the way back from Philly after the St. Joe's game...do you remember a maniac in a black car with a CT plate beeping the horn, waving, and passing you on the highway? (Was my son and me)

[RoadyJay]

208, Dan is getting a rep in coaching circles, whether some want to hear it or not, as a coach who can't close the deal.

That's not an easy thing to shake. He needs to change that, and soon.

I could care less about his sideline antics, as long as they aren't affecting his players' performance.

Coaches are judged by their NCAA appearances, and their record once there. Not just their W-L record.

Both Hurleys haven't been coaching that long, but the clock is ticking, more so for Dan.

Which coaches told you this?

LOL, Roady Jay, I had the same question! Btw..on the way back from Philly after the St. Joe's game...do you remember a maniac in a black car with a CT plate beeping the horn, waving, and passing you on the highway? (Was my son and me)

Hahaha... Yes, I remember! Knew it was some Rhody fans but now I know who.

Glad you are here on the board. It's not easy to combat the negativity, but you are doing a heck of a job.

I'm a Hurley-lovin-kool-aid-drinker

[rambone 78]

At some point, yes.

The bottom line is the NCAA tournament.

Ask Thorr. They got rid of Baron because he didn't make it.

The same will happen to Dan down the road, if he doesn't. It took the powers that be 12 years to get rid of JB, and if it wasn't for the guaranteed contract, he would have been gone sooner.

Dan will NOT be here for that long, if he doesn't make it.

There are expectations at URI. Maybe not years ago, but there are now.

As far as Dan's rep as a coach who can't beat good teams, well what do you think?

The numbers don't lie. The Hurley name will only play for so long.

[NYGFan_Section208]

At some point, yes.

The bottom line is the NCAA tournament.

Ask Thorr. They got rid of Baron because he didn't make it.

The same will happen to Dan down the road, if he doesn't. It took the powers that be 12 years to get rid of JB, and if it wasn't for the guaranteed contract, he would have been gone sooner.

Dan will NOT be here for that long, if he doesn't make it.

There are expectations at URI. Maybe not years ago, but there are now.

As far as Dan's rep as a coach who can't beat good teams, well what do you think?

The numbers don't lie. The Hurley name will only play for so long.

...who are the people in 'coaching circles' that have shared that Dan has a rep that he can't beat good teams? Doesn't matter what "I" (or 'we') think, but "I" think, he's taken a program that won 8 games in his first year...to 14 to 23 and still has a chance to make noise in Brooklyn this year... and I'm going to go out on a limb and say you've heard that side from just as many 'in coaching circles'...?

[NYGFan_Section208]

Hahaha... Yes, I remember! Knew it was some Rhody fans but now I know who.

Glad you are here on the board. It's not easy to combat the negativity, but you are doing a heck of a job.

I'm a Hurley-lovin-kool-aid-drinker[/quote]

Wow...nothing upsets the gloom and doom set around here like "raining on their negativity parade" or having the audacity to suggest that "others besides those that have been here since before dirt was invented might have a clue''

[rambone 78]

Anybody who is happy with the current state of affairs, are the ones who are clueless.......

[NYGFan_Section208]

Anybody who is happy with the current state of affairs, are the ones who are clueless.......

Labeling people is often done out of anger and frustration.
Are you angry because I'm not bitter or disappointed enough?

[rambone 78]

Not really. You can go on being the optimistic one....

Believe me, I would love to be wrong, and you right.



Just because the number of wins have gone up every year Dan's been here, makes things all right in Rhody land right now, in your mind.

Our previous coach had a number of 20 win seasons. Some thought that was great. Some didn't want to rock the boat and get rid of him even though we never won anything, hardly ever beat good teams.....

We don't want JB part 2. We want more than that. Our expectations are higher. This is the longest this program's ever gone without an NCAA appearance.

We're concerned that it might continue even with Dan as our coach. Well most of us are.....

[NYGFan_Section208]

Dan's got 5 years of head coaching experience...total. Am sure (hope) he's still developing. Guy needs a little more time than this. Understood no one likes empty 20 win seasons - but if you don't get the 20 wins, you're not going anywhere. So, 20 wins doesn't 'make it', but you don't 'make it' without 20 either. Last year was Rhody's first 20 win season in a while, wasn't it? ...and they came very close to making the tournament. Given the years immediately preceding last year, not sure I'd call that an 'empty' 20. Now, if there's a couple more in a row, I could understand getting edgy, but still seems rather early for that...

[rambone 78]

Good point, 208.

We're not close to the edge of the cliff yet.

But yes, a couple more 20 win seasons without beating anybody good, that's going to put the bullseye squarely on the coach's back......

The late game fades have to stop. And soon.

I mean, nobody wins them all. It happens to the best of them once in a while.

But with us, it happens EVERY TIME.

[NYGFan_Section208]

LOL...it does seem to be happening with some frequency...just not sure it's all on the coach. The stall ball has to go, but, I don't think he's had a turnover, been scored on, or missed a free throw all year. In those close games, regardless of his tactics...a couple made shots and less turnovers could have pretty significant impact on perception. Fair or not, they make a few shots...conversation would be much different.

I think they'll eventually 'get it' and start winning more of those, but am hard-pressed at this point to put it on a coach that's not been here four years and has a pretty good win progression going coming into this year...yet...