KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

Hi All,

Looking forward to this one as rivalry games are always fun. You guys are spot on that this is a very hot or cold team so far this year. The last few games UMass has only played 8 guys (7 with legit minutes) including a walk on and 2 freshman. Team has shown some good fight as of late but not in your league at the current moment. Expect the line to be 13+ at least.

As you are all aware it’s crazy how far back a terrible HC can set your program. Thankfully UMass now has the right guy in charge and should be a very quick turnaround before we are relevant again. As long as both head coaches stay I expect both of our schools to be fighting at the top of the conference for the foreseeable future. He inherited an absolute disaster from DK who all but crushed what fan base we had, going to take a bit to get butts back in the seats.

Pipkins is going to be the best UMass player since the Cal era and already is showing signs of being a better player than Chaz. Pierre leads the conference in 3PT shooting % and has the best % out of any freshman in the country. However he had no D1 offers coming out of HS before McCall took over. To have any shot those two need to combine for 45+ points against you. Hoping the snow doesn’t hurt attendance because the Ryan Center is such a joy to watch a packed house game.

UMass will either give us fits the entire game or we will blow them out. No in between.

I'm guessing that we will shut either Pierre or Pipkins down.....probably not both, but enough to win.

With those 2 guys, don't want to be in a last minute situation with them.

PeteRI wrote:

ramster wrote:UMASS game thread

http://umasshoops.com/newboard/viewtopi ... =1&t=15364

Thanks for the link. UMass gives Blue Man his props.

I want to meet this man and shake his hand.

I don't post on other teams boards as a habit, but typical UMass response about rugby.

Considering I didn't graduate high school until '05, it would've been pretty tough to play him in school.

UMASS did move up to D1 I believe in 2009 or 2010. Funny that he can remember every other team in our conference except us. I guess he forgot when we won the conference in 2006.

We played UMass 4 times in my years there '06-2010. Post 2006's championship we made the playoffs once and lost to Vermont, then had some tougher years. Considering it's a club sport at a school with 15,000 kids - I would hope UMass would be able to field a better team enrolling 2x the students.

Funny, because I've lost to plenty of teams over the years and the phrase cheap or scumbag or dirty doesn't really come to mind but for a handful of teams. Then again all of my coaches have been upstanding men who don't coach raking cleats on people's faces in the ruck or cheering when said offenses rip people's ears in half.

I don't know why he's so worried about URI who's team went to the Elite 8 and was a late giveaway try away from a final four birth after nearly upsetting #2 Wisconsin-Whitewater 2 years ago.

If he's still playing rugby now he's looking up at my club in the standings (or he's playing in a shit division) for the second straight year heading into nationals, so I'm not sure what he's talking about with regards to knowing what it feels like to win.

Either way back to basketball I hate them.

They have to resort to taking credit for URI's success because Thorr was originally from UmAss. Idiots.

TruePoint wrote:Ugh. Can't take a couple hours off here. Thread cleanup incoming. Cmon man.

Thank you TP and ATP.

Unfortunately his comments already got on the UMASS Board which you cannot erase (I would not think). In no way does this reflect the 99.9% of this board (nobody but him). In the past he has posted some incoherent things with lots of misspellings and attributed later on to some health issues and meds if I remember right - certainly not making excuses for him because there are none. But maybe this act simply warrants removing him or read only privilege).

http://umasshoops.com/newboard/viewtopi ... 9&start=15

The program is certainly doing its part in trying to get students to the game. This is the last home during semester break so hopefully there will no longer be a need for these things.

FYI- know the poster on the UMass board and know that every group has their wacko fans. It has now been edited on our board so hopefully the quote disappears as well. Not fair for you guys to have that out there because of one guy

Umassfan wrote:FYI- know the poster on the UMass board and know that every group has their wacko fans. It has now been edited on our board so hopefully the quote disappears as well. Not fair for you guys to have that out there because of one guy

Thank you very much for that. Well done.

That poster on our board should be banned indefinitely, if not forever. No place on this board, or in this world, for a warped and demented opinion like the one that was expressed here.

Umass Fan enjoys himself in a packed Ryan Center because he probably has experienced a couple wins in there. Ugh.

Hopefully Rhody continues to hit its stride here. Our @home and in conference streaks are starting to be special.

wow

•As of Monday, Rhode Island's RPI was No. 14 in the nation, the highest it has ever been in January in program history.

http://www.gorhody.com/sports/m-baskbl/ ... 0116d2gyto

UMass fan/podcast host here. Good luck tomorrow night. I love to chirp about you all but you have a good thing going right now and we are certainly the underdog.

Couple quick corrections from an otherwise solid preview post:
*Brantley, the Maryland transfer, is not playing next year. He was supposed to be our PG this year as a fifth year transfer but they discovered a heart condition on him just prior to the season and he will never play again, tragically.
*Clark, the leading scorer, actually ended up at Texas Southern. His loss was been addition by subtraction IMO in that he was a very inefficient scorer despite his numbers (and really a liability on D)
*Without Holloway (who I don't expect to play Wednesday) UMass has just 7 scholarship players, but that includes a freshman who gets virtually no minutes. So really we play six scholarship guys and a walk-on/former manager, Rayshawn Miller. He's been spectacular **for** a walkon but sometimes struggled against talented guards like yours.

Honestly, given what this team has been through, I thought a ten win season would be spectacular and we've already reached that. We are insanely young, have an insanely thin roster and a brand new coach. And yet not since the Cal years have I seen a UMass team with the level of passion and energy and unselfishness that this one has. Other than Dambrott, McCall is absolutely the leading contender for A10 COY imo. You guys should be about a 15 point favorite but this UMass team plays carefree and if Pierre and Pip can stay hot, UMass has a very narrow shot.

Best of luck.

RF1 wrote:The program is certainly doing its part in trying to get students to the game. This is the last home during semester break so hopefully there will no longer be a need for these things.

Had a 10am J term class in there today and saw Mike T, Eric & Ryan handing out coffee.

I thought this was a great marketing idea, and I think this season's marketing towards students as a whole has been effective.

Some of my friends who know absolutely nothing about basketball are getting curious to go to the games and see what all the hype is about

I'm confused bc i thought based on what was said here students weren't back until this weekend

bigappleram wrote:I'm confused bc i thought based on what was said here students weren't back until this weekend

Students coming back for spring semester (the vast majority) aren't coming back until this weekend, but there's still a few of us around campus for J-term (fast moving courses that happen for a few weeks in January).

Curry Hicks Sage wrote:UMass fan/podcast host here. Good luck tomorrow night. I love to chirp about you all but you have a good thing going right now and we are certainly the underdog.

Couple quick corrections from an otherwise solid preview post:
*Brantley, the Maryland transfer, is not playing next year. He was supposed to be our PG this year as a fifth year transfer but they discovered a heart condition on him just prior to the season and he will never play again, tragically.
*Clark, the leading scorer, actually ended up at Texas Southern. His loss was been addition by subtraction IMO in that he was a very inefficient scorer despite his numbers (and really a liability on D)
*Without Holloway (who I don't expect to play Wednesday) UMass has just 7 scholarship players, but that includes a freshman who gets virtually no minutes. So really we play six scholarship guys and a walk-on/former manager, Rayshawn Miller. He's been spectacular **for** a walkon but sometimes struggled against talented guards like yours.

Honestly, given what this team has been through, I thought a ten win season would be spectacular and we've already reached that. We are insanely young, have an insanely thin roster and a brand new coach. And yet not since the Cal years have I seen a UMass team with the level of passion and energy and unselfishness that this one has. Other than Dambrott, McCall is absolutely the leading contender for A10 COY imo. You guys should be about a 15 point favorite but this UMass team plays carefree and if Pierre and Pip can stay hot, UMass has a very narrow shot.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the insight Curry Hicks Sage (and great name, btw). It's looking like UMass and SLU should be quality A10 teams in the coming years. Let's hope that happens, and VCU and Dayton are only minor bumps in their normal top of the A10 ways. If that happens, and others improve, then the A10 should be back to a 4 to 6 bid league!

Curry Hicks Sage wrote:UMass fan/podcast host here. Good luck

*Without Holloway (who I don't expect to play Wednesday) UMass has just 7 scholarship players, but that includes a freshman who gets virtually no
Best of luck.

What's the deal with Holloway? I thought he had some talent and ju sd t need to lose some weight to really make a difference. Why is he suspended?

Grabbed tickets today for the UmAss game tomorrow and for Senior Night. Unfortunately I'm going to be out of town for the latter, but my wife and kids will definitely represent...!

Ok, I missed what some idiot fan said. But, I am curious as to what he/she said. Could someone PM me?

Rhody74 wrote:

Curry Hicks Sage wrote:UMass fan/podcast host here. Good luck

*Without Holloway (who I don't expect to play Wednesday) UMass has just 7 scholarship players, but that includes a freshman who gets virtually no
Best of luck.

What's the deal with Holloway? I thought he had some talent and ju sd t need to lose some weight to really make a difference. Why is he suspended?

New Coach not happy with him. Weight not going down. Word is he has not played well when he had gotten the chance. We won't see him.

Preview quotes-




Happy Birthday, Dan!

Happy Birthday Coach!!!!

ace wrote:Preview quotes-

Some exceptionally good quotes in this one, IMO. One I made my signature. Some from Dan:

On big crowds: “You want to play in big games. It’s a privilege to play at home when you have big crowds... It’s a privilege for all of us to have the fan support we get and have such a strong team.”

On avoiding letdowns: “We experienced it last year. We weren’t exactly healthy in some of these games - the La Salle game at home, the Fordham game at home - but we’ve been at kind of the depths - without being overly dramatic - of despair in a season. We know how bad it feels to lose. These guys don’t want to be in that position.”

(anyone reading this board last year would not think he was being overly dramatic )

http://www.independentri.com/rhody_over ... 0a900.html

Umassfan wrote:Hi All,

Looking forward to this one as rivalry games are always fun. You guys are spot on that this is a very hot or cold team so far this year. The last few games UMass has only played 8 guys (7 with legit minutes) including a walk on and 2 freshman. Team has shown some good fight as of late but not in your league at the current moment. Expect the line to be 13+ at least.

As you are all aware it’s crazy how far back a terrible HC can set your program. Thankfully UMass now has the right guy in charge and should be a very quick turnaround before we are relevant again. As long as both head coaches stay I expect both of our schools to be fighting at the top of the conference for the foreseeable future. He inherited an absolute disaster from DK who all but crushed what fan base we had, going to take a bit to get butts back in the seats.

Pipkins is going to be the best UMass player since the Cal era and already is showing signs of being a better player than Chaz. Pierre leads the conference in 3PT shooting % and has the best % out of any freshman in the country. However he had no D1 offers coming out of HS before McCall took over. To have any shot those two need to combine for 45+ points against you. Hoping the snow doesn’t hurt attendance because the Ryan Center is such a joy to watch a packed house game.

The basketball world needs more fans like the few of you posting on here.

I think the back and forth chirping is indicative and good for a rivalry that people care about.

Historically you guys have had the edge and handed us more heartbreak than I care to remember. It’d be nice to swing that pendulum our way for a bit

Pipkins is one of the few opposing players who genuinely scares me. If we let them hang around, he makes them especially dangerous.

Rhode_Island_Red wrote:Pipkins is one of the few opposing players who genuinely scares me. If we let them hang around, he makes them especially dangerous.

The kid can score but our perimeter defense is as good as it gets. We have only let up 2 twenty point performances from the oppositions guard position this year. We've yet to let a player in the conference score 20 points or more. It just goes to show Jared terell will shut your best player out

Aside from UMass being wholly average in terms of both offense and defense efficiency, the key metrics that turn this game into Rhody's favor is that UMass is turnover prone and they are well below average in offensive rebounds (exacerbated by keeping Holloway out tonight) while URI turns teams over a ton and actually does a decent job of limiting teams getting offensive rebounds. This tells me that UMass will have their possessions limited putting pressure on their average offense to be way more efficient than they have been. They will need to shoot like they did against La Salle. Although, the last time they played a defense of URI's caliber (South Carolina), UMass was horribly inefficient (less than a point per possession).

Unfortunately unable to attend the game tonight. First PM gets the ticket transfer.

Tickets now gone.

recipe to win is pretty simple with no Holloway...use the 6 pack to smother Pipkins and Pierre

UMass-URI Preview
Daily Hampshire Gazette
Matt Vautour

http://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-puts-wi ... d-14939284


Per Vautour:
Holloway’s indefinite suspension continues. He won’t play against URI.

RF1 wrote:UMass-URI Preview
Daily Hampshire Gazette
Matt Vautour

http://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-puts-wi ... d-14939284


Per Vautour:
Holloway’s indefinite suspension continues. He won’t play against URI.

and the suspension was implemented by the Head Coach so there is that too. Plus UMASS has won the last 3 straight games without Holloway.

Da_Process_Survivor wrote:recipe to win is pretty simple with no Holloway...use the 6 pack to smother Pipkins and Pierre

"The six pack" - of beer?

They have next to no chance without Holloway.

They have good guards, but we just played a team with a better more experienced guard tandem and we wore them down no problem.

We would need quite the let down to lose this one.

Berry could have a big game.

Is the "Yurview" stream free? Don't have Cox as my provider

Mobley and Adams had 60 points vs UMass and beat them 98-78 at Bonnies. It could be a big night for EC and Terrell.

rhody12 wrote:Is the "Yurview" stream free? Don't have Cox as my provider

yes

Think we will get over 7k to the game?

PeterRamTime wrote:Think we will get over 7k to the game?

No way. It looks like less than 4000 now, so hopefully it gets to 4500-5000.

Weather is always an issue, even when it's not really an issue.

Billyboy78 wrote:

PeterRamTime wrote:Think we will get over 7k to the game?

No way. It looks like less than 4000 now, so hopefully it gets to 4500-5000.

I agree, I think we'll be lucky to get 4,500. Midweek, "bad weather", no students still, in reality not the greatest matchup...

Rhodymob05 wrote:Weather is always an issue, even when it's not really an issue.

I am some 40 miles north of Kingston. Snow stopped several hours ago. Temps here above freezing. Road and driveway (after I shoveled) here now down to bare pavement.

We got 6,383 for George Mason and it was snowing, roads worse than now. It was a 4pm game
UMASS should draw better than George Mason, no?

Let’s hope we do and if we don’t we all have to double up on the noise!
Beat zoomass Go Rhody

ramster wrote:We got 6,383 for George Mason and it was snowing, roads worse than now. It was a 4pm game
UMASS should draw better than George Mason, no?

That wasnt a weekday game.

ramster wrote:We got 6,383 for George Mason and it was snowing, roads worse than now. It was a 4pm game
UMASS should draw better than George Mason, no?

one significant difference...Mason was on a SATURDAY.

best case scenario, attendance will be lower on a weeknight given a 7:00 tip. Its extremely difficult to impossible to make it from Providence to Kingston in time assuming you leave work at 5. Nevermind the fact that traffic will be even worse tonight with the weather. You're looking at an 1 hour + in rush hour just to get down there.

rhodysurf wrote:

ramster wrote:We got 6,383 for George Mason and it was snowing, roads worse than now. It was a 4pm game
UMASS should draw better than George Mason, no?

That wasnt a weekday game.

It was not, but we had not won 8 straight games either. School was still out. It was a bigger crowd than people on this board expected.
It was snowing when the game started and when it finished.
I just think estimates of 4,000 to 4,500 are too low. We may not get over 6,000 but I would bet on 6,000 WAY before I would bet on 4,000

Last Season URI played UMASS on Sunday 2:30pm January 15. Attendance was 6,202.
UMASS came in (1-3), URI was (2-2). URI had won @SLU and St Joe's Home and lost consecutively @Dayton and to LaSalle Home.
This year UMASS comes in (3-2) and URI undefeated at (5-0)

ramster wrote:

rhodysurf wrote:

ramster wrote:We got 6,383 for George Mason and it was snowing, roads worse than now. It was a 4pm game
UMASS should draw better than George Mason, no?

That wasnt a weekday game.

It was not, but we had not won 8 straight games either. School was still out. It was a bigger crowd than people on this board expected.
It was snowing when the game started and when it finished.
I just think estimates of 4,000 to 4,500 are too low. We may not get over 6,000 but I would bet on 6,000 WAY before I would bet on 4,000

it still is. classes start 1/22, this weekend is "return weekend"

Rhodymob05 wrote:Weather is always an issue, even when it's not really an issue.

Our fans suck. I left Harrisburg PA at 1pm. Suck it up you elderly cow people. It’s just snow.

Da_Process_Survivor wrote:

ramster wrote:

rhodysurf wrote:
That wasnt a weekday game.

It was not, but we had not won 8 straight games either. School was still out. It was a bigger crowd than people on this board expected.
It was snowing when the game started and when it finished.
I just think estimates of 4,000 to 4,500 are too low. We may not get over 6,000 but I would bet on 6,000 WAY before I would bet on 4,000

it still is. classes start 1/22, this weekend is "return weekend"

I know school is still out. This is my point with mentioning the George Mason Game. School was out them too and we drew 6,383 with School out AND it was snowing

Look at last year's UMASS Game. We had a much worse record of (2-2) vs (5-0) and UMASS was worse at (1-3) versus this year (3-2)

Sorry people, but I would not want to miss this game tonight. I'll be shocked, shocked it the crowd is 4,000 to 4,500. It's not snowing. Roads are fine.
URI is on the verge of Top 25, RPI Forecast of 14th in the Nation. Old Yankee Conference and A10 Rival UMASS in the HOUSE!!!! We got 6,202 last year and we are going to get 4,000 this year???? No way.

Last Season URI played UMASS on Sunday 2:30pm January 15. Attendance was 6,202.
UMASS came in (1-3), URI was (2-2). URI had won @SLU and St Joe's Home and lost consecutively @Dayton and to LaSalle Home.
This year UMASS comes in (3-2) and URI undefeated at (5-0)