Week # 13 - Games of Interest

[BPR2010]

Nova is good.
PC without a full strength Bentil hard pressed to beat a team that talented.
Only warning sign is fatigue for Dunn/Bentil -- they have carried them with superman performances almost every night and lots of minutes.
Could rear its head as they enter home stretch. Barring a Jim Baron-like collapse (lose 7-8 in a row) they are a lock.

I think the fatigue point you made is spot on. Their lack of depth goes hand in hand with that, and was really exposed in the Xavier game specifically (X may be the deepest team in the nation). Yes, Bentil and Dunn are both likely 1st team all Big East performers, but fatigue/lack of additional help, it seems to be wearing on PC.

Definitely doesn't help that Bentil is hurt, but Dunn has put up 2 pretty bad games in a row by his standards as well. I still think they're a lock, plenty of quality wins and a great SOS/RPI as of now. I cringed when you mentioned "Baron-like collapse". No good memories there.

[Obadiah]

Only one game in the A10 this afternoon - Saint Louis at St. Bonaventure. 2 PM. On NBC Sports. The Bonnies are in a dogfight for a tourney bye and this road contest versus a lower level team is a needed win to keep them on track toward that goal.

[ATPTourFan]

[Obadiah]

Pretty exciting game and a surprisingly close tussle as St. Bonaventure edged Saint Louis, 65-62. Saint Louis led most of the way and the Bonnies finally got the lead on a Posely 3-pointer with 90 seconds left in game. The Billikens later tied the game with 16 seconds left, but Jaylen Adams put in a three at the buzzer to get the win for SBU..

[rjsuperfly66]

I don't see the PC issues as a fatigue issue.
But I don't know where to place it?
They start slow.
These are the U8 scores for PC.
@Butler - down 22-17
vs. SJU - winning 25-20 (were losing 18-11)
vs. Marquette - losing 22-10 (were losing 7-0)
@ Creighton - losing 19-10
vs. Seton Hall - tied 21-21
vs. Butler - losing 22-20
@ Nova - Losing 20-13
vs. Xavier - Tied 20-20 (were losing 7-0)
@ Georgetown - Winning 23-22
@ DePaul - Tied 26-26 (were losing 8-0)
vs. Nova - Losing 25-10 (were losing 10-0)
They were winning twice, tied 3 times, and losing 6 times.

[ramster]

I don't see the PC issues as a fatigue issue.
But I don't know where to place it?
They start slow.
These are the U8 scores for PC.
@Butler - down 22-17
vs. SJU - winning 25-20 (were losing 18-11)
vs. Marquette - losing 22-10 (were losing 7-0)
@ Creighton - losing 19-10
vs. Seton Hall - tied 21-21
vs. Butler - losing 22-20
@ Nova - Losing 20-13
vs. Xavier - Tied 20-20 (were losing 7-0)
@ Georgetown - Winning 23-22
@ DePaul - Tied 26-26 (were losing 8-0)
vs. Nova - Losing 25-10 (were losing 10-0)
They were winning twice, tied 3 times, and losing 6 times.

I agree, I don't see fatigue as an issue as Cooley has always played Dunn a lot of minutes, last year included. Cooley has always gone heavy minutes with his star players especially as the season progresses, I don't think he will change that.

What do you think of the comments on the PC Board about Dunn showing disinterest and not engaged at times or not always hustling on defense? Dunn has shot 5-20 and 4-15 in his last two games? Do you think the double teaming is taking it's toll on Dunn? Zeke looked good last game - do you think he should be back in starting line up? Lindsey still struggling with shooting - do you think he has the potential to become a full fledged starter?

Having lost 3 of last 4 is tough but your upcoming schedule looks like you will have to get out of this funk fast:
@ Marquette 15-9 (4-7) but at a place where PC has never won going 0-9 at Marquette - will be a very tough one to win
Georgetown 13-11 (6-5) should win but never know which Georgetown team shows up to play - they can be tough
@ #6 Xavier 21-2 (9-2) I saw JP Macura play AAU ball and thought he was descent but he has turned out much better than I expected, never thought he would be in Xavier's starting line up this quickly and contributing as much as he is. Won 9 of last 10 but lost at home to Georgetown
@ Seton Hall 17-6 (7-4) Won las 4. Delgado and Whitehead playing very well
Then finish with DePaul (H), Creighton (H) and St John's (A) so an easier finish but next 4 games could be tough - certainly will be very telling as to final Seed in NCAA and for Seeding in BE Tournament

Interesting to read you board when in a losing streak, starts to sound like ours and those of other teams when a losing streak occurs. Complaints about Dunn, Cooley.............funny thread is titled "Sit Down" that is 4 pages complaining about how the Students Remain standing at the start of the game and at the start of the 2nd half until the first basket is scored for PC. Saying it puts too much pressure on the players. Funny how things like this don't matter when winning but then when losing they pop up and become "an issue"

[rjsuperfly66]

I don't see the PC issues as a fatigue issue.
But I don't know where to place it?
They start slow.
These are the U8 scores for PC.
@Butler - down 22-17
vs. SJU - winning 25-20 (were losing 18-11)
vs. Marquette - losing 22-10 (were losing 7-0)
@ Creighton - losing 19-10
vs. Seton Hall - tied 21-21
vs. Butler - losing 22-20
@ Nova - Losing 20-13
vs. Xavier - Tied 20-20 (were losing 7-0)
@ Georgetown - Winning 23-22
@ DePaul - Tied 26-26 (were losing 8-0)
vs. Nova - Losing 25-10 (were losing 10-0)
They were winning twice, tied 3 times, and losing 6 times.

I agree, I don't see fatigue as an issue as Cooley has always played Dunn a lot of minutes, last year included. Cooley has always gone heavy minutes with his star players especially as the season progresses, I don't think he will change that.

What do you think of the comments on the PC Board about Dunn showing disinterest and not engaged at times or not always hustling on defense? Dunn has shot 5-20 and 4-15 in his last two games? Do you think the double teaming is taking it's toll on Dunn? Zeke looked good last game - do you think he should be back in starting line up? Lindsey still struggling with shooting - do you think he has the potential to become a full fledged starter?

Having lost 3 of last 4 is tough but your upcoming schedule looks like you will have to get out of this funk fast:
@ Marquette 15-9 (4-7) but at a place where PC has never won going 0-9 at Marquette - will be a very tough one to win
Georgetown 13-11 (6-5) should win but never know which Georgetown team shows up to play - they can be tough
@ #6 Xavier 21-2 (9-2) I saw JP Macura play AAU ball and thought he was descent but he has turned out much better than I expected, never thought he would be in Xavier's starting line up this quickly and contributing as much as he is. Won 9 of last 10 but lost at home to Georgetown
@ Seton Hall 17-6 (7-4) Won las 4. Delgado and Whitehead playing very well
Then finish with DePaul (H), Creighton (H) and St John's (A) so an easier finish but next 4 games could be tough - certainly will be very telling as to final Seed in NCAA and for Seeding in BE Tournament

Interesting to read you board when in a losing streak, starts to sound like ours and those of other teams when a losing streak occurs. Complaints about Dunn, Cooley.............funny thread is titled "Sit Down" that is 4 pages complaining about how the Students Remain standing at the start of the game and at the start of the 2nd half until the first basket is scored for PC. Saying it puts too much pressure on the players. Funny how things like this don't matter when winning but then when losing they pop up and become "an issue"

I'll break it down to parts.

Dunn- I don't think Dunn is disinterested, but I do think he is frustrated. He's not getting to the basket, he's forcing shots, forcing passes. Early in the game, they are not making plays, falling behind, and he starts to play the role of "hero," which isn't a successful style of basketball. I think if guys hit shots and make plays early, it'll making everyone play a little more free. Nearly always starting from behind has to take a toll on the guys.

Lineup - I like Zeke, but the biggest problem PC has had this year is the lack of consistent options behind Bentil and Dunn. Bullock early looked like a solid 3rd, but he's really struggled in BE play. Cartwright provided a spark for a few games, but at times he's a liability on defense. And Zeke can hit shots, but can sometimes be easy to defend and is average at best on defense. But I'd rather Zeke out there than say Lomomba, who hasn't really provided much on offense or defense recently. He's a slasher/defense guy who I don't think has done much of either. Lindsey is one of the most frustrating Friars I remember in some time. He's just so inconsistent, but when he's playing with intensity he may make a few 3's and play tough defense, he has a role. For that, I like him coming off the bench for the rest of the season.

NCAA - To me it's not a lock. PC can lock it up in the next few weeks, but they have tough games coming up as you detailed. Right now last week alone they probably slipped from a 4 to a 6-7, at least. If they go 1-2 in their next 3, they probably fall to an 8-9. Can't worry about rankings anymore.

The "sit-down" thread is amusing. 2 years ago I believe, they started having every stand up until the first PC basket was made. Some don't like it because it was taken from other schools, others don't like it because they think it adds pressure to the team. I like it because I think it's a cool image in a big game, the past few games the Dunk has been wild pre-tip but the team has ruined good crowd efforts. Seing 12.5K standing and clapping to Zombie Nation or Thunderstruck is cool. But whatever the case may be, 2-4 on the home court is an extreme disappointment.

[NYGFan_Section208]

"Seeing 12.5K standing and clapping to Zombie Nation or Thunderstruck is cool."
This is not just 'cool'...it is VERY cool....and just one of many things that make college hoops so awesome.

[rjsuperfly66]

I was on a conference call, you are right 208, it's amazing. The students chanting to the National Anthem, the taunting of the opposition, the buzz, the size of the venue feeling like the roof could explode at any minute, it's all things unique to college basketball.

[ramster]

I was on a conference call, you are right 208, it's amazing. The students chanting to the National Anthem, the taunting of the opposition, the buzz, the size of the venue feeling like the roof could explode at any minute, it's all things unique to college basketball.

It's a shame to be losing on your home court after having done so well with the road games. Who would have predicted that scenario?
They said on TV tickets were going for $1000 each before the game. Had to be a great environment.

[rjsuperfly66]

Ive said the disappointing thing for me isn't that the team lost, because you expect teams in the top 5 or top 10 to be able to compete at a high-level home or away. The thing that disappointed me the most was that in both games, PC only showed up for about 7-10 minutes, that the games were largely uncompetitive, and that they wasted a lot of early energy that would have had the crowd standing and cheering and screaming most of the night. If you lose a great college basketball game in the last few minutes, there's at least a small part of you that is upset about the loss, but can appreciate what you witnessed. I did not feel that in either game, which made it suck that much more.

[ramster]

I know what you mean RJ. Not just for the crowd in attendance but also for the TV viewers.
It's like with our game at home this Friday with 16th ranked Dayton (latest CBS poll out yesterday) on ESPN2. If we los, we lose but I want the game competitive and exciting up to the end. For URI it's even more important since not as many ranked opponents as the BE has now. Just not the number of opportunities.

[ATPTourFan]

Friday night, students on campus, name brand ranked opponent. Oooooh that's gonna be fun.

[ace]

As for Cooley and Providence, I'm enjoying both the local and national range of opinions that seem to go from he can't coach an offense to he should be the coach of the year. Consensus!

[rjsuperfly66]

He'd probably have to go on a run now to even get a few votes for COY.
When you are near the Top 10, he had a legit case.
As a team ranked 17-25, not so much.
At this point, I'd have to say Fran McCaffrey and Chris Mack are the leaders, Bob Huggins not far off. Maybe if someone like Villanova finishes #1, Jay Wright has a chance.

[ATPTourFan]

These awards given out before the NCAA tournament helps Jay Wright. His teams usually crash out early when seeded highly.

[bigappleram]

Nova is over ranked. No way they are the #1 team in the country. I think them and Xavier are neck and neck, but prob in the 6-10 range when the dust settles. For as good as Nova is in the back court, they are light in the paint besides Ochefu. The wrong matchup in March (a big front court team) could spell another early exit. Xavier seems more built for March.