1/28 | George Mason | 7:00PM (YurView/Stadium)

[steviep123]

Basketball is a game of runs, we aren't 30 points better than GMU so not sure why one would expect that. We had them at arms length for 35 minutes. In a potential trap game we came out of the gates hot and beyond a few minutes of sloppy play in the 2nd half played a disciplined game on both sides of the ball. Dowtin's defense was almost as impressive as his offense, Moore had put up 30+ in 2 of the last 3 games and looked awful out there.

Not sure why Paulsen never went back to that extended 1-3-1, it caused problems for us and at least gave them a fighters chance. Really odd he never went back to it but I'll take it. There better not be an empty "coat seat" in the house on Friday. Go Rhody!

I don’t want to keep going about this because I feel like what I said was taken in a way I didn’t intend it to be in the first place, but to try to clarify one more time - I didn’t come into the game expecting to win by 30, and the only reason “win by 30” was ever in this discussion is because I said I didn’t want to come across as expecting to win by 30. If you told me that we’d win by 14 at 6pm today, I’d have signed up for that 1000 times out of 1000. But watching the game, we left plays on the floor. They struggled badly to score in the half court, but they did get a decent amount of buckets off second chance points after O rebs and off balls that were deflected or otherwise bouncing around and wound up with GM players more often than Rhody players. We also got to a point in the second half where we seemed to waste some possessions, and had other pretty easy chances inside that we couldn’t convert. You add all that up, and the opportunity was there to blow this team out of the gym, and it wouldn’t have required a perfect game, just a slightly better one.

That said - and I want to be very clear about this - I’m not complaining about the performance or the result! I’m fine with the performance, and I’m very good with the result. Thought maybe there was some room here to say that we did some frustrating stuff on the way to what was an overall satisfying win...didn’t expect to get DRAGGED for that haha. Tough crowd.

You’ll get no argument from me. I felt the same. There was also some danger of GMU getting back into the game. Fortunately it didn’t happen.

[bigappleram]

Basketball is a game of runs, we aren't 30 points better than GMU so not sure why one would expect that. We had them at arms length for 35 minutes. In a potential trap game we came out of the gates hot and beyond a few minutes of sloppy play in the 2nd half played a disciplined game on both sides of the ball. Dowtin's defense was almost as impressive as his offense, Moore had put up 30+ in 2 of the last 3 games and looked awful out there.

Not sure why Paulsen never went back to that extended 1-3-1, it caused problems for us and at least gave them a fighters chance. Really odd he never went back to it but I'll take it. There better not be an empty "coat seat" in the house on Friday. Go Rhody!

I don’t want to keep going about this because I feel like what I said was taken in a way I didn’t intend it to be in the first place, but to try to clarify one more time - I didn’t come into the game expecting to win by 30, and the only reason “win by 30” was ever in this discussion is because I said I didn’t want to come across as expecting to win by 30. If you told me that we’d win by 14 at 6pm today, I’d have signed up for that 1000 times out of 1000. But watching the game, we left plays on the floor. They struggled badly to score in the half court, but they did get a decent amount of buckets off second chance points after O rebs and off balls that were deflected or otherwise bouncing around and wound up with GM players more often than Rhody players. We also got to a point in the second half where we seemed to waste some possessions, and had other pretty easy chances inside that we couldn’t convert. You add all that up, and the opportunity was there to blow this team out of the gym, and it wouldn’t have required a perfect game, just a slightly better one.

That said - and I want to be very clear about this - I’m not complaining about the performance or the result! I’m fine with the performance, and I’m very good with the result. Thought maybe there was some room here to say that we did some frustrating stuff on the way to what was an overall satisfying win...didn’t expect to get DRAGGED for that haha. Tough crowd.

Yes there were an inordinate amount of 50/50 balls that bounced their way, and for sure there was a 4-5 minute stretch of that 2nd half where we decided to take a nap. But shooting 50% from the field, 41% from 3 and committing 9 turnovers seems to indicate a pretty well executed offensive game.

[SandorClegane]

Great defensive game out there. Loved the confidence from Jeff, Martin and Walker. Looked good all around. Great 40 min win. Need Harris back healthy for VCU. Santo-Silva is a tank.
They should also spend the next 3 days trying to scheme for the 1-3-1 press. We look too lacsidayzical our there. How you like that spelling??

[steviep123]

Yes. Don’t get me wrong- the team played well. Just got unnecessarily sloppy at times.

[Running Ram]

lol yeah TP you're in danger of becoming the next doombone.

sometimes 50/50 balls just bounce the wrong way, they were 50/50's because our guys were hustling. Dr. G. was impressed he said we handled a road trap game the way a tournament team does.

no need to respond though I get what you're saying. And missed layups do look sloppy

[NYGFan_Section208]

This (from the gorhody recap) is pretty cool: Rhode Island improved to 4-0 on the road in Atlantic 10 play. Overall, the Rams have won six straight road games in league action, dating back to last season.

[Rhody15]

Cox was quoted saying in Koch’s postgame writeup That we didn’t need Harris in the second Half, at least someone agrees with me.....

(Don’t hate me chill out.)

Smart move, rest him up for Friday, gonna
Need his size.

[DanInAZ]

I am actually in TP's corner for this one... Perhaps its just the college basketball coach's son in me but I saw lots of sloppy play/room for improvement. Good for the coaching staff for the film room. On one hand we should have won by 25+ but w/ Fatts scoring not needed and with limited bodies/foul trouble some of the lack of D effort might be attributed to that. Thankfully GM didn't shoot well from the FT line.

I think this may be a case of expectations as to how the team has been performing lately but I think DC and staff would agree w/ TP and myself and the three other people watching the game w/ me. Just some cleaning things up on D, communication, & unforced errors.

I think the team will be ready to go on Friday. I also expect VCU to play better than the last time they faced URI. Should be a great game.

[luke]

Okay sure, the Rams did not play a perfect game tonight . Free throw shooting was abysmal , some easy layups and put backs did not drop ,
and maybe they bailed out GMU with some unnecessary fouls . On the other hand , they shot the ball very well on the road , shared the ball
and rebounded well . so to my thinking they had a good game on the road in the A 10 which is generally difficult. I am very pleased with the
performance as a whole , despite the above mentioned issues. They may have to play better on Friday to beat VCU and I will be making trek
from NJ once again to support them . This has the potential to be a very special season if they can win Friday and then beat all of the teams
that are below the in the standings . And they will also get two shots at the spectacular Dayton Flyers . We have ten more exciting games
remaining . I want to thank all of the players on this team and also the coaches for providing such a great season so far , and I am looking
forward to rooting for them all the way through April . They have been fun to watch. But as I look forward I remind myself that the players
and fans need to take it one game at a time and no game is a given . It will take a tremendous effort to reach the Dance , one game at a time.
Taken one victory at a time makes the journey seem less insurmountable and therefore an easier task to keep focus Thank you guys for
keeping the focus and achieving your goals which is what we all wish for you.

[eli#10]

There is no way that Mason could out rebound us but they did. We clearly have to do a better job on Friday, especially by Cyril, Walker and Long.

Over and out. One final thought: FTF.

[luke]

Oh , and TP don't you give URI any credit for the poor GMU shooting ? Most shots were heavily contested according to my eyes , don't you agree ?
From my view , the effort was there and that is important . Otherwise , I can see your points to a degree , but players make mistakes and playing
at the speed of play they do sometimes causes occasional sloppiness . Dayton is guilty of it too because they play fast , but in the end it benefits
them to play fast more than it hurts them.

[reef]

That’s a nice solid road win for sure in a potential look ahead game to VCU

Good to see JD getting that outside shot down

Going to be a war Friday night

[Smokinjimit]

The 98 team was 15-5 at this point in the season.

[RhodyKyle]

Cox was quoted saying in Koch’s postgame writeup That we didn’t need Harris in the second Half, at least someone agrees with me.....

(Don’t hate me chill out.)

Smart move, rest him up for Friday, gonna
Need his size.

Credit where credit is due. You were infinitely more positive tonight with your posts. Doesn't it feel better, making you feel lighter, to not have to search deep down for something negative all the time?

I actually liked and agreed with your comments in this thread.

[ramster]

Jacob Toppin streak comes to an end tonight

• He had played all of 2020 without a single Turnover

• That’s 8 games beginning with the Brown Game - an excellent player off the bench for Rhody and a significant contributor to our 7 game streak

• 170 minutes in 8 games without a TO

• He had 2 TOs tonight

• An amazing feat for anybody let alone a Freshman

• And his blocked shot was simply amazing and even more amazing on the replay. Can’t think of anyone who can, and often does, go up to block a shot with both hands and gets the block with one of them or with both hands

• Jacob is going to be something else. A star in the making

[Bill Koch]

Game story and notes from George Mason. Includes reflection on Kobe Bryant, an injury update on Jermaine Harris and signs of improvement from the URI offense.

[wgracie99]

Yes. Don’t get me wrong- the team played well. Just got unnecessarily sloppy at times.

That’s going to happen. Especially with guys playing as many mins as they do. The guards have to play a boatload Jeff 37 Fatts 38 Martin 35 and that can lead to some fatigue and sloppiness. Walker played his most at 25 too.

[gazakaza]

I love that weave right into a backdoor cut! Definitely lulls the opponent to sleep for whatever reason.

Me and a buddy every time it happens just scream WEAVE! It’s great to watch and seems as though it’s been working.

[Rhody83]

Yes. Don’t get me wrong- the team played well. Just got unnecessarily sloppy at times.

That’s going to happen. Especially with guys playing as many mins as they do. The guards have to play a boatload Jeff 37 Fatts 38 Martin 35 and that can lead to some fatigue and sloppiness. Walker played his most at 25 too.

We also have two Fr in the regular rotation that can lead to sloppy play and Walker who is gaining experience after not playing real games for 1 1/2 years. On the defensive end it was noticeable when Cyril was out. Need to stay out of foul trouble Friday.

[EZBuckets]

Another solid road win for Rhody! Friday night is gonna be electric! Hearing there was less than 200 tickets left as of yesterday afternoon. Let’s sell it out!

Also, ICYMI, NBC10 followed me around during the Duquesne game and aired a nice feature during last night’s broadcast

[ramster]

Oh , and TP don't you give URI any credit for the poor GMU shooting ? Most shots were heavily contested according to my eyes , don't you agree ?
From my view , the effort was there and that is important . Otherwise , I can see your points to a degree , but players make mistakes and playing
at the speed of play they do sometimes causes occasional sloppiness . Dayton is guilty of it too because they play fast , but in the end it benefits
them to play fast more than it hurts them.

The defensive pressure has been ramped way up since the Brown and Richmond games. The defense is often responsible for our improved offense as turnovers, blocked shots and missed opponent shots can result in breakaways that can lead to easier/better shots than would be available against fully set up defenses.

Dowtin’s defense has been nothing short of amazing.

I watched him just shut down Duquesne’s playmaking guard Sincere Carry in the 2nd half of the Duquesne game. Dowtin was suffocating, all over Carry even when Carry did not have the ball in his hands. His defense was immense vs LaSalle and then again vs Green and GMU last night. Jeff is leading this defense by example and his offense was not too shabby last night either. Jeff is also handling the ball more during this win streak than prior to the win streak.

[rambone 78]

Yup ramster. Dowtin handling the ball more has been a key for us, along with his and the rest of the teams' defensive play.

[Running Ram]

EZ, very cool!
nice feature, so glad you didn't end up retiring from that position, things wouldn't be the same at the center without you.

[rhodyruckus]

I love that weave right into a backdoor cut! Definitely lulls the opponent to sleep for whatever reason.

Me and a buddy every time it happens just scream WEAVE! It’s great to watch and seems as though it’s been working.

I think it is the nostalgia of watching the Harlem Globetrotters when I was a kid that makes me unusually happy when they start it. It's like "watch out Washington Generals, we're about to three card monte your ass."

[ramster]

I love that weave right into a backdoor cut! Definitely lulls the opponent to sleep for whatever reason.

Me and a buddy every time it happens just scream WEAVE! It’s great to watch and seems as though it’s been working.

I think it is the nostalgia of watching the Harlem Globetrotters when I was a kid that makes me unusually happy when they start it. It's like "watch out Washington Generals, we're about to three card monte your ass."

We have gotten better at running it. Back under Hurley the weave seemed to move slower and sometimes looked a bit disorganized. Now the players move faster and passes are quicker it seems to me.

[bigappleram]

We always go to it when we appear stagnant on offense...it's a mechanism that forces movement when we go through periods of the ball getting sticky and guys watching the ball and not moving.

[PeteRI]

Me and a buddy every time it happens just scream WEAVE! It’s great to watch and seems as though it’s been working.

I think it is the nostalgia of watching the Harlem Globetrotters when I was a kid that makes me unusually happy when they start it. It's like "watch out Washington Generals, we're about to three card monte your ass."

We have gotten better at running it. Back under Hurley the weave seemed to move slower and sometimes looked a bit disorganized. Now the players move faster and passes are quicker it seems to me.

There's no doubt Coach Cox has the team playing a much more dynamic offense than Coach Hurley, especially with the "weave." I used to shudder and close my eyes when they ran it under Dan. Now I watch it eagerly, expecting to see a successful offensive set. What a positive change!

[SlamRam]

Is the purpose of the Weave to have the defense switch off their man in order to create offensive mismatches ?

[sf2010]

Tyrese now averaging 8.5 rbs/gm in conference play. Great rebounding for his size, Stan Robinson-like.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

Another solid road win for Rhody! Friday night is gonna be electric! Hearing there was less than 200 tickets left as of yesterday afternoon. Let’s sell it out!

Also, ICYMI, NBC10 followed me around during the Duquesne game and aired a nice feature during last night’s broadcast

Really nice piece, and well-deserved.


It must have killed Fryuh Frank to air that.

[bigappleram]

Is the purpose of the Weave to have the defense switch off their man in order to create offensive mismatches ?

The purpose is to get 4 guys moving at once, less so to create mismatches but moreso to fight off any stagnation with our offense when 4 guys can ball watch while Jeff or Fatts tries to break down their man. The more guys are moving the better, a stagnant offense is an easy one to guard. Once we come out of the weave the last guy is generally put into a high ball screen and the continuous movement beforehand can leave defenders out of position or not watching the ball and thus harder to help on the ball screen.

[Obadiah]

Anyone got a replay of game?

[Running Ram]

Anyone got a replay of game?

it might still be available on stadium. last time it was the next day. Rhodysurf found the direct link and posted it, but if you check around watchstadium.com it's probably available.

[rhodyfan3000]

It's the same link as last night:

https://watchstadium.com/live/uri-at-george-mason-2/

There are two or three commercials, and then the game starts from the opening.

[Running Ram]

was just tooling around Stadium to see how to find replays. Stadium is awesome! Proves a high quality service can still be run on it's add revenues, all the paying we should have to do is watch some dumb commercials like it always was, all these other pay-sites are double dippin, or too lazy to seriously market add time.

if you go to there 'live' schedule you can select past dates and see what replays are still available.

the game against the Bonnies is still up.

Another 'check' in the 'Pro' column for Stadium!

[ElmCityRhody]

great job EZ and thank you for all that you do for our team

[Billyboy78]

Another solid road win for Rhody! Friday night is gonna be electric! Hearing there was less than 200 tickets left as of yesterday afternoon. Let’s sell it out!

Also, ICYMI, NBC10 followed me around during the Duquesne game and aired a nice feature during last night’s broadcast

Damn, I wish they would have filmed Newport Propane Minute of Mayhem .

[EZBuckets]

Another solid road win for Rhody! Friday night is gonna be electric! Hearing there was less than 200 tickets left as of yesterday afternoon. Let’s sell it out!

Also, ICYMI, NBC10 followed me around during the Duquesne game and aired a nice feature during last night’s broadcast

Really nice piece, and well-deserved.


It must have killed Fryuh Frank to air that.

Believe it or not, it was Frank’s idea to do the story in the first place and approached our SID Shane to pitch it just before the Duquesne game!

[Blue Man]

What can you say about a wire to wire double digit victory on the road? The team didn't play "perfect" but the result sure was. Maximum efficiency benefits and a road conference win. Boom.

We did everything we needed to, and have a couple days to rest up before the most important game of the season.

Kudos to Fatts, Jeff, and Cyril for keeping this team locked on "one game at a time" - and that comes from the coach. The lessons from Brown and Richmond look to have stuck.

Most importantly, the most important thing we needed to see was seen - "who scores when Fatts has an off night?" Jeff and Rese took that up and ran with it.

That's probably the most important lesson out of this because this game is on tape and it shows everyone we play that they can't key on one guy. That we can beat you if you stick on Fatts.

The Koch stat about URI being 13-0 when Jeff scores 20 points or more is telling. No matter who is on or off - if we get Jeff going, this whole team flows.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

Believe it or not, it was Frank’s idea to do the story in the first place and approached our SID Shane to pitch it just before the Duquesne game!

My gob is smacked. My flabber is gasted.

Or maybe he lost a bet ...

[reef]

That’s a fantastic feature great job EZ Buckets !!

[SlamRam]

The only criticism.....we needed the Rhody, Rhody, Rhody cheer....maybe JV's signature event...

[Rhody72]

A couple of late thoughts on the GM game. In the first half the team did a much better job of sharing the basketball than I have seen previously. Fatts and Tyrese made passes off their drives for easy baskets.

I'm worried about our interior defense with Cyril and Harris ailing. Cyril's ankle is affecting his offense. GM abused Walker, Toppin and Long inside. We must do better here against VCU.

[UCH21377]

Is the purpose of the Weave to have the defense switch off their man in order to create offensive mismatches ?

The purpose is to get 4 guys moving at once, less so to create mismatches but moreso to fight off any stagnation with our offense when 4 guys can ball watch while Jeff or Fatts tries to break down their man. The more guys are moving the better, a stagnant offense is an easy one to guard. Once we come out of the weave the last guy is generally put into a high ball screen and the continuous movement beforehand can leave defenders out of position or not watching the ball and thus harder to help on the ball screen.

Wasn't the back door from Cyril to Jeff off the weave too?

[Taylor Swift]

Another solid road win for Rhody! Friday night is gonna be electric! Hearing there was less than 200 tickets left as of yesterday afternoon. Let’s sell it out!

Also, ICYMI, NBC10 followed me around during the Duquesne game and aired a nice feature during last night’s broadcast

Damn, I wish they would have filmed Newport Propane Minute of Mayhem .

It really is a crowd favorite

[Obadiah]

Thanks for replay info. It's amazing how many bunnies Langevine and the team missed in this game.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Thanks for replay info. It's amazing how many bunnies Langevine and the team missed in this game.

What's actually been maybe just as amazing lately is...they've thrown up a lot of bad looking layups...and quite a few of them have gone in...