11/29 | University of San Francisco | 5:30 PM (ESPNU) | Bubbleville – Mohegan Sun

[JimSidd]

Defense definitely better these last two games. Guys not leaving their feet on the slightest fake as they did the first two games. I think this helped keep the fouling down. They got totally out of position and were put into poor rotations every time guys left their feet.
I was pleasantly surprised the free throw shooting got cleaned up so quickly, especially with the Mitchells. Hopefully these last two games will be closer to the norm.
Still rushed threes early in the shot clock and standing around at times, but the offense is getting better.
The biggest area that needs improvement right now is defensive rebounding. I haven’t checked tonight’s game stats yet, but I think South Florida had 16 offensive rebounds. The guards are going to need to help out, at least against the better rebounding teams.

[PeterRamTime]

Was nice to see the team bounce back after a disappointing start to the season with the first two games. Nearly pulled the ASU one off but should good character putting it behind them and getting the next two convincingly.

The depth of this team is key. Shepard didnt have s good game today but we didnt need him. Which exemplifies the offensive versatility of this team offensively.

This team on any given night can beat Richnond and Saint louis if they play together as a team and play well.

Excited to watch this team moving forward. The team chemistry will only get better and the rust will be worked off.
Love the jump Twan is demonstrating from last year to this year. On to seton hall. Let's get the next one. Better for us that bryce Aiken will be out for this one.

Still gonna be really tough. Aiken only played 8 minutes and made one shot against Louisville and Seton Hall did everything but win that one.

Hopefully we have Jermaine.

[rhodyruckus]

I was pleasantly surprised the free throw shooting got cleaned up so quickly, especially with the Mitchells. Hopefully these last two games will be closer to the norm.

After watching the first game contrasted with the last few games, you could tell me the Mitchell twins shot anywhere from 25% to 75% from the line in high school and I'd believe you!

[PeterRamTime]

Interesting stat.

San Francisco put up 25 more shots than we did!

[luke]

Somehow my original post is gone , so I will repeat that it was a team effort . everyone contributed . Walker, Carey, Mitchells and Martin were pluses .
Leggett played strong like a soph. great effort on a rebound and put back. Fatts was Fatts and Sheppard was steady . Harris contributed in his brief time on the court . They have a lot of options to score and DJ Johnson and Sheppard give them 3 point shooters along with Fatts. Nice win . Hope they can
keep it rolling against Seton Hall .

[Rhodymob05]

Interesting stat.

San Francisco put up 25 more shots than we did!

They shot at will, looked like an arcade basketball game.

[Section104]

My thoughts on the game:
The depth of this team is by far our greatest strength. I don't recall a team anywhere close to this deep and that's with 3 guys redshirting that could be contributors in the future. I mean how many teams have the luxury of a 6'10 big that can pickup 10 fouls a game. That's essentially what we have with the Mitchell twins. Both are GREAT pieces in a conference like the A10 and a lot of my concerns after game 1 and 2 (FT shooting) have been put to rest with their capable strokes the last 2 games.

Newcomers:

Malik Martin, I believe, will be a bit of a swiss-army-knife. You get great defense, a player that can play numerous positions, and a shot that historically has been above average. I thought his drive to the hoop this weekend where he crossed back through his legs was one of the better plays of the week.

Jalen Carey has an incredible ability to get to the hoop. He can finish with both hands and has length to allow for some easy buckets. He has a little bit of EC Matthews in him in that regard, but without the outside shot. The fact he's just a sophomore, and someone that can technically play 4 more years for us, is incredible.

Mitchell Twins have been impressive. Their length allows them to grab some rebounds that they were slightly out of position for. I would still like to see a little more boxing out, but I think that will improve with time. They both have good post moves and have missed some bunnies that will go down as they get their legs under them.

Shep - I love his game. A little too streetball for my liking when dribbling in space, but he has a capable shot, is a pretty sure hand running point, and finds his teammates well. A welcome addition that I hope sticks around next year as well.

Ish Leggett - I think he's going to be a serious player in Kingston. I'm not quite sure who he reminds me of, but seems to have an energy like Terrell without the monster frame. I think of 4 year guards like Cassius Winston and Payton Pritchard that weren't super athletes, but made winning plays for winning programs. I'm not saying he'll get anywhere close to that, but I don't think you need to be a lanky athlete to excel in this league.

DJ - man is he long. He's obviously missing a lot of the talent pieces required, but in my opinion he's the most NBA-likely player on our roster, which is crazy to think about. You don't find athletic length like that often that can step out and hit the three. I'm not saying he's NBA bound, but I think he has a better chance than anyone that's active on our roster today.

I still don't quite understand why Bertrand isn't pushing for immediate eligibility if its a "free" year. Regardless, I think the entire team is meshing well and has enough personalities that genuinely like each other that we should see improvement as the year goes on. Last year you'd watch the game and just kind of expect the entire team to transfer after the year. You have 10+ guys that appear they like being there and like each others company. I like the idea of being the transfer destination for second chances.

I feel for Jermaine Harris. I hope we're able to see him healthy at some point in his time in Kingston. Luckily we have a little room with depth and extended rest periods this season.

Fatts is Fatts. Continue drawing fouls and points will pile up. I'm sure he'll find his shot at some point.

Antwan has been a pleasant surprise. Not that long, but his athleticism makes up for that.

Great rebound after a tough 2 losses to begin the year. I really like this team. There will be duds, but I think when its "on" we'll be tough to beat.

[Blue Man]

My thoughts on the game:
The depth of this team is by far our greatest strength. I don't recall a team anywhere close to this deep and that's with 3 guys redshirting that could be contributors in the future. I mean how many teams have the luxury of a 6'10 big that can pickup 10 fouls a game. That's essentially what we have with the Mitchell twins. Both are GREAT pieces in a conference like the A10 and a lot of my concerns after game 1 and 2 (FT shooting) have been put to rest with their capable strokes the last 2 games.

Newcomers:

Malik Martin, I believe, will be a bit of a swiss-army-knife. You get great defense, a player that can play numerous positions, and a shot that historically has been above average. I thought his drive to the hoop this weekend where he crossed back through his legs was one of the better plays of the week.

Jalen Carey has an incredible ability to get to the hoop. He can finish with both hands and has length to allow for some easy buckets. He has a little bit of EC Matthews in him in that regard, but without the outside shot. The fact he's just a sophomore, and someone that can technically play 4 more years for us, is incredible.

Mitchell Twins have been impressive. Their length allows them to grab some rebounds that they were slightly out of position for. I would still like to see a little more boxing out, but I think that will improve with time. They both have good post moves and have missed some bunnies that will go down as they get their legs under them.

Shep - I love his game. A little too streetball for my liking when dribbling in space, but he has a capable shot, is a pretty sure hand running point, and finds his teammates well. A welcome addition that I hope sticks around next year as well.

Ish Leggett - I think he's going to be a serious player in Kingston. I'm not quite sure who he reminds me of, but seems to have an energy like Terrell without the monster frame. I think of 4 year guards like Cassius Winston and Payton Pritchard that weren't super athletes, but made winning plays for winning programs. I'm not saying he'll get anywhere close to that, but I don't think you need to be a lanky athlete to excel in this league.

DJ - man is he long. He's obviously missing a lot of the talent pieces required, but in my opinion he's the most NBA-likely player on our roster, which is crazy to think about. You don't find athletic length like that often that can step out and hit the three. I'm not saying he's NBA bound, but I think he has a better chance than anyone that's active on our roster today.

I still don't quite understand why Bertrand isn't pushing for immediate eligibility if its a "free" year. Regardless, I think the entire team is meshing well and has enough personalities that genuinely like each other that we should see improvement as the year goes on. Last year you'd watch the game and just kind of expect the entire team to transfer after the year. You have 10+ guys that appear they like being there and like each others company. I like the idea of being the transfer destination for second chances.

I feel for Jermaine Harris. I hope we're able to see him healthy at some point in his time in Kingston. Luckily we have a little room with depth and extended rest periods this season.

Fatts is Fatts. Continue drawing fouls and points will pile up. I'm sure he'll find his shot at some point.

Antwan has been a pleasant surprise. Not that long, but his athleticism makes up for that.

Great rebound after a tough 2 losses to begin the year. I really like this team. There will be duds, but I think when its "on" we'll be tough to beat.

Because I'm lazy, I'm going to build off of this because it was spot on.

An incredibly likable team - they all put effort in everything they do.

Also not talked about enough: the bench MOB is going to be fire this year. Funny because we're so deep - you're not going to see a ton of constant pine-riders; just players resting and waiting to get back in.

Malik Martin is TJ Buchanan with a larger frame and higher ceiling.

Every single player is so active on the defensive end - rebounds, swipes at exposed balls, cutting off passing lanes, affecting shots. This really is a Dave Cox dream team - everyone is long with active arms. This is the style he's wanted to play.

And because of that style - WE'RE RUNNING AGAIN. Best part about the last two games was transition offense. That's when we're at our best. Run teams off the floor and then throw your second unit in. Losing Harris will hurt our depth a bit, but we almost have 2 starting lineups on this team capable of being a top A10 team.

Fatts, Shepp, Martin, Walker, Mitchell - Ish, Carey, DJ, Mitchell. That's the deepest team we've had, possibly ever. Hurley's 17-18 team was deep at guard, but lacked a front court. This team, if fully meshed, might be good enough to beat that team.

Best part about it - outside of Fatts/Shepp - our 3/4/5 starting lineup can change on a game to game basis. Cox already showed he's willing to do that, which is great.

I think the only complaint, which feels nearly universal, would be to get Fatts to stop taking so many 3's. Fatts is the fastest player I've ever seen at URI, and that includes Tyson Wheeler. He's elite at slashing and passing. He's going to have a senior season from the free throw line that will only be bested by Jimmy Baron's.

The coaches need to be getting Fatts to realize what he's best at: driving the lane, getting to the basket and either a) passing to the open guy who's been freed up once the D collapses, b) scoring, c) drawing the foul and getting to the line where he's an 85%+ shooter, or d) and-1.

Would've obviously preferred 3-1 out of the bubble - but SF should be a Q2 when all is said and done. Onto the next!

[Jersey77]

I agree with your take on Fatts. The first 2 losses he attempted 14 3pointers and shot 11 free throws, the 2 wins he took 10 3pointers and had 17 foul shots. He should take the 3 pointer when he is open because he can shoot but doesn't need to force it. His biggest asset is his quickness and ability to beat his defender off the dribble and penetrate. He is a solid finisher, can dish off, and has the skill to draw fouls. He got more than half his points in the last game from the foul line going 11 for 11. I think he realizes what it takes to make this team better and be a leader.

[PeteRI]

I agree that the depth on this team is nuts. Just an astounding difference from last year's squad, and a testament to Coach Cox and his staff's recruiting ability.

We have TEN legitimate players on the team - and Tres Berry isn't even in the rotation. Who thought that would be possible at the end of last season?!

[PeterRamTime]

Interesting stat.

San Francisco put up 25 more shots than we did!

They shot at will, looked like an arcade basketball game.

Lol!

The epitomized jacking up shots.

[reef]

Nice win feels good to get to 2-2

Big one v S Hall

[Seawrightspostgame]

I wish they would give URI credit for beating San Fran

They beat a really good Virginia team and are the kind of team that could knock off gonzaga on a hood shooting night. This will look good.

My comments were in reference to the commentators. They kept making excuses for why San Fran didn't have it against URI.

[reef]

San Fran puts a whack down on Reno so that helps Rhody