Game #15: @ LSU - Saturday Jan 4 @ 5:30pm ET

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

agreed bone, i actually hated the way we approached breaking the press in previous games and especially in this one.

i hope the staff works on this because some of our guys looked like a deer in headlights at the sight of a trap.

a few glaring holes - no one comes to the ball, everyone is fading away looking for space. lots of lateral ball movement, not a lot of vertical. makes for long passes susceptible to being picked off and turned into 2 points, and causes us to never attack a press but merely at our best break it and get into a halfcourt offense. with slashers like EC and X, and a big who can handle the ball like Gil or even a TJ as a point/forward, we should be finding target men in the middle of the pressure and looking for the slashers up the wings.

and Biggie needs to get MUCH MORE STABLE in handling the ball. he drives into trouble, exposes the dribble too much, and at times does one great thing and one boneheaded thing. need much more consistent leadership at the PG position. regardless of the defense.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 10 years ago

Agree BAR

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

agree with Rod. the other thing about X, that unfairly hurts his percentages, is that he is our only guy that can force action when the shot clock is expiring. so he almost always is forced the ball when we haven't found anything on offense in the first 25-30 seconds. this causes him to take 2-3 bad shots per game that are unavoidable. EC has now proven he can be a consistent end of shot clock guy as well, so hopefully with more weapons we are harder to stop.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 10 years ago

Other thing that was HUGE was hurleys game management. Everyones been critical of it, and rightfully so in those situations... but having one time out for the last 9 minutes and calling it 9.2 seconds into a backcourt possession to take that time off the clock and away from lsu was huge.dc

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 10 years ago

BAR: I don't mean to crap all over X. He had a good game. But I don't recall the scenario you're describing happening in this game. X's misses on 3s were open shots. (I actually think he's a better shooter when covered.)

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 10 years ago

Blue Man wrote:Other thing that was HUGE was hurleys game management. Everyones been critical of it, and rightfully so in those situations... but having one time out for the last 9 minutes and calling it 9.2 seconds into a backcourt possession to take that time off the clock and away from lsu was huge.dc

While you're offering apologies you might as well include Hurley for your Baron mask comment

hrstrat57 · Unread post by **hrstrat57** » 10 years ago

We have the players to attack a press, this will certainly get fixed.

Foul shooting getting better and clearly our ability to make driving layups has been improved in practice.

League play could be interesting.....there are not any stronger teams in the a 10 then the team we beat yesterday......

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

Iggy, perhaps in this game you are right but that also coincides with what was likely our best offensive execution game of the season (even with the atrocious TOs). so that scenario happened less if at all this game. but against USM i counted 3 times he forced a contested shot with less than 5 seconds on the shot clock. i think you would find that in a bunch of games to this point. hope it changes and his shooting percentages reflect that. i agree he seems better at contested shots. i think we can all agree X is more scorer, than shooter.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

how about a huge play that hasn't been discussed, Gil slips a pass to Iffy in last 2 minutes and he MAKES the layup!!! in context that was a big play.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 10 years ago

Gil is an excellent interior passer. He hasn't had many chances to show that.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Isn't it amazing how a couple of games can change everybody's perception of things?

This team will still have it's up and down moments in every game, but the up's are getting better and more frequent.

And I know Rod you were right about the team getting better in January, and I also know that you don't predict results game by game, but you've got to admit this:

Did you REALLY think we were going to beat LSU?

I had us competing until the end, but falling short. Shame on me for that.

I now think we have a chance to win any game starting Tuesday. It should be fun.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

I think it was a trap game for LSU.
They probably figured we were a walk-over.
As I said early in this thread,
"We can stay with them with 3's. Pray that Munford and Matthews are on."
I didn't expect Biruta to be among the 3 point shooters or play such
a great game against their frontline.
I always talked about how long it took Lamar to get his game untracked after sitting for a year.
So many new players, mean they had to search for chemistry and cohesion.
That takes time.
Plus the unexpected Hare-Aaman calamity, hurt us inside and depth wise.
This further delayed progress.
So, Dan dances with who brung us, as Darryl Royal used to say in Texas.
The upsides to Matthews and Martin are huge, and Oneykaba and Butler are still
in the development stage, but they too have upsides. Biggie, too, although he
has the spotlight on him as a starting PG. TJ is TJ.
Maybe Reischel can progress, or digress actually, to the player he was in early season?
Biruta finding his game and confidence, could be huge for the rest of the season.
The best is yet to come, folks!
Let's just show up on Tuesday and STAND UP and cheer this team on.

Obadiah · Unread post by **Obadiah** » 10 years ago

No shame in that rambone. Many of us predicted a loss. We have all differing views of games and doses of optimism and pessimism.

neil · Unread post by **neil** » 10 years ago

We will need alot of cheering on Tuesday. St Louis will be a handfull. Now if we can get 5000 people in the stands along with continued improvement...

ramster · Unread post by **ramster** » 10 years ago

Rambone,
Really my perception has not changed.
What I am optimistic about is that now we have the 4 M's and Biruta starting which is what I have wanted since before Game 1.
I predicted 15-16 before the season and still think that is a likely scenario. 9-6 plus 6-10. I originally thought 8-7 and 7-9 so maybe we will do better in Conference play than I thought but it will be tough. I do like our line up now and would not change anything.
I even predicted we would beat LSU - but that was lucky too I admit. Fact is though that these guys are probably the best starting 5 and the best Coach team we have had in a long time.
Will be fun to watch A10 play and know we are headed to NY City.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Agree totally Ramster.

The last two games, especially yesterday's, have changed my outlook for the rest of this season. I had to SEE results, prove that we could play against a good team [on the road no less] before that could happen.

Before this, I thought we were going to get hammered in A10 play. Now I think we've got a shot to finish in the .500 vicinity. Much better.

Ramulous · Unread post by **Ramulous** » 10 years ago

The thing is that the A-10 is one of the best conferences in the country !!!

Just ask the Louisiana press and LSU coaches.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 10 years ago

Breaking a press is a combination of a mindset and execution. If you fear a press, you will turn the ball over. If you attack a press with proper execution, you get layups.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

I think we hadn't seen a good press yet this year, with their length and athleticism.

That threw us off. Biggie's got to work on his handle though.

Dan will have them better prepared the next time they see it.

ChiPhiRhody03 · Unread post by **ChiPhiRhody03** » 10 years ago

GansettRam74 wrote:
ChiPhiRhody03 wrote:You fellas need to take it easy on Hurley. He, like this team, is a work in progress. That said, nice win - possible confidence/momentum builder. Love seeing E.C. picking up his game. Kid's on a roll right now.[/

Hey 03, Is EC's game better than M.N??????

Ha. I believe the answer to that is no. Now dislocate!

Roz · Unread post by **Roz** » 10 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Ramster, how about a little love for X?
He had 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks, not to mention
some clutch shots when they were needed.
Ram Stampede, it's the close wins that build character and confidence.

X is the one player we don't have to worry about finishing and don't have to worry about missed layups

GansettRam74 · Unread post by **GansettRam74** » 10 years ago

ChiPhiRhody03 wrote:
GansettRam74 wrote:
ChiPhiRhody03 wrote:You fellas need to take it easy on Hurley. He, like this team, is a work in progress. That said, nice win - possible confidence/momentum builder. Love seeing E.C. picking up his game. Kid's on a roll right now.[/

Hey 03, Is EC's game better than M.N??????

Ha. I believe the answer to that is no. Now dislocate!

Double OB by probably 10yrs my fine sir so there is no way I'll dislocate. Lol. A black diamond too so beware!

rhodyfan3 · Unread post by **rhodyfan3** » 10 years ago

neil wrote:We will need alot of cheering on Tuesday. St Louis will be a handfull. Now if we can get 5000 people in the stands along with continued improvement...

There won't be any students there which is very disappointing.

bressler3south · Unread post by **bressler3south** » 10 years ago

That's a perpetual state of being, students-wise.

RIhoopz14 · Unread post by **RIhoopz14** » 10 years ago

Are we involved with any recruits from the Louisiana area?? Doubt it, but that win could have been nice for recruiting. I'm scared to say that I really think Dan lost his "calling card" for recruits when Bobby left.

Rhodymob05 · Unread post by **Rhodymob05** » 10 years ago

ill be there, but yea a large amount of students are still out of state and who know how many basketball fans make up the in state ones.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Bobby leaving has definitely imo affected recruiting. To what degree I don't know, we'll find out soon enough, by next spring anyway.

What WILL help, though, is more wins like Saturday's. The national press already has taken note. The more Dan gets his name, and the program, out there the better it should get for recruiting.

Start winning, and recruits will start looking at us in a different light.

Running Ram · Unread post by **Running Ram** » 10 years ago

Bobby is a branch from the Dan Hurley coaching tree. The recruits will keep coming don't fret.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 10 years ago

Rhodymob05 wrote:ill be there, but yea a large amount of students are still out of state and who know how many basketball fans make up the in state ones.

Rhody72 · Unread post by **Rhody72** » 10 years ago

It is not going to be very difficult for this team to play better - cut down on the turnovers, make foul shoots, maintain leads, play smart, continue doing what you are doing - but it will take commitment.

SlyWilliamsCaddy · Unread post by **SlyWilliamsCaddy** » 10 years ago

hopefully people show up Tuesday. ill be there but with a gf that is from out of state and a current student, I can tell you that there will be a tiny student population there if any at all.

the bottom line is the majority of students are out of staters nowadays per the new admission protocol that's been active since 2004 and sadly although there are hardcore basketball crazies, most of them are fairweather fans at best.

if the team wins they will be there, if we play a game against a bigtime opponent; ie the Umass game later this year or vcu or Xavier or any team with a national ranking or prominence, they will be there. if we play PC, they will be there. but other then that the majority out of state students don't really care about the team unless they are winning.

Sad to say but true. To think that with a couple extra made free throws against GM PC and Detroit and this team is 12-3 and the toast of the town. like DH said, we have to change the culture as a whole. so much left to do but were on our way for sure. go rhody.

RoadyJay · Unread post by **RoadyJay** » 10 years ago

Don't something like 56% of students live in RI? Thought I saw that somewhere recently.

bressler3south · Unread post by **bressler3south** » 10 years ago

RoadyJay wrote:Don't something like 56% of students live in RI? Thought I saw that somewhere recently.

Makes no difference, Roadyjay…..
If you're a Rhode Islander, you should know that going cross-town in Cranston requires a passport.

rhodyfan3 · Unread post by **rhodyfan3** » 10 years ago

I have a group of friends who are going to go to the game. I also won tickets from Newport Propane so I will be giving those 2 tickets to some friends who graduated last year. I guarantee 8 students! Lol

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 10 years ago

Is if safe to come back? Has everyone gotten it together, taken a step back from the ledge? Maybe? Good enough.

The game- how much fun was that?! Even more fun was watching the replay on ESPN3 knowing the outcome. I greatly enjoyed the announcer describing Hurley as "calm." He was right, though, in the specific situation that he was describing, which was when LSU was making one of their runs in the second half. Hurley's demeanor was perfectly calm, and it's what the team needed. There was enough frenetic activity on the floor at the time, the team didn't need to see it on the sidelines. This game gave me some flashbacks to the Wagner win at Pitt in 2011. Pitt was ranked at the time, so better than LSU, but the Wagner team had more experience together. Regardless, both wins were upsets on the road and you could see real growth outside of what showed up in the boxscore.

What we have right now (can't project any further than that, even to Tuesday) is a team that's buying in. They're accepting the game plan and playing their guts out for their coach. Listen to what the guys are saying; it's good. I'm not sure I can emphasize enough how important this game was for Biruta's head. At his best, he can still be an inconsistent player, but I'll take him every single time. This season as a whole is going to be uneven, but as long as the trend is upward, I'm fine with it. Who knows what the record will be but hopefully it comes close to reflecting the expected effort and individual player development.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 10 years ago

I thought the players had tuned Hurley out because he yelled too much

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Welcome back Ace!
You touched on something nobody else did.
Dan's comportment throughout the game was very different
than his usual screaming all game long.
He seemed calm and composed and made a heady call on that last time out.
I think that's a better approach and allows his team to focus on the game itself.
If the coach is yelling about the officials all day, then the players will think
they're being unfairly whistled, it becomes a distraction on the floor.
Nice to see the change. Like the team and program, Dan too, is a work
in progress.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 10 years ago

Just one stat, but For the LSU game:
EC +6
Gil +6
Biggie+5
Munford +3
TJ+2
Reischel 0
Iffy -1
Martin -3

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 10 years ago

I think there's some truth to that, rod, but I think the biggest difference was that the intensity was coming from the guys on the court, which is the way it should be. I don't always like the manner in which Dan coaches, but I do think he sometimes gets unfairly portrayed. There are nuances to how he conducts himself and adapts to what his players need.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

It also helped that the officials as a group were good, for a change.

They mostly ref SEC games. Can we borrow them for our league games?

rhodyrudder · Unread post by **rhodyrudder** » 10 years ago

Obadiah wrote:It's always interesting to read the view from the opposition. Here are two articles from the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the first one a pre game view and the second the game story.

http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2014/01/lsu_wraps_up_swing_through_the.html

http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2014/01/lsu_rhode_island.html

From the preview: "Their father, Dan Hurley Sr., is a high school coaching legend on the East Coast at St. Anthony High in Jersey City, N.J."

Obviously where the announcer got it.

Regarding the game, I watched the tape today as if it were live, with the exception of commercials and halftime. I avoided the paper, so I did not know anything about the outcome.

I, too, wore out a path in the living room during the final 2 minutes. I, too, wanted to puke after four straight turnovers against the press saw the lead evaporate. I, too, wanted to scream, "TIMEOUT!!!," as if I could really call one from my living room the day after the game!

What a win! It seems fairly obvious now, but it bears stating, Hurley outcoached the other dude.

And I love the LSU tie.

Essam · Unread post by **Essam** » 10 years ago

Great win and this is what I expected to see when in Italy. I would like to see better result on lay ups and shots close to the basket. 11 such shot were missed in the first half and 15 in the second half. {not all reached the rim and sometime s there were multiple attempts}. Turnovers would also fill a bakery store
I think Biruta is a victim of the change in rules this year that allows no contact. The LSU game was ref'd like a big east game. It was enjoyable to watch this game.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 10 years ago

Nice to see Malesevic following the game from overseas-

ramster · Unread post by **ramster** » 10 years ago

LSU had an RPI Rating of #22

Andrew · Unread post by **Andrew** » 10 years ago

Anyone know if the game is still available for replay on ESPN3?

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Why doesn't Cox have the games repeated on demand?

twisted3829 · Unread post by **twisted3829** » 10 years ago

Andrew wrote:Anyone know if the game is still available for replay on ESPN3?

it should be http://espn.go.com/watchespn/player/_/l ... condensed/

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Why doesn't Cox have the games repeated on demand?

They can't anymore since on-demand and digital rights are much different these days than in the past. ESPN owns the digital rights to this game via ESPN3.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

What about all the other OSN games? Not one is on demand.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:What about all the other OSN games? Not one is on demand.

That's the change in rules regarding on-demand availability. Cox once had barely any interference from A10 back when A10 was producing content directly (not via a multi-million dollar TV rights agreement with three major broadcasters).

You can, however, watch any of the games online that Cox streams - for free on-demand - a day or so after it was played. I know that doesn't help you if you prefer to watch on the TV, but you can watch them again.

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