Game #7: @ Southern Mississippi - GameDay!!

Ram Stampede!!! · Unread post by **Ram Stampede!!!** » 9 years ago

I know it's 5 days away. But I am ready to move on to our next opponent. If I recall correctly, (3-2) So. Miss dropped us flat last season at the Ryan Center. Just by looking at their stats this season I am thinking this is a great opportunity to get our act together as well as some momentum before coming back to Providence. While they are 3-0 at home they have played no one of importance. Their last win, 72-70 came at home vs a 1-3 Troy squad. Their last contest was at Drexel where they were POUNDED 59-36.

It's time to get the wheels turning and some payback while we're at it!

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 9 years ago

It is still a road game. Most in this group of players have not experienced many wins away from the Ryan Center in their Rhody careers.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

After last night I don't have much confidence in the team's ability to play well, especially on the road.

Our problems aren't going away overnight. If this was at home, it's a W but...

We need to start the game strong. That means ONE thing: Minnis needs to be sitting at the tip.

Ram Stampede!!! · Unread post by **Ram Stampede!!!** » 9 years ago

Hold on a sec. Let me get my violin out...

I think a few peops in our fan base need a couple drinks and a burger down at the mews...

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 9 years ago

The opponent interests me less at this point. URI just needs to play well.

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 9 years ago

Ram Stampede!!! wrote:Hold on a sec. Let me get my violin out...

I think a few peops in our fan base need a couple drinks and a burger down at the mews...

You should know this by now. Every loss means the sky is falling and we're doomed to never win another game until this guy or the next guy comes back or starts playing or whatever.

Ram Stampede!!! · Unread post by **Ram Stampede!!!** » 9 years ago

Iggy1979 wrote:The opponent interests me less at this point. URI just needs to play well.

If we lose this game I would have to agree with you. But I really don't think that we are doing as bad as some think..

Ram Stampede!!! · Unread post by **Ram Stampede!!!** » 9 years ago

adam914 wrote:
Ram Stampede!!! wrote:Hold on a sec. Let me get my violin out...

I think a few peops in our fan base need a couple drinks and a burger down at the mews...
You should know this by now. Every loss means the sky is falling and we're doomed to never win another game until this guy or the next guy comes back or starts playing or whatever.

Haha, I know. I should have seen this coming.

With PC just around the corner I'm sure they love the fleeting of our fans in every direction...what support.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

Well, all but two of this group experienced the win at St. Bonaventure and LSU, last season.
That's a tough venue and the Bonnies were pretty good.
Good teams win on the road.
Tom Penders had the balls to take a home game vs. West Virginia and move it
to Madison Square Garden.
We blew them out and the team got the taste of the big time.
Our nickname was The Rhode Warriors.
Hey I'm at every home game, hell or high water.
So are plenty of others here, voicing their displeasure.
What about you?
This is a discussion board and if a few of us want to get pissed at what
we're seeing, too bad!

Ram Stampede!!! · Unread post by **Ram Stampede!!!** » 9 years ago

I'm not going to explain my personal situation. But I have watched or listened to every game this season. Would go to every game if I could...someday I will.

Doesn't hurt to show some backbone...but hey I'm pretty much wasting my breath.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

Backbone? Really sonny?

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

Rod, some on this board have the Baron Syndrome.

Simply put, it's the acceptance of mediocrity.

I refuse to accept mediocrity.

I remember the good times. So do you. Some here aren't old enough, and some that are have been de-sensitized to where there's always an acceptable excuse for losing.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

Rambone, we're RAMS. not sheep.
If someone thinks we can't be critical of the coach, too bad.
I'd remind these people that Dean Smith was so disappointing in his early years at UNC,
that he was hung in effigy after a loss to Duke.
So, a couple of little shots at what we see, are not the end of the world.
Or, as Ronald Reagan said, "Someone who agrees 80% of the time is a friend, not a 20% enemy."

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

True Rod.

We are not heretics if we are critical of Dan. I would think he himself is his own worst critic.

He's not a bum, far from it. He's learning the game at this level like his team is.

Off the court, he's an awesome program builder.

Now, for the proof in the pudding......

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 9 years ago

See that quote is funny to me, because I happen to remember another quote, one from rodfromcranston that used to warn everyone from his signature that speaking out against Hurley was an act of treason towards the program.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

That was then this is now. We're three years into this.
I have supported him as strongly as anyone.
However, if I see something I'm not liking, I'll say it.
If St. Peter could deny Jesus Christ three times, I can
critique Dan Hurley's coaching from time to time.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

I loved the hire too.

3 years in, I still like the hire, but there are some hairline cracks forming in the façade.

It happens. Winning will cure everything.

Until we do....

Ram Stampede!!! · Unread post by **Ram Stampede!!!** » 9 years ago

This board sucks lol Im out...

Unread post by **SGreenwell** » 9 years ago

Cooley didn't inherit as much of a dumpster fire as Hurley did, and he got his team into the NIT in his two seasons, and the NCAA in his third season. Given that Hurley basically had zero to work with his first year, I think a good goal would be NIT in his third season, and NCAA in the fourth. Losses out of conference to Kansas and Georgia Tech don't prevent that. If they go on a big losing streak, or if the players aren't improving, sure, that's reason for concern. But I think it's too early to draw a conclusion on either of those.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

I know one win that will forgive a lot of this
bitterness.........

Steve, I think the A-10 is weak enough to make it to the NCAAs through winning the tournament.
Nobody is minimalizing what Hurley faced when he came here.
Especially the APR problem, which he was essentially blindsided by.
Last year, the transfers were oversold, to get the fanbase rallied.
This year, Dan told us he had the players, he had the depth and we were finally
a real program.
We may still be all that by season's end.
However, there is something about a flat effort, coupled with numerous errors
of commission and omission, which troubles some of us.
Nobody is remotely abandoning our coach or our program.
We're just questioning where we are at this time.

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 9 years ago

Exactly. I share plenty of the same concerns about the offensive production as most have already stated. But I think its a matter of execution at this point. If I didn't think that the players were very good I'd be much more worried. However I feel that we have a pretty solid core of players and the coaching staff will help get it figured out. If it's February and we're still talking about the same issues, then I'll be more concerned.

Unread post by **SGreenwell** » 9 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:I know one win that will forgive a lot of this
bitterness.........

Steve, I think the A-10 is weak enough to make it to the NCAAs through winning the tournament.
Nobody is minimalizing what Hurley faced when he came here.
Especially the APR problem, which he was essentially blindsided by.
Last year, the transfers were oversold, to get the fanbase rallied.
This year, Dan told us he had the players, he had the depth and we were finally
a real program.
We may still be all that by season's end.
However, there is something about a flat effort, coupled with numerous errors
of commission and omission, which troubles some of us.
Nobody is remotely abandoning our coach or our program.
We're just questioning where we are at this time.

I think these sort of "flat efforts" are common for college teams though. Nebraska had a kind of flat effort against us; it doesn't mean they're a crap team. The difference between pro and college players typically is consistency, the ability to give the best skilled effort every night.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

Geez, I've seen a lot of NBA team mail it in on some nights.

seanmc94 · Unread post by **seanmc94** » 9 years ago

Hurley does have his players; but they are young. It takes maturity and experience to know what it takes to be a successful college player night in and night out. This team will take it's lumps this year; but I wouldn't want to play them in February.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

I think a lot of this reaction is due to that 10 minutes of total ineptitude last night.

As in "How could they have played THAT bad?" Against a mediocre team no less.

I thought they were past that type of performance. It was shocking.

If they don't repeat that again, it will be largely forgotten. The loss of the game in itself, won't cost us that much if we start turning things around.

It's the perception of where we should be by now, that took a real hit. Just ugly.

BleedBlue87 · Unread post by **BleedBlue87** » 9 years ago

Bad games happen, what's important is what is going to happen going forward.

PeterRamTime · Unread post by **PeterRamTime** » 9 years ago

I would say Georgia Tech is a pretty decent defensive team. Can't totally ignore that.
It was just a "Down in a hole and I don't know if I can be saved" kinda feeling they had. Personifying that Alice In Chains lyric.
A good week to reflect for our guys. One of the bigger issues was effort in that stretch really. I hope Dan can emulate his dad in an effective way this week and have us ready for battle on Saturday in Mississippi.
This Rhody team kinda reminds me of Virginia a few seasons ago in Tony Bennett's first years. They were great on defensive but absolutely horrendous on offense, and they are doing mighty alright now.
I looooove that we are consistent on D. Defense wins championships.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 9 years ago

Sean is winning this thread. Pray for us.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

Great point about that Virginia team, PRT.

Concerning the [lack of] effort during that 10 minute stretch, this team when things aren't going their way does tend to get down on themselves, and without a home crowd to get them going, just wilted.

They have to mature as a team, not just individual players. It's painful to watch really.

Dan and the staff can only do so much to keep them up. They've got to find a leader on the court that can keep things going. Otherwise we're going to see more lapses like last night's, and more losses because of that.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

"Winning the thread"???WTF? I didn't know posting thoughts was a competition.

Leadership. I remember Carlos Easterling getting a stupid technical and
Kenny Green walking up to him, grabbed him by his shirt and got right in
Easterling's face. Kenny was not someone you wanted to be angry with you.
Self policing works in a number of walks of life.
I haven't seen much obvious team leadership, except for TJ Buchanan.
It's hard for him to be The Man, because he's not a starter.
Who are our captains? I forgot. Gil? TJ?
I don't know the inner working of this team as far as who the alpha personality is,
but if they have one, he needs to emerge soon.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 9 years ago

Terrell def has an Alpha persona, but not sure how much he can/will show it given he is a FR and still has to defer to EC to some extent.
But you can see he will be a leader in time. EC and Gil seem more reserved in terms of their demeanor in a game, not sure about practice or behind the scenes.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

BAR, I was thinking the same thing.
What I like abut Terrell is, nothing bothers him.
He misses a bunny, he gets back and plays killer defense.
No sulking. No tantrums.
Plus HE'S SMILING ALL THE TIME!
It's that smile that some boxers have, like GGG, that real
attitude. He's absolutely fearless.
Kid's going to be awesome some day soon.

The Dude · Unread post by **The Dude** » 9 years ago

So how about them Golden Eagles? haha

I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win!...

Ram1019 · Unread post by **Ram1019** » 9 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:BAR, I was thinking the same thing.
What I like abut Terrell is, nothing bothers him.
He misses a bunny, he gets back and plays killer defense.
No sulking. No tantrums.
Plus HE'S SMILING ALL THE TIME!
It's that smile that some boxers have, like GGG, that real
attitude. He's absolutely fearless.
Kid's going to be awesome some day soon.

We need more of this on our team. I like the fact that he plays like this even if we are down by 12 points. You'll see Matthews like this sometimes too. I think it helps the team's confidence when you see another teammate relaxed and smiling and playing with an almost cocky swag.

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 9 years ago

This team now needs a win in one of their next two road games at So Miss or PC to keep momentum (from the Nebraska win) going. If they return to the Ryan Center at 4-4, people will view them as the same old Rams and not come out for the last 3 home OOC games versus Delaware State, Detroit, and Brown (the latter two during break).

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 9 years ago

Does anything matter but attendance?

Obadiah · Unread post by **Obadiah** » 9 years ago

Attendance matters because it means MONEY. And Dan Hurley is very clear on this, we ned to do more to improve the program. Also clear is the correlation with success. It is no mystery that the best programs in the A-10 have bigger budgets versus the low level ones.

Obadiah · Unread post by **Obadiah** » 9 years ago

Southern Miss Golden Eagles Profile*

After a couple of near NCAA Tournament misses, Southern Miss lost head coach Donnie Tyndall to Tennessee. Doc Sadler may not be the sexiest hire of the offseason, but he is an experienced coach who has changed quite a bit since he was fired as the head coach at Nebraska in 2012. His coaching stint at Iowa State has got him thinking more a up tempo style than he previously favored. Sadler will also profit from his Iowa state experience where learning to win with a lack of size and a ton of newcomers was a regular occurence.

2013-14 Record: 29-7, 13-3

2013-14 Postseason: NIT

Coach: Doc Sadler

Coach Record: 0-0 at Southern Miss, 149-107 overall

Who’s Out:
Southern Miss has some serious rebuilding to do from their 2013-2014 team that went 13-3 in conference play. Four of the top five scorers were seniors last year and replacing Michael Craig, Neil Watson, Jerrold Brooks and Daveon Boardingham would be tough for any coach. If their departure was not bad enough, the mid August departure of Aaron Brown to Boston College means all five starters are gone. Add to these losses, the late departure of Deonte Houston and Edson Avila, which means Sadler, will have to rely heavily on newcomers.

Who’s In:
Two junior college transfers will immediately bolster the Southern Miss roster. The most important may be Rasham Suarez, a 6-3 point guard from the College of Central Florida. Dallas Anglin, a spring signee by Coach Sadler, can play anywhere on the perimeter and will be given a shot at running the show as well. Shooting guard Kevin Holland is the lone incoming freshman, while Davon Hayes and Shadell Millinghaus are both expected to see their first action with the Golden Eagles this year as well. Hayes has missed the last two seasons, but he is a big wing who can play.

While all of the newcomers will compete for minutes, the competition will be stiff with five players returning who started at least five games. Chip Armelin, and Jeremiah Eason who will battle for the starting point guard spot, are also seniors who are ready to step up their game. Armelin, who played at Minnesota for a couple of years, has yet to reach his full potential. On occasions he is a good shooter and athlete on the wing. Eason will be asked to pick up much of the rebounding slack after averaging 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds as a junior. Matt Bingaya, another big 6-5 wing, is a decent slasher who could turn into a very dangerous offensive weapon with a better jump shot.   

2014-15 Record To Date: 3-2

Code: Select all

  Date	   Opponent	       Result
11-14-14	William Carey	  W, 86-63
11-17-14	South Alabama	  W, 68-59
11-20-14	at Alabama	     L, 67-81
11-25-14	Troy	           W, 72-70
11-30-14	at Drexel	      L, 36-59
12-03-14   North Dakota St.

Roster
Blue Ribbon Analysis:
• Backcourt C+
• Frontcourt C-
• Bench/Depth C
• Intangibles B-

Projected Starting Five:

Code: Select all

 Player              Pos.  Ht.  Wt.   Yr.    PPG    RPG 
Matt Bingaya         G/F   6-5  200  RS-SO   17.0   5.8
Jeremiah Eason        F    6-7  250   SR      3.8   3.2
Shadell Millinghaus   G    6-2  194   SO      7.2   2.0	
Chip Amelin           G    6-4  207  RS-SR   10.0   4.0
Rasham Suarez         G    6-3  205   JR      5.2   2.0
 
Off The Bench
Norville Carey         F   6-7  228   JR     11.0   4.4
Dallas Anglin          G   6-2  180   JR      6.2   0.8
Davon Hayes           G/F  6-7  190  RS-FR    1.2   2.4
Michael O’Donnell      F   6-6  188   JR	   0.7   1.3

By the Numbers – Five Games to Date:

• Scoring Offense: 65.8

• Scoring Defense: 66.4

• Field-Goal Percentage: 43.4

• Field-Goal Defense: 42.6 (118, 8)

• Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.8

• Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 30.2

• Free-Throw Percentage: 67.2

• Rebound Margin: -4.8

• Assists Per Game: 12.1

• Turnovers per Game: 11.8

* Compiled via a variety of sources.

Running Ram · Unread post by **Running Ram** » 9 years ago

I really hate when I agree with shawnie sean. Its a young team of very talented players, they need time to become a winning team instead of a team that can win big games and sometimes does. That being said, I don't think it's a negative to make observations about game play/coaching, I am though going anti-GBG and will refrain from posting after loses and will only post after wins so as not to be accused of being a debbie downer. If I had posted after the GT game it would have read something like some of the others who are being accused of the 'sky falling' mentality and I am so sick of people getting all twisted about the slightest criticisms. Critical observations are how we get better at things, otherwise teams would never watch and breakdown video of their own games.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 9 years ago

Obviously attendance matters, Obie. But I think worrying about whether we win or lose because what it will mean for attendance is the domain of arena operations people. Fans should be worried about winning because that is the whole point of this. Phrasing it as if winning is a means to an end (the end being attendance) just sounds a little strange to me. I do believe that winning will help attendance, and so that is one benefit of winning. But it isn't, in and of itself, the entire point of winning.

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 9 years ago

TruePoint wrote:Obviously attendance matters, Obie. But I think worrying about whether we win or lose because what it will mean for attendance is the domain of arena operations people. Fans should be worried about winning because that is the whole point of this. Phrasing it as if winning is a means to an end (the end being attendance) just sounds a little strange to me. I do believe that winning will help attendance, and so that is one benefit of winning. But it isn't, in and of itself, the entire point of winning.

How about this then.

I really think the team needs to win one of the next two road games at So Miss and PC so that player confidence remains high enough to lead to more wins in the upcoming schedule and keep the program on track for a postseason bid.

Andrew · Unread post by **Andrew** » 9 years ago

As a team, we rebound and play defense well. That's been pretty consistent early in the year. Despite the offensive struggles, we should be in a position to win most games. As the offense improves, the wins will come. Not too worried, and I'd think we can handle this one. I wouldn't be surprised if we shoot 30% and lose either, however.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 9 years ago

RF1 wrote:
TruePoint wrote:Obviously attendance matters, Obie. But I think worrying about whether we win or lose because what it will mean for attendance is the domain of arena operations people. Fans should be worried about winning because that is the whole point of this. Phrasing it as if winning is a means to an end (the end being attendance) just sounds a little strange to me. I do believe that winning will help attendance, and so that is one benefit of winning. But it isn't, in and of itself, the entire point of winning.

How about this then.

I really think the team needs to win one of the next two road games at So Miss and PC so that player confidence remains high enough to lead to more wins in the upcoming schedule and keep the program on track for a postseason bid.

I agree!

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 9 years ago

I think the best programs having money is a chicken/egg thing.

Last week I was wondering if winning that first4 in Dayton gave that team more NCAA credits??? If so arguably you play for what 250k against one of the worst teams. VCU did this twice? Once all the way to the final 4?? Money wise that is like getting to the national title. We could really benefit from this.

I say play TJ/Jarvis, Jarvis will eventually find his own offense. He's great on D and he does have the vision. He actually shoots it better in transition when he's going 100mph and doesn't think.

TJ is a great rebounder despite his size. With him, and JT that gives us 2 bulls on the perimeter.

Make the offense go through Gil on the block, not the 3 point line. Grind out a NCAA appearance. Get the money!$$

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 9 years ago

Rod pointed out during the GT game how much more effective we are against the zone when we can get it into Gil at the high post and let him shoot, drive or locate the open man from there. I would expect teams to continue to zone us, and I hope to see more attacking the zone from the inside out - Gil is pretty much perfect for that job.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 9 years ago

I think they do get credits but they don't play the worst teams. The 16s face off and then the last two on the bubble play. I think VCU was an #11 seed when they played and probably played another #11. Sure, the $250k is nice but doesn't that go to the conference, anyway, to be split? I'd rather just be in the field of 64.

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 9 years ago

The team that wins the credits gets the lion share. Regardless of whether the team is a #11 or a bubble, its the best matchup a team will get that isn't a 6 seed or higher.

I have never really liked the tuesday games but if you can win on tuesday and then friday.... then you have two credits and haven't necessarily had to beat a Goliath. Not hoping for it, just talking about it.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 9 years ago

"We've got to make shots. I can't draw anything up, they're wide open shots. Somebody is going to have to step up and make shots."
Not Dan Hurley, but Kevin Ollie this week.

theblueram · Unread post by **theblueram** » 9 years ago

So Miss is not a good team and this is a good game to show the teams mettle. I expect a big win on the road for this one. Their rpi is over 300. So this will be an rpi kill either way. No more mickey mouse going forward and we can right the ship.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 9 years ago

Have to win this one. Southern Miss is not the same vintage as the last few years. The are small, inexperienced, and can't make shots. Drexel was 1-4 when they played them and it wasn't close.

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