Game 10: URI at Nebraska (Sunday, Dec. 13, 2 p.m., ESPN3)

[bressler3south]

The biggest disappointment this year in my eyes was Coach Hurley's public grieving about E.C. Matthews' devastating injury. Coach Hurley lamented Matthews' situation, and what it meant to the team -- and moreover -- what it meant to him, to the point that as a leader, a coach, as "The Dad of HIs Basketball Family," he crumbled.
When there's a real tragedy or horrible news or a very, very bad blow dealt to a Family, it is the duty, the unceremonious obligation of One Person to Suck It Up and Let Everyone Know That Everything Will Be Okay, to reassure them, to salve their pain, their upset. That person knows inwardly that everything's not okay, but will do everything in his/her power to keep on the bravest face for everyone else.
One rallies those around by being The Pillar, the one everyone goes to in time of need.
Not the other way around.

I very much AGREE with this sentiment. And of course swabbers will think that makes me a Negative Nellie, I think very highly of DH in so many ways, but feel he has a hard time moving on from things, it's probably the same personality component that has him a bad rep with refs, Good call, bad call, play your game, nevermind just play your game. I did state in the past that I like his animation on the sidelines but I've grown tired of when it comes across like a tantrum or whining.

And the reaction to E.C.'s injury was just not at all helpful in any way, to the point where one of the commentators during the TCU game commented on how devastated he was for Dan Hurley. Sure its bad, no matter how you slice it, but seriously E.C. is, as was stated, not the be all end all, this team is loaded with talent and should be 8-2 at very worst. Nevermind the excuses, they're more than sickening, from now on I just want to know WWAMD? of course Archie Miller is not the be all end all of coaches, but its just an example. I get it, Dan has done so much for the program and he excels in so many of the aspects needed to guide a successful program, that its hard to admit this stuff to ourselves, but lets get real here, we haven't had a season match the corresponding hyped pre-season once since DH arrived. Again the hype happens because DH does great work in so many ways, but he has to find a way to suck it up when he gets a lemon and still get the victory, or he'll never be a great college coach. I'm not suggesting throwing in the towel, I think DH could still become that great all around college coach, I am suggesting, though, that results speak for themselves.

WWAMD? Well he'd recruits rapists and thieves and hope for the best. Some people want to win at all costs, but that philosophy will get a hard pass from me.

And one thing you two are missing. Every recruit that comes in here talks about how this is a family, why do you think that is? I'd say it starts with the coach, and you can't just turn on and off personality traits. Saying he should handle himself like an army leader is a. ludicrous, and b. counterproductive. If the side effect to Dan turning his team into a family that rallies around each other is they get a little too down after losing their on court leader, I'll take it, because the rest of the time that philosophy is beneficial.

Hey, Rowdy Yates, cool your jets. I haven't missed anything about "We Are Family" and so on. And I didn't make any WWAMD reference -- when you "quote," you get BOGO.
And before you make any character judgments about character judgments, maybe this will refresh your cross-circuited brain:

http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2014/ ... court.html

Ooooh, forgot that one, didncha? You mean, like, gee, Coach Hurley can't predict the future?

Wow?

So, Rowdy, who would you want on YOUR FUCKING TEAM? A rapist or a murderer?
Me?
Neither.
Maybe a great kid.
Who would you want as a coach?
Miller or Hurley?
Me?
Hurley.
Doesn't mean I can't be disappointed, and if you can't understand that by now, too bad.



And again, the Winters reference was about leadership qualities, not war -- for which I already apologized if anyone was offended and didn't comprehend that it wasn't about war, but, ummmmm, l-e-a-d-e-r-s-h-i-p.

[sf2010]

And again, the Winters reference was about leadership qualities, not war -- for which I already apologized if anyone was offended and didn't comprehend that it wasn't about war, but, ummmmm, l-e-a-d-e-r-s-h-i-p.

I don't mind that you brought up war, but do you think that there is only one right way to be a leader?

[Seawrightspostgame]

Not sure how long you can say that a team is not playing your offense when its in the middle of year 4.

Offense looks like a young A10 team's offense that lost their best player and is playing a good team. That looks inconsistent.

Broad abstract philosophical offensive theories aren't the issue. Its a few points here from 9-1.

[STC]

Hurley recruited a lot of the guys that ended up on Dayton including Dyshawn Pierre. Kendall Pollard and Scoochie Smith as well to name a few.

[bressler3south]

And again, the Winters reference was about leadership qualities, not war -- for which I already apologized if anyone was offended and didn't comprehend that it wasn't about war, but, ummmmm, l-e-a-d-e-r-s-h-i-p.

I don't mind that you brought up war, but do you think that there is only one right way to be a leader?

Absolutely not! However, in the particular case you're standing by until the end of time, I'll stand by what I wrote in each instance, because Coach Hurley showed weakness in a moment of publicly needed strength, and not have his players do it for him.
Basta.

[sf2010]

Emotion ≠ weakness

[PeterRamTime]

I don't know if I agree with all this talk about the offense. To me it looked good against Nebraska. Some of the best ball movement I've seen from Rhody since I've been watching them. That's why we were making our threes, because we were moving the ball well giving the offense a flow. Had to play without Hass as well. Whom scored an easy 6 points when he was in there. If not for the complete collapse at the end we would be in a very encouraging place right now. I found it uncharacteristic of us to collapse like that and I don't think it's going to happen again. I think we are still moving in the right direction and will continue to put ourselves in chances to win every game we are in. Like DiSano said guys are just getting a hang of their new roles, as everyone has one. We can definitely be good, or better than last year. It's just taking us too long to develop in the wake of EC's injury and the sad part is it's likely our development is taking a little too long because it's going to be an uphill climb to try and salvage an at large berth.

[Gonebarongone]

URI scored 67 points on 67 possessions against Nebraska and that's with shooting 45% from three. They had 17 TOs. That was not a good offensive night. They scored 13 points the last ten minutes which is par for the course in a tight game against a good team. They scored 13 the last ten minutes against Providence. And, it's been ten games since EC got hurt. 2nd and 3rd year for most of these guys in the offense and this board, in the ten pages of this thread, has made about 100 excuses for why the offense stinks. I know you are all sick of reading these posts. I am sick of writing them. I just don't get why. If this was any business, there would be a lot more accountability.

[Running Ram]

I swear so many of the swabbers just don't do reading comprehension...

explicitly I stated that using A Miller as an example, was an example lol clowns and swabbers, is it because somewhere down inside you swabbers know that DH is too sensitive about things? Do you think he's going to quit the program because I don't think he's a great coach?

I get it, Dan has done so much for the program and he excels in so many of the aspects needed to guide a successful program, that its hard to admit this stuff to ourselves, but lets get real here, we haven't had a season match the corresponding hyped pre-season once since DH arrived. Again the hype happens because DH does great work in so many ways, but he has to find a way to suck it up when he gets a lemon and still get the victory, or he'll never be a great college coach. I'm not suggesting throwing in the towel, I think DH could still become that great all around college coach, I am suggesting, though, that results speak for themselves.

Swabbers always ignore the obvious indisputable points, I give DH all the credit in the world in all of the area's he excels at, now be realistic and tell me, swabbers, that our performance has matched the hype. There's a shelf-life on this kind of hype and three plus years of inadequate results doesn't sell seats.

[bigappleram]

So against Nebraska we had 17 trips that didn't even amount to a shot....if we cut that down to 10 TOs, and of those 7 additional shots hit 3 of them we are looking at a 1.12 PPP which last year was around Top 40 i believe. So the question is what is causing the consistent turnover problem - a flawed offensive strategy or bad decision making/fundamentals. Maybe a little bit of both, but I think more the latter.

We aren't Kentucky or Duke, every player we attract is not going to be the complete package. Dan values athleticism and defensive ability, perhaps sacrificing in the areas of basketball IQ and/or pure fundamentals. Someone like McKillop obviously values the latter more. Which is better - hard to say, Davidson got blasted in the tourney last year. Maybe Dan feels the type of kids he recruits have a higher ceiling if he can get them to play up, and coach them in the areas where they are inherently weaker. Obviously that hasn't happened yet. Despite all of this we are 8 points away from being 9-1 and all of this over analyzing would be replaced by glowing praise.

[Running Ram]

Despite all of this we are 8 points away from being 9-1 and all of this over analyzing would be replaced by glowing praise.

that's the point right there! The good teams compete hard all the way, as we do most every time out, but great teams pull out close games against other good teams. I want that. I want the results to match the hype. And I'd settle for 8-2 as long as PC was in the 8.

[bigappleram]

On the same page Running, I don't think anyone is happy right now. This has been a disappointing season since the 10 minute mark of our first game.
I just hope this is a team that finds itself soon and is playing their best ball in January/February.

[rambone 78]

DiSano obviously thinks the late game issues are more a lack of execution than poor offensive coaching or lack of talent.

He blames some of it on guys wearing down due to playing more minutes than anticipated, with EC's injury.

I think it's a combination of all of the above. What bothers me the most, is the poor decision making by key members of the team when they are under pressure.

I really don't know if it's fixable at this point. Physical talent we have, but the mental talent is lacking at times.

The one guy who was supposed to have a high BB IQ [JG] seems to have it at times, and lose it at key times. That has to change and change soon, if it's possible.

The other thing, is FT's, and that looks to be a problem that's not going away, unfortunately.

[josephski]

Last year we shot 20-22 on freethrows against George Washington and won the game by 4 points. If I remember correctly TJ said all the guys spent extra time in the gym practicing them without Hurley. So this whole, "Hurley doesn't recruit free throw shooters so we'll always suck at them" is a lame excuse. Is anyone other than Four putting in extra time at the gym? Is Hurley doing anything to solve the problem or is he just telling guys they need to hit the gym more?

[rambone 78]

Let's hope they are doing the same thing, especially with the time off between games in the next 2 weeks.

If there is going to be any improvement, we'll see it soon.

Once league play starts, there isn't as much time to practice them.

[ramster]

Let's hope they are doing the same thing, especially with the time off between games in the next 2 weeks.

If there is going to be any improvement, we'll see it soon.

Once league play starts, there isn't as much time to practice them.

How do you explain this Rambone? Where would you have classified Reichell as a FT shooter? Certainly not very effecive, right?

Tonight he goes 10-11. Last 4 games before tonight were 17-18, 5-5, 2-4, 9-9. Amazing 43-47 in his last 5 games for 91.5%. He is 81-98 for the season for 82.7%. How does this happen, seriously? Is it practice? Confidence as a result of getting more playing time and being in the starting line up? Coaching? Did he always have this capability but was just nervous at URI? It certainly is interesting. He is also 17-34 on the season for 50% on 3 pointers.

[Running Ram]

Yeah BAR, just so you know I would not consider you to be in the Kool-aid crowd at all, I find you to be one of the more reasonable posters, you come across to me as an optimistic person, who is thorough, actually reads and comprehends the commentary of others and agree with you or not I never have an issue following your logic.

On the other subject, free throws, I agree with those here who have issues with home fans audibly gasping/groaning when one of our own misses, that part bothers me a little for the sake of the player(s), but those who insist free throws can't be coached, well I just can't agree. I understand at this level you can't be spending all kinds of practice time, but as others have pointed out, get em out of the gym for a few hours a week and shooting free throws in their "free" time. And I'm not talking about recreating the wheel, its too late to change the guys with bad FT form to guys with good FT form, but its not too late to improve a skill. Sure to be the best shooter you should probably bend every joint your told to, you should follow through, finger tips pointed at the basket on release, etc... but anyone (with their basic faculties intact) can improve their FT % with practice.

I've said this before and will probably end up saying it again next season. Don Kaull taught me FT shooting is primarily about rhythm, what ever you do that works, do that every time and you can help make sure it happens every time by doing it in rhythm, create a mantra in your head or just count 1,2,3... as you go through your motions, like clockwork, same rhythm every time. I'm not exaggerating when I say my FT shooting got better by at least 20% as soon as I committed to my rhythm/mantra. It's not magic or something quantum, its real, it helps you go to your own zone. Not the same at all as a large crowd stomping screaming and waiving things, I used to hit like 50% maybe, but when it came to getting on the court or staying by hitting FTs, maybe 10%, after adding the rhythm/mantra and committing to it, I got up to about 70% across the board. I got a lot more run after learning that little tidbit.

[rambone 78]

Makes you wonder ramster?

What did JR do to improve his FT shooting? His 3 pt. shooting?

It had to be something, because whatever infects the FT shooting on this team looks to be spreading.

Even Four isn't shooting them as well as he was at Towson.

Basically it goes to show you, like RR just posted, that guys CAN improve their FT shooting with the right teaching.

None of our players are improving. Something isn't working here.

Do we need someone to help with FT's? Sure looks like it.......

[Running Ram]

I really get it when the koolaiders (always typed with affection, everybody knows I feel like we're all family, incidentally I bust my family members chops like its a calling) when the swabbers get annoyed by the subject of free throws, I get it, I really wish we didn't feel compelled to talk about this anymore, but it's another theme and IDK maybe it is being addressed but if it is not, dare I say this is an ignorant policy. I'm not one who thinks Dan doesn't have a grip on offense, I actually believe he has very keen basketball mind. It does though, feel to me that there is this sort of rigidness to some aspects of his approach, which may work great in high school bb or even if you're at Duke and getting exactly the five star players that will fit your approach, but it won't work to ignore things like God forbid I say it, zone defenses. A well played Zone can be extremely effective, why would you eliminate 50% of all defensive schemes right off the bat? just an example.

[NYGFan_Section208]

I really get it when the koolaiders (always typed with affection, everybody knows I feel like we're all family, incidentally I bust my family members chops like its a calling) when the swabbers get annoyed by the subject of free throws, I get it, I really wish we didn't feel compelled to talk about this anymore, but it's another theme and IDK maybe it is being addressed but if it is not, dare I say this is an ignorant policy. I'm not one who thinks Dan doesn't have a grip on offense, I actually believe he has very keen basketball mind. It does though, feel to me that there is this sort of rigidness to some aspects of his approach, which may work great in high school bb or even if you're at Duke and getting exactly the five star players that will fit your approach, but it won't work to ignore things like God forbid I say it, zone defenses. A well played Zone can be extremely effective, why would you eliminate 50% of all defensive schemes right off the bat? just an example.

Syracuse seems to have had at least sporadic success with a zone.
Does this team not play zone because:
a) not the right players for it
b) too late and not capable of learning it on the fly
c) the coach just doesn't like it
d) all of the above

Should also say, this team plays some of the best man-to-man I've seen. But, seems like zone would be a good mix-up now and then and maybe even create more fast break opportunities (they seem to get very few of these).

[section(105)]

......I knew a CYO team that.......I agree some zone should be part of the mix and in the tool box of options; taught, practiced, use different rotations, match up style,.......maybe just not the the coaches DNA.....

[NYGFan_Section208]

......I knew a CYO team that.......I agree some zone should be part of the mix and in the tool box of options; taught, practiced, use different rotations, match up style,.......maybe just not the the coaches DNA.....

Actually...by losing to St. John's...who lost to Incarnate Word...who lost to Our Lady of the Lake...
...Boeheim-less 'Cuse just may BE a CYO team....

[ram1980]

I think the FT disaster is mostly mental.. Watching Steph Curry the other night at the line.. He gets the ball and shoots it.. No excessive dribbling, breathing, preparation.. Wonder if that philosophy might work for some of these guys.. They all take a long time before FT's.. Get the ball, 1 dribble and shoot it.. Too much thinking..

[rambone 78]

I noticed in the open practices that when they shot FT's, they did just that. Shot them quickly I mean.

And they made most of them. No pressure of course, but that could help?

The longer they stand at the line, the more pressure.....

[Mongo]

I think the FT disaster is mostly mental.. Watching Steph Curry the other night at the line.. He gets the ball and shoots it.. No excessive dribbling, breathing, preparation.. Wonder if that philosophy might work for some of these guys.. They all take a long time before FT's.. Get the ball, 1 dribble and shoot it.. Too much thinking..

There is a lot to this approach. I have a buddy who played at the University of Scranton D3 in the mid 90's and is in their hall of fame. His JR and SR year he lead all college basketball in FT percentage hitting 94%. I ask him all the time about our FT issues and he told me that all the pre shot stuff is one of the biggest issues, you end up psyching yourself out. Like Curry get up there and shoot.

[rambone 78]

Wonder if our coaching staff is aware of this novel method?

[NYGFan_Section208]

Wonder if our coaching staff is aware of this novel method?

Plus...if you suck at it anyway...if you chuck it up quick, maybe surprise the other team and have a better shot at the rebound?

[Gonebarongone]

Last year we shot 20-22 on freethrows against George Washington and won the game by 4 points. If I remember correctly TJ said all the guys spent extra time in the gym practicing them without Hurley. So this whole, "Hurley doesn't recruit free throw shooters so we'll always suck at them" is a lame excuse. Is anyone other than Four putting in extra time at the gym? Is Hurley doing anything to solve the problem or is he just telling guys they need to hit the gym more?

Sure no one has thought of the practice more angle. For the last time, everyone in D1 hoops tries. They all practice. Someone has to be near the bottom. Teams with good shooters are at the top. Teams without are near the bottom. It's not mental. It's not practice. It's the roster.

[Billyboy78]

I think the FT disaster is mostly mental.. Watching Steph Curry the other night at the line.. He gets the ball and shoots it.. No excessive dribbling, breathing, preparation.. Wonder if that philosophy might work for some of these guys.. They all take a long time before FT's.. Get the ball, 1 dribble and shoot it.. Too much thinking..

And for some the body tends to tighten up more the longer they take, rather than relaxing and loosening up.

[rambone 78]

GBG, you are right for the most part about the roster, but they CAN get a little better.

RR went from being a 50% FT shooter, to a 70% one.

Since we have a roster full of 50% FT shooters, it's possible that at least SOME of them can improve a little, at least.

Remember, some of those guys like Hassan, were at 60% at least last season.

Iverson can't be that bad, can he? I know he's not a very good outside shooter, but under 50% from the line is inexcusable.

And having your PG brick key FT's time and again, is a recipe for losing close games.

There are many D1 teams that shoot worse from the field than we do, but shoot it better from the stripe.

Just accepting that we are going to suck at FT's is a weak excuse for losing.

[adam914]

Ok are we seriously back to on this again? Here is a question for you guys...why do you ignore the fact that every single person that is close to and covers this program has stated countless times that the team practices FT's all the time and under many different circumstances? Yet every week or so there is this same conversation about "I wonder if they have considered practicing."

[NYGFan_Section208]

I think people just want to make sure that it's out there that FT's are an issue (not quite sure if all fans realize yet that this is an issue). Seems like it's finally getting recognized. Next step is to make sure that everyone knows how to correct it. Looks like there's a lot of debate about what to do, and implication that the team and coaching staff isn't doing anything to address it, so this board needs to publicize suggestions and recommendations until the right one is found.

Well...this is it...the solution that makes it so we can stop talking about it...if someone could just pass this along to the staff, they should be all set: http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/08/28/ ... ded-audio/

[rodfromcranston]

Interesting thread.
A couple of years ago, I passed along to Dan,
Steve Nash's "Rapid Fire Drill".
It was used by UConn in their NCAA championship season.
It's just shoot, shoot, shoot, without all the dribbling, and whatever.
He said they did use it in practice, along with shooting after wind sprints
and a number of other things.
Guess the results were what the were.
Anyway, Dan is stubborn as hell, but in desperation, he will try something new.
I wish we'de play a little situational zone.
Even Bob Sr. said he'll go zone for awhile, just to rattle
the opponent.
He also said, if it works, he'll stay with it until it doesn't.
Zones are good for foul problems, and fatigue.
Ed Cooley used it on their NCAA run with Bryce Cotton.
He had a short bench, and it kept his team fresh and
generally out of foul trouble.
Problem is, it has to be practiced to the point that players
a re familiar with their roles when the switch is made
during a game.
We tried it against Arizona and it was a disaster.
They just back doored Gil and others for loud dunks.
It was a poor zone.
Maybe that is what keeps Dan from using it?
As I say, he is stubborn, and obviously feels his man
to man is the way to go.
Still, why not have another wrinkle to throw at
your opponent?

[josephski]

Ok are we seriously back to on this again? Here is a question for you guys...why do you ignore the fact that every single person that is close to and covers this program has stated countless times that the team practices FT's all the time and under many different circumstances? Yet every week or so there is this same conversation about "I wonder if they have considered practicing."

Yes and I'm sure the team practices offense as well but that looks as bad as the freethrows. So we should only be able to post about our defense because that's one of the only positives about this team?

As ramster said, Reischel is a much better free throw and 3 point shooter this year than last year. Why do you think this is? I'm not saying it does or doesn't have anything to do with Hurley but according to your logic Reischel was a bad free throw shooter at URI because Hurley doesn't recruit good free throw shooters. Also what about the GW game last year when we shot 20-22 and TJ specifically said the team practiced free throws on their own because they knew they had to improve.

Edit: Also to be clear I still think this team has the talent to make a run in conference play or the tournament. I also think that Hurley has us in a much better place than where we were in the Baron years. What kills me is that there are people here who act like this is a lost season because of EC going down and we should just look forward to next year. What happens if Jarvis or Hassan were to go down next year? Injuries happen and coaches need to adapt. I know a lot of people here don't like Archie Miller but he was able to take a 6 man rotation to the tournament. Does anyone think Dayton fans gave up last year when they lost a couple of their key guys?

Our problems last year are still our problems this year. Offense doesn't look good, we can't shoot free throws but we have a very good defense. Maybe it's because I'm being overly optimistic but I think this team should still be better, even without EC, than last years team which I'm not sure is the case.

[adam914]

Ok are we seriously back to on this again? Here is a question for you guys...why do you ignore the fact that every single person that is close to and covers this program has stated countless times that the team practices FT's all the time and under many different circumstances? Yet every week or so there is this same conversation about "I wonder if they have considered practicing."

Yes and I'm sure the team practices offense as well but that looks as bad as the freethrows. So we should only be able to post about our defense because that's one of the only positives about this team?

I'm not sure where you got any of this from, as I never said anything like that. It's not the talking about being bad at FTs that bothers me, its the implication that nobody but us fans here have ever had the idea "hey they should practice." They do practice FTs, all the time, it has been well documented, so why continue to question it? That is my only point.

And spare me the Reischel stuff, frankly who cares about Jerelle Reischel. He's playing on some run and gun OVC team right now, and last year he only shot 33 FTs in 32 games and now he is what we base all comparisons off of?

[ramfan85]

imagine having this year's Reishel on this team.

It's easy if you try...

[adam914]

imagine having this year's Reishel on this team.

It's easy if you try...

Yep, if he was on this team he would be doing exactly the same thing he is doing at Eastern Kentucky. Come on man...

[ramfan85]

He didn't look too bad against Kentucky.

[adam914]

He didn't look too bad against Kentucky.

3-11 shooting, 12 points, 1 assist and 4 turnovers. Have they shipped him the player of the year trophy yet?

[josephski]

imagine having this year's Reishel on this team.

It's easy if you try...

You're completely missing the point of my post if you think I want Reishel on this years team...

Maybe try reading it again.

Too many people are acting like free throws are black and white. You're either good or you're bad and there's no middle ground or room for improvement. If you read the rest of the post as well it's not only free throws that I mention...

[ramfan85]

Relax. my post was half in jest. I know how he played when he was here. And there's no reason to believe it would be any different if he stayed.

Adam
I wouldn't mind 12 points off the bench.

[Gonebarongone]

GBG, you are right for the most part about the roster, but they CAN get a little better.

RR went from being a 50% FT shooter, to a 70% one.

Since we have a roster full of 50% FT shooters, it's possible that at least SOME of them can improve a little, at least.

Remember, some of those guys like Hassan, were at 60% at least last season.

Iverson can't be that bad, can he? I know he's not a very good outside shooter, but under 50% from the line is inexcusable.

And having your PG brick key FT's time and again, is a recipe for losing close games.

There are many D1 teams that shoot worse from the field than we do, but shoot it better from the stripe.

Just accepting that we are going to suck at FT's is a weak excuse for losing.

I don't think we are bad, like 59% bad. And I don't think anyone is accepting being at 59%. The team will find it's natural level which is about 65% last year which is essentially losing a bunch from EC at 74% and gaining Four at, hopefully, around 85%.

[section(105)]

......." The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn free throws....

[josephski]

Relax. my post was half in jest. I know how he played when he was here. And there's no reason to believe it would be any different if he stayed.

Adam
I wouldn't mind 12 points off the bench.

It's tough to be relaxed as a URI fan

[adam914]

Adam
I wouldn't mind 12 points off the bench.

Well he started and played 30 minutes against Kentucky to get those 12 points, so there goes that idea.

[ramfan85]

Adam
I wouldn't mind 12 points off the bench.

Well he started and played 30 minutes against Kentucky to get those 12 points, so there goes that idea.

I doubt he would start here. He also was in foul trouble in the first half.

[NYGFan_Section208]

......." The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn free throws....

I second that emotion...but would add this final novel thought... "Hey, what if they practiced them more?"

[bressler3south]

Adam
I wouldn't mind 12 points off the bench.

Well he started and played 30 minutes against Kentucky to get those 12 points, so there goes that idea.

How many fish tacos a week does it take you to consume all that brain food?

[Running Ram]

This is an opinion (qualifier), if we had even a minor commitment to zone D, a guy like Watson would have been a larger contributor last season, he's got offensive skills that we didn't get the best of last year because he was 'struggling' on defense. On the flip side of that thought, Watson really isn't a liability on D this year, so the commitment to man and the player development lands in the pro column, I just think there is some room for both, I don't suggest we abandon our strength (great man D), I suggest we augment it by mixing in other strengths while mitigating liabilities.

[SGreenwell]

URI is 21st in defensive rating, according to KenPom's numbers. Why is there such an extensive talk about playing zone? I can understand complaints about the offense, which is currently at 117th, and seems like it could improve. But the man-to-man defense seems to be fine.