11/26 | Yale | 4:00PM (ESPN+)

[spookydog]

University of Rhode Island vs Yale University
Ryan Center, Kingston, RI
Sunday, November 26, 2023
4:00PM

Media
TV: N/A
Online: ESPN +
Radio: Tune In Radio
App: Varsity Network
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast


Previews
Yale Fan Forum


After taking down DIII Johnson & Wales on Wednesday in what people all over this fan forum said “why is the game happening”, the Rams welcome real competition to the Ryan Center Sunday afternoon when the Yale Bulldogs come to town. Yale was co-champion of the Ivy League last season & was picked in the preseason polls to finish atop the league again. The Bulldogs have two all-Ivy honorees returning from last season in guard Bez Mbeng and forward Matt Knowling. Last season Knowling finished in 10th in all D1 basketball with a 62.5% field goal percentage. Also, last season, Mbeng was the Ivy League’s defensive players of the year.

Yale comes in at 4-2 with losses at Gonzaga & an overtime loss against Weber State with that game being played in Canada. The Bulldogs have very balanced scoring as their entire starting lineup is averaging in double digits, ranging from Mbeng’s 13.5 to August Mahoney’s 10. Mahoney, along with guard John Poulakidas, are the teams two best three-point shooters. The one flaw in Mbeng’s game is he is a poor three-point shooter, only shooting it at 18.5% on the season. Over his last 3 games he is just 1 for his last 15. The Rams can dare him to shoot it while locking up the other more efficient shooters. The Bulldogs have some height downlow in 7’ forward Danny Wolf. The Rams will have to keep an eye on him even when he is outside the three-point line as he is averaging a few attempts per game.

As for the Rams, time to shake off the tryptophan & get ready for a difficult next two games. Many people may think, we have an Ivy team coming to the Ryan Center, this should be an easy win. Not so fast, even with this game at home, this is going to be a big test. Since 2000, the Rams have played the Bulldogs 5 times, & winning just 2 of those games. The last time these two teams squared off, Nikola Malesevic’s 25 wasn’t enough to get the win. I have a feeling that we will see them losing a tight one again. I am going to go with the same outcome as the last time they played. My prediction, Yale 68 – URI 64. Go Rhody!!



Opponent
Record:
4-2, 0-0 in the Ivy
21-9, 10-4 in the Ivy (Last Season)

Rankings (URI):
NCAA NET: 65 (263)*
RPI: 119 (266)
KenPom: 83 (202)
BPI: 70 (260)
Sagarin: 76 (229)*
Barttovik: 73 (176)
*Denotes Last Season Rankings

Leaders:
Points – Bez Mbeng 13.5 (Jr., G)
Rebounds – Danny Wolf 8.5 (Soph., F)
Assists – Bez Mbeng 3.0 (Jr., G) (1.8 TO per game)

Historical
Series: 4-8
H: 1-2, A: 3-6, N: 0-0
Most Recent Matchup: 12/18/11 68-65 L at URI
Most Recent Win Streak: 2 - URI
Match-up Predictor: 25.1% Chance of URI Winning

[Jersey77]

Thanks Spooky, I was looking forward to your write-up on this game, well done.
As you said, they are well balanced with all 5 starters averaging double-digits.

Yale will be our toughest OOC opponent at the RC, no question.
This game will be a huge confidence builder if we can beat a quality team.

I can't wait for Sunday, and I am driving up for the game.

[ramster]

Background from last year's Ivy League Post Season Awards

Highlighted in red are returnees to Yale's team this season.
Coach of the year in James Jones
Bez Mbeng excels on the defensive end and was named Ivy Drfensive Player of the Year.

Mbeng played AAU with DC Premier. Close to RI home On his team were 1st Team Ivy Kino Lilly Jr from Brown and Rhody's Abdou Samb.


PRINCETON, N.J. – It was a close three-team race between Princeton, Yale, and Penn for the Ivy League crown during the 2022-23 regular season. The all-Ivy teams and major award winners, which was voted on by the league's eight head coaches, reflected the individual performances that led each of those teams to success.

Penn’s Jordan Dingle was named the 2022-23 Ivy League Men’s Basketball Player of the Year following a regular season in which Dingle posted the second-highest scoring average in the Ivy League since the last 25 years. The junior averaged 23.6 points per game, which ranked second in the nation, and second only to Jim Barton’s 24.5 points per game during the 1987-88 season. Dingle was highly efficient from the charity stripe, connecting on 86.7 percent of his 165 free throw attempts, and was second in the Ivy League in three-pointers per game, knocking-down 2.8 shots from behind the arc per game.

The Yale Bulldogs received two major award honors: Defensive Player of the Year Bez Mbeng, and Coach of the Year James Jones. Mbeng, a sophomore guard, has made a name for his ability to wreak havoc on the defensive end of the floor. Mbeng tied for fourth in the Ivy League with 1.4 steals per game. Jones, who has been on the Bulldog bench since 1999, was named Ivy League Coach of the Year for a fourth time in his career, previously winning in 2020, 2016, and 2015. He guided Yale to a 20-7 record on the year and a 10-4 mark in Ivy League play, earning a share of the Ivy title.

Princeton’s Caden Pierce became one of the Tigers’ most consistent players during the second half of the season, reaching double-digit points in 6 of his last 12 games and grabbing double-digit rebounds in 5 of his last 10 games. He averaged 8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and had 5 double-doubles on the year for the Tigers.

Dingle was one of four unanimous selections to the All-Ivy First Team, the other three being Harvard senior Chris Ledlum, Princeton senior Tosan Evbuomwan, and Yale junior Matt Knowling. Brown sophomore Kino Lilly Jr., the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year, also was voted to the first team. Ledlum was second in the conference with 18.8 points per game and led the league in rebounding with 8.4 rebounds per game. Evbuomwan was fifth in scoring at 14.5 points per game, sixth in rebounding with 6.2 per game, and first with 4.9 assists per game. Knowling averaged 14.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while Lilly Jr. ranked third in scoring at 16.9 points per game.

The All-Ivy Second Team was as fairly distributed as the First Team with the five spots being represented by five different schools. Paxson Wojcik, a senior standout for Brown, was selected to the second team after posting 14.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The rest of the All-Ivy Second Team was made up of Cornell’s Greg Dolan, Dartmouth’s Dame Adelekun, Princeton’s Matt Allocco, and Yale’s EJ Jarvis.

Cornell’s Nazir Williams, Penn’s Max Martz and Mbeng each earned honorable mention all-Ivy.

Additionally, one student-athlete from each institution was recognized for their commitment in the classroom and on the court as members of the 2022-23 Ivy League Men's Basketball Academic All-Ivy team. Brown’s Paxson Wojcik, Columbia's Zavian McLean, Cornell’s Greg Dolan, Dartmouth's Dame Adelekun, Harvard’s Idan Tretout, Penn's Lucas Monroe, Princeton’s Tosan Evbuomwan and Yale's Michael Feinberg were each named to the team.

2023 ALL-IVY LEAGUE MEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jordan Dingle, Penn (Jr., G – Valley Stream, N.Y.)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Bez Mbeng, Yale (So., G – Potomac, Md.)

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Caden Pierce, Princeton (Fr., F – Glenn Ellyn, Ill.)

COACH OF THE YEAR
James Jones, Yale

FIRST TEAM ALL-IVY
*Chris Ledlum, Harvard (Sr., G/F – Brooklyn, N.Y.)
*Jordan Dingle, Penn (Jr., G – Valley Stream, N.Y.)
*Tosan Evbuomwan, Princeton (Sr., F – Newcastle, England)
*Matt Knowling, Yale (Jr., F – Ellington, Conn.)
Kino Lilly Jr., Brown (So., G – Glenn Dale, Md.)

SECOND TEAM ALL-IVY^
Paxson Wojcik, Brown (Sr., G – Charleston, S.C.)
Greg Dolan, Cornell (Sr., G – Williamsville, N.Y.)
Dame Adelekun, Dartmouth (Sr., F – Gastonia, N.C.)
Matt Allocco, Princeton (Jr., G – Hilliard, Ohio)
EJ Jarvis, Yale (Sr., F – Washington, D.C.)

HONORABLE MENTION
Nazir Williams, Cornell (So., G – Nyack, N.Y.)
Max Martz, Penn (Jr., F/G – Upper Arlington, Ohio)
Bez Mbeng, Yale (So., G – Potomac, Md.)

[ramster]

In the last 2 games the 6'4" guard Mbeng has really hit the boards.
Last game on Sunday in Atlantic Slam vs Gardner Webb (OT Win) 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Game prior on Saturday vs Weber State (OT Loss) Mbeng went for 8 points and 11 rebounds.
He had 3 assists and 2 steals in both games

Will be interesting to see who Miller puts on Mbeng to start the game and who he subs onto Mbeng who leads Yale in minutes played.

[Jersey77]

In the last 2 games the 6'4" guard Mbeng has really hit the boards.
Last game on Sunday in Atlantic Slam vs Gardner Webb (OT Win) 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Game prior on Saturday vs Weber State (OT Loss) Mbeng went for 8 points and 11 rebounds.
He had 3 assists and 2 steals in both games

Will be interesting to see who Miller puts on Mbeng to start the game and who he subs onto Mbeng who leads Yale in minutes played.

Their 7-footer Wolf will also be a match-up problem averaging 12 pts/8.5 rebs
Also can stretch it and has shot almost 42% 3PT and 50% FG.

[NHRamFan]

All signs point to a rough afternoon at the Ryan....

[PeterRamTime]

[section(105)]

Team Rankngs now has #200, #13 A-10 Rams with 32% chance to beat # 87 Yale.

[NHRamFan]

"So you're saying there's a chance?"

[Rhodymob05]

Yale isn’t Duke here. We play how we’re capable of playing and we’ll be fine.

[PeterRamTime]

"So you're saying there's a chance?"

Uh yeah. Yale is good, but they aren't Duke.

Yale 83 LMU 80
Yale 71 Garnder Webb 70
Yale 65 Weber St 75 OT

They're good, but it's not like we are going to Cameron Indoor lol

[Rhody15]

All signs point to a rough afternoon at the Ryan....

Overreaction.

We may lose, but this isn’t a Top 10 blueblood coming here to play an 0-6 Rhody team with Jerry D coaching.

[steveystuds06]

I love how some people went from thinking we would beat Northwestern to thinking we barely have a chance at home against Yale. Yale is a good team, and we will need to bring our A-game. but this is a game I think we should win at home.

[Rhody15]

I love how some people went from thinking we would beat Northwestern to thinking we barely have a chance at home against Yale. Yale is a good team, and we will need to bring our A-game. but this is a game I think we should win at home.

Well that’s because of recent results.

We blew out 3 teams going into Northwestern and people were on a high.

We then played like shit against two bigger/better opponents and now people are doubting us a tad.

It’s easy to see why people have changed their opinions on the team a bit.

[Obadiah]

Interesting that they feel Sunday's game is just a prep for their important game with Vermont the following week.

[Jersey77]

Interesting that they feel Sunday's game is just a prep for their important game with Vermont the following week.

Their staff and the players certainly don't feel that way.

Sunday is very winnable for us, at the very least I expect us to be focused and competitive.

[steveystuds06]

I love how some people went from thinking we would beat Northwestern to thinking we barely have a chance at home against Yale. Yale is a good team, and we will need to bring our A-game. but this is a game I think we should win at home.

Well that’s because of recent results.

We blew out 3 teams going into Northwestern and people were on a high.

We then played like shit against two bigger/better opponents and now people are doubting us a tad.

It’s easy to see why people have changed their opinions on the team a bit.

Well ya, obviously, people are going to change their mind about the team after some wins or losses. That's common sense. Similar to how I've changed my mind about recruits after watching them play more, but you ignore that when it happens... However, statements like 'we are in for a rough afternoon' and the 'dumber and dumber' reference, implying we have little to no chance, seem a bit excessive, especially against an opponent like Yale at home.

My point is, that this team will experience a lot of ups and downs and will probably hover around .500 throughout the year. We're clearly not good enough to win the Mohegan Sun tournament, but we're also not bad enough to have little chance against Yale at home

I actually think we didn't play like shit against Northwestern. We had a horrendous first 10 minutes, but I thought we played well the rest of the game. We played like shit on Sunday.

[Rhodymob05]

We played well after that awful first half slump vs NW and it was a 5 point game in the second half vs WSU until we fell apart.

[jcru]

Maybe I'm old fashioned (at 50 years old), but I was always a big fan of the way Jim Harrick did it. Which is to say, clamp down on a strict 8 man rotation, and only play those guys the vast majority of the game, end to end.

Now, I know Archie is a very good coach, and there is more than one way to skin a cat, but sometimes it's tough to watch a team when the coach runs against the grain all the time, with the constant tinkering and experimenting with the lineup. It was one of the irritating things to watch during last year's abysmal season, I really hope that isn't going to be a season long thing this year.

The problem is, unlike with Harrick's team, where everyone had a defined role and knew exactly what to expect every game, and got very familiar and comfortable with what their teammates could and could not do, when you have this hockey style rotation going on, people seem all out of sorts, like it's their first time on the court, and in some cases, even surprised to be there. I think that leads to the inadvertent passes all over the place too. People trying to act like they do this all the time, and they know what their teammates are thinking, and 1. they don't do it all of the time, and 2. they have no idea what their teammates are thinking. It's pretty much an exercise of fake it until you make it.

[jcru]

Last year it was, 2 months into the season during conference games: today, we are going to start Rory and see if that provides a spark against St. Joes. Maybe he can get some three point shooting going early. And if that fails miserably, we'll substitute Alex Tchikou in for him, and see if that does something.

And it's like, I understand last year's roster left a lot to be desired, but all of this "let's try THIS today, yeah!" stuff should have been over with about 8 games into the season, not still going on in game #23 of the season.

[PeterRamTime]

I love how some people went from thinking we would beat Northwestern to thinking we barely have a chance at home against Yale. Yale is a good team, and we will need to bring our A-game. but this is a game I think we should win at home.

Well that’s because of recent results.

We blew out 3 teams going into Northwestern and people were on a high.

We then played like shit against two bigger/better opponents and now people are doubting us a tad.

It’s easy to see why people have changed their opinions on the team a bit.

Well ya, obviously, people are going to change their mind about the team after some wins or losses. That's common sense. Similar to how I've changed my mind about recruits after watching them play more, but you ignore that when it happens... However, statements like 'we are in for a rough afternoon' and the 'dumber and dumber' reference, implying we have little to no chance, seem a bit excessive, especially against an opponent like Yale at home.

My point is, that this team will experience a lot of ups and downs and will probably hover around .500 throughout the year. We're clearly not good enough to win the Mohegan Sun tournament, but we're also not bad enough to have little chance against Yale at home

I actually think we didn't play like shit against Northwestern. We had a horrendous first 10 minutes, but I thought we played well the rest of the game. We played like shit on Sunday.

I thought both games were basically the same. Horrendous start in the NW game. First 12 minutes.

Horrible end to the WSU game. Last 12 minutes.

But yeah, nobody should be thinking we have no chance against Yale.

[PeterRamTime]

Last year it was, 2 months into the season during conference games: today, we are going to start Rory and see if that provides a spark against St. Joes. Maybe he can get some three point shooting going early. And if that fails miserably, we'll substitute Alex Tchikou in for him, and see if that does something.

And it's like, I understand last year's roster left a lot to be desired, but all of this "let's try THIS today, yeah!" stuff should have been over with about 8 games into the season, not still going on in game #23 of the season.

The situations that Harrick and Archie walked into couldn't be any different.

Do you remember last year? We couldn't have possibly figured out a top 8 players when half were injured and then Bray was a head case.

Freshman also develop throughout the season. Rory was better later in the year so he got more playing time.

The only freshman Harrick had to play was Lamar Odom lol

Archie also played about 8 or 9 players all year last year.

[PeterRamTime]

The less we see Brown and Fuchs on the floor the better our chances will be. Until proven otherwise, they are a mess out there. Watching them get stuffed by J&W and watching J&W players finish over them with ease, doesn't give me much confidence going into this game. Danny Wolf is probably the best big we've seen so far.

I think you have to go with big Fou starting with Zek, Weston, House and Luis.

Will Bilau be ready for serious minutes? Hope so.

[adam914]

We played well after that awful first half slump vs NW and it was a 5 point game in the second half vs WSU until we fell apart.

I can appreciate the attempt at optimism when it comes to the second half performances, but my only issue with that is that it kind of ignores the affect it may have had on our opponent to. For example, do we apply the same logic to our other games to then? We were 16 points better than CCSU in the first half and then they outscored us by 5 in the second half. For Fairfield we were 25 points better in the first and 12 points worse in the second.

So does that mean we're basically at the level of CCSU and Fairfield, but they just had a first half slump? To be clear, I don't actually think that's the case, I'm just saying I don't think we can just ignore half the game and make the assumption that we're closer to equal to NW and WSU because we can find one segment of the game where the numbers look better for us.

[theblueram]

This team got absolutely bullied last weekend. They were not tough, didn't stand up. Hopefully they learned that and come to play. They were weak down low, last weekend.

[jcru]

Last year it was, 2 months into the season during conference games: today, we are going to start Rory and see if that provides a spark against St. Joes. Maybe he can get some three point shooting going early. And if that fails miserably, we'll substitute Alex Tchikou in for him, and see if that does something.

And it's like, I understand last year's roster left a lot to be desired, but all of this "let's try THIS today, yeah!" stuff should have been over with about 8 games into the season, not still going on in game #23 of the season.

The situations that Harrick and Archie walked into couldn't be any different.

Do you remember last year? We couldn't have possibly figured out a top 8 players when half were injured and then Bray was a head case.

Freshman also develop throughout the season. Rory was better later in the year so he got more playing time.

The only freshman Harrick had to play was Lamar Odom lol

Archie also played about 8 or 9 players all year last year.

1. Well, understood, but I'm talking about this year. Last year, ok. This year, end to end, tinkering with the lineup?

2. I didn't really think Rory was any better at the end of the year. He got more playing time, that didn't mean he was better. In some ways, he regressed.

3. Odom wasn't available Harrick's first year. The rotation was:

Wheeler
Mobley
Josh King
Reynolds-Dean
Luther Clay

bench:
Murphy
David Arigbabu
maybe one other player currently slipping my mind. That might have been it: 7 players, Elite 8 showing

I understand that this is a complete rebuild, with a brand new roster, both years, but even Al Skinner had these guys playing all_the_time. There were definitive starters like Wheeler and ARD. The substitutions were kept to a minimum.

The way they do things now days, you would think everyone is starting material. Like one homogenous team. And they aren't. And the starters should expect to play starting minutes: 30+ mins a game, and the substitutes should feel privleged to get into the game, and make the most of their minutes.

[reef]

I’m expecting a close competitive game throughout and one that we will either win or lose by a few points

[theblueram]

Last year it was, 2 months into the season during conference games: today, we are going to start Rory and see if that provides a spark against St. Joes. Maybe he can get some three point shooting going early. And if that fails miserably, we'll substitute Alex Tchikou in for him, and see if that does something.

And it's like, I understand last year's roster left a lot to be desired, but all of this "let's try THIS today, yeah!" stuff should have been over with about 8 games into the season, not still going on in game #23 of the season.

The situations that Harrick and Archie walked into couldn't be any different.

Do you remember last year? We couldn't have possibly figured out a top 8 players when half were injured and then Bray was a head case.

Freshman also develop throughout the season. Rory was better later in the year so he got more playing time.

The only freshman Harrick had to play was Lamar Odom lol

Archie also played about 8 or 9 players all year last year.

1. Well, understood, but I'm talking about this year. Last year, ok. This year, end to end, tinkering with the lineup?

2. I didn't really think Rory was any better at the end of the year. He got more playing time, that didn't mean he was better. In some ways, he regressed.

3. Odom wasn't available Harrick's first year. The rotation was:

Wheeler
Mobley
Josh King
Reynolds-Dean
Luther Clay

bench:
Murphy
David Arigbabu
maybe one other player currently slipping my mind. That might have been it: 7 players, Elite 8 showing

I understand that this is a complete rebuild, with a brand new roster, both years, but even Al Skinner had these guys playing all_the_time. There were definitive starters like Wheeler and ARD. The substitutions were kept to a minimum.

The way they do things now days, you would think everyone is starting material. Like one homogenous team. And they aren't. And the starters should expect to play starting minutes: 30+ mins a game, and the substitutes should feel privleged to get into the game, and make the most of their minutes.

Probably the best post of the year.

[Rhody15]

Last year it was, 2 months into the season during conference games: today, we are going to start Rory and see if that provides a spark against St. Joes. Maybe he can get some three point shooting going early. And if that fails miserably, we'll substitute Alex Tchikou in for him, and see if that does something.

And it's like, I understand last year's roster left a lot to be desired, but all of this "let's try THIS today, yeah!" stuff should have been over with about 8 games into the season, not still going on in game #23 of the season.

The situations that Harrick and Archie walked into couldn't be any different.

Do you remember last year? We couldn't have possibly figured out a top 8 players when half were injured and then Bray was a head case.

Freshman also develop throughout the season. Rory was better later in the year so he got more playing time.

The only freshman Harrick had to play was Lamar Odom lol

Archie also played about 8 or 9 players all year last year.

1. Well, understood, but I'm talking about this year. Last year, ok. This year, end to end, tinkering with the lineup?

2. I didn't really think Rory was any better at the end of the year. He got more playing time, that didn't mean he was better. In some ways, he regressed.

3. Odom wasn't available Harrick's first year. The rotation was:

Wheeler
Mobley
Josh King
Reynolds-Dean
Luther Clay

bench:
Murphy
David Arigbabu
maybe one other player currently slipping my mind. That might have been it: 7 players, Elite 8 showing

I understand that this is a complete rebuild, with a brand new roster, both years, but even Al Skinner had these guys playing all_the_time. There were definitive starters like Wheeler and ARD. The substitutions were kept to a minimum.

The way they do things now days, you would think everyone is starting material. Like one homogenous team. And they aren't. And the starters should expect to play starting minutes: 30+ mins a game, and the substitutes should feel privleged to get into the game, and make the most of their minutes.

Find some college teams playing all their starters 30+ minutes.

I would guess most teams do not play all 5 starters 30+ minutes.

[PeterRamTime]

Last year it was, 2 months into the season during conference games: today, we are going to start Rory and see if that provides a spark against St. Joes. Maybe he can get some three point shooting going early. And if that fails miserably, we'll substitute Alex Tchikou in for him, and see if that does something.

And it's like, I understand last year's roster left a lot to be desired, but all of this "let's try THIS today, yeah!" stuff should have been over with about 8 games into the season, not still going on in game #23 of the season.

The situations that Harrick and Archie walked into couldn't be any different.

Do you remember last year? We couldn't have possibly figured out a top 8 players when half were injured and then Bray was a head case.

Freshman also develop throughout the season. Rory was better later in the year so he got more playing time.

The only freshman Harrick had to play was Lamar Odom lol

Archie also played about 8 or 9 players all year last year.

1. Well, understood, but I'm talking about this year. Last year, ok. This year, end to end, tinkering with the lineup?

2. I didn't really think Rory was any better at the end of the year. He got more playing time, that didn't mean he was better. In some ways, he regressed.

3. Odom wasn't available Harrick's first year. The rotation was:

Wheeler
Mobley
Josh King
Reynolds-Dean
Luther Clay

bench:
Murphy
David Arigbabu
maybe one other player currently slipping my mind. That might have been it: 7 players, Elite 8 showing

I understand that this is a complete rebuild, with a brand new roster, both years, but even Al Skinner had these guys playing all_the_time. There were definitive starters like Wheeler and ARD. The substitutions were kept to a minimum.

The way they do things now days, you would think everyone is starting material. Like one homogenous team. And they aren't. And the starters should expect to play starting minutes: 30+ mins a game, and the substitutes should feel privleged to get into the game, and make the most of their minutes.

Idk we are only six games in and now we are going to work in Bilau. Not a big deal. You also have to consider the transfer portal and it's still an inexperienced group.

It's debatable. Rory was probably a little more comfortable. He was shooting at a much higher clip so he was less of a liability at the end of the year.

I know Lamar didn't play on the elite 8 team. I should have clarified that he was the only one he had to play over the two years he was there. Except Bell?

Now, if Fuchs and Brown continue to struggle and he keeps starting them...I'll be concerned.

[theblueram]

The situations that Harrick and Archie walked into couldn't be any different.

Do you remember last year? We couldn't have possibly figured out a top 8 players when half were injured and then Bray was a head case.

Freshman also develop throughout the season. Rory was better later in the year so he got more playing time.

The only freshman Harrick had to play was Lamar Odom lol

Archie also played about 8 or 9 players all year last year.

1. Well, understood, but I'm talking about this year. Last year, ok. This year, end to end, tinkering with the lineup?

2. I didn't really think Rory was any better at the end of the year. He got more playing time, that didn't mean he was better. In some ways, he regressed.

3. Odom wasn't available Harrick's first year. The rotation was:

Wheeler
Mobley
Josh King
Reynolds-Dean
Luther Clay

bench:
Murphy
David Arigbabu
maybe one other player currently slipping my mind. That might have been it: 7 players, Elite 8 showing

I understand that this is a complete rebuild, with a brand new roster, both years, but even Al Skinner had these guys playing all_the_time. There were definitive starters like Wheeler and ARD. The substitutions were kept to a minimum.

The way they do things now days, you would think everyone is starting material. Like one homogenous team. And they aren't. And the starters should expect to play starting minutes: 30+ mins a game, and the substitutes should feel privleged to get into the game, and make the most of their minutes.

Find some college teams playing all their starters 30+ minutes.

I would guess most teams do not play all 5 starters 30+ minutes.

Do your own research and get back to us. Thanks.

[SandorClegane]

I was impressed at how Bilau moved in his first game back. Obviously a bit rusty, but looked like he could crack the rotation soon. Also looked a bit stronger than last year, so maybe he hit the weights during rehab.

[Rhody15]

1. Well, understood, but I'm talking about this year. Last year, ok. This year, end to end, tinkering with the lineup?

2. I didn't really think Rory was any better at the end of the year. He got more playing time, that didn't mean he was better. In some ways, he regressed.

3. Odom wasn't available Harrick's first year. The rotation was:

Wheeler
Mobley
Josh King
Reynolds-Dean
Luther Clay

bench:
Murphy
David Arigbabu
maybe one other player currently slipping my mind. That might have been it: 7 players, Elite 8 showing

I understand that this is a complete rebuild, with a brand new roster, both years, but even Al Skinner had these guys playing all_the_time. There were definitive starters like Wheeler and ARD. The substitutions were kept to a minimum.

The way they do things now days, you would think everyone is starting material. Like one homogenous team. And they aren't. And the starters should expect to play starting minutes: 30+ mins a game, and the substitutes should feel privleged to get into the game, and make the most of their minutes.

Find some college teams playing all their starters 30+ minutes.

I would guess most teams do not play all 5 starters 30+ minutes.

Do your own research and get back to us. Thanks.

Zero A10 teams play all starters 30+ minutes.

Zero of the Top 25 teams play all starts 30+ minutes.

Damn, looks like I was right.

[reef]

I think with rotations early in the season playing 9 sounds about right , 8 is a little thin and if you go 10 then the 10th guy is not going to play more than 6 or 7 minutes

Once you get into March conference tournaments going to an 8 msn rotation is fine

[jcru]

Zero A10 teams play all starters 30+ minutes.

Zero of the Top 25 teams play all starts 30+ minutes.

Damn, looks like I was right.

I did a search on ONE team. The holiest of Holy's. UCONN Men's Basketball. In their last competitive game, against Texas:

8 players, and 5 players with at least 27 mins or more. 27, 28, 29, 37, 39, and their 6th man: 25.

https://uconnhuskies.com/sports/mens-ba ... core/23858

Now, that was about as LAZY of "research" as I could have possibly attempted, and..... nailed it.

Is House and Montgomery going to get 39 and 37 mins, or vise versa, anytime in the next 5 games?

I guess we'll see.

[Rhody15]

Zero A10 teams play all starters 30+ minutes.

Zero of the Top 25 teams play all starts 30+ minutes.

Damn, looks like I was right.

I did a search on ONE team. The holiest of Holy's. UCONN Men's Basketball. In their last competitive game, against Texas:

8 players, and 5 players with at least 27 mins or more. 27, 28, 29, 37, 39, and their 6th man: 25.

https://uconnhuskies.com/sports/mens-ba ... core/23858

Now, that was about as LAZY of "research" as I could have possibly attempted, and..... nailed it.

Is House and Montgomery going to get 39 and 37 mins, or vise versa, anytime in the next 5 games?

I guess we'll see.

Lol nailed it? You’re now changing the goalposts. People seem to do that when my point in correct.

You said starters 30+ minutes.

ZERO teams in the A10 and ZERO Top 25 teams average 30+ minutes for all 5 starters.

Its cut and dry dude.

[jcru]

That's not moving the goal posts very far. 30+ mins, ok.

But their two best players: 39 and 37 mins, practically every min. 6 players with very close to 30. And no more than 8 players total.

You have to move the goal posts a lot further along to prove your point. Let's get realistic here, 15.

[jcru]

Sorry, 6 5 players with close to 30, and a sixth man off the bench who plays 25.

I'll self correct, before I give you the excuse to pin your entire argument on a slip.

[Rhody15]

That's not moving the goal posts very far. 30+ mins, ok.

But their two best players: 39 and 37 mins, practically every min. 6 players with very close to 30. And no more than 8 players total.

You have to move the goal posts a lot further along to prove your point. Let's get realistic here, 15.

lol I didn't move goalposts one aota.

You said we should play all our starters 30+ minutes.

I said I doubt most team play all starters 30+.

Blueram told me to “do my own research”

Took 3 minutes to look up all A10 teams and Top 25 teams.

ZERO teams with 5 starters average 30+ minutes.

People just hate to admit when I’m right, which is fine.

[adam914]

In our two "competitive" games, NW and WSU, House, Kortright, and Zek all played over 30 minutes. House played over 30 against CCSU, against Fairfield Zek played 37 and Kortright played 34. House played 26 that game with some foul trouble.

[Rhody15]

Sorry, 6 5 players with close to 30, and a sixth man off the bench who plays 25.

I'll self correct, before I give you the excuse to pin your entire argument on a slip.

Lol you literally went from “all starters should play 30+” to “5 players close to 30 and sixth man who plays 25.”

That is the literal definition of changing the goalposts, you just completely switched up the number of minutes.

[jcru]

No no no no.

You are partially right.

I moved the goal post three minutes to the Left, and my argument is overwhelmingly right.

Which means, my overall argument of stop tinkering with the lineup, is a hell of lot closer to the truth than whatever you are arguing over there

[jcru]

30+ mins means 31 mins.

I'm off by 4 mins, 3 mins, and 2 mins. a total of 9 mins over 5 starters.

I guess I'm not going to get an answer to that question of whether our two best players are ever going to play 39 and 37 mins in a big game

[Rhody15]

30+ mins means 31 mins.

I'm off by 4 mins, 3 mins, and 2 mins. a total of 9 mins over 5 starters.

I guess I'm not going to get an answer to that question of whether our two best players are ever going to play 39 and 37 mins in a big game

Zek has played 37 minutes in a game already.

So I would guess yes, he’ll eventually play 37 again.

[jcru]

I'm going to send Hurley an email and see if, when he's playing disassembling New Hampshire next game, he can just play those other three, 3 more mins apiece, so that the fact checker over here can lose for once in his life.

[Rhody15]

Louis has played 35 once, 34 twice.

House has played 33 once, 31 twice.

Zek has played 37 once, 33, 32.

[Rhody15]

I'm going to send Hurley an email and see if, when he's playing disassembling New Hampshire next game, he can just play those other three, 3 more mins apiece, so that the fact checker over here can lose for once in his life.

I’ve been wrong here before, will be wrong in the future.

Took 3 minutes after BlueRam said to look it up.

I’m sorry that I’m right, I really am.

Must hurt!

[jcru]

In any case, I liked it better when Harrick was "old school" like apparently Dan Hurley is and had 8 established players he goes to war with, and the rest of the team looked longingly on from the bench and daydreamed, hey, that could be me one day.

Sure beats the hodge podge, helter skelter we watched all last season and a couple of games already this season.

[jcru]

no, I'm just messing with you. It doesn't hurt at all, that's kind of the point.

[adam914]

In any case, I liked it better when Harrick was "old school" like apparently Dan Hurley is and had 8 established players he goes to war with, and the rest of the team looked longingly on from the bench and daydreamed, hey, that could be me one day.

Sure beats the hodge podge, helter skelter we watched all last season and a couple of games already this season.

I have no idea if our two best players will play 39 and 37 minutes in any games moving forward. But I do know for sure that Zek played 37 against Fairfield, and in our two most competitive games against the best teams we have faced where we didn't have a scoring margin that would lead to playing the bench more, we had 8 guys that played double digit minutes (and 3 over 30 mins in each game). Isn't that exactly what you are asking for? Of course in games where we go up by 15+ points against teams like CCSU, Wagner and Fairfield more guys are going to get some run. But the rotation is already at essentially 8-9 guys and I would expect it to shorten up even more as we approach conference play.