12/4 | Providence College | 5:00PM (ESPNU)

[RamStock]

I’m not sure that the outcome was a surprise to me. This team has very little talent in my opinion and is just awful at shooting the basketball. My friend from Boston sent me before the game asking why URI was only getting 5. Archie needs to find out which players will have a future here going forward and hope there is improvement from some players. I honestly hope there is turnover with 3 or 4 players that leave the program and we try to hit again from a recruiting or transfer standpoint again. Archie will hopefully turn it around over the next couple of years, but it is clear how much people overrated the players that were brought in. This is a bottom of the conference roster right now.

[section(105)]

As I settle into the season thus far, the above sums up where I am. The slow and steady growth can only go so far with talent on this roster. The step back in defense last nite was disappointing. Freeman is not Fatts 2.0, however due to lack of other offense production, he is often left with the ball ball in his hands and………..a knock down three point shooter is missing and that will hurt us all year. Shading toward to bottom group of A-10 is looking realistic.

[rhodyblue12]

I don't get the negativity at all. This is the happiest I have been in a while.
Add Foumena to Bilau, Tchicou, Samb and Hutch (more of a SF) and I can see what our future front court could be.
We only need two of those guys to develop into above average bigs and we will be in good shape.

If anyone has an issue, it may just be that all our bigs are in the beginning phases of development.
But this is the plan - build it up without using the 'quick fix' type guys.
Archie is doing what he said he would do - which means something to me.

Lots of positives to take away from yesterday's game.

[Blue Man]

I don't get the negativity at all. This is the happiest I have been in a while.
Add Foumena to Bilau, Tchicou, Samb and Hutch (more of a SF) and I can see what our future front court could be.
We only need two of those guys to develop into above average bigs and we will be in good shape.

If anyone has an issue, it may just be that all our bigs are in the beginning phases of development.
But this is the plan - build it up without using the 'quick fix' type guys.
Archie is doing what he said he would do - which means something to me.

Lots of positives to take away from yesterday's game.

I think it’s fair to be negative when losing by 14 at home to your rival.

But yes, I agree with your post. Patience is key.

Like yeah, having a kid is awesome but I hear the child birthing part is painful and shitty.

[Jersey77]

I don't get the negativity at all. This is the happiest I have been in a while.
Add Foumena to Bilau, Tchicou, Samb and Hutch (more of a SF) and I can see what our future front court could be.
We only need two of those guys to develop into above average bigs and we will be in good shape.

If anyone has an issue, it may just be that all our bigs are in the beginning phases of development.
But this is the plan - build it up without using the 'quick fix' type guys.
Archie is doing what he said he would do - which means something to me.

Lots of positives to take away from yesterday's game.

My feelings are similar, even though it always sucks to lose to PC.

I am very upbeat about our future; I just hope we keep all our young talent.

Along with the development of our bigs, I also like the recruits he is bringing in.

[rhodysurf]

I don't get the negativity at all. This is the happiest I have been in a while.
Add Foumena to Bilau, Tchicou, Samb and Hutch (more of a SF) and I can see what our future front court could be.
We only need two of those guys to develop into above average bigs and we will be in good shape.

If anyone has an issue, it may just be that all our bigs are in the beginning phases of development.
But this is the plan - build it up without using the 'quick fix' type guys.
Archie is doing what he said he would do - which means something to me.

Lots of positives to take away from yesterday's game.

I feel the same way.

[SGreenwell]

Have you seen a worst front court than this one since Ryan opened?

Yes? Lol have three freshman or sophomores who have touch around the rim and will get stronger. Or bigs (aside hassan) have never produced in tier first year, their D will improve.

I get the negativity but can see the trajectory pretty clearly

This isn't precisely true - After Martin, we had Cyril, who was a part-time but valuable player as a freshman, and he was replaced by Walker and the twins. Before / concurrent with Martin, we had Biruta, who wasn't an all-A10 level player but was a solid player. I think you'd have to go back to the first Hurley year to find a comparable frontcourt. That was freshman year for the enigma Jordan Hare, Mike Aaman was a scrapper but not really skilled, and Ryan Brooks was a great kid and not-so-great A-10 basketball player.

Our current big men seem to expend plenty of effort, so I'd expect some improvement. But I also think we're probably going to see a couple more ass-kickings in the paint before that happens.

[ATPTourFan]

Each time I look, more and more seats open up. Not even close to a sellout. I don't think I ever remember in my almost 50 years as a fan that URI-PC wasn't sold out.

Exactly. I think the only game I can remember is the 2003 game where it was practically a blizzard. My roommate and I walked over from Hopkins -- it might have been still snowing even before tipoff if I remember correctly.

Unfortunately, I will not be making the game tonight. I've been having health issues for the last few months and was in the hospital Thursday night; still waiting for a surgical date and to find out actually what is going on. If I tried to go it would be kinda too overwhelming for walking/crowds/standing. I have a ton of FOMO for not going but I'll be watching from my cozy couch looking at my tree at least.

Have fun everyone!

Terrible news, TSwift. I just saw this and that explains why I didn’t see you there. I hope you finally get to feeling better again.

[Jersey77]

Have you seen a worst front court than this one since Ryan opened?

I guess I see it a little differently.

Yeah, they are for the most part still raw and inexperienced.
But as things move forward, they will get stronger and develop mentally (basketball IQ) as well as physically.

Actually, talent wise and our depth with Bilau, Samb, Alex, Rory, and Foumena, this group can become one of our better frontcourts.

Again, our record this season doesn't really concern me, just the direction of our program going forward.

[KevanBoyles]

To keep things in perspective, go back and take a look at last year's game at the Dunk. We were out of the game in the first 8 minutes, the twins were terrible, and the coaching was abysmal. In my opinion, we were much better this year. We were much more competitive for a good part of the game and you could actually see the improvement in the team in the first eight games. Not so much last year as we progressively got worse.

[JimSidd]

I mostly agree with the post game comments here but want to make this point that I think is getting lost and should be noted

If you slice out the last 4 mins of the half and present the game with the score adjusted then it’s a last possession game

For 36 minutes out of 40 we played them evenly

I know it doesn’t seem like that when we were looking at a 12-16 point deficit all 2nd half but that’s what the score would show if the 4 mins were sliced out and erased from our memory and the game was shown to us

Obviously we were manhandled inside - but I still liked our grit for 36 mins

brighter days ahead by end of year

That span where PC took control seemed like more than four minutes to me, so I checked the play by play. At the 6:40 mark, Rhody led 23-22 and from that point to the end of the half, it was PC 21-4. That’s too much game time to let another team take control of a game.
Also, I’m usually not a big fan of “if you take away X number of minutes”. All 40 minutes count and one of your jobs is to counter runs.
In this case, I do agree with many of the larger points of seeing improvements. The team certainly played with better pace. Players getting stronger and getting an outside shooter or two here: that’s where the patience comes into play.

[RI_Bred]

I agree this years PC team has 4 players at 23 years old and I believe last years PC team had 4 if not more players that were 23 years old
Crazy!!!!

Oldest team in D1 last year.

[rhodysurf]

Have you seen a worst front court than this one since Ryan opened?

Yes? Lol have three freshman or sophomores who have touch around the rim and will get stronger. Or bigs (aside hassan) have never produced in tier first year, their D will improve.

I get the negativity but can see the trajectory pretty clearly

This isn't precisely true - After Martin, we had Cyril, who was a part-time but valuable player as a freshman, and he was replaced by Walker and the twins. Before / concurrent with Martin, we had Biruta, who wasn't an all-A10 level player but was a solid player. I think you'd have to go back to the first Hurley year to find a comparable frontcourt. That was freshman year for the enigma Jordan Hare, Mike Aaman was a scrapper but not really skilled, and Ryan Brooks was a great kid and not-so-great A-10 basketball player.

Our current big men seem to expend plenty of effort, so I'd expect some improvement. But I also think we're probably going to see a couple more ass-kickings in the paint before that happens.

Okay yea, so im coming at this from, we have had so many big men come in as freshman and just never even see the court. Obviously our front court is way worse this year in years past, but were not used to seeing young bigs on the court so much.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

I'm annoyed they are not trying harder to build the URI fan base. I had some PC fans behind me in 205 they did not all stay home.

What the hell are they supposed to do? We've been bad for years. When we start winning, the fans will return. Until then, no amount of promotion or "fan experience" thingies will make a difference.

[TruePoint]

Have you seen a worst front court than this one since Ryan opened?

I guess I see it a little differently.

Yeah, they are for the most part still raw and inexperienced.
But as things move forward, they will get stronger and develop mentally (basketball IQ) as well as physically.

Actually, talent wise and our depth with Bilau, Samb, Alex, Rory, and Foumena, this group can become one of our better frontcourts.

Again, our record this season doesn't really concern me, just the direction of our program going forward.

Even if you only look at the quality as a snapshot, I think this is far from the worst frontcourt we’ve had. But in context I think that’s kind of a silly and reactionary thing to say. If this was a good team with tournament aspirations, Alex, Samb or Bilau would be easing into their careers getting 8-12 minutes in relief if experienced bigs - and we’d all be pretty damn excited about their promise for the future based on some of the things we’ve seen them flash so far. As it is, unfortunately, there are no experienced guys ahead of them so they’re being pushed into action. Longterm it’s actually probably better for their development but in the short term their weaknesses are being exposed the longer they are on the court. It’s OK and totally expected for inexperienced players to have some weaknesses in their games. I’m very bullish on this group over the next couple of years.

As far as the game overall, I guess your impression of yesterday depends a little on your expectations going in. If you just looked at the game yesterday in a vacuum obviously there was plenty to criticize - they weren’t even close to being a threat to win the game, and so yeah if you expected them to win they fell way short of your expectations. For me, I didn’t expect that they’d be a threat to win the game. I was more worried about getting blown out and being totally uncompetitive. Offensively I thought we actually looked pretty good - if the offense we had against Quinnipiac showed up last night we’d have lost by 40. Defensively we weren’t even close to good enough, and it was exacerbated by the fact that every time we did earn a stop we couldn’t clear the glass and gave PC 2nd, 3rd, however many chances until they finally scored. To me it looked like we just were not ready to physically compete with a grown ass Big East team - even though we have some “big” looking players they just don’t have the strength yet - it looked like tall kids fighting for rebounds against their dads.

My takeaway from seeing this team in person for the first time yesterday is that they have pieces that can form the nucleus of a good team down the road. We are a couple pieces and a good amount of player development away from being good. But I totally disagree with the idea that the program is devoid of talent. It seems like people forget how valuable age and experience can be in college hoops. This group needs the chance to “get old.” A lot of us recognized the need for patience this year and as badly as we all want to beat Providence I don’t think we should forget about the need for patience because we happened to have played Providence yesterday.

[rjsuperfly66]

We need to improve our defense especially in the paint. Our forwards did a good job looking for each other and Thomas made some nice passes as usual. The offense has improved a little since the start of the season. I expect the defense to stiffen up a little as the season progresses.

It annoyed me that we had empty seats. I'm not going to blame casual fans who choose not to purchase highly priced tickets when we are clearly not a good team right now.

Why are you annoyed? It's not like pc fans came down and bought them all up. They stayed home as well.

I'm annoyed they are not trying harder to build the URI fan base. I had some PC fans behind me in 205 they did not all stay home.

That's the disadvantage of dynamic pricing, isn't it? I could not go due to prior commitments, but I still looked at ticket prices when I saw starting ticket prices in 300s at $70-$80 a ticket plus fees, I laughed. You guys stink, we've stunk, if you have $200 to throw into one game for two relatively crummy tickets, go for it, but it's not something I'd ever consider unless both teams were dynamite. Sometimes (and it happens to all schools) you just price people out who aren't willing to extend.

[luke]

My take on this game was that it looked like our forwards overplayed their men on defense more than they were able to handle and should have given up perimeter jumpers instead of allowing one back door cut for a layup after another , and allowed post up positioning practically right under the basket all day long. Those issues plus learning to give room and close out on perimeter shots can be taught and learned and Archie is very good at teaching these concepts. I disagree that this team has no talent . This is a very young team . Have we forgotten how far most freshmen come during their four years of eligibility ? Well, at least I enjoyed being at alive game for the first time since 2020. This team will get better.

[Jdrums#3]

I’m not sure that the outcome was a surprise to me. This team has very little talent in my opinion and is just awful at shooting the basketball. My friend from Boston sent me before the game asking why URI was only getting 5. Archie needs to find out which players will have a future here going forward and hope there is improvement from some players. I honestly hope there is turnover with 3 or 4 players that leave the program and we try to hit again from a recruiting or transfer standpoint again. Archie will hopefully turn it around over the next couple of years, but it is clear how much people overrated the players that were brought in. This is a bottom of the conference roster right now.

Ramstock, I would guess Archie already knows - based on coaching experience and coaching ability - which players have a future here and which do not when considering his expectations of the program.

This version of Rhody may very well be a bottom, or close to bottom team currently, but I think we will be better come Jan, Feb and March even if the record does not reflect it later in the season.

That said, as you mentioned above, I too think we are at least 2 years away from a NCAA Tourney bid. Not an optimal scenario but I will live with it and enjoy the ride in the meantime.

[DeanDome88]

I'm annoyed they are not trying harder to build the URI fan base. I had some PC fans behind me in 205 they did not all stay home.

What the hell are they supposed to do? We've been bad for years. When we start winning, the fans will return. Until then, no amount of promotion or "fan experience" thingies will make a difference.

My point is that casual fans would have bought the tickets at a lower price if they dropped the extreme premium price from the tickets. I have season tickets after they sent the email that tickets were available for the PC game checked with a few friends that occasionally attend a game and they were not interested at the price the tickets were offered. Also, they could have decided to increase the student allotment for the game instead of letting the seats go to waste. If they in fact tried to remedy this day of the game during a rain storm that was too little too late.

[Taylor Swift]

Each time I look, more and more seats open up. Not even close to a sellout. I don't think I ever remember in my almost 50 years as a fan that URI-PC wasn't sold out.

Exactly. I think the only game I can remember is the 2003 game where it was practically a blizzard. My roommate and I walked over from Hopkins -- it might have been still snowing even before tipoff if I remember correctly.

Unfortunately, I will not be making the game tonight. I've been having health issues for the last few months and was in the hospital Thursday night; still waiting for a surgical date and to find out actually what is going on. If I tried to go it would be kinda too overwhelming for walking/crowds/standing. I have a ton of FOMO for not going but I'll be watching from my cozy couch looking at my tree at least.

Have fun everyone!

Terrible news, TSwift. I just saw this and that explains why I didn’t see you there. I hope you finally get to feeling better again.

Me too, buddy. There’s a lot going on unfortunately. I’ll have to fill you in. We can commiserate with each other

[PeterRamTime]

Each time I look, more and more seats open up. Not even close to a sellout. I don't think I ever remember in my almost 50 years as a fan that URI-PC wasn't sold out.

Exactly. I think the only game I can remember is the 2003 game where it was practically a blizzard. My roommate and I walked over from Hopkins -- it might have been still snowing even before tipoff if I remember correctly.

Unfortunately, I will not be making the game tonight. I've been having health issues for the last few months and was in the hospital Thursday night; still waiting for a surgical date and to find out actually what is going on. If I tried to go it would be kinda too overwhelming for walking/crowds/standing. I have a ton of FOMO for not going but I'll be watching from my cozy couch looking at my tree at least.

Have fun everyone!

Feeling for you friend

[Taylor Swift]

Thank you PRT

[SmartyBarrett]

I’m disappointed. I didn’t expect to win. But I expected it to be more competitive than it was.

It's weird... outside of the 17-2 PC run to end the first half, Rhody played them even the rest of the way. It didn't feel like it at times because PC really took it to Rhody in the paint and on the glass. But the Rams were competitive for 34 or so of the 40 minutes.

ETA: I responded before I saw ECR's post. We're on the same page, my dude.

[JimSidd]

I’m disappointed. I didn’t expect to win. But I expected it to be more competitive than it was.

It's weird... outside of the 17-2 PC run to end the first half, Rhody played them even the rest of the way. It didn't feel like it at times because PC really took it to Rhody in the paint and on the glass. But the Rams were competitive for 34 or so of the 40 minutes.

ETA: I responded before I saw ECR's post. We're on the same page, my dude.

I hope the thinking that this is ok is only because the program is in the start of a rebuild: one that may take a little longer than many of us thought. Once the expectations get raised, I assume that not being competitive for the final 6:40 of a half will not be acceptable.

[Jersey77]

I’m disappointed. I didn’t expect to win. But I expected it to be more competitive than it was.

It's weird... outside of the 17-2 PC run to end the first half, Rhody played them even the rest of the way. It didn't feel like it at times because PC really took it to Rhody in the paint and on the glass. But the Rams were competitive for 34 or so of the 40 minutes.

ETA: I responded before I saw ECR's post. We're on the same page, my dude.

I hope the thinking that this is ok is only because the program is in the start of a rebuild: one that may take a little longer than many of us thought. Once the expectations get raised, I assume that not being competitive for the final 6:40 of a half will not be acceptable.

Of course, hopefully most of us are aware of that.

[TruePoint]

I’m disappointed. I didn’t expect to win. But I expected it to be more competitive than it was.

It's weird... outside of the 17-2 PC run to end the first half, Rhody played them even the rest of the way. It didn't feel like it at times because PC really took it to Rhody in the paint and on the glass. But the Rams were competitive for 34 or so of the 40 minutes.

ETA: I responded before I saw ECR's post. We're on the same page, my dude.

I hope the thinking that this is ok is only because the program is in the start of a rebuild: one that may take a little longer than many of us thought. Once the expectations get raised, I assume that not being competitive for the final 6:40 of a half will not be acceptable.

Yes I think that’s exactly the point. If we were fighting for a bid it would have been a disaster. But where we are at, I’m encouraged that we did compete on certain levels and for a certain amount of time. It’s not like we played two good minutes and people are saying “well, if we ignore the other 38 minutes…” 33 minutes of the game is most of the game. It’s not enough, obviously, but fighting a team better than you to a standstill for most of the game at least gives you some sense that something is there if you believe in player development and teams improving over time through coaching.

[ElmCityRhody]

I mostly agree with the post game comments here but want to make this point that I think is getting lost and should be noted

If you slice out the last 4 mins of the half and present the game with the score adjusted then it’s a last possession game

For 36 minutes out of 40 we played them evenly

I know it doesn’t seem like that when we were looking at a 12-16 point deficit all 2nd half but that’s what the score would show if the 4 mins were sliced out and erased from our memory and the game was shown to us

Obviously we were manhandled inside - but I still liked our grit for 36 mins

brighter days ahead by end of year

That span where PC took control seemed like more than four minutes to me, so I checked the play by play. At the 6:40 mark, Rhody led 23-22 and from that point to the end of the half, it was PC 21-4. That’s too much game time to let another team take control of a game.
Also, I’m usually not a big fan of “if you take away X number of minutes”. All 40 minutes count and one of your jobs is to counter runs.
In this case, I do agree with many of the larger points of seeing improvements. The team certainly played with better pace. Players getting stronger and getting an outside shooter or two here: that’s where the patience comes into play.

4:24 mark it was a 3 point game

That’s what I am citing

Anyways I am not a fan of taking away minutes either

My point is that I thought it wasn’t a 40 minute drubbing - we hung w them toe to toe for 36 minutes and I like our team a lot

We will be there by end of year

[PeterRamTime]

It's weird... outside of the 17-2 PC run to end the first half, Rhody played them even the rest of the way. It didn't feel like it at times because PC really took it to Rhody in the paint and on the glass. But the Rams were competitive for 34 or so of the 40 minutes.

ETA: I responded before I saw ECR's post. We're on the same page, my dude.

I hope the thinking that this is ok is only because the program is in the start of a rebuild: one that may take a little longer than many of us thought. Once the expectations get raised, I assume that not being competitive for the final 6:40 of a half will not be acceptable.

Yes I think that’s exactly the point. If we were fighting for a bid it would have been a disaster. But where we are at, I’m encouraged that we did compete on certain levels and for a certain amount of time. It’s not like we played two good minutes and people are saying “well, if we ignore the other 38 minutes…” 33 minutes of the game is most of the game. It’s not enough, obviously, but fighting a team better than you to a standstill for most of the game at least gives you some sense that something is there if you believe in player development and teams improving over time through coaching.

I mean heck we mostly lead for the majority of the first half.

Made adjustments after our major suck fest at half time and then won the second half by a point. Never stopped fighting.

[Rhodymob05]

It was their run at the end of the first half. Other than that it was a good game.

[PeteRI]

Each time I look, more and more seats open up. Not even close to a sellout. I don't think I ever remember in my almost 50 years as a fan that URI-PC wasn't sold out.

Exactly. I think the only game I can remember is the 2003 game where it was practically a blizzard. My roommate and I walked over from Hopkins -- it might have been still snowing even before tipoff if I remember correctly.

Unfortunately, I will not be making the game tonight. I've been having health issues for the last few months and was in the hospital Thursday night; still waiting for a surgical date and to find out actually what is going on. If I tried to go it would be kinda too overwhelming for walking/crowds/standing. I have a ton of FOMO for not going but I'll be watching from my cozy couch looking at my tree at least.

Have fun everyone!

Feeling for you friend

Me too. Even though we've never met I enjoy your contributions and our occasional back and forth. Get better quick!

[SmartyBarrett]

It was their run at the end of the first half. Other than that it was a good game.

Yeah I hate playing the "Other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?" game but given what we've see this year and what we hope to see in the future, I think it's fair to look for bright spots.

[Rhody_NYCT]

The result was obviously disappointing last night, BUT, it was a great atmosphere as expected, and great to see so may Rhody legends in attendance. It's the first time I saw the team in person this year. I feel like there is promise for the 2nd half of the season and a lot of upside for next year.

[Rhody72]

Once PC blew the game open at the end of the first half, the whole strategy of the game changed. The only reason we played PC even in the second half was because they had a huge lead and URI was never a threat.

[McRam]

Once PC blew the game open at the end of the first half, the whole strategy of the game changed. The only reason we played PC even in the second half was because they had a huge lead and URI was never a threat.

. Maybe

[reef]

Once PC blew the game open at the end of the first half, the whole strategy of the game changed. The only reason we played PC even in the second half was because they had a huge lead and URI was never a threat.

. Maybe

Not really , we made a couple runs to get it to 11 I think then we just couldn’t get a key stop . I was proud of the 2h effort

[Jdrums#3]

Once PC blew the game open at the end of the first half, the whole strategy of the game changed. The only reason we played PC even in the second half was because they had a huge lead and URI was never a threat.

. Maybe

72, interesting reasoning choice.

However, another reason why we played even in the 2nd half: we only had 3 second half turnovers compared to 8 in the first half. Those 8 first half turnovers led to a double digit point advantage off of turnovers for the team from Providence. That did not happen in the second half.

I am sure there are other reasons, like our team field goal percentage of 47.6., for example, or refusing to quit.

Credit to Rhody for outscoring PC in the 2nd half 47-45 by taking better care of the ball and shooting a higher percentage than usual. Wouldn’t you say, 72?

[ramster]

I mostly agree with the post game comments here but want to make this point that I think is getting lost and should be noted

If you slice out the last 4 mins of the half and present the game with the score adjusted then it’s a last possession game

For 36 minutes out of 40 we played them evenly

I know it doesn’t seem like that when we were looking at a 12-16 point deficit all 2nd half but that’s what the score would show if the 4 mins were sliced out and erased from our memory and the game was shown to us

Obviously we were manhandled inside - but I still liked our grit for 36 mins

brighter days ahead by end of year

That span where PC took control seemed like more than four minutes to me, so I checked the play by play. At the 6:40 mark, Rhody led 23-22 and from that point to the end of the half, it was PC 21-4. That’s too much game time to let another team take control of a game.
Also, I’m usually not a big fan of “if you take away X number of minutes”. All 40 minutes count and one of your jobs is to counter runs.
In this case, I do agree with many of the larger points of seeing improvements. The team certainly played with better pace. Players getting stronger and getting an outside shooter or two here: that’s where the patience comes into play.

4:24 mark it was a 3 point game

That’s what I am citing

Anyways I am not a fan of taking away minutes either

My point is that I thought it wasn’t a 40 minute drubbing - we hung w them toe to toe for 36 minutes and I like our team a lot

We will be there by end of year

This year:
5:06 left in 1st half 26-25 PC ahead. Halftime 43-27 PC ahead. Outscored 17-2 last 5:06 of 1st half.
FINAL SCORE: PC 88 URI 74 Lost by 14.

Last year:
4:21 left in 1st half 22-21 URI ahead. Halftime 24-35 PC ahead.
Outscored 14-2 last 4:21 of 1st half.
FINAL SCORE: PC 66 URI 52 Lost by 14.


To say URI played PC evenly except for 5 minutes is a positive, you could say for last year’s game as well but nobody did.

You could say this years loss to PC was worse that last years loss:

• URI home game. Get 3 points for home vs away so a 6 point advantage for URI being home vs away last year

• PC is a weaker team this year than last year

• URI is rid of those dastardly Mitchell Twins and their technical fouls - should have been to URIs advantage

• URI was rid of David Cox’ Timeouts after made baskets

• Last year Cox pulled BOTH Mitchell’s with 5 minutes left in 1st half, inexplicably subbed in 1 time previously used Freshman Illeri who got devoured by Croswell in rebounding and points scored during the last 4 minutes of the 1st half

It’s hard to see a silver lining in this Home Court 14 point loss to PC

Pass the koolaid please

[TruePoint]

That span where PC took control seemed like more than four minutes to me, so I checked the play by play. At the 6:40 mark, Rhody led 23-22 and from that point to the end of the half, it was PC 21-4. That’s too much game time to let another team take control of a game.
Also, I’m usually not a big fan of “if you take away X number of minutes”. All 40 minutes count and one of your jobs is to counter runs.
In this case, I do agree with many of the larger points of seeing improvements. The team certainly played with better pace. Players getting stronger and getting an outside shooter or two here: that’s where the patience comes into play.

4:24 mark it was a 3 point game

That’s what I am citing

Anyways I am not a fan of taking away minutes either

My point is that I thought it wasn’t a 40 minute drubbing - we hung w them toe to toe for 36 minutes and I like our team a lot

We will be there by end of year

This year:
5:06 left in 1st half 26-25 PC ahead. Halftime 43-27 PC ahead. Outscored 17-2 last 5:06 of 1st half.
FINAL SCORE: PC 88 URI 74 Lost by 14.

Last year:
4:21 left in 1st half 22-21 URI ahead. Halftime 24-35 PC ahead.
Outscored 14-2 last 4:21 of 1st half.
FINAL SCORE: PC 66 URI 52 Lost by 14.


To say URI played PC evenly except for 5 minutes is a positive, you could say for last year’s game as well but nobody did.

You could say this years loss to PC was worse that last years loss:

• URI home game. Get 3 points for home vs away so a 6 point advantage for URI being home vs away last year

• PC is a weaker team this year than last year

• URI is rid of those dastardly Mitchell Twins and their technical fouls - should have been to URIs advantage

• URI was rid of David Cox’ Timeouts after made baskets

• Last year Cox pulled BOTH Mitchell’s with 5 minutes left in 1st half, inexplicably subbed in 1 time previously used Freshman Illeri who got devoured by Croswell in rebounding and points scored during the last 4 minutes of the 1st half

It’s hard to see a silver lining in this Home Court 14 point loss to PC

Pass the koolaid please

Can’t tell if this decontextualization is intentional or a matter of people simply not getting it, but either way it drives me a little nuts.

David Cox was in year 3. His team last year should have had tournament aspirations. A team in that situation is out of latitude to have 5 minute lapses that cost it an important game.

By contrast, this year’s team is in year 1 of a significant rebuild. It was introduced to us a few weeks ago by losing at home to Quinnipiac. In its situation, 35 minutes of competitive basketball against a strong team can reasonably seen as a sign of life.

If we’re taking about a 5 minute stretch where we get our doors blown off and it costs us the game in 2024, we won’t be looking for silver linings. We will be looking under our couch cushions to try to fund a buyout.

If you are looking at saturdays game as a measuring stick for this years team because you’re still holding out hope that things click into place and this team becomes good, I get having a harsh judgment about the game I guess. But it just feels to me like we’re past that - this season and this particular team is not all that important to me. What is important to me is whether or not they are likely to better next year, and from that perspective 35 good minutes is a positive sign.

[RhowdyRam02]

Outside of it being Cox' 4th year last year, which makes it even worse, that was well said True Point

[TruePoint]

What is the opposite of “time flies when you’re having fun”

[ramster]

4:24 mark it was a 3 point game

That’s what I am citing

Anyways I am not a fan of taking away minutes either

My point is that I thought it wasn’t a 40 minute drubbing - we hung w them toe to toe for 36 minutes and I like our team a lot

We will be there by end of year

This year:
5:06 left in 1st half 26-25 PC ahead. Halftime 43-27 PC ahead. Outscored 17-2 last 5:06 of 1st half.
FINAL SCORE: PC 88 URI 74 Lost by 14.

Last year:
4:21 left in 1st half 22-21 URI ahead. Halftime 24-35 PC ahead.
Outscored 14-2 last 4:21 of 1st half.
FINAL SCORE: PC 66 URI 52 Lost by 14.


To say URI played PC evenly except for 5 minutes is a positive, you could say for last year’s game as well but nobody did.

You could say this years loss to PC was worse that last years loss:

• URI home game. Get 3 points for home vs away so a 6 point advantage for URI being home vs away last year

• PC is a weaker team this year than last year

• URI is rid of those dastardly Mitchell Twins and their technical fouls - should have been to URIs advantage

• URI was rid of David Cox’ Timeouts after made baskets

• Last year Cox pulled BOTH Mitchell’s with 5 minutes left in 1st half, inexplicably subbed in 1 time previously used Freshman Illeri who got devoured by Croswell in rebounding and points scored during the last 4 minutes of the 1st half

It’s hard to see a silver lining in this Home Court 14 point loss to PC

Pass the koolaid please

Can’t tell if this decontextualization is intentional or a matter of people simply not getting it, but either way it drives me a little nuts.

David Cox was in year 3. His team last year should have had tournament aspirations. A team in that situation is out of latitude to have 5 minute lapses that cost it an important game.

By contrast, this year’s team is in year 1 of a significant rebuild. It was introduced to us a few weeks ago by losing at home to Quinnipiac. In its situation, 35 minutes of competitive basketball against a strong team can reasonably seen as a sign of life.

If we’re taking about a 5 minute stretch where we get our doors blown off and it costs us the game in 2024, we won’t be looking for silver linings. We will be looking under our couch cushions to try to fund a buyout.

If you are looking at saturdays game as a measuring stick for this years team because you’re still holding out hope that things click into place and this team becomes good, I get having a harsh judgment about the game I guess. But it just feels to me like we’re past that - this season and this particular team is not all that important to me. What is important to me is whether or not they are likely to better next year, and from that perspective 35 good minutes is a positive sign.

The point is that many posters here are saying (and others are agreeing) optimistically that if you take away the 5 minutes that PC beat the shit out of us 17-2 then we played them even - that is progress.

I’d say you can’t just wipe away that 5 minutes

Nobody looked at last years game optimistically yet the same 5 minute debacle happened then as well.

Some long term season ticket holders that I talked to Saturday and Sunday felt the 14 points margin was low, that it felt like we lost by a lot more than that. Consensus was more pessimistic than this KB Board is taking the loss. Fwiw.

But sometimes taking it on the chin is a good thing. Helps the coaching staff adjust, make line up changes, change minutes allocations, practice against the perceived weaknesses.

It’s all about the A10 Tournament (no At-Large bid conversations) and wait til next year.

[Rhody72]

...

Credit to Rhody for outscoring PC in the 2nd half 47-45 by taking better care of the ball and shooting a higher percentage than usual. Wouldn’t you say, 72?

This is what happens when one team has a big lead = fewer TOs, more time for bench players, the lead shrinks slightly, the results never in doubt. Ed had no reason to pin a ~25 pt loss on Archie. We were not competitive with PC and it was not just what happened in a 4 minute stretch at the end of half one. I'm not happy with the results and will not deceive myself into seeing some silver lining. We need players who can make open shots!

[ramster]

...

Credit to Rhody for outscoring PC in the 2nd half 47-45 by taking better care of the ball and shooting a higher percentage than usual. Wouldn’t you say, 72?

This is what happens when one team has a big lead = fewer TOs, more time for bench players, the lead shrinks slightly, the results never in doubt. Ed had no reason to pin a ~25 pt loss on Archie. We were not competitive with PC and it was not just what happened in a 4 minute stretch at the end of half one. I'm not happy with the results and will not deceive myself into seeing some silver lining. We need players who can make open shots!

Fully agree.
Cooley took his foot off the gas
As many posters have said, Cooley and Miller are good friends. Cooley was not going to embarrass Miller.

Losing at home by 14 as compared to losing at PC by 14 last year is worse. PC is worse than last year’s team at this point in time plus a point spread between being home vs away is worth 6 point gap.

Point spread was 5 points, we lost by 14 abc it could have been more. People were leaving early for the exits to beat the traffic.

Optimistically it shows Archie, his staff and his players they have a long way to go - and the recruiting trail needs to be hit hard

[RamStock]

This year:
5:06 left in 1st half 26-25 PC ahead. Halftime 43-27 PC ahead. Outscored 17-2 last 5:06 of 1st half.
FINAL SCORE: PC 88 URI 74 Lost by 14.

Last year:
4:21 left in 1st half 22-21 URI ahead. Halftime 24-35 PC ahead.
Outscored 14-2 last 4:21 of 1st half.
FINAL SCORE: PC 66 URI 52 Lost by 14.


To say URI played PC evenly except for 5 minutes is a positive, you could say for last year’s game as well but nobody did.

You could say this years loss to PC was worse that last years loss:

• URI home game. Get 3 points for home vs away so a 6 point advantage for URI being home vs away last year

• PC is a weaker team this year than last year

• URI is rid of those dastardly Mitchell Twins and their technical fouls - should have been to URIs advantage

• URI was rid of David Cox’ Timeouts after made baskets

• Last year Cox pulled BOTH Mitchell’s with 5 minutes left in 1st half, inexplicably subbed in 1 time previously used Freshman Illeri who got devoured by Croswell in rebounding and points scored during the last 4 minutes of the 1st half

It’s hard to see a silver lining in this Home Court 14 point loss to PC

Pass the koolaid please

Can’t tell if this decontextualization is intentional or a matter of people simply not getting it, but either way it drives me a little nuts.

David Cox was in year 3. His team last year should have had tournament aspirations. A team in that situation is out of latitude to have 5 minute lapses that cost it an important game.

By contrast, this year’s team is in year 1 of a significant rebuild. It was introduced to us a few weeks ago by losing at home to Quinnipiac. In its situation, 35 minutes of competitive basketball against a strong team can reasonably seen as a sign of life.

If we’re taking about a 5 minute stretch where we get our doors blown off and it costs us the game in 2024, we won’t be looking for silver linings. We will be looking under our couch cushions to try to fund a buyout.

If you are looking at saturdays game as a measuring stick for this years team because you’re still holding out hope that things click into place and this team becomes good, I get having a harsh judgment about the game I guess. But it just feels to me like we’re past that - this season and this particular team is not all that important to me. What is important to me is whether or not they are likely to better next year, and from that perspective 35 good minutes is a positive sign.

The point is that many posters here are saying (and others are agreeing) optimistically that if you take away the 5 minutes that PC beat the shit out of us 17-2 then we played them even - that is progress.

I’d say you can’t just wipe away that 5 minutes

Nobody looked at last years game optimistically yet the same 5 minute debacle happened then as well.

Some long term season ticket holders that I talked to Saturday and Sunday felt the 14 points margin was low, that it felt like we lost by a lot more than that. Consensus was more pessimistic than this KB Board is taking the loss. Fwiw.

But sometimes taking it on the chin is a good thing. Helps the coaching staff adjust, make line up changes, change minutes allocations, practice against the perceived weaknesses.

It’s all about the A10 Tournament (no At-Large bid conversations) and wait til next year.

I agree with this. While No one is doubting that Archie Miller will eventually turn it around I’m not sure that I see the optimism that others do. We can’t always spin it with if it wasn’t for that 5 minutes, if the team was healthy, if Anthony Harris was here. I thought the team played hard in the first half, but the fact of it is they aren’t very good and the shooting woes aren’t going to change. It is a rebuilding year for sure, but I’m not going to give credit to losing to an average PC team at home or to Quinnipiac and Texas State at home. There are some guys that will hopefully improve and I am all in for giving the young guys playing time as it will be a stretch to win 10 games at this point. This team is at ground zero right now and hasn’t shown anything to be that has been huge positive signs except for the fact they looked to play hard and Archie has added discipline to this team which Cox didn’t.

[Blue Man]

This year:
5:06 left in 1st half 26-25 PC ahead. Halftime 43-27 PC ahead. Outscored 17-2 last 5:06 of 1st half.
FINAL SCORE: PC 88 URI 74 Lost by 14.

Last year:
4:21 left in 1st half 22-21 URI ahead. Halftime 24-35 PC ahead.
Outscored 14-2 last 4:21 of 1st half.
FINAL SCORE: PC 66 URI 52 Lost by 14.


To say URI played PC evenly except for 5 minutes is a positive, you could say for last year’s game as well but nobody did.

You could say this years loss to PC was worse that last years loss:

• URI home game. Get 3 points for home vs away so a 6 point advantage for URI being home vs away last year

• PC is a weaker team this year than last year

• URI is rid of those dastardly Mitchell Twins and their technical fouls - should have been to URIs advantage

• URI was rid of David Cox’ Timeouts after made baskets

• Last year Cox pulled BOTH Mitchell’s with 5 minutes left in 1st half, inexplicably subbed in 1 time previously used Freshman Illeri who got devoured by Croswell in rebounding and points scored during the last 4 minutes of the 1st half

It’s hard to see a silver lining in this Home Court 14 point loss to PC

Pass the koolaid please

Can’t tell if this decontextualization is intentional or a matter of people simply not getting it, but either way it drives me a little nuts.

David Cox was in year 3. His team last year should have had tournament aspirations. A team in that situation is out of latitude to have 5 minute lapses that cost it an important game.

By contrast, this year’s team is in year 1 of a significant rebuild. It was introduced to us a few weeks ago by losing at home to Quinnipiac. In its situation, 35 minutes of competitive basketball against a strong team can reasonably seen as a sign of life.

If we’re taking about a 5 minute stretch where we get our doors blown off and it costs us the game in 2024, we won’t be looking for silver linings. We will be looking under our couch cushions to try to fund a buyout.

If you are looking at saturdays game as a measuring stick for this years team because you’re still holding out hope that things click into place and this team becomes good, I get having a harsh judgment about the game I guess. But it just feels to me like we’re past that - this season and this particular team is not all that important to me. What is important to me is whether or not they are likely to better next year, and from that perspective 35 good minutes is a positive sign.

The point is that many posters here are saying (and others are agreeing) optimistically that if you take away the 5 minutes that PC beat the shit out of us 17-2 then we played them even - that is progress.

I’d say you can’t just wipe away that 5 minutes

Nobody looked at last years game optimistically yet the same 5 minute debacle happened then as well.

Some long term season ticket holders that I talked to Saturday and Sunday felt the 14 points margin was low, that it felt like we lost by a lot more than that. Consensus was more pessimistic than this KB Board is taking the loss. Fwiw.

But sometimes taking it on the chin is a good thing. Helps the coaching staff adjust, make line up changes, change minutes allocations, practice against the perceived weaknesses.

It’s all about the A10 Tournament (no At-Large bid conversations) and wait til next year.

It's a rebuild. Year 1. Look at what Danny had to do - it took him 4/5 years before it clicked. Archie isn't in the same hell that Danny was, but he's still in a bad place with a broken culture and a team full of players that have never seen winning or a coherent system before.

Dan said it took YEARS to instill a belief that his team COULD win games. It took 2 full seasons of that before the Nebraska game that started to turn the tide.

Nobody looked at last year's game optimistically because it was YEAR FOUR for David Cox. We had YEARS of pissing down our leg in February. We blew at least 10 double digit leads in 4 years. We blew a 17 POINT AND 21 POINT LEAD TO DUQUESNE. No one was incensed by last year's PC game because no one cared. Everyone knew the program was dead and we were just waiting for the inevitable.

David Cox wasn't a good coach. Any hope we had in year one to see if he was going to be was dashed pretty quickly. The fanbase quietly walked away knowing there was no hope for him.

Archie Miller is a good coach. That's been established. Anyone who's watched our games this year knows that the players are being put in positions to be successful - they're just not skilled/experienced enough to follow through on those opportunities. That's why everyone with a brain has hope and is looking for positives.

If you look at the stats, it's shocking that we lost by 14. But if you watched the game you know that the Friars made winning plays - the winning plays that come with being a part of a winning culture that they have established.

We are young. We will grow. We will continue to get better.

Anyone who's down on this team and not looking for the positives in YEAR ONE of this situation is probably the same person who was firing up the Jim Baron 2.0 thread about why Dan Hurley wasn't the right coach.

Don't be on the wrong side of history again. Look for the positives. Have faith.

[ramster]

Can’t tell if this decontextualization is intentional or a matter of people simply not getting it, but either way it drives me a little nuts.

David Cox was in year 3. His team last year should have had tournament aspirations. A team in that situation is out of latitude to have 5 minute lapses that cost it an important game.

By contrast, this year’s team is in year 1 of a significant rebuild. It was introduced to us a few weeks ago by losing at home to Quinnipiac. In its situation, 35 minutes of competitive basketball against a strong team can reasonably seen as a sign of life.

If we’re taking about a 5 minute stretch where we get our doors blown off and it costs us the game in 2024, we won’t be looking for silver linings. We will be looking under our couch cushions to try to fund a buyout.

If you are looking at saturdays game as a measuring stick for this years team because you’re still holding out hope that things click into place and this team becomes good, I get having a harsh judgment about the game I guess. But it just feels to me like we’re past that - this season and this particular team is not all that important to me. What is important to me is whether or not they are likely to better next year, and from that perspective 35 good minutes is a positive sign.

The point is that many posters here are saying (and others are agreeing) optimistically that if you take away the 5 minutes that PC beat the shit out of us 17-2 then we played them even - that is progress.

I’d say you can’t just wipe away that 5 minutes

Nobody looked at last years game optimistically yet the same 5 minute debacle happened then as well.

Some long term season ticket holders that I talked to Saturday and Sunday felt the 14 points margin was low, that it felt like we lost by a lot more than that. Consensus was more pessimistic than this KB Board is taking the loss. Fwiw.

But sometimes taking it on the chin is a good thing. Helps the coaching staff adjust, make line up changes, change minutes allocations, practice against the perceived weaknesses.

It’s all about the A10 Tournament (no At-Large bid conversations) and wait til next year.

It's a rebuild. Year 1. Look at what Danny had to do - it took him 4/5 years before it clicked. Archie isn't in the same hell that Danny was, but he's still in a bad place with a broken culture and a team full of players that have never seen winning or a coherent system before.

Dan said it took YEARS to instill a belief that his team COULD win games. It took 2 full seasons of that before the Nebraska game that started to turn the tide.

Nobody looked at last year's game optimistically because it was YEAR FOUR for David Cox. We had YEARS of pissing down our leg in February. We blew at least 10 double digit leads in 4 years. We blew a 17 POINT AND 21 POINT LEAD TO DUQUESNE. No one was incensed by last year's PC game because no one cared. Everyone knew the program was dead and we were just waiting for the inevitable.

David Cox wasn't a good coach. Any hope we had in year one to see if he was going to be was dashed pretty quickly. The fanbase quietly walked away knowing there was no hope for him.

Archie Miller is a good coach. That's been established. Anyone who's watched our games this year knows that the players are being put in positions to be successful - they're just not skilled/experienced enough to follow through on those opportunities. That's why everyone with a brain has hope and is looking for positives.

If you look at the stats, it's shocking that we lost by 14. But if you watched the game you know that the Friars made winning plays - the winning plays that come with being a part of a winning culture that they have established.

We are young. We will grow. We will continue to get better.

Anyone who's down on this team and not looking for the positives in YEAR ONE of this situation is probably the same person who was firing up the Jim Baron 2.0 thread about why Dan Hurley wasn't the right coach.

Don't be on the wrong side of history again. Look for the positives. Have faith.

I’m not so sure Archie is starting at a better place than Hurley started from. In some ways it’s worse.
URI is 303 NET after 6 games. Don’t recall us ever being that low in the old RPI days (no NET) even in the Baron disasters.

I absolutely agree - look for the positives. BUT let’s not fool ourselves by ignoring any and all negatives. Call a spade a spade.
Some of these new players were overhyped, some based their opinions on how new guys looked on YouTube (where they never miss a shot or throw a bad pass)
Archie is the guy. Love the stealth approach. Absolutely love it. The more stealth the better. He is fully in charge.
It’s a bigger hole than most expected. I had Foumena and Harris in my preseason starting line up - so there’s that.
But who knows.
The OOC games are spring training.
Harris joins in a few weeks??
Weston gets healthy
Leggett continues all A10 caliber play
Hutchinson improved and grabs a starting role

The A10 may get 1 bid but who cares if we couldn’t qualify for an At-Large anyway??????

Best news is no team is standing out above the Fray.
A10 is up for grabs
Why not us in The A10 Tournament championship game?

[Jersey77]

The point is that many posters here are saying (and others are agreeing) optimistically that if you take away the 5 minutes that PC beat the shit out of us 17-2 then we played them even - that is progress.

I’d say you can’t just wipe away that 5 minutes

Nobody looked at last years game optimistically yet the same 5 minute debacle happened then as well.

Some long term season ticket holders that I talked to Saturday and Sunday felt the 14 points margin was low, that it felt like we lost by a lot more than that. Consensus was more pessimistic than this KB Board is taking the loss. Fwiw.

But sometimes taking it on the chin is a good thing. Helps the coaching staff adjust, make line up changes, change minutes allocations, practice against the perceived weaknesses.

It’s all about the A10 Tournament (no At-Large bid conversations) and wait til next year.

It's a rebuild. Year 1. Look at what Danny had to do - it took him 4/5 years before it clicked. Archie isn't in the same hell that Danny was, but he's still in a bad place with a broken culture and a team full of players that have never seen winning or a coherent system before.

Dan said it took YEARS to instill a belief that his team COULD win games. It took 2 full seasons of that before the Nebraska game that started to turn the tide.

Nobody looked at last year's game optimistically because it was YEAR FOUR for David Cox. We had YEARS of pissing down our leg in February. We blew at least 10 double digit leads in 4 years. We blew a 17 POINT AND 21 POINT LEAD TO DUQUESNE. No one was incensed by last year's PC game because no one cared. Everyone knew the program was dead and we were just waiting for the inevitable.

David Cox wasn't a good coach. Any hope we had in year one to see if he was going to be was dashed pretty quickly. The fanbase quietly walked away knowing there was no hope for him.

Archie Miller is a good coach. That's been established. Anyone who's watched our games this year knows that the players are being put in positions to be successful - they're just not skilled/experienced enough to follow through on those opportunities. That's why everyone with a brain has hope and is looking for positives.

If you look at the stats, it's shocking that we lost by 14. But if you watched the game you know that the Friars made winning plays - the winning plays that come with being a part of a winning culture that they have established.

We are young. We will grow. We will continue to get better.

Anyone who's down on this team and not looking for the positives in YEAR ONE of this situation is probably the same person who was firing up the Jim Baron 2.0 thread about why Dan Hurley wasn't the right coach.

Don't be on the wrong side of history again. Look for the positives. Have faith.

I’m not so sure Archie is starting at a better place than Hurley started from. In some ways it’s worse.
URI is 303 NET after 6 games. Don’t recall us ever being that low in the old RPI days (no NET) even in the Baron disasters.

I absolutely agree - look for the positives. BUT let’s not fool ourselves by ignoring any and all negatives. Call a spade a spade.
Some of these new players were overhyped, some based their opinions on how new guys looked on YouTube (where they never miss a shot or throw a bad pass)
Archie is the guy. Love the stealth approach. Absolutely love it. The more stealth the better. He is fully in charge.
It’s a bigger hole than most expected. I had Foumena and Harris in my preseason starting line up - so there’s that.
But who knows.
The OOC games are spring training.
Harris joins in a few weeks??
Weston gets healthy
Leggett continues all A10 caliber play
Hutchinson improved and grabs a starting role

The A10 may get 1 bid but who cares if we couldn’t qualify for an At-Large anyway??????

Best news is no team is standing out above the Fray.
A10 is up for grabs
Why not us in The A10 Tournament championship game?

Now who is drinking the Kool-Aid Ramster.
I guess anything is possible, but extremely unlikely.

I think we are still a couple of years away from seriously contending and entertaining a post-season bid.
If everything falls into place for next season, maybe my thinking will change.

I do agree that Archie's situation is at least as difficult as when Dan took over.

I think the only newcomer that was really hyped for an immediate major impact was Bray.
The rest were mostly untested, inexperienced, and raw.

Ish who many dissed after last season and thought would be gone is currently our best player.
Samb is also one of those players who most thought would have little impact and see limited minutes.

We still have a very long way to go, but I am enjoying the ride.

[ramster]

It's a rebuild. Year 1. Look at what Danny had to do - it took him 4/5 years before it clicked. Archie isn't in the same hell that Danny was, but he's still in a bad place with a broken culture and a team full of players that have never seen winning or a coherent system before.

Dan said it took YEARS to instill a belief that his team COULD win games. It took 2 full seasons of that before the Nebraska game that started to turn the tide.

Nobody looked at last year's game optimistically because it was YEAR FOUR for David Cox. We had YEARS of pissing down our leg in February. We blew at least 10 double digit leads in 4 years. We blew a 17 POINT AND 21 POINT LEAD TO DUQUESNE. No one was incensed by last year's PC game because no one cared. Everyone knew the program was dead and we were just waiting for the inevitable.

David Cox wasn't a good coach. Any hope we had in year one to see if he was going to be was dashed pretty quickly. The fanbase quietly walked away knowing there was no hope for him.

Archie Miller is a good coach. That's been established. Anyone who's watched our games this year knows that the players are being put in positions to be successful - they're just not skilled/experienced enough to follow through on those opportunities. That's why everyone with a brain has hope and is looking for positives.

If you look at the stats, it's shocking that we lost by 14. But if you watched the game you know that the Friars made winning plays - the winning plays that come with being a part of a winning culture that they have established.

We are young. We will grow. We will continue to get better.

Anyone who's down on this team and not looking for the positives in YEAR ONE of this situation is probably the same person who was firing up the Jim Baron 2.0 thread about why Dan Hurley wasn't the right coach.

Don't be on the wrong side of history again. Look for the positives. Have faith.

I’m not so sure Archie is starting at a better place than Hurley started from. In some ways it’s worse.
URI is 303 NET after 6 games. Don’t recall us ever being that low in the old RPI days (no NET) even in the Baron disasters.

I absolutely agree - look for the positives. BUT let’s not fool ourselves by ignoring any and all negatives. Call a spade a spade.
Some of these new players were overhyped, some based their opinions on how new guys looked on YouTube (where they never miss a shot or throw a bad pass)
Archie is the guy. Love the stealth approach. Absolutely love it. The more stealth the better. He is fully in charge.
It’s a bigger hole than most expected. I had Foumena and Harris in my preseason starting line up - so there’s that.
But who knows.
The OOC games are spring training.
Harris joins in a few weeks??
Weston gets healthy
Leggett continues all A10 caliber play
Hutchinson improved and grabs a starting role

The A10 may get 1 bid but who cares if we couldn’t qualify for an At-Large anyway??????

Best news is no team is standing out above the Fray.
A10 is up for grabs
Why not us in The A10 Tournament championship game?

Now who is drinking the Kool-Aide Ramster.
I guess anything is possible, but extremely unlikely.

I think we are still a couple of years away from seriously contending and entertaining a post-season bid.
If everything falls into place for next season, maybe my thinking will change.

I do agree that Archie's situation is at least as difficult as when Dan took over.

I think the only newcomer that was really hyped for an immediate major impact was Bray.
The rest were mostly untested, inexperienced, and raw.

Ish who many dissed after last season and thought would be gone is currently our best player.
Samb is also one of those players who most thought would have little impact and see little minutes.

We still have a very long way to go, but I am enjoying the ride.

Sure they are drinking Kool Aid. I drank it myself reading all the hype about the incoming recruits. But I am now on the wagon.

[TruePoint]

I think my approach of taking a wait-and-see attitude for any incoming player is paying off big time when it comes to the expectations game. I came into the season with no expectations and willing to form and change them on the fly. To this point my expectations for the W-L this current season are very low and I’m fine with that. My expectations about player development, culture and system implementation remain pretty high. Jury is still out on those but I do have a belief in the direction we are trying to go.

[Jdrums#3]

Rhody jury duty…how does one get in on that gig?

Very reasonable post, TP. Permit me to be the first to recommend you for jury duty.