Saturday’s game

[SienaTony]

Greeting Boys,

 

Enough of this talk about should the series continue ( let the AD’s do their job )

 

How do you Guys see the game Saturday shaking out?

 

Personally I think it could be a pretty good game, Siena’s speed and athleticism against Albany’s size and strength. I’ve been impressed by the Albany team so far this year. Coming into the season I thought Siena would win this game fairly easy, now I think Siena will have to play well to win. What kind of defense does Albany usually play ? I would guess Brown will have the Danes play some sort of zone defense against the Saints since I don’t think Albany’s matches up well man to man with Siena. For the Saints they will have to play some D (something they have struggled doing consistently this season ) If Iaiti, Wilson and Lillis ( among others) are wide open looks from 3 , it will be a long day for the Saints

 

My prediction

Siena 78

Albany 71

[Patch]

Siena Tony - Nice to see a post in a civil tone.

 

I think the game should be interesting, if UA can control the tempo a good portion of the game and value the basketball against Siena's pressure and traps it could be a great game.

 

The key for this game will be how it is officiated. If it's physical that could play into UA's hands. If ticky tack fouls are called it could be intriguing. I think Franklin will be the key, if he gets a couple early it could hurt Siena, if Lillis gets a couple of quick ones the Danes could struggle.

 

Three OTs over the last two years says alot, if it's anything like that the place will really be rocking.

 

The lower the score the better for UA's chances.

 

The higher the score the better for Siena's chances.

 

The game of basketball in my opinion comes down to making shots, the team that shoots it the best Saturday night will probably win the game

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I forgot about your question about defense - UA has played with some zone but wants to play man. While Siena has the edge in quickness don't think that UA has terrible athletes. Lillis and Hastings are quicker then you probably think. If Siena shoots the ball well from three that could cause problems for UA, I think.

 

One of the the questions will be how will Martin and Ambrose handle the situation, they've both played in big games, but they are both much better in a run and gun atmosphere, will they get caught up in that or will they stick to the game plan.

[Dane Pound]

I was thinking the same thing about Ambrose and Martin. I'll throw Turley in there too since he's a freshman- it'll be a much different environment than their first few college games, that's for sure. I think they'll handle it pretty well, they don't seem to be afraid of anything.

 

I haven't seen Siena play this year but I remember Franklin going off in the MAAC Championship game. It'll be refreshing to see a Siena team without Michael Haddix in it. My only guess is that Josh Duell will probably shoot well - this game seems to mean more to local players and they tend to play better in them.

[NYR]

This will be a fun one not only because of the rivalry but because of the teams on the court. It’s a very interesting match up. I expect the Saints to press Albany to speed up the game and I expect Albany to press the Saints to try to slow things down or at least a 3/4 court trap to try to make Siena use at least a little of the shot clock bringing the ball up the court.

 

Albany is a man-to-man team. Regardless of match-ups I expect to see man from them. They played more 1-3-1 against you guys last year than anyone else and they really had a hard time rebounding out of the zone. I think it its a tribute to Siena's speed that Albany played so much zone against you guys last year. Albany’s zone has been poor especially defending the perimeter. With that said I think Albany will take their chances with man.

 

I expect to see a lot of Josh Martin to defend your smaller quicker guys and this will be a huge test game for him. I can see Albany fans saying Martin had a great game and Albany won or Martin struggled got in foul trouble, turned the ball over, etc and Albany loss.

 

Hastings defending Hasbrouck I'm looking forward to this one. Some of us Albany fans think we have an all-AE defensive player in Hastings and he will need to prove it on Sat.

 

On the offensive end Albany needs to take care of the ball. When ball pressure was heavy last year Lillis deferred the ball handling to Jamar. Lillis will be tested as a ball handler as will Martin. In the half court from a Siena standpoint I would put a bigger guy on Lillis like a Ubiles. Lillis is really figuring out that he can take advantage of smaller guards not by putting his back to the basket but by shooting over them off the dribble from 10-15 feet. With a bigger guy on Lillis Hastings will need to prove he can take advantage of the smaller guys.

 

Gifford had some of his best moments last year against Siena. I think Brown needs to figure out a way to get him on the floor in the offensive sets in this game. If this means going to a heavy O vs. D rotation early so be it. This goes right back to the man vs. zone question. Gifford need to prove he can defend some one on Siena all of whom will step out and shoot a 3. Turley could be the guy who produces on both O and D or he could play 4 minutes it so difficult to say with Albany

 

I’d love to see a game with a lot of fouls which I think will help show Albany’s depth. If one team struggles from the line it could hurt them but I don’t expect that to happen on either side.

 

Brent needs to hit them when they’re open.

 

Connely needs to contribute...he has a knack of figuring out what is needed…points, rebounding, defensive leadership.

 

Ambrose…he’s an X factor…he has the potential to do something special on his first big stage or he can continue to be one of the many who make small contributions

[danes05]

Nice to see a post about the game on the court. If history is any guide, it should be great. I would like to think that the depth that UA has will become a favorable factor in the game. It should be interesting to see how the freshmen play. the play of Martin will be crucial at the point and I look forward to the matchup between Hastings(who has been a lockdown type guy so far) and Ubiles. I also agree that the type of game (fouls) is huge. Haven't seen Siena play this year but from the few games I caught last year of them, that Franklin really impressed me. Just a real solid looking player. Hasbrouck can do a lot and Ublies is explosive. I guess the big thing for me is the depth of UA v.s. the Siena athleticism. Since we play a lot of guys I think we can were them down. Siena plays their starters for a lot of minutes.

[SienaTony]

I think Siena’s team speed is much improved from last season. Cory Magee and Alex Franklin run the floor much better than Haddix and David Ryan ( Josh Duell is painfully slooow )

 

Siena depth has really been hurt by the absence of Freshmen Clarence Jackson. Saturday’s game will be the debut of Clarence Jackson, Siena’s best incoming freshmen coming off almost a month lay off ( he had a high ankle sprain) I’m not sure what to expect from him, but he can shoot the 3 and is one of the better athletes on the Siena team. (and that is saying something considering the athletes Siena has) To start the year he was scheduled to get 20 to 25 min a game, not sure if he’ll play that much Saturday, but his return will allow Fran to give Ubiles and Kenny more rest

 

 

Lillis will be guarded by either Kenny or Ubiles. ( depending on who Albany has in the game) I’ll be surprised if Albany plays much man to man . Alex Franklin and Ubiles are match up nightmares in the man to man. And Kenny is very hard to guard one on one

 

I agree with Patch, Alex is a key man for Siena, the Saints have to keep him out of foul trouble. Siena is going to have to limit the open looks from 3 point land that Iaiti, Wilson and Martin get. ( and Siena has struggled on the defensive side of the ball so far this year)

 

I also think Josh Martin will be a key for Albany, he has the speed and ball handling ability to break Siena’s pressure. If Albany goes man I’d expect Siena to go right at him trying to get him in foul trouble. Martin’s ball handling and decision making will go a long way towards how Albany fares in this game. I’m sure Siena is hoping that by pressing they can suck Albany’s younger players into an up and down game.

 

I expect Albany to try and pound the ball inside to take advantage of their height advantage, if they are successful that will open the long game for Albany

[Patch]

Siena Tony - UA actually only has a slight height advantage inside with Wilson, Connelly and Covington against Magee, Ubiles and Franklin.

 

The advantage size wise is usually in the backcourt with Hastings and Liilis two big guards. Once the Danes start rotating players the team becomes avg size or less. Both Lillis and Hastings rebound well from their positions and are solid defenders.

[quackman]

Siena Tony - UA actually only has a slight height advantage inside with Wilson, Connelly and Covington against Magee, Ubiles and Franklin.

 

The advantage size wise is usually in the backcourt with Hastings and Liilis two big guards. Once the Danes start rotating players the team becomes avg size or less. Both Lillis and Hastings rebound well from their positions and are solid defenders.

 

 

My keys:

 

Albany

 

* control the boards. Siena is not a good rebouding team but generally takes care of the basketball and forces turnovers. Albany has to limit Siena's possesions, one way to do so is by outrebounding the Saints.

* Lillis has to stay out of foul trouble. He seems to be the key to Albany's success this year.

* Stop Siena's dribble pentration. If the Saints get into the lane regularly, they have a good chance of winning.

 

Siena

 

* Pressure the ball. Dont let Albany get into their sets and limit their ability to get the ball into their bigs. If Gifford or Turley has a big game, it means that Siena's guards were not pressuring the ball enough. (oh, and the guards have to rebound)

* Shoot a decent percentage from 3, which then forces UAlbany to come out of the lane. This allows Siena's slashers (Ubiles, Franklin and Hasbrouck) more room to operate in the paint.

* Take care of the ball. Again, Siena is not a good rebounding team but they can make up for that by limiting their own turnovers and forcing the Danes into turning the ball over.

 

One other key for both teams is controlling their emotions while playing in front of probably the most charged, both for and against, that they'll play before their respective conference tournaments.

 

Good luck to both teams.

[Clickclack]

I think Siena’s team speed is much improved from last season. Cory Magee and Alex Franklin run the floor much better than Haddix and David Ryan ( Josh Duell is painfully slooow )

 

Siena depth has really been hurt by the absence of Freshmen Clarence Jackson. Saturday’s game will be the debut of Clarence Jackson, Siena’s best incoming freshmen coming off almost a month lay off ( he had a high ankle sprain) I’m not sure what to expect from him, but he can shoot the 3 and is one of the better athletes on the Siena team. (and that is saying something considering the athletes Siena has) To start the year he was scheduled to get 20 to 25 min a game, not sure if he’ll play that much Saturday, but his return will allow Fran to give Ubiles and Kenny more rest

 

 

Lillis will be guarded by either Kenny or Ubiles. ( depending on who Albany has in the game) I’ll be surprised if Albany plays much man to man . Alex Franklin and Ubiles are match up nightmares in the man to man. And Kenny is very hard to guard one on one

 

I agree with Patch, Alex is a key man for Siena, the Saints have to keep him out of foul trouble. Siena is going to have to limit the open looks from 3 point land that Iaiti, Wilson and Martin get. ( and Siena has struggled on the defensive side of the ball so far this year)

 

I also think Josh Martin will be a key for Albany, he has the speed and ball handling ability to break Siena’s pressure. If Albany goes man I’d expect Siena to go right at him trying to get him in foul trouble. Martin’s ball handling and decision making will go a long way towards how Albany fares in this game. I’m sure Siena is hoping that by pressing they can suck Albany’s younger players into an up and down game.

 

I expect Albany to try and pound the ball inside to take advantage of their height advantage, if they are successful that will open the long game for Albany

 

Tony,

 

How do you think the benches match up. I am of the opinion that UA has a distinct advantage and is deeper on the bench then Siena. Most of our young guys have gotten a good amount of run in the early going while at the same time Siena's young guys have played sparingly. If both teams get into foul trouble I like the fact that we can go to our bench, I was just wondering if you felt equally as comfortable.

[SienaTony]

Tony,

 

How do you think the benches match up. I am of the opinion that UA has a distinct advantage and is deeper on the bench then Siena. Most of our young guys have gotten a good amount of run in the early going while at the same time Siena's young guys have played sparingly. If both teams get into foul trouble I like the fact that we can go to our bench, I was just wondering if you felt equally as comfortable.

 

Josh Duell and Tay have played a lot of min. against some very good teams, so I’m very comfortable with both players. Chris DelaRosa was on the court for a big part of the second half against Stanford, so he has shown himself to be a quality reserve. The injury to Clarence Jackson has really hurt Siena’s depth. Clarence is a very… very good player and was having an excellent pre season before he got hurt. Clarence put up 30 points against Temple in a pre season scrimmage. Now Clarence has been out a month so I’m not sure what kind of game shape he’ll be in for Saturday’s game. Clarence will play both the 2 and 3 positions giving rest to Kenny and Ubiles ( both of whom have logged a lot of minutes this year) Clarence is one of if not the best outside shooters on the team and what makes him tough is if you get “into’ him too much he is very capable of taking his man off the dribble. Because of his size, speed and athleticism Clarence is very good in the press defense. If Clarence can be effective I think his return nullifies any perceived advantage Albany might have in depth, or at the very least minimizes that difference. If Albany does ‘pack in’ a zone Clarence is very capable of shooting over the zone. But I can’t expect too much from a freshmen in his first game of the season

 

 

 

 

Patch in addition to a height advantage up front, for the most part Albany players are heavier and stronger than their Siena counterparts.

 

As for the backcourt - Albany will have a height advantage in the backcourt sometimes… Iati ( 24 min per game) and Martin ( 21 min per game) will play quite a bit no? I don’t know enough about Hastings to know how good a ball handler he is. Patch do you think Lillis and Hastings can beat Siena’s pressure and not turn the ball over? Also has anyone Albany played pressured UA’s backcourt so far this year?

[Big D]

I'm also glad to see a thread about Saturday's game, as the petty arguing (on both sides) about other issues was starting to get out of hand.

 

I hope I'm wrong, but the fact is Saturday's game will be a major challenge for the Danes. Siena's talent level, team speed, and athleticism is as good as it has ever been in Siena's 30 years as a DI hoop program.

 

Unfortunately, Siena's loss at Cornell was a kind of wake up call, and gives them an added sense of urgency. The media lockdown , closed practices, etc. is part of McCaffrey's effort to get his players focused for the UA game. I expect Siena to play well, and with alot of energy on defense. Unlike Cornell, we don't have the pure shooters to take advantage of Siena's lapses on the perimeter defense. If someone put a gun to my head, I'd have to say Siena by at least ten points.

 

As several posters have noted, the keys for UA to have a chance in this game include valuing possessions, controling the boards, and handling (and sometimes attacking) Siena's pressure. This will involve poise and good judgment from Lillis and Martin. We also need to get off to a good start, which will keep our much more vocal fans involved and get the cranky Siena fans edgy. A few other thoughts:

 

-Brent and Iati must knock down shots when they have good looks.

 

-Lillis must avoid his all too often early fouls.

 

-UA needs to get to the line and get some points on second effort (Connolly may be important here)

 

-One of the rookies (Ambrose, Martin or Hastings) needs to have a big game and score in double digits.

[Clickclack]

I agree with BigD....I'm not one to bet against my own team but in this case I have to say we are the underdog. I think it will be a very very close game Siena winning by probably 5 or 6 points, although I wouldn't be shocked if we win. My biggest hesitation is that we haven't really played any GREAT opponents yet so I'm not sure how well respond. This will be a huge test for our team.

 

- We simply cannot afford a bad night from Brent Wilson

- Lillis MUST stay out of serious foul trouble for us to have a chance

- It would be great if Iati found his stroke from the outside in this game

- We must control the boards being as we are supposedly the better rebounding team.

 

I don't think we are as strong a team offensively as Siena but we are a much superior team on D. If we can maintain our defensive focus and hound Hasbrouck and Moore I think we'll have a very solid chance of winning. The defensive play of Hastings and Lillis will be a huge factor in this game....Martin is also an exceptional defender.

 

I really hate to bet against my own team but until I see us beat them I'll have to err on the side of caution. We had a better team on paper the last two years and couldn't pull it out, that alone gives me enough pause to realize that Siena should probably be the favorite. The game isn't played on paper though, we will have our chances it remains to be seen if we'll capitalize. We have a number of chances to win the last 2 years and simply didn't get it done. Jamar being knocked down....key missed FT's that gave Siena the game by Jamar and Lillis last year etc.

[ASP Guy]

it's fun seeing you guys trying to be civil with Siena Tony

 

so awkward

yet humorous

[danes05]

it's fun seeing you guys trying to be civil with Siena Tony

 

so awkward

yet humorous

 

I know, it's odd that since talk about this game began the only guy from the Siena board who makes any sense has been Siena Tony.

[UA_MA_2000]

On Saturday, myself and a block of 6 others are sitting relatively close up in section 129. Do I have to sit down for most of the game?

 

In Vermont last March, I've never been so proud of UAlbany and its fans. We stood up the entire game except for time outs and halftime, and the 600 of us had that place rocking as a result. The players and Coach at times felt it was like a home game. We are even more in number for Saturday. How do all of you guys feel about bringing that same sort of energy and enthusiasm Saturday night (i.e., standing and bringing some noise during the game)?