UA @ Delaware

[Clickclack]

Moving on.....

 

Next up, Delaware! Although they are a CAA team they are a bottom of the barrel CAA team currently with an RPI of 311. We are coming of a tough loss and have to travel, but I still like our chances in this game. Delawares only win came against Towson who lost to UVM by 2 points. We shouldn't overlook this rebuilding program but I think we'll get back to our winning ways in this one.

[UA_MA_2000]

I'm really worried about this game - a road game and potential let-down (at least with regard to levels of adrenaline) after the 13,250+ fans at the TUC and our rivalry game.

[scrabbleship]

I'm really worried about this game - a road game and potential let-down (at least with regard to levels of adrenaline) after the 13,250+ fans at the TUC and our rivalry game.

 

I think it'll be a nice leisurely win since they'll be hungry after another heartbreaking loss. It'll be like the Sacred Heart game was from what I see of Delaware.

 

Why, oh why, can't we seem to beat $iena...7 points combined in 3 years, ugh. We HAVE to win next year to shut Ettikin up.

[Zalman B]

I'm really worried about this game - a road game and potential let-down (at least with regard to levels of adrenaline) after the 13,250+ fans at the TUC and our rivalry game.

 

I think it'll be a nice leisurely win since they'll be hungry after another heartbreaking loss. It'll be like the Sacred Heart game was from what I see of Delaware.

 

Why, oh why, can't we seem to beat $iena...7 points combined in 3 years, ugh. We HAVE to win next year to shut Ettikin up.

 

I wouldn't call the Sacred Heart game a "nice leisurely win." Although you can't tell from the final score, it wasn't a walk in the park. Remember, we were down at the half and didn't take the lead for good until Sacred Heart went ice-cold from the field. Some of that is attributable to stepped up D, but I still wouldn't go anywhere near "nice leisurely win."

 

Just looking over their game log, Delaware has been in some tight games, with the only double-digit loss at 11 points to a solid Marist squad (@ Marist). We will be their 3rd home game, with a 1-pt loss to Hampton in the home opener and coming off a 7-point win over Towson yesterday.

 

They play 6 guys over 20 minutes a game, and 5 of them are guards. The 6th is a 6'7" Sr. Forward who is their leading scorer and rebounder. Their 2nd leading scorer is also a sr. Despite the lack of a center, they do have some size, especially for guards.

 

Their lineup

 

Starters

G Brian Johnson 5'10" So. - 12.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 6.2 apg

G Alphonso Dawson 6'4" Fr.

G D.J. Boney 6'5" Fr.

G Sam McMahon 6'5" Sr. - 12.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg

F Herb Courtney 6'7" Sr. - 14.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg

 

First Sub

G Edwin Santiago 6'2" Fr.

 

Others who have played

F Marco Cooper 6'7" Fr.

F Henry Olawoye 6'8" Sr.

 

That's it. They've only gone 8 deep all season.

 

We should definietly be able to win this game, but it has the potential for a trap game on the road with a quick turnaround against a team with a combo of young talent (who sooner or later will probably adjust to the college game) and senior leadership.

 

That said, I think our size/strength should be able to be the difference and we win it. I just am not sure we're at the point - as a team or as a program - where any road game (or most home games) can be counted on as a "nice leisurely win."

[UA_MA_2000]

Road wins are always blessings, and if we get past Delaware, we've got a much tougher one on Saturday against the Bonnies (perhaps due to their arena/gym if nothing else).

[Zalman B]

There's also talk on the Delaware Message Board (GoHens.net, not the one linked above) of two transfers who have not yet been eligible to play. Don't have the time right now to look up info on them, but that explains (partially, at least) why they've only gone 8 deep.

 

Hopefully this isn't the game the transfers get their first action, if only because they probably won't be as well scouted (not having played in a game in Delaware's system yet).

[Dane Pound]

A couple of more game previews:

 

UD Aiming for Second Straight Win - Delaware online

Mark Singelais Blog

[GODANESGO]

Singelais' preview is pretty good, but it didn't even end up in print? Is he still actually a writer or just a blogger now?

 

Instead they fill the pages with an article about the Patroons playing the Atlanta Krunk for the 4th time in 5 games and an Ettkin article about the credentials of Andre the Giant for the Pro Wrestling HOF.

 

[UAalum72]

Again with the conference comparisons. Singelais: "Delaware used to be a powerhouse in the America East Conference, winning league titles in 1992, 1993, 1998 and 1999. But the Blue Hens have struggled since moving to the superior CAA in 2001."

 

Unlike the MAAC, I won't argue against the CAA being better, but to imply that the top AE team is a bottom-feeder in the CAA is overstating it. UD had that four-year gap between back-to-back titles in the AEast too. A lot of things can cause a program to struggle besides changing leagues.

[madDOG]

Singelais' preview is pretty good, but it didn't even end up in print? Is he still actually a writer or just a blogger now?

 

Instead they fill the pages with an article about the Patroons playing the Atlanta Krunk for the 4th time in 5 games and an Ettkin article about the credentials of Andre the Giant for the Pro Wrestling HOF.

 

 

I was going to make the same comment. What a joke.

[olddog71]

I've defended the Times Union's coverage of UA athletics, particularly that of men's basketball, here several times.

 

So how come there was NO article about UA's game against Delaware in today's online edition? I know it's an away game for us, but it's not exactly like there is a large number of articles in the TU this morning and therefore no room for us. Instead, our coverage was reduced to a mere blog entry. Last I heard, we were a Division I program - and a successful one at that.

[Clickclack]

I get out of TU what I can. No sense in b-ing about whats not there. It makes us look like we need someone to constantly fluff us up. I might be in the minority but I'm of the opinion that you get what you can now, in the meantime keep building a winning product. Sooner or later if we keep doing what we've been doing and perhaps win some up games TU will have no choice but to increase their coverage.

 

We need to take care of WINNING, everything else will come. Respect is earned....not given. Had we beaten Siena it would have been a step in the right direction, but we didn't.

[Clickclack]

Both Pomeroy and rpiforcast.com have the spread at 3 points for UA, FWIW. If we don't take Delaware seriously we'll slink out of there with a loss. Treat every game as it's your last and good things will happen.

 

Sounds like the players and coaches put Siena behind them and recognize that they need to take care of business.

[UA_MA_2000]

On the Times Union: I had a substantially disruptive case of food poisoning over the past 48 hours, and I found that the Times Union served a purpose in my many trips to the facilities. It's utility, however, ended there.

 

 

Moving on from the foregoing, I do enjoy M.S.'s almost-daily blogs because he does report on information not typically available to us --- viz. quotes from Coach Brown and players. Beyond Mark S. though, ... .

[UA_MA_2000]

Was anyone else able to find any source for video for tonight's game? I searched Delaware's website, but I wasn't able to find anything other than a couple links to radio broadcasts of the game. Here's the link if someone else wants to double check:

 

http://www.udel.edu/sportsinfo/index.html

 

EDIT: I just called the media relations/ticket office at University of Delaware. The woman who answered was beyond stupid, and given her heavy southern accent and ability (or, rather, inability) on the phone (no offense to ATL_DANE or anyone else residing in, or from, the south), I was surprised that she is employed north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

 

I asked this woman if Delaware was going to have a video broadcast of the game on the Internet for tonight's basketball game. After she asked, "what game?" (apparently, they don't sell many basketball tickets? If so, I can't imagine why ... ), I then had to ask her several times about streaming video for tonight's game---each time simplifying the question a little bit more. Finally, I posed the question in the following form: Will the basketball game tonight be "televised on the Internet." She asked someone in the background (who sounded competent, at least as to my question), and Delware does not stream video broadcasts of the Delaware basketball games, so we're stuck with radio tonight.