Albany @ 'Nova

[Clickclack]

Team looks MUCH better in the second half....wow, I didn't think I'd be this excited about this team watching the first game. We are playing then 23rd team in the country and we are hanging with them.

[Clickclack]

This team needs to work on the TO's man of them don't look like they are forced at all. That's to bad, the game would have been closer....still the look like they sky is the limit in the AE. We won't face pressure and a team like 'Nova in the AE. Not even close.

[Clickclack]

Dagger 3...we had the momentum coming back and Nova drills the 3

[Clickclack]

FT's have also been attrocious in this game I think the team shot LESS then %50 from the line. That's like 8 or 9 points left right there.

[Clickclack]

I HAVE NOT DOUBT WE WILL CONTEND FOR THE AE TITLE!

[Clickclack]

DePaul is no 'Nova we should be more competitive in that game. They are still a BE team but they were picked 15th out of 16 teams by the coaches in the BE.

[olddog71]

It was great tonight to see a talented team hustle all around. Sure, the team has things to learn, but I am optimistic about our season.

[UA_MA_2000]

I only watched about the first 5 minutes of the game tonight on the Internet feed (fell asleep after an exhausting week), but I really enjoyed watching our team for the few minutes that I was among the living. In particular, I'd be curious about the above-referenced blocks by Scotty!

 

 

Based on the first few minutes that I saw, this team could be awesome. Immediately from the start, my blood pressure was lower when we brought the ball up the court. I think our guard play will be great this year! I saw Johnson streak right past a defender on the far baseline, and that was sweet to see (missed the layup, probably because it was one of those moments where one says, "oh didn't think that was going to happen so easily").

 

I saw Raffa's first two baskets and might have heard a third one as I was drifting away. I can't wait for the America East to meet Mr. Johnson and Mr. Raffa!

[UA_MA_2000]

Just noticed in the stats that we were outrebounded 33-30. That will be a figure we should be able to improve upon!

 

Also, we had 11 different guys score! That is promising!

 

And, finally, the second-half score was 38-36, Villanova. Lots and lots of promise for this team, I must say!

[Clickclack]

A couple of thoughts.....

 

The Good

 

- This years team is MUCH MUCH more athletic then any I've seen in my time following the program (4 years), they can really fly get up and down the court. The speed of Mike and Anthony is going to be fun to watch.

 

- This team looks like it has very very good shooters. You could see that we were bothered by 'Nova's length and speed but we won't face many more teams that are that quick to close off on shooters.

 

- I thought the post play of Brett was much improved. He got 4pts 7rb (3 offensive) and a block in 24 minutes. That's pretty good contribution, he looked more nimble on his feat and really battled down low. That was encouraging to see.

 

- Will Harris looked good, he needs to be more aggressive. I know it was only his first game but in the first half he was kind of sleep walking, then woke up and looked good. He will be a load to handle in the AE.

 

- Barrazza seems to have range out to the NBA 3 pt line, the one three he hit was WAY OUT.

 

- Scotty looked real good I thought. He got a couple of blocks and showed the ability to get into the lane take contact and finish and then nailed a three. He could be an important piece for us.

Things to Work on

 

- TO's , at times allot of them appeared to unforced, passes that are just out of reach etc. I suspect this part of the team game will improve as guys get comfortable. With eight new guys on the team and two brand new PG's I think a certain amount of growing pains is to be expected.

 

- I thought the rebounding was OK but we lost the rebounding battle.

[MRSGDG]

Was a great game. The crowd was packed in on behind the hoop sides. Raffa and Connely's families were also there which was cool and they added to the UA fan chants. We were able to get the UA chant going which was heard on the court when we were only down by 11..so glad the guys were able to hear their fans even if we were in the nosebleeds.

 

It was a very interesting game and I can't wait until we get to show the conference teams what we have!

[UA_MA_2000]

I also can't wait to give Siena, even if we don't win, a vigorous battle in a couple weeks! What does everyone here think of our chances versus Siena?

[MRSGDG]

Video from the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy7EcluxBXc

(it was uploaded in high quality but after uploading to youtube it is low quality and I can't seem to fix any settings... )

 

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2 Photos:

 

 

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Story from the Philly area:

Villanova has too many players for Albany

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/200811...for_Albany.html

[UAalum72]

How many times did we close to within 11 or 13 with the ball, then turn it over? Raffa just had his pocket picked a couple of times.

 

Still, we've done worse, especially against a 'true' top 25 team.

 

 

OTOH our dance team is far superior to 'nova

[purplehaze]

This will be a good team. Let's see how they do on Monday............