UNH @ Albany

[Zalman B]

So help me if we drop this one. If there was ever a game to get off the schnide, this is it.

 

I realize they are currently only 7th in the AE, but UNH is really a wretched basketball team. While I think that almost any team can beat any other in the AE on a given night, if we lose at Home to UNH, there is a very real chance that we'll be fighting for the chance to play on Saturday in the AE tournament.

 

On Offense

UNH is last in the AE in points per game (57.5), last in field goal percentage (.361), last in three-point percentage (.273), 8th (of 9) in FT percentage (.644), 8th in Assist/Turnover ratio (0.8) (though Albany is last at 0.7), and last in assists (10.0).

 

On Defense

UNH is middle of the pack in points allowed per game (4th - 65.3), but last in field goal defense (.454), 6th in three-point field goal defense (.343), tied for last in steals (4.3) (with Albany).

 

By the numbers and from what I've seen via internet games, UNH is not only the worst team in the AE, but is one of the worst all-around teams in D1. The one thing they do well is rebound, and Albany does that better as a team. That said, I'd be lying if i said I wasn't at all worried about this game, given how we've been playing recently.

 

Dane Diliegro is probably the second hardest working rebounder in the AE (behind Brenton). He's somewhat prone to foul trouble, which keeps his minutes down at times, but his energy on the boards doesn't seem to flag at any point and cheap put backs can be a back breaker.

 

Tyrece Gibbs is the only perimeter player they have who can consistently hit the ocean from the boat. That said, he is a scorer (14.4 ppg in conference) and he's got the size (6'3", 205 lb) to get his shot off over Mike Johnson, Anthony Raffa, and Tim Ambrose. Although it's hard to guess game-to-game who will see a lot of burn, I'd expect Hastings to draw the assignment and get a bit of playing time.

 

Alvin Abreu is their second scoring option and - in the rare games he is shooting well - can fill it up well (four 20+ point games this season). When he's hot, he's hot (7/7 from three, 28 points vs Santa Clara), but the rest of the time he's ice cold and keeps shooting (In AE - 40/123, .325 FG; 15/62, .258 from three). Tyrone Conley is similar, but without quite the danger to go off for 20+ often (one game of 21 this season). His last three games he is a combined 8-for-28 from the field, 2-for-16 from three.

 

Not sure whether the team/staff views this game as a "must win" but it is for me. Even after the recent losses, I feel somewhat confident that we could get hot and do damage (even win) the AE tournament. If we lose to UNH, I think I'd have to think long and hard about what team I may adopt if we get knocked out early the weekend of 3/7-3/8, or even the evening of 3/6.

[Dane Pound]

Some pre-game UHN game stories:

Great Danes realize they must clean up their act - Gazette

Albany's Brown has victory on his mind - TU

Early season results too high for Danes? - Record

Pregame Thoughts UNH - TU Blog

 

I remember liking Abreau as a player last year, he's listed as 6'2 but I remember his as being a smaller guard. Maybe I'm confusing him with someone else.

 

Glad to hear that Mike Johnson should be available for today.

[Zalman B]

UNH pre-game Notes.

[nysteve661]

Don't take this the wrong way guys, but we suck. Plain and simple. This is an embarassment in front of the home fans aginst a team that has no business scoring at will on us on the road. I am watching on the Danezone and the screen shows UA on the floor on the defensive end but it seems like a mirage, wide open jump shots swishing thru the net. On offense, we are so stagnant with no flow, no drive and kick out like UNH does and miss after miss. Don't get me started on the missed foul shots either. I believe we are 56% on that while UNH is shooting 57 % from the field!

This is not the same team that was 11-6 at one point this season. Have no idea how the team can lose that ability they had and play so lousy recently with no season ending injuries to anyone important either. We may lose out the rest of the way and be in 8-9 game.

Sorry for the doom and gloom, but I as a fan and alumni am frustrated. What else can I say.

[olddog71]

Don't take this the wrong way guys, but we suck. Plain and simple. This is an embarassment in front of the home fans aginst a team that has no business scoring at will on us on the road. I am watching on the Danezone and the screen shows UA on the floor on the defensive end but it seems like a mirage, wide open jump shots swishing thru the net. On offense, we are so stagnant with no flow, no drive and kick out like UNH does and miss after miss. Don't get me started on the missed foul shots either. I believe we are 56% on that while UNH is shooting 57 % from the field!

This is not the same team that was 11-6 at one point this season. Have no idea how the team can lose that ability they had and play so lousy recently with no season ending injuries to anyone important either. We may lose out the rest of the way and be in 8-9 game.

Sorry for the doom and gloom, but I as a fan and alumni am frustrated. What else can I say.

 

Thank goodness, I am not watching this, and I'm glad I didn't pay for any broadcast.

 

This production is simply horrible. So far, this game is the most disappointing game I have followed since UA went Division I.

 

What is wrong? There is something fundamentally unsound going on here that far transcends whether any individual is unhealthy or hurt.

[GreatDanes06]

kinda done with basketball this year...ready for lacrosse

[GreatDanes06]

I got to say...pathetic isn't even the word to describe this

[GreatDanes06]

wow...this team should be embarrassed to wear those jerseys...

[uofalbany]

1/2 game away from the Friday, Play In tournament game.

 

Could it be over-coaching or bad coaching?

Maybe freestyle basketball is more fitting.

The racehorse Secretariat would be worthless if it ran a harness race and was restrained by the harness racing apparatus.

 

The talent on this team was said to be as good as it's ever been.

 

It's really sickening to have lost all of those MSG televised games, both games to stone broke, and now to the cellar of the America East!

 

Wow,

[UA'08]

1/2 game away from the Friday, Play In tournament game.

 

Could it be over-coaching or bad coaching?

Maybe freestyle basketball is more fitting.

A thoroughbred would be worthless if it ran a harness race and was restrained by the harness racing apparatus.

 

The talent on this team was said to be as good as it's ever been.

 

This is pathetic all the oldtimer fans who keep bringing up the past with the 20 loss seasons when brown started has worn out. Like I said the greater the success the greater the expectations. You cannot keep looking at the past and say how far they've come anymore. This is clearly a coaching problem and brown has lost his players with his rules. I would not want to play for him, for every mistake I make I know I'm going to be pulled.

[Clickclack]

VERY VERY ANGRY after this one!

 

I hope this team goes on to enjoy their week off.....why bother practicing, perhaps they could all go home for a week. I'd like to preface this by saying CB has always been good to me as a fan, he's talked to me in the past and answered any questions I might have had.....I STILL SUPPORT HIM AS A COACH, as a fan he still get's my vote of confidence. But he as well as the rest of this coaching staff have FAILED! When he keeps taking players out of the staring lineup only to put them back in the following game (Giff), he shows that he is unsure of what to do with this team. He promised a move to small ball for weeks, it took him a number of games before he even tried it. Not only for the team but for him this should be an enormous learning experience. He needs to find a way to keep this roster together over the summer, at this point I would not be surprised if there were defections (any more then one is inexcusable), he needs to find a way to be able to teach a team how to score the ball, he must find a way to bring in kids that can pick up the pace a bit. Never thought I'd say this but he promised a team that could put the ball in the hole, at this point it's obviously been a failure, can CB coach the team to score, I DON'T KNOW, he did it at his prior coaching gig, his teams filled it up like crazy....at UA.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZ!

 

We were promised a team that would be able to put the ball in the hole...if you remember, the question was posed early on in the season if this team would be able to play D. 95% through the season and this team is an absolute disgrace on the offensive end, under 40% from the floor a sweltering 9% from beyond the arc. One of the assistant coaches needs to be fire and bring someone on board who can teach this team how to play offense. Not only are they completely inept on the offensive end but they let UNH shoot 60% from beyond the arc.

 

This is a catastrophic collapse of history proportions for this program....the question is will they win another game this season. Personally as someone who has ZERO affiliation with this program other then being a fan, I am embarrassed, ashamed, angry and disgusted. Everyone on this team needs to look in the mirror and say....what are we doing here? Personally for me the bloom from two NCAA runs has just run out.....can't live on that forever! I know there is basically very little time this season to turn it around but come summer (so help me....if there is another 7 new guys coming in) and next season there will HAVE to be signs of marked improvement. I can only speak for myself but my support (what little that may be worth) is NOT unconditional.

 

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[GreatDanes06]

I must say that I think the big problem with this team is the inability to score in the paint. This team does not have a dominate paint player and it forces them to shoot from the outside way to much. At the same time, the zone clearly is not working on defense for this team. It needs to be thrown in the trash real quick.

[KingDane]

Could it be over-coaching or bad coaching?

Maybe freestyle basketball is more fitting.

 

 

Could not agree more. You can't play your game if you've constantly got one eye on the bench to make sure you're doing the right thing. Some of them play worried they're going to do the wrong thing.

 

This team has more talent than most of our AE opponents but they are 'overcoached'.

[McFan]

Could it be over-coaching or bad coaching?

Maybe freestyle basketball is more fitting.

 

 

Could not agree more. You can't play your game if you've constantly got one eye on the bench to make sure you're doing the right thing. Some of them play worried they're going to do the wrong thing.

 

This team has more talent than most of our AE opponents but they are 'overcoached'.

 

9 guys w/ more than 11 minutes each today?? What is that? No flow. No consistency.

 

The positive......only 10 TO's.

 

And could the officials have called any more fouls. 51 total. I think 35 in the second half.

[uofalbany]

Could it be over-coaching or bad coaching?

Maybe freestyle basketball is more fitting.

 

 

Could not agree more. You can't play your game if you've constantly got one eye on the bench to make sure you're doing the right thing. Some of them play worried they're going to do the wrong thing.

 

This team has more talent than most of our AE opponents but they are 'overcoached'.

 

 

Well said