BU @ UA - Monday 7PM

[Clickclack]

No time to sulk, big game tomorrow...3rd place is very much in play, maybe even 2nd...let's get this. If we can play like we did yesterday we'll have a good chance of walking away with the W.

[madDOG]

No time to sulk, big game tomorrow...3rd place is very much in play, maybe even 2nd...let's get this. If we can play like we did yesterday we'll have a good chance of walking away with the W.

 

stick a fork in this team, folks. we're done.

[Clickclack]

Blew it tonight and to many other times this season...I came into this contract season with an open mind...this one broke my back. I'm done!

 

Whatever happens to the coaching staff, let it happen. Tonight they flat out BLEW IT! Devastating loss, I don't want to hear about UTAH!

 

I'll be there to cheer the team on the rest of the season but what ever the school decides to do, well...

[Dane Pound]

I don't want to hear about UTAH!

 

I had a lot of four letter words on the tip of my tongue tonight, Utah wasn't one of them.

[Phoenix]

I don't want to hear about UTAH!

 

Then why bring it up?

[Clickclack]

I don't want to hear about UTAH!

 

Then why bring it up?

 

My only point was/is that there have been very few if any notable wins and a truck load of let-down and disappointment. This is just another very painful loss.

[APA73]

Sadly, the MO is always the same - fading at crunch time. They simply cannot close out a game and put teams away. Nothing displays weakness like collapse after collapse. Even wins seem to include a swoon at the end of the game. Ever since Siena I have had a bad feeling about this team and the program as a whole. Very very disappointing and very glad I did not purchase season tickets this year.

[MRSGDG]

Ever since Siena I have had a bad feeling about this team and the program as a whole. Very very disappointing and very glad I did not purchase season tickets this year.

 

Just my opinion... and not attempting to start anything. But that's something I don't get. Don't get me wrong, watching a team you support lose and collapse absolutely sucks! And it especially hurts when you think the team has the potential to win. But what's the deal with fair weather season ticket fans? Even if people don't like the Coach, coaching staff or the Athletic Department, if you're a fan of UA Basketball shouldn't you come out to support.. the kids.. those students. (Making an assumption that those who had season tix, don't now don't come to the same # of games they did beforehand) It's not like I'm not critical of things -- they're issues .. clearly - like last night I enjoy Blake's enthusiasm but that kid needs to practice his free throws (I guess that's an assumption on my part that he doesn't .. or maybe the coaching staff needs to pay more attention to helping him or the Coach needs to just pull him at the end of the game when it's obvious they're gonna foul him because he can't make the FT. I'm only a fan so that's just an opinion from what I see from the stands.) And we clearly have an issue of being strong enough to finish a game or hit a shot when the game is on the line. Is that something you can coach? I dunno... I hope so because these kids need to get it some how.. or look within themselves. I can understand the season tickets aren't cheap - and that may be a reason someone doesn't renew. Maybe people are more of basketball fans than UA fans. But it's times when the team is down that the kids need the fan support more than ever. But to each his own and that's just my measly 2 cents.

[Phoenix]

It's kind of interesting when you take a look at the numbers. In games decided by one possession..3 points or less..the team's actually 2-2. Wins against Maine (76-75) and at Mount St. Mary's (65-64)..losses at Cornell (85-82, OT) and against Boston (81-78). Stretch that out to two possessions..6 points or less..and the team's 3-4. Adding a win against Binghamton (74-68) and losses at Vermont (73-69) and at Siena (64-60). Obviously want those losses to be wins..but that's a lot closer to even than I would've guessed as a gut reaction. My quick assumption is probably jaded quite a bit after last night's game.

[uofalbany]

We have defined ourselves as mediocre... not winning one game against a top-half team.

When we are aggressive and proactive, attacking on both ends... good things happen.

When we settle back into a less aggressive state, and start reacting to the game, we seem

to lose the edge. I see alot of guys watching, rather than moving.

 

This team could win the AE.... the question is, aire they going to start playing with

the thrusters on for a full 40 minutes every game...

 

I'm not sure what Brown's fault is.... but I wish he'd stop drinking diet soda during games.

[Clickclack]

It's kind of interesting when you take a look at the numbers. In games decided by one possession..3 points or less..the team's actually 2-2. Wins against Maine (76-75) and at Mount St. Mary's (65-64)..losses at Cornell (85-82, OT) and against Boston (81-78). Stretch that out to two possessions..6 points or less..and the team's 3-4. Adding a win against Binghamton (74-68) and losses at Vermont (73-69) and at Siena (64-60). Obviously want those losses to be wins..but that's a lot closer to even than I would've guessed as a gut reaction. My quick assumption is probably jaded quite a bit after last night's game.

 

You have to ask yourself why did it come to that...

 

- Mt. St Marys is a bad team - currently 11 games under .500 at 6-17 and an RPI of almost 300 (292) at one point they were up 9 on us.

- Cornell is an OK team but even they are 5 games below .500 and are expected to win something like 11 games (rpi forecast)...we were up 10 with 8 minutes to go and lost.

- Binghamton? Seriously? How did we not crush them by 25? Binghamton is the worst team in the country. Their probability of going 0-29 is 24%. The fact that this was a nail-bitter is disappointing.

- Siena - We blew a 19pt lead at Siena, 12pt lead at halftime. A team that goes 6 deep, with an RPI of 225

 

Our 15 wins are against poor to very poor teams, had we played an OOC like BU or UVM IMO we'd have a losing record. Only one team in the entire AE has played a weaker OOC schedule then us (UNH). I'm going to be brutally honest and ask a question, has the team from November to now gotten any better? Serious question! I sat yesterday in the last few minutes of the game and after the game just watched and thinking back to all the games I could recall, I honestly see no marked improvement. Defensively there has been no improvement from the start of the season 'till now, we still give up huge leads, when the game gets close we tighten up.

[Clickclack]

Some more numbers...Since the 06/07 season...

 

- We are 68-83 (45% W)

- We are 1-4 in the AE tourney

- Our best win in the last 4 years is against Bing (88rpi) on Jan 17 '09

- Our last winning season was 5 years ago

[Dane96]

Not trying to be funny with this post...but here is a number:

 

0

 

 

As in HEART. If I were a teammate of these guys...I probably would be ready to strangle my teammates.

 

These players have to be more responsible and held accountable for their action. Again, watching last night was disgusting to me...and at 18 years - 22 years old you shouldn't have to be motivated by a coach to put your foot on someone's neck.

 

Personally, I would lock these guys out of the gym and have them think about WHY they lose games like this...far too many games. It's not a talent issue...and it's not because Coach is wailing into them, an issue some had with his previous coaching style.

 

Sam Perkins quoted something by Coach that I loved, and I paraphrase: he (Brown) would be afraid to have Levi Levine on his team because he would probably punch some of his players. This was in reference to Levi living, drinking, sleeping, playing, dreaming, etc....hoops. This team is mentally soft...and that is not a coachable trait. It's missing an ingredient to fire them up. The championship teams, and for example Stony Brook today, has a gritty desire side to wanting to dive for every ball instead of reaching, get bloody, knock elbows...etc.

 

Now...our guys SOMETIMES do this...but they don't do it regularly. It's pretty clear--and there are times I scratch my head at some of Coach's moves in the past--that Will Brown is a fiery guy. It's also clear that his downtrodden teams when he first took over were fiery...as were his championship teams. It's not like it's not his personality.

 

Frankly, this team relies on its considerable natural talent too often...and doesn't dig deep into its mental well to want it more than the other team. Talent for talent, in a guard dominated league, we should be killing it on paper. It's our lack of WANT to defend, WANT to rebound, WANT to Closeout games...that is killing us. IMHO, we have that one fiery guy...and this team wins at least half of those games we have lost (Siena, Stony Brook the other night...and BU yesterday). We don't have that and it has driven me up the wall all season.

 

So...my major issue this year...is that we didnt recruit a natural born leader; you would have assumed some of these guys (Logan, Blake, Mike would fit the bill. Great guys...great players...not a natural rally guy. You get one bad ass leader next year...and this team is completely different. One guy...does make a difference. Jacob Iati...bless that kids heart...is that guy from what I see and have heard. Unfortuanately, he is not a 25-30 min guy...and you need that guy to be more than a 5-10 minute player.

 

Last night was absolutely disgusting...all around...and that includes players and coaches alike.

[dslyank]

That one REALLY HURT. Statistically won or close on all categories (except three's made and 3's %). Dominated for most of 33/34 minutes. I know one should never blame the ref's but saw at least two phantom charge calls on us and a foul on Puk where the bu player went totally clean by him and missed a lay-up and they called a foul on Puk, who was beat so bad he could not have fouled the guy if he tried. Up 7-2 in fouls, middle of second half ref's call 5 straight on us 4 in a 28 second span---give me a break. I think the ref's lost some money on the patriots in the bowl and were making Albany pay.

I am Brown supporter (not to start a war but they should give him a contract extension NOW--it is not always about w and l especially at the mid major level--said I was not trying to start a war, oh well); but why the H$%^ didn't he call a time out when we got the ball back on the turnover with 16.9 second left?

Maybe Blake should not practice free throws , because as YOGI might say 1/2 of free throw shooting is 90% mental.

Anyhow frustrated and venting so I better shut down as it is off to NH and Maine, where we all know how successful we have been in the past. I guess as MsGDG says we need to remember it is all about UA and the kids/players and keep supporting and rooting no matter what.

[Dane96]

And agree with Dyslank...Coach should and hopefully will get an extension.

 

I think some people really forget what low-mid-major hoops are about.