vs. Boston University 1/23 7pm

[UA'08]

Rowley is a monster. He just took over the game during that 10 min stretch. A lot of fun to watch. Hoping Black can get out of his funk at the Vermont game. Still excited about the attendance and hopefully that continues despite the loss tonight.

[Underpar]

Painful. The team played great. There is not much any team can do when your opponent gets hot with the 3's. We need to prove we can beat Vermont and SB.

[dslyank]

Sometimes the basketball gods are just against you--BU's comeback actually started when Papale throws up a 25 foot shot looks like it going to be an air ball, hits the front of the rim, bounces straight-up with a weird back spin and somehow trickles in. I can honestly say I've never seen anything like it in forty years of watching basketball. And the last play in regulation was almost like the basketball had a magnet in it with BU holding the iron. The ball just seemed to gravitate to them twice when I was sure we had it; I will have to watch the replay on tw, because I still do not know how BU got possession.

Anyhow, I hope the team does not lose confidence, they actually played WELL--killed BU on the boards (40-29), forced BU into shooting badly (until the last several minutes and OT), had five guys in double figures--in short did everything but win (TO's did hurt though, especially early on)

[DanesRGood]

First game in a while that I didn't watch or listen to. I just read the game article and seems like a heartbreaking loss. Were we outplaying them the whole game and just let it slip away at the end? Hard to get much from the article other than the last few plays that allowed them to tie the game.

[madDOG]

Anyhow, I hope the team does not lose confidence, they actually played WELL--killed BU on the boards (40-29), forced BU into shooting badly (until the last several minutes and OT), had five guys in double figures--in short did everything but win (TO's did hurt though, especially early on)

 

Agreed. Hope CB keeps them confident and motivated.

[Clickclack]

Sometimes you have to tip your hat to the other team...I thought CB made great half time adjustments as I though we were really fortunate in the first half to be only down 6 at half time...then he adjusted and they pounded them inside and on the boards...BU made incredible plays down the stretch and we unfortunately bobbled one inbounds. Them are the breaks some times...hopefully next time one bounces our way.

[UAalum72]

Highlights from YNN - but I think you have to be signed in with Time-Warner to see it

http://capitalregion.ynn.com/content/sports/632967/ualbany-splits-doubleheader-against-bu/

[Dane Pound]

One positive from last night was Guerrier knocking down some shots and overall giving us good minutes. We're going to need someone to come off the bench and help us.

[alum73]

Had trouble sleeping last night. For me it ranked with a loss to SBU where a ref called a foul on Will Brand on an SBU player attempting a half court shot and making all three. Then my memory fades, not sure if that won the game or forced OT, but we subsequently lost. It was too bad, but hope it just helps us grow. I love this team.

[UA_MA_2000]

Great college basketball game last night. Despite the unfortunate final 15 seconds of regulation (and the following OT), I enjoyed the game and am thrilled with the attendance. I hope the administration does another pizza night. It seemed to bring out the students.

 

As to the game, some thoughts:

 

* In the first half every time we set a pick for our guard with the ball, the red team double teamed either Black or Iati. Our big men did as they should and rolled away from the double team, but our guards almost always tried to dribble out of the double team, rendering our pick-and-roll moot. I understand that once the double team arrives, making that pass is (very) difficult. What is the appropriate response to the double team? I would think that we have to anticipate the double team coming and act accordingly (easier said than done of course, and attempting a pass out of the double team runs the risk of turning the ball over). Perhaps game film did not reveal the fact that the red team double teams the pick-and-roll. In my view, the red team's double team in the pick-and-roll situation was highly effective, and if I am the other schools in the conference, I would continue to double team our guards off the high screen until we demonstrate that we can take advantage of it on a regular basis.

 

* I have not seen Vermont or Stonybrook SUNY Long Island in person yet, but from what I have seen so far, the two best backcourts in the America East Conference were on the floor last night. For the red team, Irving and Watson deserve credit where credit is due: they are fantastic guards. I thought their defense of our backcourt was relentless for the entire game, and they are as physical as they are quick. In a guard-heavy conference like ours, a backcourt like that could have carried the team to the AE Title game come tournament time, and our backcourt is capable of doing the same. I was impressed with the effort of both teams’ tournament-like effort and intensity.

 

* Our frontcourt played fantastic (i.e., rebounding advantage of 40-29), and, like Coach has said, they don't get the praise they deserve. Our frontcourt players are warriors out there.

 

* As a simple fan, I am curious about our use of the 2-3 zone once or twice in the second half. At least one of those times, the red team hit a 3, which is what one would expect from one of the best, or the best, shooting team in the conference. Perhaps we got caught up with bad matchups; our team needed a breather on defense; or Coach wanted to mix up our defensive looks?

 

* At one point late in the game, Rowley was matched up with one of their guards on the left side of the court (facing the red team's basket), and that guard crossed over to the right and went by him for a layup. Was this matchup an accident, or were we trying to put a big man on one of their shooters to stop the three-point shot?

 

* Given how athletic and capable the red team's backcourt is, I think it's an awful lot to ask of our backcourt to deal with the red team's pressure defense all game and then to also apply the same level of defense to the red team's backcourt, which brings me to my question about whether we have a lock-down defensive specialist on this team. When we find ourselves in this sort of game come Tournament time, who will be our lock-down perimeter-defense player (i.e., akin to a Carl Ross on Trimboli on the final play against Vermont in the AE Title game in March 2007)?

 

* Finally, we gave up 33 points in the final 6:28 of playtime (1:28 of regulation time, and the 5 minutes of overtime). I find no fault with our effort whatsoever (by either team). Obviously, the red team shooting, during the final stretch, 7 of 8 from 3-point land contributes to this, but perhaps we were getting tired at the end (totally understandable of course)?

 

Thoughts?

Edited January 24, 2013 by UA_MA_2000

[UA_MA_2000]

Had trouble sleeping last night. For me it ranked with a loss to SBU where a ref called a foul on Will Brand on an SBU player attempting a half court shot and making all three. Then my memory fades, not sure if that won the game or forced OT, but we subsequently lost. It was too bad, but hope it just helps us grow. I love this team.

 

Same here. We have a great team. These kids deserve the opportunity to play in mid-March.

[Clickclack]

Hard for me to stomach that we are 1-22 against bu, UVM and sbu inbthe last few years...

[UAalum72]

That double-team of the guards, forcing them out almost to midcourt, is exactly what Vermont did, as well as I think at least one other team since. I wonder if doubling with players much taller than our guards is what gives us so much trouble, and why everybody else doesn't.

[UA_MA_2000]

double post

Edited January 24, 2013 by UA_MA_2000

[UA_MA_2000]

That double-team of the guards, forcing them out almost to midcourt, is exactly what Vermont did, as well as I think at least one other team since. I wonder if doubling with players much taller than our guards is what gives us so much trouble, and why everybody else doesn't.

 

 

I did not see the Vermont game, so this is very interesting insight.

 

In the Siena game (especially in the first half of that game), I thought we passed the ball to our big man rolling off the high screen better than perhaps I have ever seen, despite the fact that Siena's guards aren't much taller than the red team's guards (Watson and Irving are 5'10" and 6'0", respectively; red team's other three starters are 6'3", 6'7", and 6'7").

 

Perhaps one approach would be to continue to set baseline screens for Black and Iati to come off of, while Hooley takes the ball at point and uses the pick-and-roll and combats the double team. This might give us some more height to pass the ball over the double team to the rolling big man or, e.g.,to Black and Iati who are coming off baseline screens. But what do I know. I'm just a fan.

 

As a footnote, I think Black and Iati are doing an amazing job at cutting to the basket without the ball. Just something I have also been observing. Like our frontcourt, these guys are playing like roman warriors out there.

Edited January 24, 2013 by UA_MA_2000