MBB: Game 1: @UMass 11/07 - 7:00pm

[godanesgo99]

1 minute ago, olddog71 said:

I won't even put game nights into my calendar.

I'll still go. I'll still root. But I'm disgusted. It's not like the team should have won this one, but there is no way it should have been a blowout. 

Again, I'll reserve judgement until after Neely and Jackson return, but this game did not give anyone in Albany any confidence. I'm sure there are positives to take from the game, but I fail to see them at the moment.

[Clickclack]

Seems to me they pushed the pace a lot more off makes and misses in the 2nd half. If they have any hope it's to do more of that. Once defense sets there isn't enough talent to break the D down nor a system to run sets. Their only hope is to push the ball HARD. 

[yboord028]

The one constant throughout Killings regime is a lack of team basketball, theres a bunch of other wrongs but its going to take alot to fix that specific thing. Some players looked good but it was generally because they shot above 50% and put in effort.

[DanesRGood]

I don't post much but I've been watching/reading/following along.  This was a gross performance.  I really don't like seeing this.  Not competitive at all.  Hopefully UMASS is really good and we aren't this bad. 

[McFan]

Probably should’ve sold the tickets before this one?

[tnehurley]

Well….the beat goes on. Yes, it’s just one game, but it sure feels old already. All the talk about an improved defense was just that—-talk.  Defense is technique and hard work, particularly when boxing-out for a rebound. I saw very little of this tonight. 
I hope things improve. We’ll see. Neely at 100% will really help. We have a 7 footer sitting on the bench. Has he been red-shirted? Hurt? Anyway, the D has to get better if this team is going to be competitive. Bottom line.

[Clickclack]

Updated after the game...like many said...disgusting. Talk about defense all summer and training camp. Then do that...That was so brutal that Pomeroy lower win prediction from 12 to 11. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Clickclack

[ctdanes]

Yeah I hate to sound like a doomer but that was baaaaaaaad

[godanesgo99]

The final stats don't actually look as bad as they did earlier in the game. If you didn't watch the game and just saw the stats you'd think the team just shot poorly and turned the ball over more, but the game was lost by halftime. The first half saw nothing go right, and the stats at halftime told the real story.

Positives: FT% was great in the second half. Team did show a lot of fight with loose balls and seemed to play hard diving for balls. Shot selection didn't seem terrible, they just didn't fall. 11 players got minutes. Thomas looked really good at times. Margoupis looked like he could become a rotation player. Absolutely love seeing Amica on the floor. He was so highly touted and so unlucky with injuries. 

Need to figure out something offensively though. Only 10 assists. Part of that  was shots not falling, especially missing way too many layups and close range shots, but the 1 on 1 play seems to be what Killings offense relies on. The team was 295th in assists last season with 11.7 per game. I'm fine with that style, but more passes open up that opportunity.

Hands were not good tonight either. Seemed like a lot of great passes were going through people's hands. 

UMass may be near the bottom of the A10, but they definitely have talent. The A10 is still a higher league even if it is close to being a 1-bid league these days. We were missing Jackson who is a key piece defensively, and Neely. 

I'll still be positive about the team. At least until I can't anymore.

 

[bob87]

2 comments on click clacks Pomeroy post/projections 

1) it really is 10 predicted wins vs D1. He doesn't model the non D1 game and assumes 100%. Is that really a safe assumption with this team. Hope so.

2) best chance to get a non conference road win before the last game of 2023 just 31% vs LCC.  That is just sad.

Edited November 8, 2023 by bob87

[jimbo]

Usually I’d be upset when dear friends and their kids drop by a half hour into a UA game. In this case it turned out to be a blessing.  I saw nothing at the beginning or end that made me think things are turning around for the better. Let’s see what game 2 brings. 

[DanesRGood]

😩

"I think it's a reality check," UAlbany junior guard Sebastian Thomas said. "We're not who we thought we were, so I think we need to get back to the drawing board and focus, practice, prepare better and I think we'll have a better outcome"

"I think it's jitters, new team, a little bit anxious," Thomas said. "We have a problem of coming out slow in practice, and that's something we definitely have to clean up, considering we play a month of road games."

[McFan]

7 minutes ago, DanesRGood said:

😩

"I think it's a reality check," UAlbany junior guard Sebastian Thomas said. "We're not who we thought we were, so I think we need to get back to the drawing board and focus, practice, prepare better and I think we'll have a better outcome"

"I think it's jitters, new team, a little bit anxious," Thomas said. "We have a problem of coming out slow in practice, and that's something we definitely have to clean up, considering we play a month of road games."

 

I like some of this but who did they think they were?

[cwdickens]

2 minutes ago, McFan said:

I like some of this but who did they think they were?

Further, is this team capable of changing their mindset by Saturday? 

[Clickclack]

They eventually did score 72 points. their problem is they gave up close to 100. Nothing has changed. 354th ranked defense last year, 320th after last night. 

Yeah you are a garbage team if you don't defend. Last night if you just watched, honestly some of the worst defense I've ever seen at any level. 

Did Killings take any accountability after last night? Anyone seen any comments from him?

Edited November 8, 2023 by Clickclack