Boston U. – Game 15 (PL's 2nd)

Forum Forum Lehigh Sports Lehigh Men’s Basketball Boston U. – Game 15 (PL's 2nd)

This topic contains 16 replies, has 9 voices, and was last updated by jimk72 jimk72 10 years, 2 months ago.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 17 total)
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  • #12903

    LU65
    Participant

    Game Notes

    We await.

    KenPom Rankings and Chance of Winning

    Boston U. (8-6, 1-0) 120th
    @
    Lehigh (8-6, 1-0) 182nd
    LU wins 67-66 (55% chance)

    Random Observations (Boston U.)

    In their opening day win over HC, each of their 9 players scored and each pulled down, not one, but multiple rebounds. Apparently, they have a deep bench with minutes ranging from a low of 12 to a high of 31.

    Anxious to see if we can shut down – or at least slow down – BU’s Maurice Watson, Jr., their 5’10” So. Guard. He just happens to be the #1 Assist man in PL @ 6.5/game. He’s also 4th in scoring at 14.8ppg and 5th in FG% @.570. Throw in a recent PL Player of the Week honors, too.

    Wild and wacky start to PL play saw………/strong>

    Bucknell drop a home game to American and slip 34 notches on the KenPom scale to 181 (see full list below). The Bison had been ranked as high as #63 going into their Mt. St. Mary’s game on Nov. 26TH. It’s been awhile since the Bison didn’t walk away a winner in their home opener…2010 to be exact. And, it seems like only yesterday they beat Penn. St. and put a scare into St. John’s. Their message board is lighting up and, as always, a good read.

    Army steamroll Lafayette by 19 in Easton after downing Division III Coast Guard by 20 three days earlier. The Black Knights had won only three other times this season. Those came against: Maine ( 331), St. Franics/NY (210), and The Citade (347). Yes, that the Army team that loss to Houston Baptist. Makes you wonder about both the Leopards and the Black Knights, doesn’t it?

     The possible makings of a 3-0 American Team? Just maybe! Road wins are typically tough to come by in the PL. And, the schedule makers didn’t do AU any favors this year, sending the Eagles packing in four of their first five contests. But an American win up in Worcester on Sunday on the heels of their shocking victory out in Lewisburg on Thursday will have them sitting pretty @ 2-0 when they welcome the struggling Greyhouds of Loyola into Bender next Wednesday for their first home game. And, while Loyola did manage a win over Navy, they hadn’t won a D-I game since their OT win over UMBC back on Nov. 20th. Bottom line: Don’t be surprised to see American at 3-0 this time next week.

    Present KenPom Rankings:

    Boston U. 120
    Holy Cross 152
    Bucknell 181
    Lehigh 182
    American 184
    Colgate 192
    Army 239
    Lafayette 245
    Loyola 263
    Navy 309

    #12922

    toddcudd
    Participant

    Well, that was a fun game to watch. No complaints here; right down to the wire with the PL favorite. Mackey was amazing down the stretch. Had we prevented a few ORs at the freethrow line, we could have stolen this one.
    The real negative today is that we have apparently lost CB for the rest of season; ineligible. I think JG did a fine job with the extra minutes today, but that will seriously hurt our depth up front.

    #12923

    TMH
    Participant

    toddcudd,
    I agree. Exciting game to watch. BU is very talented but we are finding out that LU’s young team is too.
    Part of me says to bench MM until the last 8 minutes of every game and then turn him on and let him go :-). I though JG gave us some good minutes off the bench and MS possibly gave us a peek at the future at PG for Lehigh.
    Rebounding is still a major concern for me. I think our effort improved but if a rebound is between two players, we seldom seem to be the one getting the board. Part of that is technique but I sometimes think part is athleticism.

    #12925
    sundayamqb
    sundayamqb
    Participant

    It WAS a great game. This is a great team to watch. IMPRESSIVE! Kids need to get out and root them on.

    Rebounding still a problem. Failing to get RBs on two missed free throws at end proved fatal.

    Then again, we’re dealing with a young team.

    I’d like to see Corey Schaefer be the go-to guy more often. He was lights out night, 5 of 7 in FGs. Great thing is, seems like every night someone else has a hot hand.

    Great news is it was a one-point game with an ineffective TK, due to fouls. Imagine when he’s on. And AP was only 1-6 from the field.

    It is a shame if CB is out; he had a key role …

    #12926
    jimk72
    jimk72
    Participant

    No such thing as a good loss, but this is as close as it gets. No quit in this group against a very talented, experienced BU. Served notice that this will not be a cake walk for the Terriers in the Patriot.

    For those not in attendance, MM strong, much more controlled game as the leading scorer (23) with 5 rebounds in among the trees. I continue to suspect Simelton is the sleeper in this class. 13 minutes of relief at the point with 3 assists, 2 boards, one super steal, and several lightning moves to get his 6 points. This kid can jump for a supposed 6′. CS again just what you need when you need it (5 for 7 as mentioned above.)

    Great effort overall, starters and bench. Still not a perfect game as key offensive rebounds by Boston really hurt, but we seem to continue to improve. Lastly, 10 years ago I would never expect to see one, let alone two alley-oop slam dunks by Lehigh (Chuku). Very entertaining game. Hopefully all in attendance got home safely. Very treacherous driving conditions afterward.

    #12927

    toddcudd
    Participant

    Great point about TK, sunday. If we had been able to look into a crystal ball at his line, I would have figured that we’d have been blown out. That’s a BIG credit to depth and balance, IMO. And I also agree that AP had a subpar game. When we’re firing on all cylinders, I honestly believe that we’ll hang with anyone in the PL this year.
    Along those lines, I really can’t figure Bucky out, of late. Bad loses recently, but seem to have completely and easily handled ‘Gate today. Wierd. Same goes for Army. A bunch of bad losses, but no problem with Loyola. ‘Pards are surprisingly bad so far, but then again it looks like Hinrichs didn’t play again.
    American appears to be the other team, along with us, outperforming expectations.

    #12928

    gohawks63
    Participant

    The pace of this game was incredible. Both teams were flying up and down the court. Tremendous back-court speed on both sides. I was wondering whether our bigs were going to wear down by the end of the game but Brett’s substitution patterns seems to have prevented that.

    Our boys make a ton of mistakes but they showed a competitive streak which was really encouraging.

    There was a very frustrating stretch in the 1st half – when Brett had Jessie and TK off the floor for more that five minutes (so no interior options) and we were stuck at 21 points for over five minutes. JC and SW were completely ineffective. At one point JC ran the floor and MM hit him in stride about 8 feet from the rim but JC could not handle the pass (a carry over from his freshman year I’m afraid).

    When SW and TK were in the game together, BU was using SW’s man to double down on TK. A couple of times SW took the ball to the rim and made them pay – but I think we’re going to see this all season until SW develops an outside shot.

    I was flummoxed that Brett did not pair TK with AP to take advantage of AP’s outside game. Brett did insert SC for a few but he was completely ineffective – really rusty.

    We’re getting great contributions from our Freshman class but our 2nd and 3rd year men really need to step up and shake off the rust ..

    • This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by  gohawks63.
    #12930

    LU65
    Participant

    Yes, it was entertaining but we didn’t win. ‘nough said.

    We missed a golden opportunity to take down perhaps the league’s best. And, it was in our house! We’ll never get that in-season chance again. In what promises to be a wild ride through the PL, you may wish to focus on Road Wins. To date, here you go: 1 each by LU, Boston U., Army, and American.

    Our big guy (don’t care if he’s a freshman) can’t go 2 for 8 in 23 minutes and contribute just one board.

    Mackey, while I lov’ ya man, could you please even out your game…. 26 minutes without a point and another hectic/almost heroic finish.

    Justin, get ready! Forget taking one shot every 17 minutes. We’re going to need your point production and energy running the court after the “you gotta be kiddin” disappointing (academic ineligible) news about CB.

    SC. Gone or as good as gone for the year. Looks lost and probably not deserving of the 2-3 minutes he’s getting each game to see if his patented 3-pt corner magic can come back.

    AD. Tell me there’s a shot at a medical redshirt or am I dreaming?

    SC, DC, CB…….there’s dropping like flies. Hang in there GP and CR, minutes may come your way sooner than you expect.

    We can not give up the ball on a missed foul shot. Like never or maybe like one a season. Think we exceeded that quota today.

    MS – probably your best game: 6 pts., 3A and 0 TOs in 13 minutes. You and CS will make a great backcourt tandem next year.

    AP – another 1 for 6 performance on the heels of a 1 for 6 up at Colgate. That’s after going 7 for 15 combined in the last two OOC games.

    Hats off to BU. They won the game playing team ball. Each team shot 28 for 61. Only difference (FT were not a factor), BU had and took the better shots. A/MFG numbers don’t lie. BU: 20 on 28 (71%) LU: 14 on 28 (50%).

    Next up: 2-0 Army on Wednesday @ Stabler. Big? You might say so if you cherish home-court wins.

    #12931
    StablerBum
    StablerBum
    Participant

    I don’t get CBS Sports so I wasn’t able to watch the game. Can anyone give some details about the foul by AP at the end that lost the game? Not having seen the play, it seems like an awful foul to let the preseason POY win the game at the line on a non-shooting foul.

    It’s crazy that for the rest of the year this team could essentially be down 3 scholarship guys in AD, CB, DC. Not to mention SC who has been injury prone his whole career. That’s a lot of scholarship bodies not contributing.

    #12934

    lehigh90
    Participant

    It was a horrible foul. Number one rule there is don’t foul with under 2 to play and BU having to go full court. If kid throws in a runner to beat you, live with it, but don’t give game away. Just bad defensive discipline, no movement of feet and just basically getting in the way. It wasn’t even really a bad reach, just stupidity. Stay in front of the ball and don’t foul. Should be simple.

    Few observations:

    CS is playing really well. Has a bit of an offensive game, and love his attitude and fire.

    Our guards are bad at defending dribble penetration, and a team with 2 quick guards like BU is a nightmare for us. We couldn’t stay in front of anybody all day.

    SC is killing us in limited minutes. How about developing a feel for the game, before you start jacking up jumpers 5 seconds into your run?

    JC, the enigma. Get yourself off of the 3 point line at the top of the key. Enough already with the infatuation with the 3 ball. Work on the wing, off the dribble and get some points in the painted area.

    AP, way too passive. Needs to put it on the deck and attack a little more. Settles for too many jumpers, and when cold, gives you little else.

    MS, very nice minutes yesterday.

    TK, needs to develop quicker decision making in the post. When not doubled, make a quick post move, either drop step, turnaround jumper or into lane with baby hook. When double comes, kick to shooters. Kid is a good passer. Use your size on the low block and pin your man. The BU big man gave a clinic all day on how it is done.

    The run where Papale went off for 3 threes in a minute was just bad defensive recognition by our guards.

    BU is team to beat, well rounded team with 2 stars.

    #12935
    StablerBum
    StablerBum
    Participant

    Damn ’90, that’s what I was afraid of regarding the foul. You just CANNOT do that. As you say, make the guy beat you with a last second buzzer beater but you cannot foul under any circumstances. Really unfortunate.

    #12936

    lehigh90
    Participant

    Regarding the foul, curious to see what others think. When watching live, I first thought it should have probably been a no call, as AP, it looked like, was trying to get out of the way. If no foul call, the ref would have been forced to call a travel on BU. Instead, he called the original contact as a foul on the floor, rather than a shooting foul. Either way, foul or travel, the ref was going to be in a bad spot with one of the teams. But, bottom line is Lehigh players cannot put themselves in that position. Have to be disciplined. But, I referee games, at a much lower level, and we go out of our way not to decide games, late. You generally allow more contact at the end of games and let the players decide it. That call is a questionable one, especially against the home team on their floor.

    #12937

    Naim
    Participant

    I’ve been reading this forum for some time, learning a lot of good stuff off of it, but I notice that luck of information sometimes leads into guessing or critical conclusions. That’s what actually strucked me to write this.
    Yes SC, how you call him, is rusty, but why. It didn’t come from nowhere. It came from not enough accurate diagnoses on his injury. He was injured during practice as sophomore, just before first scrimmage, but his injury was overlooked, and he was kind of “forced” to play through the whole season with that injury. Some of it came from “general emergency” when CJ couldn’t continue any more, “everyone to step up”.
    If you take a look to the games he played, and you pay attention to the details, you would easily find out that he was limping when he was running the court. Two bad things came out of it. He couldn’t play to his full potential last season, looking bad on the court, but even worse than that one, he had to drop the ball totally for almost 8 months to get over it. There is nothing worse than playing through an injury. Injury has to be cured first, otherwise it takes much longer.
    It is easy to figure out what he went into his junior season with. How do you get back, and how do you gain confidence again, not easy. Is he gone, I don’t think so. He is a hard worker and very strong person, and I am pretty sure that he is going to help to this team as the season progresses.
    He is finally healthy, that’s all what it matters.
    I felt, I owe this info to this forum.

    • This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by  Naim.
    #12939
    StablerBum
    StablerBum
    Participant

    Thanks Naim. You are 100% right about people jumping to conclusions due to a lack of info.

    As for SC, I think everyone can see that he hasn’t been “right” for awhile. Unfortunate that he was forced to play through pain last year, and glad to hear he is finally 100%. Hope that he can get his mojo back in time to help the team this season.

    #12940

    gohawks63
    Participant

    @naim. Your phrase “lack of information” is exactly the problem. For whatever reason, the local media is reluctant to ask any questions about Lehigh players and their status with the program. They simply do not do any reporting but only write what the Lehigh Communications department allows them to write (or writes for them). It’s like the White House and the children of the 1st family – strictly off limits.

    I have been a huge fan of SC right from the beginning. His shooting mechanics are textbook and he has good size for a guard. I never understood why BR had such a preference for AD. However, yesterday’s performance was not encouraging. I had no idea he was “away” from the game for eight months. But, this program is so far under wraps I’m surprised they put the players’ names in the program.

    I like BR for his game prep and the dignity with which he treats his players but he makes many questionable in-game decisions and I think he gets far too soft a treatment in this community and by the local media (such that it is).

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