The Curse?

This topic contains 13 replies, has 1 voice, and was last updated by  norcalfan 14 years, 11 months ago.

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  • #1803

    lfnadmin
    Keymaster

    http://lehighfootballnation.blogspot.co … lease.html

    In an unconscious nod to carney, I present you the Army Curse. The question is: will a spirited local turnout, from students, alums and fans alike, be enough to reverse it?

    #1805

    LU65
    Participant

    I look for Marquis Hall to play a key role in snapping the curse. Just can’t see our leader letting us down. To say he has something to prove is a big understatement.


    Hall’s Numbers

    Previous 3 Playoff Games Against Army
    1 for 13
    4 for 17
    3 for 11
    ________
    8 for 41 or .195

    In Army Games This Year
    4 for 9
    4 for 11
    __________
    8 for 20 or .400

    In Last 4 Games
    4-8
    5-13
    4-8
    8-14
    _________
    21 for 43 or .488

    LU couldn’t throw it into the River – Hudson of Lehigh – in their last three playoff losses to the Black Knights – losses by 1, 3, and 3 (see below). No team – especially one exhibiting the fire power we presently possess – can shoot that badly again………..can they?

    LU’s FG% – 3FG% in last 3 playoff losses
    29.1% – 8.3%
    42.6% – 13.3%
    28.6% – 5.9%

    #1806

    lfnadmin
    Keymaster

    My brain agrees with you, but the superstitious part of me is still awful nervous. Honestly, I think a strong student turnout could really provide a large emotional lift. I don’t know the turnout of the other first round games, but I can bet that all three (and yes, I know two were at the STAR) had real bad turnout from the students. A caveat, though: I think on at least one occasion (2007), and possibly two occasions, Lehigh was on spring break at the time.

    A national blogger from Yahoo! has also picked up on this, too:

    http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball … aab,225390

    Even though Lehigh is the top seed and Army finished last in the league, this first round matchup could be more perilous than you’d think at first glance. Army has ousted Lehigh in the quarterfinals the past three years, though none of those Mountain Hawks teams were as strong as this one.

    I think you’re right, it will be up to Hall the senior, and also Carrington, to deliver. If I’m Army I have a hand in McCollum’s face all game and make Hall beat you – it will be up to him to make it happen.

    #1808
    hawkineer
    hawkineer
    Participant

    Through one half, I would say that the curse is alive and well. Horrible first half. Not sure why Reed is allowing them to play so passively. They need to force the pace or this things going to end up in the forties.

    #1809
    hawkineer
    hawkineer
    Participant

    Much better 2nd half – need to play complete games from here on out to win the tournament. Thanks God for CJ, once again he was a beast in the 2nd half.

    #1810

    LU65
    Participant

    Intense ball-hawking/pressure D (3 shot clock violations) from a 4 G set turned the table in the 2nd half. Great half-time adjustment by Dr. Reed. Team never gave up despite early troubles. Key shot was Hall’s 3 and two more from downtown by Ojo in 2nd half. This team can’t be stopped on offense. Four hit double figures (so what else is new) after just 18 first half points. If threes aren’t falling for CJ, he’ll kill ya with the rest of his game – dribble drives, floaters, step-back 2’s from anywhere and free throws. He’s the complete package and justly honored in pregame ceremonies. Can’t wait for next episode on Sunday night.

    #1811
    ngineer
    ngineer
    Participant

    I was there tonight, and was stunned by the lack of attendance. Are the students on break or something??? :shock: I figure about 3-400 students at best. Pathetic statement on the student body if they’re still in session.

    Team also looked like they were on break the first half. They let Army dictate the tempo. While Reed obviously made adjustments at the half, couldn’t they have made some on the fly after the first 10 minutes?
    CJM is the real deal. The silkiest player to ever where the Brown & White.
    Kudos to Army. For a team that knew it could not match up with Lehigh, they really came in with a great game plan. Just fell apart under Lehigh’s pressure at the end…and their pep band is the best in the league. I love hearing them play "Grand Old Army Team"… :)

    #1812

    norcalfan
    Participant

    Nice win for Lehigh. It was a sad first half and the last 10 minutes or so were spectacular. Look out for Lumpkins from American. John Adams played against him in high school. It would be nice to see those two at it again.

    #1813

    lfnadmin
    Keymaster

    I thought the game started to change once Small – talk about a gamer whose performance didn’t show up on the stat sheet – started pressing off the inbounds in the second half. It was then that Army started losing the tempo and set up a couple good transition baskets. Also worthy of note was a 4-point swing at the end of the first half by Carrington to try to breathe life in the offense – which finally succeeded.

    Great win. It shows how much patient you have to be sometimes to see the shots go your way. Rather than get down and say "here we go again", they had faith in the gameplan and suddenly it all came together.

    I wasn’t there, but online the student section sounded like a genuine enough "sixth man" and looked decent.

    #1814
    RichH
    RichH
    Participant

    Disappointing crowd for game. Kids on break for next game. I hope someone shows up. Thank God navy lost.

    #1816
    ngineer
    ngineer
    Participant

    Can you imagine how the place would sound if the students really took an interest and showed up? Would make your head spin.

    #1817

    Mtnhwkfan
    Participant

    Congratulations to the players, coaches, and Dr. Reed for a great win….or at least avoiding a devastating loss. It took courage by Reed to throw out the game plan at halftime and place the game in the hands of four guards and one big on the floor.

    As most of you know, "4 o’clocks" (mid-term exams) are underway this week and that certainly kept the crowd down. This is a rough week for the students and there is no time for extra-curriculars. Unfortunately, there will be almost no students on campus (let alone at Stabler) next week for the Sunday and (hopefully) Friday games.

    My question is, where is the community? There can’t be a lot of competing recreational options in Bethleham during the winter. Has the community ever supported Lehigh basketball? If the team were to become a perennial league leader, should we expect community support to follow?

    #1821
    hawkineer
    hawkineer
    Participant

    "Mtnhwkfan" wrote: My question is, where is the community? There can’t be a lot of competing recreational options in Bethleham during the winter. Has the community ever supported Lehigh basketball? If the team were to become a perennial league leader, should we expect community support to follow?

    During the Queenan and Polaha days and early 1990s, there was good local support. I think in some ways, the old East Coast Conference was a more interesting league. League had Lehigh, Lafayette, Bucknell, Drexel, Delaware, Hofstra, Towson. Rider. There were alot of good rivalries. They also played doubleheaders with the women which helped attendance. It was a full evening of basketball for the price of one ticket.

    #1826

    norcalfan
    Participant

    Can’t the AD’s pull some promo money from Gast to help bring the community to Lehigh? It would be a shame to lose a game because of poor attendance.
    Crowds make a difference. We attended a game tonight in which the team lost 3 times, including league. One of their parents got the crowd so pumped up, the players were feeling it and there was the upset.
    On the other hand, if a team is focused and plays well, crowds are not necessary.

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