Welcome to SHOO-SHOO, RAH-RAH! The Duquesne Dukes Basketball Fan Message Board!
One of America's Great Message Boards - Any Inappropriate Posts Will Be Deleted!
Match ups. They have a tougher time with the bonnies than maybe anyone else in the conference(rhode island?) Right on Brian, we keep finding new ways to lose to this team. We've lost close games (4 of 8 losses by 3 or less), we've lost in blowouts (21 points on the road last year), we've lost shootouts (2 games with both teams in the 80s), we've lost defensive struggles (51-49 last year at home), we've lost despite great shooting (14 3s tonight at a 41% clip), we've lost because we couldn't sink anything (28% from the field on the road last year), they shot the lights out against us to win (48% from 3 at home in 2018), they've beaten us when they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn (3 of 15 from 3 on the road in 2017), we've lost because we couldn't hold onto the ball (19 turnovers at home in 2017), we've lost when we played a disciplined game (9 turnovers on the road in 2018). We really need to beat them in Olean! Match ups. They have a tougher time with the bonnies than maybe anyone else in the conference(rhode island?) Last win vs. A-10 opponents Last edited by luckymcd (2/09/2020 8:46 am) Right on Brian, we keep finding new ways to lose to this team. We've lost close games (4 of 8 losses by 3 or less), we've lost in blowouts (21 points on the road last year), we've lost shootouts (2 games with both teams in the 80s), we've lost defensive struggles (51-49 last year at home), we've lost despite great shooting (14 3s tonight at a 41% clip), we've lost because we couldn't sink anything (28% from the field on the road last year), they shot the lights out against us to win (48% from 3 at home in 2018), they've beaten us when they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn (3 of 15 from 3 on the road in 2017), we've lost because we couldn't hold onto the ball (19 turnovers at home in 2017), we've lost when we played a disciplined game (9 turnovers on the road in 2018). We really need to beat them in Olean! This is karma, biting us on the arse. We brought this on ourselves. You know how? It was Duquesne's classless pilfering of Robert Morris' coach that set up Mark Schmidt to become coach there, which led to him becoming coach at Bona. As a result of this dumb move, first Bobby Mo became good enough to start kicking our tail on a regular basis, and now Bona is killing us. Had we gone elsewhere for a coach, none of this would have happened, not to mention that we hardly could have done worse than hiring Danny " I used to live to work, now I work to live" Nee. The moral of the story? Leave you neighbors wife (oops, I mean coach) alone!!! I think that is a commandment After being at the game, close up and personal, and reading everything I could about it from everywhere I could, here is my "lowly" opinion: Last edited by FAM (2/09/2020 9:42 am) KD is a great coach but sometimes he doesn’t leave a player in long enough when he’s showing a hot hand. Baylee Steele has 15 points in barely 20 minutes of play and wasn’t in foul trouble so he could play tighter defense inside where we were getting killed. Last edited by coffee (2/09/2020 10:41 am) After being at the game, close up and personal, and reading everything I could about it from everywhere I could, here is my "lowly" opinion: You write the basketball truth in this one. Schmidt outreaches/outcoaches our coaches, every year, no matter who they are He had a learning curve against us. He started 3-6. Obviously being at Robert Morris didn't help, but as we've seen since he left they can beat us. He definitely figured out Duquesne basketball though. He's 17-4 against us in the last 10 years. So, do we fold the rest of the way - @ Fordham, GW here, @ Dayton, at Bonaventure?? these next 4 games will tell us how we go into the tournament To me the next two are the big ones. They are games we definitely should win. If we heal up, bounce back, and play our brand of ball we win going away. If not either one of them can beat us (both nearly have already this season). We'll be able to tell where we're at as a team in those two games. The five after those are as tough a stretch as anyone will have in conference. If we don't get things figured out they could be ugly. Schmidt outreaches/outcoaches our coaches, every year, no matter who they are He had a learning curve against us. He started 3-6. Obviously being at Robert Morris didn't help, but as we've seen since he left they can beat us. He definitely figured out Duquesne basketball though. He's 17-4 against us in the last 10 years. So, do we fold the rest of the way - @ Fordham, GW here, @ Dayton, at Bonaventure?? these next 4 games will tell us how we go into the tournament To me the next two are the big ones. They are games we definitely should win. If we heal up, bounce back, and play our brand of ball we win going away. If not either one of them can beat us (both nearly have already this season). We'll be able to tell where we're at as a team in those two games. The five after those are as tough a stretch as anyone will have in conference. If we don't get things figured out they could be ugly. Agree totally. If we win the next two, I'll be confident against GMU, will think we have a chance against Richmond, and maybe can steal one of the tough road games. A loss to either Fordham, or GW would signal the collapse, and we might end up with the same record as last year, which would be a tremendous disappointment considering where we were after 10 games, and would make me downgrade what I feel our ceiling is going forward. For the second year in a row, the league is not going to get hit hard by graduation. Most of the good teams will remain good, and some of the also rans, like LaSalle, may move up into contender territory. Because of this, the fact that we have so much coming back may not help us the way it would if the league was going to suffer heavy losses. Yes, Marcus was dealing with some kind of problem with his leg or ankle. But the bigger issue was that the Bonnie's took him out of the game. He either couldn't get his typical inside shots off or couldn't finish the few times he did. He could make his moves against St. Louis. He couldn't and I don't think he will ever pull them off against the Bonnies' front line defenders.It was probably the major component of Schmidt's game plan. It's the matchup issue and why we had to rely on 3's to stay in the game. Keith has to figure out how to overcome that problem if there is any chance of beating them in no man's land - which is slim to begin with. IMHO the game was decided on the boards. You can’t get out rebounded 41-27 and worse 15-8 in offensive rebounds. Sure it’s great Steele contributed offensively but in 20 minutes he had 1 board. Two of their GUARDS, English and Welch 6’4” and 6’5” respectively, individually out rebounded anyone on our team. At UMass we were out rebounded 52-34!!!! 18-10 offensively. IMHO the game was decided on the boards. You can’t get out rebounded 41-27 and worse 15-8 in offensive rebounds. Sure it’s great Steele contributed offensively but in 20 minutes he had 1 board. Two of their GUARDS, English and Welch 6’4” and 6’5” respectively, individually out rebounded anyone on our team. At UMass we were out rebounded 52-34!!!! 18-10 offensively. The Dukes shot a lot of 3's at the end with no one in the paint to rebound. Can't rebound if your not there. Also, I would have rather seen the Dukes drive to the hoop those last 4 or 5 trips down the court instead of throwing up low percent 3's.that didn't work. KD needs to stress the EVERYONE has a responsibility to rebound. I know we may want to play fast and get out and run but at what cost. The Dukes shot a lot of 3's at the end with no one in the paint to rebound. Can't rebound if your not there. Also, I would have rather seen the Dukes drive to the hoop those last 4 or 5 trips down the court instead of throwing up low percent 3's.that didn't work. To make matters worse we aren't even getting out in transition. We have a little more the last few games, but for the most part we just simply aren't rebounding. The most frustrating was when we played great defense for 30 seconds, forced them to chuck up a shot to beat the shot clock, but then they got the rebound and put it back. That great defensive possession was all for naught just because we couldn't hit the glass. There are always measurable reasons why one team was victorious & the other was not. For this game, the rebounding results are as good as any other single factor. Shot selection/offensive attack style also stick out in my memory as sore spots. I'm glad for the time between games. It will give us time to work on a way to attack Fordhams D. You would think they are going to come out playing the same way they did in the first game since they pretty much shut us down. Phil - I enjoyed your analysis - effective points - I think the overall key is we are better than we were the teams we played that could have easily beaten us....Fordham...LaSalle...etc. have many of the same in-game issues. For me, looking at what everyone has pointed out, it seems the biggest weakness and negative is our rebounding. It sucks. Phil - I enjoyed your analysis - effective points - I think the overall key is we are better than we were the teams we played that could have easily beaten us....Fordham...LaSalle...etc. have many of the same in-game issues. For me, looking at what everyone has pointed out, it seems the biggest weakness and negative is our rebounding. It sucks. I'd say our biggest weakness is consistency. With all the great things Dambrot has done in his short time here, consistency has never showed up. It's why we were able to win so many games after being down double digits last year. It's why we let Dayton go on a huge run to jump in front and then were able to get almost all of it back. It's why we can beat good teams and then lose to bad teams in the same week. We don't seem to stick with what works offensively, and the intensity comes and goes defensively. When we're at our best we can beat anyone in our conference, even a legit top 10 Dayton team. When we're off our game, we can lose to anyone in conference, like last place and second to last place Fordham and UMass in 2018. There are always measurable reasons why one team was victorious & the other was not. For this game, the rebounding results are as good as any other single factor. Shot selection/offensive attack style also stick out in my memory as sore spots. Phil, Although you make some valid points, If you had told me we'd make 14 3s and score 80 points, I'd have felt pretty good this game would be a win. Heck, it would have been enough to win every other conference game this year. If the Bonnies shut down our inside game, we made them pay for it with outside shooting. While "pound it inside" has been a familiar refrain on this board, watch any basketball game and the announcers will talk about the importance of teams not forcing things and letting the game come to them instead. There are always measurable reasons why one team was victorious & the other was not. For this game, the rebounding results are as good as any other single factor. Shot selection/offensive attack style also stick out in my memory as sore spots. Phil, Although you make some valid points, You are obviously correct. The game was tied very late. I was really trying to express that for the vast majority of the game it was not a nip & tuck battle. Rather, the Bonnies took control in the first half and never truly had that control taken from them for long enough for me to doubt the ultimate outcome. Even tied at 77 with the ball, I never felt like a comeback win was imminent & the Bonnies held themselves as if they felt the same way. If you had told me we'd make 14 3s and score 80 points, I'd have felt pretty good this game would be a win. Heck, it would have been enough to win every other conference game this year. If the Bonnies shut down our inside game, we made them pay for it with outside shooting. While "pound it inside" has been a familiar refrain on this board, watch any basketball game and the announcers will talk about the importance of teams not forcing things and letting the game come to them instead. Finally, a sensible post. Good job, DennisC91... Judging from a lot of comments here, you'd think people just started paying attention to this program and don't understand the futility that has been Duquesne basketball for what seems like forever. It's hard to believe that some can't actually enjoy what's going on. Past Duquesne teams would have played this St. Bona team and suffered an embarrassing loss. As it is, this team is ultra-competitive most nights out and continues to build a foundation for a solid program down the road. What's with all the negativism? Yeah, I know. Everybody is entitled to their opinion. But that isn't what I'm asking. What exactly are you guys/gals expecting beyond what is happening? I can't imagine anyone on this board expected this kind of success. To read the thoughts here, you'd think we're discussing Duke. Or Gonzaga. Think about this, and forget about St. Bonaventure for a minute: Duquesne just went into St. Louis and dominated a team (twice now in fact) that almost went into Dayton and won a game. Oh, wait, Duquesne almost beat Dayton, too. You know, Dayton, ranked in the top 10? So what exactly are we to expect more from this Duquesne team this year? I expect more wins. But I don't expect to hammer them when they can't get it done, barely, like Saturday when they scored 80 points and almost won a game they'd have lost by 30 in most years past Apologize for the rant. Realize I'm open game for criticism for this post, so I understand any backlash. Have at it. I gave my opinion, too, though. I choose not to pick at things with this team unless they truly deserve it. And they've done some boneheaded things this year. But who hasn't? I feel the best is yet to come under coach Dambrot. Can anyone say Top 25? It's coming. Crosseye, I don’t think anyone is hammering this team and I believe KD is ahead of his own schedule for success although he wouldn’t admit to it, but when the opportunities present you have to take it. With the transfer portable, injuries and ton of other potential problems teams can change dramatically from year to year. I don't have the stats, but I expect the Dukes would have won on Saturday if Bona would have shot their normal %age. There are games like this for everyone when your opponent has an exceptional shooting game - you lose. Let's hope they don't do the same in Olean. I completely understand the frustration in losing a game like this and I understand that our modest success has got folks a bit more emotionally invested in this team than they otherwise would be. But there are things that seem to be coming into focus at this point of the season:
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
1111 Vickroy wrote:
St. Louis 2/5/20
LaSalle 2/2/20
Fordham 1/15/20
GW 1/11/20
St. Joseph's 1/8/20
Davidson 1/5/20
UMass 3/2/19
G. Mason 2/23/19
Rhode Island 1/30/19
Richmond 1/16/19
Dayton 12/30/17
Bonaventure 1/16/16
VCU Never even within 6 points, although the 0-7 against them is still less than the 8 game losing streak to the Bonnies.
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
luckymcd wrote:
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
-First - if we covered up the name of the team we played, the Dukes lost by only 3 points to a very good team
-Second - now uncover the name, and Schmidt outreaches/outcoaches our coaches, every year, no matter who they are - (Ex. lob pass play, Dambrot referred to in the Trib
-article)
-Marcus was tired, sore, and hurt (bump on ankle) which impacted his jumping, shooting, and defense (no brainer). When he isn't on his game (pun intended) we lose
-We are competitive and were competitive which is so much more than years ago
-Rest up for Fordham - they can beat us and since we barely beat them...this will be a difficult game
-So, do we fold the rest of the way - @ Fordham, GW here, @ Dayton, at Bonaventure??
these next 4 games will tell us how we go into the tournament
-Their crowd - how they travel - is amazing...but what the hell else is there to do in that forsaken place in New York
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
It would have helped having Marcus sit longer to see what was happening inside and get his head together- particularly if he was hurting.
He had more points than Michael and Marcus combined in much less playing time. Give Baylee 5 more minutes playing time and Dukes win this one.
COFFEE
Attitude is everything
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
FAM wrote:
-First - if we covered up the name of the team we played, the Dukes lost by only 3 points to a very good team
-Second - now uncover the name, and Schmidt outreaches/outcoaches our coaches, every year, no matter who they are - (Ex. lob pass play, Dambrot referred to in the Trib
-article)
-Marcus was tired, sore, and hurt (bump on ankle) which impacted his jumping, shooting, and defense (no brainer). When he isn't on his game (pun intended) we lose
-We are competitive and were competitive which is so much more than years ago
-Rest up for Fordham - they can beat us and since we barely beat them...this will be a difficult game
-So, do we fold the rest of the way - @ Fordham, GW here, @ Dayton, at Bonaventure??
these next 4 games will tell us how we go into the tournament
-Their crowd - how they travel - is amazing...but what the hell else is there to do in that forsaken place in New York
Now, please take it easy on the much beloved city of Olean; the place of my birth & formative years. After all, if not for Bonnies basketball, I would never have heard of DU & had the pleasure of moving on to greener educational pastures.😁
Seriously, it was a tremendous luxury having a respectable D-1 program with a great fan base in a town that size.
You can't imagine the digital shitstorm I took yesterday & every time the Bonnies get the best of the Dukes. I am universally considered a traitor to my basketball heritage. There may be no living person that more desires the Dukes to win win the next 50 consecutive games against this particular foe.
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
FAM wrote:FAM wrote:
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
luckymcd wrote:FAM wrote:FAM wrote:
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
At least this is what I think. Not sure I know what I'm talking about. Of course, it didn't help that the Bonnie's had their best shooting game of the season yesterday. I think that's what Keith said in the post-game.
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
KD needs to stress the EVERYONE has a responsibility to rebound. I know we may want to play fast and get out and run but at what cost.
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
The Dome wrote:
KD needs to stress the EVERYONE has a responsibility to rebound. I know we may want to play fast and get out and run but at what cost.
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
NapaDuke wrote:The Dome wrote:
As for the shot selection, I couldn't agree more. We need to be an inside outside team to be at our best. I'm not saying abandon the deep ball entirely, but we become way too reliant on it at times. Weathers and Hughes need to be getting touches pretty much every time down the floor. Sin and TDM need to be driving and pulling the D in. We score most efficiently when we're doing that, and it opens up the floor to shoot open 3s instead of contested 3s with 20 seconds left on the shot clock.
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
However, I have come to the conclusion that the Duke's struggles in could-win, should-win, & must-win games are most attributable to mental/psychological challenges. I didn't buy the fatigue explanation for the UAB & Marhsall losses, I don't think there is any plausible X and O explanation for the UMASS loss, & I feel like the second half of the URI game as well yesterday's entire contest are cases of not being up to the big moment.
Marcus certainly had one of his few sub-par performances of the last 30 or so games. He may be banged up a bit. That should not prevent the team from pulling out a home win when two of the other top guns have very good games, the opposition has major foul trouble, the defensive centerpiece is doing his thing, & the team at-large is scoring well.
This wasn't a game that came down to the wire. No cruel twist of fate came out in SBU's favor to give them the W in what was essentially a "who had the ball" last scenario. The Dukes were playing uphill for the last 30 minutes. The extremely young Bonnies looked smarter, better prepared for the opposition, more experienced, & just plain cooler almost the entire way.
I have really been enjoying the season & its successes. I am particularly fond of the team's comradery & togetherness. I remain confident that the program is moving upward in meaningful, permanent ways. I feel bad that I have bitched about such things after all but one loss.
I certainly didn't expect 28 or 29 regular-season wins. I am just frustrated that, with the exception of the Dayton game, I don't think any of the losses have unquestionably come about as a result of the other team both being better & playing better than the Dukes. I fear the mental aspects of greater success will come more slowly than the personnel & institutional improvements have.
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
Go Dukes
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
FAM wrote:
Go Dukes
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
phil95 wrote:
However, I have come to the conclusion that the Duke's struggles in could-win, should-win, & must-win games are most attributable to mental/psychological challenges. I didn't buy the fatigue explanation for the UAB & Marhsall losses, I don't think there is any plausible X and O explanation for the UMASS loss, & I feel like the second half of the URI game as well yesterday's entire contest are cases of not being up to the big moment.
Marcus certainly had one of his few sub-par performances of the last 30 or so games. He may be banged up a bit. That should not prevent the team from pulling out a home win when two of the other top guns have very good games, the opposition has major foul trouble, the defensive centerpiece is doing his thing, & the team at-large is scoring well.
This wasn't a game that came down to the wire. No cruel twist of fate came out in SBU's favor to give them the W in what was essentially a "who had the ball" last scenario. The Dukes were playing uphill for the last 30 minutes. The extremely young Bonnies looked smarter, better prepared for the opposition, more experienced, & just plain cooler almost the entire way.
I have really been enjoying the season & its successes. I am particularly fond of the team's comradery & togetherness. I remain confident that the program is moving upward in meaningful, permanent ways. I feel bad that I have bitched about such things after all but one loss.
I certainly didn't expect 28 or 29 regular-season wins. I am just frustrated that, with the exception of the Dayton game, I don't think any of the losses have unquestionably come about as a result of the other team both being better & playing better than the Dukes. I fear the mental aspects of greater success will come more slowly than the personnel & institutional improvements have.
I disagree with your assertion that the Game “didn’t “come down to the wire” because the Dukes fought from behind for 30-minutes. The fact is that no matter how it got to the final minutes; it was Still tied at 77 with around a minute left. They made a 3, and the Dukes had one go around and out, so the outcome was in doubt down to the last minute of play.
Also I think we sometimes overlook the failures of the opponent. SBU made critical turnovers late in the game to allow the Dukes to tie it. They also had their share of defensive lapses since they did give up 80 points.
I agree that rebounding was a major factor in the loss; along with the fact that SBU shot the ball much better than they have done all season.
To me there was another glaring failure in the first half, as the Dukes did not recognize the skills of the players they guarded. They repeatedly bit on “up fakes” from guys who can’t shoot, but just want to drive to the hoop! They also let Vasquez drive to his right for layups twice before adjusting. Recognition on defense was lacking in this game; and it resulted in easy layups for the opponent. No reason to close out hard on a guy that isn’t a shooter; but loves to drive to the basket; and PLEASE force guys to their weak hand! I’m sure they knew the weaknesses of each opponent before the game; but I assume they didn’t execute the scout report!
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
Defense and rebounding were clearly our downfall in this one. We average 7 steals a game, we had just 2 in this one. Getting those turnovers and turning them into easy transition buckets the other way is a big part of our success, helped to stem the tide again and again in the St. Louis game. It was missing Saturday. The rebounding has been an issue all year, even in some wins. Cost us a crucial game Saturday.
And I'll give some credit to the Bonnies, they're way better than their overall record and very capable of running the table in Brooklyn.
The path to 11 conference wins and at least one win in Brooklyn is still there and would represent an improvement over last year in a stronger A10. Might just be enough to get us an NIT bid. Though I wonder if next year's ceiling can go much higher.
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
levon1975 wrote:phil95 wrote:
However, I have come to the conclusion that the Duke's struggles in could-win, should-win, & must-win games are most attributable to mental/psychological challenges. I didn't buy the fatigue explanation for the UAB & Marhsall losses, I don't think there is any plausible X and O explanation for the UMASS loss, & I feel like the second half of the URI game as well yesterday's entire contest are cases of not being up to the big moment.
Marcus certainly had one of his few sub-par performances of the last 30 or so games. He may be banged up a bit. That should not prevent the team from pulling out a home win when two of the other top guns have very good games, the opposition has major foul trouble, the defensive centerpiece is doing his thing, & the team at-large is scoring well.
This wasn't a game that came down to the wire. No cruel twist of fate came out in SBU's favor to give them the W in what was essentially a "who had the ball" last scenario. The Dukes were playing uphill for the last 30 minutes. The extremely young Bonnies looked smarter, better prepared for the opposition, more experienced, & just plain cooler almost the entire way.
I have really been enjoying the season & its successes. I am particularly fond of the team's comradery & togetherness. I remain confident that the program is moving upward in meaningful, permanent ways. I feel bad that I have bitched about such things after all but one loss.
I certainly didn't expect 28 or 29 regular-season wins. I am just frustrated that, with the exception of the Dayton game, I don't think any of the losses have unquestionably come about as a result of the other team both being better & playing better than the Dukes. I fear the mental aspects of greater success will come more slowly than the personnel & institutional improvements have.
I disagree with your assertion that the Game “didn’t “come down to the wire” because the Dukes fought from behind for 30-minutes. The fact is that no matter how it got to the final minutes; it was Still tied at 77 with around a minute left. They made a 3, and the Dukes had one go around and out, so the outcome was in doubt down to the last minute of play.
Also I think we sometimes overlook the failures of the opponent. SBU made critical turnovers late in the game to allow the Dukes to tie it. They also had their share of defensive lapses since they did give up 80 points.
I agree that rebounding was a major factor in the loss; along with the fact that SBU shot the ball much better than they have done all season.
To me there was another glaring failure in the first half, as the Dukes did not recognize the skills of the players they guarded. They repeatedly bit on “up fakes” from guys who can’t shoot, but just want to drive to the hoop! They also let Vasquez drive to his right for layups twice before adjusting. Recognition on defense was lacking in this game; and it resulted in easy layups for the opponent. No reason to close out hard on a guy that isn’t a shooter; but loves to drive to the basket; and PLEASE force guys to their weak hand! I’m sure they knew the weaknesses of each opponent before the game; but I assume they didn’t execute the scout report!
Your 2 examples of first half defensive lapses are exactly the type of mental errors that I was referring to. I have no doubt the attempt is being made to teach/scout these things. My question remains, are the players not held accountable for their inability to execute the teaching so they do what they like or are the players simply incapable of applying the available knowledge.
I don't have a definitive opinion & am interested to read other's thoughts on the subject.
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
DennisC91 wrote:
Defense and rebounding were clearly our downfall in this one. We average 7 steals a game, we had just 2 in this one. Getting those turnovers and turning them into easy transition buckets the other way is a big part of our success, helped to stem the tide again and again in the St. Louis game. It was missing Saturday. The rebounding
has been an issue all year, even in some wins. Cost us a crucial game Saturday.
And I'll give some credit to the Bonnies, they're way better than their overall record and very capable of running the table in Brooklyn.
The path to 11 conference wins and at least one win in Brooklyn is still there and would represent an improvement over last year in a stronger A10. Might just be enough to get us an NIT bid. Though I wonder if next year's ceiling can go much higher.
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
Offline
Re: Game Thread - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (H)
- We are a good team with flaws that the better teams in the A10 can and will exploit.
- We have a solid MAC roster which makes us middle of the pack in the A10.
- While we can and should improve, the rest of the conference won't stand pat.
Saturday's loss didn't scuttle our season no more than last week's impressive win at St. Louis made us an NCAA tourney team. I'll be going to the Fordham game Sunday to cheer on the Dukes to what I hope--and think--will be a solid road win. Another step to getting better, but still a long way to go.
