Depaul game thread

Saturday’s game against the Hoyas is probably the most crucial game of the season. SJU has the chance to extend its streak to 6 games, and make clearer the path to a tourney bid.

If they can pull off that win, the Redmen will (i) have avenged the only loss where they basically failed to show up and were not competitive; (ii) have 7 BE conference wins and solidify their place in the top 4 or 5 teams in the conference; have 15 overall wins making the threshold of 18 or 19 much more achievable.

I don’t expect that the guys will fail to show up this time. This team is different, more mature and just better than it was when the 2 teams last met. To win Saturday, though, they need to rebound the ball and hit their foul shots. These are the team’s 2 Achilles heals all year, and they need to hit the boards.

The recent success has a lot of causes but mostly, I think:

- Pointer has shown up and is now the player he was believed to be as a top 50 recruit
- Sampson has shown that he is the real deal, and a guy who is a reliable second scorer. Next year he should challenge Harrison for BE POY.
- Depth and flexibility in the rotation
- Branch has added real talent, smarts and another scoring option

Obepka, a very talented kid (a poor man’s Okafor in the making) needs to stay at home on the box and rebound and defend.

If the guys can grasp this win Saturday, then I think the path is clearer and an NCAA bid probable. It won’t be easy but it is definitely do-able.
 
This game is showing me that we are finally starting to learn how to finish games, I know it was against depaul and I know that blew a 9 point lead in the last 9 minutes, but they didnt let up and for a young team not to get discouraged and let the pressure get to them i think is a great improvement and shows some maturity.

now everyone to the line and shoot 100 free throws before you go to bed.
 
BTW, did anyone else find the officiating particularly bad this evening or am I just too much of a "homer"?
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They did seem out to get us tonight. Harrison was called for ticky tack's all night, Obekpa was called for a few for no reason, DePaul lost the ball out of bounds several times and it stayed with them, a missed charging call, etc. Harrison made a rebound on one play, and a DePaul player came flying over his back and tackled him and DePaul came up with it after no call, and a 3 pointer resulted. You weren't imagining anything.
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Just a question Who picks the refs ? Does Lavin or the school have any input ?
 
Just got back from the game a half hour ago...my voice is almost gone from our terrible FT%. D'Lo missed the easiest layup I've ever seen a player miss in my life and that plus the terrible FT% almost cost us the game. Definitely a game that wasn't supposed to go to OT, but these things happen and all we need is the W. I was pissed to discover that the students sections were only for "general admission" behind each hoop. Wtf? I've never had a problem sitting there and I was turned away to mid level seats. The advertising was also false as it said "First 500 fans get this rally towel!". I was there 45 minutes before the game and they didn't give anything out...the towels were only for the people who sat behind each basket. Very bad way to treat the students...trust me people took note of that.

Anyway, great crowd IMO, the place was about as loud as it can be, and this proves the fans will come if we prove we can win consistently. The refs seemed to throw D'Lo to the wolves tonight even before he fouled out...felt bad for him. Really just a few things: 1) Can someone please teach these kids how to shoot FT's? It's really embarrassing and has us about to have heart attacks. 2) Look for that extra pass...when Marco came in he was wide open, Jakarr missed him and missed the shot...then next possession he found him open again and he made the pass where Marco drained the 3. We also seemed to settle for shots too far away when I noticed a few open lanes to drive in and at least draw a foul. We are so overdue for a red hot 3 point game...let's hope it comes against one of the big boys i.e. G'Town, L'Ville, Cuse. 6-3 yes after the softer part, but hey...we have shown we are not playing around.
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yeah the shot selection was awful I thought. That was Greene that didnt give the ball to a wide open Marco. He looked at him, Marco was begging for the ball but instead he took a dribble and a bad shot. I'm happy as hell we won(wish we could cover the spread once a month) but there's a lot to work on.
 
Just got back from the game a half hour ago...my voice is almost gone from our terrible FT%. D'Lo missed the easiest layup I've ever seen a player miss in my life and that plus the terrible FT% almost cost us the game. Definitely a game that wasn't supposed to go to OT, but these things happen and all we need is the W. I was pissed to discover that the students sections were only for "general admission" behind each hoop. Wtf? I've never had a problem sitting there and I was turned away to mid level seats. The advertising was also false as it said "First 500 fans get this rally towel!". I was there 45 minutes before the game and they didn't give anything out...the towels were only for the people who sat behind each basket. Very bad way to treat the students...trust me people took note of that.

Anyway, great crowd IMO, the place was about as loud as it can be, and this proves the fans will come if we prove we can win consistently. The refs seemed to throw D'Lo to the wolves tonight even before he fouled out...felt bad for him. Really just a few things: 1) Can someone please teach these kids how to shoot FT's? It's really embarrassing and has us about to have heart attacks. 2) Look for that extra pass...when Marco came in he was wide open, Jakarr missed him and missed the shot...then next possession he found him open again and he made the pass where Marco drained the 3. We also seemed to settle for shots too far away when I noticed a few open lanes to drive in and at least draw a foul. We are so overdue for a red hot 3 point game...let's hope it comes against one of the big boys i.e. G'Town, L'Ville, Cuse. 6-3 yes after the softer part, but hey...we have shown we are not playing around.
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yeah the shot selection was awful I thought. That was Greene that didnt give the ball to a wide open Marco. He looked at him, Marco was begging for the ball but instead he took a dribble and a bad shot. I'm happy as hell we won(wish we could cover the spread once a month) but there's a lot to work on.
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shot selection is virtually always awful. that's how we eked out wins at home against the likes of holy cross. it's a team of hard working bricklayers.

i don't understand the freezing out of bourgault. greene will never be known as a heady player. he should have been benched after that inept play. lavin will always be known as a heady coach, so it's hard to second guess him. in the only games where marco played double digit minutes (ashville/st francis), he was four for nine from three. overall, he's nine for 25...in seriously limited minutes.

i understand when the team is running, marco may not be able to keep up. that's where we invariably pick up big leads. at some point in the second half, we're giving up these leads when we significantly slow it down. bourgault would surely be an asset at this point. he was also an 80 percent free throw shooter at monroe. we can't use someone like him in the stretch?
 
I'm re-watching the game and they never gave us those 2 points for the DePaul goaltend. Wtf? They added it right before half, but after half they took it away. Anyone else notice this?
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The score to end the first half after the goaltend was 38-31. After the half it was still 38-31.
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Right, they added it late, but then I'm almost positive they took it off again which really confused me.
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They gave it back to us. The score was correct.
 
My favorite play of the game was the Texas trio scoring on beautiful passing...Branch to D'Lo to Jones. We need more quick touches and passes like that sequence.
Harrison got his points in the first half but was horrendous in the second half. On one sequence he took a quick off-balance three, missed and went on to foul a DePaul player who hit both FTs.....a 5 point turn around. He later blew a layup and stared at his hands while DePaul took off on the rebound. He plays with great emotion but it bites him on the arse too often.
Our defense sucked as DePaul got what they wanted most possessions.
Branch, while sloppy with the ball a couple of times, continues to show he is a scoring option.
Phil played solid tonight.....happy for him.
Chris with one point....1 of 4 FT attempts......when will Lav get him in the freaking offense???
Game was too close for the elderly alums at the game. I counted 7 defribillators firing in overtime.
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Agree with most of your post. However, Lav can't get Chris in the offense since Chris is offensively challenged. His job right now is to block shots, get rebounds, and put backs. That is all he is capable of at present.
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Obekpa will hit a jumper every blue moon (he's also a good passer), but you've summed up his game at the moment, panther. Obekpa isn't a player (at least, not at this point of his career) where plays need or should be ran for him.
 
wow what a game!!! not pretty but it showed tremendous growth!! when harrison went down i could of
swore we would fold, great job the whole squad!! i cant wait to see us vs georgetown this sat, i have a
feeling lav will make the necessary adjustments and we will make a game of it!!!
good job again!!
 
BTW, did anyone else find the officiating particularly bad this evening or am I just too much of a "homer"?
Click to expand...

They did seem out to get us tonight. Harrison was called for ticky tack's all night, Obekpa was called for a few for no reason, DePaul lost the ball out of bounds several times and it stayed with them, a missed charging call, etc. Harrison made a rebound on one play, and a DePaul player came flying over his back and tackled him and DePaul came up with it after no call, and a 3 pointer resulted. You weren't imagining anything.
Click to expand...
Just a question Who picks the refs ? Does Lavin or the school have any input ?
Click to expand...

I would assume the Big East assigns the referee squads.
 
Thought the guys showed tremendous resiliency tonight. My heart - as I'm sure everyone else's sank too- when D'Lo fouled out with 3+ minutes left. They played the most important minutes in the game without their "go-to" guy. As has been exhibited in the past few close games, the team lacks initiative at the end of close games and just relies on D'Lo. The fact we were able to pull this one out with 8+ minutes without D'Lo is a huge statement and should give the team even more confidence.

Sidenote- Chis going to the foul line is comical now...It is truly a surprise when he makes one
 
BTW, did anyone else find the officiating particularly bad this evening or am I just too much of a "homer"?
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Harrison was molested on a couple of plays and the refs sucked big time. Hopefully when the new league is formed only young competent refs are hired.
 
I don't know if anyone has noticed this, but when CO stands at the line he is at least half a foot from it. I don't know if he does it all the time, but I think it would be better if he was up on the line and used the same foot placement everytime he shoots.
 
Handled adversity well, No rebounding before OT, Harrison fouling out, Refs being atrocious. Very gutty win. Is there a bigger brick layer Ive seen at the foul line than CO , lol. Even Welsh was saying they should be ready for long rebounds.
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It's absolutely true - someone on the St. John's staff has to tell him to put a little more arc on his foul shot so it drops softer on the rim. It's painful to watch him clank it off the back of the rim 6 out 8 times he takes a free throw...
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CO has a good release but he falls away from the line. Your body needs to lean towards target.

Karr needs to shoot he free throws in one motion, not get ball to set position and bend 3 or 4 times before release. Too much time to think.
 
sir dom is so efficient on offense 4/5 with 2/2 fts 1/1 3 pt and 12 boards! also, sampson never passes inside the 3 point line. good win and hope we can get revenge on saturday!
 
sir dom is so efficient on offense 4/5 with 2/2 fts 1/1 3 pt and 12 boards! also, sampson never passes inside the 3 point line. good win and hope we can get revenge on saturday!
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Excellent observation.
He also plays way too much hero ball.

He is so effective in the paint because he can out leap anybody and he has incredibly long arms. I would love to see him playing in the post more often.

He is well on his way to winning BE ROY. But his shooting %s especially in the 2nd half of games have been atrocious.

He'll grow with time. But I'd be lying if I said he doesn't make me cringe at times because of his decision making.
 
I don't know if anyone has noticed this, but when CO stands at the line he is at least half a foot from it. I don't know if he does it all the time, but I think it would be better if he was up on the line and used the same foot placement everytime he shoots.
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My niece has better form at the free throw line. It is the responsibility of one of the dedicated staff to correct his atrocious form at the line.
 
My favorite play of the game was the Texas trio scoring on beautiful passing...Branch to D'Lo to Jones. We need more quick touches and passes like that sequence.
Harrison got his points in the first half but was horrendous in the second half. On one sequence he took a quick off-balance three, missed and went on to foul a DePaul player who hit both FTs.....a 5 point turn around. He later blew a layup and stared at his hands while DePaul took off on the rebound. He plays with great emotion but it bites him on the arse too often.
Our defense sucked as DePaul got what they wanted most possessions.
Branch, while sloppy with the ball a couple of times, continues to show he is a scoring option.
Phil played solid tonight.....happy for him.
Chris with one point....1 of 4 FT attempts......when will Lav get him in the freaking offense???
Game was too close for the elderly alums at the game. I counted 7 defribillators firing in overtime.
Click to expand...

Agree with most of your post. However, Lav can't get Chris in the offense since Chris is offensively challenged. His job right now is to block shots, get rebounds, and put backs. That is all he is capable of at present.
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I saw him at IS8 where he was able to score under the basket without it having to be a put back. He is offensively challenged at the free throw line but this guy can hit 15 footers (not the play I envision) and to keep the defense honest, a team needs to feed their center the ball a few times.
Most opposing coaches now have this figured out and are able to double team a Sampson and Harrison with relative ease. In effect, on offense we are playing 4 players against their 5. Hence Harrison chucks up 25 footers with no one under the basket.
Our guards are still holding and dribbling the ball too long when they should be passing to almost any open player....DePaul did this throughout the game. It is useless to put in your 3 point shooter (Marc) and not pass him the ball while he is wide open and the same happens with Obekpa when he is posting up at times. Sampson, Greene and Harrison all try to create their own shots but when they can pass to an open teammate they should and that includes Obekpa.
 
Saturday’s game against the Hoyas is probably the most crucial game of the season. SJU has the chance to extend its streak to 6 games, and make clearer the path to a tourney bid.

If they can pull off that win, the Redmen will (i) have avenged the only loss where they basically failed to show up and were not competitive; (ii) have 7 BE conference wins and solidify their place in the top 4 or 5 teams in the conference; have 15 overall wins making the threshold of 18 or 19 much more achievable.

I don’t expect that the guys will fail to show up this time. This team is different, more mature and just better than it was when the 2 teams last met. To win Saturday, though, they need to rebound the ball and hit their foul shots. These are the team’s 2 Achilles heals all year, and they need to hit the boards.

The recent success has a lot of causes but mostly, I think:

- Pointer has shown up and is now the player he was believed to be as a top 50 recruit
- Sampson has shown that he is the real deal, and a guy who is a reliable second scorer. Next year he should challenge Harrison for BE POY.
- Depth and flexibility in the rotation
- Branch has added real talent, smarts and another scoring option

Obepka, a very talented kid (a poor man’s Okafor in the making) needs to stay at home on the box and rebound and defend.

If the guys can grasp this win Saturday, then I think the path is clearer and an NCAA bid probable. It won’t be easy but it is definitely do-able.
Click to expand...

Although I like that they gutted out a win in a game they could have lost, but if they play like this at Georgetown, the outcome will be similar to the first meeting. No two games are alike, but we just played pretty poorly at times.
 
Thought the guys showed tremendous resiliency tonight. My heart - as I'm sure everyone else's sank too- when D'Lo fouled out with 3+ minutes left. They played the most important minutes in the game without their "go-to" guy. As has been exhibited in the past few close games, the team lacks initiative at the end of close games and just relies on D'Lo. The fact we were able to pull this one out with 8+ minutes without D'Lo is a huge statement and should give the team even more confidence.

Sidenote- Chis going to the foul line is comical now...It is truly a surprise when he makes one
Click to expand...
I was shocked when Branch clanged two in OT as well. Wonder how many pts we've spotted opponents at the line this year. You'd think something could be done but it never changes. Good to see Lavin play Jones and Marco. You never know when they might come in handy. I'd much rather see Garrett on the line than CO. Otherwise the rotation has been good. Kudos to Steve for creating effective chemistry. Happy times.
 
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