(POST-GAME) DePaul, Sat. Jan. 12, 6p, CBS SN / 970 AM

[quote="rawdognyc" post=314707]It was only a matter of time before the circling vultures of this board decided to land.
We lost because we didn't have the best player in the league and one of the best in the country playing. Hard to make up the 34 points between scoring and assists he's responsible for.
Mullin is right, if we're gonna get called for bs fouls anyway, might as well foul them hard.
My only hope is that Ponds returns for our next game so that the trolls can go back under their bridge.[/quote]

We have several Top 100 players. Although our best player didn´t play we should have won.
When Olujobi visited us in April some of our coaches were not in the visit.
Olujobi scored 27 games with good percentages.
Our big men (Keita and Roberts) have scored 9 points (4/13 fg) in all the season.
 
[quote="Beast of the East" post=314709][quote="rawdognyc" post=314707]It was only a matter of time before the circling vultures of this board decided to land.
We lost because we didn't have the best player in the league and one of the best in the country playing. Hard to make up the 34 points between scoring and assists he's responsible for.
Mullin is right, if we're gonna get called for bs fouls anyway, might as well foul them hard.
My only hope is that Ponds returns for our next game so that the trolls can go back under their bridge.[/quote]

Trolls is a harsh word.[/quote]

The game is going to be difficult to win even with Ponds.
 
[quote="oldschool Redmen" post=314711]I was sick all day/night, just stayed in bed.
Looks like I didn't miss anything much.[/quote]

I watched the game which made me sick.
 
Most everything has been already said....

Absolutely needed to do something else on defense - pressing and/or zone - as they were way too comfortable. BTW, this would have been necessary even with Ponds.
Keita - nice blocks, but hope this is him shaking off rust on offense and rebounding and not already at his ceiling.
Heron - have to hope this is a funk that he will fight thru. Tonight was his opportunity to take the lead dog position and he didn’t.
LJ - as always, plays within the flow,. Very good game. Needs to be more of a focal point. Very efficient scorer.
Dixon - losing him hurt us 2 games in a row. Oh well.
 
[quote="Class of 72" post=314689][quote="Paultzman" post=314683]Mullin put greater blame on the officiating crew, citing DePaul’s 28 free-throw attempts versus St. John’s six.

You look at the stat sheet, you can digest that,” Mullin said. “Everything’s similar except one thing.”

The series of profanities unleashed by Mullin in the second half eventually cost the Red Storm. With just over five minutes remaining, the coach was given a technical foul, and watched his team’s six-point deficit double in three minutes, prompting Mullin to flash a sarcastic thumbs up towards the referees.

“What we’re gonna start doing is when people crash the boards, we’re gonna hit ’em in the neck so they don’t come back anymore,” Mullin said. “We’re gonna start boxing out like that.”

The fight could be a lot tougher than the 12-0 start made it out to be.

https://nypost.com/2019/01/12/st-johns-misses-shamorie-ponds-in-ugly-loss-to-depaul/[/quote]

A doctor friend and his son went in my stead for their first game at Carnesecca. The kid loved the game but not the result. Mullin's F bombs were clearly heard by the fans. He should spend more time coaching his players than f bombing the refs. He deserved the technical. But saying stupid things is becoming too common for Mully. Publicly stating you will encourage your undersized team, which he is responsible for recruiting and putting on the floor, to play hard and dirty shows he has a long way to go in learning how to handle pressure. He also had an arrogant response in defending his no rebounding policy while addressing the rebounding deficits.
"San Antonio [Spurs] probably has the best transition defense in the world. They do not crash the offensive boards. So yes, we like to get back on defense and not give up transition baskets. When my guys are open, they are free to shoot open shots and then get back on defense, not crash the boards and have a bad defensive transition possession. That’s our policy. Thank you for the question.”
So, they are also free to have bad defensive possessions, take any open outside shot and totally neglect the inside game.
Well, genius it showed tonight! The two DePaul forwards scored 45 points on you. The most they have scored all year.
Great policy.[/quote]

Not sure this is a real quote but you are misinterpreting the “bad defensive possessions” part.
 
Rawdog, you’re misusing the term “troll”. A troll is someone who intentionally tries to get a rise out of people without actually believing what they say. How can you call people trolls for being frustrated with a team that was just #24 with high hopes and has now dropped a huge home game vs. DePaul, who is decent but still the worst Big East team by far? This is year 4. We dug ourselves in holes in conference play the past 3 yrs and now we’re 2-3 in a season where 10-8 may not even cut it. Yes Ponds was out and injuries happen. But the committee doesn’t care and neither does our record. A loss is a loss in the books. Good teams find ways to win despite being undermanned at times. This team is on the ropes already and that’s a very frustrating thing that fans have 100% reason to vent about.
 
[quote="rawdognyc" post=314707]It was only a matter of time before the circling vultures of this board decided to land.
We lost because we didn't have the best player in the league and one of the best in the country playing. Hard to make up the 34 points between scoring and assists he's responsible for.
Mullin is right, if we're gonna get called for bs fouls anyway, might as well foul them hard.
My only hope is that Ponds returns for our next game so that the trolls can go back under their bridge.[/quote]

Yes, Ponds would have helped but he wasn't going to do anything about Femi down low. We are going to need a new defensive game plan for teams that have muscle down low. Those teams will, no doubt, take note of what happen to us last night..
 
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Call it trolling or whatever you want. This team with ponds is not the best team in the BE. The fact of the matter is good teams find a way to win, we have not seen that in years. Nova is having a somewhat diwn year, yet they are undefeated. SJU has a good starting 5. That is it. Trimble should be playing in the MAAC and Roberts and Williams should be getting mins. This is a .500 BE team. Period
 
Fouls 21 to 11 for DePaul. I thought as the home team it might be a more even called game...the hall and nova certainly got the home calls...really don't get it!
 
[quote="johnny redman" post=314726]Fouls 21 to 11 for DePaul. I thought as the home team it might be a more even called game...the hall and nova certainly got the home calls...really don't get it![/quote]

Last night's foul disparity was a product of mismatches. Our guys were getting overpowered and backed down. They had to resort to hand checks or give up the easy bucket.

This is why it would have been worth going to a zone which can make the entry pass more difficult.
 
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IMO since we couldn’t stop them with our bodies, we tried to stop them with our hands. That led to a lot of reaches. Yes there were a lot of ticky tack fouls, and yes there were some downright missed calls, but when you’re constantly reaching you’re going to have a lot of fouls called. We also got away with some fouls and that foul call on Strus when Clark went up for a dunk was blown by the refs. Strus had all ball but Clark fell hard so got the call. I for one don’t believe there’s some sort of conspiracy against us by the refs.
 
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One last comment about the reffing, in this day and age of video footage, I’m a sure that the staff and the league analyzes calls and entire games in slow mo to check on the reffing and to ensure that no team is being “targeted” by the refs, whether consciously or subconsciously.
 
I did not see the game last night, I had a speaking engagement so I DVR'd it. Saw the score and box score and came on the board to read the pre-game thread to find out why Ponds did not play. Have not read any other game or post-game comments because I know how they will read. My thoughts went somewhere else and are really reflective of my age and the era I grew up in versus the "Me" generation.
I am not naïve to say this was an absolute because it was not, but "back in the day" team mattered, teammates mattered, commitments mattered. This culture was certainly taken advantage of by those in "authority" and one can make an argument that looking out for No. 1 is perfectly justified. As much as I hate to say it, I would have a hard arguing against that. But I couldn't help thinking that IMO, and it is only an opinion, we have had several sabotaged teams in the last few years. Jakaar Sampson hijacked one season playing selfishly for a pro contract, LoVett quit on the team last year, and while this season is far from over I couldn't help but think if Mikey Dixon really thought he was a BE player last night would have been his opportunity to prove it. I am not judging him, it is the world he grew up in and he has every right to do what he did but for an old fart like me the "modern" sports culture is slowly but surely eroding my interest. I understand we very well could have lost if Dixon were here, we gave up 48 points in the 2nd half and neither Ponds or Dixon would have likely changed that but if either were available we would have undoubtedly scored more than 71.
But honestly, it goes deeper for me than a lost game. You see in college football now, some players, and it is still rare, don't play in bowl games because of the risk of injury affecting their draft status or ending their NFL aspirations. IMO, it is only a matter of time before players do like LoVett did and "shut it down" rather than risk further injury no matter the extent of their injury.
Free agency has been a factor in my losing interest in pro sports, college has moved to its own version of roster uncertainty.
 
Though I thought we were good enough to win without Ponds, the fact remains that good teams, teams coached by HOF coaches do sometimes lose when a key player misses a game.

Kansas this year and Villanova last year are two quick examples.

Team needs to rebound and play better the next few games and I hope this is just a bump in the road.
 
The reality of our Team and Season have now settled in, after teaching the heights of Number 24. BE Coaches picked us for 4 th or 5 th, meaning they were not convinced our returning trio of Ponds , Simon and Clark plus Figueroa , Dixon , Keita and Trimble we’re ready to win the Conference . I don’t think the addition of Heron was yet decided but, maybe it was . Hence, did we as fans get overly excited about the early 12-0 and home victory over Marquette? Probably . Did we expect more from Clark and Simon than they are capable of giving . Very likely . Ponds ? We and the League know he is a Special Player . That hasn’t changed . Heron ? A very good Player but, one of the best in the BE ? No! A craft Lefty who , like David Russell , has no right hand or ability to go right . In fact , Leitao yesterday told his players , both Clark and Heron can’t go right , so play them accordingly . He’s right . I think we lost Mikey Dixon a week too early . While he would not have helped defensively , he could score and in Ponds abscence might have hit double figures and played some PG too. Simon is not really a playmaker , despite being thrust into that role . So, at full strength with Ponds , we are capable of beating the Novas and Marquette’s on a given
Night but, are also capable of losing to any other BE team and we have shown that .. Either Home or Away . Sadly , we may be a .500 team at best . I hope not .
 
Problem we have is that our primary, exploitable deficiency, lack of size, is not fixable this season. There is a formula to beat SJU. Make it a war of attrition, a half court battle, and pound it down low. If you miss, hit the boards. I'm also seeing the inability to get stops in crunch time. The common thread in our losses. Our game is getting turnovers, and getting out in transition. Once that's neutralized, things seem to go wrong in a hurry.
 
Was at a family party. DVR'd the game but after I saw score did not watch. I know Ponds missed game but other board sort of hinting about possible Lovett repeat?
Don't want to try to read through all the misery regarding last night's game so what is the basis of the Ponds / Lovett thing, or is there none? Could someone summarize?
Much appreciated.
 
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