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Game 7—App State Mountaineers


clarkwgriswold

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We kind of got bailed out on that last foul call. The guy didn't really touch Sayles and it would have put them inbounding the ball from a very favorable spot on the court.

 

Don't know how good App State will end up being, but they brought their A game tonight. Well earned victory and an entertaining game to watch to boot.

 

Its just fun watching this team without expectations.5 true freshman contributing and only 3 players from last year (1 starter) if anyone forgot.  Heck of a game by Duvivier. Big shots by Utomi. Ivey really seems to be finding himself. You are also already seeing some improvement out of Virshon and Kostelac. Huge improvement out of Poke, IMO. That can really make a difference this season if he can continue to be a threat inside. Cupcake next Saturday and then off to Hawaii for a chance of a big win or two. Go Zips!

Edited by LZIp
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8 minutes ago, skip-zip said:

 

Knowing that Western beat them by 20 is a little troubling.   So yes, something more convincing would have made me feel better.  

Well, it's hard to imagine Appy playing any better than they did tonight.  They had just five turnovers for Pete's sake.  So, I hope this gives the kids some confidence going into finals and that trip Westward.

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16 minutes ago, skip-zip said:

 

Knowing that Western beat them by 20 is a little troubling.   So yes, something more convincing would have made me feel better.  

You mean the MAC champion favorite beat them by more than us? The humanity! I didn't realize we were supposed to be contending for a title all of the sudden.

 

If it makes you feel better, WMU beat Cleveland State by a whole 1 more point than us.

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3 minutes ago, Z.I.P. said:

Well, it's hard to imagine Appy playing any better than they did tonight. 

 

I don't know much about them.  But if I was there coach I suppose I'd be happy with their offensively efficiency, but really disappointed that they gave up a whopping 90+ to a team that I don't expect to be any kind of scoring machine this season.  

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Well, the Zips just played their best home game of the season against the best team they've seen at the JAR so far.  Some defensive lapses early in the second half but otherwise a solid effort.  Fantastic ball movement tonight.

 

P.S.  I was happy to see NWAkron come out of it unscathed by the t-shirt cannon.  He flinched a little when it rolled out, but never took his eye off of it and stood in there like a champ!

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The coach on the post game stated that Ivey played his best game and I agree.  He is becoming a great passer and finding the open man.  Duvivier and Utomi hit some big 3 balls and each night Poke looks like he is for real.

 

The refs let the teams play until the last 5 minutes and then they started calling ticky tack fouls.  I wish they would keep it consistant.  I really enjoy the basketball and how closely matched the teams have been this year.  The guys are playing great team ball and racking up the assist.  

 

Defensively, we had some struggles inside.  Poke getting into foul trouble caused us problems.  Kostelec looked slow tonight and had a bad pass and bad defense on consecutive plays and went to the bench.  

 

Great team to watch. 

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1 hour ago, skip-zip said:

 

I don't know much about them.  But if I was there coach I suppose I'd be happy with their offensively efficiency, but really disappointed that they gave up a whopping 90+ to a team that I don't expect to be any kind of scoring machine this season.  

 

67, 76, 75, 83, 94. Those are the point totals we've put up at home this year, with that first game including a measly 22 pt. first half. Additionally, we have three players averaging double digit PPG so far, with two more right on the cusp of double digits. Not sure how you've come to the conclusion we're not going to be able to score much this season, especially at home.  

 

1 hour ago, Hilltopper said:

They used rubberbands around the t-shirts tonight. It's a good thing NW Akron was heads up this time.

 

Must have been old rubberbands that broke immediately, because I sure saw a lot of unfurling t-shirts. At least the ones that were rubberbanded didn't end up in the rafters. 

 

49 minutes ago, 1981 grad said:

The coach on the post game stated that Ivey played his best game and I agree.  He is becoming a great passer and finding the open man.  Duvivier and Utomi hit some big 3 balls and each night Poke looks like he is for real.

 

The refs let the teams play until the last 5 minutes and then they started calling ticky tack fouls.  I wish they would keep it consistant.  I really enjoy the basketball and how closely matched the teams have been this year.  The guys are playing great team ball and racking up the assist.  

 

Defensively, we had some struggles inside.  Poke getting into foul trouble caused us problems.  Kostelec looked slow tonight and had a bad pass and bad defense on consecutive plays and went to the bench.  

 

Great team to watch. 

 

Three great and true statements here. The basketball has been very entertaining. In the past, I've watched these bigger schools (or even other mid majors :puke:) do the simple things such as back cuts and zone defenses, and wonder why the heck we never did any of that. We are really covering all the bases early on this year. Lots of zone defenses, back cuts, offensive rebounds, jumping the passing lanes. It's a BLAST! This team is truly a TEAM, and they're only going to get better. I really commend Ivey for finding his role on this team as a leader and a do-everything-but-not-out-of-control-hero-ball player. His entry pass to Big Mark was a thing of beauty, and I don't know how many times he's kept a possession alive by tipping out an offensive rebound; it's intelligent ball. 

 

34 minutes ago, tpsjugglerdude said:

When was the last time we had a guard with a double-double and one of the stats was assists? Feel like it’s been a few years. 

 

When was the last time we didn't bail out after shots and actually go for offensive rebounds? When was the last time we committed to playing a zone, and played the zone effectively? When was the last time we had a guard big enough, physical enough, and intelligent enough to drive to the basket for "easy" baskets? When was the last time we had players intelligently pull up for the mid-range jumper AND knock it down relatively consistently? When was the last time our big men actually looked to slam the ball home or at least go up strong?

Edited by lilroodude
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1 hour ago, lilroodude said:

When was the last time we didn't bail out after shots and actually go for offensive rebounds? When was the last time we committed to playing a zone, and played the zone effectively? When was the last time we had a guard big enough, physical enough, and intelligent enough to drive to the basket for "easy" baskets? When was the last time we had players intelligently pull up for the mid-range jumper AND knock it down relatively consistently? When was the last time our big men actually looked to slam the ball home or at least go up strong?

 

I can't help but realize how different this year has felt. Aside from the Marshall game, the Zips have really been competitive and won the game we are supposed to. Seemed like these past few games are the ones KDs teams found a way to give away.

Edited by akzipper
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56 minutes ago, akronzips71 said:

Now tell the truth: Everyone who thought we would be 5-2 raise your hands.

I don't see any hands!

My hand's not raised.  I'm thrilled with how our freshmen are playing.  

I forget how many times I noticed last night we were playing with 3 freshmen and a sophomore complementing either Ivey or DuVivier.

 

I haven't seen a player as legit as Utomi in a Zips' uniform in I don't know how long.  I don't want to be a prisoner of the moment & say "ever."  But...

 

Sayles is a full grown man.  The foul should have been called on his dunk attempt (with under a minute left, I believe?)  He went up strong and deserved that call. As LittleRooDude pointed out, I love that our big men go up strong.  It's refreshing & why people buy tickets to watch b-ball at this level.  Go up strong & dunk the ball or force the official to call the foul.

 

E-Man's confidence has quadrupled this season.  He wants the ball down low.  Even hit a short-mid-range jump shot last night!

 

At the end of the day, however, I think our season is going to go as DuVivier goes.  Which makes sense; he's the starting PG & our only senior.  It seems as if when DuVivier has his jump shot we win; when he doesn't have his J we lose.  Of course, DuVivier having/not having his jump shot also presently correlates with our home/away games thus far.  So we'll see.

 

DuVivier/Utomi/Ivey is an outstanding 3-man combo & should give the MAC fits.  If all three are on... forget about it.

Edited by Blue & Gold
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11 hours ago, skip-zip said:

 

 

You just tried to brag about how good WMU is this year, and then demonstrated otherwise, all in the same post.  

Actually Skip, I didn't do either of that. All I did was post facts. 1) Comparing scores really means nothing. There are countless examples that prove this. If it did, we probably would have finished in last place in the MAC last year after the opening game loss to YSU. 2) I recall you predicting somewhere between 10-15 wins this season and being one of the most critical of the Groce hire. So why are you moving the goal posts and finding it "concerning" that we might not look as good as the MAC favorite?

Edited by LZIp
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15 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Comparing scores really means nothing.

I'm giving all my likes to this comment. Teams are not the same from one point of the season to the next. 

 

Very entertaining watching my team score 94 points. Fun rooting for players that see a lot of floor time. I'm hopeful with all the floor time experience the kids are getting, they continue to improve with a March payoff (this season or the next...)

 

 

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32 minutes ago, LZIp said:

I recall you predicting somewhere between 10-15 wins this season and being one of the most critical of the Groce hire. So why are you moving the goal posts and finding it "concerning" that we might not look as good as the MAC favorite?

 

I made the reference to the WMU vs. App. State game to illustrate the quality of our opponent, not to start a debate about WMU's stature.  But, why would you find it so unusual for a sports fan to compare common opponents when trying to get a preliminary idea of how we might stack up when conference play begins in a few weeks?

 

Concerning Groce, I'm pretty sure I joined the very large group of people who indicated that they are "not sure about this hire".  You can go and check that.  All of my "hoping for a .500 season" comments are just my honest thoughts.  I've actually gotten to talk to John on many occasions, and have enjoyed talking to him.  

 

Meanwhile, I actually find it odd that you posted this solely to question why I appear to be so critical, while you continue to go to the Dambrot thread to criticize at every opportunity.   Including commenting that Duquesne has "not beaten a team with a pulse" ?   Go check our SOS vs. Duquesne's SOS, if you claim that you only care about the facts.  You'll find that you;re being quite hypocritical, and that your hatred for Keith appears to be skewing your judgement.     

Edited by skip-zip
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Watching the replay on espn3. I really like the female analyst.  She makes relevant, intelligent comments instead of stuff like "a 3 pointer could tie the game".   She says "I can't believe what we are seeing here.  15 assists on 16 field goals.". "Unselfish basketball".  I think there was also a comment how after a timeout the Zips really stepped up...

Edited by NWAkron
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