General MAC news

[Captain Kangaroo]

CSU was in it right up until the last minute of the game. I don't expect them to be intimidated by the Zips.

They were not. They crapped down their leg with 5 minutes to go and sat shivering in the corner and the Wildcats did whatever they pleased, whenever they pleased. Dr. Heimlich should be the team trainer for these choke-bags.

Why should they be intimidated by the Zips? Sans one recent Zips victory in a down CSU season, Gary Waters has owed Akron.

CSU actually has a guard that can bring the ball to the front court against pressure from a Top 10 D-1 team. I'm jealous.

If the Zips don't bring their A+ game to the Wolstein Center, it will be "St. Mary's Part II."

[legendofzippy]

Miami just lost to D3 Wilmington. Good job , Redhawks!

Hilarious. I think I could argue that Wally's team that made a run was the best MAC team I've seen. To see where they are now is remarkable. And the football team too - what a mess down there.

[BirdZip]

In preparation for my PhZ dissertation, I've been spending a lot of time on Zn.O lately. My conclusion is that many would prefer to be Miami right now because they have won 6 NCAA tournament games in their history, and Gary Waters should be fired.

[Dave in Green]

They were not. They crapped down their leg with 5 minutes to go and sat shivering in the corner and the Wildcats did whatever they pleased, whenever they pleased. Dr. Heimlich should be the team trainer for these choke-bags. ...

The score was tied 57-57 with 2:09 to go. CSU was down only 3 with 1:23 to go. CSU had bounced back from a similar Kentucky run near the end of the first half to retake the lead at halftime. CSU was in it right up until the last minute of the game.

[Captain Kangaroo]

The score was tied 57-57 with 2:09 to go. CSU was down only 3 with 1:23 to go. CSU had bounced back from a similar Kentucky run near the end of the first half to retake the lead at halftime. CSU was in it right up until the last minute of the game.

Kentucky finished the game with a 24-7 run. It was riveting to watch CSU unravel, the player's vacant stares, Waters scowls and futile time-outs.

For the final 7:41 CSU as much "in the game" as Marvis Frazier vs. Mike Tyson. Reginald Denny vs. a lead pipe. Perhaps even worse.

You can certainly make a pure numeric case that CSU was "in the game." But the box score only tells a small part of a much, much more complex story. @Zipmeister might agree.

[Dave in Green]

CSU had a 19-10 lead in the first half when Kentucky went on a 15-3 run as CSU similarly unraveled. I'm sure a lot of people thought the game was over for CSU at that point. But CSU stopped unraveling and bounced back with a 9-2 run to retake the lead at halftime. It was not unreasonable to think CSU might be capable of repeating their first half bounce back near the end of the game. I could care less who @Zipmeister agrees with.

[Captain Kangaroo]

CSU had a 19-10 lead in the first half when Kentucky went on a 15-3 run as CSU similarly unraveled. I'm sure a lot of people thought the game was over for CSU at that point. But CSU stopped unraveling and bounced back with a 9-2 run to retake the lead at halftime. It was not unreasonable to think CSU might be capable of repeating their first half bounce back near the end of the game. I could care less who @Zipmeister agrees with.

Chokers don't choke at the end of the first half. That's when they look like all-stars.

Chokers choke @ the end of the game. They panic. They find a way to lose. They look like CSU last night.

[Big Zip]

So Cap'n when a team looks like our team at St Mary's what is that called? I'll take choking all day long for that gag fest they pulled in California.

[Captain Kangaroo]

So Cap'n when a team looks like our team at St Mary's what is that called? I'll take choking all day long for that gag fest they pulled in California.

Good question. "Completely Overwhelmed?"

I give CSU credit for going toe-to-to with K.entucky for 32 minutes. And they did it without their best player too. But they wilted like 3-week old plastic bag lettuce those last 7 minutes.

[zippy5]

Must have been a pretty dull minute between the first 32 and those last 7

[Dave in Green]

@Captain Kangaroo, I just want to make the point that I respect your sports knowledge and analysis. I read all of your posts with interest as I've learned a lot from them. At times I think you're prone to exaggeration, which is a pretty common style in sports talk today. I'm old school in that style points are irrelevant to me. As Detective Sergeant Joe Friday used to say back in the days of black and white TV, "Just the facts, ma'am." That still works for me. So I don't think that anyone watching that game "knew" that CSU would make a big comeback after Kentucky made their big first half run, or "knew" that CSU was toast when Kentucky made their big second half run. CSU came back from the first but not the second. Neither you nor I nor anyone else "knew" the result of either until it was over. Only in retrospect is it obvious.

[legendofzippy]

Good question. "Completely Overwhelmed?"

I give CSU credit for going toe-to-to with K.entucky for 32 minutes. And they did it without their best player too. But they wilted like 3-week old plastic bag lettuce those last 7 minutes.

They're a bunch of kids. Show some class.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Thank you for the nice words Dig.

Interpretation of a written piece's quality is in the eye of the reader. If you like classical music, you probably have never been to a Black Flag concert. If you loved Walter Cronkite, you probably don't like Bill Maher. But Black Flag has sold millions of albums, and Bill Maher is a millionaire, so sometimes what you like is not necessarily bad. It just doesn't suit your personal taste.

This site is like a newspaper. We have or Comic section writers, where nothing is ever serious. We have our Religion section, where things are always great and everything should be forever cumbaya. We have our Political Satirists, who pick extreme points of view simply to get a rise out of those typically religious in nature. Our Fashion section always has commentary on the latest uniform trends. Our Entertainment section critiques the Marching Band, and anything Marketing-related. Our Letters to the Editor section is loaded with crackpot clowns who have nothing better to do that use ZN.o to rant 24/7. Our Classified section offers game tickets. Our Travel section offers recommended placed to stay and eat during road trips. And obviously our Sports section boasts more "reporters" following the Zips than there are vapid stay-at-home moms following Kim Kardashian's Twitter account.

When the Religion section dominates, it is flat-out boring. When the angry crackpots dominate, it is embarrassing. And for all the quality posts on ZN.o, it seems the few stupid, ignorant guys are the ones that are held up as the poster-child for all at ZN.o. I hate that.

When all sections of our "paper" are in synch, this site can be pretty good. I wish it happened more often.

I like Bud Shaw's columns in the PD. I like Norm Chad. I like sports writers that are informed, and clever. I like the writers who paint a canvas with their words and give a visual image to the emotional ebb-and-flow of the event to go along with the numbers. I like writers with insightful opinions. Some people see this style as exaggeration. But many seem to enjoy it.

@everyone: Happy Thanksgiving to all. Thank you for your contributions. And I will see you in Lot 9 Friday!

[GP1]

Good question. "Completely Overwhelmed?"

I give CSU credit for going toe-to-to with K.entucky for 32 minutes. And they did it without their best player too. But they wilted like 3-week old plastic bag lettuce those last 7 minutes.

The work overwhelmed isn't used enough in reference to sports teams. Nice use of it. Conversely, the word choke is overused in reference to sports. Teams don't choke over an eight minute period. One player chokes at one moment in time.

[Dave in Green]

@Captain Kangaroo, what a wonderful perspective on ZN.o. That's the best description of these forums that I've ever seen. I actually liked Walter Cronkite back in the old days and I like Bill Maher today, so I guess that makes me eclectic. The way you describe ZN.o makes me realize that it's the variety of styles and opinions that makes this place so attractive to me. I expect whenever I post on here that some will disagree with what I say, and I often disagree with the approach that others take. It's all part of the democratic process of forums where everyone is free to speak their minds and everyone else is free to vote their approval or disapproval. Sometimes we take things too seriously and get into p***ing matches, but they all seem to blow over pretty quickly with an appropriate dose of humility and good humor. Happy Thanksgiving to you and everyone else reading this.

[The Hip Zip]

Uhh... back on track

E Mich took down Wisc. GB fairly easily this week. GB was predicted by almost everybody to win the Horizon this year and had just come off a victory over a good Virginia team from the ACC. (Gee, I wonder how that feels??) E Mich has come a long way. They play a killer 2-3 zone and have improved greatly. They are a tough and pesky lot and by no means an easy W anymore.

Don't look now but after nearly a decade the MAC West is beginning to close the gap between the two divisions.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Don't look now but after nearly a decade the MAC West is beginning to close the gap between the two divisions.

I agree. Toledo is very solid too. The Decade of the Cupcake may be nearing an end?

[Zipmeister]

CSU had a 19-10 lead in the first half when Kentucky went on a 15-3 run as CSU similarly unraveled. I'm sure a lot of people thought the game was over for CSU at that point. But CSU stopped unraveling and bounced back with a 9-2 run to retake the lead at halftime. It was not unreasonable to think CSU might be capable of repeating their first half bounce back near the end of the game. I could care less who @Zipmeister agrees with.

Who is @Zipmeister and why did he pick a screen name so close to mine?

[LZIp]

Watch out for this kid Ricquan Holmes when we play BG this year.

[Dave in Green]

I posted some info on Richaun Holmes in a couple of threads last season here and here.

Looking back at those threads, I had strong feelings that Holmes would be one of the better players in the MAC this season while others thought he might just be a role player. Through BGSU's first 9 games this season, Holmes leads his team in average per-game shot blocking (3.1), rebounding (7.7), field goal percentage (57.1) and free throw shooting percentage (74.4), and is second in scoring (13.7), just a tenth of a point behind Spencer Parker's 13.8. In other words, Holmes is a complete player.

[Z.I.P.]

Watch out for this kid Ricquan Holmes when we play BG this year.

Pronounced, Ree-shawn. You're welcome.

[Dave in Green]

Richaun Holmes gets a huge shout-out from Elton:

Nothing is more inspiring than watching the light bulb go on for a special player, then seeing how he can carry a team. That is happening right now with the Falcons and 6-10 junior forward Richaun Holmes. "He is an absolute freak,'' one MAC coach said recently. "And it looks like he's figured it out.''

A role player last season, Holmes is now Zeke Marshall on the defensive end of the floor and Chris Kaman on the offensive end. For those with no MAC history, Marshall was the MAC's two-time defensive player of the year at Akron, while Kaman was a NBA lottery pick out of Central Michigan.

Holmes is averaging 14.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. In BG's last four games he is averaging 20.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.0 blocks. If those numbers hold up for the season, he could be both Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year, come March.

And the Zips get a huge snub from Elton:

Elton's Top Five in the State

1. Ohio State

2. Cincinnati

3. Toledo

4. Dayton

5. Bowling Green

Waiting in line -- Ohio University, Xavier, Can't State

Link

[Dr Z]

Waiting in line -- Ohio University, Xavier, Can't State

A ZN member had to remind me that this guy moved from the MAC (WMU) to Xavier. Apparently they have better barbers.

[Dave in Green]

Whodathunkit. Matt Stainbrook is the leading rebounder (8.5 rpg), second leading scorer (9.7 ppg) and one of only two players to start all 11 games for the Xavier Musketeers.

[LZIp]

Xavier > Cinci