Captain Kangaroo

In an attempt to offer one semi-fresh take on this topic -In a post-game interview last year, Dambrot stated - "We get 4,800 people here on Credit Union Night," and that game is played against a lousy opponent. You can't tell me it's (low attendance) only about scheduling."His point being - Someone, years ago, went out and built a relationship with the Credit Union. That game is always one of the best-attended games of the season. 4,500+ butts-in-seats is a given. For basketball - Who is going out now-a-days and building corporate relationships under the model of the Credit Union game? If people are going to point a finger at the schedule, the game results, the MAC or whatever...working with corporations and community groups to get more "<Insert Group Here> Night's" needs to be a focus too. It isn't like Credit Union members are some rabid group of hoops fans. What is successful with them can be successful at many other institutions.

I would love to see Houston, Tulsa and SMU on the Zips schedule. And Marshall. People who don't know football think Marshall made a bad move leaving the MAC. While CUSA isn't at the Big East level, it is light years ahead of the MAC. Marshall made the right call.I totally think they made the right call. And I agree those teams would be great coming to the INFO. Lots of history with SMU and Houston. But their level of success seems to have diminished somewhat. I suggest you check out SMU and Houston's 2009 schedule and season's results.

I would love to see Houston, Tulsa and SMU on the Zips schedule. And Marshall. People who don't know football think Marshall made a bad move leaving the MAC. While CUSA isn't at the Big East level, it is light years ahead of the MAC. Marshall made the right call.

That'll happen once the "Akron's in Ohio" chants stop. The Canada stuff was started in response to that.I learned something today.

I...can...barely...summon..the..strength...to...lift...the...bat...

It was the photographic negative of the URI game. For BG, we started the first 12-or-so minutes horrifically (10 points? Was it Coleman Crawford "Turn Back the Clock" Night?), then poured it on thereafter. Asking for a perfect 40 minutes every night is going to lead you to a lot of let-downs. For no good reason. It is really tough to be critical of a game where you finish it outscoring your opponent 53-21! Especially when that opponent is the defending MAC East regular season champs.Great game by the Zips. On a pro-BG note - I was impressed by how far Jacobowski (sp?) has come. He played a nice game. Otis Polk? Anthony Stacey has to be embarrassed at what has become of the once proud center position on the BG squad.Is Louis Orr even 2 lbs over his NBA playing weight?

Knoch High School - My mom's alma mater!

How has Gonzaga done it in their conference? I see no reason why a MAC program cannot rise above the garbage if it so chooses. The lofty goal of becoming "The Gonzaga of the East" seems to be increasingly difficult for the Zips to attain. But becoming "The Gonzaga of the MAC" is pretty realistic. Hell...we're 90% of the way there already.

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If the PAC-10 wants to extend an offer, the Boise State would surely accept. But the PAC-10 has no interest in doing so. No BCS conference will invite them. So they schedule the best they can. Boise absolutely crushed Oregon. Oregon was an excellent team in 2009.Boise State has proven they can play with anyone in the country.

A buddy of mine played football for Austintown Fitch in the late 70's. Fitch apparently played a terrible 1st half. In the locker room @ halftime, the coach grabbed my buddy's face mask...pulled his head to the bench...and tore the team a new a-hole while sitting on my bud's head the entire intermission.A lot of these coaches played ball in the 70's & 80's. I'm sure some of the discipline they deal out is the same thing they got during their playing days. But kids today are a little different. And there are more lawyers, the Internet, cell phone cameras etc. Coaching is different now-a-days.

Before the game was played I agreed with you. Then both teams looked pretty crappy. Would you rather Boise State play Florida and TCU play any other BCS team and lose? Neither of those teams looked very good, which really diminishes the argument for Boise State's AP title hopes.When two great teams plat each other, they sometimes negate each other. I thought the TCU/Boise game was great. It showed that both teams actually had a solid defense to complement their offense.Florida, Texas and Alabama probably beat TCU or Boise. But by no more (margin) than they'd beat Ohio State, Pitt, Iowa, Auburn etc. Boise and TCU belonged in the BCS games.

If you'd rather beat up a midget than go toe-to-toe with a contender, then you could never play for me.

Did someone ask for this?

No, it isn't that it is over.For the 1st time this season I got to watch a great college basketball games at the JAR. Two very good teams going toe-to-toe. Crowd booing the refs. Cheers, high 5's, and heartbreak. I got my money's worth. If for no other reason, that is why we need to play more such opponents at the JAR. I witnessed a great competition.I'd rather lose to Rhode Island than beat USC Upstate by 40.

On a tangential point...ZipsNation is a diverse place. Men and women ranging in age from 10 to 70+ participate. If you are presently a UA undergrad, you have a totally different perspective than one who graduated in the 80's. Not that one is better than another...just that the glasses people see things through are different.As an '89 graduate, I think it is incumbent on me to keep younger participants abreast of the history I know. They won't get it through The University. Hell, we get an entirely new Athletics administration every 5 years.Mike Waddell is the only recent UA athletics administrator that actually cared about the U's history. That's why the former great coach's pics adorn the JAR walls, and Eric McLaughlin's jersey is rightfully in the rafters.Hard to believe "RowdyZip" is now an "old guy?" Seems like only yesterday that he and Bleacher Bum were whupping it up in the student section?

The MAC's top program needed double OT to beat Troy.

Because they were able to execute their adjustments and we weren't. They have players that can play pressure defense and half court defense, they have players that make 80% of their free throws and they can turn 16 turnovers into 21 points while we have players that can make 61% of their free throws and we can turn 10 turnovers into 8 points.If we were able to average the same 1.3 points per turnover, we would have won. We hit 6 more free throws, we win. Making free throws is all about confidence and poise. Teams that are poised don't make stupid turnovers.We didn't lose because of lack of talent. We lost because our talent...well...it doesn't know what it takes to win these games.Per Cvetinovic - “We had them on the ropes. In the second half, we got anxious and didn't execute the plays.”Per the stats...FT% 1st Half 50%; 2nd Half 67%.Rhode Island Pts/TO 1st Half 13; 2nd Half 8Appears to me, the Zips handled the ball better and shot from the line better (and more often) in the second half.Were you there, or did you only look at statistics and the box score? Did you see when the score got close, late, that both McKnights hoisted airballs? Did you see McKnight's and Cventinovic's missed free throws?If you honestly believe that the Zips shot better and handled the ball better in the second half, you must have had WAY too many beers before the game.Having a team down 9 points in the second half, in your house, is "having them on the ropes." Subsequently losing by 5 is a choke job.

Because they were able to execute their adjustments and we weren't. They have players that can play pressure defense and half court defense, they have players that make 80% of their free throws and they can turn 16 turnovers into 21 points while we have players that can make 61% of their free throws and we can turn 10 turnovers into 8 points.If we were able to average the same 1.3 points per turnover, we would have won. We hit 6 more free throws, we win. Making free throws is all about confidence and poise. Teams that are poised don't make stupid turnovers.We didn't lose because of lack of talent. We lost because our talent...well...it doesn't know what it takes to win these games.Per Cvetinovic - “We had them on the ropes. In the second half, we got anxious and didn't execute the plays.”

We had a 9-point lead in the 2nd half and blew it. Like we do every time. Even the Tasmanian Devil can't spin that fact hard enough to make anyone believe otherwise.

Dan LeFevour Craps Down His Leg™ again. Troy wins. Dambrot sues.

That logic is bizarre.This season is absolutely in no way, shape or form solely about winning the MAC Tournament.Why but season tickets to see the Zips? Who cares...the season is only about the MAC Tourney? Right?Why listen to the Zips on the radio? Who cares...the games through early-March are entirely irrelevant? Right?It is funny...in Dambrot's pre-game interview he stated -"This game is key to our post-season aspirations." Play the tape. He said it, not me. He knows what he's talking about.Instead of answering the question of whether or not we'd have received an NCAA bid if we'd have beaten URI, answer this question - "How would beating an upper-tier A-10 team have looked to the NIT selection committee?" Pretty damn good. If we'd have had a win like that when we were 26-7, we'd have been in the NIT, instead of watching it on TV.How would it have looked to the ESPN Bracket Buster committee if we'd have beaten an upper-tier A-10 team? Pretty damn good.How would it have looked to Joe Akron for the Zips to have won their 7th straight game, having beaten an upper-tier A-10 team for win #11? Pretty damn good.For all you attendance grousers, look at the above. Learn something. Quit parroting your tired old diatribe. There's a reason we get 3k. We don't do the things required to get 4k. Or 5k. We schedule mediocre-ly, and the few marquee games we get...we lose.How many years will the Zips be the team losing to someone with "X losses, and more talent"? When does it change? When do we turn into the team that makes the halftime adjustments necessary to build on our 2nd half leads, rather than squander them with our on-court anxiety attacks?I don't buy that Rhode Island is so much more talented than the Zips. We had then by 9 points with 15 minutes remaining. We had the lead for 75% 0f the game. If URI is so great...so much more talented than the Zips...how is that possible? I'll tell you - Rhode Island has poise. We don't. Rhode Island has an assassin's mentality. We don't. Look at Jimmy Conyers. He's playing with confidence. He's playing well. How did he play without confidence? He was terrible. His individual story is emblematic of the entire Zips team.The Zips team loses confidence in the 2nd half, and has become - The Kings of the Come-From-Ahead Loss. The Zips have the talent to compete with almost anyone. But not the swagger, poise or confidence. Until proven otherwise - Crapped Down Our Leg™

Yes there are other examples...Dayton, VCU, Nevada, hell...go back to Xavier if you're an old-timer. Look at the recent MAC Tourney losses to Western Michigan, Toledo, Miami and K.e.n.t.. Look at the pattern of those losses, in addition to the Winthrop loss...or even Austin Peay. The Zips always seem to find a way to pull off the "come-from-ahead loss" in these crucial games. Many held at home, or 40 minutes from campus. Like Lakers HC Pat Riley trademarked "Three-peat," Dambrot should trademark "Crapped Down Our Leg." Every time we play these games, it's "Groundhog Day."If you have no worries, you really aren't a huge Zips hoops fan. Your heart isn't in it. Your bar is low.Leaving the JAR after yet another leg-crapping flat-out sucked.

What game were you watching? It was totally the opposite?! Our plan was to beat their press...to attack, and push the ball up the court. We sliced them up when we got into a "track meet." We were HIGHLY successful. It wasn't until Rhode Island slowed the game down and turned it into a half court affair that we struggled.

We are in trouble. I watched him dribble at the top of the key for 25 seconds last night with his back to the hoop looking left, dribble off foot, recover basketball, look right, dribble dribble dribble, look left, (back still to the hoop) dribble dribble dribble, look right, dribble off knee, recover, dribble dribble dribble, pass the ball high up top with seconds on the shot clock forcing into a bad shot.Your statement might be right, but for the love of gawd we have GOT to find somebody that can run the point.A PG emerged on this team on March 12th, and on the 14th .. the Zips won a ticket to the Dance because of it.McNees had a great 2009 MAC tourney. But he went 0-9 from the field against Gonzaga. And 2-11 last night. He has been overmatched against bigger, non-MAC competition.As Dr. Z stated, he was stymied whenever he tried to run the offense. Did he turn the ball over relentlessly? No. But he didn't create anything. He just dribbled a lot and ran the shot clock down.I long for a point guard that can dribble-penetrate. Beat a defender off the dribble. Maybe Steward can become that player. I hope so.