72 Roo

What was it that made this game so great? Was it the rivalry? Was it the play of the Zips? Was it the hype? Was it the crowd? You could not go wrong citing any of those factors. The thing that sticks out to me is the response and energy of the students. Most season ticket holders and GA ticket buyers don't bring fanaticism. The students do and when you see that you want to return to see it again and again. They were there for the CSU game in the 80's (biggest UA attendance ever; the cap't was right, they were in the aisles, I was a season ticket holder in the lower bowl and I could not get out b/c of all the people sitting in the aisle). Same was true for soccer during the 2010 season. The students were everywhere and the games turned into events that you had to be there to witness. I hope this brings students back to the JAR. If they come so will the public. I'll be there Tuesday. let's fill the JAR again.

I watched the Butler - Providence game a week ago. Ali got a lot of playing time and was a total non-factor. On O he stayed out on the perimeter and passed most of the time he got the ball. He never, ever followed a shot whether it was his or a teammates. He set no picks and did not move, cut to the basket or shake a defender. On D he played like last year which was not bad, except he also did not rebound. The Big East is more physical, he played like he was soft. The one thing missing was his dribble-dribble, holding he ball for 20 seconds while backing down his defender in the paint producing a turnaround jumper. Not once did he do what was his signature, maddening move as a Zip. To tell the truth he is one transfer that I don't regret. Groce plays a more physical brand of D than Ali is capable. He has not bought into our style of play and this team is better w/o him. I hope he is happy being closer to his girlfriend in Dayton, playing 20 minutes per game with little production and on a team that is going nowhere this season.

Very proud of the team and our fans tonight. The game looked fabulous on TV. How can you watch a game like this and not want to play for UA? I hope we had some recruits there tonight. Can't get too high though. We have to play Toledo, Balls and PCCC again. But Good Lord does it feel great to be Zip tonight. Congrats to the team and all fans who attended. You were great!

It's 9:26 and ..........

This was a brutal game to watch. We should have won had we made our layups. Melissa got out-coached. She still does nothing to develop her bench. Rasheed may have surfaced as a backup guard out of necessity, but not out of a plan. Yet she is better than Thorpe who showed D1 ball is beyond her. Camp usually plays out of control on O, yet tonight she was out of control on D too. Whoever coaches the guards on this team is letting her get away with very bad habits and it hurts the team. Layne had a subpar game. I have no problem with that because she tries so hard. Same for Rachel. Molly was superb and I hate to see she is a senior. If the team continues in this mode of play I can't see Melissa getting her contract extended. Worst of all though was those putrid PCCC sky blue uni's. Made me want to puke.

Joe knew that he was assembling a staff that would be cherry-picked by higher paying programs. He expected this. It is part of the process of building a pee poor program into significance. The sky is not falling, just a little ash on our shoulders.

OK Captain. I nominate you to set up a ZNO beer night with the coaches. I'll buy the first round.🍻 Let us know when you have it scheduled.

Bobcat meltdowns are the best. Definitely entertaining. There is an element of truth in what is said though. Our budget is driven by enrollment which has fallen as noted by near 50%. We have used this as an opportunity to get rid of underperforming faculty, which is a plus. So we took lemons and made lemonade. I don't mind the criticism about adjunct faculty. We do have too many. That shouldn't take away from the strong academics we have in the majority of our programs. Our focus has always been to offer quality education to students who can't afford to go away to school. At the same time we offer a residential college experience for those who want it. I'm proud of our students, graduates and fanatics. If OU is so superior they are failing miserably when we compete. Denigrate us all you want, maybe that makes OU fans feel better. I like the rivalry.

I would love to see us build a pipeline from Hoban to UA, but only with the right kids. I watched the Hudl highlights of him and had to chuckle at his :18 block. reminded me of one of the scenes from Blind Side. I also wondered about his foot speed while at the line. After getting going he seemed to move OK, but when on the line he appeared to have slow feet. Perhaps others feel differently. I bet Joe has better talent coming.

Friday night I watched the Youngstown-Oakland game and came away impressed with the crowd, especially the students. In watching our game with OU Saturday I felt our gym looked hard empty compared to the near sellout YSU had. I still can't understand why the students don't support our team at a higher level of attendance. Saturday afternoon should have been perfect for any student living on campus or new it. Is that expecting too much for a team that is the envy of most D1 institutions?

It seems we finally have someone exit our program who had talent. I hate to see him go and I wish he had given Joe a chance last fall. He could have been one of the foundational blocks our secondary was built on. While he was in the program at one time it also seems like we didn't lose a player because he sat out last fall. Still I hate to get him on campus and then lose him. Best of luck with the Scarlett Knights. I believe Schiano will rebuild that team into a respectable program. Go win a position young man!

Thanks Catdaddy. Your analysis is interesting. To me it points out that we are not losing talent that can help us grow. Further we are not losing depth. The folks we have coming in are better in both the ability to challenge for a starting position and the ability or to provide much needed depth. Joe understands the process and will make this team better before we tie it up in the Fall. Give him time.

You got your wish ... kinda. Hank and Hunter are getting consistent. They were part of a balanced attack. I think Hank is playing better D and picking his shot better too. Hunter looks comfortable now shooting his 3's. Tavari is just what he is, a promising freshman who is playing like a freshmen. 2 outta 3 ain't bad.

Most posters on this site are MJ fans. We want her to succeed. If you are reading otherwise that's your problem. Since the end of last season the coach has had all that time to decide on her offense and how she was going to execute it. She has had nearly 9 months to develop or find the bodies to give us depth to support an up tempo style of play. Stinson looks fine when out on the court. In fact I see nice growth from her. She is moving her feet and learning what D1 conditioning demands. Thorpe and Stewart look to be lost and they play like it. No other significant PT is handed out. Coach has an issue and we hope she has a plan to solve it. If so we will be awesome for four quarters, not three.

The game against BUGS is a microcosm on the concerns Guthrie has with Melissa's coaching. She clearly can recruit, but is her coaching able to make a difference, does it make the team better than the talent they individually bring to the table? Last year she clearly let Dawson run the team, even when it was against what Melissa wanted. We saw that time and again in Melissa's reactions and direction from the bench. Against BG she needed fresh legs and clear coaching to break the press and play with a lead. Is our depth so bad there is no one that we can give a few minutes to? In the postgame radio interview Melissa took the blame for our collapse. That speaks to the high character she brings to the position. I hope she also can bring the same high level of coaching. I'm rooting for Melissa and the lady Zips.

This was a tough game to lose. We had a great opponent, good attendance and an inspired response from our players for three quarters. Molly was superb. I thought the rest of the team tried hard, but put themselves in positions where the fourth quarter turnovers were going to happen. Our depth is a big issue and Melissa has got to find help from the bench other than Stinson. W/O it we will not go far in the MAC tournament.

I'd like to see Lyles play under more control, but under Groce that will be fixed. He has a lot of promise and coach has shone the ability to get it out of him. I like the guy's effort and attitude. He will play himself into a big contributor.

What a game! EMU is a train wreck. Bates and Farrakhan only cared about themselves and their points. The entire team lacked heart and that starts with the coach. I've got a bone to pick with the announcers. It took Akron being up by 21 before they stopped drooling over Bates. The second half they got better, but he first half was putrid with their fawning all over Bates. Cudos to our boys for showing class. Groce is putting a good team together.

How did you get into my home to get a photo of our toaster? I've long suspected my wife is having an affair. Now I know it is with the Zipmeister. Can the Meister see her more often so I can see more Zip games? I think she will want me out of the house. I still want that damn new toaster.

After February do we still get a 10% discount plus free toaster if we sign up a new member? My wife is really looking forward to a new appliance.

I am amazed that so far we have not lost any player of consequence. Perhaps that is crude and too blunt as all of these players in the portal are probably good guys who only want to compete and play. Well under JoMo you are welcome to compete, but PT is probably going to be limited as he upgrades the talent on the team. Keep going Joe. Last season showed we aren't as deep as we need to be. I look for more players hitting the portal.

The announcers were praising the attendance at this game. Are you kidding me? The Stroth Center seats 5,000 and there weren't more than 1,500 in the stands. Open seats everywhere. No pressure from the fans 'cause they weren't there. Good Lord, I hope we can do better when in league play at home.

Indeed last night's game was crap. But I fear it will only embolden the greedy CFP to limit who plays for the championship. Now the teams almost always come from the 65 P5 schools. Last night's game points out that they are not equal. A good TCU from a weak Big 12 is in no way in the class of the traditional top six (OSU, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Clemson and maybe USC). The CFP will continue to cater to the best because that's where the money is. I look for the power to shift to the Big Ten and SEC as those two conferences cannabalize the rest of the CFP to get more money. BTW going to 12 playoff teams will only reward the P5 schools. I'd like to see the G5 acknowledge that they have no place in the CFP and look to protect themselves. A G5 national championship would be a great game to watch.

OSU vs Georgia was the national championship game. OSU showed a brilliant ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

I hope we get someone who wants to be here, not just needs a job. Our program needs a builder. Someone who realizes we aren't the best in the MAC and it will take a long time to upgrade talent and facilities to get there. If you are just passing thru, like Beals, keep on going.