UAZip0510

+1 Ditto to the coaching staff.

Scary thought: Where would we be if Alex Abreu's injury had knocked him out much longer than it did?

No game thread yet? Pretty damn sloppy so far...luckily Can't State isn't doing much better to this point.

I take issue with a few things. 1) I'm not sure how it isn't clear that KD is trying to take this program to a level where they don't need to win the MACC to get the the NCAA Tournament. He took transfers, which is never did before. He added Harney and Treadwell, two kids he wouldn't have added before. He strengthened the schedule considerably this year. Everything he did put them in play for an at-large bid. Unfortunately, they lost some winnable games. But KD absolutely set things up to take that next step. 2) This team's lack of killer instinct has nothing to do with Keith Dambrot. What, he had it last year, not but this year? This team is extremely young and lacks leadership. Cvetinovic is a wild card and McClanahan is having a rough season. Last year, I would have trusted Steve McNees, Darryl Roberts, and even Brett McKnight toward the end of the season. This year, Alex Abreu is the only one right now that I trust with the game on the line. That's a roster problem, not a coaching problem. 3) Any coach is open to criticism, it's the nature of the business and KD isn't immune to that. However, I cannot fathom anyone questioning Dambrot's desire to win. I've seen the man pace the sidelines of an exhibition game against Walsh like it's the NCAA Championship game. I've heard him say losing a game because of a lack of execution made him "want to jump off the roof of the JAR" in a postgame interview. Trust me, he wants to win more than anything. I think he even wants to win more than the players do (which is part of the problem). I think you're reading wayyyyyyyy too much into quotes and ignoring what should be obvious with simple observation - Keith Dambrot BADLY wants to win EVERY game.

I actually don't think they are in meltdown mode at all. One thing this team doesn't lack is confidence. I'm just not sure if that's a good or a bad thing right now.

You really can't compare a soccer coach who has a completely different style than our basketball coach. Both are highly effective in their own ways.

Field is Set: 1) AKRON (13-3) 2) BUFFALO (12-4) 3) OHIO (11-5) 4) Can't STATE (10-6) 5) EASTERN MICHIGAN (9-7) 6) BOWLING GREEN (9-7) 7) TOLEDO (7-9) 8) WESTERN MICHIGAN (6-9) 9) BALL STATE (6-10) 10) MIAMI (5-11) 11) CENTRAL MICHIGAN (5-11) 12) NORTHERN ILLINOIS (3-13)

Winning the ORU game might have put us on the bubble for an at-large if we had also won out (which still might have been a long shot). If we don't beat the MAC teams we face in Cleveland, our NCAA hopes are dead. So no, the ORU contest wasn't the most important game they had remaining. Dambrot isn't a bullshitter. Some like him for that (me), some don't (I'm guessing you). Sure, KD could have come out and talked about how the ORU game was the biggest of the season, but he would have been lying. March 9th and 10th are all that matter for this team.

Am I the only one who remembers him actively pushing his team for an at-large bid before the loss to ORU? Things have changed, and KD is being realistic. Let's look at his exact quote from tonight: “I told our guys this: If we win it outright or don’t win it outright. This might sounds like rationalization. I try to win every damn game. If we go to Can't and win, that’s great. If we go into Can't and lose, we still have to win the Tournament. The only thing to gain is the NIT Tournament. It’s a great tournament. The NIT teams are good. I’m not poo-pooing the NIT, but once you’ve been to the NCAA Tournament, that’s what you want. We have to make sure we are ready for that conference tournament." That sounds to me like anything less than getting back to The Dance is a disappointment. Isn't that the truth?

The same Chauncey Gilliam who has started for the majority of the season? That's the one that's not a favorite of KD's?

Tournament is Set: Group A #12 NIU vs #5 EMU #9 BSU vs #8 WMU Group B #10 MIA vs #7 UT #11 CMU vs #6 BG #4 Can't State will play winner of Group A. #1 UA will play the winner of that game. #3 OU will play the winner of Group B. #2 UB will play the winner of that game.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

You're right, he hasn't been coached. Listen, I'll go ahead and say it. Zeke just isn't as good as we thought he'd be. He's a very good player, but not the program-altering type of player that we expected him to be. We can blame coaching (or lack thereof) all we want, but it's not Keith Dambrot down there getting pushed around. It's not Keith Dambrot trying to block every shot into the stands. It's not Keith Dambrot that brought down the same number of rebounds as our point guard tonight. Like I said, Zeke is a very good player and an excellent representative of our university. I love having him as a Zip. And Zeke has the ability to have big games, like last year's championship game. But Zeke is never going to dominate on a consistent basis, and it's not because of lack-of coaching...it's because he's just not good enough to do so.

Serious questions for you... 1) Do you think Dambrot tells Zeke to go out on the perimeter and jump to block shots, or to stay in the paint? 2) Do you think Dambrot is telling the team to share the ball and move it around? Yes or no? 3) Do you think that Dambrot has worked on this in practice with the team? Yes or no?

Isn't it possible Zeke just isn't as good as we thought he'd be?

He certainly could if he wanted to. He doesn't want to.

Am I the only one who sees both the NIT and CBI as a complete failure?

Keith Dambrot isn't going anywhere.

He stuck to his "good old boys"? Who exactly would that be? Is Tree among those? I know that Treadwell played more than McClanahan, almost as many minutes as Nik, and was the focal point of the offense for much of the 18 minutes he was in the ballgame. The Zips didn't lose because of coaching. The Zips lost because: - Quincy Diggs and Chauncey Gilliam combined for 0 points - Alex Abreu had as many rebounds as our 7 foot center - Stupid turnovers and stupid shots when it mattered most. Coaches can only do so much. I'm fairly certain they've told Zeke to stay on his feet and not try to block every shot. I'm pretty sure they've gone through countless box-out drills. I'm positive Brett McClanahan shooting a fadeaway 25 foot three pointer wasn't the play that was drawn up in the huddle. At some point, the players need to execute what they are taught. If you think the players are doing that right now, I'm not sure what to tell you.

My thoughts exactly. Confidence is a good thing, but maybe it was good to get kicked in the teeth tonight as a wake-up call. I can't wait to see their response Wednesday.

I hate to say it, but I'll be cheering for Can't against OU. If OU falls to a #3 or #4 seed, it gives them one more opportunity to slip up.

I think this needs to be re-visited. This isn't an instant reaction either - we just haven't matched up well with them in recent memory. They've now won 4 of our last 5 matchups. I don't think they are a better overall team, but I don't think they're a good matchup for us.

I guess I'm crazy then. Winning the regular season title is a wonderful accomplishment, but it's not the major prize. Can anyone name the last 5 MAC regular season champions without Google? Save the net cutting for Cleveland.

I'm not trying to make too much of something, but I don't want them to cut down the nets for the regular season title. Can't State celebrates regular season titles. I'd make a short announcement, let the players get a little recognition, and then go about their business. Let's wait until March 11th to cut some nets down.