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I agree. I still think we can possibly get to Thursday, where we would play a Ken+ team that we almost just beat on their home floor. That would get us 2 more wins, and 3 if we beat Ken+. But after that, the mountain gets really, really steep in this format, and playing shorthanded with no rest would seriously be taking it's toll.

Just so we don't allow this to be misleading, we only had to play 4 games in that old format, and everyone else had to play at least 3 games. In today's format, we'll have to play 5 games, and a couple of teams will only have to play as few as 2 games. Playing the 2-game format to win the title was especially helpful to us in 2013 with the sudden loss of Alex. This year, the current format isn't going to be our friend.

And the one that got Deji on what would have been a 3-point play was even worse.

Which means nothing, other than the fact that it's easier to have guys working games in the same region of the country.

Every situation is indeed different for ACL injuries. Because this happened well into the season, being ready to play basketball again with enough time to be ready for the start of next season is going to take some work. Lets just hope this doesn't result in a lost season, like we experienced with J. Wood a few years back.

No, because no formidable competition ever existed for that spot. That's clearly not the case here.

100% Correct. Especially when we are talking about freshman basketball players, I think it's pretty foolish to think that any new player has somehow secured his spot for his entire career. A lot can change with the way people play right now, this coming week, what happens over the next 6 months, and what happens over the next 3 years.

Antino: I am going to be watching, more than ever, his play over the next 1-5 games in the tournament. It seems as if his ability to accelerate on defenders in the paint may be starting to have an effect on our offensive production. He appears to give us a little more than Noah can give us in that department, especially if he continues to become more aware of the right thing to do with the ball once he gets there. I'm not making any argument for him to start, but he makes plays, and darn near played a perfect game on Friday if I take away a few very ill-advised shots he attempted near the basket.

First, I think you get the "Siamese Twin" idea because they are often referenced together, because they are our two wing players. I've often been critical of both of them this season, but I don't see your point in separating them with "one is productive, and one is not". I'm sure you're possibly only looking at scoring, where they are separated by only a little more than a point per game. And that's with Reggie's one 31-point effort figured into that. I love Reggie, but he's come up empty on many occasions this year. And Jake can do some other things for us that Reggie can't do.

It will be interesting to see how far this group can go in the tournament, with so many new parts this year. I think it's amazing that they are the #3 seed. Jodi has obviously done a fine job. It's great that we didn't end up in OUs bracket. That gives us a fighting chance to get to the final.

Does anyone remember either of the announcers ever mentioning the REASON why we were wearing those? They HAD to wonder what was going on.

Regarding the Final Play: 1) First Mistake: With 5 second left, which is enough time for someone to easily run the court, you simply just need to stop the dribbler....earlier...and make him pass the ball. A long jumper would have and should have been Can't's only option, IF time didn't run out. 2) Yes, Kwan should have challenged the shot, regardless of whether he thought it was a travel, but ABSOLUTELY could not foul him. 3) It reminded me of the final play in the 2011 MAC Title Game. The only difference? Zeke was there at the end to block the shot. 4) The officials wouldn't have "decided the game" by calling the travel. It was a tie game. The right call should have been made.

Bottom Line: It was a timely night to hit 48% of our 3-pointers. We absolutely needed it to keep pace, and it resulted in a 48 pt. 2nd half. It's just too bad it didn't result in a win.

Yes, a quick pass to an open player before the 2nd defender can get to the post player (and before a switch can occur) is the perfect scenario. That's why spacing is so important to teams who love to play the inside-out game. On paper, it can work when you have a guy who can pass like Big Dog. The problem is that guys are pretty fast at this level. Good defensive teams would immediately focus on the uncovered player who's defender left him to double team on that side of the court. This is why the open shot out of a double team is often not found until the ball comes out of the double team and is rotated around to the other side of the floor.

Amen. I've seen it too. We definitely need someone to have a great offensive night like that again. Here's a few recent trends to keep in mind: We only scored 61 at home when we beat Can't in early Feb. Since that time, were only scoring in the 50s and 60s, and have only gone over 70 one time (loss @ Eastern). With a depleted offensive lineup, we need an all-out defensive effort to keep Can't somewhere near that 52 point total that we held them to the last time around. And without Pat on the floor, our interior defense will be diminished. We'll need to make that up with some of the other guys getting in those passing lanes. We may be able to get that done with some of the smaller lineups that you will see on the floor tonight.

I don't question whether the effort will be there. I just wonder about the execution. We can hold them to 60 points. I just don't know if we have the personnel and the focus needed right now to score 60+ points.

Again, I haven't said anything about us being screwed. Just pointing out your narrow focus on the shooting fouls. It's actually very rare that I see something that needs to be mentioned in terms of officiating, and it particularly got my attention because it's a significant number, and our coaching staff has obviously boiled over with frustration as well. Having a group of experience players and coaches on our bench who are showing a disregard for whether they are reprimanded or not has some merit. I don't know the last time I heard that kind of reaction. Listening to the postgame was pretty interesting.

No way. I'll take ANY D-1A Bowl Game over 10 CBI appearances.

Or...another Indiana Purdue at Fort Wayne collapse? I think we'll get to 20 by winning at home on Monday, and playing another low seed on Wednesday in Cleveland. After the MAC tourney ends for us, I don't see getting excited about lengthening this frustrating season beyond that point. I'm really gonna miss what used to be the most exciting weekend of the year for me, my family, and friends. And I had already cleared my schedule for next Friday.

Zippy 5....just add in all rebounding, loose balls, screens, and 5 guys holding and making contact with each other throughout the game within the entire length of the court for some perspective. I only tell you this because I get the feeling that you're really committed to the idea that fouls are a result of how many times a team takes shots inside the 3-point arc vs. outside the 3 point arc. Consider every other aspect of the game in which contact takes place as well.

In was in the early 80s, and it was Blue and Yellow. I should take a picture of it and post it here.

If it ended up like this, I think our 2nd round game could possibly be easier than our first. And a Cleveland matchup with Ken+ on Thursday in the Quarterfinals would be cool also. But overall, I hate to say that I'm thinking "miracle" to get this team through 5 straight wins at this point. Depending on our current health/injury situation, hitting the Friday game against a healthy team with a week worth of rest might be comparable to running into a brick wall.

First of all, I only brought this up because the disparity is so large, and because our coaching staff appears frustrated by it, and because our head coach is likely about to get fined for comments. Secondly...to repeat again, I acknowledge that we possibly don't attack the basket to draw more fouls as often as we should. We especially missed that chance when we were in the bonus for a big hunk of the first half last night. But you're clearly know acknowledging all of the aspects of a game where a foul could potentially be called. You seem as if you are focusing on whether a team drives to the basket or shoots jumpers. That's merely a small part of all of the contact and fouling that takes place as part of every game.

I still think you're not reading. That 116 FT differential is for a season, not a game.

A differential of 116 FTs isn't what I would define as "evening itself out"