Zips vs OU

[RootforRoo44]

Anybody know anything about Ronnie's condition? I just think he is the best ball handler on the team. I like Hitchens and he will have big games but he is also a little more turnover prone than Steward from what I have seen (in their limited Akron time but also from what I saw both of them do in high school). If the Zips had just taken A LITTLE BETTER care of the ball in these close losses I think we'd all be pretty satisfied right now.Still, gutsy comeback last night in one of the toughest venues we play in. This is a good sign for the future. Now, let's take care of business at home Saturday then hopefully play well against YSU and the MAC West squads.

The word is Ronnie will be available by the YSU game.

[Captain Kangaroo]

..... Zips were outscored 16-4 in the Miami OT. And 12-4 in the OU OT. Getting to OT is nice...but you gotta at least show up once you get there. .....

Where did you come up with that?First, the Zips were outscored in the OU OT 14-9, not 12-4.Second, there was absolutely no comparison with the Miami OT. Miami dominated OT from beginning to end. The Zips took the lead early in OT against Ohio, and led halfway through OT. Only at the end of OT did they fall behind and have to foul to get the ball back.

Sorry - at 11:30pm my attention to detail sometimes erodes. I will re-phrase:In the final five minutes of the Miami game (OT) we were outscored 16-4. Similarly - In the final 3 minutes of the OU game (OT), were were outscored 12-3 (Zips led 62-58, and ended up losing 70-65).You say there's absolutely no comparison. From my point of view the losses are almost identical...we can't score to close-out these tight games. But, the opponent seems to do so with ease. Whether they do it via lay ups or from the foul line doesn't matter.Sorry for the confusion.

[RACER]

i think the one point people are missing is how many min humpty is playing.when you get tired you make silly mistakes. kd is playing him to many min.hopefully we will get our other pg guard back.i am not saying that is the complete reason humpty is playing bad,but i am sure it's a factor.fans need to remember this kid was in high school last year.hopefully kd can cut his min with steward back soon.if the zips can beat Can't this week we are right back in the race.a loss to Can't though,and the zips are in trouble.i still think this team can string a few wins together against the west teams.

[Dave in Green]

CK, I get the point you're trying to make. Setting aside the fact that the Zips fought back from a much bigger deficit and did not immediately collapse in overtime, the end result was the same. Ignoring the concept of progress, the two OT games were virtually identical.Some see shades of gray where others see only black and white.

[Captain Kangaroo]

CK, I get the point you're trying to make. Setting aside the fact that the Zips fought back from a much bigger deficit and did not immediately collapse in overtime, the end result was the same. Ignoring the concept of progress, the two OT games were virtually identical.Some see shades of gray where others see only black and white.

You are correct. Is playing Miami toe-to-toe for 40 minutes better than playing OU like garbage for 30 minutes, then great for 10 minutes? Is falling apart like wet toilet paper with 3 minutes remaining better than doing so with 5 minutes to go?It all depends upon your perspective. In the end, Zips fans are again left with the question "Which of our losses was more impressive?"

[tbozeglav]

In the end, Zips fans are again left with the question "Which of our losses was more impressive?"

answer: neither.Plain and simple, they couldn't get it done when it mattered most. Doesn't matter how they played the entire game, when it all was on the line, they couldn't make the shots they needed to make. To me, neither of those losses is more "impressive" than the other because they are both losses. They very easily could have been victories, but alas weren't. As a fan, I'm really left with the question of whether this team has the drive to make any kind of late-season push to make it somewhere in the MAC tourney.

[Zips Win!]

It all depends upon your perspective. In the end, Zips fans are again left with the question "Which of our losses was more impressive?"

That's an easy one! OU was far more impressive. Honestly, I was stunned that a player with over 100 games played would have 2 turnovers, a freshman-like foul and a air-ball-three-pointer down the stretch. Good grief!I also find it impressive that we have nice stretches of great defense and even better defensive rebounding and then in a flush, we can't grab a defensive rebound to save our life. We did this at BG and then again yesterday at OU.We've enjoyed four consecutive double-digit win regular seasons in the MAC over the last for years, yet couldn't finish the deal in the MAC tournament. Here's hoping that this team with a lesser record will improve down the stretch and find a way to play it's best ball and find a way to win their games on March 10th, 12th, 13th and 14th.

[skip-zip]

UAZipsMan...I have to agree with you that neither loss is any better than the other. However, like I said during football season, you do get a sense that at least your team is competitive when you play games this close. If these first few conference games were all 20 point losses, players could easily resign themselves to the idea that they stink, and the entire season could crumble from there. The late game failures are sometimes tough on players, but I really believe (and hope) that these guys have the mindset to see that they're not a unreachable distance away from being a good team. I will even personally state that I am somewhat surprised that either the Miami or OU road games, or both, did not result in a loss by a much wider margin. Who knows....maybe everything will finally click during one magic weekend in Cleveland.

[Captain Kangaroo]

I will even personally state that I am somewhat surprised that either the Miami or OU road games, or both, did not result in a loss by a much wider margin.

One reason we were so close could be neither Miami or OU is all that much better than us?We were right there with Buffalo, OU and Miami until the very end...then we went cold, lost composure, and lost the games. Because of our youth, and heavy reliance on defense, we're going to be in a lot of close games this year - I don't think were capable of blowing many teams out of the gym. Hopefully we pull one out soon and the kids get some much-needed confidence. That's really what we're lacking. I saw Humpty in the state finals. He's got the ability to play with anyone. But he's driving the lane against 23 year old men as opposed to 10th graders from Bucyrus. That's a big jump."The best thing about Freshmen is they become Sophomores."

[Dave in Green]

Each one may be different, but a loss is still a loss. I'm not interested in "which of our losses was more impressive." I'm interested in how players and teams respond to different situations. I'm interested in whether or not they show enough potential in close losses that there is reasonable hope that they might grow enough to produce a different result if faced with similar situations later in the season. Teams that are consistently blown out with no signs of improvement are hopeless. There's always hope that a team that plays close games before losing can learn to take the final step and close out close games. But there are no guarantees. All you can do is look for little signs and make your best guess.

[skip-zip]

Captain...yes, the Buffalo game was close also, but not a road game. Lets hope that, even in down years, that nobody is ever able to beat us by a wide margin at home. Dave..I totally agree. Playing in close games should motivate our guys to take that next step to get good enough to win those games the next time. But I've seen it demoralize teams as well. We'll see how we respond to the situation.

[RACER]

i don't get where the zips can't close games.i guess beating bg on the road does not count.everybody reambers the losses,but forget we are still over.500. the game coming up with Can't is huge.if we can win then we go play the mac west.i realize there are no guarentee's,but none of the teams in the west are as good as ou/miami.we played probably the four best teams in the mac.after the next ten games if the zips are under .500 hundred then i will worry.

[skip-zip]

Racer...please don't forget something. We keep hearing posters talk about how we'll pad our win total against the West teams. But everyone else in the East will be playing those same teams. Barring some major upsets, it will all be a wash. You have to beat East teams..period.

[Captain Kangaroo]

i don't get where the zips can't close games.

I agree. It is all a big lie. The Zips have proven they can finish-out a game with the best of them. We are playing rock-solid basketball in the last 3 minutes of tight games. It is difficult to find any room for improvement.

[GJGood]

Racer...please don't forget something. We keep hearing posters talk about how we'll pad our win total against the West teams. But everyone else in the East will be playing those same teams. Barring some major upsets, it will all be a wash. You have to beat East teams..period.

I agree but if they are successful against the West it will still likely build more confidence and experience which is critical to young teams even moreso than to veteran ones. Plus, no matter where this team finishes compared to other East teams if their record is good enough a postseason tourney like the CBI will at least take a look at the Zips barring a MAC tourney title.

[skip-zip]

GJ...I'll agree with you on one point...that the MAC West games could possibly give us opportunities to work on some things, and get ready for the 2nd half of the MAC East schedule. But, my point was that everyone will play the West teams, and it is not likely to give anyone in the East an advantage once that segment of our schedule is complete. I'll disagree with you on another point. Many of those MAC West teams are rated so poorly that winning those games won't matter much in terms of at-large bids to post season tournaments. Remember, we got snubbed from all post season play two years ago with a 26-6 record. And with 7 losses already, do you really think we still have a shot at being an at-large selection to any post season tournament? I think we're almost already at the point where we have to win nearly all of our remaining games, and 2-3 games in the MAC tournament, just to have a chance.