BG Game

[Zip Watcher]

Not going to analyze this game in depth. A crappy loss that comes at a bad time. When the team starts to take advantage of these types of opportunities, it will have taken another step towards being a great team. Until then, the Zips are a good team.After several hours of staying away from posting .. the following is the main thing that stuck with me throughout the day:Everyone has a bad day at the office. I know I do. And I'm pretty sure that KD & company had a bad day Sunday. I think they got abused by Louis Orr & staff for most of the 40 minutes. The Zips complete inability to get the Falcons out of the 2-3 zone for the whole game is a failure of the staff in my opinion. It's strategery .. not just the guys not making shots.The Zips shot a horrible percentage because they got themselves very few open looks. Nearly everything was contested. Props to Louis Orr and the Falcons for executing a masterful defensive game plan. But I think it also points to KD's inability on this day to make an adjustment to get better looks. The Zips struggled tremendously all afternoon. All of them .. players & coaches included.I also agree with the comment that it appears KD threw the McKnights under the bus in the postgame. They played with heart today. They played hard .. the effort wasn't really questionable. It didn't appear to me that the coaching made the same efforts to alter the path of what was a pretty winnable game. I think KD embarrasses himself by doing that in the post game.Finally, no matter how many season ending injuries Nikola had in this game .. pinning him to the bench for the last 10 minutes (or whatever it was) may have been the dagger today. He showed an ability to get the ball to the rim this afternoon .. or get fouled. After his shoulder ding & roll around, it was clear that KD wasn't going to play him. I do think that Nik has to show some toughness .. but that can be addressed after the game. Fact is, he was one of the few players having an efficient game .. and not having him out there late hurt the Zips' chances. It appeared to me that he wanted to back out there .. and was told otherwise.This was one BAD game .. ONE .. I'm in agreement w/ KD that the Zips can bounce back. I hope that means all of them. Players and staff. And I hope that includes more than one way to try and crack a 2-3 zone. Attacking the zone might help next time. Any coach that faces the Zips in the next 5+ games who also owns a video player ought to be preparing a 2-3 zone for the Zips. At the moment, it's not clear they can handle it.Despite today's frustration .. both the regular season and tournament titles are within the reach of the Zips. Let's support them as they chase it down.Go Zips!! B)

[plowerman78]

geesh i got called out on BGSU's forum, I guess not everyone likes big pimpin!!!

[Bleacher Bum]

geesh i got called out on BGSU's forum, I guess not everyone likes big pimpin!!!

I still like Big Pimpin'!

[Blue & Gold]

Btw, I just read KD's post game comments concerning the McKnights and I didn't get the feeling he was throwing them under the proverbial bus. I thought he was just being matter-of-fact that the McKnight bros. both had below average performances, that sometimes that happens, that sometimes the ball doesn't fall and that it probably wouldn't happen again. And I was always a pretty psychologically sensitive athlete - I always needed encourament from a coach. But if I was one of the McKnight bros I wouldn't take offense to what KD said.

[Dr Z]

Zeke Marshall where aaaarrrreeee yoooouuu.I know he's not the only answer to our prayers, but for a majority of that game we were being heavily out rebounded.

Since I have been critical of Bardo's rebounding, I have to give him props when he shows some hope.About 14 minutes left in the second half, Bardo made a rebound. Best rebound I ever seen him make. Study what you did right Mike, and do it 7 more times a game, we will win the MAC tourney. I will be watching.

[Dave in Green]

Bardo had 5 rebounds in 14 minutes, which wasn't bad. But, as happened last week, he was once again a few feet from the basket with no defender between him and the rim, and he flipped the ball up and missed. As I posted here last week, there is no reason for a 6-10 player not to go all the way to the rim and slam the ball straight down in a situation like this. It's not grandstanding. It's taking the higher percentage shot. A slam dunk can also fire up a team, and the Zips sure needed firing up in this game.I guess this proves the Zips coaching staff and players do not rely on my services as a consultant.

[pdt1420]

Bardo had 5 rebounds in 14 minutes, which wasn't bad. But, as happened last week, he was once again a few feet from the basket with no defender between him and the rim, and he flipped the ball up and missed. As I posted here last week, there is no reason for a 6-10 player not to go all the way to the rim and slam the ball straight down in a situation like this. It's not grandstanding. It's taking the higher percentage shot. A slam dunk can also fire up a team, and the Zips sure needed firing up in this game.I guess this proves the Zips coaching staff and players do not rely on my services as a consultant.

I only caught the second half... but I was pleasently surprised by Bardo's effort. I thought it was a nice, efficient half for him.I agree on this though: we need a dunker. Somebody who throws it down every chance they get. I hope Zeke is more Dwight Howard than Ilgauskas.

[Blue & Gold]

I'm with you, Dave in Green. I can never understand it when big men don't dunk! I'm only 5'8" and used to be able to almost dunk a volleyball. Dunk the freaking ball! Of course, being only 5'8" I was always pretty coordinated, which can be much more difficult for someone a foot taller than me. I understand that. But none-the-less, they are D-1 scholarship basketball players who work on their games everyday. Nothing frustrates me more than big men who don't attack the rim hard and don't want to just absolutely crush it home and tear the thing down!

[Zip Watcher]

What frustrated me a bunch yesterday was that Bardo and Nik were the 2 guys that BG was leaving alone on the baseline. We got them the ball a few times to good results .. but didn't go back to it very much. One or 2 more times down there might have been the difference maker.

[Zips Win!]

Not going to analyze this game in depth. A crappy loss that comes at a bad time. When the team starts to take advantage of these types of opportunities, it will have taken another step towards being a great team. Until then, the Zips are a good team.After several hours of staying away from posting .. the following is the main thing that stuck with me throughout the day:Everyone has a bad day at the office. I know I do. And I'm pretty sure that KD & company had a bad day Sunday. I think they got abused by Louis Orr & staff for most of the 40 minutes. The Zips complete inability to get the Falcons out of the 2-3 zone for the whole game is a failure of the staff in my opinion. It's strategery .. not just the guys not making shots.The Zips shot a horrible percentage because they got themselves very few open looks. Nearly everything was contested. Props to Louis Orr and the Falcons for executing a masterful defensive game plan. But I think it also points to KD's inability on this day to make an adjustment to get better looks. The Zips struggled tremendously all afternoon. All of them .. players & coaches included.I also agree with the comment that it appears KD threw the McKnights under the bus in the postgame. They played with heart today. They played hard .. the effort wasn't really questionable. It didn't appear to me that the coaching made the same efforts to alter the path of what was a pretty winnable game. I think KD embarrasses himself by doing that in the post game.Finally, no matter how many season ending injuries Nikola had in this game .. pinning him to the bench for the last 10 minutes (or whatever it was) may have been the dagger today. He showed an ability to get the ball to the rim this afternoon .. or get fouled. After his shoulder ding & roll around, it was clear that KD wasn't going to play him. I do think that Nik has to show some toughness .. but that can be addressed after the game. Fact is, he was one of the few players having an efficient game .. and not having him out there late hurt the Zips' chances. It appeared to me that he wanted to back out there .. and was told otherwise.This was one BAD game .. ONE .. I'm in agreement w/ KD that the Zips can bounce back. I hope that means all of them. Players and staff. And I hope that includes more than one way to try and crack a 2-3 zone. Attacking the zone might help next time. Any coach that faces the Zips in the next 5+ games who also owns a video player ought to be preparing a 2-3 zone for the Zips. At the moment, it's not clear they can handle it.Despite today's frustration .. both the regular season and tournament titles are within the reach of the Zips. Let's support them as they chase it down.Go Zips!! B)

For once we actually watched the same game as I agree with your game analysis. However, to say it was one bad game is just not accurate. While Sunday's game was really bad, there have been several others throughout the season. Losing a 5th game in one season where you have the lead in the last couple minutes of the game is downright depressing...and a very bad omen.Calling out the McKnight's may not have been the prudent thing to do and I was surprised that KD did. But maybe, just maybe everyone who played on Sunday should have been called out. They all need to wake up and realize what's at stake. No more excuses-youth, inexperience, one senior, wait until Zeke-The MAC is available for the taking this year. Just do it.Sunday was yet another example in a long list of UA athletics meltdowns (football included) where destiny was in our control and we crapped down our leg. A nice crowd on a Sunday afternoon, a first place finish in the MAC in sight, a number 1 seed in the MAC tournament, an automatic NIT bid to fall back on, and we found a way to lose. Nothing like crying in my beer at BW's afterwards...how many times have I done that?The next coach, administrator, fan or poster that questions why our crowds are pathetic, can look no further than to Sunday's outcome. Win one of these and they may come(back).

[Zip Watcher]

However, to say it was one bad game is just not accurate. While Sunday's game was really bad, there have been several others throughout the season. Losing a 5th game in one season where you have the lead in the last couple minutes of the game is downright depressing...and a very bad omen.

Agreed on your comment. My point above is that the team & fans need to move forward, learn from this and move onwards and upwards. It only counts as one in the loss column. There are still 2 games left .. both winnable. This loss doesn't change those games.

Calling out the McKnight's may not have been the prudent thing to do and I was surprised that KD did. But maybe, just maybe everyone who played on Sunday should have been called out. They all need to wake up and realize what's at stake. No more excuses-youth, inexperience, one senior, wait until Zeke-The MAC is available for the taking this year. Just do it.

Agreed. Opportunity remains there. Sunday made it a bit harder .. but the opportunity exists. Seize the frickin day!Go Zips! B)

[Dave in Green]

Both Elton Alexander and Tom Gaffney have good stories on the game that pretty much match the sentiments expressed in this forum. I think the following two paragraphs in EA's story sum up the fans' frustration:As for Akron (18-11, 9-5 MAC), after playing with calm and composure one game earlier to gain a first-place tie, the Zips withered down the stretch with missed shots from point-blank range and fan complaints for invisible fouls. The last miss of a layup by Akron junior Chris McKnight was rebounded by BG with plenty of time to play.Instead of an instant foul, the Zips collectively stood while the home crowd was begging for a foul that never happened. The Falcons (17-11, 10-4) alertly tossed a full-court pass to a streaking Brian Moten for the game-sealing hoop.When a sports writer refers to "invisible fouls," it's a good sign that the fans were not imagining the refs' performance. But the part about the Zips collectively standing instead of immediately committing the foul was just the last of many mistakes that sealed the loss. http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/in..._they_do_f.htmlhttp://www.ohio.com/sports/zips/40522282.htmlI just want to add that I make mistakes every day and get frustrated with myself. In spite of my frustration that the Zips are not more consistent, I still like this team a lot, and will be supporting them to the end. I already have my ticket for the MAC tournament, and will be there every day. I sincerely believe they can win the MaC tournament as long as they are learning from their mistakes, and play with all their hearts and all their smarts.

[bandzip]

Bardo had 5 rebounds in 14 minutes, which wasn't bad. But, as happened last week, he was once again a few feet from the basket with no defender between him and the rim, and he flipped the ball up and missed. As I posted here last week, there is no reason for a 6-10 player not to go all the way to the rim and slam the ball straight down in a situation like this. It's not grandstanding. It's taking the higher percentage shot. A slam dunk can also fire up a team, and the Zips sure needed firing up in this game.I guess this proves the Zips coaching staff and players do not rely on my services as a consultant.

I'm usually a Bardo basher. Even though he missed a couple of easy shots yesterday I have to say he was being far more aggressive on the rebounds and he was sprinting from one end of the court to the other. He's showing more effort, now if someone would just tell him to reach up and put the ball in the hoop every once in a while we would be in good shape.

[johnnyzip84]

One mistake I felt KD and staff made in a key situation was when Humpty went stumbled to the floor near about the 2:30 mark. Of course, if he gets to his feet it's a travel (which he did). But why didn't the staff call a TO then? We still had three left. I'm not dwelling on it....there are plenty of reasons why the Zips lost (most of which have already been stated). It's just that I was screaming TO when Humpty was stuck.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Coming into the post-game stuff late, I'll add the following -Tack this loss up as yet another opportunity lost in the fight to win the heart of Joe Akron. Great home crowd (BTW - Someone PLEASE tell me how the BG game crowd was 3,175 and the recent Miami attendance was 3,710), battle for 1st place, NIT bid essentially on-the-line (all that stuff ZipsWin said), regional television... and we laid a 48-point egg.

We got average to below-average performances from two of our best guys, the McKnight brothers (Brett and Chris).

I don't think that's overly critical. Chris McKnight was 1-4 in 24 minutes. Brett McKnight was 1-9 in 29 minutes. Both were non-factors in this immensely important contest, and both put up soft efforts when they had a chance to put the Zips up late. Both McKnights played S-O-F-T. There's no other way to put it.A few weeks ago KD stated he was grooming McClanahan to take over Linhart's role next season. I think he's got a great head start in the turnover department. He had 3, but his "mentor" had 4. They also had similar stats for the 3-point line, going 1-5 and 0-4 respectively. I appreciate Nate's effort as much as anyone, but every time he lobs an ill-advised pass...it kills me. And he's done it a lot in the last two games (team-leading 9 turnovers in the last 2 games). M-V-P = Most Velocity-challenged Passes.Jimmy C - The next time you're open at the 3-point line...pass it. 4-22 on the season from beyond the arc.This team can rip your heart out because, when they play well you can see their potential (like vs. Miami)...then the next game, you see what they truly are, which is a group of talented, yet very young kids without a true "money player" to bank on in tight games. Hat's off to BG. I don't think they're more talented than us, but they were a better team than us on Sunday for certain.

[BirdZip]

Despite today's frustration .. both the regular season and tournament titles are within the reach of the Zips.

I tried to run through the tie-breakers with the possible match-ups and outocmes but ran out of time. Doesn't look likely but perhaps still possible to pull out a regular season title. Perhaps we need the 4-way tie to get us there (UA, BUF, MIA, BG all at 11-5).EDIT: Nevermind, looks like Miami wins that tie-breaker.

Sunday was yet another example in a long list of UA athletics meltdowns (football included) where destiny was in our control and we crapped down our leg.

It is now officially a Zips basketball season as the "crap down their leg" reference has appeared!

[Captain Kangaroo]

Sunday was yet another example in a long list of UA athletics meltdowns (football included) where destiny was in our control and we crapped down our leg.

It is now officially a Zips basketball season as the "crap down their leg" reference has appeared!

Can it appear again?If people could distance themselves from the Singletary cheap shot for a second...we blew that game. K.e.n.t. kicked our asses in the paint. K.e.n.t. hit the big shots. K.e.n.t. had guys step up when they needed to.The Zips choked the game away with a terrible final 5 minutes. Again.Chris McKnight - 1 point? Where was Linhart in the 2nd half? Brett McKnight - 6 shots? Steve Nees? To quote John Wooden - "Activity doesn't necessarily mean achievement" - Get a purpose to all that crazy dribbling!Why did we redshirt "poise" in 2008-9? We needed it.

[RootforRoo44]

Sunday was yet another example in a long list of UA athletics meltdowns (football included) where destiny was in our control and we crapped down our leg.

It is now officially a Zips basketball season as the "crap down their leg" reference has appeared!

Can it appear again?If people could distance themselves from the Singletary cheap shot for a second...we blew that game. K.e.n.t. kicked our asses in the paint. K.e.n.t. hit the big shots. K.e.n.t. had guys step up when they needed to.The Zips choked the game away with a terrible final 5 minutes. Again.Chris McKnight - 1 point? Where was Linhart in the 2nd half? Brett McKnight - 6 shots? Steve Nees? To quote John Wooden - "Activity doesn't necessarily mean achievement" - Get a purpose to all that crazy dribbling!Why did we redshirt "poise" in 2008-9? We needed it.

What we need is a coach that understands how to win games in the final minutes. It seems that KD just doesnt see that running a slow developing play when up by 5 points with a few minutes left doesnt seal the win unless you not only take time off the clock but also score a freaking point! My god, just pound it inside to the big men and force one up and draw the foul. Stop settling for late in the shot clock bad shots.

[tbozeglav]

A week or two ago we're praising KD for what he has accomplished with this program, now we're calling him out because he can't run a late-game offense. What has this place come to?

[Zip Watcher]

It doesn't diminish what he has & continues to do for the program. These are observations regarding taking the next step. He's on the doorstep of a MAC title EVERY YEAR. To win it .. the team, players & coaches included, may need to improve to get over the hump. That's all.No one here is doubting his impact .. but everyone wants a title, right? KD included.Go Zips!! B)