Zips v. NIU

[MDZip]

I'm hoping this means most folks are at the game, but not even a thread started on the NIU game? 46 points for the Zips at halftime? Think KD might have lit a fire under them?

[#1 rowdy]

I'm sure everyone will be on after the game saying how much faith they had in this team and knew the EMU game was just one game. Probably the same people that said the ceiling falling and gave up hope. This team will be ready when the MAC Tourney comes around. GO ZIPS!

[MDZip]

I want a Zeke double-double and who was it that wanted Darryl Roberts to shoot more? Wow.

[#1 rowdy]

Humpty and C. McKnight seem to be having good games as well. I believe if Humpty wouldn't have been suspended against EMU we would have won that game.

[zippy5]

Humpty and C. McKnight seem to be having good games as well. I believe if Humpty wouldn't have been suspended against EMU we would have won that game.

I believe if humpty wouldn't have been suspended, he wouldn't have played like that tonight

[Captain Kangaroo]

Great bounce-back game, Zips! Back it up on Saturday!

[cms133@uakron.edu]

Good free throw shooting and guards creating baskets for themselves.

[ZachTheZip]

D-Bobby (his idea, not mine) finally started taking shots, and it payed off.

[Let'sGoZips94]

D-Bobby (his idea, not mine) finally started taking shots, and it payed off.

Haha, that was his idea. I saw that on FB. Great bounce back game. I was very hot after last game, but have since cooled down. Dambrot looked like a better coach tonight. He left players in. Heck, Zeke played a ton! Great job Zips! Let's get em Saturday!

[Dave in Green]

I'm hoping this means most folks are at the game, but not even a thread started on the NIU game? 46 points for the Zips at halftime? Think KD might have lit a fire under them?

The hardcore fans were at the game, and the game boycotters are apparently off doing something unrelated to Zips basketball.Hardcore fans were well rewarded for their loyalty by witnessing the Zips play a thoroughly enjoyable and impressive game. While several Zips will get special acknowledgement for their individual efforts, it was very much a team effort. Even the players who weren't hitting their shots or didn't play long minutes were intense and focused while on the floor. As always, there were a few mistakes. But the Zips forced way more mistakes than they made, and the outcome was never in doubt once the Zips began executing consistently.I learned my lesson last year. I was a big cheerleader on this forum while many others were saying the Zips just weren't going to develop into a good team. After a string of mid-season losses, I finally gave in and admitted I doubted them. They immediately rebounded, won several in a row and ultimately won the MAC tournament.Whether they go as far this year as last is hard to predict. But I'm not giving up on them.Just one last thought for MAC referees everywhere:Zeke Marshall is really tall, really quick and really capable of making clean blocks. Every time you call yet another foul on one of his clean blocks, you make a mockery of the MAC, the profession of officiating and the sport of basketball. Please try to look at some game film between games. Use slo-mo from all angles and take good note of how long his arms are, how far away his body is from the shooter's body, and how his palm is extended face down. The only contact inititated by Zeke is with the ball. Maybe once you've seen it in slo-mo you'll realize it's not a foul the next time you see it in real time.

[bandzip]

Does this mean I can't stretch out on the empty bandwagon seats anymore?

[The Hip Zip]

Solid effort ! Silas was held in check and the defense was terrific other than the sloppy ending. Roberts gets his touch back and Humpty was fantastic on both ends of the floor. The pass he made to Conyers leading to a slam was a thing of beauty.Time to head west and kick some ass !

[Quickzips]

I've been computer-less for a few days after a power cord issue. Definitly missed a lot of discussion on here. Personally, I'm trying not to get too high or too low on this team. The EMU game showed probably the worst of us, NIU one of our best. The law of averages says that our team overall lies somewhere in between.Personally, I believe this team needs to play with a bit of an edge. Tonight they came out focused and maybe even a bit angry after the EMU game and it showed. Against EMU they looked disinterested. The body language was absolutely horrible. Particularly Nik who looked frustrated all night and Roberts who I thought looked like he would have rather been anywhere than on the court. Zips fans got the rare opportunity these last two games to see the exact value of one of their players. Without Humpty, the Zips backcourt was below average on both ends of the floor and it made things much more difficult for us inside without a guy like Humpty who has the ability to slash into the lane and collapse a defense. With Humpty our backcourt looked quite good. Humpty was even bringing the ball up the court more than I remember at other times this year. Definitly something I think we need more of.KD needs to keep his rotation cut back to 9, Humpty, McNees, Roberts, McClanahan, Conyers, B.McKnight, C.McKnight, Nikola and Zeke. Do Bardo and Steward deserve 5-10 minutes a game? Probably, but trying to get 11 guys minutes is just too much to ask. At this point in the season a 9 man rotation is probably in the best interest of the Zips.Zeke needs to start the game. He didn't look good at all the few games he came off the bench. Some guys are able to come off the bench and even excel in that role, it doesn't look like Zeke is that kind of guy. He needs to be on the floor from the get go and his leesh needs to be a little longer. Tonight KD left him in after the first timeout despite turning it over on a possession because he was dribbling the ball down low too long. That little bit of confidence from KD seemed to give Zeke some extra confidence in himself and he played much better. That said, he still has a way to go, particularly on the offensive end. He tends to go back and forth between rushing up wild shots and taking his time too much and getting the ball stripped. Loved seeing his aggression on the boards tonight though.

[The Hip Zip]

I've been computer-less for a few days after a power cord issue. Definitly missed a lot of discussion on here. Personally, I'm trying not to get too high or too low on this team. The EMU game showed probably the worst of us, NIU one of our best. The law of averages says that our team overall lies somewhere in between.Personally, I believe this team needs to play with a bit of an edge. Tonight they came out focused and maybe even a bit angry after the EMU game and it showed. Against EMU they looked disinterested. The body language was absolutely horrible. Particularly Nik who looked frustrated all night and Roberts who I thought looked like he would have rather been anywhere than on the court. Zips fans got the rare opportunity these last two games to see the exact value of one of their players. Without Humpty, the Zips backcourt was below average on both ends of the floor and it made things much more difficult for us inside without a guy like Humpty who has the ability to slash into the lane and collapse a defense. With Humpty our backcourt looked quite good. Humpty was even bringing the ball up the court more than I remember at other times this year. Definitly something I think we need more of.KD needs to keep his rotation cut back to 9, Humpty, McNees, Roberts, McClanahan, Conyers, B.McKnight, C.McKnight, Nikola and Zeke. Do Bardo and Steward deserve 5-10 minutes a game? Probably, but trying to get 11 guys minutes is just too much to ask. At this point in the season a 9 man rotation is probably in the best interest of the Zips.Zeke needs to start the game. He didn't look good at all the few games he came off the bench. Some guys are able to come off the bench and even excel in that role, it doesn't look like Zeke is that kind of guy. He needs to be on the floor from the get go and his leesh needs to be a little longer. Tonight KD left him in after the first timeout despite turning it over on a possession because he was dribbling the ball down low too long. That little bit of confidence from KD seemed to give Zeke some extra confidence in himself and he played much better. That said, he still has a way to go, particularly on the offensive end. He tends to go back and forth between rushing up wild shots and taking his time too much and getting the ball stripped. Loved seeing his aggression on the boards tonight though.

Pretty well stated, When Humpty runs the point we just seem to have much more energy on the floor. I also agree with having Zeke on the floor and starting the game as well. As soon as he sat tonight NIU went right to the hole, feeding #41. That ended when Zeke came back in. It doesn't show up in the box score but his presence alone disrupts the opposing offense.

[RACER]

zeke needs to get more pt.i the guy is not going to get better sitting on the pine.when zeke is in the game teams are lesslike to go inside.this is something that does not show up on stats.i realize you have to earn your playing time.bardo is not going to do what zeke does so why not give the min to zeke.plus zeke is a good passer which is another weapon.we know what this team can do when zeke was not here.our biggest players is nik at 6-8,and chris at 6-7.while those guys are solid players they don't scare anybody like marshall does.

[vmd9]

zeke needs to get more pt.i the guy is not going to get better sitting on the pine.when zeke is in the game teams are lesslike to go inside.this is something that does not show up on stats.i realize you have to earn your playing time.bardo is not going to do what zeke does so why not give the min to zeke.plus zeke is a good passer which is another weapon.we know what this team can do when zeke was not here.our biggest players is nik at 6-8,and chris at 6-7.while those guys are solid players they don't scare anybody like marshall does.

I agree 100% and every game it becomes more evident. Bardo is tall but he hurts us, he can't play defense. He is either running around lost or ducking out of the way when the opposing team drives to the hoop. This is why the guy got dunked on! Now Zeke started the game very strong, so you know what KD decided to do, put his ass on the bench, WHY? he had like 5-6 rebounds in the first 5 min and made a few lay-ups. I was sure he'd get a double-double, but you can't do that on the bench.

[jhbengals07]

Great job tonight Zips! Wish we could have used some of that offense vs. EMU. Although it sucks we lost the EMU game, it provided a wake up call for this team. 90 points...impressive. MAC refs were surprisingly good, but I expect them to get back on track the next game. Only thing they really messed up on was Zeke's clean blocks, there is a no way Zeke should of had 4 fouls.To KD I got to say when your winning by 20+ points with 2 minutes left, you can put "Line 3" in aka Sweich, Carroll, etc. These players work hard and practice like all the rest, there is no reason to risk injury when the score is lopsided late, nor is there a reason to deprive these players there few opportunities after all their hard work.

[Dr Z]

Nice photos by Phil Masturzo on Beacon Journal website.

[johnnyzip84]

Great pics! Thanks for borrowing them, Doc. Wasn't Nik called for a foul on that play?

[Zip Watcher]

Great pics! Thanks for borrowing them, Doc. Wasn't Nik called for a foul on that play?

I think so .. and if memory serves, I think he was a little displeased with the call.

[bigzipguy]

Happy about the win. BUT A LITTLE CONCERN: On postgame, Frenchie stated that this was the third time Huskies have given up 90+ points this year. That includes 99 given up at home to OU. Maybe our scoring was as good as appears??

[Captain Kangaroo]

Happy about the win. BUT A LITTLE CONCERN: On postgame, Frenchie stated that this was the third time Huskies have given up 90+ points this year. That includes 99 given up at home to OU. Maybe our scoring was as good as appears??

K.e.n.t. beat them by 30-points a couple nights ago. NIU isn't on a roll.That said - For the first time in a couple games, the Zips took care of business. I think we hit rock-bottom on Monday. I look for a rejuvenated Zips team over the next couple weeks.Going one step further - I hope the Zips go into the VCU game with something to prove. We have never won a marquee Bracket Buster game. This is the team's chance to prove they're essentially the same team that went to the Big Dance only a little over 10 months ago. And to achieve something that Travis, Joyce, Dials and Linhart couldn't do.

[Dave in Green]

He tends to go back and forth between rushing up wild shots and taking his time too much and getting the ball stripped.

I agree with most of what you have to say about Zeke except the part about rushing up wild shots. I think it's important that he use quickness to his advantage against the slower bigs who guard him. He absolutely needs a quick release, which is not the same as rushing up wild shots. As for wildness, I commented during the game that Zeke's shooting percentage is going up, and he only infrequently has a bad miss in more recent games. Most of his misses now are at least finding the rim and bouncing around, with a possibility of falling through. So I would say that the instances of Zeke rushing up a wild shot are now pretty rare, and no longer a serious issue.As for the photo of Nik's block, it would clearly demonstrate to MAC refs that they were correct. Please note the proximity of Nik's thumbnail to the shooter's middle fingernail. Only MAC refs have the eyesight and confidence to call that a foul. Likewise, in the photo of Zeke's attempted block, can there be any doubt that Zeke's little fingernail brushed the shooter's ring fingernail a fraction of a second after this photo was taken?Flagrant stuff to be sure if you're a MAC ref.

[Dr Z]

Wasn't Nik called for a foul on that play?

Pictures are worth a thousand...you know the saying. My favorite is when they slow it down and zoom in on NB-See tv to see if the nose of the ball touches the ground. That never gets old to me, going back and forth, back and forth... Here is an image taken from the six photos above of each players arms, is the true frosh out working these guys in the weight room?

[ejcool27]

The one thing I noticed from the game was Zeke's new Free Throw shot.....It's GOOD not whatever the crazy thing he use to do....He might actually shoot 70 to 80% with that kind of shot!! which will go be good when we start pounding him down low!