Zips @ EMU

[Dave in Green]

If someone had told me before tonight's game that the Serb would grab 16 rebounds, I would have said the Zips easily win by double digits. But this is a reminder that basketball is not about individual stats. It's about playing together as a team. For whatever reason, the Zips are not playing together as a team. They just can't consistently execute. Doesn't mean they might not catch fire and run the table in the MAC tournament. But with each passing game that's looking more and more like a long shot. It's hard to be optimistic about a MAC East team that is 1-2 against 3 of the weakest teams in the MAC West.

[scottditzen]

Well, we've come a long long long long way since the optimism of facing the Zags in the NCAA's.

Just wow.

[Captain Kangaroo]

17 freaking offensive rebounds and they still get the L!!!!

roberts 4-13 mcness 2-9 mcknight 2-9 mcclanahan 1-4. :puke:

just don't know what to say about this team. KD must be close to having an aneurysm

Has Brett McKnight played well since the Can't game? I'm not trying to pick on him, but it seems like he has been struggling mightily since then.

Brett McKnight 2-9? Who could have predicted that?

[Zip_ME87]

I'm excited about spring soccer.

[johnnyzip84]

To the tune of the Boomtown Rats "I Don't like Mondays"

The silicon chip inside his head

gets switched to overload

Oh and nobodies gonna play hoops today

he's gonna make them stay at home

'cause KD doesn't understand it

he thought this team could be like the rest

and he can see (no reason)

'cause there are (no reasons)

why it might not even rival his best (oh oh oh oh)

tell me why

I don't like Wednesdays

tell me why

I don't like Wednesdays

tell me why

I don't like Wednesdays

the Zips can't sh-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-t

this whole night long

Weird stat of the year: Zips still haven't won a MAC game on Wednesday this season

[GoZips]

Wonderful ... !!!! Just fricking wonderful .... !!!!!

McNees plays 35 minutes. I predicted at the beginning of the season that this team can NOT win with

Steve on the point. Alex plays 13 minutes. So, obviously Steve is on the point. This woe will continue

all season. KD has crawled into his Dan Hipsher shell.

At the Ohio game a friend remarked that the Zips were not playing as a team. The box score shows

that they are no where near being a team. A woeful SEVEN assists to compliment the TWELVE turnovers.

Wonderful, just fricking wonderful.

Its time to play the kids. No one can shoot from the perimeter? Really? Josh Egner got TWO whole

minutes and Dakota got ZERO. Both these kids can launch from Mars let alone downtown. Bardo plays

FIVE minutes? Bardo at least can control the middle, scoring aside. More proof of crawling into the

Dan Hipsher (I can only trust my sons) shell. Pooey.

KD is love with multiple offensive schemes. Junk them and run basic pick-n-rolls and ball screens.

Pound the ball inside. Kick the ball out, etc.

Oh, get their damned paws out of their pockets and up in the air on defense.

Count me as one of the many who are totally P.O.ed at this.

[Blue & Gold]

McNees plays 35 minutes.

His potential game-tying 3 rattled in-and-out (from what I heard). His legs were probably jelly when he tried to shoot the ball.

[Blue & Gold]

Josh Egner got TWO whole

minutes and Dakota got ZERO. Both these kids can launch from Mars let alone downtown.

Egner can hit 3's? I didn't know that was part of the game was in his arsenal.

[Blue & Gold]

KD is love with multiple offensive schemes. Junk them and run basic pick-n-rolls and ball screens.

Pound the ball inside. Kick the ball out, etc.

I agree. I was watching the Clippers-Bulls game last night & I was impressed at how Blake Griffin was always setting screens for his guards. It just reinforced the fact that I don't ever see any of our players set a simple pick for anyone else. Isn't that just basketball 101? Instead, we run an offense (which, to my limited basketball knowledge doesn't even appear to be an offensive set) where we simply pass-pass-pass-pass-pass the ball around the perimiter and finally launch up a 3.

Not gripping. KD and his staff know what they're doing. But everytime we play a slightly athletic team our offense doesn't work because we have to rush our 3's more than normal, and usually end up hitting for a low percentage. We live by the 3, and die by the 3.

[Dr Z]

KD is love with multiple offensive schemes. Junk them and run basic pick-n-rolls and ball screens.

Pound the ball inside. Kick the ball out, etc.

I agree.

+2, I have posted this even when we were winning 20+ games. I have never understood coach K's offense.

Bring it back baby!

[Dave in Green]

It's not fair to pick on any one player, because there is plenty of criticism to be shared among all the players. But it's interesting to revisit the Brett McKnight saga. Most everyone expressed mixed feelings when McKnight was off the team. It was seen as a loss of potential senior leadership as well as the loss of the Zips designated shooter off the bench. The only potential bright side was that Egner and Euton would get more PT which might help them develop more quickly.

We now know with McKnight's return that development of Egner and Euton was put on the back burner. And while it's hard to measure how much senior leadership McKnight brings to the Zips, we can measure how he's done as the designated shooter by looking at his field goal shooting game by game in which he's played since returning to the team:

3-4

1-3

2-4

8-12

3-6

4-7

5-10

4-10

4-8

4-9

3-9

4-15

1-4

2-9

So it's only really the last 4 games where McKnight has been in a shooting slump. Prior to that he was hitting better than 50% of his shots, and the Zips were still not consistent winners.

At the end of the season, we can analyze how much we think McKnight helped the team overall versus what might have been expected from Egner and Euton by the end of the season if they'd had more PT to develop and become contributors.

[Captain Kangaroo]

...and while it's hard to measure how much senior leadership McKnight brings to the Zips

I measured it.

Being suspended for 1/2 of your senior season doesn't show leadership.

[Dr Z]

...and while it's hard to measure how much senior leadership McKnight brings to the Zips

I measured it.

Very scientific. I will have more questions for the CK Meter™ throughout the year.

PS Add a little Zips logo and trademark that thing asap!

[Zips Supporter]

KD is love with multiple offensive schemes. Junk them and run basic pick-n-rolls and ball screens.

Pound the ball inside. Kick the ball out, etc.

I agree. I was watching the Clippers-Bulls game last night & I was impressed at how Blake Griffin was always setting screens for his guards. It just reinforced the fact that I don't ever see any of our players set a simple pick for anyone else. Isn't that just basketball 101? Instead, we run an offense (which, to my limited basketball knowledge doesn't even appear to be an offensive set) where we simply pass-pass-pass-pass-pass the ball around the perimiter and finally launch up a 3.

Not gripping. KD and his staff know what they're doing. But everytime we play a slightly athletic team our offense doesn't work because we have to rush our 3's more than normal, and usually end up hitting for a low percentage. We live by the 3, and die by the 3.

What happens is everyone gets caught up with trying to do their own thing instead of getting a pattern going to whatever makes you feel comfortable. The whole point you just made was clearly demonstrated in the NIU game. Goodness, we were rushing every shot and jacking up 3's the entire 2nd half, just because we were down. NIU played against our man to man very well and knew where to take the ball based on the situation.

Whenever Akron faces a smothering zone defense, like they did against NIU and the Buffalo game, they get too anxious, get out of sync, and have trouble getting the shot they want. Whenever McNees and McClanahan are in the game together, you know half the shots will be 3's because KD hasn't shown many offensive sets to where it can be mixed up. And you have to have several offensive sets especially when you have a team loaded with wing players.

[GP1]

How bad is this team?

Good question. 3-5 in the MAC as of today. Some believed the team would go 10-6 and have another good season. That was not an unreasonable expectation. They need to go 7-1 the rest of the season to go 10-6.

I said a couple of weeks ago that 10-6 was dangerously close to 9-7 or 8-8. 5-3 the remainder of the season would land them at 8-8. I think if they go 8-8 and have an average season everyone would be happy at this point.

There are no injuries on the team that would contribute to this poor performance....just poor everything. They need to string at least two wins in a row in order to get some momentum. Confidence and momentum are the keys to a getting out of a slump. It's up to them. They need to get it done. There is no excuse for this. They can do better.