MAC Tourney If Today (Post-02/05/11 games)

[plowerman78]

MAC Tourney If Today (Post-02/05/11 games):

First Round (Campus Sites): Tuesday, March 8, 2011

GM 1: 12. Toledo (1-8 ) @ 5. Buffalo (6-3)* – TBA

GM 2: 11. EMU (3-6)#% @ 6. WMU (5-3) – TBA

GM 3: 10. NIU (3-6)#% @ 7. Ohio (4-5)$ – TBA

GM 4: 9. CMU (3-6)# @ 8. Akron (4-5)$ – TBA

Quarterfinals (Cleveland): Thursday, March 10, 2011

GM 5: 1. Can't (6-2) – East Champ vs. Winner GM 4 – 12:00pm (STO)

GM 6: 2. BSU (6-3) – West Champ vs. Winner GM 3 – 30 mins after end of GM 5 (approx 2:30pm) (STO)

GM 7: 3. BGSU (6-3)* vs. Winner GM 2 – 7:00pm (STO)

GM 8: 4. Miami (6-3)* vs. Winner GM 1 – 30 mins after end of GM 7 (approx 9:30pm) (STO)

Semifinals (Cleveland): Friday, March 11, 2011

GM 9: Winner GM 5 vs. Winner GM 8 – 7pm (STO)

GM 10: Winner GM 6 vs. Winner GM 7 – 30 mins after end of GM 7 (approx 9:30pm) (STO)

Finals (Cleveland): Saturday, March 12, 2011

GM 11: Winner GM 9 vs. Winner GM 10 – 6:00pm (ESPN2)

* Head-2-head, BGSU is 2-0, Miami is 1-1, and Buffalo is 0-2.

$ Ohio beat Akron head-2-head..

# Head-2-head, EMU, CMU, and NIU are all 1-1. CMU has best winning % vs. highest ranked opponent -> #7 Ohio.

% NIU beat EMU head-2-head

MAC Tiebreaker Information:

http://mac-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPS...p;ATCLID=741859

Tourney Front Page:

http://mac-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_...CRIBER_CONTENT=

Tourney Bracket:

https://admin.xosn.com/downloads2/398514.pd...;DB_OEM_ID=9400

_________________

[skip-zip]

That's rough. Barely hanging on for a home first-round game, and then having to play the #1 seed in the Quarterfinal round. I hope that improves.

[Captain Kangaroo]

My expectations are to be playing on Thursday. Anything beyond that is gravy for the 2010-11 Zips squad.

[BirdZip]

Ball State may still take the 1. 8 spot could be the sleeper spot.

[skip-zip]

Ball State may still take the 1. 8 spot could be the sleeper spot.

I'd say that would be a nice break if we do end up at #8

[RootforRoo44]

My expectations are to be playing on Thursday. Anything beyond that is gravy for the 2010-11 Zips squad.

I expect nothing less than the MAC championship game if this team learns how to use seven foot centers the right way.

[skip-zip]

If my calculations are correct, the win over Ball State last night moves us into the #6 spot right now?

[ZachTheZip]

If my calculations are correct, the win over Ball State last night moves us into the #6 spot right now?

Yes. A win on Tuesday gets us a bye.

[Lion Girl]

If my calculations are correct, the win over Ball State last night moves us into the #6 spot right now?

Yes. A win on Tuesday gets us a bye.

Are you sure about that?

[ZachTheZip]

If my calculations are correct, the win over Ball State last night moves us into the #6 spot right now?

Yes. A win on Tuesday gets us a bye.

Are you sure about that?

I think so. The tie-breakers are pretty convoluted right now, but a win over BG puts us ahead of them and since a few crossover games are delayed due to weather and are yet to be played, things are even more messy than usual. I think it gets us in, though.

[Quickzips]

My expectations are to be playing on Thursday. Anything beyond that is gravy for the 2010-11 Zips squad.

I expect nothing less than the MAC championship game if this team's seven footer learns how to stay out of foul trouble.

Fixed that for ya.

It isn't that I think KD is doing a spectacular job utilizing Zeke, but lets look at this from the coach's perspective. You've got a 7 footer inside who is a mis-match problem for every team in the league. You want to run everything through him because he opens so many things up. So you draw up your game plan around feeding him the ball in the post early and often. Oops, it's six minutes into the game, and that big guy just picked up his second foul on a silly move trying to show on a guard 35 feet from the hoop. Gotta sit him down now for significant time now and we have to scrap the gameplan and go to plan B.

Until Zeke shows that he can be trusted to stay out of foul trouble and on the floor on a consistent basis KD doesn't have much of a choice. He simply cannot game plan to utilize a guys strengths when that guy isn't going to be on the floor. Some of it is going to be on KD to teach Zeke how to utilize his talents without drawing stupid fouls, but a lot of it is on Zeke to start playing smarter and not committing so many stupid fouls.

[MDZip]

If my calculations are correct, the win over Ball State last night moves us into the #6 spot right now?

Yes. A win on Tuesday gets us a bye.

Not quite. Even though a win over BGSU would get us ahead of them, there are atill three teams in the East who are ahead of us and one bye is reserved for the MAC West Champ. If we win and the MAC tournament started now we'd be a five seed. Still a heck of a lot better than things were looking a couple weeks ago. Still want to know how we lost to Eastern AND NIU.

[dboze]

Some of it is going to be on KD to teach Zeke how to utilize his talents without drawing stupid fouls, but a lot of it is on Zeke to start playing smarter and not committing so many stupid fouls.

Some of the ownership is on Zeke. But why do we have a 7-footer outside of the 3 point line playing defense on 6-foot guards? The majority of the ownership is on the coaching staff notice this and make the adjustment. How many games will it take?

[Captain Kangaroo]

If my calculations are correct, the win over Ball State last night moves us into the #6 spot right now?

Yes. A win on Tuesday gets us a bye.

Not quite. Even though a win over BGSU would get us ahead of them, there are atill three teams in the East who are ahead of us and one bye is reserved for the MAC West Champ. If we win and the MAC tournament started now we'd be a five seed. Still a heck of a lot better than things were looking a couple weeks ago. Still want to know how we lost to Eastern AND NIU.

Zach is incorrect? Say it ain't so?

[skip-zip]

Some of it is going to be on KD to teach Zeke how to utilize his talents without drawing stupid fouls, but a lot of it is on Zeke to start playing smarter and not committing so many stupid fouls.

Some of the ownership is on Zeke. But why do we have a 7-footer outside of the 3 point line playing defense on 6-foot guards? The majority of the ownership is on the coaching staff notice this and make the adjustment. How many games will it take?

I think you're being too kind. Regardless of whether we want to blame it on foul trouble, coaching, or his teamates not getting him the ball enough, we still have to expect him to make more of his own opportunities simply by his size alone. But look at some recent numbers:

EMU: 1 Offensive Rebound in 28 min. Nik had 10 in similar minutes.

Toledo: 2 TOTAL Rebounds in 25 min. (seems impossible) during a game in which Nik pulled down 9 boards with similar playing time.

WMU: NO Offensive Rebounds in 21 min.

The guy simply needs to do a better job of getting after it when he is on the floor, squeezing the ball, finishing with some conviction around the hoop, and making more happen on his own.

[Quickzips]

I always hear about how big guys like Zeke are supposed to make their biggest leap between years two and three in the program. I only hope that is the case for the big guy. He's shown he can do it. We saw it against Can't, and we've seen glimpses of it elsewhere. There is a lot that needs to be corrected about his game. Some of it is on KD and the staff to teach Zeke. Most of it is on Zeke to implement it on the floor. I don't think you are going to see it this year, at least not consistently. The kind of leap Zeke needs to take is the kind of thing that happens over a lot of work during the extended down-time of an offseason. It isn't something that is usually going to come in the middle of a season. For now Zips fans are probably going to have to accept sophomore-Zeke for who sophomore-Zeke is and hope that junior-Zeke can bring the kind of game he did against Can't on a consistent basis.

[skip-zip]

Good thoughts Quickzip. But, regardless of where his skills are at this point, I'm just talking about some simple things he should be able to accomplish just by someone of his physical stature being on the floor for those kinds of minutes. Maybe at least just a few offensive rebounds or tip-in baskets each night?

[akronzips71]

Some of it is going to be on KD to teach Zeke how to utilize his talents without drawing stupid fouls, but a lot of it is on Zeke to start playing smarter and not committing so many stupid fouls.

Some of the ownership is on Zeke. But why do we have a 7-footer outside of the 3 point line playing defense on 6-foot guards? The majority of the ownership is on the coaching staff notice this and make the adjustment. How many games will it take?

I think you're being too kind. Regardless of whether we want to blame it on foul trouble, coaching, or his teamates not getting him the ball enough, we still have to expect him to make more of his own opportunities simply by his size alone. But look at some recent numbers:

EMU: 1 Offensive Rebound in 28 min. Nik had 10 in similar minutes.

Toledo: 2 TOTAL Rebounds in 25 min. (seems impossible) during a game in which Nik pulled down 9 boards with similar playing time.

WMU: NO Offensive Rebounds in 21 min.

The guy simply needs to do a better job of getting after it when he is on the floor, squeezing the ball, finishing with some conviction around the hoop, and making more happen on his own.

In my opinion they have him concentrating on blocks which leaves him out of position for rebounds. That, to me, is a coaching decision. If they kept him inside he could probably get more defensive boards but would be less interference on opponents shots.

[Dave in Green]

A couple of key points Zips fans tend to lose sight of in our euphoria over having a 7-footer on the floor in blue and gold:

1. Zeke didn't develop on playground basketball courts as a little kid. He came to basketball relatively late in his youth, had a huge growth spurt, and ended up as a raw rookie kid in a potential NBA body. He is way behind basketball prodigies who dreamed of playing in the NBA as little kids, worked tirelessly toward that goal throughout their youths, and are ready for the NBA after a year of college like Jared Sullinger.

2. Zeke is not a poor kid from the projects whose only hope for success in life is playing professional basketball. He's a smart kid who is as interested in computers as sports. Basketball is a part-time focus, and not his whole life. He may never make the investment to be as good at basketball as he could be if it consumed his life. I personally do not know how important basketball is to Zeke, and I don't think anyone on this forum knows, either, outside of maybe Zeke's mom.

Then there's the simple fact that height is only one element of basketball. Some big men never develop into great basketball players no matter how hard they try. Again, I personally don't know how good he's capable of being even if he makes it the most important focal point of his life.

Having said that, there are some things Zeke does on court that are the responsibility of the coaching staff. I don't watch enough college basketball to know how many other college teams coach their 7-foot centers to be chasing guards around near the 3-point line. Maybe it's common and maybe it's uncommon. I just can't say for certain. But I can certainly say that it's now a known fact to every semi-conscious person who attends Zips games that Zeke gets into foul trouble by doing things he doesn't really need to do for the Zips to win.

Ultimately, Zeke's performance on the court is a combination of how good he is, how good he wants to be, how hard he works to get better, how well he is coached to maximize his abilities, and how he interacts with his teammates and they with him. If one or more of those factors is off, things can look bad on court without it being totally obvious what the root of the problem is.

It has to be frustrating to everyone to know that Zeke performed like an all-star in leading the Zips to victory over Can't, and then faded into relative obscurity. Everyone who witnessed that game knows what Zeke is capable of doing under certain circumstances. The question everyone wants answered is why can't he be more like that in every game?

[skip-zip]

Some of it is going to be on KD to teach Zeke how to utilize his talents without drawing stupid fouls, but a lot of it is on Zeke to start playing smarter and not committing so many stupid fouls.

Some of the ownership is on Zeke. But why do we have a 7-footer outside of the 3 point line playing defense on 6-foot guards? The majority of the ownership is on the coaching staff notice this and make the adjustment. How many games will it take?

I think you're being too kind. Regardless of whether we want to blame it on foul trouble, coaching, or his teamates not getting him the ball enough, we still have to expect him to make more of his own opportunities simply by his size alone. But look at some recent numbers:

EMU: 1 Offensive Rebound in 28 min. Nik had 10 in similar minutes.

Toledo: 2 TOTAL Rebounds in 25 min. (seems impossible) during a game in which Nik pulled down 9 boards with similar playing time.

WMU: NO Offensive Rebounds in 21 min.

The guy simply needs to do a better job of getting after it when he is on the floor, squeezing the ball, finishing with some conviction around the hoop, and making more happen on his own.

In my opinion they have him concentrating on blocks which leaves him out of position for rebounds. That, to me, is a coaching decision. If they kept him inside he could probably get more defensive boards but would be less interference on opponents shots.

I had particularly addressed his lack of offensive rebounds.

[ZachTheZip]

We won on Tuesday and we got a bye. Imagine that.

[MDZip]

We won on Tuesday and we got a bye. Imagine that.

You're only getting partial credit for this one. You said if we win we'd have a bye period. Buffalo also had to lose to make it work. But we would have the bye only because Buffalo and BGSU have played only once and the other team at 7-5, Ball State lost to BGSU and the Zips. So it is a four way tie that comes out at Akron at 3-1, BGSU at 2-2, Buffalo at 1-2 and Ball State 1-2. So you get partial credit, because you need to show your work. The really cool thing is that if we win out there is no way to lose that bye.

1. Can't

2. WMU

3. Miami

4. Zips

5. BGSU (Up on Buffalo and Ball State 1-0)

6. Ball State (beat Buffalo)

7. Buffalo (one loss dropped them from #4 to #7)

8. Ohio

9. EMU (beat CMU, but they play again tonight)

10. CMU

11. NIU (again, HOW did we lose to them?)

12. Toldeo

[Captain Kangaroo]

We won on Tuesday and we got a bye. Imagine that.

You said if we win we'd have a bye period. Buffalo also had to lose to make it work.

You are correct.

[Zip Watcher]

We won on Tuesday and we got a bye. Imagine that.

You said if we win we'd have a bye period. Buffalo also had to lose to make it work.

You are correct.

I'm sorry .. maybe I missed something, but last night's win gives us a bye? Wow! Is the tournament this week?

[Captain Kangaroo]

We won on Tuesday and we got a bye. Imagine that.

You said if we win we'd have a bye period. Buffalo also had to lose to make it work.

You are correct.

I'm sorry .. maybe I missed something, but last night's win gives us a bye? Wow! Is the tournament this week?

Zach said so, so it must be true.