On to Duquesne

[Dr Z]

Before this season started, most of us expected that this team would take awhile to gel. Many predicted a slow start, figuring it would take awhile for the rotation to get sorted out. The Mississippi State win, while still important, made us lose sight of that.

I agree. On top of that, the "football" team is so depressing, I got excited to have a winner after the Mississippi win. The basketball season is a marathon, not a sprint. KD has proven in recent years that he has his team at it's best at the end of the season, maybe we have more talent to do more at the end this time.

[Dave in Green]

Skip: and I know exactly what you mean. Personally, I believe that 4 is the magic number. While it's a long shot for sure, if the Zips beat all the top-ranked teams they play this season and lose only 4 games to lesser teams, I think they still get consideration for an at-large bid. Obviously, getting 2 of those 4 losses so early in the season means we're already half way toward not having a chance for an at-large bid.

This may turn out to be a typical KD team that racks up a half dozen losses in the first half of the season, and winning the MAC tournament is their only path to the Big Dance. It does appear, however, to be more the type of team that could actually win games in the NCAA tournament if it can only get there.

Part of our early optimism for this season's team was based on finally having the higher level of athleticism we've always envied in other teams. But that athleticism may be too raw right now to produce consistent wins. So while we may have begun the season hoping for the kind of record that could earn an at-large NCAA bid, the odds were never highly favorable, even after the MSU win and before these two losses.

Whatever the odds, there's no reason to totally give up as long as a remote possibility remains. We'll know better after the next few games.

Gotta keep the faith, as CK preached in one of his more optimistic moments:

At the end of the season, it will come down to winning the MAC tournament.

Wow...this time-honored line appears so soon? After game 3 (game 2, if you don't count Hiram...and you shouldn't). And a BCS win?

Will it change if we beat Duquesne, Detroit, WVa and CSU? It can't...can it?

To quote Ralph Wiggum - "That's unpossible."

+1

[Z.I.P.]

OK....soooo U all know I HAD to come on here and say GO ZEKE, GO ZEKE, GO ZEKE..SHOT BLOCKER.....Sorry Dru..had to take the STAGE!

Romeo, actually. Zeke just tied Rome's record for blocked shots! (Dru was only 6' tall! )

Zeke's going to obliterate that record!

Sorry, but I just gotta ask..where's Rickie Brown on that list? He was a shot blocking LEGEND, in the pre-Frenchie era!!

[Dave in Green]

Speaking of magic numbers, how about 70.

The Zips shot a team average of 70% from the free throw line last season, which is slightly above the DI 50th percentile of 69%.

The Zips had 28 free throw attempts against Duquesne and made 14 for a 50% average.

Had the Zips matched their modest 70% free throw rate from last season, they would have made 20 against Duquesne.

How magic would that have been?

The Zips would have made 20 free throws and beaten Duquesne by 1 point.

It's great to finally have athletic players. But free throw shooting is so fundamental and basic to basketball that it really hurts not to at least meet the minimum standards.

[Dave in Green]

Sorry, but I just gotta ask..where's Rickie Brown on that list? He was a shot blocking LEGEND, in the pre-Frenchie era!!

Wherever Brown ranks, he wasn't in the top 10 as of the beginning of this season:

Rk. Blks. (Games)

1. 165 Romeo Travis, 2004-07 (122)

2. 151 Zeke Marshall, 2009- (71)

3. 109 Bruce Weinkein, 1998-2001 (100)

4. 107 George Phillips, 1996-2000 (109)

5. 86 Rob Preston, 2001-06* (100)

6. 82 Joel Price, 1978-79, ‘80-81 (53)

7. 76 David Mason, 1979-80, ‘80-81 (49)

8. 65 Quade Milum, 2005-08 (121)

9. 59 Mike Bardo, 2007- 10 (100)

10. 53 Nate Linhart, 2006-09 (134)

[akronzips71]

Something very odd here, and I don't have time tonight to fully analyze the stats. But here are a few obvious questions:

The starting and only pure PG on the Zips plays only 6 minutes?

The starting power forward and potential MAC all-star plays only 15 minutes?

Ibitayo burns his redshirt by playing 6 minutes when we're wondering where the PT is for all the non-freshmen players?

Treadwell and Harney continue to play longer minutes, shoot like veterans from the field and like junior high kids from the free throw line?

A Zips team has 19 turnovers to 11 for the opposition?

Zeke plays 31 minutes, gets only 3 fouls, has one of the most complete games of his career in all aspects of the game, and the Zips lose?

I don't have the answer to all these questions. But it looks suspiciously as if KD is more interested in juggling lineups to test all his players than he is in winning early season games after already proving this team could whip a major school like Mississippi State at their house -- the same MSU that mauled Top 25 teams ranked Texas A&M and Arizona at a neutral site.

I said a few weeks ago that the biggest problem this year is figuring out who to play.

Looks like the team is staring to help KD make that decision.

The lineup should and will be:

Zeke

Tree

Diggs

Harney

AA

With Walsh as 6th man and Nik and Egner as rotation subs. Not sure what role Nitro will play.

Keep in mind, Nik has been largely silent this season, while Tree and Harney have played themselves into the lineup.

Now if only anyone besides Zeke could sink a free throw.

The key to success this season is going to be to feed the ball to Zeke. MAC teams will find it very hard to defend him, and with Tree crashing the boards we should get many many putbacks.

Prescription drugs??

I think you owe me an apology. With the exception of AA's suspension, looks like I called it!