Zips vs WVU

[Blue & Gold]

Well I've had enough headaches for one night. Time to go take some Advil and try to put this one out of my mind.

This team (and Zeke on an individual level) will never reach it's full potential until we learn to consistently play defense without fouling.

+1 I have a final to study for and this is not worth missing out on studying for.

I'm very glad I didn't take that bus trip to Morgantown.

[UAZip0510]

ZEKE IS A FOUL OUT MACHINE

Personally, I think Zeke needs to stop focussing so much on blocking shots. It's cool and all when he gets a block, but generally it simply gets him out of good defensive positioning. I wish Zeke would quit jumping & leaving his feet in order to block shots, keep his feet on the ground & just extend his arms to alter shots. That's sufficient. That way he'd also keep his positioning for rebounding. For 7'0" he doesn't get enough rebounds. I think it's directly attributable to his shot-block fixation.

Couldn't agree more...when a 7'0" with his athleticism is only getting rebounds per game, something isn't right.

[jdurbin4]

ZEKE IS A FOUL OUT MACHINE

Personally, I think Zeke needs to stop focussing so much on blocking shots. It's cool and all when he gets a block, but generally it simply gets him out of good defensive positioning. I wish Zeke would quit jumping & leaving his feet in order to block shots, keep his feet on the ground & just extend his arms to alter shots. That's sufficient. That way he'd also keep his positioning for rebounding. For 7'0" he doesn't get enough rebounds. I think it's directly attributable to his shot-block fixation.

Couldn't agree more...when a 7'0" with his athleticism is only gettin4 rebounds per game, something isn't right.

Is it me or is the refs one sided in this game?

[Derrt]

please lets not blame the refs, our whole team just fouls and fouls and fouls again

[ZippyforPresident]

If I had to pick an 80s sitcom to describe tonight it would be "Growing Pains"...

That was really embarrassing. I think it comes down to the fact that this team isn't very mentally tough right now, or very disciplined, as is evidenced by the recent suspensions. I'm not saying last year's team would have won this game, but it wouldn't have spun out of control in the first half the way it did tonight. This team misses McNees and Co and what having four upperclassmen brought to the team, not to mention a MUCH deeper backcourt. The Zips are taking their lumps right now and don't really have an extremely high collective basketball IQ . This team consists of a lot of players that have very little game experience together so they are going to have their growing pains like they did tonight. They have a lot of upside and if they keep at it they can be pretty dangerous come tournament time. It's also going to help a lot to get Abreu and Treadwell back and everybody healthy.

Time to regroup, refocus, learn from it and move on. I mean hey, "as long as we've got each other," I think we'll be fine...

[UAZip0510]

ZEKE IS A FOUL OUT MACHINE

Personally, I think Zeke needs to stop focussing so much on blocking shots. It's cool and all when he gets a block, but generally it simply gets him out of good defensive positioning. I wish Zeke would quit jumping & leaving his feet in order to block shots, keep his feet on the ground & just extend his arms to alter shots. That's sufficient. That way he'd also keep his positioning for rebounding. For 7'0" he doesn't get enough rebounds. I think it's directly attributable to his shot-block fixation.

Couldn't agree more...when a 7'0" with his athleticism is only gettin4 rebounds per game, something isn't right.

Is it me or is the refs one sided in this game?

We lost the Valpo game because of the refs. We have nobody to blame but ourselves tonight.

[Districtballer]

Tough loss Zips fans, they happen though.

I have no doubt you guys will rebound from this.

[Dave in Green]

The Zips would have lost tonight without the help of the refs. But one ref in particular did make questionable calls in favor of WV and against UA all night long, while the other two appeared to be more neutral. For those of us there at the game, it may have been more obvious than to those who weren't there. If it were not for the calls of this one ref, the results of the game would have been at least a little more respectable for the Zips.

Oddly enough, there was one ref in the Duquesne game who caused similar problems for the Zips. Turns out it was the same ref -- Chris Beaver.

If Mr. Beaver ever graces the JAR with his presence, those of you who haven't had a chance to watch him in action can make your own judgments about whether or not he has a special place in his heart for KD and the Zips.

As for the Zips' play, it was obviously not so swell. Huggins knows how to go for the jugular, and the Zips' jugular was fully exposed by the lack of an experienced point guard. WV went hard after the ball all night, and the Zips often couldn't find an open man or just plain had their pockets picked. When the Zips went hard after the ball, WV usually hit the open man. That was the main difference in the game.

While Tree's presence was missed, Rico's presence was critically missed. We all knew the Zips would be vulnerable if anything happened to their one true experienced PG, and our worst fears were confirmed in this game. Q and Deji just don't have enough experience at the point, and Deji doesn't have enough college experience on top of it. They both tried hard. But WV's guards were quicker and savvier.

Hopefully this experience will contribute to the team coming together. The Zips are blessed this season with great individual talent. But they are a long way from being a smooth, cohesive team, especially playing under the adversity of having no experienced PG to run the offense.

As with other KD teams, expect them to make big gains by the end of the season. But also expect them to have a fair number of losses during the learning process.

[Dave in Green]

What was up with the Zeke fouls away from the ball? Who even watches what goes on away from the ball. That seemed like a hose job to me.

And KD getting a T is just uncool. If players get suspended for their bad behavior, what about coaches?

You'll have to speak with Chris Beaver to find out why he personally believed that KD and Zeke and all the rest of the Zips deserved all those personal and technical fouls.

[skip-zip]

Here's the deal.

I think we've found out after 2+ seasons that Zeke is going to be most valuable to us as a shot blocker, like he did in the MAC title game last year. He's not going to be the great point scorer that everyone anticipated, and he may not ever become a double digit per night rebounder. So, I think it's time for the coaching staff to find a way to utilize him best by running defenses that keep him in the paint while he is in the game. Two of his fouls last night were away from the basket. We need to make sure that all 5 of his fouls are committed while blocking shots if we want to use him to help us produce victories.

[dboze]

Here's the deal.

I think we've found out after 2+ seasons that Zeke is going to be most valuable to us as a shot blocker, like he did in the MAC title game last year. He's not going to be the great point scorer that everyone anticipated, and he may not ever become a double digit per night rebounder. So, I think it's time for the coaching staff to find a way to utilize him best by running defenses that keep him in the paint while he is in the game. Two of his fouls last night were away from the basket. We need to make sure that all 5 of his fouls are committed while blocking shots if we want to use him to help us produce victories.

+1 - Fully agree. Zeke needs to remain in the paint and stop picking up cheap fouls 18 feet from the basket. We also need to find a way to get Zeke the ball. He's shooting over 70% from the floor but only takes 5 shots in 19 minutes. Having Alex back will help.

[Dr Z]

Zeke needs to remain in the paint and stop picking up cheap fouls 18 feet from the basket. We also need to find a way to get Zeke the ball. He's shooting over 70% from the floor but only takes 5 shots in 19 minutes.

I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to KD & staff's offensive plays. If I was handed the head coaching job today with the current team, I would give Zeke three things to do offensively, and three things to do defensively. None of those would be further than two steps out of the paint. It seems like Zeke was working hard on a lot of things that deterred him from his best assets last night. I don't feel like he had his best game last night. I'm not sure what the reason was. GC44 can correct me if I'm wrong. It makes me nuts to see him pick up fouls that he should not. The whole team looked like they were out of position last night defensively and everybody was trying to make up for it. Like it has been stated here before, getting AA back will help. Makes you realize his importance to the team.

For some reason when I attend Zips games, I am fascinated by watching play under the basket. Bruce Weinkein and Zeke were/are my favorites to watch. Watching Egner last night getting bounced around under the hoop makes me think he really needs to do some weight work. WV was better at getting low in the post and establishing position both offensively and defensively.

[GP1]

Was the bus trip fun and why?

How was the Italian joint?

[johnnyzip84]

Was the bus trip fun and why?

How was the Italian joint?

It was my first bus trip with the Zips and I had a blast. Was able to meet MaxZip for the 1st time (thanks again for the round!). Many of us brought along coolers and additional items (snacks, beverages) were provided. Oliverio's was just right for a large group. The food was pretty good (choice of 5 common Italian entrees) and the service was fine. I'd go again in a heartbeat, in spite of the final score.

[Captain Kangaroo]

UA did an awesome job with the bus trip. Everything was done right, very well-organized and enjoyable.

Treadwell and Abreu couldn't kill the bus trip fun. But they sure made the game suck...

[GP1]

UA did an awesome job with the bus trip. Everything was done right, very well-organized and enjoyable.

They did a great job for the game Sunday as well. Students had a lot of fun and they did a good job selecting a place to have the pre-game party. Some grads came from as far away as Greenville, SC so I was happy with that.

Good job UofA!!!!

[Blue & Gold]

Frenchie mentioned that the bus(es?) were caught in traffic and were late to the game. True?

[Dr Z]

Frenchie mentioned that the bus(es?) were caught in traffic and were late to the game. True?

We were delayed, but not late. U of A did a great job with the trip.