Zips vs Can't State In-Game Thread

[w00t]

Obviously AA was missed. I give Betancourt's performance a "C". He was serviceable and only turned the ball over once (though good fortune bailed him out of what should have been a couple others), but obviously not conditioned to play more than 20 minutes a night, which will need to be addressed if we're playing back-to-back games next weekend. Walsh didn't look comfortable to me the couple of times he was on the point. Harney looked surprisingly fluid the couple of times he brought it up... but then unfortunately he proceeded to barrel through the lane like a bull in a china shop, turn the ball over, and pick up his fifth foul in the process. Deji handled the ball like a drunk giraffe in what was likely a career-ending performance. Not sure why we have a guard on the roster who can't dribble, pass, or shoot (including at the foul line where no one's guarding him) at this level... but I guess that's why I'm not a coach. Speaking of, I was disappointed that my hope of seeing McAdams get a crack at the point went unfulfilled.

Hats off to the crowd... they were loud and spirited for all 40 minutes, you can tell they really love these guys. I thought the refs left something to be desired... by both teams.

That was a tough loss, but there was a lot of fight, and some of the best defense I've seen all year in the 2nd half (though certainly not in the 1st)... Can't had a 17-minute stretch where they only made five buckets. We made six threes on the night... half of which came in the last 45 seconds (3 of our first 21, ouch). If our three-point percentage ends up staring with something better than ".1" and we make better than half of our foul shots when we see them again next Friday I'm pretty sure it will end differently than it did tonight. Then if our second half defense from tonight shows up against OU or Buffalo in the final it will at least be a close game regardless of how well the offense is hitting.

I'm still excited for next weekend, and still hopeful that we cut down the nets at The Q!

...and c'mon coach, give Reggie a shot at the point in practice this week!

[akronzips71]

Obviously AA was missed. I give Betancourt's performance a "C". He was serviceable and only turned the ball over once (though good fortune bailed him out of what should have been a couple others), but obviously not conditioned to play more than 20 minutes a night, which will need to be addressed if we're playing back-to-back games next weekend. Walsh didn't look comfortable to me the couple of times he was on the point. Harney looked surprisingly fluid the couple of times he brought it up... but then unfortunately he proceeded to barrel through the lane like a bull in a china shop, turn the ball over, and pick up his fifth foul in the process. Deji handled the ball like a drunk giraffe in what was likely a career-ending performance. Not sure why we have a guard on the roster who can't dribble, pass, or shoot (including at the foul line where no one's guarding him) at this level... but I guess that's why I'm not a coach. Speaking of, I was disappointed that my hope of seeing McAdams get a crack at the point went unfulfilled.

Hats off to the crowd... they were loud and spirited for all 40 minutes, you can tell they really love these guys. I thought the refs left something to be desired... by both teams.

That was a tough loss, but there was a lot of fight, and some of the best defense I've seen all year in the 2nd half (though certainly not in the 1st)... Can't had a 17-minute stretch where they only made five buckets. We made six threes on the night... half of which came in the last 45 seconds (3 of our first 21, ouch). If our three-point percentage ends up staring with something better than ".1" and we make better than half of our foul shots when we see them again next Friday I'm pretty sure it will end differently than it did tonight. Then if our second half defense from tonight shows up against OU or Buffalo in the final it will at least be a close game regardless of how well the offense is hitting.

I'm still excited for next weekend, and still hopeful that we cut down the nets at The Q!

...and c'mon coach, give Reggie a shot at the point in practice this week!

+ on Reggie. A 6'7" PG in the MAC will be interesting.

[gozips19]

I just feel numb right now. I can only imagine what the team is going through right now. A week of practice will do the team some good. I agree Melo played around a C game today. Would like to see Reggie get a little more run at the point as well. With nobody left on the team that can create off the dribble teams will just pack it in. This team has to hit open threes or they're dead in the water. This team missed so many open looks today. Harney, Walsh, and Kretzer have to play better, they got very little from these three today. Happy with the D in the second half and the effort was there. This team will now go as far as their shooting and that is scary. Please give Chauncey Deji's mins and keep Melo around 20 and this team can have a chance in the tourney.

[akronzips71]

I just feel numb right now. I can only imagine what the team is going through right now. A week of practice will do the team some good. I agree Melo played around a C game today. Would like to see Reggie get a little more run at the point as well. With nobody left on the team that can create off the dribble teams will just pack it in. This team has to hit open threes or they're dead in the water. This team missed so many open looks today. Harney, Walsh, and Kretzer have to play better, they got very little from these three today. Happy with the D in the second half and the effort was there. This team will now go as far as their shooting and that is scary. Please give Chauncey Deji's mins and keep Melo around 20 and this team can have a chance in the tourney.

Somehow it seems lost in the clutter that Tree had another double-double and Zeke went for 14 pts 8 boards and 5 blocks.

[phil]

This was a tough game and the team showed a lot of heart,

However, Harney and Walsh shooting 2 for 18 and Walshes loan basket coming with 5 seconds left was too much for this team to handle. Further, our foul shooting cost us at least 5 points.

We had good shots but they would not go in. Tree was a monster on the glass once again. However, we gave up a lot of offensive boards the first half.

The good news is that Chauncy looked good slashing to the basket. We need his productive minutes.

The bad news is that Bentacourt was winded after playing the first 5 minutes. I don't understand how a college athlete can get tired but it did not surprise me that he cramped up.

Ibitayo seemed very unsure of himself. He gave one nice feed to Forsyth who never moved to the ball and it bacame another turnover. Forsyth looks like he has no confidence when he is out there.

I believe this team can win in Cleveland but everyone need to play well. Did not happen tonight.

KD is a class act. He commented about Alex and said that people make mistakes and that the program was still supporting him.

Lets hope a week of practice gets this team on the right track. Go Zips!

[skip-zip]

Somehow it seems lost in the clutter that Tree had another double-double and Zeke went for 14 pts 8 boards and 5 blocks.

I agree. We have been struggling hitting shots from the perimeter. That was the story tonight.

Plus, we really hurt ourselves by spotting them too many points in the first half, which we had been doing against teams for awhile now anyway, even with Alex in the lineup.

If this was a 45 minute game, I think we would have won. Once we settled into playing well, we just ran out of time.

Carmelo had one turnover and 4 assists. Pretty darn efficient.

[jem101]

If they came out in the second half and played like they did in the first, I would be gutted right now. As it stands though, there were a lot of positives. I think with a week to prep for the tourney, this team is still capable to win it. Tree was an absolute freak in the second half and it seemed that he was singlehandedly trying to will the Zips to victory with the countless offensive rebounds in the early 2nd half. I love the motor on him. Also liked what I saw out of Chauncey. With Melo at the point, I wouldn't mind seeing Chauncey getting the start over Harney to add more shooters on the floor.

[Quickzips]

What I think I learned last week:

For all KD talks about wanting to go inside more he is still a guy who loves his teams to shoot the 3 ball. Unfortunately this is one of his worst 3 point teams of the past decade. We need to start going inside a lot more.

Betancourt can be an effective replacement under the right circumstances, but his conditioning isn't there. We can't have him cramping up after 20 minutes on the floor this coming weekend.

Deji at the point is an utter disaster. Turns the ball over, can't get the offense started, misses his FT's (badly) gets lost on defense. You can't tell me Blake Justice could do any worse. The only reason Deji is seeing any playing time is because of his physical tools. He's the Quade Milum of guards. When Betancourt is out we need to run with that bigger lineup of Walsh + McAdams and/or Gilliam.

Harney is going to be the key to our success the rest of the season. Zeke and Tree are always going to be there. Harney is the wild card. If he can give us consistent effort on both ends of the floor we still have a chance to make some noise. Last night he was flat out awful. He has to eliminate the perimeter jumpers from his game. Teams know that he doesn't hit them at a very effective rate and they are daring him to take them. He needs to counter with a little up fake and put it on the floor more often.

For all Kretzer has done this year, I really think McAdams is going to have the better career here when it is all said and done. He got a lot more minutes last night than normal, and he was fantastic in them (save for the bad foul late). The put back layup off of the miss surrounded by 3 Can't players late in the game was a thing of beauty.

[PB1719]

What I think I learned last week:

For all KD talks about wanting to go inside more he is still a guy who loves his teams to shoot the 3 ball. Unfortunately this is one of his worst 3 point teams of the past decade. We need to start going inside a lot more.

Betancourt can be an effective replacement under the right circumstances, but his conditioning isn't there. We can't have him cramping up after 20 minutes on the floor this coming weekend.

Deji at the point is an utter disaster. Turns the ball over, can't get the offense started, misses his FT's (badly) gets lost on defense. You can't tell me Blake Justice could do any worse. The only reason Deji is seeing any playing time is because of his physical tools. He's the Quade Milum of guards. When Betancourt is out we need to run with that bigger lineup of Walsh + McAdams and/or Gilliam.

Harney is going to be the key to our success the rest of the season. Zeke and Tree are always going to be there. Harney is the wild card. If he can give us consistent effort on both ends of the floor we still have a chance to make some noise. Last night he was flat out awful. He has to eliminate the perimeter jumpers from his game. Teams know that he doesn't hit them at a very effective rate and they are daring him to take them. He needs to counter with a little up fake and put it on the floor more often.

For all Kretzer has done this year, I really think McAdams is going to have the better career here when it is all said and done. He got a lot more minutes last night than normal, and he was fantastic in them (save for the bad foul late). The put back layup off of the miss surrounded by 3 Can't players late in the game was a thing of beauty.

You make a lot of good points here, I think CB can put a solid 20-25 minutes in if we work on his conditioning. Zeke and Tree are going to give you their best every night, Harney needs to stick to what he's best at (yet avoiding offensive fouls). However, I don't want to speculate on which freshman will have the better career. I absolutely LOVE this freshman class, I think that there is great upside to all of them, none more so than Forsythe. I hope that Pat comes to play in the tourney.

That being said, we need Walsh to step up in a big way. I have no doubt that he can handle whatever we throw at him. He is a veteran leader that has a great basketball IQ. If him, CB and Chauncey play their best, we don't miss Abreu.

[Quickzips]

You make a lot of good points here, I think CB can put a solid 20-25 minutes in if we work on his conditioning. Zeke and Tree are going to give you their best every night, Harney needs to stick to what he's best at (yet avoiding offensive fouls). However, I don't want to speculate on which freshman will have the better career. I absolutely LOVE this freshman class, I think that there is great upside to all of them, none more so than Forsythe. I hope that Pat comes to play in the tourney.

That being said, we need Walsh to step up in a big way. I have no doubt that he can handle whatever we throw at him. He is a veteran leader that has a great basketball IQ. If him, CB and Chauncey play their best, we don't miss Abreu.

Forsythe worries me. He hasn't done much of anything in the conference season, and he's looked particularly bad over the last few weeks. I don't know if it is just a matter of us leaning on Zeke so much that Pat isn't getting enough minutes, but he looks like he's forcing things when he is out there. Something tells me we are going to need Ike Johnson and Kwan Cheatham to give us productive minutes early next year.

[Dave in Green]

Fearless predictions: Pat Forsythe will develop quickly once he's the center of attention (pun intended) of the coaching staff, begins practicing with next season's starters and gets regular, long game minutes. Isaiah will be able to step right in as a serviceable backup at center, but will probably not average much different PT from Pat's 12 minutes per game this season. Kwan Cheatham is a classic late bloomer who recently underwent a major growth spurt. Although his senior HS season is finished, he's still only 17 and could still add a couple of more inches to his lean 6-9 frame. Kwan may be a good candidate for redshirting and a serious weight training program, barring something unforeseen happening with one of the other bigs (injury, etc.). We'll see how good my crystal ball is in November.

[zippy5]

I think it's time for the return of the Harney factor. If he gets hot, we win.

[meatwad]

The bad news is that Bentacourt was winded after playing the first 5 minutes. I don't understand how a college athlete can get tired but it did not surprise me that he cramped up.

This surprised me too. I know he's playing at an extremely high level and there's up and down action, but I think as a college point guard you should have the capability (when called upon) to play 20 minutes fairly easily. These guys are in the best shape they're ever going to be in and to get cramps after working for that amount of time doesn't make sense to me.

My personal opinion is that he does actually have the fitness level to do it, but didn't get enough water or potassium during the day. But I'm no dietitian...

[ZachTheZip]

This surprised me too. I know he's playing at an extremely high level and there's up and down action, but I think as a college point guard you should have the capability (when called upon) to play 20 minutes fairly easily. These guys are in the best shape they're ever going to be in and to get cramps after working for that amount of time doesn't make sense to me.

My personal opinion is that he does actually have the fitness level to do it, but didn't get enough water or potassium during the day. But I'm no dietitian...

I think it's a matter of his play style. Extremely high energy in short bursts, which is perfect when you're only playing 5 to 10 minutes a game. He needs to slow things down a little and he'll be fine.

[BirdZip]

This surprised me too. I know he's playing at an extremely high level and there's up and down action, but I think as a college point guard you should have the capability (when called upon) to play 20 minutes fairly easily. These guys are in the best shape they're ever going to be in and to get cramps after working for that amount of time doesn't make sense to me.

My personal opinion is that he does actually have the fitness level to do it, but didn't get enough water or potassium during the day. But I'm no dietitian...

I would also guess that he didn't get much sleep the night before the game. I know I wouldn't have if on the eve of the biggest rivalry game of the year, I found out that I just went from 5-10 minutes at back-up to the focus of everyone. I thought Carmelo did excellent given the circumstances. Most of the folks on the board critiquing him would probably wet their pants if put into that situation, myself included.

I also thought the crowd did an excellent job showing Carmelo they were behind him when they announced his name. Giant roar. I got a little verklempt...

[bUAkronG]

I would also guess that he didn't get much sleep the night before the game. I know I wouldn't have if on the eve of the biggest rivalry game of the year, I found out that I just went from 5-10 minutes at back-up to the focus of everyone. I thought Carmelo did excellent given the circumstances. Most of the folks on the board critiquing him would probably wet their pants if put into that situation, myself included.

I also thought the crowd did an excellent job showing Carmelo they were behind him when they announced his name. Giant roar. I got a little verklempt...

I also noticed the support the crowd showed for Melo. When he came back in from his first bout of cramps he got a huge roar from them. Keep it up Zips fans!!!