VCU Vs. Akron

[Zips Win!]

Do you believe in handing out participation trophies, too? This is the NCAA tournament, not a regular season game. He has a job. Smart needs to have his players primed, as they have other games against tougher opponents left to play. I think the last time a starter scored for VCU was with about 9 minutes left in the game. He called off the dogs. What do you expect, for them to run the shot clock out and throw it out of bounds?

No he didn't- Up 40 and still pressing. Total d-bag.

[Blue & Gold]

I will be the first to piss on his grave. Screw Shaka Smart!

So... you're saying you don't like him?

[Districtballer]

We just press. That's our identity. We still slowed down on offense and didn't take shots until 25 seconds had gone off the shot clock down the stretch. He played 11 deep and all played double-digit minutes. Only 3 players played over 20 minutes and no one over 26.

We don't play half-court offense and defense. We suck at it and we lose big-time when we do it. We're at our best when we're aggressive. It's how we lost to Indiana in the round of 32 last year after having a comfortable 2nd half lead whittled away before giving away the lead in the final minute.

You don't send the wrong message to your team by telling them to back off what we do. Whether we're up or down, you work on perfecting your system. This is March. Big boy basketball.

How do you back them off and not lose the edge for the next game? I want my kids to play every possession as if it were the last they ever play. I want them to execute my system each and every possession and strive for the perfect game. Calling it off in this system sends a bad message to the team.

You're a 26-win team. We weren't playing the sisters of the poor. You had Zeke guaranteeing victory before the game. They can handle it.

I'd say the same if we got blown out. Shame on us for not being able to stop you in that case.

[tomzip]

How about next year we go smallish, try to employ some sort of "havoc", dare I try to steal the term? Go Q, Harney, Tree, Kretzer, new juco point guard....Going forward, love to see the recruiting look like what VCU has done, athletes who can run. I was at the palace and I posted about the energy that VCU brought. I am not kidding, their band even kicked our rear end...the whole program is focused on energy and they feed off of each other. I think the addition of tree and Harney have gotten us closer to what we need to be..a long way from the Dan Hipsher line-ups, but you can tell we are just not ready for the big time dance. Just think VCU was a play in team and went to the final four 2 years ago, have Keith try to figure out from his friend how did you do that, whats the blueprint..etc?

I had to take a day off from NCAA or reading anything on the loss as I got home at 3AM and was just emotionally fried after such a beat down. I am glad that a 15 seed won yesterday to maybe take some headlines off of the worst beat down in the NCAAs this year.

[ZipAnalyst]

We just press. That's our identity. We still slowed down on offense and didn't take shots until 25 seconds had gone off the shot clock down the stretch. He played 11 deep and all played double-digit minutes. Only 3 players played over 20 minutes and no one over 26.

We don't play half-court offense and defense. We suck at it and we lose big-time when we do it. We're at our best when we're aggressive. It's how we lost to Indiana in the round of 32 last year after having a comfortable 2nd half lead whittled away before giving away the lead in the final minute.

You don't send the wrong message to your team by telling them to back off what we do. Whether we're up or down, you work on perfecting your system. This is March. Big boy basketball.

How do you back them off and not lose the edge for the next game? I want my kids to play every possession as if it were the last they ever play. I want them to execute my system each and every possession and strive for the perfect game. Calling it off in this system sends a bad message to the team.

You're a 26-win team. We weren't playing the sisters of the poor. You had Zeke guaranteeing victory before the game. They can handle it.

I'd say the same if we got blown out. Shame on us for not being able to stop you in that case.

Districtballer is correct. VCU needs to play its game. If they stay hot they could win the tournament. But the problem with having a singular approach is that there is another side of the coin.

I saw VCU play Temple earlier this year. I tuned in on the game in progress. I was shocked how far behind VCU was at the time. They did recover somewhat but the game was pretty much lost by the time the recovery happened.

We Akron fans need to realize that the Zips need more basketball tuned athletes in terms of quantity and quality. The Zips are getting there.

The silver lining in the blow out to VCU is that our underclassmen now know first hand what a championship contending team looks like and how they stay on task questing to perfect their style.

As they mature and are joined by upgraded fresh talent, the Zips will during Dambrot's tenure become a championship level team.

Districtballer makes the case to me that Shaka Smart managed the team the way he should have.

[Dave in Green]

If Zips Nation wants to be included with the big boys, the team needs to play like big boys and the fans need to act like big boys. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face, the only thing an early out for VCU would prove is that the Zips were even worse than others thought from our loss. The only thing that makes the rest of the country think better of Akron is if VCU does the same thing to the big name teams and marches right on through to the national championship. Then the story of VCU's march will begin with a comment about how VCU's dismantling of an Akron team with its starting guards out was just the first sign of what they would do to the rest of the field. We Zips fans can start establishing our big boy credentials right now by losing any spiteful little boy attitude of "getting even" with VCU by wishing them to lose. Instead, we should be acting like big boys and wishing for what's best for our team under the circumstances. That would be having VCU destroy every team they face on the way to a national championship.

[a-zip]

If Zips Nation wants to be included with the big boys, the team needs to play like big boys and the fans need to act like big boys. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face, the only thing an early out for VCU would prove is that the Zips were even worse than others thought from our loss. The only thing that makes the rest of the country think better of Akron is if VCU does the same thing to the big name teams and marches right on through to the national championship. Then the story of VCU's march will begin with a comment about how VCU's dismantling of an Akron team with its starting guards out was just the first sign of what they would do to the rest of the field. We Zips fans can start establishing our big boy credentials right now by losing any spiteful little boy attitude of "getting even" with VCU by wishing them to lose. Instead, we should be acting like big boys and wishing for what's best for our team under the circumstances. That would be having VCU destroy every team they face on the way to a national championship.

I wish we had a "like" button

[GP1]

Sounds like you want to take our football model GP1. Build a new multi-million dollar stadium, fire a coach that brought in top ranked recruits (with the Rubber Bowl), beat BCS teams, won a MAC Championship and hire a coach who is known to be a good recruiter.

That's not what I said. Please read it again.

[GP1]

He humiliated my alma mater for 25 minutes on national tv when there was no need for it.

This is kind of bad new/good new.

The bad news was the Zips were humiliated on national TV. The good news is nobody in their right mind would have still been watching so I doubt many saw it. I know I turned in before the last person left the arena while the game was still going on.

The real question isn't, why did he take a dump all over UofA? The real question is, why are his players so superior in talent?

[zvillezip]

I don't care that Shaka Smart did not call off the dogs in the game. This isn't high school basketball. Step up and stop them. He is trying to make sure his team is sharp and focused for the whole tournament. We need to look in the mirror and recognize, short handed or not, that VCU played on a much higher level than us. They were incredible. I wish them luck the rest of the tournament.

I do, however, think that In a few years when Shaka reflects on this he will wish he took a different approach once the game was way out of hand. I think he lost perspective in the heat of the moment. He will learn with maturity as a coach.

Just my 2 cents.

[johnnyzip84]

After a day or so of reflection, here are a few of my thoughts on several recurring themes in this thread:

KD'S CEILING - I believe KD has steadily improved the Zips in his time here. But I also believe the MAC, to a large degree, limits just how far he can take this program. And I don't think leaving the MAC is the answer, because of football. It looks like there might be some high MAC level talent coming in next year, but I don't think it's realistic to expect Akron to quickly bring in a team similar to what it faced Thursday. I am more than happy with KD as coach, even if he may have hit his "MAC ceiling".

SHAKA - I'm not usually an "old school" type, but if you're willing to accept running it up in any sport I believe you should also expect to see the other team fight back at times in any way they can. What do you think a John Chaney team would have done being down by 40 with the opponent still pressing and shooting 3's? In my opinion, it would have been perfectly justified if Tree or Zeke had thrown a good elbow into one of the Ram cutters to send a message at that point. And yes, that's not just playing a "big boy" game, it's playing a man's game.

THE GAME - It's amazing how much better an overall experience Chicago was than Auburn Hills. The score, the time of day, the attendance were all disappontments to me. But NEVER did I question the decision to go there to support my team. Despite the outcome, they did more than enough to deserve my full support this season. The game itself was, just as some have noted, the (im)perfect storm. The prognosticators were spot on about this being a terrible matchup. VCU clearly knew who our shooters were and they blanketed them the entire night.

[BirdZip]

I cannot believe the responses posted about the VCU game.

Look, VCU had the game won at the 5 minute mark of the first- half. No one is questioning the superior talent on the VCU squad. The players were dominating. It would have been nice for me to have had a chance to tip my hat to the players for their pure ability. Unfortunately, Shaka Smart blew that. He is a total d-bag and I hope the dude never wins another game. Any Zips fan not named Keith Dambrot that continues to root for Smart is a moron.

His decision to continue to press the Zips full-court and shoot threes when he had a 30, 35 and 40 point league proves he is a d-bag. His total lack of sportsmanship was egregious. His decision to humiliate his former boss and former employer was uncalled for. He humiliated my alma mater for 25 minutes on national tv when there was no need for it.

He had an opportunity to have his team work on its half-court defense and its half- court offense yet he chose to press and shoot threes for no other reason than to humiliate us. He still would have won by 30… I will be the first to piss on his grave. Screw Shaka Smart!

+1000. Prior to this game, I rooted for VCU every chance I got. Can't do that anymore. You can say all you want about "this is the tournament" and participation trophies, but these guys are supposed to be friends. One of my friends (an OU fan) summed it up pretty well for me: "I don't see how they can still be friends after what that VCU coach did." Up by 40 halfway through the 2nd half and still running the full court trap--d-bag indeed.

Watching the Michigan game now and thoroughly enjoying it. Michigan up by 30. Michigan did some things I wish we would have thought of like bringing more than one guy to the ball when taking it out--that's just crazy!

[akzipper]

Shaka Smart is learning about sports karma right now. Us Akron fans should be enjoying every second of this game.

[johnnyzip84]

Shaka Smart is learning about sports karma right now. Us Akron fans should be enjoying every second of this game.

It's interesting that D-Baller said that the Rams don't play half court defense when up by 40 because they're no good at it. But when they're down by 25 I see them playing half court defense. What gives????

[RootforRoo44]

Good to see those unsportsmanlike a-holes get stomped out.

I don't care about VCU winning making the Zips look better. The Zips should have done that on their own.

[Districtballer]

It's interesting that D-Baller said that the Rams don't play half court defense when up by 40 because they're no good at it. But when they're down by 25 I see them playing half court defense. What gives????

We were in foul trouble. You can't press when you're trying to protect your players.

I have no problem with what happened today. Michigan beat us and exploited matchups just like we did to Akron. That's what great teams do.

Tough to watch, but they played great and deserved to kill us. We didn't match them.

This is big boy basketball folks. That's how it goes.

[Zips Win!]

We were in foul trouble. You can't press when you're trying to protect your players.

I have no problem with what happened today. Michigan beat us and exploited matchups just like we did to Akron. That's what great teams do.

Tough to watch, but they played great and deserved to kill us. We didn't match them.

This is big boy basketball folks. That's how it goes.

Tell me how my bleep tastes!

Your coach is a d-bag.

The fouls were called today, they were not on Thursday.

Michigan did kill you. VCU ran up the score on us. Big difference!

Take your big boy basketball pants and get off our board. Go commiserate elsewhere.

[Districtballer]

Good luck Zips.

Those of you who are so scarred and angered by this weekend, I hope you can talk to Coach D and have him talk you off the ledge. Some of you are taking this much, much harder and more bitterly than he is.

You'd think you guys were the ones who just got blown out an hour ago.

[RootforRoo44]

Normally i would say that we should chill out and not get so worked up over losing a game...but i've NEVER seen such unsportsmanlike play from a basketball team. It was so uncalled for that i'm still shocked it was Shaka perpetrating it. If that would have been a baseball game, someone would have caught some chin music and/or a fastball to the middle of the back.

Unacceptable...and every bad thing said about VCU is well-deserved.

[WinZip]

I like DB

[Dave in Green]

..... The fouls were called today, they were not on Thursday. .....

VCU had 17 personals called against them in the UA game and only 14 today.

[Hilltopper]

VCU had 17 personals called against them in the UA game and only 14 today.

That's because the refs set the tone of the game early on. VCU didn't even try to trap MU in the backcourt after they got into foul trouble.

[Zipgrad01]

Good luck Zips.

Those of you who are so scarred and angered by this weekend, I hope you can talk to Coach D and have him talk you off the ledge. Some of you are taking this much, much harder and more bitterly than he is.

You'd think you guys were the ones who just got blown out an hour ago.

I don't need walked off the ledge and I am not scarred. I am, however, angered by the lack of class.

I have full faith in where our program is going. The Akron team I watched Thursday night was not one that I have ever seen and I am not going to put too much in one game.

It was a one point overtime game last year. VCU didn't get 45 points better in a year. That game was a culmination of a bad few weeks for our guys and dealing with that adversity short handed finally broke them. You could just see it.

[Districtballer]

I don't need walked off the ledge and I am not scarred. I am, however, angered by the lack of class.

I have full faith in where our program is going. The Akron team I watched Thursday night was not one that I have ever seen and I am not going to put too much in one game.

It was a one point overtime game last year. VCU didn't get 45 points better in a year. That game was a culmination of a bad few weeks for our guys and dealing with that adversity short handed finally broke them. You could just see it.

Sorry your angered. I hope it will fade with time and you get to appreciate the great season you had.

I agree on the margin, I posted the same thing. It was a very bad matchup for you guys without Abreu much like Michigan was a very bad matchup with VCU. They average the least turnovers in Division I. VCU's whole system is predicated on forcing them.

Sometimes it's not about who's better. It's about my strengths and weaknesses versus your strengths and weaknesses.

It's one thing to be mad at a result, it's another to make broad generalizations based on them.

[GoZips]

The reality is simple. VCU out athleted the Zips. Michigan out athleted VCU.

The Big Ten has better athletes than does the A-10.

The A-10 has better athletes than the MAC.

p.s. district baller, sorry pal, you have worn out your welcome here.