Zips vs Buffalo 3-14-15 (MAC Tourney Rnd 4)

[tomzip]

I think I have been in person for every Q loss, sucks, please someone keep me home next year

[1981 grad]

This is a game that was winnable but we just did not execute our offense very well in the second half, especially in the last 5 minutes. Antino did not have a great game but it was good to see Evans step up and play the point. Akron never gave up and played good defense but gave up to many offensive boards. There were a lot of deep rebounds and they always seemed to be a Buffalo player hustling for the ball.

It seems like there will not be a post season tournament. I understand KD's thinking but feel bad for the seniors. Maybe he will change his mind.

Congratulations to our 2 seniors, Deji and Niles, who both played great tonight.

[GJGood]

Coach Dambrot said he'd talk it over the team but he's thinking probably no tournament. They've just played a bunch of games in a few days. Pat was hurting at the end of this one. Antino is exhausted. He also said that the Zips program has reached a point where the CBI and CIT just aren't too exciting. I'm thinking that with all that went wrong this season maybe it's best to just end it now and start thinking about next season.

I actually just started a topic on this. I get what you are saying but don't necessarily agree with turning down a postseason invite. If they were to accept there would be a few days to rest before playing and games would not be back to back but rather spaced closer to what they are in the regular season. As far as Pat goes I could see them shutting him down for the CBI or CiT. I'd like to see more minutes for Big Dog and Kwan to improve their games anyway. I'd also like to see Deji and Nyles get some more time in a Zips uniform. It would also provide a chance for guys like Aaron Jackson and even Malcolm Walters together some added playing time and experience with an eye toward the future. Going forward into the postseason could be seen more as future improvement and a reward to the seniors than about reaching any certain goal this year.

I also don't like the thought that the CBI or CiT aren't exciting to us at this point. I mean we've never been able to win a single game in either tourney and haven't won any national postseason game since the NIT a number of years ago now. This program needs a postseason win, or better yet a postseason run.

[skip-zip]

If anything was going to fail us tonight with the tired legs, I would have never guessed that it would have been something as simple as getting into good position for defensive rebounds. Buffalo wasn't playing well offensively tonight, but got WAY too many 2nd chances.

I think the way Buffalo stepped into some passing lanes at critical times came as a surprise to us. We played with guts, we played with heart, but they had a little more bounce than us in their feet tonight.

Keith was right. We would have beaten them tonight if we were on equal footing with rest this week.

[akronzips71]

We don't need a post season tournament. We just played a four game post season tournament, and won three out of four.

[skip-zip]

We don't need a post season tournament. We just played a four game post season tournament, and won three out of four.

That's certainly one way to look at it.

[GJGood]

Sure, but wouldn't it do more to give the depth on the roster more experience and let the seniors play a game/ some games where they get the type of minutes they have been clamouring for?

I believe, barring extreme circumstances, you should always take the opportunities you are given. There are always things to work on for the future. Is a postseason tourney needed? no. Should it be desired, knowing you can play the players in the most beneficial way possible for the future? In my opinion, yes.

[Balsy]

Sorry guys, I'm just a casual basketball watcher, don't really understand the sport as indepth as some here but: WE NEED A GO TO GUY. I know reggie can hit the crucial 3 to keep us in games. Antino can drive to the basket, throw it up and get fouled in the process a number of times in a game.

But we need a guy to throw the ball to in the paint, who will draw the foul and/or the and 1. Tree was that guy with this team. The fact that we could wind up with a 21-win season without Tree, should be a call for hope going forward. We're 1 of only 5 programs nation wide to have as long as a 21-game winning streak as we do.

I thought the Zips were going to win this game when the erased an 8 point deficit and took the lead, but we couldn't close it out.

[Hilltopper]

Buffalo shot 2-13 from the 3 point line. Most of them were missed so bad that they resulted in long rebounds and the gobbled up most of them. That resulted in the Bulls getting 10 more shots from the field than us. That was the difference in the game. 17 offense boards for the Bulls. That's where tired legs for the Zips showed up.

[zippy5]

Pat is hurt, BJ is hurt. I'm sure a few others are banged up. Antino is gassed, so I understand not playing in the Sharpie invitational. However, if Deji and Niles wanted to keep playing, that's a tough spot to be in for KD.

[ZachTheZip]

Pat is hurt, BJ is hurt. I'm sure a few others are banged up. Antino is gassed, so I understand not playing in the Sharpie invitational. However, if Deji and Niles wanted to keep playing, that's a tough spot to be in for KD.

Pat and BJ are recovering and would be able to contribute.

Three or four days off would feel like a lifetime for the players after this week. I hope they don't judge whether they would be up for it based on how they felt right after playing their fourth game in five days.

[3rd&twenty]

I think I have been in person for every Q loss, sucks, please someone keep me home next year

But, you've probably been there for the wins as well. Take the highs with the lows. It really has been a great 10 years!

[skip-zip]

Buffalo shot 2-13 from the 3 point line. Most of them were missed so bad that they resulted in long rebounds and the gobbled up most of them. That resulted in the Bulls getting 10 more shots from the field than us. That was the difference in the game. 17 offense boards for the Bulls. That's where tired legs for the Zips showed up.

I'll acknowledge that fresher teams can sometimes run down a couple of long rebounds that result in loose balls better than a tired team. But, missed 3-pointers resulting in "long rebounds" can't explain such a big offensive rebounding disparity in this case.

1) Missing 11 3-pointers in a game is not a lot.

2) Defensive players who are mentally into the game are boxing out all over the floor, whether the shots are long or short.

3) The defensive players are already naturally in better position than the offensive players.

4) Buffalo had one player...one player (Xavier Ford)...who exceeded Akron's entire total of offensive rebounds for the night as a team, and he was their Center.

[zippy5]

Boxing out's a chore if you're tired

[Spin]

Disappointing loss, but considering all the crap going on off the court, it was incredible what they accomplished with all they were up against.

And at least we took K.E.N.T with us.

[skip-zip]

Who is giving Kwan the green light to take threes. Never again.

I didn't have as big of a problem with Kwan taking 5 long shots as I did with our exhausted Point Guard taking 10 of them.

Maybe this was all dictated by who was defending who, but Deji and Jake appeared to be on-target from long range, yet they only took 7 combined attempts in the game.

We did a much better job of finding the guys with the best looks from 3-point range in the previous 4 games.

[roopride]

It is a little hard for me to take Ridenour's articles seriously when you don't see many articles throughout the year.

The ABJ should have more consietent coverage and on the front page. Seems to easy to me.

[1981 grad]

KD indicated in the post game that playing 4 in 5 days was not only physically draining but also mentally draining. Look how many mistakes we made in the last 5 minutes when the game was winnable.

Kretzer made a crossing pass that was easily intercepted and lead to fast break.

Deji threw ball away when Kretzer was moving away from position.

Antino threw bounce pass to Pat who could not control ball.

Kwan shot a three 10 feet behind the 3 line.

I also give credit to Hurley. I thought pressuring Antino bringing up the ball was a good coaching move to wear him out. He did not have a good game and I give Hurley credit. I would have liked to see somebody else bring up the ball to give Antino a break or have Big Dog throw some picks in the back court so their player would back off and keep his head up.

Our team played with spirit and it was a winnable game. Hopefully will play dividends in the future.

[skip-zip]

Boxing out's a chore if you're tired

Fighting for balls is physical. When you are playing "man" defense, ensuring that you are between your man and the basket when a shot goes up is mental. With most players, it's even automatic. Like I pointed out, you are usually naturally in that position anyway if you are on the defensive end of the floor. I'm quite confident that if you watched any basketball game in which a team had 17 offensive rebounds, you'd find plenty of instances where an offensive player simply had an open path to the ball.

[Sportsjunkie330]

It is a little hard for me to take Ridenour's articles seriously when you don't see many articles throughout the year.

The ABJ should have more consietent coverage and on the front page. Seems to easy to me.

Gotta give the ABJoke credit though.... at least there weren't two articles that were the exact same on the front page of the sports today.

And I would take an article from Marla ANY day over one from GT.

[Zip_ME87]

Nice run Zips. Congrats on getting to the MAC semifinals.

[Dave in Green]

I think the rebounding disparity was the result of a combination of three factors. First, Buffalo was a slightly better rebounding team than the Zips over the course of the season. Second, Buffalo was both physically and mentally fresher than the Zips and simply boxed out and went after rebounds with more focus and energy. And finally, Buffalo did benefit from more lucky bounces than the Zips. I started shaking my head about halfway through the game at the number of long rebounds that were going directly into the hands of a Buffalo player outside the paint. Over 100 games those lucky rebound bounces would even out. But in a single game there can be a big disparity as there was last night. Adding all three factors together ended up sinking the Zips.

[skip-zip]

I started shaking my head about halfway through the game at the number of long rebounds that were going directly into the hands of a Buffalo player outside the paint.

So was I, because nobody was in standing in front of them.

[Dave in Green]

So was I, because nobody was in standing in front of them.

Skip, I think we're talking about two different things. I recognize there were times when the Zips were not well positioned for rebounds. That's different from long rebounds that go over the heads of defensive players closer to the basket and are more easily caught by offensive players further away. I saw an unusually high number of cases where Buffalo players were able to step back away from the basket and snag those long rebounds that were over the heads of Zips defenders positioned for more normal rebounds. The Zips also benefited from a few of those, just not as many. It's just the nature of the game that along with all the earned rebounds there are some lucky bounces that randomly go in favor of one team or the other. In this game the Zips lost in both categories.

[Dr Z]

Anybody happen to watch "I Hate Christian Latettner" an ESPN 30 for 30 film last night?

Bobby Hurley was interviewed multiple times in his UB gear. Nice job by Rory Karpf.