Game 16- Northern Illinois Huskies

[ZippyforPresident]

9 hours ago, Akronfan111 said:

It’s not a fight if he came from behind and starts swinging. The police report said he hit mark when he wasn’t looking. Thats a coward afraid to square up.  Doubt we’ve heard the last of this and sure seems like grounds for a felony to me. A real black eye to the program and to Groce. Khadiem obviously has no respect for the coaching staff or team.  Good riddens

Yep. Sure he's terrified. Nope. Already been charged. Groce and the program are more concerned with trying to win basketball games. Thanks! Good riddens.

[Let'sGoZips94]

Either the basketball IQ on this team is low, or these guys just don't have the heart to compete at a high level. Boxing out is ignored, offensive players think they're on the playground with the ability to body defenders and muscle their way to the basket, fouling people on 3 point attempts, LCJ doesn't know he's 5'8" sometimes and throws up crap that's easily blocked. 

 

You can see what Groce is trying to do. The intensity on defense and overall hustle is there at times, the ball movement is spotty yet flashes of greatness are seen. However, I don't think the players are fully bought in, or if they have bought in, I don't think they have the mental game (at least not yet) to carry out the game plan. There are a lot of holes and mental lapses. 

 

This program was left a heaping pile of crap on top of a strong foundation. That foundation is currently corroding with the crap that still sits on it. I have the utmost faith in Groce - that has not wavered. Right the ship and be ready for March. 

[Blue & Gold]

My ESPN+ playback wasn't working properly, so I wasn't able to see most of the second half.

 

However, I thought this team might struggle once MAC play started.  It's the first MAC go-around for most of our players and the MAC is a tough, blue-collar league where you have to be physical & give it 100% every game to win.  

 

LCJ is struggling right now & I think he will struggle a bit more in the MAC than the OOC just because MAC guards are going to be physical with him & beat him up.

 

Cheese & Banks are struggling w/ their shots but they have MAC bodies & I'm confident they'll come around.  Ditto with Roscoe (glad to see him being worked back into the rotation).

 

Utomi's built like a Greek god, but looks slow & isn't a very explosive player - to say the least (I wonder if he can even dunk the ball in open gym?).

 

What surprises and disappoints me is hearing you guys describe the poor body language and making it sound like the team's unravelling & regressing (again, I couldn't watch the majority of the second half).  If true, I would not have guessed that with this bunch.  I really like the personalities of most of the guys on this team.  Cheese & Banks seem like really nice guys who have good, competitive streaks.  Ivey is a good leader.  Utomi gets down on himself pretty easily.  LCJ seems like a good leader.  I know LePear Toles, though taking a redshirt, has a fantastic, positive attitude.  Idk, I wish I could have watched the second half.  I'll probably give it another try this afternoon.

 

Another point: this is the second game in a row we've laid an egg in the second half.  Idk what's up with that, but I'd say it either has to be tired second-half legs (both games have been on the road) or getting out-coached.  We played excellent D the 1st half last night & then NIU went on to score the 1st few baskets of the second half. The announcer said something like, "This is where you kick yourself in the pants as a coach; the Zips played great D the 1st half, then they come out playing a different D in the second half and NIU gets right back in the game."  If true, Idk why Groce would do that.  1st half we had NIU out of their game; 2nd half we let them get into rhythm offensively.

Edited January 13, 2019 by Blue & Gold

[Blue & Gold]

Northern Illinois dominates second half to rally past Zips 73-56.

 

Give this a read.  Brief, utterly demoralizing article.  GT lays out lots of troubling stats.  

 

[NWAkron]

15 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

Northern Illinois dominates second half to rally past Zips 73-56.

 

Give this a read.  Brief, utterly demoralizing article.  GT lays out lots of troubling stats.  

 

Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the 'game?"

[clarkwgriswold]

10 hours ago, akronzips71 said:

You need to take some law courses.

Jeopardy attaches when the first juror is sworn or when the first witness is sworn in the case of a bench trial.

Do NOT assume anything about any "deal" having been made. They can still go to the Grand Jury and secure an indictment.

From what I read in the article (and I believe little of what I read in the newspapers) this is deserving of a Felony. Knocked unconscious and teeth knocked out. Serious physical injury.

 

Jeopardy does not entirely depend on the swearing of witnesses but can attach on a plea.  In depends on the terms of the plea and the elements of the offenses at issue.

 

10 hours ago, akronzips71 said:

Get real. There was no arrest in that case.

The woman did not make the complaint, her friend did.

This is way way more serious.

This guy will never wear an Akron uniform again.

 

Plenty real here.  Female victims of domestic and related violence always report it to the authorities.  That's why the system works so well.

[akronzips71]

1 hour ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

Jeopardy does not entirely depend on the swearing of witnesses but can attach on a plea.  In depends on the terms of the plea and the elements of the offenses at issue.

 

 

Plenty real here.  Female victims of domestic and related violence always report it to the authorities.  That's why the system works so well.

She did not. Her friend did. No injury, no arrest.

[NWAkron]

2 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

 

Plenty real here.  Female victims of domestic and related violence always report it to the authorities.  That's why the system works so well.

They do?

[clarkwgriswold]

1 hour ago, akronzips71 said:

She did not. Her friend did. No injury, no arrest.

Not that the facts matter, but here's a quote from the ABJ article-

 

"According to the police report, Treadwell assaulted King during an altercation at her home on Spicer Street about 4 a.m. Saturday. The assault left King, 23, with “apparent minor” injuries.

Police took photographs of the injuries..."

 

I think we both agree Gueye should be gone.  Let's just leave it that.

[Hilltopper]

Don't forget that Tredwell had already been involved in multiple incidents prior to the one that broke the camels back.

[akronzips71]

Don't forget that he was not arrested and did not knock anyone unconscious or knock their teeth out.

[GJGood]

If the players on the floor are not going to play hard on D in the second half, put in different players. If the players are getting tired, put in different players. As the season has gone on the Zips rotation has been getting smaller yet they seem to have good first halves and terrible second halves. Should this team be giving more guys more minutes? Would that serve as a wake up call to those who get the most minutes now?

[Illini Zip]

On 1/11/2019 at 7:50 PM, 1981 grad said:

Wow!  Based on the severity of the attack he is lucky to be charged only with Assault and not Felonious Assault.   Does a transfer student who is sitting out practice with the team?  I wonder if something happened at practice that precipitated the attack.  I do not think that you would punch another player for no reason.

 

The answer to your question is yes. So these two were going head to head all the time. And possibly battling for a spot on next years roster. I have never watched a Groce practice, but have heard they go full speed and are highly competitive by design. So temper flare-ups and unfortunately some injuries are not uncommon. HillTopper said this altercation was unprovoked, but I also wonder if there was some lingering bad blood between them. 

[Illini Zip]

On 1/12/2019 at 8:06 AM, zipfan84 said:

Does anyone know Gueye's history at SC? Why did he transfer?

 

Shocking! How was this not stopped before Marc was beaten to unconsciousness?

 

There is not much online about Gueye, but the following are some comments related to his departure pulled from Gamecock Central. Notice there is nothing pertaining to him having a bad disposition or history.

 

 

 

Gonna miss him.

 

Fun to watch.

 

Hustled and gave it his all. He was too late in picking up the sport.

 

Good defender.

 

Did not have the strength or footwork to excel in the paint.

 

Played 5 minutes per game, never scored on a team with a ton of potential playing time available. 

 

I wish him well, but he was dead weight.

 

I admired Gueye's hustle as well. He passed the eye test. A great looking athlete. Unfortunately, after 2 years he never developed the footwork, coordination and confidence to compete at this level. He seemed to have regressed this season.

 

He's a project big that didn't pay off.

 

I wish him the best.

 

Good, he's trash ( That comment raised the ire of plenty on the site )

 

 

[Illini Zip]

On 1/12/2019 at 1:08 PM, clarkwgriswold said:

A blurb from an article on Gueye on his leaving SC-

 

"Gueye, a Senegal native, was used sparingly over his two-year career. He appeared in 45 games, recording a total of 11 points and 38 rebounds. After logging 13 minutes at Tennessee on Feb. 13, Gueye didn’t play again in 2017-18." 

 

I am not going to lose sleep over his loss.

 

I agree with this sentiment up to a point. It's not an impressive stat line at all. But I did read in the Gamecocks Central comments that he was late to the game of basketball. So it's possible that a sit out year of nothing but weights and post-up drills could have done wonders for him. And after watching this NIU game it would be nice to have a guy who can double as an aircraft carrier and dunk anything within 5 feet of the basket. I would be interested to learn exactly what we missed out on, if anything.

 

Edited January 16, 2019 by Illini Zip

[Illini Zip]

On 1/12/2019 at 5:09 PM, zvillezip said:

Gotta come out of halftime playing man defense.  We come out in 1-3-1 zone and give up quick buckets.  Now getting steam rolled.

 

The announcer called it a 1-3-1 zone, but I thought we were running the half-court press which worked well in the first half. What ever it was it didn't slow down German's drive to the hoop. The second trip down the court we really didn't get set and we were in man-to-man by the third trip down.

Edited January 15, 2019 by Illini Zip

[Illini Zip]

Come on guys. I leave for the weekend and the whole place burns down. Anyway, I did watch this disaster, twice. I noticed a roster change with Ivey coming off the bench for both halves. I imagine that's to balance the rotation so we always have leadership on the court. You might find this strange, but I am more upset with the Zips letting the Central Michigan game get away from us. This game was a tale of 2 halves and 3 schizophrenic referees. I really felt for our guys. There were 8 minutes left in the game and our Zips were so confused and frustrated it was ridiculous. All I ask from referees is consistency for 40 minutes. They were the worst team on the court Saturday.

 

The first half was actually pretty impressive basketball from our Zips. Great ball movement. Drive and kick. We were hitting our floaters and lay ups. Free throws went down. We actually had some inside game. Our defense was solid with steals, diving on the floor and a half-court press that really messed with them. And even though our three point shooting started out ice cold we salvaged 27% by half and a 9 point lead. 

 

The second half NIU came out more aggressive and Eugene German was on fire hitting everything from lay ups to NBA three pointers. All the floaters and circus shots we made in the first half were now going down for them. Every broken play, hustle play, buzzer beater and friendly rim went their way. All of that in the first 5 minutes of the second half and we are still up 42 - 38. You can throw in some of our mistakes now; bad passes, not blocking out, defensive breakdowns, poor shot selection, stalled offense without LCJ on the floor and moving the ball side to side instead of attacking the defense. Even with all of that we are now at the 12:00 minute mark, still battling and only down 45 - 44. Somewhere between then and the 8:00 minute mark our spirit was broken. From there on out we were completely rudderless and chucking up three pointers in desperation. And the last minutes were total garbage. I would argue the refs had a lot to do with that. I will spare everyone the details, but I did write them down. That said, we have to play the game that is in front of us. And if the nature of the game changes we have to adapt. The problem is we are currently a one-trick pony. This offense may be guard heavy, but it should not be guard only. The fact that we get so little offense from our bigs kept us from overcoming the more physical play in the second half. It's tragic that we have to discuss Gueye's departure because a guy like that could make all the difference. There are better days in store for the Zips offense. I promise. A better three point percentage I can not promise.

 

One last note. I hope the Zips have a Eugene German effigy pinned to their board. He's a great player, but he's a punk-ass. He's also a junior so we get the pleasure of playing him another year. I don't believe in dirty play, but I do believe in hard fouls. That dance after hitting a three pointer was beyond celebration, that was taunting and disrespectful. Also, he should have been T-up at the end of the first half for knocking the ball out of Ivey's hands. Yes, I would definitely send him a message when they come to Akron.

 

Bring on Eastern Michigan. Go Zips!!

Edited January 15, 2019 by Illini Zip

[Captain Kangaroo]

1 hour ago, Illini Zip said:

It's ironic that we have spent so much time discussing Gueye because a guy like that could made all the difference.

Yeah...if he'd have punched a few Huskie starters into unconsciousness around the 12:00 minute mark, I think we'd have pulled out the "W." 

[clarkwgriswold]

1 hour ago, Illini Zip said:

I noticed a roster change with Ivey coming off the bench for both halves. I imagine that's to balance the rotation so we always have leadership on the court. 

 

 

If that's the case, it's a sad damn commentary on the team's leadership.

[kreed5120]

1 hour ago, Illini Zip said:

Come on guys. I leave for the weekend and the whole place burns down. Anyway, I did watch this disaster, twice. 

Why would you put yourself through that torture?

[Blue & Gold]

I liked Cheese coming off the bench as 6th man.

[Blue & Gold]

We desperately need another PG & we don't have one coming in for next year either.  

 

[kreed5120]

18 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

We desperately need another PG & we don't have one coming in for next year either.  

 

I agree, LCJ is in the middle of a severe 5 game slump and really we have no option but continue riding him in hopes he will figure things out. Cheese is listed as the backup pg, but he looks much better when he's playing off the ball compared to when he's trying to create offense for others

[clarkwgriswold]

15 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

I agree, LCJ is in the middle of a severe 5 game slump and really we have no option but continue riding him in hopes he will figure things out. Cheese is listed as the backup pg, but he looks much better when he's playing off the ball compared to when he's trying to create offense for others

 

It doesn't help that he's getting abused on the defensive end too by larger guards.  He'll come around on offense.

 

They really need to get out in transition tonight.

[1981 grad]

2 hours ago, Illini Zip said:

I would argue the refs had a lot to do with that. I will spare everyone the details, but I did write them down. 

Illini Zip:  I like reading your posts but you have only been posting for over a year.  I have been a Zips B Ball fan for a long time  and I have never seen a post by a Zips fan where we blame the refs for our loss.  Never!  Especially when we lose by 17 points.

 

However, looking at the minutes played by our starters on Tuesday, Ivey 41, Utomi, 40 Jackson, 40, Cheese, 31.  They then had to fly to a road game on Friday.  They then played a trap zone using a lot of energy.  It is possible that they got tired and that is the reason they fell apart in the second half.  Our former coach, KD, rarely played anyone more than 30 minutes and his goal was always to play 9 players.  People on this board would get upset because a guy would get hot and then he would pull him from the floor.  By the way, the 2 guys that did not play heavy minutes on Tuesday, Roscoe and Banks, shot the ball well and were 4 for 10 from 3 point land.  Conincidence?

 

I apologize for the sarcasm but my point is that the refs had nothing to do with our loss.  I believe that Groce played our  guys heavy minutes on Tuesday and it came back to haunt us on Saturday.  He needs to get more players in his rotation because the MAC schedule is a grind.  Also, he needs to play Jackson less minutes because he certainly is not playing as well as he was in the beginning of the season.