In Game: vs UMASS

[stan]

Our past 3 point shooting hid a lot of these problems. 14% from 3 doesn't hide anything, it exposes all.

Hats off to Kochera's play down the stretch. I still think that was a blocking foul when the ball went off of his foot.

he played hard and well. Would have helped to protect the ball with his body as he started the drive.

[seamac77]

Our past 3 point shooting hid a lot of these problems. 14% from 3 doesn't hide anything, it exposes all.

Hats off to Kochera's play down the stretch. I still think that was a blocking foul when the ball went off of his foot.

Clear body bump contact viewed from our seats -easily enough to get him off course and cause the turnover. But we had so many other chances to salt it away and couldn't execute.

[Dr. Bliss]

We aren't good enough to get away with the lazy plays and brain farts. That's just reality. We need 100% effort at both ends of every possession for 40 minutes. And not all our guys seem to understand that. There's a real good chance that the game is going to be decided by a possession or two. The possessions in the first half count as much as the ones in the last minute.

This is absolutely true and I'm not sure our team gets this. It's not just the plays at the end of the game; it's every play along the way.

[JC85]

Possibly unpopular take: I was very impressed with the effort, especially at the defensive end. In fact I can't think of a better game at the defensive end during the Matt era. Yes, there were some missed rebound block outs and a couple of brain cramp fouls, but the guys stayed in front of their men, blocked/disrupted a number of shots, and had UMass out of synch for large stretches of the second half. At the offensive end, we had our usual struggles shooting the three and from the line. But we did move to the basket better, and I am so impressed with the improvement in Reid Bailey's offensive game. The last two minutes was a heartbreaker. However, I liked what I saw today, including Matt's commitment to a deeper rotation.

[Jay Catsby]

The defense was great until a shot went up. Unfortunately, rebounding is part of defense. And we gave up 20 offensive boards. Can’t feel good about the defensive effort as a whole when we allow that many second and third chances.

Relatedly, as much as the last minute of the game sucked, if we grab even an average percentage of defensive boards, we win by 10-15 and none of the late minute decision making blunders ever come into play.

[Splinter Faction]

A conversation that took place near the football field a few minutes after the game:

Eight year old boy to dad: "How can you make somebody upset in basketball?" (I.e., how can it happen, not how can you make it happen.)

Dad: "I don't know."

Me: Young man, basketball will rip your heart out. It's been ripping my heart out since I was about your age, and for six decades since. But . . . if you don't know that, maybe it's just as well that you don't. If you never watch a basketball game involving a team you care about, you will save time, money, wear on your car, and lots of heartache. And if you do want to go ahead and jump into such a perilous endeavor, let me advise that you pick a big team like, say, Duke or Carolina. Then every year you will probably be nationally ranked, and every five years or so you will be able to have reasonable notions of winning the national championship. Above all, think twice, or thrice, before you attach yourself to a scrappy team that will lift you up, occasionally way up, until they, ah, don't. If you want to do that, you can, and it will be fun sometimes and you will meet some really fine people--players, coaches, and fans--but as someone named Joni Mitchell put it in a good song, be prepared to bleed.

Love is that way.

Oh, but you are in my blood
You're my holy wine
You're so bitter
Bitter and so sweet
Oh, I could drink a case of you, darling
Still I'd be on my feet
I would still be on my feet

Footnote: My part of the dialogue took place in my head, as you might guess. The setup is as it happened.

[ScootCat]

As an earlier poster stated, I too was impressed. Matt and staff have totally revamped the team post David Skogman’s truly unfortunate injury. In addition, our defensive intensity, and execution, has improved dramatically. I don’t think a Davidson team in the past fifteen years has played defense as intensely and effectively as this team. Yes, we still make mental errors and, of course, miss free throws and we don’t always block out. However, the trajectory is clear, at least to me. Have you noticed that Matt is purposely lengthening the bench in a way that should benefit the team next year, and beyond. If recruiting comes through, as I hope, then I have little doubt that Matt McKillop & Company will be very successful here. Chill gents. The future looks bright.

[bagelcat]

I complimented Frank Martin in his turtleneck from my seat behind the scorer's table. He said thanks, his wife picked it out, he would tell her.

Not content to quit while I was ahead, I later shouted: "Hey Frank, you don't really want to play in the Mid-America Conference, do you?" He didn't respond at all (this was during the first half). I decided I wasn't go to say anything else to him.

As I was taking my seat for the second half, he walked to over to me and asked "Are you going to come with me on my trip to Eastern Michigan?" I told him Ypsilanti wasn't my kind of town. He seemed to like that.

[citycat]

This is similar to ETSU leaving the Southern Conference when they dropped football in the early 2000s. That was sad for the Buccaneers.

A new Chancellor came to the school and football was reinstated. They were readmitted to the SoCon.

VMI left the SoCon because they weren't competitive in football or basketball. They joined the Big South and weren't competitive there.

They returned to the SoCon about 10 years ago. They feel better in the SoCon. They'll always have Ron Carter and the '76 & '77 teams.

[MrMac]

Oh, Splinter (Oh, Canada?). You have done it, now. You have made me think that, not only will the pain go away, but that I will be happy for having had in the first place. You are gifted, and we are blessed.

[TOK]

I was at the game, so I haven't broken down the tape and I am not a hoops expert, but.....

The "defensive intensity" demonstrated by heavily contested and blocked shots just might be part of the reason the Cats gave up so many offensive rebounds. Two defenders going up to contest a shot might not be in the best position to get a rebound. A blocked shot that goes out of bounds is just the same as an offensive rebound. I think it is like the team that crashes the offensive boards really hard, but then gives up fast break points the other way if they don't get the rebound. There is somewhat a cause and effect here.

[TOK]

Why does Sean Logan have the green light to shoot 3 pointers?

I was going to put the exception in for if the shot clock is about to expire, but he should only be out near the 3 point line late in the shot clock to set a pick.

[Ursa Midmajor]

A conversation that took place near the football field a few minutes after the game:

Eight year old boy to dad: "How can you make somebody upset in basketball?" (I.e., how can it happen, not how can you make it happen.)

Dad: "I don't know."

Me: Young man, basketball will rip your heart out. It's been ripping my heart out since I was about your age, and for six decades since. But . . . if you don't know that, maybe it's just as well that you don't. If you never watch a basketball game involving a team you care about, you will save time, money, wear on your car, and lots of heartache. And if you do want to go ahead and jump into such a perilous endeavor, let me advise that you pick a big team like, say, Duke or Carolina. Then every year you will probably be nationally ranked, and every five years or so you will be able to have reasonable notions of winning the national championship. Above all, think twice, or thrice, before you attach yourself to a scrappy team that will lift you up, occasionally way up, until they, ah, don't. If you want to do that, you can, and it will be fun sometimes and you will meet some really fine people--players, coaches, and fans--but as someone named Joni Mitchell put it in a good song, be prepared to bleed.

Love is that way.

Oh, but you are in my blood
You're my holy wine
You're so bitter
Bitter and so sweet
Oh, I could drink a case of you, darling
Still I'd be on my feet
I would still be on my feet

Footnote: My part of the dialogue took place in my head, as you might guess. The setup is as it happened.

Another classic my friend.

[seamac77]

As far as this season goes and all the close losses we have suffered... I'm reminded of this Paul Thorn classic love song....

"Down at Donnie's strip club
They all know my name
I can't get a woman
So I sit beside the stage

Heather really likes me
She wiggles in my face
Takes my forty dollars
Turns and walks away

Ain't love strange."

[Jay Catsby]

I was at the game, so I haven't broken down the tape and I am not a hoops expert, but.....

The "defensive intensity" demonstrated by heavily contested and blocked shots just might be part of the reason the Cats gave up so many offensive rebounds. Two defenders going up to contest a shot might not be in the best position to get a rebound. A blocked shot that goes out of bounds is just the same as an offensive rebound. I think it is like the team that crashes the offensive boards really hard, but then gives up fast break points the other way if they don't get the rebound. There is somewhat a cause and effect here.

I can excuse the handful of offensive boards that happened via blocked/nearly blocked shots or long rebounds from threes. The ones that really stick in my craw were 1) offensive rebound on a missed FT and 2) offensive rebounds in late shot clock situations.

These are shots likely to miss, where you can get in position a second or two before the shot goes up. and our guys just didn’t get in position or got out hustled. And at the very worst we should be fouling guys if we miss a box out, rather than letting them through for an easy putback layup. Hankins-Sanford had multiple of those, which were preventable.