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TXPA from the MD couch .....


Taj79

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.... all in all, a postive game from a growth perspective. Nothing new here outside of what I posted in the game thread and what many of you said as last night unfolded.

I really liked the lineup of AG, AY, MY, MC and AM. It just seemed to flow a lot better than anyhting else out there. I am sure that had a lot to do with MC and AY setting career scoring highs in the game because that gave us three viable exterior shooters (AM included) with MY on the blocks. AG shows he can go inside but is much better with the outside game, especially his point-center vision skills. It just worked.

And if you missed it, I would take Joesaar and Kimasa in a heartbeat. Of course, how much of their "greatness" was due to our defense remains to be seen but I thought MC/AY on Joesaar did all they could and Kimasa made tough shots no matter which of our bigs was on him. Very impressive for such a "name" school as Texas Pan American. Boga was passable but likely pumping because hometown, senior, Coach Claggs in the house.

Once again we were outrebounded by a comparable team and our free throw shooting still leaves a lot to be desired. Especially at crucial times. Overall not too bad at 71% but AM and AY missed back ends late and I have no clue how MY can go 2-for-2, then 0-for-3 then 2-for-2, especially when those middle three were down right f-ugly. On the one, he shot it and it hit the backboard off to the side and below the rim. I mean f-u-g-l-y! Even I usually hit at least iron. But then he also swishes like four. Lack of youthful concentration? Or what? Lancona had a nice block but showed no improvement or maintained the mo from last game. Bartley looked completely lost in the first half and played horrible "d" while picking up four fouls. But he did finish the and 1 and had a pretty fastbreak pass to AY for the layup. Reynolds, Robey, Jolly and Agbeko now on the downward trend.

We all know JM is what he is but he did go 4-for-4 at the line. While the 8 points is a "yay!' he had two rebounds. TWO. A seven-footer. How does that happen?

Huge plusses for AY and MC. Also a nice plus for AM. There was a point in the middle of the second half where AM, as our sole ballhandler, was trying to break the press and all I could see was the swarm of black and gold VCU-ites coming up shortly. That could get fugly too. But we'll deal with that when we get there. AG had a quiet game but solid again. He is very quiet and unassuming but a full summer in the weight room and 25 pounds of muscle. Maybe? That would be great. Rooting real hard for a "Gillmann Summer."

I think we are seeing the trend and that is the reduction inminutes going to BJ, MR and DR. But I would also add that was the range tonight. Never can tell when one or the other might be "the man" as MR was a few games back. I guess we will ride the hot hand -- if Crews give that hot hand enough floor time once it becomes evident who it is. I don't think there is one real consistent answer still.

The Wiz improved to 3 and 7. Vermont next. They play Yale tonight. They went into St. Joe's and lost by 8 so we should see equal competition again. On here on Fox Sports again in the Comcast package. If AG and MY continue to develop along with MC, there are the positives so far. Keep the trend going.

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I really liked the lineup of AG, AY, MY, MC and AM. It just seemed to flow a loit better than anyhtign else out there. I am sure thathad a lot to do with MC and AY setting career scoring highs in the game because that gave us three viable exterio rshooters (AM included) with MY on the blocks. Ag shows he can go inside but is much better with th eoutside game, especially his pooint-center vision skills. It just worked.

That Line up will be key against better full court press.

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Even I usually hit at least iron.

I see you are a student and possible reader of my instructional book: "How to Hit the Rim" (available for $20 anywhere).

Vermont is a very good defensive team. They took Harvard (who was preseason ranked and has beaten UMass but lost to Holy Cross) to a low-scoring double overtime road loss (they should have won that). They have clearly been inconsitent on offense but they are a good team.

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@ jim -- Thanks. Again .. can't wait for what comes out of the box of chocolates next.

For general consumption: anybody else less stressed watching games this year like me? I guess it comes with no expectations other than to grow and get better. Kind of a nice feeling and my wife isn't afraid I will have a heart attack, or punch out a flat screen any time this year.

Have my tickets for GeeDubya. I guess Nick-son isn't riding shotgun this year, are you kid?

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I would chew my nails to the cuticles last year before every game because we expected so much. This year's kind of like a vacation in Vegas. It's supposed to be entertaining while giving us a glimpse into the future. The competition pretty much has sucked save for WSU, and the 25 point loss to MSU was none too comforting. Sub consciously it's like we're playing a bunch of exhibition games. Of course w/ Vermont and Vandy coming up that changes a bit, but my anxiety level won't increase. I don't have us extending this season beyond the first game of the A10 tourney, so why should there be any tension? Now, if suddenly we get a Christmas miracle and the lights suddenly go on, and we become the cardiac kids that might get the old Blood Pressure rising.

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@ jim -- Thanks. Again .. can't wait for what comes out of the box of chocolates next.

For general consumption: anybody else less stressed watching games this year like me? I guess it comes with no expectations other than to grow and get better. Kind of a nice feeling and my wife isn't afraid I will have a heart attack, or punch out a flat screen any time this year.

Have my tickets for GeeDubya. I guess Nick-son isn't riding shotgun this year, are you kid?

Nope, no plans for GW this year. The Air Force has me out west for a while. Just please ensure we score more than 20...

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Despite the close results, I am liking what I am seeing more and more each game. I agree that we seem to have flushed out a line-up from crunch time. AG, AY, MY, MC and AM is exactly who I would have in when the game was on the line.

On the other end of the spectrum, BJ and DR seem to be poison to our offense right now. Not sure why, other than DR constantly calling upper classman over for ball screens so that he can drive and attempt a layup into three defenders. Just based upon my observations, I would think that both of their +/- stats aren't good. Everytime we go into one of those periods of the game where we don't score for about four minutes and the other team goes on a run, those two seem to be on the court. They will get better, but more time on the bench is needed. Not as punishment, but so that they can watch the guys that are having success and see what they are doing to earn their time.

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Winning last night was better than losing. That is about as much positive as anyone should take away from the game. UTPA is bad and that is the problem with this schedule when it comes to trying to make positive judgments about this team.

I have been pushing for Crawford to get more playing time and to run more plays for him. That happened last night and that was good. Should we take anything away from last night's game about Crawford's production in future games? No. How many guys have we seen have one good night against a bad team and then disappear this year?

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Roby looks like he can defend, help out rebounding and pass. That will get him some minutes, but his offense will keep those minutes down. His drives are almost always ineffective. The one time he actually made it to the rim, he missed the lay up. He just doesn't look comfortable shooting. He is obviously athletic and has a nice touch shooting free throws so I would think he ought to be able to improve his jump shot.

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"We all know JM is what he is but he did go 4-for-4 at the line. While the 8 points is a "yay!' he had two rebounds. TWO. A seven-footer. How does that happen?"

Just one minor correction: A seven foot senior.

His problem rebounding is his hands. He has trouble picking the ball out of the air. I thought he had a good game last night, other than rebounding. He should also look for his shot more when he gets the ball outside. He's the third best shooter on the team behind McBroom and Crawford.

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His problem rebounding is his hands. He has trouble picking the ball out of the air. I thought he had a good game last night, other than rebounding. He should also look for his shot more when he gets the ball outside. He's the third best shooter on the team behind McBroom and Crawford.

Hahaha Stop trying to troll manning haters with ridiculous statements like that.

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Winning last night was better than losing. That is about as much positive as anyone should take away from the game. UTPA is bad and that is the problem with this schedule when it comes to trying to make positive judgments about this team.

I have been pushing for Crawford to get more playing time and to run more plays for him. That happened last night and that was good. Should we take anything away from last night's game about Crawford's production in future games? No. How many guys have we seen have one good night against a bad team and then disappear this year?

I think Jim Crews listened to you last night. He used timeouts, which shocked all of us.

I know it's a tall task, but I think Austin Gillmann can do many of the things on offense Rob Loe did. A big man with the ability to pass is so critical in our offense.

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I think Jim Crews listened to you last night. He used timeouts, which shocked all of us.

I know it's a tall task, but I think Austin Gillmann can do many of the things on offense Rob Loe did. A big man with the ability to pass is so critical in our offense.

He has got a ton of potential.

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Mike Crawford needs to play with the best players. With players who can draw help defenders, Crawford is a natural finisher who knows how to exploit an opening in more ways than one. He's not a great ballhandler nor is he quick enough to slash one on one, but he's currently part of our best 5.

Yarbrough has things to work on (FT shooting, avoiding foul trouble), but his low post game (and ability to draw help defenders) is a vital resource for the offense.

Ash may not be the hybrid of Jordair/Kwamain that we dreamed of, but he's a very solid overall player, especially his defense and rebounding. It's encouraging to see him more assertive on the offensive end.

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I hope AG puts on strength the way RL did. He has very quick hands and eye coordination, I never played college ball but I empathy for JM I couldn't catch anything until I was 22 years old and then I finally relaxed and stopped pushing the ball away. It is very difficult to overcome if you don"t have "soft hands". I hope he keeps working ar it. Gillman actually gets more chances in close when he and Manning are on the floor and JM draws the stronger opponent center. I thought Lancona gave us fire and stops on defence the last two games and definitely finishes better than Agbeko> I was hoping the two of them would start as I like RA quick move facing basket. I did finally see Malik Yarbrough jump for a rebound-like many freshmen who are tall he is often content reaching with those long arms. The proof of these recruits is not what they came in with but if they continue to compete to outclass juniors and seniors on the floor against them. Sorry to see Miles Reynolds buried he has speed and better handle than DR or MB. That should keep changing though Crews doesn't bury his players in the doghouse forever.

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I feel like Roby doesn't have the green light to shoot. He took that 3 at the end of the game and was immediately benched for a possession then I believe he was right back in the game for defense.

I don't think that substitution was punishment. College teams often sub their best defensive five and their best offensive five in and out of a game in the last few minutes. I don't recall the situation, but that may have been why.

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What exactly do you see in Roby thus far that makes you feel he shouldn't lose minutes? IMO, most disappointing player on the team thus far.

athletic playmaker who already has a D1 body as a freshman, struggling a bit with confidence offensively but still our best on-ball defender and a plus rebounder

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