Schasz Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 OK humor me...what sure fire NCAA team did we beat in those 10 wins. Heck just a couple days ago a number of folks were whining about the fact that they missed beating a good SIU team that would have looked good on Selection Sunday. IMHO even with those 10 wins the Bills needed an excellent A10 showing to have a chance at making the Big Dance...now they better first win enough games in conference to get in the post season tourney and then win that tourney to even have a chance...wafer thin chance IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted January 7, 2007 Author Share Posted January 7, 2007 Did we dominate any team in that 13 game stretch other than the D2 teams? Heck, we went to the wire against Western f'in Illinois. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 We beat: Loyola at Loyola - RPI 80 Houston at home - RPI 122 Pacific at Pacific - RPI 192 Mississippi at home - RPI 120 MoState at home - RPI 22 Tennesse Martin at home by 24 points - RPI 301 Lamar on the road by 13 points - RPI 185 AND, hung in their with a very good SIU team (RPI 8) on the road where they are currently about 72-3. Then we turn around and lose to two teams, one AT HOME, with RPIs of 209 and 320. Now, say whatever you want about the previous games, but someone was doing something right in all those victories, that's why they are called "victories" and not "losses". Did Brad dramatically change his coaching? Was he playing different players? The difference is in the players and what they have accomplished, including, and this is a BIG part of it, Kevin's injury. Ian started of the season really strong. He has faded. I know he has been double teamed in games, but he was in victories early so what is the difference? Look, it is as if everyone is now forgetting the first 13 games and all of a sudden Brad is an idiot. Does he share in the blame? Yes, of course, but I am not going to give a bunch of kids getting a free ride through school a pass, especially when there seems to be a lot of people complaining that they are tired in games which is contributing to the losses (why they weren't tired while going 10-3 is beyond me). "A strong man stands up for himself; a stronger man stands up for others." - Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 All I know is that if the last 2 games is a trend throughout the remainder of this season, it is Coach Soderberg's arse that is on the line and not the players...he is the one puliing in the six figure pay, so he will be the one held accountable if this debacle is not turned around. He brought all of these players in and it is his job to coach them and get the results. For wat it is worth, I also fully subscribe to the theory that 5 years is enough time for a HC to put together at least one Big Dance invite. The clock is ticking on this HC!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 I know that even before these past two games I feared that given all of our "significant" wins came in the final minute while we were effectively blown out in all of our losses that we were just a "lucky" 10-3. Of course, everyone on here would simply accuse you of negativity if you pointed out such facts. A neutral source in Ken Pomeroy at one point ranked us as one of the 5 "luckiest" teams in the country. So yes, Alumnifan, the 10-3 record was likely just a fluke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 3-1 is a fluke. 10-3, statistically speaking, can be a fluke, but it is one hell of a fluke, especially given our OOC schedule compared to others in the A10. Bottom line - if that is how you feel, you and I will just have to agree to disagree. And remember, I predicted 18-12 for the season, so it is not like I was or am some blind eyed optimist. One other thing, do you consider our loss to Carbondale in Carbondale a "blow out"? "A strong man stands up for himself; a stronger man stands up for others." - Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted January 7, 2007 Author Share Posted January 7, 2007 Keep in mind that the quality of our out-of-conference schedule was largely inflated by the three games in which we were absolutely spanked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 We were "absolutely spanked" by Carbondale? Now, the 1982 DeSmet win over SLUH in the state championship game was a spanking, but SLU vs. Carbondale in 2006....? I dunno about an absolute spanking. ;-) "A strong man stands up for himself; a stronger man stands up for others." - Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Houston - W by 3 as Houston misses last second 3 pointer. Loyola - W by 3 as Loyola misses 1 and 1 attempt down by 1 with 15 seconds remaining Pacific - win by 7 after trailing by 13 at the half. Pacific misses a 3 in the final minute that would have tied the game. Missouri St. - The tip-in that was really late Mississippi - Miss misses a shot down 1 with 8 seconds left. A rational person would say that we should have been 3-2 in those close, anybody can win situations. Somehow we ended up 5-0 but in my mind it was a fluke that we didn't lose 1 or 2 of those. If we lose 2 of those we'd have been 8-5. 8-7 right now. The 5-0 record in those games was a fluke. Flip a coin 5 times and it lands on heads 5 times...its a fluke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted January 7, 2007 Author Share Posted January 7, 2007 I went to grade school with Roder's little brother. I can't count the number of times I heard about that game growing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 ""My message to the team was I was not displeased with their effort." I guess Alumnifan has a better sense of the effort of this team than the coach does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Good analogy kshoe...I think some of the folks on here got way too excited about the inflated record. You're right while we won those games any one of them could have gone the other way...not like we were hammering teams into submission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 The last two years when we would lose those games people would say that is the difference between a good team and a poor team: good teams win close games. Now, when we win those games, it is considered a fluke. This is what frustrates me. We, collectively (not just you), seem to OD on cognitive dissonance to support what we want to be the case and we change the heuristics that we use depending upon where our emotions are at the time or, worse, what point we want to make. "A strong man stands up for himself; a stronger man stands up for others." - Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Thanks. So much for dispassionate discussion.... "A strong man stands up for himself; a stronger man stands up for others." - Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 nearly every game we played came down to the final minute and we won about half of them, which is about what one would expect. Of course, most fans only remember the close losses and thats where the "if we had only beaten team X" comments come from. Do you doubt that in the 10-3 start to this season we were very lucky to have that record given the closeness of many of our wins? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 So this is just a game of luck then? UNCLE. I give. I don't want to keep going back and forth. As I stated before, we just need to agree to disagree. I will not convince you and you will not convince me. You are a smart guy and a passionate fan, we just have a difference of opinion. Let's both just hope the Bills turn it around and finish the year in respectable fashion. "A strong man stands up for himself; a stronger man stands up for others." - Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 but basically you ranted and raved that these kids aren't hustling enough, they are on scholarship so they should hustle more, yada yada and I showed you a quote from today that says Brad doesn't believe effort is the problem. Either coach is wrong or your analysis was a little off... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 AF, I think it is OK to have healthy debate on the team and I respect your points. Obviously, several of us disagree and nothing wrong with it. Question for you...how many years is fair to give Coach Soderberg before evey you say...he is not the man for the job...six, seven, eight, or more??? I happen to fall into the five years is enough to get to the Big Dance crowd. Right now, it is safe for me to say I see that as a remote possibility at best, but I am willing to play the rest of this year out and see how the cards fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 where a superior team can take a commanding lead in a game and take the luck factor out of it. If, however, the game still hangs in the balance with a minute to go luck is going to become a major factor in your W-L record. Its the same theory that Brad used when he first got here that said we aren't as good as most of our opponents so lets shorten the number of possessions in a game and hope that good things happen at the end. One thing Brad has proven good at over these 5 years is keeping most games close. That is fine when you are the underdog or are playing a very difficult schedule and 17-18 wins can get you in the dance but when you are the favorite or need 23 wins for an at-large bid keeping the game close and hoping for the best at the end isn't a good strategy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 One minute Brad is an idiot who doesn't know the team and cannot coach, the next minute he is in touch with his team and really knows how they are playing. This is EXACTLY what I am talking about. We cannot bash Brad for being an idiot and not knowing what he is doing and then turn around and use Brad's "sage" comments to support a different point. AND, according to many, the COACH has been consistenly wrong, but yet when he says something that supports your point, he is all of a sudden right. Again, I really don't want to keep going back and forth. We just disagree, nothing wrong with that. Let's just leave it at that. "A strong man stands up for himself; a stronger man stands up for others." - Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 That thumping sound we all hear is a dead horse being severely beaten by Kshoe and me. "A strong man stands up for himself; a stronger man stands up for others." - Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Don't worry, I am getting close to the limit. At the end of the day, he is the one who takes the fall. I just don't want to let the kids off the hook either. It is a team sport and the team typically includes the coaches and the players. "A strong man stands up for himself; a stronger man stands up for others." - Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inthelou Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 you know what. I've listened to him the last several months and he always says the Bills are a sure-fire NCAA team this year but then hedges big time for the "injury factor." If we don't make it this year and somebody calls him on the Lisch situation will be the excuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 We actually agree on the players having accountability for their performance on the floor, and that has been a problem in the last 2 ball games. The grey area is that outside of 3 recruits, Brad has to take the fall for recruiting. I am simply amazed at the lack of playing time for both Adam and Dustin...are they stiffs or players??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidlee Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Has anyone else noticed that the players numbers & points on the jumbotron are almost never correct? There are always players on the court that are not listed & a few weeks ago there were 2 players from the opposing team with the same number on their uniforms. I've seen better stats at high school games with some student doing the job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.