Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

I agree with you. For example, with a different bracket, I think Mercyhurst could have gone much deeper into the Elite 8.

I would add that there is no "right" formula to figure out that will always win the region or go to the finals. Some styles may reduce variation in high performance due to better game theory strategies, which is reflected in their very high winning % over a decade.

However, as you said, that does not guarantee success. Every year there seems to be a school that catches lightning in a bottle and has a group of players that come along once in ten years at their school and who have great chemistry and are perfect fits for their style. NW Missouri comes to mind this past year.

Mercyhurst had a great 2nd and 3rd day of the Regional. Keep in mind IUP blew them off that same floor 7 days earlier in the PSAC title game. And, Fairmont had them dead in the water in Round 1 and blew it.

None of that matters, obviously.

[Columbuseer]

Re: Iup basketball

I agree with you. For example, with a different bracket, I think Mercyhurst could have gone much deeper into the Elite 8.

I would add that there is no "right" formula to figure out that will always win the region or go to the finals. Some styles may reduce variation in high performance due to better game theory strategies, which is reflected in their very high winning % over a decade.

However, as you said, that does not guarantee success. Every year there seems to be a school that catches lightning in a bottle and has a group of players that come along once in ten years at their school and who have great chemistry and are perfect fits for their style. NW Missouri comes to mind this past year.

[IUP24]

Regardless of the style of play or the talent, the road to the Elite 8, much less the finals, is not easy. All the coaches are good and the teams' players play well together in executing the coach's style.
Sometimes it comes down to which team is hot, or which team can best exploit a mismatch.

For example, WLU was very young and did not match up well with ESU. However, to mitigate this, they moved Meininger to the point which confused the defensive alignment of ESU, leaving Smith unsure as to whether to stay underneath or come all the way out to the 3 point line. This flipped the mismatch to WL's advantage just enough to eke out a win, with the likely fatigue factor causing great ESU shooters to miss 4 foul shots late.

Against Va State, WLU was behind until about 4 minutes left in the game, against a very talented team. They went to a 3-2 zone, I think, which disrupted Va States offense and countered their superior athletic ability.

As Mercyhurst, WLU was not able to dominate the boards offensively or shoot lights out to counter the incredible physical presence of Smith in addition to their good shooters and balanced team. In this case, the mismatch could not be offset.

My point is that there is a fine line between winning and losing once you get to the regional.


Ideally, one would like the meet the team that you don't match up well against in the finals (or better yet, have someone else upset them on the other side of the bracket!).
Takes some luck IMHO, unless you are like NW Missouri this year who met the eye test of a mid major D1 team. Even then, Mercyhurst gave them all they could handle.

[Columbuseer]

Re: Iup basketball

Regardless of the style of play or the talent, the road to the Elite 8, much less the finals, is not easy. All the coaches are good and the teams' players play well together in executing the coach's style.
Sometimes it comes down to which team is hot, or which team can best exploit a mismatch.

For example, WLU was very young and did not match up well with ESU. However, to mitigate this, they moved Meininger to the point which confused the defensive alignment of ESU, leaving Smith unsure as to whether to stay underneath or come all the way out to the 3 point line. This flipped the mismatch to WL's advantage just enough to eke out a win, with the likely fatigue factor causing great ESU shooters to miss 4 foul shots late.

Against Va State, WLU was behind until about 4 minutes left in the game, against a very talented team. They went to a 3-2 zone, I think, which disrupted Va States offense and countered their superior athletic ability.

As Mercyhurst, WLU was not able to dominate the boards offensively or shoot lights out to counter the incredible physical presence of Smith in addition to their good shooters and balanced team. In this case, the mismatch could not be offset.

My point is that there is a fine line between winning and losing once you get to the regional.


Ideally, one would like the meet the team that you don't match up well against in the finals (or better yet, have someone else upset them on the other side of the bracket!).
Takes some luck IMHO, unless you are like NW Missouri this year who met the eye test of a mid major D1 team. Even then, Mercyhurst gave them all they could handle.

[IUP24]

Just throwing this out there: I'm told IUP for at least the last several years has operated with 10 scholarship equivalences. Add to it that Dante was going tuition-free the last four years, really makes you wonder why Joe only plays 7 and sometimes one of them is a walk-on. Granted, the non-American players probably cost a few extra dollars than someone from Indiana High.

[IUP24]

Ohhhhh...How soon IUP fans forget. Much conversation before the season about how "stacked" the team was and how Joe had gone "all in" to win a NC!!!

[IUP24]

My reply was presented as sarcasm also! Poke at how much importance IUP faithful put in which D1 they are "playing."

I had considered posting about this years IUP team being the BEST Joe had put together...EVER! But I figured the IUP faithful wouldn't get the joke!! FYI...EVERY team Joe puts together is the best team in the history of IUP basketball...Seems like this years squad is shaping up to be the best, EVER, also!!!!!!!

Keep trying


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[hawks16]

Re: Iup basketball

My guess:

Starting 5

David Morris (PG)
Malik Miller (G)
Armoni Foster (G)
Chucky Humphries (F)
Shawn Ulrich (F)

(Rotation) Bench

Shawndale Jones (G)
Tommy Demogerontas (F)

That's your (7)

Next off bench

Ousmane Diop
Anthony White

Likely to redshirt

All three freshmen (Porterfield, Rhodes and Radford)


Many have told me all three freshmen could play this year, talent-wise. However, we all know Joe isn't playing 11 guys.

We'll see how they all mesh, but this is one of his deepest rosters. And, if he wants some muscle on the floor ... go further down the bench to Alan Glover Jr. That guy is a tank. Tort would salivate over him.

There's also going to come a night he starts all four of those guards plus Chucky. We'll see that at some point. Shawndale is a house. He'll bang under the glass with anybody.

Just throwing this out there: I'm told IUP for at least the last several years has operated with 10 scholarship equivalences. Add to it that Dante was going tuition-free the last four years, really makes you wonder why Joe only plays 7 and sometimes one of them is a walk-on. Granted, the non-American players probably cost a few extra dollars than someone from Indiana High.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

There was some ingredient that team had that last years did not.


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Not bringing up the whole Dante 4-year era intentionally but, well, things will certainly be different without him. Put it that way.

They will be tremendously different without him. I think Joe will also be much different.

That era was what it was. Dante did a lot of great things here. Joe also kept him on the court when he wasn't doing a lot of great things, too.

Should the Dante and Cobo 4-year run have won more than two NCAA games? Probably.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

There was some ingredient that team had that last years did not.


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Sure was.

[IUP24]

Agreed on the Mathis/Marcel team. They were definitely better than last year.

There was some ingredient that team had that last years did not.


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[IUPalum]

Re: Iup basketball

Agreed on the Mathis/Marcel team. They were definitely better than last year.

[IUPalum]

Re: Iup basketball

My guess:

Starting 5

David Morris (PG)
Malik Miller (G)
Armoni Foster (G)
Chucky Humphries (F)
Shawn Ulrich (F)

(Rotation) Bench

Shawndale Jones (G)
Tommy Demogerontas (F)

That's your (7)

Next off bench

Ousmane Diop
Anthony White

Likely to redshirt

All three freshmen (Porterfield, Rhodes and Radford)


Many have told me all three freshmen could play this year, talent-wise. However, we all know Joe isn't playing 11 guys.

We'll see how they all mesh, but this is one of his deepest rosters. And, if he wants some muscle on the floor ... go further down the bench to Alan Glover Jr. That guy is a tank. Tort would salivate over him.

There's also going to come a night he starts all four of those guards plus Chucky. We'll see that at some point. Shawndale is a house. He'll bang under the glass with anybody.

You don't think Shawndale slide into the starting spot over Armoni at some point?

[Chuck Norris]

Re: Iup basketball

That's obviously not true and typical Boat innuendos, but, ...

I would say last year's team, despite the 30-3 record, wasn't one of Joe's two best teams.

I think the 2014-15 team would have mopped the floor with them. That team had better guards, more toughness and played way better defense. Not to mention Daddy would have went bonkers inside. The West was much better then, too.

Joe's best team was without doubt his first national title game team. The Webb team would have blown the 14-15 and 18-19 teams out of the building.

Question is how the Webb team would have faired against Kanaskie's big team in the mid-90s or Edwards' '02 team.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Roster is up. No real surprises. This might be Joe's toughest season as coach -- in terms of getting all that talent narrowed down to 7 rotational guys.

https://iupathletics.com/roster.aspx...43&path=mbball

My guess:

Starting 5

David Morris (PG)
Malik Miller (G)
Armoni Foster (G)
Chucky Humphries (F)
Shawn Ulrich (F)

(Rotation) Bench

Shawndale Jones (G)
Tommy Demogerontas (F)

That's your (7)

Next off bench

Ousmane Diop
Anthony White

Likely to redshirt

All three freshmen (Porterfield, Rhodes and Radford)


Many have told me all three freshmen could play this year, talent-wise. However, we all know Joe isn't playing 11 guys.

We'll see how they all mesh, but this is one of his deepest rosters. And, if he wants some muscle on the floor ... go further down the bench to Alan Glover Jr. That guy is a tank. Tort would salivate over him.

There's also going to come a night he starts all four of those guards plus Chucky. We'll see that at some point. Shawndale is a house. He'll bang under the glass with anybody.