Yeah ... WVU is no joke. They hung like 60 on Wheeling Jesuit last yet ... or some big number. They do a lot of the things WL does ... just with bigger, faster athletes -- and more of them.
Yeah ... WVU is no joke. They hung like 60 on Wheeling Jesuit last yet ... or some big number. They do a lot of the things WL does ... just with bigger, faster athletes -- and more of them.
You aren't hijacking anything. There are so few of us on the basketball side it's not like we don't (in theory) know each other.
It's funny. What I read on the UK boards about the Transylvania games is exactly what I read on the Syracuse threads after the IUP game.
Jim Boheim actually said at his press conference after the game that IUP was a match-up problem for Syracuse and its famous zone -- mainly because IUP had a bunch of 'smaller 6'7" guys shooting three's over top the zone'. He said their post players -- typically in the 6'10" to 7'1" range -- rarely have to go out and cover the three point line. IUP stormed out to a big lead in that game and then the Orange pressed the button. He also inferred IUP ran a 'junk defense' which I still don't really understand what that meant.
From what I read on the UK boards they were saying Translyvania just had a bunch of 6' guards launching from all over the place. Add that to what your neighbor said and it makes sense.
But, the thing with UK is you always want them early. That's basically a new team every year. By Jan-Feb they start rolling -- and have some of the best recruits in the country.
Calipari and Lombardi are very close friends, too. I think IUP has enough this year to, as you said, at least make it interesting for a bit. If they stay within 20-30 by the end that's a success. This is freaking Kentucky after all.
The certainly don't want to lose but getting "pushed" could serve as tool for the coach to refocus their team.
As for not scheduling a team, yea, WLU is familiar with that. WVU has been ducking WLU for years. In 2016 they said they couldn't get their schedule to align but then came to WestBanco Arena (literally 12 miles away from WLU) on Oct 16 and played an intersquad scrimmage before playing WV Tech in an exhibition game on the 29th. WLU didn't have anything going on particularly beyond normal practice on both dates. I jokingly suggested that the Topper players get in their cars, drive to WesBanco and challenge the Mountaineers to a pick-up game!!! I'm sure Huggin's would have blown a gasket if the WLU players did that!!!
Make no mistake, they best win the game. Exhibition or not, they don't want a D2 loss in the media.
After the IUP women beat Pitt last year ... they aren't ever being invited back there.
There's actually a good story from several years back when Slippery Rock played one of Jamie Dixon's good Pitt teams. The Rock gave it to them in the first half. Jamie wasn't real happy with paying a D2 team to come in and push his team around. It got interesting at halftime.
The certainly don't want to lose but getting "pushed" could serve as tool for the coach to refocus their team.
As for not scheduling a team, yea, WLU is familiar with that. WVU has been ducking WLU for years. In 2016 they said they couldn't get their schedule to align but then came to WestBanco Arena (literally 12 miles away from WLU) on Oct 16 and played an intersquad scrimmage before playing WV Tech in an exhibition game on the 29th. WLU didn't have anything going on particularly beyond normal practice on both dates. I jokingly suggested that the Topper players get in their cars, drive to WesBanco and challenge the Mountaineers to a pick-up game!!! I'm sure Huggin's would have blown a gasket if the WLU players did that!!!
Make no mistake, they best win the game. Exhibition or not, they don't want a D2 loss in the media.
After the IUP women beat Pitt last year ... they aren't ever being invited back there.
There's actually a good story from several years back when Slippery Rock played one of Jamie Dixon's good Pitt teams. The Rock gave it to them in the first half. Jamie wasn't real happy with paying a D2 team to come in and push his team around. It got interesting at halftime.
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