Atlantic Regional

[GoVSUTrojans]

Re: Atlantic Regional

It wasn't the coach's fault. He has done a great job adjusting all year and WL just threw a wrinkle that worked. Plain and simple. The drive wasn't there no matter what guards were in the game. Again, I would have subbed Holley for Melvin to open up the inside. they left Melvin open and he didn't want to pull the trigger late in the game. They closed pretty well on Jackson and dropped the guy closest to Melvin in the paint. They gave Melvin the 3 but he didn't take the shot. You can't drag a coach that has won 100 games the last 4 years and has taken his team to the regionals 3 of the last 4. Before Blow, VSU was an afterthought. Give the man the respect he deserves.

I disagree. The lost was due to coaching and the fact that we are not used to playing back-to-back games. WL won due to coaching and a steph curry 3 pointer.

Blow is a good coach, don't get me wrong. But he seems to have issues with adjusting from what he normally does.

[kjb0615]

Re: Atlantic Regional

I disagree. The lost was due to coaching and the fact that we are not used to playing back-to-back games. WL won due to coaching and a steph curry 3 pointer.

Blow is a good coach, don't get me wrong. But he seems to have issues with adjusting from what he normally does.

We just have to agree to disagree. I've seen him make adjustments all year and they worked out pretty good. I agree that Holley should have played more down the stretch but if Melvin shoots the open shots, who knows what would have happened. That's not on blow but on Melvin.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Atlantic Regional

We just have to agree to disagree. I've seen him make adjustments all year and they worked out pretty good. I agree that Holley should have played more down the stretch but if Melvin shoots the open shots, who knows what would have happened. That's not on blow but on Melvin.

The moment I thought the game turned oddly isn't one anybody is talking about on here. When Howze got his third foul it seemed VSU got conservative. In the first half they just let it rip and played excited and physical. Once he got that third ... they just seemed to change.

As for Melvin getting gun shy ... yeah, that definitely happened. He was passing up some nice looks.

Tell you what ... I had a perfect angle on that last shot which would have won the game. When he let it fly it looked dead on. It was off by a quarter inch.

[ctrabs74]

Re: Atlantic Regional

I disagree. The lost was due to coaching and the fact that we are not used to playing back-to-back games. WL won due to coaching and a steph curry 3 pointer.

Blow is a good coach, don't get me wrong. But he seems to have issues with adjusting from what he normally does.

To be honest, most teams aren't used to playing back-to-back games all season. The only conferences which play back-to-back nights during regular season conference play throughout the entire season (Friday/Saturday, typically) that I know of are the NSIC, the RMAC and the CCAA (I know there are the occasional weekend back-to-backs during PSAC cross-over play, but that's very limited). Yes, you have back-to-backs in most conference tournaments, but not in the regular season to the extent of the NSIC, RMAC and CCAA.

[Columbuseer]

Re: Atlantic Regional

To be honest, most teams aren't used to playing back-to-back games all season. The only conferences which play back-to-back nights during regular season conference play throughout the entire season (Friday/Saturday, typically) that I know of are the NSIC, the RMAC and the CCAA (I know there are the occasional weekend back-to-backs during PSAC cross-over play, but that's very limited). Yes, you have back-to-backs in most conference tournaments, but not in the regular season to the extent of the NSIC, RMAC and CCAA.

Intuitively I think back to back hurts shooting especially from 3. Wl averages almost 44% as a team but shot only about 29% from 3. Some of that also could have been due to va state. But they were off in warmups too.

[Columbuseer]

[Golden89]

Re: Atlantic Regional

It should not happen to IUP.

We demand better. We should be winning National Titles. I'm sick of PSAC teams gunning for one big game against us and then they roll over and die the next week.

I will not be shocked if West Liberty runs them out of KCAC.

Seriously? Mercyhurst won that game because they were "gunning" for IUP? You're acting like it's just another game for IUP and the game makes-or-breaks for Mercy's season. It's the NCAA's. Everyone should be up for the game.

The NCAA's are matchups. Mercy is a bad matchup for what IUP tries to do. Their pace and defense can control guys like Cobo Diaz. They took away IUP's number one option. They got the lead and didn't give up the big run to IUP. IUP is a great team that has proven to be successful against many styles. Mercy's style is their kryptonite. They were 2-2 against Mercy and 28-1 against everyone else. A team needs to overcome a bad matchup to win it all. IUP met their kryptonite in the second round and couldn't get by.

[IUPalum]

Re: Atlantic Regional

Seriously? Mercyhurst won that game because they were "gunning" for IUP? You're acting like it's just another game for IUP and the game makes-or-breaks for Mercy's season. It's the NCAA's. Everyone should be up for the game.

The NCAA's are matchups. Mercy is a bad matchup for what IUP tries to do. Their pace and defense can control guys like Cobo Diaz. They took away IUP's number one option. They got the lead and didn't give up the big run to IUP. IUP is a great team that has proven to be successful against many styles. Mercy's style is their kryptonite. They were 2-2 against Mercy and 28-1 against everyone else. A team needs to overcome a bad matchup to win it all. IUP met their kryptonite in the second round and couldn't get by.

Correct, you'll see that in the D1 NCAA's this weekend. A high seed will run into a style that were used to seeing and just that fast they are eliminated. Hence Michigan State last season. That team was one of the favorites but lost to the vaunted Cuse 2-3 zone because they couldn't solve that style. It happens. Mercyhurst junk D's are just what destroys IUP and always has.

[IUPNation]

Imagine thinking that IUP operates on some higher plane of existence than the rest of the PSAC. You'd think there'd be more championships to show for that if that were the case, huh?

News flash: being the "best" program in a competitive conference doesn't make you entitled to being the last PSAC team standing. The only thing that sets a team apart from its conference are postseason results. Get those first before thinking you're entitled to championships.

[IUPNation]

Atlantic Regional

Yep, should have clarified my statement was directed mainly at Nation. Generally the IUP basketball posters have been gracious about the result, Nation's just special.

[IUPNation]

Atlantic Regional

Special and probably didn't watch one basketball game all year!

[kjb0615]

Re: Atlantic Regional

The moment I thought the game turned oddly isn't one anybody is talking about on here. When Howze got his third foul it seemed VSU got conservative. In the first half they just let it rip and played excited and physical. Once he got that third ... they just seemed to change.

As for Melvin getting gun shy ... yeah, that definitely happened. He was passing up some nice looks.

Tell you what ... I had a perfect angle on that last shot which would have won the game. When he let it fly it looked dead on. It was off by a quarter inch.

When Howze got that 3rd foul the tide did turn a bit. To be honest, VSU to me didn't have that killer instinct all year. Whenever they got up big in the second half, they let teams back in the game. Happened against Shaw in the CIAA finals. If I had to nitpick, that was my one pet peeve this year. I like the pieces that are coming back next year but Jackson, Wiggins, Melvin and Holley will be major losses.

[Topper912]

Re: Atlantic Regional

Howlett is a great coach and he has done an EXCELLENT job at re-building the the program with his own recruits. We lost a lot of guys when Crutchfield left and it has taken a little time to get the roster fixed. I love his style of play, the adjustments he makes in games, etc. It will be interesting to see how long we can keep him at West Lib. I think it's only a matter of time until a D1 school is interested in him. He's still young so I fully expect him to at least consider that when the time comes.

[Columbuseer]

Re: Atlantic Regional

Howlett is a great coach and he has done an EXCELLENT job at re-building the the program with his own recruits. We lost a lot of guys when Crutchfield left and it has taken a little time to get the roster fixed. I love his style of play, the adjustments he makes in games, etc. It will be interesting to see how long we can keep him at West Lib. I think it's only a matter of time until a D1 school is interested in him. He's still young so I fully expect him to at least consider that when the time comes.

I agree that he has a bright future. When you get Ben, you also get "the system". A D1 school has to buy into the "system", the efficacy of which in D1 folks on this board have discussed back and forth, with no clear agreement.
Some say low to mid D1, it would work. But not high level D1, where the prima donna factor rules. Both Crutchfield and Ben are great coaches, but they have designed a system that optimizes their points per possession and attempts to minimize the opponent's points per possession, through pressure and the cumulative effect of fatigue.

The challenge will be to get players with another level of skill and size that will still: 1) play extremely hard (until you throw up) and press the entire game, 2) shoot the 3 at all positions including center" and be good all-around players especially passers, 3) be unselfish, where a great player gives up a good shot to give a teammate a great shot. 4) be willing to play < 30 minutes simply due to the need to rest and let others play like crazed dogs while you rest.

Boosters have to be comfortable with the opponents dunking on them on run outs and remember that it only counts 2 points.

Villanova and Gonzaga come to mind regarding just the unselfishness factor, but not many more schools. Duke has sold out to the AAU style, IMHO.

[IUPTrackMan]

Re: Atlantic Regional

I agree that he has a bright future. When you get Ben, you also get "the system". A D1 school has to buy into the "system", the efficacy of which in D1 folks on this board have discussed back and forth, with no clear agreement.
Some say low to mid D1, it would work. But not high level D1, where the prima donna factor rules. Both Crutchfield and Ben are great coaches, but they have designed a system that optimizes their points per possession and attempts to minimize the opponent's points per possession, through pressure and the cumulative effect of fatigue.

The challenge will be to get players with another level of skill and size that will still: 1) play extremely hard (until you throw up) and press the entire game, 2) shoot the 3 at all positions including center" and be good all-around players especially passers, 3) be unselfish, where a great player gives up a good shot to give a teammate a great shot. 4) be willing to play < 30 minutes simply due to the need to rest and let others play like crazed dogs while you rest.

Boosters have to be comfortable with the opponents dunking on them on run outs and remember that it only counts 2 points.

Villanova and Gonzaga come to mind regarding just the unselfishness factor, but not many more schools. Duke has sold out to the AAU style, IMHO.