Gofund me for the 19-7 Banner?

[Globetrotter]

I think we should put something together for this team reaching their goal! What a great accomplishment. They were picked last and didn't finish last. Should get them a banner for the first 26 games. I think the seasons too long anyway. We should petition for these last few games not to count.

Tough loss to OU where we gave up on our offense and shot too many threes 7-27 25% and played terrible defense as they shot 9-18 (you can do that math).

This was obvious so coach would be all over them and they would right the ship.....

8-28 for 3. They went 15-33. They made 29 shots. How do you play like that in back to back games and not think that this one is over. it's all energy. They just stand around and chuck up threes.

[mbenecke]

Yeah, we shot the ball poorly last night and we didn't come out on top. But I don't feel like the recent stretch has made this season a failure by any means. A rough stretch obviously sucks, but that can't devalue what this team has already accomplished:

-Best MAC start in school history through 13 games
-most home wins in Stroh Center history
-upsetting a top 25 team
-2 consecutive sellouts
-still being in play for a top 2 or 3 seed in the MAC
-looking to clinch a bye to Cleveland
-one win away from the 14th 20-win season in school history (would be just the 4th in my lifetime)
-first winning season under Coach Huger
-potential NCAA or NIT bid still up for grabs

We were supposed to be terrible this year, and this team has shocked the world despite that. Expectations have shifted dramatically, and that's a good thing - we SHOULD expect this team to win at a high level. Still plenty of basketball to be played, and maybe a "MAC Tournament Champions" and "NCAA Tournament" banner could come with it. No reason to give up now.

[hammb]

Yeah, we shot the ball poorly last night and we didn't come out on top. But I don't feel like the recent stretch has made this season a failure by any means. A rough stretch obviously sucks, but that can't devalue what this team has already accomplished:

-Best MAC start in school history through 13 games
-most home wins in Stroh Center history
-upsetting a top 25 team
-2 consecutive sellouts
-still being in play for a top 2 or 3 seed in the MAC
-looking to clinch a bye to Cleveland
-one win away from the 14th 20-win season in school history (would be just the 4th in my lifetime)
-first winning season under Coach Huger
-potential NCAA or NIT bid still up for grabs

We were supposed to be terrible this year, and this team has shocked the world despite that. Expectations have shifted dramatically, and that's a good thing - we SHOULD expect this team to win at a high level. Still plenty of basketball to be played, and maybe a "MAC Tournament Champions" and "NCAA Tournament" banner could come with it. No reason to give up now.

The thing is, most of those accomplishments mean jack. When they clinch a bye to Cleveland THEN they will have accomplished something meaningful, and it's still only meaningful if you use that time to rest and come out to beat up your opponent on Thursday.

Yeah, expectations were super low this year. I didn't expect this group to win 6 MAC games. We had 3 years of lousy play and lousy coaching to base that assumption on, and clearly the writers in MAC agreed picking us dead last. But then something funny happened. For the first time since maybe the tourney run in his first year Huger's team started actually playing like a team. They started moving and passing. They played defense. And lo & behold when playing smart basketball the team has the talent to beat anybody in the MAC.

Unfortunately over the past 6 games or so they've lost a lot of that. Didn't do it against UT, didn't play well against CMU or Akron but found ways to win. And now lost 2 in a row against the worst 2 teams in the East. Other than the NIU game this is a pretty long stretch of some bad basketball. It's really the exact same crap we showed for the first month and a half of the season. STill eek out a few victories, but overall playing BAD.

When your team is comprised mostly of upperclassmen your goal should be to win the MAC tourney. None of us thought that was a realistic expectation going into the year, but we were pre-judging the season by how we expected it to go. Through the first 12 games of MAC play the group looked like we were wrong and the goal of winning the MAC tourney was reasonable, albeit daunting. Now they look like a team that won't win a game in Cleveland. I'm not sure resetting expectations as a season goes on is fair, but it's certainly reasonable. And the goal should have never changed for the team anyhow.

To my eyes (and to Globe's point) it seems the team is looking at this the exact same way as you, mbenecke. "Look at all that we've accomplished!" when in reality, none of it means a damned thing. Sadly I'm right back where I was through the first 15 games of the season thinking Huger is a crap coach. The cynic in me sees the outlier run of stellar play as just enough to make sure we're stuck with him for at least another 2 years of crap basketball.

[mbenecke]

Hammb, I get where you're coming from. I want tangible results, too. I've been annoyed at how long we have gone without an ACTUAL banner for a long time, and I was hoping this would be the year. There are some positives to take from this year. Beyond what I listed above, Dylan Frye has gotten more consistent and Justin Turner has been revealed to be as legit as it gets in the MAC. I'm just saying that just because we aren't 28-0 doesn't mean this can't be looked at a successful season in some capacity, ya know?

[Globetrotter]

We have seen this teams ceiling. It's upper echelon of the MAC. Within the best 4 teams. They get there with an easy formula. Try hard. The basketball talent is enough that if you just try hard you can beat anyone in the MAC. Try hard=Play pesky defense, space the floor, pound the boards. Don't stand around on offense and defense.

This team can win the MAC tournament. Anyone who watched all year knows this. The last 2 weeks are such a disappointment because they appear to have entirely regressed.

Here is a theory. We went with 12 scholarships again and 3 of those guys barely play. All Big men. Our rotation is

Frye-Laster
Fields
Turner-Lillard
Plowden-Sierra-Mattis
Wiggins-Uju

The shift to the smaller lineup has helped with the energy and wins for sure. But that's 4 guards (maybe Lillard too) playing 3 spots. It's possible that they are just tired. Another symptom of a short bench.

[mbenecke]

I'm glad you agree that this team still has potential. I worry that people have given up, because they shouldn't - at least not yet. If this is what this team is this year, I can live with it because of the low expectations. But I still think they're absolutely capable of making a run, and I'm gonna root like hell for it.

[Falconwriter]

Hammb, I get where you're coming from. I want tangible results, too. I've been annoyed at how long we have gone without an ACTUAL banner for a long time, and I was hoping this would be the year. There are some positives to take from this year. Beyond what I listed above, Dylan Frye has gotten more consistent and Justin Turner has been revealed to be as legit as it gets in the MAC. I'm just saying that just because we aren't 28-0 doesn't mean this can't be looked at a successful season in some capacity, ya know?

Actually, given this is the coach's FOURTH year and if not for a decent run earlier this season, he'd be well below .500 -- I don't think you can look at this season as a success. The hot streak was apparently an anomaly, and not indicative of what this coaching staff and team can do.

If we use your reasoning, then Huger gets an extension when his contract comes due. Do we really think that's what is best for this program? Especially if this team limps to the finish line?

[mbenecke]

Success is a very vague term. It can be a championship or it can simply be progress. It really depends on who you ask.

I guess I mean success relative to the last 3 years and the better part of the last 20, as opposed to championship-level success.

I wouldn't give Huger an extension this summer. I would wait til after next season to see if we have a similar level of (relative) success or more. If we resemble a championship team next year, I would feel like the program is in good hands. There's a lot of that which is hypothetical, but we've seen this year just how good this program CAN be under Huger. It's a little early to make a definitive statement about Huger, so I'm gonna wait and see the rest of this year and I'm going to wait to see how this team performs next year with higher expectations before making a definitive call either way.

[hammb]

I'm glad you agree that this team still has potential. I worry that people have given up, because they shouldn't - at least not yet. If this is what this team is this year, I can live with it because of the low expectations. But I still think they're absolutely capable of making a run, and I'm gonna root like hell for it.

I absolutely think this team has potential and is capable of making a run. That's why I'm so upset with what we've watched the past few weeks. If this MAC season had gone as I expected it to, I would be upset (and calling for Huger's firing immediately following the year), but I'd probably also be somewhat numb to it by this point in the year. The fact that we ran roughshod through the league for our first 10-12 games or so before falling off a cliff makes it that much more frustrating to see how we've played of late.

IT is conceivable that Globe is on to something. We do play a pretty deep bench, but we rely heavily on a handful of guys to be the key contributors on offense on a nightly basis. And we are (again) not using all of our scholarships, and our backup bigs play 0 minutes. I'm not sure our rotation is really any thinner than our competition though, so seems like more of an excuse than anything. Hell, I think Akron only had like 7 bodies available to play last week, and still we struggled.

Our bench's regression is quite possibly the biggest reason for our recent skid. And I think you can point most of that to the change in style. Turner & Frye can still score in isolation, but Lillard, Uju, Fields, Sierra, etc need guys to set them up. Laster is better when he's facilitating and occasionally getting his own shot. When things were rolling Huger talked about letting Laster do some stupid stuff because it works, well lately it's not working as much. Still, he DID make 2 of the nicer passes of the game last night, needs to be a facilitator first.

To last night specifically Turner & Frye need their threes to come within the offense not because they decide to go ISO and shoot a 3 this possession. Plowden, who I love, should NOT be shooting 7 threes in any game. Glad he made 2, but the first make was a ridiculously BAD shot (I actually yelled NO! while ball was in the air). Wiggins was horrid last night, 6-12 from the field was NOT indicative of how he actually played. The makes were all off Pick'n'Roll or cleanup. He was 0fer when feeding him on the block (at least until the final minutes when it was over). Lillard, like Plowden, needs his shots within the offense, not going iso. In fact, he's only a worthwhile offensive option if he's moving WITHOUT the ball, because he's not good at all with the ball in his hands.

The fact we've seen what this team CAN be is why what they've been of late is so damned frustrating.

[footballguy51]

I'm glad you agree that this team still has potential. I worry that people have given up, because they shouldn't - at least not yet. If this is what this team is this year, I can live with it because of the low expectations. But I still think they're absolutely capable of making a run, and I'm gonna root like hell for it.

I absolutely think this team has potential and is capable of making a run. That's why I'm so upset with what we've watched the past few weeks. If this MAC season had gone as I expected it to, I would be upset (and calling for Huger's firing immediately following the year), but I'd probably also be somewhat numb to it by this point in the year. The fact that we ran roughshod through the league for our first 10-12 games or so before falling off a cliff makes it that much more frustrating to see how we've played of late.

IT is conceivable that Globe is on to something. We do play a pretty deep bench, but we rely heavily on a handful of guys to be the key contributors on offense on a nightly basis. And we are (again) not using all of our scholarships, and our backup bigs play 0 minutes. I'm not sure our rotation is really any thinner than our competition though, so seems like more of an excuse than anything. Hell, I think Akron only had like 7 bodies available to play last week, and still we struggled.

Our bench's regression is quite possibly the biggest reason for our recent skid. And I think you can point most of that to the change in style. Turner & Frye can still score in isolation, but Lillard, Uju, Fields, Sierra, etc need guys to set them up. Laster is better when he's facilitating and occasionally getting his own shot. When things were rolling Huger talked about letting Laster do some stupid stuff because it works, well lately it's not working as much. Still, he DID make 2 of the nicer passes of the game last night, needs to be a facilitator first.

To last night specifically Turner & Frye need their threes to come within the offense not because they decide to go ISO and shoot a 3 this possession. Plowden, who I love, should NOT be shooting 7 threes in any game. Glad he made 2, but the first make was a ridiculously BAD shot (I actually yelled NO! while ball was in the air). Wiggins was horrid last night, 6-12 from the field was NOT indicative of how he actually played. The makes were all off Pick'n'Roll or cleanup. He was 0fer when feeding him on the block (at least until the final minutes when it was over). Lillard, like Plowden, needs his shots within the offense, not going iso. In fact, he's only a worthwhile offensive option if he's moving WITHOUT the ball, because he's not good at all with the ball in his hands.

The fact we've seen what this team CAN be is why what they've been of late is so damned frustrating.

So I wasn't the only one yelling "NO!" when he shot that? I told my wife, "He made it. Now he'll sheet three more." Then he made the second one and all of a sudden he thought he was Steph Curry. So frustrating. Plowden's talent is his athleticism, not his three-point shooting.

I agree with your assessments on the players. Wiggins needs to practice that hook shot (sky hook?) on the block with defenders. That is a shot that, if he started making 50-75% of them, would DRAMATICALLY change the offense. Right now, they can defend him one-on-one with little concern of him making too many of them.

Lillard has become a liability late in the game. How many times is he going to commit stupid fouls? Fouls on threes, little taps on the arm, minor bumps. These are all careless and just give away points. I'm not sure if that is being over-aggressive and out-of-control on defense, or if it lack of talent or discipline. Your remarks on his defense are on point, but his defense bothers me most.

[hammb]

I'm glad you agree that this team still has potential. I worry that people have given up, because they shouldn't - at least not yet. If this is what this team is this year, I can live with it because of the low expectations. But I still think they're absolutely capable of making a run, and I'm gonna root like hell for it.

I absolutely think this team has potential and is capable of making a run. That's why I'm so upset with what we've watched the past few weeks. If this MAC season had gone as I expected it to, I would be upset (and calling for Huger's firing immediately following the year), but I'd probably also be somewhat numb to it by this point in the year. The fact that we ran roughshod through the league for our first 10-12 games or so before falling off a cliff makes it that much more frustrating to see how we've played of late.

IT is conceivable that Globe is on to something. We do play a pretty deep bench, but we rely heavily on a handful of guys to be the key contributors on offense on a nightly basis. And we are (again) not using all of our scholarships, and our backup bigs play 0 minutes. I'm not sure our rotation is really any thinner than our competition though, so seems like more of an excuse than anything. Hell, I think Akron only had like 7 bodies available to play last week, and still we struggled.

Our bench's regression is quite possibly the biggest reason for our recent skid. And I think you can point most of that to the change in style. Turner & Frye can still score in isolation, but Lillard, Uju, Fields, Sierra, etc need guys to set them up. Laster is better when he's facilitating and occasionally getting his own shot. When things were rolling Huger talked about letting Laster do some stupid stuff because it works, well lately it's not working as much. Still, he DID make 2 of the nicer passes of the game last night, needs to be a facilitator first.

To last night specifically Turner & Frye need their threes to come within the offense not because they decide to go ISO and shoot a 3 this possession. Plowden, who I love, should NOT be shooting 7 threes in any game. Glad he made 2, but the first make was a ridiculously BAD shot (I actually yelled NO! while ball was in the air). Wiggins was horrid last night, 6-12 from the field was NOT indicative of how he actually played. The makes were all off Pick'n'Roll or cleanup. He was 0fer when feeding him on the block (at least until the final minutes when it was over). Lillard, like Plowden, needs his shots within the offense, not going iso. In fact, he's only a worthwhile offensive option if he's moving WITHOUT the ball, because he's not good at all with the ball in his hands.

The fact we've seen what this team CAN be is why what they've been of late is so damned frustrating.

So I wasn't the only one yelling "NO!" when he shot that? I told my wife, "He made it. Now he'll sheet three more." Then he made the second one and all of a sudden he thought he was Steph Curry. So frustrating. Plowden's talent is his athleticism, not his three-point shooting.

I agree with your assessments on the players. Wiggins needs to practice that hook shot (sky hook?) on the block with defenders. That is a shot that, if he started making 50-75% of them, would DRAMATICALLY change the offense. Right now, they can defend him one-on-one with little concern of him making too many of them.

Lillard has become a liability late in the game. How many times is he going to commit stupid fouls? Fouls on threes, little taps on the arm, minor bumps. These are all careless and just give away points. I'm not sure if that is being over-aggressive and out-of-control on defense, or if it lack of talent or discipline. Your remarks on his defense are on point, but his defense bothers me most.

Agreed whole-heartedly on Lillard's fouling issues. And then he had the audacity to chirp at the officials last night. Dude, you put your hand in the chest of a shooter...you can't do that!

I haven't noticed it being a consistent issue, but last night Laster had 2 of the dumbest fouls I've ever seen as well. After a give-away he kept harrassing the guy in the backcourt until they HAD to call the foul. Then another possession they had 1 guy in the paint to our 4 (5?) and rather than just let our guys corral the rebound he flat out shoved the Miami dude (who had no shot at the ball) in the back. Instead of an easy rebound, ball back to Miami (foul shots? don't remember the timing).

As I exclaimed to the wife and people around me all night...STUPID STUPID basketball. Stupid and LAZY basketball to be more accurate.

[mbenecke]

Most MAC wins since 2002 and 4th most home wins in program history.

[zete]

Success in this league is to win 22 games and get to the MAC tourney finals...win a few games in the NIT or one game in the NCAA tournament. Any thing more makes it a great season.

[Antimob]

The thing is, most of those accomplishments mean jack.

Dear God...when they win it doesn't mean anything but if any of those games had been losses you'd be the first one on the board ripping them. If they win it's supposed to be meaningless but if they lose they get criticized.

BG quite literally cannot win among a certain segment of the fan base.

[hammb]

The thing is, most of those accomplishments mean jack.

Dear God...when they win it doesn't mean anything but if any of those games had been losses you'd be the first one on the board ripping them. If they win it's supposed to be meaningless but if they lose they get criticized.

BG quite literally cannot win among a certain segment of the fan base.

Bullshit. I've applauded the hell out of this season. They've blown my expectations out of the water and I couldn't be happier.

Doesn't change the fact at all that at the time of that list none of those accomplishments are meaningful if they were going to feel content with what they had done.

Clinching the bye is absolutely meaningful. This season, to this point, has been a success. They've put themselves in the best position possible to make a run at winning the tournament, which should be the goal when you've got an experienced team in the MAC.

I've got no issue giving props when it's due. But I'm not about to fellate them for a bunch of "accomplishments" that are only notable because of how awful we've been for the past 15+ years