Thoughts from the Furman game...

[ZiggyZoomba]

I saw our team come out flat and unable to shoot. I saw some really bad fouls from our guys, and I saw some bad calls too. Bad calls are something we can't control, but bad fouls we can!

I DID see a team that really got a spark going and fought back hard all the way to the end. AND I finally saw Lionel Sullivan play basketball for BGSU. Matt Lefeld was hurting tonight... BIG TIME.

I was encouraged by the way we fought back... I STILL see a lot of talent on this team. It's a lot of talent that hasn't been together for long though, little-by-little they'll come together and they will get better.

I'm not as down on this team as lots of people on here are. In fact, I'm pretty optimistic! I think they need time to gel and time to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses.

OH... one other thing about tonight. John Floyd sat down with me and chatted me up for 5 - 10 minutes. He's a good guy! Joked a little bit about how badly he's been beaten up on this site. Seemed to take it in stride though. He's got a good job lined up, he's going to get his degree. I wish him all the best!

One last thing... from what I heard, our "Radio Network" tonight consisted of exactly ZERO stations. Nada... Todd and Kirk were up there, but the only way to hear them was the Internet stream...

[orangeandbrown]

You know, I wondered on that. I tried to listen to the DD post-game show on the drive home, and none of the usual stations had the game on. I eventually gave up.

Grant, I hope you are right. it would be a lot more fun to be back in a rocking AA.

[hammb]

That's right...107.7 is also the lone carrier of the Browns in NW Ohio, I forgot about that conflict.

[Rightupinthere]

He's got a good job lined up, he's going to get his degree. I wish him all the best!

AWESOME! I still believe the success of an athletic program is measured in degrees.

Congrats John!

[BGGrad01]

Yesterday was my first game of the year. Hopefully my schedule will allow me to make the trip to BG a couple more times this year, but I'm not sure.

I don't understand why Coach is changing the starting lineup every game. Dusan, Larson, and Guerin all starting? Maybe they show signs in practice or in the scrimmages, but I just did not see it yesterday. Larson is a freshman and Guerin is a walk-on, so I will cut them some slack, but Dusan couldn't make a shot yesterday and fouled anything and everything that moved. I hate to rip a 20 year old kid, but I have no idea why he is on a D-I basketball floor.

On the bright side, I though Marshall was really solid yesterday and Lionel Sullivan looked pretty good in limited action. I like Hamblet's athleticism, even though his ball handling and decision making was a little suspect at time. Samarco was solid, but the FT miss at the end was big. I liked what I saw of the Guerin, Moten, Samarco, Marshall, and Hamblet lineup in the last 5 minutes. Those guys gave us a chance to win the game.

There is a lot of season left and there are a number of good things to build on. Foul shooting cost us the game yesterday, but that is normally a BG strength. Unfortunately, we still foul way too much and have 5 minutes stretches where we look like a junior high team.

Good to hear about John Floyd.

[Dayons_Den]

Thanks for the take, Grant. I am looking forward to taking in my one and only BG basketball game this season on Saturday. I don't care if there are 50 people in the crowd, the feeling I get when I walk in to Anderson Arena is pretty special. The glare on the court, the smell of hot dogs cooking, the reverberation of the big drum by the band (which will probably be absent), and finally sitting down on the bleachers during warm ups.

[JWEIII]

I don't understand why Coach is changing the starting lineup every game. Dusan, Larson, and Guerin all starting?

Someone correct me if I am wrong (and I know you will), but I think that is standard operating procedure for Coach D. As I recall he likes to mix it up in the early going nonconference games to see what works, what doesn't and to test some guys under live fire. Again, I am guessing.

Seems like I say this every year, but these games don't mean a whole lot anyway. While nonconference wins are nice, this team could win 20 games and not make a post season tourney at large. MAC wins count. So I think he is testing the waters in live action in preparation for the MAC slate.

Thoughts (or am I just nuts)?

[Jacobs4Heisman]

I don't understand why Coach is changing the starting lineup every game. Dusan, Larson, and Guerin all starting?

Someone correct me if I am wrong (and I know you will), but I think that is standard operating procedure for Coach D. As I recall he likes to mix it up in the early going nonconference games to see what works, what doesn't and to test some guys under live fire. Again, I am guessing.

Seems like I say this every year, but these games don't mean a whole lot anyway. While nonconference wins are nice, this team could win 20 games and not make a post season tourney at large. MAC wins count. So I think he is testing the waters in live action in preparation for the MAC slate.

Thoughts (or am I just nuts)?

That's what I think too. The problem that keeps stabbing me in the brain about this though, is that DD has been criminally insane with his personnel choices even during MAC games recently.

I think this is more standard DD operating procedure as opposed to standard DD non-conference operating procedure.

[IKeepItReal]

I doubt that DD would be trying to "mix it up" with this group. Lets remember that this is the last year of his contract and he is going to be trying to win as many games as possible. He cannot afford to give games away basically because he wants to get everyone playing time. Another reason I do not think he is doing this is because we have yet to see Otis Polk play against a D1 team. If he was trying to "mix it up" don't you think he would let the guy play and see what he can do.

[JWEIII]

I doubt that DD would be trying to "mix it up" with this group. Lets remember that this is the last year of his contract and he is going to be trying to win as many games as possible. He cannot afford to give games away basically because he wants to get everyone playing time. Another reason I do not think he is doing this is because we have yet to see Otis Polk play against a D1 team. If he was trying to "mix it up" don't you think he would let the guy play and see what he can do.

Again, I am only guessing. But, if memory serves, he does this every year (not saying it is a good/bad idea, just what I remember). He mixes and matches lineups until the MAC schedule rolls around. I am not going to look it up (lay-zee), but I recall in past years thinking "why is this guy starting?" and "has he lost his mind?" Then a lineup emerges in January. Again, I could be wrong, but I would be willing to bet a more reasonable (poor choice of words? How about consistent?) lineup shows in January.

I also see your point: Cocah D can't afford to throw games away. He might respond: the more seasoning I can get for my young guys the better shot we will have in the MAC. The best way for him to stay on, I feel, would for him to at least be "in the hunt" in mid February.

Then again, perhaps he's nuts.

(To be continued...)