Bluebird96 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 ESPN’s matchup predictor gives UB better than a 50% chance to beat Akron on Thursday. Let’s hope that’s the case. Go Bulls! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeseph Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Win or the season ends short, again (sorry for not caring about the sub-tournaments) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DooleyBull06 Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 Winning this game hinges on defending without fouling, rebounding and being mentally “up” for what basically is a road afternoon game. While there should be no reason to be sleepy, given the stakes, this team is known for mental lapses. I looked over the stats from our lone meeting against Akron and two things stood out. We were out rebounded. Now Mballa didn’t play but even with Mballa in our last two losses, rebounding was an issue. A mentally engaged Mballa is key. Hence my first point about being up for this game. The second issue was the FT disparity. They were 30-40. We were 9-17. Ali Ali himself was 16-22. Us shooting this poorly, them getting that many attempts and Ali going to the line that much cannot happen again. This is a winnable game. A game dare I say we should win. But this team struggles to do what it should. That’s my scouting report. Go Bulls! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 This is a game we can and should win. Akron fan board seems concerned with Bulls matchup. http://zipsnation.org/forums/forum/2-akron-zips-basketball/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clodney Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 Quote from Zips fan "clarkwgriswold": Quote They've gone from preseason favorite to a 19 win season. I can appreciate their pessimism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuchMany Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 Quote from Zips fan "clarkwgriswold": "I know I sound like a broken record but I really think Buffalo could make a run. If Williams and Segu are on their games and Mballais doing his part on the boards and getting the easy points, they could be a tough out. I wish they were in the other bracket." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeseph Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 8 hours ago, Erie County said: There you have it, from another board. 19 win season is a bad year in a season you were favored. But that was an unreasonable expectation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UB92 Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 9 hours ago, MuchMany said: Quote from Zips fan "clarkwgriswold": "I know I sound like a broken record but I really think Buffalo could make a run. If Williams and Segu are on their games and Mballais doing his part on the boards and getting the easy points, they could be a tough out. I wish they were in the other bracket." Those first two sentences are almost verbatim of what we've read on this board during the entire season. When you are the pre-season favorite but don't win (and have no injuries), there is always the hope (from UB) and concern (from others) that a 3-game run can occur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DooleyBull06 Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 The sad part is that we all say “if”. If we play this way. If this player does this. After all these years with the same core players under the same system I don’t wanna hear “if” anymore. Time to do! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 55 minutes ago, DooleyBull06 said: The sad part is that we all say “if”. If we play this way. If this player does this. After all these years with the same core players under the same system I don’t wanna hear “if” anymore. Time to do! That is the crazy and exciting aspect of basketball and sports in general. It does really come down to a lot of if’s. Who is going to have a good or great shooting day, who will shoot better from the free throw line among other factors. Sometimes the biggest IF of them all is the officiating. For all the supposed experience and the supposed trying to learn from their mistakes so many games can be decided by questionable calls. That is the agony and ecstasy of sports. I was watching the Iowa/Indiana women’s game and their were several calls in the last 2 minutes that all went Iowa’s way and the fans were booing like crazy and of course Iowa won. So many factors go into win or lose and of course after the game it is easy to analyze what should or should not of been done. Still has been a great time for our teams over the last number of years. Go Bulls!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clodney Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 19 wins isn't terribly impressive given that the back 2/3rds of the MAC is historically BAD this year and 10% of our wins came against DIII and NAIA teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrooklynBull Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, DooleyBull06 said: The sad part is that we all say “if”. If we play this way. If this player does this. After all these years with the same core players under the same system I don’t wanna hear “if” anymore. Time to do! Then do not say "if". Say "when". Remember what happened when Linus said if the Great Pumpkin comes rather than when the Great Pumpkin comes. Edited March 7, 2022 by BrooklynBull Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeseph Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 1 hour ago, BrooklynBull said: Then do not say "if". Say "when". Ok, "when" is this team going to play to their potential against a top MAC team? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UBinMD Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 9 minutes ago, Jeseph said: Ok, "when" is this team going to play to their potential against a top MAC team? Thursday around 1:30pm. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DooleyBull06 Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 1 hour ago, UBinMD said: Thursday around 1:30pm. LFG 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 KenPom rankings for MAC mens tournament teams: 75: Toledo 119: Ohio 123: Buffalo 136: Kent State 150: Akron 259: Miami 264: Ball State 320: Central Michigan Bowling Green, Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan ranked higher at Kenpom than Central Michigan, but failed to qualify for the MAC Tournament. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird96 Posted March 8, 2022 Author Share Posted March 8, 2022 23 hours ago, DooleyBull06 said: The second issue was the FT disparity. They were 30-40. We were 9-17. Ali Ali himself was 16-22. Us shooting this poorly, them getting that many attempts and Ali going to the line that much cannot happen again. Looking at his stats in MAC games, Ali Ali’s 16 FT’s made vs UB are more than 25% of his season total of 61. I’m betting that game was by far the most times he went to the line all year. And the 21-point disparity at the line for the game was impossible to overcome regardless of our subpar 9/17 that game. I have to believe those numbers won’t be repeated in Cleveland and Mballa’s defense and rebounding is going to be key. Maybe he’ll even throw in one of his patented treys for the NBA scouts…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DooleyBull06 Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 1 hour ago, Bluebird96 said: Looking at his stats in MAC games, Ali Ali’s 16 FT’s made vs UB are more than 25% of his season total of 61. I’m betting that game was by far the most times he went to the line all year. And the 21-point disparity at the line for the game was impossible to overcome regardless of our subpar 9/17 that game. I have to believe those numbers won’t be repeated in Cleveland and Mballa’s defense and rebounding is going to be key. Maybe he’ll even throw in one of his patented treys for the NBA scouts…. Please no Mballa 3s. Please no lol. As to your point about Ali. Yes it seems like an outlier. But against Toledo, twice, the FT disparity was killer. Begs the question, is it an outlier or something in the system or attack that got him to the line? Toledo in 2 games got to the line a ton. Perhaps Akron has the same formula. Just something to watch for. Also yea a disparity that large is difficult to overcome, hence why it can’t happen. We need to defend without fouling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChubbyHubby Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 16 hours ago, DooleyBull06 said: LFG I had to look it up, but I'm down with it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 The 1:30PM start time will likely keep the home crowd for the Zips relatively small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird96 Posted March 9, 2022 Author Share Posted March 9, 2022 25 minutes ago, Chet said: The 1:30PM start time will likely keep the home crowd for the Zips relatively small. That’s a good point. I’d like to see the Bulls jump out to a quick lead and never look back. Keep whatever fans that show up nice and quiet. Forty minutes of pure energy and smart basketball. LFG UB! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DooleyBull06 Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 I just realized the game is on espn+ and we are the lower seed…does this mean a homer Akron broadcast? Shoot me now if so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
121Merrimac Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 Did True Blue beat the Rowdies in food pantry donations this year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird96 Posted March 9, 2022 Author Share Posted March 9, 2022 On 3/7/2022 at 9:12 PM, DooleyBull06 said: Begs the question, is it an outlier or something in the system or attack that got him to the line? Toledo in 2 games got to the line a ton. Perhaps Akron has the same formula. Just something to watch for. Also yea a disparity that large is difficult to overcome, hence why it can’t happen. We need to defend without fouling. Definitely an outlier for Ali’s FTs in the previous matchup vs Akron. His high attempts for all other games was 9 and just 7 in MAC play vs NIU. Also, he averages under 3 rpg so he’s not exactly a beast on the boards for being 6’8”. Also, not only did Mballa not play in the previous matchup, but neither did Fagan. And Hardnett fouled out in just 8 mins of action. UB was forced to play with a small lineup most of the game as Perry also played by far his most minutes of the season. Thursday’s game will be a much different story as far as the rotation goes, now let’s see if that translates to a more favorable outcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrooklynBull Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 25 minutes ago, DooleyBull06 said: I just realized the game is on espn+ and we are the lower seed…does this mean a homer Akron broadcast? Shoot me now if so. Probably Michael Reghi. He is the usual voice of the MAC. I would prefer Akron announcers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.