Game 17: AT Saint Joseph's University, Tuesday, January 10th, 7 PM, ASN

[Bricker]

Could we get an NIT bid? I've never really paid attention to what gets you into that tournament

I'm gonna go post in the panic button thread just to dig it up after reading this.

 

[JimP]

I like to split our games into three categories: ones in which we are the clear favorite, 50/50 toss-ups and those in which we are the clear underdog.

Saint Joe's gets a lot of love from the media because they've been successful in the A-10 for a long time, but their performance Saturday was mostly a product of Fordham's ineptitude.

It doesn't guarantee that we will win, obviously, but we have the better team. If we play well, we should be able to control the game.

All hail gmujim2 for having well founded confidence going into tonight's game! All hail Paulsen and the upstart Pats!

 

[MasonSAE4]

Seriously doubt that our rpi will be high enough for that.

Great road win, conference schedule eases up a bit after those first 4 games.

UNI is killing us. They're like 0-6837 this year.

 

[TweederGMU]

I'm gonna go post in the panic button thread just to dig it up after reading this.

NCAA Tourney or Bust!

 

[MasonSAE4]

NCAA Tourney or Bust!

Carolina seems to think it's a sure thing

 

[JimP]

UNI is killing us. They're like 0-6837 this year.

Towson 0-4 in the CAA. Thought they'd be ok this year.

 

[emjayar08]

A team that can hit free throws to close out a game!

 

[patriotchild]

Seriously doubt that our rpi will be high enough for that.

Great road win, conference schedule eases up a bit after those first 4 games.

I agree they are a bit easier, but Richmond has a hot start and we'll be on the road for that and UMASS.

GW is winnable given the situation but still tough.

We HAVE to beat SLU or we could easily drop all 4.

This team is good but we have no wins in our pocket this year.

 

[Falco]

Seriously doubt that our rpi will be high enough for that.

Great road win, conference schedule eases up a bit after those first 4 games.

I think if we make a good run in the a10 tourney there is a shot at the NIT. Just keep winning!

 

[phoenix-arizona]

CBI/CIT watch out for GMU!

 

[MasonFanatic]

A10 teams don't play in the CIT so we never have to worry about that disaster again.

With a team this young I would absolutely support a CBI pay-to-play opportunity.

 

[phoenix-arizona]

That's why I support a CBI bid. It seems like a better chance to get an extra 2-3 games under the belt as opposed to a one and done NIT

 

[Falco]

That's why I support a CBI bid. It seems like a better chance to get an extra 2-3 games under the belt as opposed to a one and done NIT

If you get an NIT bid you take it. If you don't get a bid, then you discuss other options

 

[mkaufman1]

NIT is hard because you have teams who won the regular season in their conferences but don't make the tournament having auto bids plus you have to add probably 3-5 bubble teams off the bat. There goes half the bracket. For mason to be close they probably have to be in Top 50 RPI.

CBI/CIT might be a good experience for a young squad, but then again I'm not sure a pay to play tournament is really worth anything at this point.

Tonight it looked like mason didn't want to lose. They found a groove on offense in the second half and although St Joes kept fighting back, Mason got a few stops when it mattered and that was that. You can tell they are being taught how to win.

St Joes isn't a great team, but any road win in conference is a good win. Hopefully Mason can muster enough to be around .500 in conference this year. I'd gladly take that.

 

[MASONscott]

Good road win! Thought we were done when Jenkins fouled out. That was a terrible, terible call.
Watched with some diehards on DVR still partying....

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

 

[Pablo]

A10 teams don't play in the CIT so we never have to worry about that disaster again.

With a team this young I would absolutely support a CBI pay-to-play opportunity.

Didn't Fordham play in the CIT last year?

 

[psyclone]

Last year the A-10 got 3 teams in the NIT, with Davidson being the lowest ranked in conference. They finished 6th in the conference and went 10-8 in the league. So, basically, finish in the top half of hte league and you'e at least on the NIT bubble.

I just checked on Davidson's "run" to the NIT. They did win 2 games in the A10 tournament, losing to vcu in the semis. Kenpom had them as #103 after that game. After beating St. Joe's, Kenpom has us as #110.

No doubt we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves here. But that's what message boards are for, right?!

 

[psyclone]

Didn't Fordham play in the CIT last year?

Indeed they did: http://fordhamsports.com/news/2016/...-to-boston-university-in-cit-69-66.aspx?path=

 

[Petey Buckets]

Great gut-check win from the guys. I was not hopeful when Jalen fouled out but Donkey Dick Dave (best friend of Big Balls Brad) put five guards on the floor down the stretch and it worked. I don't know if you can call it a gamble given how ineffective Relvao and Temara have been, but it's creative, unconventional, and shows a real willingness to adjust based on matchups. Not a lot of coaches would have rolled with that. Some other thoughts:

- When Marquise was off the ball on the perimeter his defender was playing 10-15 off of him in the middle of the paint. We should get used to that because any team that does their homework is going to do that to us. Don't worry, I took more pictures to illustrate. Demery (25) is in the middle of the paint here guarding Marquise. SJU is not in zone. Look how egregious this is:

It's a real testament to Marquise that he can still get his with defenses playing him like that, but it also makes things a little more difficult for everyone else. If opponents need to use a body to double, trap, or clog the paint, it's going to be Marquise's guy.

- I'm gonna miss Marquise so bad next year. Love watching a mess of bodies jump for a rebound, then when the dust settles the smallest guy in the paint is the one who comes away with it. I'm convinced he's the most unique player in college basketball and will be one of my favorites when it's all said and done.

- We haven't gotten much from the bench in conference play so far but Karmari and Kier combined for 17 points tonight. We know Karmari can shoot, but he had one nice drive and finish in traffic that looked downright explosive. If he's a threat to drive like that regularly his ceiling is really, really high. Kier's give and go with Jalen was gorgeous - he's like a diet version of Luke Hancock. Not super flashy but will always make the right play.

- I've finally arrived at the conclusion that Jalen's foul trouble is his own fault. Someone mentioned it earlier and hit the nail on the head - every game he gets called for two or three ticky-tack fouls. It's not a bad coincidence or string of bad luck, it's something he's doing consistently. Don't get me wrong, the fifth foul call was an abomination, but overall this is a Jalen issue and not a bad ref issue.

- For all of Otis's struggles, he still makes winning plays. The three he hit to give us the lead shortly after Jalen went out was massive. It looked like the game might be slipping away to that point. He had two steals after that, one leading to free throws that helped extend the lead. He's going through a little slump but he's still helping us win games. When he's fully back on track, watch out.

- Speaking of guys who make winning plays - Dave subbed Boyd in for Relvao with 1:33 left and it worked somehow. Boyd had a quiet game, but it says a lot that Dave was willing to trust him and Kier in the super-small lineup at the end. Boyd more than held his own, which bodes well because our bigs are clearly not ready.

The team still has some work to do on defense - we haven't been able to string together stops in any of our conference games. Hopefully we can use the game against St. Louis as a get-right game. Overall, very good win against a game opponent and great coach.

 

[MasonSAE4]

Great gut-check win from the guys. I was not hopeful when Jalen fouled out but Donkey Dick Dave (best friend of Big Balls Brad) put five guards on the floor down the stretch and it worked. I don't know if you can call it a gamble given how ineffective Relvao and Temara have been, but it's creative, unconventional, and shows a real willingness to adjust based on matchups. Not a lot of coaches would have rolled with that. Some other thoughts:

- When Marquise was off the ball on the perimeter his defender was playing 10-15 off of him in the middle of the paint. We should get used to that because any team that does their homework is going to do that to us. Don't worry, I took more pictures to illustrate. Demery (25) is in the middle of the paint here guarding Marquise. SJU is not in zone. Look how egregious this is:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C13E1MXW8AAmmEK.jpg

It's a real testament to Marquise that he can still get his with defenses playing him like that, but it also makes things a little more difficult for everyone else. If opponents need to use a body to double, trap, or clog the paint, it's going to be Marquise's guy.

- I'm gonna miss Marquise so bad next year. Love watching a mess of bodies jump for a rebound, then when the dust settles the smallest guy in the paint is the one who comes away with it. I'm convinced he's the most unique player in college basketball and will be one of my favorites when it's all said and done.

- We haven't gotten much from the bench in conference play so far but Karmari and Kier combined for 17 points tonight. We know Karmari can shoot, but he had one nice drive and finish in traffic that looked downright explosive. If he's a threat to drive like that regularly his ceiling is really, really high. Kier's give and go with Jalen was gorgeous - he's like a diet version of Luke Hancock. Not super flashy but will always make the right play.

- I've finally arrived at the conclusion that Jalen's foul trouble is his own fault. Someone mentioned it earlier and hit the nail on the head - every game he gets called for two or three ticky-tack fouls. It's not a bad coincidence or string of bad luck, it's something he's doing consistently. Don't get me wrong, the fifth foul call was an abomination, but overall this is a Jalen issue and not a bad ref issue.

- For all of Otis's struggles, he still makes winning plays. The three he hit to give us the lead shortly after Jalen went out was massive. It looked like the game might be slipping away to that point. He had two steals after that, one leading to free throws that helped extend the lead. He's going through a little slump but he's still helping us win games. When he's fully back on track, watch out.

- Speaking of guys who make winning plays - Dave subbed Boyd in for Relvao with 1:33 left and it worked somehow. Boyd had a quiet game, but it says a lot that Dave was willing to trust him and Kier in the super-small lineup at the end. Boyd more than held his own, which bodes well because our bigs are clearly not ready.

The team still has some work to do on defense - we haven't been able to string together stops in any of our conference games. Hopefully we can use the game against St. Louis as a get-right game. Overall, very good win against a game opponent and great coach.

Jenkins problem is he doesn't seem to pick up on what the refs are calling. Tonight it was over the backs, particularly on offensive rebound attempts. You could make the argument they were a little soft, but after the second one you have to figure out what the refs are calling and adjust. He never seems to get a variety of fouls, he just doesn't learn and commits the same ones.