Game 21: Virginia Commonwealth University, Saturday, January 27th, 2 PM, CBSSN

[gmujim92]

You don't think the mis managed roster is costing us? And dont give me he is doing it the right way with 4 yr guys. After he saw his roster was crap, he ran to the transfer market and landed Reuter.

Are we going to do this every time you are disappointed? If so, maybe you should find another team ... UVa is No. 2 in the nation and their coach has already rebuilt their program so you won’t have to deal with the growing pains ours is going through.

 

[psyclone]

Steve Goff covered this one:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...22769454f82_story.html?utm_term=.b7db290df80d

 

[By George.]

Something that is super alarming is that when Otis is pressed from baseline to baseline, he struggles to score and we desperately need points from him. DP hasn’t added another PG and I sure hope that happens here soon. I asked DP how we counter attack the press going forward. Watch this video to find out what he said - http://giantkiller.co/2018/01/27/video-george-mason-falls-vcu/

By George has been guest hosting on Play to Win (Hosted by AWadd from the Junkies) for a couple months now. They are vcu grads and joined us at the game today. If you like what we’re doing, download Play to Win on iTunes.

 

[GMUgemini]

Something that is super alarming is that when Otis is pressed from baseline to baseline, he struggles to score and we desperately need points from him. DP hasn’t added another PG and I sure hope that happens here soon. I asked DP how we counter attack the press going forward. Watch this video to find out what he said - http://giantkiller.co/2018/01/27/video-george-mason-falls-vcu/

By George has been guest hosting on Play to Win (Hosted by AWadd from the Junkies) for a couple months now. They are vcu grads and joined us at the game today. If you like what we’re doing, download Play to Win on iTunes.

Right now we need defense much more than we need points from Otis. We need to limit opponents to one shot (and a contested shot at that) every time down the floor. That needs to be the focus of this team. Teams can't press Otis if they aren't scoring.

 

[psyclone]

Right now we need defense much more than we need points from Otis. We need to limit opponents to one shot (and a contested shot at that) every time down the floor. That needs to be the focus of this team. Teams can't press Otis if they aren't scoring.

Agreed. Since conference games began, we have the worst defensive efficiency in the league (Kenpom) and given up 80 or more points in 6 of the 8 games. In the 2 games below 80, we gave up 72 in ot beating UMass and 79 in beating St. Joes.

 

[masonjoe]

Something that is super alarming is that when Otis is pressed from baseline to baseline, he struggles to score and we desperately need points from him. .

Otis scored 20 points in the last 9 minutes of the game, he needs help.

 

[PoorManProfit]

No, no it isn’t.

Sorry, but yes, on the crawl. At least in the past.

 

[Washingtonian]

Post game presser: http://www.atlantic10.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?SPID=136228&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=31600&id=6239280

 

[MudKat]

Good to see you too Kaufman. Of course I'll see you many more times in the future. And definitely at the tourney. I'm curious mudkat what your thoughts on your team are. The general consensus with the vcu fans I talked to is that they're nervous. They won sure. But they were playing a much younger team. Everything about this year has been concerning for them. It wasn't so much that they played well but Mason played poorly. They had to rely on a fifth year transfer who tonight played to their hopes but has otherwise been silent to beat a team of 8 underclass men. Do you think vcu is set up for success? It's too early to tell on rhoades. And maybe his rice transfer is the answer. But the underclass men outside of 0 (can't remember his name) looked terrible. No one was excited about their future.

Thanks for asking Crew. Nice to have a conversation with a fellow fan.

Here are my thoughts. We are inexperienced and have plenty of talent. We are just beginning to have some semblance of a defense, but that's still out to the jury. We have 8 new guys on the floor this year. Few teams are really good at first in this situation. I'm not nervous because I knew this was going to be a problem, however there is a ton of talent on the floor to overcome SOME of this and it shows. Not consistently yet, but it's getting better as the guys figure out where each other are on the floor.

Tillman, well we all know about him. Jenkins is an incredible talent and is just a bit more than half way through his 2nd year (after having missed a large part of his 1st year). He's as good as any player in the A10 and will only get better. Mobley is a straight up basketball player with a bunch of talent we're just starting to see. He's doing things that Sr's do out there now because he knows the game. He's 22 games in. Watch and learn. Crow and Mikel are really solid defenders that can put points on the board.

No, this is nothing unexpected. It's come together more slowly that we'd have liked obviously and that's difficult for fans many of which have known nothing but being on the selection show. No one makes it every year. These guys if they keep improving have an outside shot at a tourney win. That's pretty much all we can ask for.

Yes, conclusion is that vcu is set up for success. Several guys capable of playing the point effectively is probably the biggest plus going forward. There's a guy named Marcus Evans at the end of the bench that can flat out fill it up. He's not going to regress. Say what you want about him coming from Rice (a 20+ win team), he did those numbers as a freshman against D1 opponents. He'll keep doing it along side of Jenkins. We have 3 other solid recruits one of which is a top player in OH (they play some pretty good ball up there). Essentially all we lose (and yes it is large) is JT. I think the other guys (especially with tons of D1 experience) will pick up an awful lot of that slack.

vcu fans are bummed but they're coming to the conclusion that this team is a decent team and is only getting better. Crow had a difficult game yesterday and 3's weren't falling. They need to fall this year for this team to win most nights, but the O is running finally and getting those open shots. Can't hit em if you don't get em open.

vcu is fine. I'm happy. Most others are starting to come around as fans to the obvious truth of the situation and we're going to have a bunch of fun this year. URI is a huge challenge and it will take 10 3's to get them. Not likely, but that's why they play the games. We'll learn a lot about where things stand next week. Get pounded and it's not like they're not a top 20 squad. Send em home with a loss and it's ON.

All that being said getting owned by fur on our own floor was fugly and won't soon be forgotten. Those results are far less likely going forward. Eggs will be laid from time to time.

Best and good luck with the new guys. I'm sure they'll be competitive when they learn to play D and how to play together.. Don't take my evil little brother Mudkat's trolling so badly. Talking smack during a game is part of the fun.

 

[Walter]

I wish vcu still had a douchey coach like Wade. It makes hating them more fun. Rhoades seems like a good guy. I still hope he fails.

 

[VVRams!]

Good game guys. Was good meeting some of you, lookin forward to next year!

 

[MudKat]

I wish vcu still had a douchey coach like Wade. It makes hating them more fun. Rhoades seems like a good guy. I still hope he fails.

We're happy with MR. Gotta trust a guy that was a PG on a DII national championship team. He's not going anywhere and the players actually don't hate him. They had a pizza party the night WW told them. Smiles all around per sources who would know.

 

[MudKat]

Otis scored 20 points in the last 9 minutes of the game, he needs help.

Unfortunately Otis was pretty much done as a factor in the game by then. JT got a double double in the 2nd half of a Seton Hall smackdown. Didn't have a chance of changing the outcome of the game. I was there and it made zero impact on the final result. Otis is a darn good player, but good D stops the one real threat. The rest is fairly easy.

 

[MasonCrew]

I was joking around mudkat. I think about vcu the same way I think about my shits. You guys won. Congrats. But outside of your seniors the team looked terrible. We have our own issues. But I don't go to other teams message boards and talk trash. That says more about your mental state than anything else.

 

[Mason2005]

Rewatching the game right now. Yet another game that starts at half time on TV because the game before went to double OT. The team missed 5-6 open layups in the second half. I'm going to chalk it up to youth so if we made those we win even with the crazy rebounding edge.

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[MudKat]

I was joking around mudkat. I think about vcu the same way I think about my shits. You guys won. Congrats. But outside of your seniors the team looked terrible. We have our own issues. But I don't go to other teams message boards and talk trash. That says more about your mental state than anything else.

Ok, sorry I tried to converse with you civilly. I'm disappointed there is no one to talk to here. Glad you think about your shits. I'll try to avoid that nightmare tonight. Thought I actually had a sane person that wanted to talk. Unfortunate...now you get the best of the Mudkat and you have to deal with my evil little brother game after game after game...gonna be ugly in here. He tried to make nice...

 

[MudKat]

Rewatching the game right now. Yet another game that starts at half time on TV because the game before went to double OT. The team missed 5-6 open layups in the second half. I'm going to chalk it up to youth so if we made those we win even with the crazy rebounding edge.

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Maybe must maybe they just suck...possibility?

 

[Mason2005]

Maybe must maybe they just suck...possibility?

Lol why you still here? You don't bother me so whatever.

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[MudKat]

Lol why you still here? You don't bother me so whatever.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

Well, you're talking to an insane person from a tapatalk... Ask anyone. I'm friggin nuts.

 

[MasonCrew]

Ok, sorry I tried to converse with you civilly. I'm disappointed there is no one to talk to here. Glad you think about your shits. I'll try to avoid that nightmare tonight. Thought I actually had a sane person that wanted to talk. Unfortunate...now you get the best of the Mudkat and you have to deal with my evil little brother game after game after game...gonna be ugly in here. He tried to make nice...

I'm quite sane. I deal with formulas and logic on a daily basis per my profession. I also understand that you likely don't have a good job, given your alma mater, and I'm happy to contribute to any gofundme campaign you start up for basic living expenses, as I'm also a Catholic and try to help those less fortunate. I respect people like big e and ducanlamb because they are also respectful, but in your case, if I'm not clear: F*ck off. This is a Mason basketball forum. We have some serious issues as a program that I hope are being addressed but unless you have something constructive or funny to say about Mason basketball please leave.

Edit: I did like your reponse to Mason 2005. Haha it made me laugh.