My Take

[sutomcat]

Drove from Liverpool in 5 hours. Made good time except for a stretch between the PA state line and a little of I79S, when LincolnCuse and I ran into a fierce rain storm with some of the strangest sideways lightning I have ever seen. We ran into a similar deluge in this area traveling to Akron with TexanMark for a football game a year or two ago. Erie Pa is the Bermuda Triangle of the Mid Atlantic.

We settled for too many jumpers again today in the first half. We are not a good outside shooting team, should not be shooting that many shots, especially against a tiny team like Asheville. Thought our zone was bad, we abandoned the outside shooters when they got the ball in the paint but didn't cover the guy with the ball either. In the 2nd half, JB made an adjustment, decided to cover the outside shooters no matter what, and left the inside guy alone to shoot. That, coupled with some success inside, some success on the offensive boards and a few made outside shots, mostly by JS, who is coming on late in the season, made the difference.

Thought the refs called a really tight game, something we have not seen for many years. Hard to adjust when the BE refs allow a lot of contact and bumping. The willingness of the BE refs to allow this is not going to help BE teams in the tournament. I hope they get in synch with the rest of the college basketball world next season. After that, it will be someone else's problem.

Lots of WVU fans in attendance. Quite a few Pitt fans too. It appeared to me the majority of the Pitt fans came only to cheer against Syracuse. Pretty pathetic to go to a game only to root against a team you are desperately jealous of. Not impressed by the lack of basketball knowledge of the Pitt fans either. They had a bad weekend...spent a fortune buying tickets to watch Pitt and were not able to sell them for close to face value. A lot of tickets were just eaten. As we were walking to the game, a guy stopped his car near us, opened his window, stuck out his hand with 2 tickets in it and said 'please take these, you can have them for free'. That tells you everything you need to know about the market for tickets for the afternoon session.

We actually sold one for the lower level for $20, which was a minor miracle.

Liked the arena. Kind of plain but maybe a titch better than the HSBC Center in Buffalo. Steep sightlines. Wide concourses. Really nice assortment of food. Dairy Queen ice cream, 2 kinds of BBQ, milk shakes, high end burgers, a full bar (that I assume was not serving any). pastrami, corned beef, turkey sandwiches, a couple kinds of nachos, cotton candy, etc. I think there is even a Primanti's on the lower level, as well as a TGIFs. Don't like the bottle neck getting up and down between the 2 levels of the arena. Looks like a few decent places to get something to eat or drink outside the arena but not as good a scene as in Buffalo, Cleveland or Boston.

I am staying at the Sheraton at Station Square, about 1 mile, maybe 1.5 miles from the arena. I didn't check in until after the game. After doing that, I went to the elevator to go to my room and just before the elevator door closed, 8 girls entered, all wearing a familiar looking blue uniform. They were all UNC Asheville cheerleaders. One made ear contact with me (I was dressed in an orange shirt and jacket). She said 'congratulations', with a brief smile tinged with some sadness. I told her I thought her team played a great game and that it was a shame someone had to lose. As the elevator rose, the cheerleaders talked in hush tones about not talking to the press about the referees, and questioning why something like this had to happen. They all got off on my floor, where there were a couple more milling around in the hallway.

After I got set up in my room, I left to get some dinner. Ended up at a bar not far from my hotel. Sat down at the bar. As I was ordering dinner. people started clapping. I looked up to see the UNC Asheville basketball team enter the bar/restaurant. A few stopped in front of a TV showing highlights of some of the controversial plays from the game. I couldn't hear what the announcers were saying, but the play where Triche was fouled, the ball went OB and the refs called the ball off UNC Asheville instead of calling the foul was shown repeatedly, as was the play where UNC Asheville had 2 players commit lane violations. The players kept shaking their heads in agreement with whatever was being said. They ended up sitting on the opposite side of the bar from me so there were not incidents.

When I returned to the hotel, a guy with credentials and a box on a luggage carrier that looked like it was holding medical supplies got on the elevator with me. He was on the phone, telling someone that the refs were horrible, this was the 2nd straight game this had happened, they were not held accountable and it (bad reffing) was killing the game. Blah blah blah.

There are a lot of really angry people here. I am most assuredly not feeling the love. I don't care. It is good to win, good to still be alive.

Looks to me like we match up okay with K State. They rebound well on the offensive boards, but were hurt a lot on the defensive boards (S Miss got a lot of offensive rebounds). I don't think they shoot it very well from the outside. Their guards are mostly short and small, they play aggressive in your face man exclusively and I think our guards can do damage...especially against that Angel kid. the frosh who is listed generously on the program as being 5'11 and 180 pounds. If we hold our own on the offensive boards and don't get in bad foul trouble (they attack inside a lot and will draw a lot of fouls against us), we should be okay.

 

[RF2044]

Too much is being made of those ostensibly bad calls.

The inbounds pass off of Triche was strange, but there were also calls that went against us [the goaltend, the strange call at the end of the first half, etc.].

There were two lane violations on that play--don't know what they're complaining about.

I give UNCA a lot of credit--they played tough as hell today. But all the early talk about the refs costing them the game is flat out BS.

I believe we match up better with KSU / Wisconsin than we do a team like UNCA. Glad we won and avoided the colossal emabarrassment. But I'm guessing we play better on Saturday.

 

[jr4750]

Agreed Tom. We are supposed to beat KSU. We did not play well today, but baring another atrocious shooting night, we match up well with them. I honestly think we are better off playing teams built like ours, as opposed to the scrappy short hustle teams. I hope we come to play though.

Thanks

 

[moqui]

Too much is being made of those ostensibly bad calls.

The inbounds pass off of Triche was strange, but there were also calls that went against us [the goaltend, the strange call at the end of the first half, etc.].

There were two lane violations on that play--don't know what they're complaining about.

I give UNCA a lot of credit--they played tough as hell today. But all the early talk about the refs costing them the game is flat out BS.

I believe we match up better with KSU / Wisconsin than we do a team like UNCA. Glad we won and avoided the colossal emabarrassment. But I'm guessing we play better on Saturday.

the worst call came on the possession immediately after the lane violation. Kris stepped into the lane to cut off Stephenson. He got position outside the protected arc, set his feet, Stephenson dropped his shoulder and flattened Kris . . . and the foul went UNCA's way. Total make up call. Instead of Kris shooting at the other end, UNCA hit a triple on the extended possession. Get that call right and SU is up 8 with under a minute to play and the final sequences are totally changed.

 

[RF2044]

the worst call came on the possession immediately after the lane violation. Kris stepped into the lane to cut off Stephenson. He got position outside the protected arc, set his feet, Stephenson dropped his shoulder and flattened Kris . . . and the foul went UNCA's way. Total make up call. Instead of Kris shooting at the other end, UNCA hit a triple on the extended possession. Get that call right and SU is up 8 with under a minute to play and the final sequences are totally changed.

But hey...if only that lane violation went the other way...

Blue Curtain would be prancing in his room like Buffalo Bob after the UNCA win...

 

[cuseclappy]

ive stayed at sheraton station square before..nice place with a real nice view of the city..i believe theres a nice steak house connected to the hotel

 

[jekelish]

Don't forget, Ryan, on that out of bounds that was off Triche, he was absolutely hip checked first, so it's moot on that one.

That said, we played lousy basketball, and UNCA was no worse than a 14 seed.

 

[RF2044]

Don't forget, Ryan, on that out of bounds that was off Triche, he was absolutely hip checked first, so it's moot on that one.

That said, we played lousy basketball, and UNCA was no worse than a 14 seed.

The ball went off of his fingertips first--I don't dispute that. But there is NO QUESTION that Triche got hip checked. Anyone who suggests otherwise is a moron. And I have no problem with the refs calling that foul, even though the ball glanced off his fingertips already--the guy crushed him.

 

[jekelish]

Well, whether the ball went off his fingers or he was hit first, it's next to impossible to come down with the ball when you're being undercut as you go into the air to get the ball, and I know you'd agree with me on that.

 

[RF2044]

Well, whether the ball went off his fingers or he was hit first, it's next to impossible to come down with the ball when you're being undercut as you go into the air to get the ball, and I know you'd agree with me on that.

I don't think that was what caused the ball to go out of bounds. I don't think you'd disagree.

But I believe the correct call was made. The guy hip checked Triche. Foul. Whether the ball glanced off a split second before or not.

 

[moqui]

But hey...if only that lane violation went the other way, Blue Curtain would be prancing in his room like Buffalo Bob after the UNCA win...

except I don't think BC needs to do "the tuck"

 

[jekelish]

I don't think that was what caused the ball to go out of bounds. I don't think you'd disagree.

But I believe the correct call was made. The guy hip checked Triche. Foul. Whether the ball glanced off a split second before or not.

I agree, but it had to be one call or the other. Brandon had no way of possibly corralling the ball the way he was undercut, and while I think a foul should have been called, I can understand why they gave us the ball.

 

[RF2044]

I agree, but it had to be one call or the other. Brandon had no way of possibly corralling the ball the way he was undercut, and while I think a foul should have been called, I can understand why they gave us the ball.

Here was another weird semi-referee thing--not sure what the heck went on: late in the game, KJ got fouled in the backcourt [we had 70 points at the time]. KJ goes to the line...and makes two in a row. Then, he lines up at the FT line again, as do all of the players, even on UNCA.

Huh?

I think that the refs picked up on it late that there wasn't going to be a THIRD free throw awarded, but how did not even the coaches on the opposing team [let alone the players] not pick up on that?

Very, very weird.

 

[jekelish]

I saw that, too. That was beyond weird. But at least the refs had complete control of the game, right?

 

[moqui]

That, coupled with some success inside, some success on the offensive boards and a few made outside shots, mostly by JS, who is coming on late in the season, made the difference.

For information purposes: after his long slump (in the 8 games after Notre Dame, he was just 1 for 17 from three), he has now made at least one triple in 5 straight games and is hitting at a .381 clip . . .

 

[Scooch]

It can't be any surprise that a huge deal is being made of a few calls. A #16 was within a couple points of a #1 with a minte left so ANY call that was REMOTELY close was going to provoke controversy. We can't complain, they went in our favor and we never should have been in that position to begin with.

 

[jekelish]

we never should have been in that position to begin with.

That's the point of the night.

 

[PeteCalvin]

Too much is being made of those ostensibly bad calls.

The inbounds pass off of Triche was strange, but there were also calls that went against us [the goaltend, the strange call at the end of the first half, etc.].

There were two lane violations on that play--don't know what they're complaining about.

I give UNCA a lot of credit--they played tough as hell today. But all the early talk about the refs costing them the game is flat out BS.

I believe we match up better with KSU / Wisconsin than we do a team like UNCA. Glad we won and avoided the colossal emabarrassment. But I'm guessing we play better on Saturday.

I totally agree. UNCA switched defenses on us constantly throughout the game. They played man on one possession, then a 2-3 on the very next possession. A couple of times they went to what looked like man but was really a match-up 1-3-1 zone. Most 1-3-1 zones are aggressive and trapping, but this seemed to be played with the intent to clog the middle and prevent penetration. I don't think KSU will play anything other than man to man, which will be a blessing for us. I was pleasantly surprised that we broke 70 points against a zone. first time all season, I believe.

 

[kirbivore]

But hey...if only that lane violation went the other way...

Blue Curtain would be prancing in his room like Buffalo Bob after the UNCA win...

I need some mind bleach pronto.

 

[SU2NASA]

Screw 'em. Let them go back to their cow college bitching and moaning.

 

[Gannon97]

ive stayed at sheraton station square before..nice place with a real nice view of the city..i believe theres a nice steak house connected to the hotel

You are correct. Pittsburgh Rare Steak House. Order it Pittsburgh rare...it is still mooing

 

[LAOrange]

Don't be too harsh on Blue Curtain. Who hasn't done the tuck at least once?

 

[IthacaMatt]

Drove from Liverpool in 5 hours. Made good time except for a stretch between the PA state line and a little of I79S, when LincolnCuse and I ran into a fierce rain storm with some of the strangest sideways lightning I have ever seen. We ran into a similar deluge in this area traveling to Akron with TexanMark for a football game a year or two ago. Erie Pa is the Bermuda Triangle of the Mid Atlantic.

We settled for too many jumpers again today in the first half. We are not a good outside shooting team, should not be shooting that many shots, especially against a tiny team like Asheville. Thought our zone was bad, we abandoned the outside shooters when they got the ball in the paint but didn't cover the guy with the ball either. In the 2nd half, JB made an adjustment, decided to cover the outside shooters no matter what, and left the inside guy alone to shoot. That, coupled with some success inside, some success on the offensive boards and a few made outside shots, mostly by JS, who is coming on late in the season, made the difference.

Thought the refs called a really tight game, something we have not seen for many years. Hard to adjust when the BE refs allow a lot of contact and bumping. The willingness of the BE refs to allow this is not going to help BE teams in the tournament. I hope they get in synch with the rest of the college basketball world next season. After that, it will be someone else's problem.

Lots of WVU fans in attendance. Quite a few Pitt fans too. It appeared to me the majority of the Pitt fans came only to cheer against Syracuse. Pretty pathetic to go to a game only to root against a team you are desperately jealous of. Not impressed by the lack of basketball knowledge of the Pitt fans either. They had a bad weekend...spent a fortune buying tickets to watch Pitt and were not able to sell them for close to face value. A lot of tickets were just eaten. As we were walking to the game, a guy stopped his car near us, opened his window, stuck out his hand with 2 tickets in it and said 'please take these, you can have them for free'. That tells you everything you need to know about the market for tickets for the afternoon session.

We actually sold one for the lower level for $20, which was a minor miracle.

Liked the arena. Kind of plain but maybe a titch better than the HSBC Center in Buffalo. Steep sightlines. Wide concourses. Really nice assortment of food. Dairy Queen ice cream, 2 kinds of BBQ, milk shakes, high end burgers, a full bar (that I assume was not serving any). pastrami, corned beef, turkey sandwiches, a couple kinds of nachos, cotton candy, etc. I think there is even a Primanti's on the lower level, as well as a TGIFs. Don't like the bottle neck getting up and down between the 2 levels of the arena. Looks like a few decent places to get something to eat or drink outside the arena but not as good a scene as in Buffalo, Cleveland or Boston.

I am staying at the Sheraton at Station Square, about 1 mile, maybe 1.5 miles from the arena. I didn't check in until after the game. After doing that, I went to the elevator to go to my room and just before the elevator door closed, 8 girls entered, all wearing a familiar looking blue uniform. They were all UNC Asheville cheerleaders. One made ear contact with me (I was dressed in an orange shirt and jacket). She said 'congratulations', with a brief smile tinged with some sadness. I told her I thought her team played a great game and that it was a shame someone had to lose. As the elevator rose, the cheerleaders talked in hush tones about not talking to the press about the referees, and questioning why something like this had to happen. They all got off on my floor, where there were a couple more milling around in the hallway.

After I got set up in my room, I left to get some dinner. Ended up at a bar not far from my hotel. Sat down at the bar. As I was ordering dinner. people started clapping. I looked up to see the UNC Asheville basketball team enter the bar/restaurant. A few stopped in front of a TV showing highlights of some of the controversial plays from the game. I couldn't hear what the announcers were saying, but the play where Triche was fouled, the ball went OB and the refs called the ball off UNC Asheville instead of calling the foul was shown repeatedly, as was the play where UNC Asheville had 2 players commit lane violations. The players kept shaking their heads in agreement with whatever was being said. They ended up sitting on the opposite side of the bar from me so there were not incidents.

When I returned to the hotel, a guy with credentials and a box on a luggage carrier that looked like it was holding medical supplies got on the elevator with me. He was on the phone, telling someone that the refs were horrible, this was the 2nd straight game this had happened, they were not held accountable and it (bad reffing) was killing the game. Blah blah blah.

There are a lot of really angry people here. I am most assuredly not feeling the love. I don't care. It is good to win, good to still be alive.

Looks to me like we match up okay with K State. They rebound well on the offensive boards, but were hurt a lot on the defensive boards (S Miss got a lot of offensive rebounds). I don't think they shoot it very well from the outside. Their guards are mostly short and small, they play aggressive in your face man exclusively and I think our guards can do damage...especially against that Angel kid. the frosh who is listed generously on the program as being 5'11 and 180 pounds. If we hold our own on the offensive boards and don't get in bad foul trouble (they attack inside a lot and will draw a lot of fouls against us), we should be okay.

One thing is for certain, there is HATE out there for us in this tournament. It's not just the Pitt fans, it's the never-ending drumbeat of awful stories about the program that have been in the media all season long. Get used to this. For as long as we last in this tournament, this is what it's going to be like.

 

[IthacaMatt]

The ball went off of his fingertips first--I don't dispute that. But there is NO QUESTION that Triche got hip checked. Anyone who suggests otherwise is a moron. And I have no problem with the refs calling that foul, even though the ball glanced off his fingertips already--the guy crushed him.

The ref's mistake there was to give us the "make up" call. You can do that in the regular season in a smaller gym, but not on national TV in the tournament. Should have called the foul.

Now, as for the lane violation, I don't think it was a violation on the guard who was at the top of the circle. One UNCA guy in the low block got into the lane with one foot a moment early, and it would be technically correct to make that call, but you see that 20 times in every game and they never call it. We were gifted that one.

 

[All4SU]

Now, as for the lane violation, I don't think it was a violation on the guard who was at the top of the circle. One UNCA guy in the low block got into the lane with one foot a moment early, and it would be technically correct to make that call, but you see that 20 times in every game and they never call it. We were gifted that one.

\

This has been covered ad nauseum. The rule is, he can't enter inside the 3pt arc until the ball hits the rim. Yet he was almost in the lane when it hit the rim. Clearly, it was the right call.