HakAttack
Shirt World Hater, Script Jersey Lover.
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2011
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Picked up some good tix for $30 a pop on Stubhub and made the trek from Western Mass on the Mass Pike.
Some things that stood out...
Their arena is a step up from the RAC...and that's not saying much. Blasting pop music EVERY chance they got, a "Simon Says" event at halftime...was this a basketball game or a circus? Made me realize how spoiled we are with the Dome, although personally, I think some of the stuff the dome has endorsed the last year or two is silly. (twitter feed all game on the scoreboard, DJ by the student section, etc.)
The BC students were back, but didn't see to be too intimidating. The crowd was probably 35-40% orange, and there were many LGO chants that got going around the building. It was pretty awesome to be a part of.
Sat in front of a Syracuse female fan who was talking about how when she was a senior at SU, her favorite player was Poetry in Moten. During a timeout late in the second half I pulled out my phone and showed her a photo of me with Moten after the Elite 8 game in DC last spring. She thought I was her age...I was a little embarrassed to tell her that I graduated about ten years after her.
On to the game. BC stayed in it by making some timely threes and getting some hometown calls. Poor BMK. He's all over the place, but if you watch closely, plays very controlled. There was a play in the second half where he trapped the BC player on the baseline where he was immediately whistled for a foul but never touched the guy. It was literally 20 feet in front of me. Left me shaking my head. The other AWFUL calls that stood out were the two other plays involving Grant. Grant definitely got all ball on that incredible block in the first half, and was also HACKED on that dunk attempt that the BC player "stuffed".
I'm not going to lie, when we were down 8 in the second half with around 10 to go, I thought we were done. But Ennis hit some clutch shots, Fair stepped up and we took control back.
I would say that I'm not a fan of the 9pm start, but not having kids at home, I preferred it. I could wait for ticket prices to drop and then make my move. The wife also enjoyed the shake shack joint at the Chestnut Hill mall before the game.
Overall, a good win in a tough environment. We will need to get our offense clicking better for Pitt on Saturday or it's going to be a LONG day at the dome.
Also, someone in another thread mentioned that if this team were a baseball pitcher, we'd be a "finesse pitcher" like Maddux rather than a power pitcher like Randy Johnson. I really like that analogy, but I'd say that we'd be a Pedro Martinez. He mixed it up and was incredibly cerebral on the mound. There are times when we go on 15-0, 20-5 runs in games that remind me of a power pitcher, but then there are also times when our offense isn't flowing but we still find ways to win. Cooney's performance last night epitomized that for me. Those breakaway steals were a joy to watch.
Bottom line...we need to get a #1 seed this year. The "powers" of college basketball, Duke, Kansas, etc are down, and this is a big chance to snag NC #2. Big difference in not seeing a 2 or a 3 seed until the regional final. The potential "four seeds" this year don't scare me.
Some things that stood out...
Their arena is a step up from the RAC...and that's not saying much. Blasting pop music EVERY chance they got, a "Simon Says" event at halftime...was this a basketball game or a circus? Made me realize how spoiled we are with the Dome, although personally, I think some of the stuff the dome has endorsed the last year or two is silly. (twitter feed all game on the scoreboard, DJ by the student section, etc.)
The BC students were back, but didn't see to be too intimidating. The crowd was probably 35-40% orange, and there were many LGO chants that got going around the building. It was pretty awesome to be a part of.
Sat in front of a Syracuse female fan who was talking about how when she was a senior at SU, her favorite player was Poetry in Moten. During a timeout late in the second half I pulled out my phone and showed her a photo of me with Moten after the Elite 8 game in DC last spring. She thought I was her age...I was a little embarrassed to tell her that I graduated about ten years after her.
On to the game. BC stayed in it by making some timely threes and getting some hometown calls. Poor BMK. He's all over the place, but if you watch closely, plays very controlled. There was a play in the second half where he trapped the BC player on the baseline where he was immediately whistled for a foul but never touched the guy. It was literally 20 feet in front of me. Left me shaking my head. The other AWFUL calls that stood out were the two other plays involving Grant. Grant definitely got all ball on that incredible block in the first half, and was also HACKED on that dunk attempt that the BC player "stuffed".
I'm not going to lie, when we were down 8 in the second half with around 10 to go, I thought we were done. But Ennis hit some clutch shots, Fair stepped up and we took control back.
I would say that I'm not a fan of the 9pm start, but not having kids at home, I preferred it. I could wait for ticket prices to drop and then make my move. The wife also enjoyed the shake shack joint at the Chestnut Hill mall before the game.
Overall, a good win in a tough environment. We will need to get our offense clicking better for Pitt on Saturday or it's going to be a LONG day at the dome.
Also, someone in another thread mentioned that if this team were a baseball pitcher, we'd be a "finesse pitcher" like Maddux rather than a power pitcher like Randy Johnson. I really like that analogy, but I'd say that we'd be a Pedro Martinez. He mixed it up and was incredibly cerebral on the mound. There are times when we go on 15-0, 20-5 runs in games that remind me of a power pitcher, but then there are also times when our offense isn't flowing but we still find ways to win. Cooney's performance last night epitomized that for me. Those breakaway steals were a joy to watch.
Bottom line...we need to get a #1 seed this year. The "powers" of college basketball, Duke, Kansas, etc are down, and this is a big chance to snag NC #2. Big difference in not seeing a 2 or a 3 seed until the regional final. The potential "four seeds" this year don't scare me.
