Better road team...

[dogsrus]

Is it just perception or has BU turned into a better road team under JL. Loved Mo and certainly don't want to make this Mo vs Les but it SEEMS like we do better on the road then we did years ago.

I used to mark it down as a book it " L "....now we seem to be getting a tougher road mentality and can at least put ourselves in a position to win.

Lets all hope 2009 starts with a HUGE Win in Bear patch. Lets break in the new digs for Mo State on a positive note.

Go BU.....

[it's boogie time]

This program has started to turn the corner as far as going on the road the past couple of years. There's still some potholes, but the attitude does seem to have changed.

It looks like from the stats that BU has had 3,3,1,5,5,7 road wins in the first six years under Coach Les. 2-3 this year with 9 more road games remaining.

[georgethedog]

It seemed like we were a better home team with Mo until maybe his last year. Don't hold me to that as I am just thinking outloud.

[mrcoachdude]

BOOGIE TIME....you hit the nail on the head with the attitude thing....while I don't think we played all that well at WSU.....we played tough and were very resiliant....kept taking hits and bouncing back up....we were tough!

[Dubl R 1]

I agree with that Dogs. JL seems to have a no fear/we'll take any challenge type attitude as a coach.(Would you expect anything else from a Dick Versace pupil?) Maybe that rubs off on his players, or maybe the players we have now are just more mentally tough than previous years, who knows. But I agree, we have looked better on the road the last couple of years.

[Chucky T's]

Their is no doubt in my mind BU is a better road team now than they werein years past. I remember the year BU did not win a road game in the valley (2004-2005?). BU seems to be better prepared and have a little more mental toughness. Anytime you bring a young team into a hostile place like Wichita, and win, it's a sign that you you have what it takes to win on the road. I give a lot of credit to the coaching staff for this.

Keep up the good work and bring home another big W Saturday night.

[SFP]

I believe JL is just a better coach period and our investment in him is paying off and I believe the best is yet to come. JL is also a bit more confidant in his coaching and play calling and its rubbing off on the team.

[dogsrus]

Their is no doubt in my mind BU is a better road team now than they werein years past. I remember the year BU did not win a road game in the valley (2004-2005?). BU seems to be better prepared and have a little more mental toughness. Anytime you bring a young team into a hostile place like Wichita, and win, it's a sign that you you have what it takes to win on the road. I give a lot of credit to the coaching staff for this.

Keep up the good work and bring home another big W Saturday night.

I thought BU LOST at WSU...hmmmmmm

[dogsrus]

I believe JL is just a better coach period and our investment in him is paying off and I believe the best is yet to come. JL is also a bit more confidant in his coaching and play calling and its rubbing off on the team.

JL even told the team how big a win that was at WSU according to Reynolds. He knows just what it means.

[BradleyBrave]

Unfortunately, we were a better home team with Mo. So while it looks like we've made some progress on the road, we're canceling that out with more home losses. Comparing eras, it's about a push at this point.

[brocks]

Unfortunately, we were a better home team with Mo. So while it looks like we've made some progress on the road, we're canceling that out with more home losses. Comparing eras, it's about a push at this point.

I dunno. I think there's a different feel around the program in JL's year 7 than there was in Mo's. Time will tell, but I look for more and more sustained success under JL. The recruiting is better we have yet to see the kind of total psychological collapse that those 90's teams were prone to.

I get crucified every time I bring this up, so I wish someone else would wipe off the cobwebs and recall it. So help me, when interviewed before the Stanford game in 1996, when Mo was asked what it would take to beat Stanford, he said,"I'm not sure we can." I was absolutely mortified. But it was consistent with a lengthy conversation I had with one of Mo's assistants a couple years earlier. He told me Mo always thought it would take a miracle for us to beat anybody. (If you want to know who, PM me.)

I think Mo was a competitive guy and a good person. But JL has a lot more swagger, and so do his players.

[BradleyBrave]

I dunno. I think there's a different feel around the program in JL's year 7 than there was in Mo's. Time will tell, but I look for more and more sustained success under JL. The recruiting is better we have yet to see the kind of total psychological collapse that those 90's teams were prone to.

I get crucified every time I bring this up, so I wish someone else would wipe off the cobwebs and recall it. So help me, when interviewed before the Stanford game in 1996, when Mo was asked what it would take to beat Stanford, he said,"I'm not sure we can." I was absolutely mortified. But it was consistent with a lengthy conversation I had with one of Mo's assistants a couple years earlier. He told me Mo always thought it would take a miracle for us to beat anybody. (If you want to know who, PM me.)

I think Mo was a competitive guy and a good person. But JL has a lot more swagger, and so do his players.

The numbers speak for themselves. By year 7 with Mo, we had 3 20+ win seasons, several NITs, a conference title, an NCAA appearance, a winning conference record, a couple undefeated home seasons, an NBA 1st round pick, and a higher overall winning percentage. We had several all-conference players (year-end), and even a Coach of the Year award. In year 7 of this regime, we have 3 20 win seasons (although it took 37 games to get the 3rd one), zero conference titles (zero top 3 finishes), a near-record number of home losses last season, a losing overall conference record, an NCAA appearance, and an NBA lottery pick. I don't believe we've had any 1st team all-conference players (year-end), and certainly no COY awards.

I don't want to split hairs, and I am not longing for the days of Molinari to return. But I don't think our talent is any better than it was back then, nor do I think we've performed any better. The numbers back this up. Swagger is all fine and good, but it doesn't win basketball games.

[ph]

Just last year, JC was year-end first team....

I do want to see more home wins (especially all MVC home games), though.

[Da Coach]

I dunno. I think there's a different feel around the program in JL's year 7 than there was in Mo's. Time will tell, but I look for more and more sustained success under JL. The recruiting is better we have yet to see the kind of total psychological collapse that those 90's teams were prone to.

I get crucified every time I bring this up, so I wish someone else would wipe off the cobwebs and recall it. So help me, when interviewed before the Stanford game in 1996, when Mo was asked what it would take to beat Stanford, he said,"I'm not sure we can." I was absolutely mortified. But it was consistent with a lengthy conversation I had with one of Mo's assistants a couple years earlier. He told me Mo always thought it would take a miracle for us to beat anybody. (If you want to know who, PM me.)

I think Mo was a competitive guy and a good person. But JL has a lot more swagger, and so do his players.

This might have had more to do with Jim Molinari's self-deprecating sense of humor, than a real pessimism about beating good teams.

And it's not realistic to directly compare teams and records from different eras. The MVC in the 90s was not as good a conference as it has been in the last 7 or 8 years. The MVC in the 90's usually finished in the range of 12-15 in RPI and was closer to what the WAC and Colonial Leagues are now with a couple good teams, and a lot of mediocre and poor teams every year.

[braveatheart]

When was the last time we won in Springfield, MO.? The game notes say we are 3-14 at the old Hammons Student Center. I can't remember the last time we won there. It seems like the last few years we build a lead early and MSU comes back and beats us.
A road win, especialy in Springfield, sure would be nice.