Next game: BU at Drake, Tuesday, 12/29 at 7:05 pm

[Da Coach]

Drake pregame notes-

http://www.godrakebulldogs.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=15700&ATCLID=204862392

[Aargh]

Can I say from challenging for the title, after the Illinois game, to now challenging for the basement spot is quite a accomplishment in 2 weeks time. I still say if we can get our act together we will not be playing on Thursday but probably competing for a top seed. This team has talent but they cannot take it easy and if our bigs get hungry we'll look like another team. I had a conversation with a Creighton fan yesterday and we are both in agreement that the Valley has zero bigs that scare you so we do not have to worry as much during league play.

As I am a fan of WSU, let me start by saying that there is no way BU loses to DU, no matter where the game is played. An outsider's perspective is that BU has struggled in some games where that wasn't expected, but BU still looks like a solid team to avoid Thursday in St. Louis.

"Zero bigs that scare you"? Everything changes once league play starts, so a lot of performances in OOC play don't carry through to league play where the scouting is so much better. With that in mind, you might want to keep an eye out for WSU's front line players.

If Durley and Stutz keep up what they've been doing, they combine for one awfully salty post player. Against Texas Tech, they combined for 33 points and 13 boards. On the season, they are a combined 20.6 ppg and 9.5 boards per game. Their D has improved substantially since last year.

Now, back to BU vs. DU - I've got BU by 12, 74-62.

Ryan Wedel played HS ball in a league and town I'm familiar with - a bit. How he possibly made it to D1 is beyond me. Small KS schools have produced better shooters and all-around players than Wedel pretty consistently and it's rare that any of them get past D2 in college. I think Wedel's scoring is based on the fact that he's the best option, not because he's a great college baller. I don't see BU's perimeter players having trouble scoring on - or shutting down - Wedel. DU certainly doesn't have a front court to stay on the court with what BU can put there.

[SFP]

Aargh - Welcome to the board. I have watched a few WSU games this year and what impresses me is the overall team chemistry and the all out hustle on every play. That will go a long way in the Valley if they can keep it up. Hustle and desire equals great rebounding, IMO.

[wily coyote]

I'll take Missouri State on the road

SIU at home

Drake at home

and my two upset specials:

UNI wins @ Creighton and Wichita St. goes on the road and wins in Normal.

My picks are

MSU
SIU
BU
CREIGHTON
WSU

GO BRAVES

[houstontxbrave]

Les can run 5 a days for the rest of the season but this team will not win road games in the conference shooting

65% from the line

And scoring 65 points a game. Both of those numbers are a great recipe for play in game status.

Oh and I sincerely hope Les has devised some sort of offensive scheme to issolate Brown or Warren and take advantage of their skill. Rather then the dribble around the 3 point line using useless high screens from our 5's. Get the ball to your two best players and let them go to work.

[shaunguth]

Production Per 40 comparison.......

Points
18.5 - Taylor Brown
17.2 - Ryan Wedel (29.3 mniutes/game)
16.7 - Andrew Warren
15.6 - Seth VanDeest (23.3 minutes/game)
15.4 - Josh Young (32.3 minutes/game)
15.4 - Ben Smons (26.0 minutes/game)
15.1 - Milos Knezevic
15.0 - Aaron Hawley (14.7 minutes/game)
14.8 - Chris Roberts
13.4 - Craig Stanley (17.5 mintes/game)
12.6 - Will Egolf
12.4 - Adam Templeton (25.8 minutes/game)
11.7 - Sam Maniscalco
10.3 - Frank Wiseler (14.3 minutes/game)
9.7 - Anthony Thompson
9.3 - Bill Eaddy (11.5 minutes/game)
8.7 - Reece Uhlenhopp (5.8 minutes/game)
5.7 - Eddren McCain
3.3 - Sam Singh

Rebounds
10.1 - Adam Templeton
8.3 - Seth VanDeest
8.2 - Will Egolf
7.7 - Taylor Brown
7.1 - Sam Singh
6.6 - Eddren McCain
6.2 - Milos Knezevic
5.9 - Aaron Hawley
5.9 - Anthony Thompson
5.8 - Reece Uhlenhopp
5.2 - Chris Roberts
5.1 - Andrew Warren
4.6 - Josh Young
4.4 - Ben Simons
3.5 - Ryan Wedel
3.1 - Sam Maniscalco
3.0 - Frank Wiseler
2.7 - Craig Stanley
2.6 - Bill Eaddy

Assists
6.2 - Eddren McCain
5.9 - Frank Wiseler
4.5 - Craig Stanley
4.0 - Sam Maniscalco
3.2 - Chris Roberts
2.9 - Josh Young
2.8 - Andrew Warren
2.7 - Ryan Wedel
2.6 - Ben Simons
2.0 - Seth VanDeest
1.9 - Sam Singh
1.6 - Adam Templeton
1.5 - Bill Eaddy
1.3 - Anthony Thompson
1.0 - Milos Knezevic
1.0 - Taylor Brown
0.5 - Aaron Hawley
0.4 - Will Egolf
0.0 - Reece Uhlenhopp

Turnovers
1.0 - Seth VanDeest
1.2 - Reece Uhlenhopp
1.3 - Anthony Thompson
1.5 - Ben Simons
1.6 - Josh Young
1.8 - Chris Roberts
2.0 - Will Egolf
2.1 - Ryan Wedel
2.2 - Andrew Warren
2.2 - Adam Templeton
2.6 - Frank Wiseler
2.6 - Eddren McCain
2.6 - Bill Eaddy
2.7 - Craig Stanley
2.7 - Aaron Hawley
3.0 - Sam Maniscalco
3.3 - Sam Singh
3.5 - Taylor Brown
4.2 - Milos Knezevic

Blocks
1.9 - Sam Singh
1.9 - Seth VanDeest
1.7 - Will Egolf
1.3 - Anthony Thompson
1.0 - Chris Roberts
0.7 - Taylor Brown

Steals
2.5 - Chris Roberts
1.9 - Ryan Wedel
1.7 - Craig Stanley
1.6 - Milos Knezevic
1.4 - Eddren McCain
1.4 - Frank Wiseler
1.4 - Aaron Hawley
1.3 - Ben Simons
1.2 - Taylor Brown
1.2 - Reece Uhlenhopp
1.1 - Josh Young
1.0 - Andrew Warren
0.9 - Sam Maniscalco
0.9 - Bill Eaddy
0.8 - Adam Templeton
0.7 - Will Egolf
0.5 - Sam Singh
0.4 - Anthony Thompson
0.3 - Seth VanDeest

The following are not 40-minute projections, but interesting to track as well:

Assists per Turnover
2.4 - Eddren McCain
2.3 - Frank Wiseler
2.0 - Seth VanDeest
1.9 - Josh Young
1.8 - Chris Roberts
1.7 - Craig Stanley
1.7 - Ben Simons
1.4 - Sam Maniscalco
1.3 - Ryan Wedel
1.3 - Andrew Warren
1.0 - Anthony Thompson
0.7 - Adam Templeton
0.6 - Sam Singh
0.6 - Bill Eaddy
0.3 - Taylor Brown
0.3 - Milos Knezevic
0.2 - Will Egolf
0.2 - Aaron Hawley

Minutes Played per Foul
39.0 - Ryan Wedel
19.5 - Ben Simons
19.0 - Anthony Thompson
16.6 - Sam Maniscalco
16.2 - Craig Stanley
16.0 - Aaron Hawley
15.7 - Andrew Warren
12.2 - Chris Roberts
12.0 - Taylor Brown
11.8 - Josh Young
11.4 - Frank Wiseler
10.6 - Sam Singh
10.6 - Eddren McCain
8.6 - Reece Uhlenhopp
8.5 - Seth VanDeest
7.7 - Adam Templeton
7.5 - Will Egolf
6.6 - Bill Eaddy
5.5 - Milos Knezevic

[SFP]

Les can run 5 a days for the rest of the season but this team will not win road games in the conference shooting

65% from the line

And scoring 65 points a game. Both of those numbers are a great recipe for play in game status.

Oh and I sincerely hope Les has devised some sort of offensive scheme to issolate Brown or Warren and take advantage of their skill. Rather then the dribble around the 3 point line using useless high screens from our 5's. Get the ball to your two best players and let them go to work.

You can add CR to the equation. The other play would be to isolate MK and AW on the same side where both can hit the 3 or hit the mid-range.

[BradleyBrave]

Les can run 5 a days for the rest of the season but this team will not win road games in the conference shooting

65% from the line

And scoring 65 points a game. Both of those numbers are a great recipe for play in game status.

Oh and I sincerely hope Les has devised some sort of offensive scheme to issolate Brown or Warren and take advantage of their skill. Rather then the dribble around the 3 point line using useless high screens from our 5's. Get the ball to your two best players and let them go to work.

I personally don't think isolations and 1-on-1 play is going to get this team anywhere. Warren and Brown are our two most talented scorers, but I don't think either of them is talented enough to take a team on their backs and score every time down in pure 1-on-1. College basketball is a team game, and too often I feel like our offense breaks down to a point where we actually are going 1-on-1, and that hasn't worked out well. If we're not going to run-and-gun and take advantage of our athleticism, we should run more set plays to get Warren and Brown shots (run them off screens, post them up, etc), rather than just giving them the ball and saying 'go'. Maybe that's what you were trying to say too, just thought I would add my 2 cents.

I personally don't see why we don't/can't run a hi-lo game with TB at the L and WE on the block, or vice-versa. Both guys can score from there with their eyes closed. Run that successfully a few times and Andrew Warren will have all the open shots he can handle.

[houstontxbrave]

I personally don't think isolations and 1-on-1 play is going to get this team anywhere. Warren and Brown are our two most talented scorers, but I don't think either of them is talented enough to take a team on their backs and score every time down in pure 1-on-1. College basketball is a team game, and too often I feel like our offense breaks down to a point where we actually are going 1-on-1, and that hasn't worked out well. If we're not going to run-and-gun and take advantage of our athleticism, we should run more set plays to get Warren and Brown shots (run them off screens, post them up, etc), rather than just giving them the ball and saying 'go'. Maybe that's what you were trying to say too, just thought I would add my 2 cents.

I personally don't see why we don't/can't run a hi-lo game with TB at the L and WE on the block, or vice-versa. Both guys can score from there with their eyes closed. Run that successfully a few times and Andrew Warren will have all the open shots he can handle.

I am for anything that helps to explote our best players offensively. I just am sick of the around the 3 pt line dribbling which goes no where and we are forced to try and create a shot with no time on the shot clock.

I would be all for a high low set or a classic wing to block or even a wing to L where Warren or Brown make the decisions.

I just hate the high ball screen by the 5's they all are incapable of rolling to the rim and handling the ball or creating any shot on their own off of a pass that has them moving. I know lots of teams run it but when I watch the better teams in the NCAA they do not run a lot of high ball screen and when they do its an attempt to open a ballhandler to score off of the dribble or to get into the lane and create.

The 3 pt line dribbling and the going nowhere offense reminds me to an identical offense Les's predocesor ran. And the points per game is pretty close to what MO produced. I recall when JL took over his press conference was about getting out and running and controling the offense. Today we are stagnet, predictable, very little ability to create and worst of all we are simply not a very good shooting team. If you cant shoot it you better find a way to get to the rim for easy baskets.

[BradleyBrave]

I am for anything that helps to explote our best players offensively. I just am sick of the around the 3 pt line dribbling which goes no where and we are forced to try and create a shot with no time on the shot clock.

I would be all for a high low set or a classic wing to block or even a wing to L where Warren or Brown make the decisions.

I just hate the high ball screen by the 5's they all are incapable of rolling to the rim and handling the ball or creating any shot on their own off of a pass that has them moving. I know lots of teams run it but when I watch the better teams in the NCAA they do not run a lot of high ball screen and when they do its an attempt to open a ballhandler to score off of the dribble or to get into the lane and create.

The 3 pt line dribbling and the going nowhere offense reminds me to an identical offense Les's predocesor ran. And the points per game is pretty close to what MO produced. I recall when JL took over his press conference was about getting out and running and controling the offense. Today we are stagnet, predictable, very little ability to create and worst of all we are simply not a very good shooting team. If you cant shoot it you better find a way to get to the rim for easy baskets.

I am with you on everything you said. The 5-man setting the ball screens are beyond annoying. We're trying to run the Phoenix Suns offense with Nash and Stoudamire. They run that same 5-man pick-and-roll out top nearly every time down with those two. Only problem is we're missing Nash and Stoudamire.

[Da Coach]

Pregame notes from BradleyBraves.com-

http://www.bradleybraves.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=25965&SPID=1498&DB_OEM_ID=3400&ATCLID=204862493

PDF version-

https://www.nmnathletics.com//pdf4/662599.pdf?ATCLID=204862493&SPSID=25965&SPID=1498&DB_OEM_ID=3400

[BUFAN]

I think this is the most important game of the year, it is our opportunity to get a road, and our opportunity to stay out of the playin game. If we can win this one steel another road win and get 5-6 home wins we can finish fifth or sixth and stay out of the playin game.

[real fan]

I think this is the most important game of the year, it is our opportunity to get a road, and our opportunity to stay out of the playin game. If we can win this one steel another road win and get 5-6 home wins we can finish fifth or sixth and stay out of the playin game.

This team needs to do better then just staying out of the play in game, if that happens this board will go in total meltdown as nothing short of being in the top 4 is satisfactory to me.

[SFP]

This team needs to do better then just staying out of the play in game, if that happens this board will go in total meltdown as nothing short of being in the top 4 is satisfactory to me.

I was thinking the same thing. This team better be competing for a top 4 finish or else!

[BradleyBrave]

I was thinking the same thing. This team better be competing for a top 4 finish or else!

Top 4 is now the standard? Anything less than 3rd is another wasted season.

BTW, BU has opened as a 1 point underdog. O/U is 135.