Final: BU 63 UIC 62

[tornado]

our own play by play radio guys see & say the same thing - we play a lot of disorganized one on one stuff -
sometimes our talent prevails but it is also why we are inconsistent and when the other team makes an adjustment - then we get beat by 20-30 point in the 2nd half.

[lefty]

our own play by play radio guys see & say the same thing - we play a lot of disorganized one on one stuff -
sometimes our talent prevails but it is also why we are inconsistent and when the other team makes an adjustment - then we get beat by 20-30 point in the 2nd half.

No doubt at times it sure seems that way. When shots go in everything looks fine and when they don't it all looks pretty bad.

I am too lazy to look it up but it seems to me we have a problem much of the time in the first half and we make the adjustments to make a game or win it in the second half....ISUred on the road is one exception that comes to mind.

I would make the excuse the second half is due to lack of depth...but one would have to to look at each game to know for sure....

[lefty]

our own play by play radio guys see & say the same thing - we play a lot of disorganized one on one stuff -
sometimes our talent prevails but it is also why we are inconsistent and when the other team makes an adjustment - then we get beat by 20-30 point in the 2nd half.

oh...I never saw the response if you agreed with the Chicago writer on us abandoning our game plan.....

[tornado]

lefty - I disagree - I think far more often it's our 2nd half that is where we falter......
both UNI games were really the only games where we stunk in the 1st half then were too far out of it even if we did make a run in the 2nd half -

but most of the others were the opposite...
Michigan, Virginia Tech, BOTH Wichita games, the game at Indiana State, at Evansville, at Creighton, and at ISU..
all those were games we either LED at half or were within a point or two just before half - then ended up losing big time....(except the first two and the home WSU games were at least close...)
I think the general pattern has been that our short bench plus the adjustments THE OTHER TEAM makes in the 2nd half are what kills us.

[lefty]

lefty - I disagree - I think far more often it's our 2nd half that is where we falter......
both UNI games were really the only games where we stunk in the 1st half then were too far out of it even if we did make a run in the 2nd half -

but most of the others were the opposite...
Michigan, Virginia Tech, BOTH Wichita games, the game at Indiana State, at Evansville, at Creighton, and at ISU..
all those were games we either LED at half or were within a point or two just before half - then ended up losing big time....(except the first two and the home WSU games were at least close...)
I think the general pattern has been that our short bench plus the adjustments THE OTHER TEAM makes in the 2nd half are what kills us.

well we had been down at half in some games too and came out and won...as well as being even or a small lead at half and expanded on it....I guess it depends on what you believe...if it's the players or the coaches who are responsible....I think it's the players some and the coaching staff doing a good job with what they have to work with...

You like to give credit to other teams coaching staff and that's fine....look at the teams you mentioned.......all clearly better or were supposed to be

[tornado]

no - I have given multiple kudos to our guys - players and coaches - many, many times - and I have said many times we have the talent to do better than 7th, 8th, or 9th...so I will not be happy with Thursday........

[Old Coach]

I couldn't imagine anyone being happy with Thursday.

[lake Camelot]

I couldn't imagine anyone being happy with Thursday.

I know I will get killed for this comment. I would be happy I guess. If we lose to Creighton and beat Missouri State. Still end up in Thursday. I will be very happy with the season we had given our current state. I agree Thursday is terrible but 17 18 or 19 wins this year would far excede my expectations.

[Old Coach]

I know I will get killed for this comment. I would be happy I guess. If we lose to Creighton and beat Missouri State. Still end up in Thursday. I will be very happy with the season we had given our current state. I agree Thursday is terrible but 17 18 or 19 wins this year would far excede my expectations.

That's where I separate the two lC. I'm not happy that it's likely Bradley will be playing on Thursday evening; however, I do like what I perceive to be general/overall improvement.

[tornado]

I am happy we are improved - and even if we weren't that wouldn't have affected my devotion - and Bradley is very fortunate to have fans that are loyal.....many schools' attendances (ISU, WIU, NIU, DePaul, etc..) see their home attendances drop by OVER 50% when they hit a bad losing stretch!!!

...but count me a bit cynical in thinking that with virtually everyone coming back
and numerous open scholarships to bring in whatever we needed to improve from last year --
That 100% of the BU fan base fully expected us to be better.
The issue isn't only that we are better - but are we enough better to satisfy two things...1) better on paper and stay out of Thursday & the proud and longtime Bradley fans' desires to be that also translates into more enthusiasm & better crowds...and yet aren't we setting all time low marks on tix sold for St. Louis??

then add to that we were bad enough last year trying to get going with an all new coaching staff that it would have been next to impossible to have done worse...and that our schedule it undeniably way, way weaker...
then I guess time will tell if we improved enough compared to expectations....
Given it looks strongly like we'll still be playing as a bottom-four seed and that we're setting records on low crowds - we may still have a ways to go...
The last thing any school would want to do under those circumstances would be to make moves that alienate even more fans..

[LittleBrave]

Does anyone know if the BU-UIC game will be rebroadcast on Comcast?

Not sure, but I imagine it would have been today if anything.

I am going to post a link to the end of the game (which I took from my camera as it unfolded on Comcast) Man, it sounded pretty noisy at the end of the game - both the tension on the last possession, and the reaction after Jake scored the bucket.

Here is the link to the YouTube video, and I will put it on the other Home-page menu, "Photos and Video Clips".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC42Lm-GhIc

[LittleBrave]

Did anyone notice that if TP had not gone to the floor and punched the ball out to Shayok, who kicked it back to Lemon in the final seconds, we never would have seen that ending?
Many heros at the end, including TP who was just fierce as ever snagging those offensive boards and determined to do something with it.

I never questioned for 1 moment in the game that we were not mentally "into" this game or "up" for it, or that we lacked fight.
And I think our increased intensity and will in the 2nd half were the deciding factors in getting the W.

[tornado]

agree - we played hard those final seconds and UIC might have been a bit tentative and almost certainly had been coached to avoid fouling...

[ph]

I couldn't imagine anyone being happy with Thursday.

In the past 10 years, we have won: 8, 7, 6, 11, 10, 9, 10, 9, 4, and 2 MVC games.

We currently have 7 MVC wins with a chance to win 9. 9 MVC wins would mean this season matched or exceeded 7 out of the past 10 years. At worst, 7 wins means we match or exceed 4 of the past 10 years. (And the Drake loss prevented us from possibly matching or exceeding 9 of the past 10 years)

Overall, I'm OK with this seasons win total (given expectations for this team). And if the win total happens to result in a Thursday, so be it.

I will not be happy with just 9 wins next year, though.

[ph]

no - I have given multiple kudos to our guys - players and coaches - many, many times - and I have said many times we have the talent to do better than 7th, 8th, or 9th...so I will not be happy with Thursday........

Starting talent...might be.
Practice talent...possibly
Bench talent..no.