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BU v.s. The Valley

B

BUconnorD

New member
Last nights game was definately a tell at how well we can play.

so how do people think we stack up in the rest of the Valley?

my opinion (sayin this through logic not as a biased fan)

I think we'll win the whole darn thing.

we've beaten SIU before. Faulker doesn't scare me because our big guys have improved from last year. Mullins is playing real well, but our guards have gotten much better and I think him and Ruffin will match up well. Shaw is also playing good stuff too. They look good, but beatable


anybody else have any thoughts?
 
I think SIU will get it together, but Creighton scares me a little more right now. I think tonight's game against Xavier will be a good indicator of where they are headed.

I like our chances in conference play though.
 
As I said in another thread....I feel alot better about this team today then I did earlier in the week!

The conference is going to be tough...IF we play like we did last night every night out...I would be shocked if we didn't win it all....

However, SIU and CU are still going to be tough, no doubt about it. UNI is also doing ok early on and have important cogs returning...I have been impressed with ISU's improvement shown in the early going as well....all that said....I think we will be a top 3 team for sure and will really push for the title.
 
we have a lot to figure out as of yet...

we cant win much with our big men getting shoved off the block so easily.

faulkner will murder us if we continue to let that happen. wont he just graduate already?!
 
Seriously, I think we will either win the regular season conference or win the tournament/1st-2nd place. There won't be a team like SIU was last year in the Valley this year, unless for some reason Creighton keeps winning. Mo. State looks like they are step behind this year. The only teams in the Valley that we should worry about losing a home game to is Northern Iowa and maybe Creighton and ISU. Creighton probably not because we will have the red out that game, and ISU still has alot to prove in my eyes. If Ruffin and Crouch are healthy all year I think we win the conference. I see us maybe having one home conference loss this year, and maybe 2-3 on the road, hopefully less than that.
 
BU wins MVC at 15-3 (losses at ISU, UNI, and Creighton). BU wins MVC tourney. MVC gets only 1 bid to NCAA. Bradley will be in 8/9 game against UIUC. BU will win 1st round and lose 2nd round to Kansas. ;)
 
I like our matchup with SIU. Falker's a pretty awesome player, but I think Collins could murder him with the baby hook. If that shot is one, Falker just isn't tall enough to defend Collins on it... and you dont need to get great position to take the shot either.

I'm very interested in the Creighton / Xavier game... as I think Creighton may be a very good team this year.
 
I'm also afraid of Creighton, and it looks like the staff was figuring they would be good too when they scheduled our red out for that game.

So far SIU has looked very beatable, with a 2-3(or is it 3-2) zone, they have gotten beat twice pretty easily. Isolate and double team Falkner and the rest of the team has trouble scoring. SIU relies too much on their D and have fallen a little short on the scoring side of things this season.
 
MacabreMob said:
BU wins MVC at 15-3 (losses at ISU, UNI, and Creighton). BU wins MVC tourney. MVC gets only 1 bid to NCAA. Bradley will be in 8/9 game against UIUC. BU will win 1st round and lose 2nd round to Kansas. ;)
Click to expand...

well...I dont know why its even worth watching th erest of the season

haha
 
I believe that the conference champion may have as many as 5 losses as it will be harder to win road games ; 2 games you had better win on the road are Evansville and Ind. State as the rest of the places will be much harder ; we need to win all of our home games if we expect to finish 1st or 2nd ; the big question is can BU continue to play great defense like they did last night and get more offensive support from Warren, Collins,Salley, Cole-Scott, Egolf, and Maniscalco as Wilson, Ruffin and Crouch have been pretty consistent.
 
We can't and won't win the Valley until our 5th year senior point guard learns about composure in critical game moments, or until our coach has him play off the ball in critical moments and gives the ball to someone more composed. I'm sick and tired of our 5th year senior point guard ruining our chances to beat good teams with his erratic play at the end of games. If that doesn't change, we're looking at the 4-5 game Friday afternoon.
 
Last night was a very rare and special night at carver. None of our homes games will be like that the rest of year and maybe ever. I hope the team can play with that level of intensity and poise when Northern Iowa comes to play. We cant afford any more home losses the rest of the year. The MVC may very well be a one bid league this year if the regular season champ wins in St. Louis.
 
As I said before, Creighton is the only team that scares me however after tonight, no team scares me in the valley. Creighton was dominated by a ranked team all night, SIU was slaughtered by 2 ranked teams and N. IA got beat by IA tonight. Then you look at Bradley. Lost the very first game with almost a whole new team. Then our first ranked team we totally dominated the 2nd half and was within a point with 2 minutes left. The 2nd ranked team we dominated the whole game except for a few minutes. Bradley is by far the most scary team in the valley per the caliber of teams we have played and the level of competition we brought to them. However if Drake keeps shooting lights out like they are, I may have to alter this post LOL.

Jason
 
BU on the road always concerns me, regardless of the opponent. We should win all of our home games against the Valley, assuming we bring good effort and energy every game. I don't see a team out manning us or presenting serious personnel problems like Michigan St could. On the road though, that's a different story. If BU has an off game execution or focus wise, you could be looking at a loss to anybody. That may be part of the reason JL wants to let DC know that mental lapses and or breakdowns will not and cannot be tolerated. JL is trying to get his point across by limiting DC's minutes. I think trying to shore this up before the conference season starts, where his lapses could really cost us on the road in a pivotal game is the right thing to do.

I like DC, and wish he would play more, even with his mental lapses, because when he is on the floor he limits penetration for one, but he also makes the offense easier for the guards IMO. He does put up good point production/per minutes played, so even when he looks kind of lost on offense, the other team may not know that, and they still respect him, so it kind makes the other players jobs easier. Does that make sense?

I think alot of his weaknesses were magnified against MSU, as that is as big and physical of a team as there is in the country. Not that DC can't get to their level, but I just don't think he was ready for that kind of play yet. I don't know if it's anybody's fault, it's just the 1st time he's seen/experienced that kind of intensity vs the size and talent of MSU's caliber, and he won't see it again unless BU gets to the NCAA tournament. He will be effective against the majority of the teams in the Valley. That being said, we need to DC to learn from this game, get better, and be ready the next time he sees this type of play.

I think that more than anything JL is trying to set an example to the other players that DC's mental lapses is costing him minutes, so they better not get in the habit of it. If BU can get DC on board with the rest of the team from an awareness standpoint, and we consistently keep our turnovers down, we can be an effective road team. When that happens is when BU can start to be contenders for a regular season title.
 
BradleyBrave said:
We can't and won't win the Valley until our 5th year senior point guard learns about composure in critical game moments, or until our coach has him play off the ball in critical moments and gives the ball to someone more composed. I'm sick and tired of our 5th year senior point guard ruining our chances to beat good teams with his erratic play at the end of games. If that doesn't change, we're looking at the 4-5 game Friday afternoon.
Click to expand...

As much as I agree with you by the time DR started his antics our O stalled out big time and there was no one else willing to take the shots the last 5 minutes. MSU already tightened up their D and we were going to have to go inside to score. Well with no big to score or rebound, DR must have felt he was it. JC needs to ask for the ball also towards the end of the game and maybe not pass it back so fast. We need another consistant scoring threat if we are going to take the Valley period. Only time will tell who will step up.

DC has the most potential
AW may not like being the go to guy
SM & Egolf are to young
TW is more of a role player
 
SanFranciscoPete said:
As much as I agree with you by the time DR started his antics our O stalled out big time and there was no one else willing to take the shots the last 5 minutes. MSU already tightened up their D and we were going to have to go inside to score. Well with no big to score or rebound, DR must have felt he was it. JC needs to ask for the ball also towards the end of the game and maybe not pass it back so fast. We need another consistant scoring threat if we are going to take the Valley period. Only time will tell who will step up.

DC has the most potential
AW may not like being the go to guy
SM & Egolf are to young
TW is more of a role player
Click to expand...

DR isn't good enough to do that. It's Jim's job to get through to him that he's at his best when he's getting others involved by running our offense, or playing off the ball and letting it come back to him in a position to succeed. Ruffin's antics haven't cost us the games, but they have taken away any chance we've had to come back and win. Quite frankly I am tired of it. Oh for the calmness and cool head of Will Franklin... :cry:
 
3 or 4 more losses and that's it

3 or 4 more losses and that's it

I had this in the poll thread (basic jist, BU and SIU in a tier above the rest with Creighton and Missouri State just behind at 3 and 4):

Barring any severe lapses or injury, I really think we finish strong in terms of wins. I think we drop the Butler game there, lose at SIU and at Creighton. We can't know about the Bracketbuster pairing yet, but that one and the Missouri State road game could be wild cards. However, I do not think Missouri State is that strong this year in terms of matching up with us, and given the level of talent in the Bracketbusters, I do not see any team of that caliber taking us down at home.

Although I think we may wind up with the best overall record since either '96 or '88, we will be lacking a marquee win. And, although the conference RPI may be decent right now, I really do think that us and SIU will domniate when it's said and done. So, the weaker conference and the lack of the big win will hurt our seeding--I was really hoping to see us breakout and we'd be in the top 25 with SIU by the time the conference season started. Oh, and by the way, given SIU's lack of depth this year and weak guard play, I think we win the regular season conference title.

P.S. Has anyone else noticed how much national and or regional TV we have down the stretch? It's pretty good. That will have to help indireclty with drumming up some attention come selection Sunday, I would think. If the record from here on out goes well, hopefully that type of coverage can compensate a little for no marquee victories early on, and maybe help our seeding just a little. (I'm trying to stay positve, but yes, realistic). (And, if we do pull off the Butler win, thank goodness).
 
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