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Post by webbvufan on Feb 24, 2011 23:12:02 GMT -5
I also feel for Bryce and think he's probably in the same position as most coaches, but having said that, I thought the excuse-making in the postgame just didn't work this time. I'm sympathetic -- if I was in his shoes I'd be in shock and groping for some way to rationalize what just happened. I'm not angry with him; I'm just saying it didn't work for me this time, hearing about the unfair schedule, etc. Good teams prepare for that. Agreed. I thought that Bryce's complaints about the schedule in the post game came across very poorly. I was more disappointed by them than you were stlvufan. I thought he sounded whiny. He's normally more classy than that.
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Post by milanmiracle on Feb 24, 2011 23:27:03 GMT -5
The irony in all this is Cleveland State lost...This season is done, even if they make the NIT or CBI...it's over.
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Post by sliman on Feb 24, 2011 23:30:12 GMT -5
"...Anybody think maybe they practiced *too* hard yesterday and the day before?..."
It was reported that they had Tuesday off to rest.
In truth, they did look a step slow tonight and a lot of the jump shots were short, usually a sign of tired legs. In addition, confidence seems to have vanished and guys who earlier in the year would leave their man to cover an open man now are hesitating before they make the rotation. The trust and confidence of three weeks ago wasn't apparent tonight.
This observation is not intended to be an excuse or address questions about whether or not we've made the appropriate adjustments when facing teams for the second time; it's simply what a few people observed tonight. Like Loyola, UIC is better than when we first played them. Can the seniors relax and play well in their regular season finale?
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Post by wh on Feb 24, 2011 23:30:40 GMT -5
Another year gone, but it's ok... I caught a fleeting glimpse Out of the corner of my eye I turned to look but it was gone I cannot put my finger on it now The child is grown, The dream is gone. I have become comfortably numb. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkJNyQfAprY
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Post by stlvufan on Feb 24, 2011 23:34:09 GMT -5
Another year gone, but it's ok... I caught a fleeting glimpse Out of the corner of my eye I turned to look but it was gone I cannot put my finger on it now The child is grown, The dream is gone. I have become comfortably numb. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkJNyQfAprY Geez, it's not *that* bad One of my all-time favorite songs, though.
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Post by rlh on Feb 25, 2011 1:00:09 GMT -5
The facts are we just didn't have any pizzazz, no enthusiasm tonight whatsoever. You can blame the schedule, which has been discussed with the conference apparently, but nothing could be done about it this year, but the fact is we just seemed out of character all night long and Loyola completely outplayed us in every area. Homer said in his press conference that the scheduling is not an excuse, nor did he make it one....he said he tried everything he could think of to get them going, even telling them that Cleveland State had lost, but nothing worked tonight. Very disappointing, very disheartening....we still can accomplish so much, but the task if much much more difficult now. To think only a week ago, we were sitting on top of the conference, and now we are a fourth seed unless some other upsets happen Saturday....oh well, we need to all take a deep breath, and see where this team goes. They have been fun all year, and it's too bad that they have hit a low spot this late in the season.
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Post by valporun on Feb 25, 2011 1:00:08 GMT -5
I've been frustrated by our play in a lot of games this season, and tonight was one of them, but I also voiced to Stl that we're in that part of the season where it is all "mental toughness", and we're just tired, and not "mentally" in it now. I don't know if Saturday vs. Missouri St. was our last game we felt ready for or what, but we just didn't look at all interested in tonight's game. We missed so many shots we were hitting in the last month, and getting to the free throw line often, and tonight, we just looked like that team we saw in Toledo, instead of the one playing Missouri St. or Oakland. Maybe this part of the schedule was "unfair", but that's what we asked for when putting ourselves in the position of 5 games in 10 days, with Milwaukee, Missouri St., Green Bay, Loyola, and finally UIC, going into the conference tourney. This is why I asked a few days ago if we shouldn't consider trying to opt out of the Bracketbuster because it does force us into so many games in so little time. It just felt like game after game after game, and no time to just rest up, get some real sleep during mid-term week, and getting more ready for the grind of the conference tournament, instead of this week that feels more like the tournament than next week actually will.
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Post by justducky on Feb 25, 2011 1:25:24 GMT -5
The irony in all this is Cleveland State lost...This season is done, even if they make the NIT or CBI...it's over. Its all about playing well when it counts. I would kind of like being 4 seed at UWM. Thats doable. JSU at home, then WSU or Detroit at Milwaukee followed by a fresh UWM,(still doable). Then the hardest part is Butler at Hinkle, and I can't think of a better place to play. Maybe this was the Drew plan. (not to be confused with the Crittendon plan from an episode of Hogans Heroes, although similar in construction) The glass is still half full. Go Valpo!
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Post by valpo10 on Feb 25, 2011 2:03:54 GMT -5
The irony in all this is Cleveland State lost...This season is done, even if they make the NIT or CBI...it's over. Its all about playing well when it counts. I would kind of like being 4 seed at UWM. Thats doable. JSU at home, then WSU or Detroit at Milwaukee followed by a fresh UWM,(still doable). Then the hardest part is Butler at Hinkle, and I can't think of a better place to play. Maybe this was the Drew plan. (not to be confused with the Crittendon plan from an episode of Hogans Heroes, although similar in construction) The glass is still half full. Go Valpo! Women's volleyball tried the route and got stuffed by Butler...bad omen.
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Post by milldew1 on Feb 25, 2011 10:13:45 GMT -5
I don't think we can finish worse than 4th, but can we finish better than 4th?
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Post by milldew1 on Feb 25, 2011 10:16:33 GMT -5
[ I also think it is *extremely* hard for anyone to sweep anyone in this conference, and Loyola traditionally punishes teams that take them for granted. STL ... It's not very difficult for Milwaukee, Green Bay, Butler and CSU to sweep. Nor was it difficult for us to sweep (YSU, UDM, WSU). That's nothing but an excuse. The boys have just given up. They win when maybe they shouldn't and lose when they shouldn't. Pretty simple. And for all my bluster earlier this week ... I am EXTREMELY SAD and UPSET that my dire prediction came true. I was hoping maybe a little reverse psychology might have come out of it.
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Post by stlvufan on Feb 25, 2011 10:39:41 GMT -5
[ I also think it is *extremely* hard for anyone to sweep anyone in this conference, and Loyola traditionally punishes teams that take them for granted. STL ... It's not very difficult for Milwaukee, Green Bay, Butler and CSU to sweep. Nor was it difficult for us to sweep (YSU, UDM, WSU). That's nothing but an excuse. The boys have just given up. They win when maybe they shouldn't and lose when they shouldn't. Pretty simple. And for all my bluster earlier this week ... I am EXTREMELY SAD and UPSET that my dire prediction came true. I was hoping maybe a little reverse psychology might have come out of it. Just because it was done, doesn't mean it wasn't extremely difficult, and it's *not* an excuse. In no way did I imply that not sweeping Loyola was acceptable. I implied that it was not a guaranteed lock and it was not the biggest shock in the world. I know you're upset, but I was *not* making excuses.
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Post by stlvufan on Feb 25, 2011 10:42:03 GMT -5
I don't think we can finish worse than 4th, but can we finish better than 4th? Yes, in fact, it is mathematically possible to still finish 2nd -- if Green Bay beats CSU (possible), YSU beats Milwaukee (unlikely), and Loyola beats Butler (unlikely). Stranger things have happened, but I wouldn't count on it. If we beat UIC and either CSU or Butler loses, we get the 3 seed. I don't see Butler losing, but CSU losing is realistically possible.
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Post by valpofan56 on Feb 25, 2011 10:49:57 GMT -5
The irony in all this is Cleveland State lost...This season is done, even if they make the NIT or CBI...it's over. Technically there is nothing even remotely ironic about that. Unfortunate, yes, but ironic, no.
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Post by milldew1 on Feb 25, 2011 12:48:04 GMT -5
I think finishing fourth is best for us at this point (unless a miracle happens and STLU's scenario comes to fruition. Let me explain. If UWM finishes 1 and Butler 2 - Round 1: CSU over UIC, Green Bay over UDM, VU over YSU, WSU over Loyola. Round 2: CSU over Green Bay, VU over Wright State. Semi's: CSU at Butler, VU at Milwaukee. I think if it all happens this way, we will take care of UWM in the semis and then have a chance against Butler or CSU. THoughts?
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