Thoughts from court side

[ATWizJr]

Can't tell you how proud I was of our effort tonight!  Living in RI and rarely getting to see a game live, what a treat to see them in person.  Our kids played their a$$es off in a very hostile environment and clawed their way back into the game after being down 11 when they could just as easily have packed it in.  They had plenty of heart tonight.

Mayo was huge, and he, Davante and Jamil each had double doubles.  Now the 20 oz. Pepsi I had is fueling these next statements but here goes anyway....

It is impossible to overlook our backcourt deficiencies.  You cannot be the starting PG for a D-1 BE team if you can't make a layup or free throws.  And you can't turn the ball over with no one guarding you in OT or commit the foul the puts the opponent on the line to win the game.  Just can't happen. 

And Jake's big three was huge.  But, you have to be aware of the game situation and who has the possession arrow.  You cannot allow yourself to get tied up with 9 secs left and give the ball back to the opponent.

And Otule, bless his heart, after a great start, went 0-5 under the basket.   Getting his shot blocked at 6'11.

As for Buzz, you had TO's left, man.  What were you saving them for?

Finally, a very entertaining match, esp. when I thought we had won on Davante's full court shot, but a very frustrating loss that needn't have been.  Well, the Friar fans were happy to win with two starter fouled out and their bench being outscored by us 57-3.  Clearly, our best players are not the starters. 

PS Dawson had 6 points on 3-5 shooting and NO TO's in 13 minutes. 

[Shark]

Good post. This game was great, but it made us all remember why the team has a extremely slim chance of making the tourny. Both the starting guards came out in full force in those last 9 seconds.

[Eldon]

Can't tell you how proud I was of our effort tonight!  Living in RI and rarely getting to see a game live, what a treat to see them in person.  Our kids played their a$$es off in a very hostile environment and clawed their way back into the game after being down 11 when they could just as easily have packed it in.  They had plenty of heart tonight.

Mayo was huge, and he, Davante and Jamil each had double doubles.  Now the 20 oz. Pepsi I had is fueling these next statements but here goes anyway....

It is impossible to overlook our backcourt deficiencies.  You cannot be the starting PG for a D-1 BE team if you can't make a layup or free throws.  And you can't turn the ball over with no one guarding you in OT or commit the foul the puts the opponent on the line to win the game.  Just can't happen. 

And Jake's big three was huge.  But, you have to be aware of the game situation and who has the possession arrow.  You cannot allow yourself to get tied up with 9 secs left and give the ball back to the opponent.

And Otule, bless his heart, after a great start, went 0-5 under the basket.   Getting his shot blocked at 6'11.

As for Buzz, you had TO's left, man.  What were you saving them for?

Finally, a very entertaining match, esp. when I thought we had won on Davante's full court shot, but a very frustrating loss that needn't have been.  Well, the Friar fans were happy to win with two starter fouled out and their bench being outscored by us 57-3.  Clearly, our best players are not the starters. 

PS Dawson had 6 points on 3-5 shooting and NO TO's in 13 minutes. 

1.  Good post

2.  You don't drink coffee do you?

3.  Just throwing it out there, but maybe Buzz did not call a timeout because he did not want to give PC players even a slight breather.

4.  I love Dawson's potential.  It is truly a shame that he has played so little this season.  Truly, truly a shame.

[keefe]

Thanks, Tom. Well said. It was thrilling on the tube. So much better in person, I'm sure. Thanks for the perspective.

[wardle2wade]

Excellent post.  Thanks for sharing.

[wardle2wade]

Also, how was the turnout overall for Providence?  And how about the MU contingent?

[ATWizJr]

A friend had comped me some tix so I was not sitting near the MU contingent which seemed small to non existent.  But, it was senior night at PC and the crowd was quite loud so they likely drowned out any MU cheering.  The Dunk was 85%-90% full I'd say.

OT, when things swung our way on occasion, I did hear some anti-Cooley catcalls.  Pretty much like any fan base, I'd guess.

[willie warrior]

Can't tell you how proud I was of our effort tonight!  Living in RI and rarely getting to see a game live, what a treat to see them in person.  Our kids played their a$$es off in a very hostile environment and clawed their way back into the game after being down 11 when they could just as easily have packed it in.  They had plenty of heart tonight.

Mayo was huge, and he, Davante and Jamil each had double doubles.  Now the 20 oz. Pepsi I had is fueling these next statements but here goes anyway....

It is impossible to overlook our backcourt deficiencies.  You cannot be the starting PG for a D-1 BE team if you can't make a layup or free throws.  And you can't turn the ball over with no one guarding you in OT or commit the foul the puts the opponent on the line to win the game.  Just can't happen. 

And Jake's big three was huge.  But, you have to be aware of the game situation and who has the possession arrow.  You cannot allow yourself to get tied up with 9 secs left and give the ball back to the opponent.

And Otule, bless his heart, after a great start, went 0-5 under the basket.   Getting his shot blocked at 6'11.

As for Buzz, you had TO's left, man.  What were you saving them for?

Finally, a very entertaining match, esp. when I thought we had won on Davante's full court shot, but a very frustrating loss that needn't have been.  Well, the Friar fans were happy to win with two starter fouled out and their bench being outscored by us 57-3.  Clearly, our best players are not the starters. 

PS Dawson had 6 points on 3-5 shooting and NO TO's in 13 minutes. 

Yeah, the effort was there which is good, but there were plenty of glitches in the effort also. Mayo played huge offensively, but allowing 2 4point plays was poor. His defense was poor. DWil tries but keeps demonstrating he is at best a backup and Buzz will never change that. He can't shoot, misses bunnies, missed 3 of 4 FT's and created numerous costly boo boos. Jake missed most of his shots, and his slump to the fetal position proved fatal. And jamil, another poor check out effort.

Nothing personal against the kids, but this is the most frustrating and overrated season (in the beginning) I have seen in a long, long time.

And it is all on Buzz. His players, his rotations, his schemes, with a huge salary and budget, all fans should expect more. There is no justification for a lot of his decisions, and people need to realize that when slamming down the Kool Aid.

[chapman]

A friend had comped me some tix so I was not sitting near the MU contingent which seemed small to non existent.  But, it was senior night at PC and the crowd was quite loud so they likely drowned out any MU cheering.  The Dunk was 85%-90% full I'd say.

Hope they can keep this up.  Atmosphere seemed awesome.  Much better than DePaul and Seton Hall where it's even depressing to watch on TV because nobody is there.

[mileskishnish72]

Looked sold out. Attendance 11,649. The PA in that place is at a decibel level beyond the onset of pain.

[ATWizJr]

Looked sold out. Attendance 11,649. The PA in that place is at a decibel level beyond the onset of pain.

No. there were lots of seats around us that were empty.  I'd say an 80%+ house.  Capacity is listed at 12,400.

[slingkong]

 No. there were lots of seats around us that were empty.  I'd say an 80%+ house.  Capacity is listed at 12,400.

Makes me wish I'd driven down from Boston. But I wouldn't have gotten home until who knows when. Maybe next year when the daughter is more than a few months old.

[Slim]

I noticed Big Mac and Homer had their winter coats on during the broadcast. They having a little HVAC problem at the Dunk?