Author Topic: Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16  (Read 937 times)

Checkmate

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Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« on: November 09, 2018, 10:58:33 pm »
HOLY CROSS (at Mohegan Sun Arena)
Record:
1-2 (0-0 Patriot)
Last Meeting: Stony Brook 54, Holy Cross 53 on 12/7/10; Dave Coley game-winning layup with 1.2 seconds left
Checkmate Unofficial Line: Stony Brook -3
KenPom RPI: Stony Brook 191, Holy Cross 198
KenPom Prediction: Stony Brook 69, Holy Cross 68
Listen/Watch:
TV: http://www.espn.com/watch/?_ga=2.250869830.1931592994.1542224019-1207769694.1540478906
Stony Brook radio: http://bit.ly/WUSBSports
Holy Cross radio: http://player.radio.com/listen/station/weei-1044?_ga=2.259119050.1931592994.1542224019-1207769694.1540478906
Notables (updated stats to come):
6-5/210 so G Austin Butler: 11.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 spg, .444 3-pt FG%; Patriot League All-Rookie Team last year
6-6/195 so F Jacob Grandison: 11.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg last year
5-10/175 so G Caleb Green: 10.0 ppg, 3.3 apg, .429 3-pt FG%
5-11/175 sr G Patrick Benzan: 8.3 ppg, 4.3 apg
6-8/240 sr F Jehyve Floyd: 5.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.3 apg, Preseason All-Conference, defending Patriot League Defensive POY

We know we're good. Everybody else now knows we're good. So what's that mean for Friday's tilt at Mohegan Sun Arena?

You can even feel the excitement on this board. Two good road wins are good for anybody. But we can't anoint ourselves as this shoo-in for greatness, conference titles, tournament berths, etc. Holy Cross is certainly formidable enough to deflate our egos.

They entered the season picked to finish fifth in the Patriot League behind Lehigh, Bucknell, Colgate and BU. They started their year with a 93-81 win over Sacred Heart but have dropped their last two against Michigan and Providence. Two takeaways from the PC game for me was HC's ball movement and the variety of zone defenses that it threw at the more athletic Friars, who they held a halftime lead on before the wheels came off (with the help of PC's own zone D). Think Hoosiers on offense – use the shot clock, moving it around the perimeter, backcuts, etc. When you've seen a ton of iso or bombardiering in the NBA or elite college hoops, truthfully it was quite refreshing. To me, there's nothing better than ball movement that springs someone for a layup, or moving it in and out to find a spot-up shooter wide open.

It's been good in spans for the Crusaders to this point, but in two contests with higher-echelon teams, it hasn't yielded any wins. HC led Michigan by six at the half before being outscored 38-13 in the second. Also down at the half, PC came roaring back with superior athleticism and size, forcing turnovers with their own 2-3, moving the HC zone and getting layups/dunks inside.

This one's a big one for the coaches. I expect buzzer to buzzer zone D from HC, which started with a matchup zone against PC before settling into an extended 1-3-1, with a guard meeting the PC point out near halfcourt. We have to move the ball and find the soft spots. I can't STAND it when a team knows what D is coming and looks dumbfounded, like it's never seen it, in the first half. We ought to have open looks in the corners, and I expect Olaniyi to utilize the baseline to create for himself or others. I think Otchere and Ochefu could be significant contributors offensively with ready hands underneath and also on the offensive glass. There's nothing to fear. Holy Cross has only two blocks on the year. That's twice as many blocks as Olaniyi has in the final seconds to preserve wins over SEC teams  ;D ;D ;D.

Let's turn the zone against itself and get some second chance points. We have a few 2s and 3s who are tremendous complements to our bigs on the boards. I always point to rebounding (sorry) and it's been key for us in both of our victories. Last year Holy Cross ranked 339th out of 351 teams in rebounding margin at -6.4. Besides Floyd, who is prone to foul trouble, they're very thin inside – both in terms of depth and width. Also, without a lot of action inside, they ranked 339th in free throw attempts per game in '17-18. This year, they've shot just 31 free throws to their opponents' 57.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2018, 02:39:30 pm by Checkmate »
"Of all the money e'er I had, I spent it in good company." – The Clancy Brothers, "The Parting Glass"

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Checkmate

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Re: Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2018, 09:39:02 pm »
Holy Cross with a 56-37 loss to Michigan that included a 38-13 shellacking in the second half. As advertised, they took just three FTs to Michigan’s 21 and were -8 on the glass.


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"Of all the money e'er I had, I spent it in good company." – The Clancy Brothers, "The Parting Glass"

VA_Seawolf

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Re: Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2018, 12:09:12 am »
I want to keep the ball rolling, meaning we can't take anybody lightly. Given what we've seen thus far, we should win this one, but it's when you lul yourself into complacency is when you slip up. We weren't supposed to win either of our games either.

Wolffan

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Re: Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2018, 06:36:02 am »
Jehyve Floyd (a fairly athletic 6-8) is a huge matchup problem around the basket  for Holy Cross' Patriot League opposition but we should be able to shut him down. Beyond that, I'd expect us to be able to score, clamp down on their outside shooting,  and dominate the boards enroute to a 3rd consecutive win. 

OldSeawolf

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Re: Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2018, 09:40:22 am »
Jehyve Floyd (a fairly athletic 6-8) is a huge matchup problem around the basket  for Holy Cross' Patriot League opposition but we should be able to shut him down. Beyond that, I'd expect us to be able to score, clamp down on their outside shooting,  and dominate the boards enroute to a 3rd consecutive win.

We need Otchere to stay on the floor, and minimize those early, silly fouls.  What we've done on the boards and defensively without him is amazing, but imagine how dominant we can be with him on the floor.  As an aside, my guess is that Chef moves up in the depth chart ahead of Christie, with his stellar performance at SC.
How old a Seawolf am I? I followed them during their Final 4 DIII hoops run in 1977-78 (they were called the Patriots then)

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Re: Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« Reply #5 on: November 11, 2018, 06:52:49 pm »
yeah.  he's a bit shorter but more athletic.  and played well. 

ill say it again- i really like our depth and it will pay dividends in feb/march, if not already.  i say more pressing!
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Checkmate

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Re: Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« Reply #6 on: November 13, 2018, 04:28:30 pm »
We're #32!

... in the random CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.

http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php
"Of all the money e'er I had, I spent it in good company." – The Clancy Brothers, "The Parting Glass"
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ibosbu

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Re: Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« Reply #7 on: November 13, 2018, 05:02:52 pm »
We're #32!

... in the random CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.

http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

It’s about time to include Atlantic 10 and Conference USA in mid major ranking. These conferences are no better than West coast, Mountain West and Missouri Valley anymore.
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Checkmate

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Re: Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« Reply #8 on: November 13, 2018, 06:37:20 pm »
We're #32!

... in the random CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.

http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php

It’s about time to include Atlantic 10 and Conference USA in mid major ranking. These conferences are no better than West coast, Mountain West and Missouri Valley anymore.

Agreed on this.

If anyone’s looking to get a peek at the Crusaders, they play Providence tonight on FS2.


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"Of all the money e'er I had, I spent it in good company." – The Clancy Brothers, "The Parting Glass"

Checkmate

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Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« Reply #9 on: November 13, 2018, 07:46:42 pm »
Um. Holy Cross is pretty good. They really pass it well, do a nice job moving without the ball, and defensively have made it tough on Providence with a matchup zone. We will have our work cut out for us.


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« Last Edit: November 13, 2018, 07:53:35 pm by Checkmate »
"Of all the money e'er I had, I spent it in good company." – The Clancy Brothers, "The Parting Glass"

Wolffan

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Re: Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« Reply #10 on: November 13, 2018, 07:54:14 pm »
I'd expect PC to make the adjustment and let their superior players take over the game. HC's top player (Floyd) has a tendency to commit silly fouls...and can be shut down v Big East level competition. HC's second option, Grandison, is a nice player who can drive and shoot.

VA_Seawolf

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Re: Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« Reply #11 on: November 13, 2018, 08:07:34 pm »
HC is no joke either. We'll see if PC makes a comeback, but remember we nearly beat Providence last year and our team wasn't all that great. It seems like Providence has regressed as a program as for a while there they were a consistent tournament team. In either case regardless of tonight, if we play well, we should get the W on Friday.

Checkmate

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Re: Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« Reply #12 on: November 14, 2018, 03:42:26 pm »
Modified the unofficial line slightly and added some notes on the game.
"Of all the money e'er I had, I spent it in good company." – The Clancy Brothers, "The Parting Glass"

Checkmate

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Re: Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« Reply #13 on: November 16, 2018, 08:03:29 am »
Sports books have us as a one-point favorite. (edit: 1.5 in a couple places)

Siena is a 3.5 to 4 point favorite over Norfolk State on the other half of the bracket.


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« Last Edit: November 16, 2018, 03:36:33 pm by Checkmate »
"Of all the money e'er I had, I spent it in good company." – The Clancy Brothers, "The Parting Glass"

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Re: Game 3: vs. Holy Cross 11/16
« Reply #14 on: November 16, 2018, 09:06:40 am »
ill be on a plane but will try to stream.

GO SB
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