1LotteryPick1969
Postdoc
Posts: 2260
Age: 73
Loc: Sandy, Utah
Reg: 11-21-04
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12-21-16 11:44 AM - Post#216359
In response to Silver Maple
Exactly what I had planned on posting, although far more eloquently expressed.
Could not watch the game, but the score suggests defense was very poor.
Any comments about Miller's play from those who watched?
Is it fair to conclude that Cannady is not as good a defender as Bell?
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Tiger69
Postdoc
Posts: 2801
Reg: 11-23-04
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Monmouth 12-21-16 01:42 PM - Post#216367
In response to 1LotteryPick1969
Like a couple of other Tiger fans I am the eternal optimist, starting every season undefeated and somehow reaching the NCAAs and the improbable ... no, impossible ... National Championship. As the season progresses, reality sets in. I have reached that point this year. And, despite what a couple of Harvard and Penn fans on this board may argue, a National Championship for any Ivy, at least in basketball, will never happen in this world.
So, the real goal is to win the crown, the Ivy Crown, and perform respectably enough in post season so that athletic prospects, intelligent enough to handle an Ivy education, will not be put off by the level of play in our league.
So, Go Tigers! Win the Ivies (and,if we must, the silly pre-tournament tournament ), then win a couple at the Big Dance to nurture our illusions.
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palestra38
Professor
Posts: 32680
Reg: 11-21-04
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Re: Monmouth 12-21-16 03:59 PM - Post#216371
In response to Tiger69
Welcome back to Earth. And the losses suffered by Princeton in no way have hurt its chances for an Ivy title. While I agree with your disdain for an Ivy Tournament, it is indeed here, and given the rather serious injuries the Tigers have suffered, they may benefit from its existence this year.
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JadwinGeorge
Senior
Posts: 357
Age: 75
Reg: 12-04-15
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12-21-16 05:44 PM - Post#216378
In response to Silver Maple
Rebounding will be a major issue going forward, especially without Caruso and Brase. The Tigers had only 4 offensive rebounds last night which is not a big problem when you are making 45% of your shots. I hate to say that Bell hurts the team, but Cannady's offense more than makes up for his defensive shortcomings. Bell misses too many shots to justify a lot of minutes. Weisz happened to get into foul trouble last night, resulting in Bell being on the floor. Brennan may be coming around, thank goodness. Miller is what he is, he can't score but he defends and rebounds. Bucknell is another difficult test.
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SomeGuy
Professor
Posts: 6391
Reg: 11-22-04
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Re: Monmouth 12-21-16 05:51 PM - Post#216381
In response to Tiger69
Your opening (except for the national championship) is what I would call the '90s Princeton fan problem. When you have a good team, your expectation is an undefeated league season and a near undefeated OOC season. The '97 team might not be 4-6 against this year's schedule, but it would have had multiple losses. The landscape is different, and the league (at least HYPP) have challenged themselves a lot (and on the road) this season (and in a comparative down year, particularly once you take injuries into account).
Princeton has played a very hard schedule, almost exclusively on the road. Yes, it would look a lot better if they pulled one out. But better Ivy teams have gotten blown out in similar environments, too -- the Tigers have had a chance in every one of those games.
So I think the way they've played on the court is actually enough to win the league, even if they don't play better in conference.
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bradley
PhD Student
Posts: 1842
Age: 74
Reg: 01-15-16
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Re: Monmouth 12-21-16 07:30 PM - Post#216386
In response to Tiger69
If you gave me the choice that the Tigers would win either the regular IL season or the IL tournament, I would take the regular season crown.
It will be a more significant accomplishment if they win the regular season crown than the tournament considering the injuries and what it takes to play well over 14 games.
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SRP
Postdoc
Posts: 4894
Reg: 02-04-06
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Monmouth 12-21-16 08:06 PM - Post#216387
In response to bradley
Having watched the game, I have to disagree about two things:
Bell was better in this game than in previous games on both ends of the floor, although he missed a couple of tough jumpers late in the shot clock. He also slashed to the rim successfully a few times and looked more like his old self, although not back all the way.
Second, even though I am generally a harsh judge about PU's defense, they really weren't that bad against Monmouth. The Hawks' shooting percentage was abnormally high due to making some very tough shots and/or difficult offensive one-on-one moves and due to getting a bunch of chippies after turnovers and when the Tigers got desperate at the end and pressed. Sure, there were a few lapses I'd like to have back, but for them most part Monmouth earned everything it got. (I do still feel that Princeton looks a lot better when it is employing ball pressure in the half court and making the other team a bit uncomfortable, even if that gives up the occasional penetration.)
Edited by SRP on 12-21-16 08:07 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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