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Username Post: Lions Lose to Lafayette 65-63        (Topic#23459)
Columbia 37P6 
Postdoc
Posts: 2163

Reg: 02-14-06
11-05-19 11:58 PM - Post#289969    

Columbia dropped its season opener to Lafayette tonight in Easton, Pennsylvania when an outside shot failed to drop at the buzzer. Mike Smith scored 23 points for the LIons who did reasonably well, in my opinion, given that they had so little time to practice after Patrick Tape unexpectedly jumped ship last week. It seems to me that even without Tape the Lions have a decent chance to finish in the upper half of the Ivy League specially if the injured Gabe Steffanini and return to the court in January.

 
Chet Forte 
Postdoc
Posts: 2958

Reg: 03-02-08
11-06-19 09:27 AM - Post#290021    
    In response to Columbia 37P6

I agree with the assessment that we played reasonably well. I suppose that we can question why the potential winner was drawn up for a first year, but I would defend that decision. Obviously we planned for taking a three pointer instead of playing for OT because we were on the road, and the player in question is probably our most accurate three point shooter and the player most likely to be open. I do think, however, that we need to pick up our three point accuracy.


 
Pantone291 
Freshman
Posts: 32

Reg: 04-04-19
11-06-19 11:24 AM - Post#290049    
    In response to Chet Forte

I was only able to watch the 2nd half but all things considered; first game of the season, road game, missing players, young players getting significant time, etc.,I thought we looked pretty good.

 
internetter 
Postdoc
Posts: 3399

Loc: Los Angeles
Reg: 11-21-04
11-06-19 01:25 PM - Post#290067    
    In response to Pantone291

https://twitter.com/CULionsMBB/status/119 210459552... some highlights
west coast fan


 
Columbia 37P6 
Postdoc
Posts: 2163

Reg: 02-14-06
11-06-19 02:50 PM - Post#290081    
    In response to internetter

The Lady Lions lost in overtime to Albany. Columbia has a super soph in Sienna Durr and a couple of superb freshmen in Davis and Hsu. Our outside sharpshooter, Riley Casey, didn't play due to injury. Once she returns, the Lions will have a nice balanced attack on offense as well as lots of athleticism. This team should be fun to watch this season and could also get a playoff spot.

 
Tod Howard Hawks 
Freshman
Posts: 64

Age: 79
Reg: 03-17-14
11-06-19 03:16 PM - Post#290084    
    In response to Columbia 37P6

Lafayette was a pre-season pick for LAST place in Patriot League.

Tape's decision, and its timing, was unconscionable.

Prediction for Columbia Basketball this season: 7th place, or worse, in the Ivy League.


 
palestra38 
Professor
Posts: 32683

Reg: 11-21-04
11-06-19 03:27 PM - Post#290086    
    In response to Tod Howard Hawks

Someone said it here, but I think as time goes on, we'll see that there was some last minute tampering and recruiting that led to this decision.

 
Chet Forte 
Postdoc
Posts: 2958

Reg: 03-02-08
11-06-19 03:44 PM - Post#290087    
    In response to palestra38

That is my suspicion. I see that Engles has taken the high road. In my day in the 50s my reaction would have been somewhat different. How he can do this to his teammates a few days before the start of the season is beyond me. And we can see the difference right off the bat. A narrow loss would have been a 10-15 point win last night if he were on the court.


 
Silver Maple 
Postdoc
Posts: 3765

Loc: Westfield, New Jersey
Reg: 11-23-04
11-06-19 05:11 PM - Post#290109    
    In response to Chet Forte

If somebody offered him free grad school, I can understand why he did what he did. I don't condone it, and I think it sucks, and the league really needs to do something about this situation (it won't), but it really is understandable.

Well, let me slightly revise what I said above: if this situation starts to adversely effect some combination of Harvard, Yale and Princeton, the league will snap into action. Otherwise, dream on.

 
palestra38 
Professor
Posts: 32683

Reg: 11-21-04
11-06-19 05:13 PM - Post#290111    
    In response to Silver Maple

I think the offer was more the chance to go pro---there probably was an agent/AAU bag man involved. Tape is a guy who, with a year of workouts in him, could be a man among kids with a Power conference team loaded with 18 year olds.

 
cc66 
Postdoc
Posts: 2201

Reg: 10-09-09
11-06-19 07:07 PM - Post#290139    
    In response to palestra38

From what Engels said on the Podcast, it sounds as if Tape was enticed by the prospect of a free graduate school. Perhaps seamier stuff also occurred, but on the basis of the publicly available material, so far, that's all we got.

Watching the game last night, I was so conscious how much we missed Tape's grace and athleticism. Nweke is a big, powerful guy who may grow into the role, but Smoyer still looks like someone who has yet to adjust to having a 6'11" body. Neither provided the substantial victory that would have been ensured if Tape had played.

 
Chet Forte 
Postdoc
Posts: 2958

Reg: 03-02-08
11-06-19 09:14 PM - Post#290169    
    In response to cc66

Tape should be ashamed of himself. That is going to be my last word on the subject. Others may disagree. So be it.


 
mrjames 
Professor
Posts: 6062

Loc: Montclair, NJ
Reg: 11-21-04
11-06-19 10:42 PM - Post#290174    
    In response to Chet Forte

Individual players, no matter how good, are not worth double-digit points in a single game. Last year, the top players were worth 6-7 points above replacement. While I thought the line was odd for not seeming to price in Tape’s absence at all, I would have expected a 3 or so point move max.

 
Chet Forte 
Postdoc
Posts: 2958

Reg: 03-02-08
11-07-19 03:16 PM - Post#290226    
    In response to mrjames

I AM DOING A VOLTE FACE ON JIM ENGLES!!! In my humble opinion he did a great job in getting this team ready to play a decent/good Lafayette team on the road despite having lost two returning all Ivy guys since the start of practice.


 
SomeGuy 
Professor
Posts: 6391

Reg: 11-22-04
11-07-19 05:48 PM - Post#290260    
    In response to mrjames

Nweke and Smoyer combined for 17 points and 10 rebounds in 36 minutes. That’s in the range of what Tape and Nweke were producing last year. Tape may have looked more graceful getting most of those points, but the results may not have been different at all.

 
internetter 
Postdoc
Posts: 3399

Loc: Los Angeles
Reg: 11-21-04
11-07-19 05:50 PM - Post#290262    
    In response to Chet Forte

Totally agree with Fulvio. First game tells nothing about this team, especially with 2 starters missing.
I doubt Princeton is very worried with their huge loss @ Duquesne
west coast fan


 
cc66 
Postdoc
Posts: 2201

Reg: 10-09-09
Lions Lose to Lafayette 65-63
11-07-19 05:56 PM - Post#290263    
    In response to SomeGuy

Perhaps that's true, overall, as a season average. But it underestimates Tape's performance for the last 6 games, which most Columbia fans saw as the floor rather than the ceiling for his contribution this year.

That said, Nweke did make a couple of moves to the basket that he couldn't have made last year. If he continues to improve, he might be a creditable center by the season's end.

Edited by cc66 on 11-07-19 06:07 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

 
SomeGuy 
Professor
Posts: 6391

Reg: 11-22-04
Re: Lions Lose to Lafayette 65-63
11-07-19 07:00 PM - Post#290274    
    In response to cc66

Even for the last 6 games, that is just slightly below the scoring output of the centers last years, and slightly above the rebounding.

 
cc66 
Postdoc
Posts: 2201

Reg: 10-09-09
11-07-19 11:15 PM - Post#290287    
    In response to SomeGuy

No, not if we are talking about the same six games:

Tape & Nweke combined

16 pt. 9 rebounds
18 13
23 8
24 11
23 10
26 7
average: 21.6 pts and 9.7 rebounds

Compared to 17 & 10, it's true, the rebounds are fractionally less, but we've lost 4+ pts on the scoring.



 
Chet Forte 
Postdoc
Posts: 2958

Reg: 03-02-08
11-08-19 07:44 AM - Post#290289    
    In response to cc66

My point is that we need to recognize that Engles did an excellent job in reconstructing his game time roster on about three days’ notice. And Nweke at 6’7” and 240 is going to be a load for anybody to guard. And if we had been hitting 3s at our usual rate of around 38% or so we would have had the W. One more point—Smoyer may be better than I had anticipated.


 
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