iogyhufi
Masters Student
Posts: 681
Age: 27
Reg: 10-10-17
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02-05-22 01:05 AM - Post#335254
I look forward to regular season tilts against Harvard like I look forward to root canals. Something absolutely ridiculous almost always happens, whether it's Kale Catchings scoring 16 in his first real career game (still his career high, of course), or whether it's getting stuck in Boston rush hour traffic and getting half the regular warm-up time, or whether it's Azar Swain being made to stand at the free throw line for four minutes of real time before being allowed to shoot the game-tying free throw while some real scholars in stripes tried to figure out whether there should be 1.4 seconds left or 1.3.
In any case, I'm sticking to my guns in saying that Yale is going to have its hands full with Harvard. Harvard plays a very physical, irritating style of defense (believe me, I mean this as a compliment) that has often given Yale fits, and Harvard biggest weakness on offense (turnovers) is one that Yale's style of defense isn't really geared to exploit.
On the plus side, Harvard's guards do not seem to be particularly gifted at defense, so I'm hopeful for big games from Gabbidon and Swain. Furthermore, not a one of the players on the team has ever participated in a win over Harvard in the regular season, and you can bet that they're all aware of that fact. Yale is also finally allowing undergrads to attend sporting events starting tomorrow, so I'd hope that there will be a robust fan presence in the building.
These next two games against Harvard could make or break the Crimson's season: getting swept would all but eliminate them, sweeping would put them in excellent position to overtake someone for the 4 seed. For that matter, if Yale is swept, they're suddenly in a perilous position with three losses and no tiebreaker against Harvard. Two very important games in a row for both teams.
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james
Masters Student
Posts: 797
Age: 49
Reg: 03-18-19
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02-05-22 10:40 AM - Post#335265
In response to iogyhufi
I agree. Harvard has yales number. Except when it counts the most!
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james
Masters Student
Posts: 797
Age: 49
Reg: 03-18-19
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02-05-22 10:44 AM - Post#335266
In response to james
Harvard is more talented than Yale. But it depends on who plays for them. If they get Ledlum back w Forbes this is a tough matchup for yale per usual.
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iogyhufi
Masters Student
Posts: 681
Age: 27
Reg: 10-10-17
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02-05-22 08:48 PM - Post#335411
In response to james
Wow, now that was a defensive half of basketball. Despite being unable to get anything going at all offensively in the early going, the Bulldogs buckled down and defended phenomenally. EJ Jarvis had some good defensive plays, and it was nice to see Poulakidas come in to hit the three to end the half. Another half of basketball like that and Yale might even manage to win this one.
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dperry
Postdoc
Posts: 2214
Loc: Houston, TX
Reg: 11-24-04
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02-05-22 09:55 PM - Post#335507
In response to iogyhufi
Swain is the man. Puts on a dribbling clinic and then gets the big shot to roll in. Meanwhile, total dive on the ensuing Harvard 3.
David Perry
Penn '92
"Hail, Alma Mater/Thy sons cheer thee now
To thee, Pennsylvania/All rivals must bow!!!" |
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iogyhufi
Masters Student
Posts: 681
Age: 27
Reg: 10-10-17
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02-05-22 10:14 PM - Post#335528
In response to dperry
Yale gets the crimson monkey off their backs. For this, there will be no complaints. We had some extreme Saturday night Ivy League officiating (Jones getting T'd up by the far official springs immediately to mind, as did the usual Harvard-doesn't-get-calle d-for-fouls thing, though the latter was at least largely addressed towards the end), and Yale's offense was hardly a thing of beauty, but in the end, they did just enough to get it done against a Harvard team that really needed that game.
Really excellent game from Jarvis, he had several excellent plays on the defensive end and several excellent rebounds. Kelly too made some big plays in opportune moments. Harvard hit some tough contested shots late to make it a game, and Yale looked a little too passive very late, but all's well that ends well. The turnovers absolutely must be cleaned up before Wednesday, however.
Also, to the Penn fans complaining about Yale's poor broadcast crew, don't point out the speck in the eye of another when there's a plank in your own.
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james
Masters Student
Posts: 797
Age: 49
Reg: 03-18-19
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02-05-22 10:19 PM - Post#335530
In response to iogyhufi
Kelly’s blocks were huge! for once yale neutralized their bigs
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Chip Bayers
Professor
Posts: 7001
Loc: New York
Reg: 11-21-04
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02-05-22 10:20 PM - Post#335532
In response to iogyhufi
Also, to the Penn fans complaining about Yale's poor broadcast crew, don't point out the speck in the eye of another when there's a plank in your own.
This might be the funniest thing I’ve read in years on this board. Vince might be a terrible homer but at least he understands what’s going on in a game and what’s happening in the rest of the league.
For example, these two failed to notice how many ridiculous mistakes Swain made in the final minute to put this game in jeopardy, They sang his praises while he was committing multiple dumb turnovers.
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iogyhufi
Masters Student
Posts: 681
Age: 27
Reg: 10-10-17
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02-05-22 10:22 PM - Post#335534
In response to Chip Bayers
Oh of course, Swain did nothing worthy of praise down the stretch, you're totally right.
(I'll admit that I laughed out loud at "Swain is the most clutch player in recent Ivy history." Uh, I love Azar, but I'm gonna give this one to the guy who hit a double-clutch half-court shot to extend a game against Columbia.)
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james
Masters Student
Posts: 797
Age: 49
Reg: 03-18-19
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02-05-22 10:25 PM - Post#335535
In response to iogyhufi
it takes an epic tool to critique your best player in the last minute after his step back game won it for you.
esp when he went to a safety school and doesn’t understand the elite rivalry
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Chip Bayers
Professor
Posts: 7001
Loc: New York
Reg: 11-21-04
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02-05-22 10:31 PM - Post#335537
In response to iogyhufi
You’re right, it was completely appropriate to ignore the terrible turnovers because he made those two tough shots.
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Chip Bayers
Professor
Posts: 7001
Loc: New York
Reg: 11-21-04
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02-05-22 10:34 PM - Post#335538
In response to james
it takes an epic tool to critique your best player in the last minute after his step back game won it for you.
esp when he went to a safety school and doesn’t understand the elite rivalry
You can tell someone is super basketball savvy when they roll out the safety school thing in lieu of an actual point.
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iogyhufi
Masters Student
Posts: 681
Age: 27
Reg: 10-10-17
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02-05-22 10:38 PM - Post#335541
In response to Chip Bayers
Ah true, I remember the nuanced criticism of AJ Brodeur when he allowed himself to be blocked from behind by a 6' bespectacled point guard in a critical juncture that put a late-game lead in jeopardy.
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Chip Bayers
Professor
Posts: 7001
Loc: New York
Reg: 11-21-04
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02-05-22 10:44 PM - Post#335543
In response to iogyhufi
“Alexa, what’s a non-sequitur?”
“A non-sequitur is this iggyhufi reply.”
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penn nation
Professor
Posts: 21212
Reg: 12-02-04
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02-05-22 10:45 PM - Post#335544
In response to Chip Bayers
The bottom line is almost no Ivy basketball players would get into any Ivy school at all if they were simply part of the general applicant pool.
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Chip Bayers
Professor
Posts: 7001
Loc: New York
Reg: 11-21-04
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02-05-22 11:02 PM - Post#335547
In response to penn nation
The bottom line is almost no Ivy basketball players would get into any Ivy school at all if they were simply part of the general applicant pool.
The deeply ironic part of this is that the situation not only in basketball but across the board in Ivy recruited athlete admissions remains this way some 40 years after HYP insisted on introducing the AI. Because they were so annoyed at Penn giving educational opportunities to disadvantaged inner city African-American students via the West Philly pipeline from Overbrook & West Philly Highs..
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