palestra38
Professor
Posts: 32840
Reg: 11-21-04
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01-27-24 03:57 PM - Post#362209
Well, found myself in the house at 2 pm so watched the first half. Penn, as is its tradition, had the foot on the neck with a 9-0 run, a 7 point lead and the ball and Spinoso (who had been playing great), made 2 mind-blowing turnovers trying to make Superman passes. Sigh. Let Columbia back in the game and it's only a 2 point lead at the half. Columbia really moves the ball well--they look like a completely different team than in recent years. They clearly found some coachable players.
How about Cornell crushing Princeton at the half??
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Quakers03
Professor
Posts: 12533
Reg: 12-07-04
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01-27-24 04:00 PM - Post#362216
In response to palestra38
Keep running out McMullen coach. Makes a LOT of sense. Dude even fouled a 35-foot 3 to end the half but didn’t get called. I’ll bet he was a -10 at least. Glad he finally remembered he had Polonowski. I just can’t take it.
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Quakers03
Professor
Posts: 12533
Reg: 12-07-04
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01-27-24 04:12 PM - Post#362224
In response to Quakers03
When you mix in Saturday officials it’s just not fun. None of it. It’s two hours of aggravation.
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palestra38
Professor
Posts: 32840
Reg: 11-21-04
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01-27-24 04:22 PM - Post#362233
In response to Quakers03
You knew that with Penn leaving guys open for every 3, Columbia would make a big run.
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Quakers03
Professor
Posts: 12533
Reg: 12-07-04
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01-27-24 04:23 PM - Post#362234
In response to Quakers03
Down 7. I get the excuses of missing players but his lineups consistently leave you scratching your head. Please help me understand why McMullen has to play 25+ minutes. Anyone? We really need his ball handling? What am I missing?
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Quakers03
Professor
Posts: 12533
Reg: 12-07-04
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01-27-24 04:24 PM - Post#362235
In response to palestra38
You knew that with Penn leaving guys open for every 3, Columbia would make a big run.
It’s what this team does. Game after game.
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Quakers03
Professor
Posts: 12533
Reg: 12-07-04
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01-27-24 04:36 PM - Post#362242
In response to Quakers03
WIDE open. Every single time. Nothing changes. I’m sure it’s a coincidence that all these teams have their best 3-point shooting days against us.
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Quakers03
Professor
Posts: 12533
Reg: 12-07-04
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01-27-24 04:41 PM - Post#362244
In response to Quakers03
When you give up layups and open 3s is it all about the talent or might it be more than that? The coach has no answer. None. It’s so easy to beat this team.
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Quakers03
Professor
Posts: 12533
Reg: 12-07-04
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Lumbo
01-27-24 04:43 PM - Post#362245
In response to Quakers03
One more ridiculous call ends it. This is so bad. So so bad. Going to give up 90 points to freaking Columbia.
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Quakers03
Professor
Posts: 12533
Reg: 12-07-04
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Lumbo
01-27-24 04:58 PM - Post#362251
In response to Quakers03
He really has no timeouts left?! Holland and Perkins allow them to get it to 4. Just makes the rest of the game so much worse. The awful calls. The wide open 3s. The player minute distributions. Sigh.
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Quakers03
Professor
Posts: 12533
Reg: 12-07-04
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Lumbo
01-27-24 05:02 PM - Post#362255
In response to Quakers03
I know it’s my MO to whine about refs but no less than 6 50/50 calls went the other way today. Perkins gets fouled shooting a 3 down 5. 11 seconds left.
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Quakers03
Professor
Posts: 12533
Reg: 12-07-04
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01-27-24 05:06 PM - Post#362257
In response to Quakers03
One more awful call to end it. Why not. Penn actually gets a chance to tie and Sam loses the ball. Too perfect.
If this wasn’t the end of the McMullen experiment and if Holland doesn’t get 20 minutes from here on out I officially quit.
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weinhauers_ghost
Postdoc
Posts: 2140
Age: 64
Loc: New York City
Reg: 12-14-09
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01-27-24 07:25 PM - Post#362275
In response to Quakers03
If I hadn't been sitting right behind the rack where the zebras' drinks were kept, I would have sworn someone had drugged their water jug.
We were terrible, and the officiating made it worse. Add the coaching staff's abysmal game management, senseless substitution pattern and inability to make the right adjustments...
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SomeGuy
Professor
Posts: 6413
Reg: 11-22-04
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01-28-24 01:12 PM - Post#362317
In response to Quakers03
I guess I’m a little confused at the McMullen concern. He played so well defensively against Mack last week and was probably the most important player for us in that strong second half. He even seemingly popped his shoulder out, disappeared for a few minutes to get it popped back in, and came right back like Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon. That’s why he earned the start. You can tell that the staff views him as one of our top two perimeter defenders. I agree that sometimes he gets lit up, but that’s because he’s defending guys like Rubio de la Rosa and Mack who light a lot of guys up.
I won’t call anybody out, but we couldn’t stay in front of McLean, who isn’t generally an offensive threat at all. That was way more frustrating for me than anything McMullen was doing.
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Penn90
Masters Student
Posts: 574
Reg: 11-22-04
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01-28-24 03:36 PM - Post#362322
In response to SomeGuy
I guess one good defender isn't going to help this putrid defense much so you might as well lean into the offense and try to outscore everyone. Just my opinion.
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SomeGuy
Professor
Posts: 6413
Reg: 11-22-04
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01-28-24 06:29 PM - Post#362326
In response to Penn90
Maybe, but does that mean no McMullen? McMullen has the highest ORAT among the guards. Admittedly his usage rate is low, but he’s not hurting the offense. I’m all for more Holland to help us score more. I’m not sure that has much to do with McMullen.
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UPIA1968
PhD Student
Posts: 1121
Loc: Cornwall, PA
Reg: 11-20-06
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01-28-24 07:43 PM - Post#362327
In response to SomeGuy
Penn ranks 4 in in conference defense and 6 on offense. Looks like Clark's absence Counts. Although the defense was terrible yesterday.
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Penndemonium
PhD Student
Posts: 1900
Reg: 11-29-04
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01-28-24 10:02 PM - Post#362331
In response to UPIA1968
We have a lot of players who show promise in some games, but very few who can impose themselves across all types of opponents. That tends to be a key for a championship season. This leads to a lot of us seeing different things in who should get playing time. I haven't watched all of the games, but saw good things from McMullen in a few I watched. He was taller, active on defense, and a bit of a better ball-handler than some of our guards, all of which seemed more important after we lost Slajchert. He's not dynamic on offense, but he knocks down open shots. I fully acknowledge that I may have missed some clunkers from him. I have also seen good games from Smith, Brown, and Laz. I've also seen some good things from Holland, Polonowski, Walter, and Gerhart. None of them have really elevated themselves above the others as far as I can see. There's definitely going to be a few odd-men out among the group, and none of them will elevate our team to the next level.
I do approve of Brown getting a lot of that time, because he is the only one who can dribble, pass, AND shoot. That adds a lot with or without Slajchert. Laz probably deserves time for his hustle and making things happen - a touch more than Holland IMO. That said, they are somewhat similar. I like Polonowski from what I've seen.
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Quakers03
Professor
Posts: 12533
Reg: 12-07-04
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01-28-24 11:37 PM - Post#362333
In response to SomeGuy
In a game where you’re going to have outscore the opponent who is beating you as a team, having someone as unhelpful to the offense really hurts. He wasn’t needed to key in on anyone specifically like a Mack. And on top of it, his d wasn’t good either. He was responsible for a 6 point run (going for a steal on one), fouled the guy to end the half but got away with it, missed shots badly and is barely a threat to score. Having him getting 22 minutes in a game like that when Holland only gets 15 and Polonowski only gets 8 can’t happen. And guess what. The coach finally saw what the rest of us were seeing and didn’t let him see the game again the last almost 15 minutes. I get why he played after his prior two games but the insistence on immediately going back to him and forcing him in that first half hurt them. A group would get a good run going and he’d switch it up.
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UPIA1968
PhD Student
Posts: 1121
Loc: Cornwall, PA
Reg: 11-20-06
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01-29-24 06:00 PM - Post#362359
In response to Penndemonium
Well said. Good players look good to everybody. Penn has maybe four of them, Nick, Clark, Brown, and Perkins. We can argue until we are blue in the face about who else should be playing.
Sadly, I argue for playing Gerhart and Polonowski because the only thing interesting about this team is its potential for future years.
I hope I am wrong about the future. But with only one Junior of quality and no sophomores, it looks like we will have to wait three or more years for a contender. I suppose that lightning could strike in recruiting and make me wrong. But nothing about Steve's recruiting suggests lightning.
He has put together but one true contender, one on which only two of the top five minute earners were his recruits. Not to mention the fact that Brodeur and Betley were already being recruited before he arrived. Put differently, save for the advantages of the Palestra, this program would mix right in with the other three drawfs. Given the bad luck this year, the program is already there with its best player a senior.
I hung in there during the Allen years. I suppose I will keep rooting during this era. That's even knowing that Brown, Harvard, and Columbia will graduate ONE player between them this year. That puts the early money on Penn to finish seventh next year.
This nothing new. In my senior year the freshman beat the varsity and the tallest and heaviest player on the football team was the quarterback.
My son tells me the Squash team in ranked #1. When is their next match?
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13otto
Masters Student
Posts: 779
Loc: Philadelphia, PA
Reg: 11-22-04
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01-29-24 07:10 PM - Post#362360
In response to UPIA1968
My son tells me the Squash team in ranked #1. When is their next match?
They had been ranked #1, but I think Trinity leapfrogged them last week. In any case, the two teams meet this coming Sunday (2/4) in Hartford at noon, in a battle of the top two teams. At noon on Saturday (2/3), Penn will play at Yale.
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SteveChop
PhD Student
Posts: 1155
Reg: 07-28-07
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01-29-24 07:57 PM - Post#362361
In response to UPIA1968
Bill Creedon was the tallest and heaviest FB player in fall, 1967? I don’t think so and I was a FB manager that season.
As to BB, let’s remember that the Ivy League is forcing ppl like Laczkowski and Slajchert to transfer instead of having a fourth year next year.
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penn nation
Professor
Posts: 21214
Reg: 12-02-04
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01-29-24 09:04 PM - Post#362365
In response to SteveChop
At least there will be a legit newcomer to take Slajchert's spot in AJ Levine who is having a very, very solid senior campaign at York.
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SteveChop
PhD Student
Posts: 1155
Reg: 07-28-07
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01-29-24 09:39 PM - Post#362368
In response to penn nation
With all due respect to Mr Levine, hard for me to accept that a freshman will “ replace” a starter who should get serious consideration as All-Ivy. We’ll talk after Levine shows he can play division I bball (I say that about any incoming first year player).
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penn nation
Professor
Posts: 21214
Reg: 12-02-04
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Lumbo
01-29-24 10:13 PM - Post#362369
In response to SteveChop
Not the second he steps on the floor, of course, but for a career trajectory.
His high school does not have any kind of basketball tradition at all, but it is currently on a bunch of Top 25 lists for best teams in the entire state--and he is an important factor on getting them there.
I believe Penn lucked into this one--Levine could have checked out many more schools, and since he committed his stock has soared even higher.
Edited by penn nation on 01-29-24 10:15 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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SomeGuy
Professor
Posts: 6413
Reg: 11-22-04
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01-29-24 10:44 PM - Post#362371
In response to UPIA1968
Not sure how you are defining “player,” but Columbia graduates two starters, Brown graduates one starter and a key reserve, and Harvard graduates their big starting center.
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UPIA1968
PhD Student
Posts: 1121
Loc: Cornwall, PA
Reg: 11-20-06
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01-29-24 11:32 PM - Post#362372
In response to SomeGuy
Thanks, I stand corrected again. Still, the prospects of a contender the next two years are small.
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