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Username Post: Lions did themselves proud vs. NC State        (Topic#319)
Lionized 
goober
Posts: 69

Reg: 11-23-04
12-29-04 01:47 AM - Post#1594    

I was horrified by the stinker against Hofstra, but if the NC State game is any indication, the Lions are slowly but surely on the rise. To be tied and then only a point or two down deep into the second half is an accomplishment against the 15th best team in the nation (even higher in some polls). This should give the team, as well as the fans, confidence as it approaches the Ivy schedule.

 
Dr. V 
PhD Student
Posts: 1536

Reg: 11-21-04
Re: Lions did themselves proud vs. NC State
12-29-04 02:20 AM - Post#1595    
    In response to Lionized

That's right. Although significantly shorter than NC State and somewhat less athletic, CU played poised and smart from start to finish, which reflects great coaching both as regards preparation and, perhaps more importantly, as reflects confidence-building. Boswell was simply magnificent, shooting 3's and driving to the basket; Preston gave his usual heart of a Lion performance with 16 pts and a game-high 9 rb's--even though he was playing against guys who were 6-10; Kravic still seems a little out of sync in terms of moving his feet in time to get proper defensive position. We could really have used Baumann to help bang on the boards. Hopefully we'll see him by mid-Jan.

 
Lionized 
goober
Posts: 69

Reg: 11-23-04
Re: Lions did themselves proud vs. NC State
12-29-04 02:42 AM - Post#1596    
    In response to Dr. V

Hope Baumann's foot is 100 percent. It'll be interesting to see what he can bring if he's healthy.
Assume you were at the NC State game, Dr. V. Any thoughts on Montgomery? I thought a player of his type would be what we needed vs NC State, but MM didn't start and played only 19.

 
Anonymous 

Re: From the Garden
12-29-04 04:32 AM - Post#1597    
    In response to Dr. V

Perhaps Boswell's best game as a Lion. The WolfPack fans in my section were impressed with his shooting ability, but it was the play in the paint that really was outstanding. He went hard to the basket for putbacks, reverses and one great conventional three point play.

Preston's lefty play caused some problems for the NCSU defenders, and he always seemed to find the ball on the defensive glass. I didn't think he'd be much of a factor at all, considering NCSU's size advantage (To be fair, NCSU had 9 ORB). Then again, people have been underestimating Matt's ability for a year and a half now. He can be 1st team All-Ivy if he keeps this up.

Lions were hamstrung by their injury situation. A body like Baumann and a quick guard like Sweet would have helped in stretches, but there was no denying the Pack's advantage in the athleticism/quickness/height/durability department.

The SJU fans were cheering for the Lions. Every time the Lions tied or took the lead in the 2nd half, the arena picked up... every time, NCSU threw a dagger three down.

The arena was about 9k full for the start of the SJU game. about 6k for the start of the first game. Columbia fans did make a nice showing. Although... very little blue in the house. Lots of SJU and NCSU red. Would be nice if we knew how to dress the part as partisan fans... I guess we're too cool for wearing our school colors .

More bright spots:
Gerard Barrett getting some time, and contributing.
Mack Montgomery making very smart decisions as a frosh.. one great dribble penetration and kick out to Kravic for an open 3.
Matt Land with a nice aggressive play off a pump fake...

Concerns:
Dragutin and Dalen started slowly and Colin Davis didn't play (is he hurt?).. but other than that, not much. NCSU is the caliber of opponent the eventual Ivy champ may see in the 1st round. Columbia did as well as would be expected. It was virtually even for 30 minutes, and the Pack pulled away with superior shooting and defense.

Hopefully this effort will be duplicated on Thursday, we can take a 1-1 split from this tourney, and be ready and pumped for the 14-game tournament.

 
Anonymous 

Re: From the Garden
12-29-04 05:41 AM - Post#1598    
    In response to

Its always hard to take a loss after being neck and neck for 30min against a nationally ranked team. There were a couple of things that stood out to me.

Officials. They seemed to never call anything against the Wolfpack. During the 14-1 run that sealed Columbia's fate, there were a few prosessions that fouls should've been called (and subsiquently free throws).... a big turning point in the game

Turnovers. Not only did CU turn the ball over 22 times (the most this year), they seemed to be playing really passive and weak in the first half. Many players were not stong with the ball. At one point, CU turned it over 3 straight possessions leading to fast breaks. In the 2nd half, they seemed to be more settled and ran their offense pretty well.

Tito. Good defense in the first half against Hodge. He also settled down the PG possession after Brett wasnt being strong with the rock and was turning it over. You need senior leadership on the court in a big game. Tito came through.

Preston. Tough night for Matt Preston. He usually gets a lot of tips and charges with the intangebles that he possesses. Tonight, it was tough for him to do those things against the much taller opponents. When he did get the ball (when the lions didnt turn it over) he seemed rushed and committed 5 TOs.

Boswell. Someone came to play. It was said earlier that he made 1 great 3 point plan. i would like to revise that to 2. THe first one came when he scored 6 straight points to end the first half. He went straight to the basket, and from my angle, he was gonna dunk it on someone. He hit NC state's bigman, and kissed it off the glass. The 2nd one came in the early 2nd half. He back doored and reversed it in.

All in all, a great game for CU. They need to take care of the ball a lot better but everything seems to be jelling. Hopefully Kravic will get his stroke back. Lions top 3 in the IVYs!

 
Anonymous 

Re: From the Garden
12-29-04 01:30 PM - Post#1599    
    In response to

Quote:

Mack Montgomery making very smart decisions as a frosh.. one great dribble penetration and kick out to Kravic for an open 3.





This play was the Columbia highlight in ESPN's package on the game. Very nice effort by Columbia in this game. NCState is a terrific team and Hodge is amazing....the Lions should be very proud of how their team is progressing. It is amazing what some solid coaching will do for a team.

 
rk15 
newbie
Posts: 1

Reg: 12-02-04
Re: Lions did themselves proud vs. NC State
12-29-04 02:52 PM - Post#1600    
    In response to Lionized

Joe Jones gets some kudos for putting in AMac, Armstrong, Grzan, and Baron in the last minute. It isn't too often that they will play at The Garden. Strong job of coaching and a class act.

 
Dr. V 
PhD Student
Posts: 1536

Reg: 11-21-04
Re: Lions did themselves proud vs. NC State
12-29-04 02:58 PM - Post#1601    
    In response to Lionized

Wasn't able to make the game, but saw it on TV (MSG on cable). No thoughts re Montgomery, simply presume Jones knows what he's doing. Perhaps he thought Hill could play stronger defense because he's a little more physical than Montgomery.

 
The Lion King 
Senior
Posts: 394

Reg: 11-21-04
Re: Lions did themselves proud vs. NC State
12-30-04 05:44 PM - Post#1602    
    In response to rk15

Yes, that was nice. I noticed something similar after a timeout contest in which a couple of kids had to dribble up and down the court and then see who would be first to make a lay-up. One of the kids made his shot, and then they both started walking off. Then a MSG staff guy gave the ball back to the losing kid a couple of times until he hit a lay-up of his own. Now that kid can tell everyone that he made a basket on the Madison Square Garden court.

Regarding the game itself, I basically agree with what everyone else says--a great effort and an encouraging sign as they approach league play. Perhaps Jones's biggest accomplishment is instilling an unshakeable sense of poise in his players. When they fell behind, they didn't get desperate but stuck to the plan, and this allowed them to keep it close and even draw within 7 (I think) during not-entirely-garbage-time near the end.

What struck me most was that NC State didn't have a lousy game, which is usually the explanation when a so-so team give a stiff challenge to a national power. I don't have the exact stats in front of me, but I think Columbia was 10-18 on three-pointers and NC State was 10-19, or vice versa. If the Pack had had a merely average game from beyond the arc, it would have been a nail-biter.

 
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