Kenpom is showing us a two-point underdog 66-64 with a 42% chance of winning which is better than the 28% chance we're given of beating Albany on the 22nd.
Post by nashvillestag on Dec 17, 2014 12:43:05 GMT -5
Will Bradshaw play? If he does will it be at full speed? Huge difference in this game. They do have others that can make up for his scoring a little bit. But even with him they are not as dominant a team as they have been the last few years. So there is a good opprtunity here for the Stags. On the other hand I wonder how the almost two week exam break will have effected the team. Belmont will have played three games during this stretch. And coach Rick Byrd is not used to losing 3 games in a row. So I'm sure he will have them pumped to get a win in a game he probably thinks he can win with a good effort. Contrasting themes here which could effect the outcome. Hope the Stags are ready and can shake the rust quickly, as the Bruins can run off points in a hurry when they get on a roll.
Love the meninred statsmack from the link '73 provided:
Fairfield has a much lower admission rate (more selective) according to Kiplinger (65 percent vs. 77 percent). The Fairfield rebounding leader (Amadou Sidibe, 212 rebounds) has more rebounds than the Belmont rebounding leader (J.J. Mann, 172 rebounds). The worst team in the MAAC has a higher RPI than the worst team in the Ohio Valley (No. 298 vs. No. 328). Fairfield has a much higher 4-year graduation rate than Belmont according to Kiplinger (82.5 percent vs. 51.8 percent).
However, those rebounding numbers are from the end of the '13-'14 season --J.J. Mann isn't even on Belmont's roster this year. Probably a violation of smacktalk etiquette to use last year's statistics this far into the season.
Contrasting themes here which could effect the outcome. Hope the Stags are ready and can shake the rust quickly, as the Bruins can run off points in a hurry when they get on a roll.
Not just Contrasting themes, but Constrasting styles. Belmont's offense focuses quick passing and guard play..... which is different than our last 2 MAAC wins, which were over 2 teams that focus on players that are strong inside players and suspect guard play. I would think Belmont will be closer to Northeastern, Wofford and Bucknell... 3 teams we lost too. I am hoping our defense has matured to the point that we can beat a team with strong guard play.
Football player Mykel Kendrick was out 5 weeks with a calf injury.... Bradshaw should sit. We have had more than our share of injuries over the years.
Last Edit: Dec 17, 2014 19:39:49 GMT -5 by JoeStag
After a long break and lots of practice work around finals, I'm hoping to see some steps forward from newcomers. Certainly, Degnan and Threatt should be ready soon to make a contribution. And I'm hoping to see growth from Segura, fewer turnovers and finishing his floaters, and Nelson, getting open or making space for himself. I think that after Kirkland's OT performance at QU, he's close to being a real force for us.
I think with SJ you get off the bench by performing in practice; ie, if Degnan is not making progress against Kirkland and Coleman then he's not going to get minutes ahead of them. I'm expecting that with all that Degnan offers he is showing his stuff by now. I do think that it's a little trickier with Nelson because he doesn't guard nearly as well as Stevie. I think it's just that he's not as strong as an upperclassmen.
I think with SJ you get off the bench by performing in practice; ie, if Degnan is not making progress against Kirkland and Coleman then he's not going to get minutes ahead of them. I'm expecting that with all that Degnan offers he is showing his stuff by now. I do think that it's a little trickier with Nelson because he doesn't guard nearly as well as Stevie. I think it's just that he's not as strong as an upperclassmen.
Actually I might think a bit differently in this area comparing Degnan and Nelson and their opportunities for playing time. The fact that Tyler has already established himself with good performances in at least a couple games and the fact that Stevie as one man is really his main competition means that he should be getting at least a chance to show something in every game at this point in time. I imagine he would probably start against Belmont. However obviously if things aren't going well and Stevie replaces him and excells like the last two games, then the upperclassman will get the majority of the time on the court. Kevin on the other hand has basically two guys to go through who are playing well at the 4 (and 2 others for that matter if you might consider him as a backup 5), therefore unless Kirkland and or Coleman are way off their games, I'm afraid he is stuck as a bench warmer for now. Not a bad situation for the Stags, especially because Mike looks like he may be becoming a real force, but on the other hand not so great for Kevin. Doesn't mean that things can't change in a flash such as an injury to Mike or Coleman etc. and hopefully he is showing a lot in practice by now. But he does have talent for sure and eventually it will come out if he is patient and keeps working. He is just in a position like many freshmen in the league who are not playing much right now because they are not trusted as much as older more experienced players to produce positive results in important situations in tight contests.
Last Edit: Dec 20, 2014 0:46:00 GMT -5 by nashvillestag
Will Bradshaw play? If he does will it be at full speed? Huge difference in this game. They do have others that can make up for his scoring a little bit. But even with him they are not as dominant a team as they have been the last few years. So there is a good opprtunity here for the Stags. On the other hand I wonder how the almost two week exam break will have effected the team. Belmont will have played three games during this stretch. And coach Rick Byrd is not used to losing 3 games in a row. So I'm sure he will have them pumped to get a win in a game he probably thinks he can win with a good effort. Contrasting themes here which could effect the outcome. Hope the Stags are ready and can shake the rust quickly, as the Bruins can run off points in a hurry when they get on a roll.
Word on the street has it that although Bradshaw did not play in his last game, he was in uniform and did indeed warm up. Whether that means he plays against the Stags I don't know. The Belmont website did not list him as starting when I checked it a few hours ago. So maybe he comes off the bench at less than 100%? All I know is that in a game I witnessed last week, a little used bench warmer named Spencer Turner started in his place and made 7-13 3 pointers and scored 26 points. So who knows what will happen tomorrow?
I think with SJ you get off the bench by performing in practice; ie, if Degnan is not making progress against Kirkland and Coleman then he's not going to get minutes ahead of them. I'm expecting that with all that Degnan offers he is showing his stuff by now. I do think that it's a little trickier with Nelson because he doesn't guard nearly as well as Stevie. I think it's just that he's not as strong as an upperclassmen.
Actually I might think a bit differently in this area comparing Degnan and Nelson and their opportunities for playing time. The fact that Tyler has already established himself with good performances in at least a couple games and the fact that Stevie as one man is really his main competition means that he should be getting at least a chance to show something in every game at this point in time. I imagine he would probably start against Belmont. However obviously if things aren't going well and Stevie replaces him and excells like the last two games, then the upperclassman will get the majority of the time on the court. Kevin on the other hand has basically two guys to go through who are playing well at the 4 (and 2 others for that matter if you might consider him as a backup 5), therefore unless Kirkland and or Coleman are way off their games, I'm afraid he is stuck as a bench warmer for now. Not a bad situation for the Stags, especially because Mike looks like he may be becoming a real force, but on the other hand not so great for Kevin. Doesn't mean that things can't change in a flash such as an injury to Mike or Coleman etc. and hopefully he is showing a lot in practice by now. But he does have talent for sure and eventually it will come out if he is patient and keeps working. He is just in a position like many freshmen in the league who are not playing much right now because they are not trusted as much as older more experienced players to produce positive results in important situations in tight contests.
Agree. Tyler and Kevin are in different places. I do hope Degnan can find some minutes because he can make plays.