Jackson State game Nov 12

[longliveskip]

The team seems to have shooters. Was a stretch with the bench in where they were slinging 3s unnecessarily but beyond that the shot selection was mostly good.

Swain missed a couple drives he will need to convert in future games but he was all over the court.

Great to see guys off the bench get hot. Hugley should have a solid year. 3 point defense was better.

This win will probably look better than it was assuming the Mcdonald's all American has an impact on wins once he is back. Doubtful he will be enough for them to beat good teams but could help them to compete in their conference.

Rebounding is the biggest area of concern for this team. X outrebounded JS but there were a number of times where X had position but couldn't come down with it. That will likely be more problematic against big aggressive teams. Luckily Swain seems to realize the team needs him to rebound aggressively.

I think the bench players needed to see their shot go through the basket, so I gave them a pass on shooting them, especially Maddox. I thought Hugley is progressing nicely and teamed with Zach to make a productive pair. Hugley around the rim is so much better than Abou was last year, but the poor guy was beaten up physically tonight, and the shot to the groin area almost downed him. Swain is a stud, and with his rebound to the rim, tonight was just a fan's dream. Latly, McKnight needs some love because a couple of the fouls called on him were suspect. In his limited time tonight, he had 6 assists with one turnover. That is 16 assists and only 2 TOs outstanding for your point guard in 3 games.

the 3rd foul called on him was absolutely HORRIBLE. the announcer was wrong, too, as he said "well you have to take it square in the chest to get the charge call." actually, NO, you don't. dude just completely bowled him over and McKnight was in legal guarding position. who cares where the guy hit him? that foul was awful. I thought Sean was gonna get T'd on that one. i would have.

[muskieman]

I like the numbers: Nine played more than 16 minutes, 7 played 20 minutes, and none played as much as 30 minutes. If X can keep this going, they will not be exhausted by February. Hugley's play around the basket with his make-of layups instead of what we saw last year stood out for me. The high-low of Zach and Hugley was good to see after X could not do it with the team last year with any consistency.

If they can do this to Wake Saturday, it will help with the confidence and well-being of the fan base after they freaked out on other sites because we didn't beat the first two teams by the desired numbers.

[longliveskip]

I like the numbers: Nine played more than 16 minutes, 7 played 20 minutes, and none played as much as 30 minutes. If X can keep this going, they will not be exhausted by February. Hugley's play around the basket with his make-of layups instead of what we saw last year stood out for me. The high-low of Zach and Hugley was good to see after X could not do it with the team last year with any consistency.

If they can do this to Wake Saturday, it will help with the confidence and well-being of the fan base after they freaked out on other sites because we didn't beat the first two teams by the desired numbers.

the people who "freaked out" on the other sites are just the ones that most likely lost $$$ betting on the Muskies to cover and they didn't. so be it. just win, baby.

[muskieman]

I like the numbers: Nine played more than 16 minutes, 7 played 20 minutes, and none played as much as 30 minutes. If X can keep this going, they will not be exhausted by February. Hugley's play around the basket with his make-of layups instead of what we saw last year stood out for me. The high-low of Zach and Hugley was good to see after X could not do it with the team last year with any consistency.

If they can do this to Wake Saturday, it will help with the confidence and well-being of the fan base after they freaked out on other sites because we didn't beat the first two teams by the desired numbers.

the people who "freaked out" on the other sites are just the ones that most likely lost $$$ betting on the Muskies to cover and they didn't. so be it. just win, baby.

They give their reason behind the drop in KenPom, but I bet that you are right. One thing we have seen is an improvement from game one to game 3, so now let's hope it carries X through Wake this weekend.

[muskieman]

ONE STAT that I found very interesting and exciting is the 5 minutes that Cam Fletcher played. Sure, it was down at the end of the game, but 4 rebounds in 5 minutes after Sean said one of the big strengths Cam brings to the team is his rebounding skills. SDean has said they would take Cam's rehab slow and that next season might be his time, but Sean has to be happy to see his production in the 5 minutes he played.

[gym from delhi]

I took some heat for this type comment several years ago but up 35 with two minutes to go, and the walk-ons don't get in? There won't be that many opportunities for these guys who bust their butts in practice trying to make the starters better.

[Kevin Reilly]

Muskieman I agree with your take on Cam Fletcher. He looked very impressive in his limited minutes. I hope they don't rush him but we will definitely need him when we get into Big East play. He will be vital for us. Much needed physical presence.

[pdxmuskie]

Fletcher looked good. It is promising that he would be ready to contribute this year if needed.

As for playing walk ons, it isn't a great time to get them minutes. There are so many new players on the team. Sean needs to assess what he has during games. Let players play in front of the crowd and see how they do.

Walk ons may get opportunities later in the year or maybe they don't. They love being part of the team. Of course they would love to play but they would probably rather the team has a great year so if more playing time for potential contributors is beneficial, they are probably good with it.

[gym from delhi]

Yep, up 35 with two minutes to go is a great learning/bonding experience for the new guys.