Creighton (11/9/12)

Absolutely. We were facing a top 20 team with 9 players who had played together with a team that has hardly played together at all. It's not where we are now that counts, but where we will be in March. Sure, I'm disappointed, but not surprised. A good team will take this and learn from it.

I hoped for a better showing but for all we know that is a #16 pointed up. If in a couple weeks this loss turns out to be against the #9 or lower team then the entire opinion of this opener changes.

Idk...I am frankly a little tired of UNT being the perpetual underdog and always accepting a loss. "It was our toughest game of the season...it was one of the best teams in the nation..blah... blah"....Come on, we have arguably the most talented team in history and we're accepting losing? This loss was embarrassing with the way we played. We were dominated in most aspects of the game and Creighton didn't even have a great game whatsoever. We're not a poorly talented Sunbelt team with mediocre expectations. This should be a huge reality check for the team and coaches if they want to have any high level success this season, which is what everyone has to expect from this team. Hope they start playing a lot better and the coaches prove that their players are maximizing their talent. It did not show at all tonight. I'm sorry, but I'm tired of high expectations and under-performance. Hope things turn very quickly.

We started out last year not being able to shoot the ball, but ended up being a pretty decent shooting team. On the flip side, the Williams bros. can't shoot like that again. They just can't, can they?

We started out last year not being able to shoot the ball, but ended up being a pretty decent shooting team. On the flip side, the Williams bros. can't shoot like that again. They just can't, can they?

Horrendous shooting attributed to early season and some inexperience. Ok, fine, but Creighton did not shoot the ball well either. This team needs to be better coached and prepared for key games in order to be respected nationally. If not, more of the same for good 'ol North Texas. Thought we were trying to change perception. We can't accept losing like this anymore, we just can't, can we?

Edited November 10, 2012 by bleedgreen4ever

Bluejay fan here. Just back from game. You have some real athletes. I like your chances once your team starts to gel. The Clink is a hard venue for visitors, especially non-conference teams--over 17,000 at the game. # 13 is the real deal. But the Jays are deeper. It was our depth that won the game. Good luck the rest of the way. I am planning on making the trip to Denton in two years.

I thought we would see more of an inside game under Benford. Maybe we will as the season unfolds. But I would rather we take our lumps early. Lots of basketball left to play and it should be fun.

WRONG!!

I predicted we were gonna win the off the bench minutes battle of tall French dudes with buzz cuts. Are you saying we didn't?

Oh I love the basketball board, all sunshine and rainbows.

I remember the year that we had the senior-laden Josh White team. They sucked. All year long they lost to crappy teams and I pointed it out. Everyone was so certain it meant nothing. And we didn't return to the NCAAs.

Oh, that team that started 13-2 with two wins over BCS teams, despite entering the year with only 9 available scholarship athletes?

The one that, despite even MORE injuries, managed to get on a clutch end-of-season run with only 8 players (and 4 of them playing through significant injuries), and made it to within 5 seconds of the NCAA tournament?

That same Josh White team that featured Josh White suffering through a leg injury so significant that he spent his downtime wearing a boot, missing games, and barely practicing? Where our other point guard had a tendon injury in his left middle finger that basically forced him to play one handed? That one? That crippled, short handed team that still played 4 games in 4 days, won 3 straight SBC tournament elimination games by 14, 14, and 19 points? When we blew out the FAU team that won the league by 2 games and was expected to cruise to the championship?

The team that fought through tournament final officiating so terrible that my wife, who spends most of her time at NT sporting events focused on getting me to go buy her a soft pretzel, can still recognize and identify all 3 referees by name almost 2 years later? The one where UALR only beat us through a series of godawful calamities, non-calls, a no-whistle on a "screen" that would have merited an ejection in an NHL game, and a highlight reel final shot that made Solomon Bozeman a Trojans legend for the rest of his life?

I always thought they were a freaking triumph of a team that just happened to end up 5 seconds short, a heartbreaking example of how sometimes life makes you the Other Team in someone else's "Hoosiers" story.

Now comes the unjustified criticism after losing to a top 15 team at their place to start the season.

We weren't at full strength tonight either. Keep that in mind.

So they lost then, right?

Historical spoiler alert:

Everyone did. Other than UConn, Wichita State, Oregon, and Santa Clara.

Oh, that team that started 13-2 with two wins over BCS teams, despite entering the year with only 9 available scholarship athletes?

The one that, despite even MORE injuries, managed to get on a clutch end-of-season run with only 8 players (and 4 of them playing through significant injuries), and made it to within 5 seconds of the NCAA tournament?

That same Josh White team that featured Josh White suffering through a leg injury so significant that he spent his downtime wearing a boot, missing games, and barely practicing? Where our other point guard had a tendon injury in his left middle finger that basically forced him to play one handed? That one? That crippled, short handed team that still played 4 games in 4 days, won 3 straight SBC tournament elimination games by 14, 14, and 19 points? When we blew out the FAU team that won the league by 2 games and was expected to cruise to the championship?

The team that fought through tournament final officiating so terrible that my wife, who spends most of her time at NT sporting events focused on getting me to go buy her a soft pretzel, can still recognize and identify all 3 referees by name almost 2 years later? The one where UALR only beat us through a series of godawful calamities, non-calls, a no-whistle on a "screen" that would have merited an ejection in an NHL game, and a highlight reel final shot that made Solomon Bozeman a Trojans legend for the rest of his life?

I always thought they were a freaking triumph of a team that just happened to end up 5 seconds short, a heartbreaking example of how sometimes life makes you the Other Team in someone else's "Hoosiers" story.

So you are saying they were crippled and had short hands? Our recruiting has significantly improved since then.

Oh I love the basketball board, all sunshine and rainbows.

I remember the year that we had the senior-laden Josh White team. They sucked. All year long they lost to crappy teams and I pointed it out. Everyone was so certain it meant nothing. And we didn't return to the NCAAs.

Now this was a good team, so I am not trying to make a direct comparison. But I will say, this team could lose every game this year and the bball faithful would still blast you if you said the team wasn't tourney worthy.

I agree.

I hate that people like stuff.

Just back from the after party after the game. Good game, UNT. Tony Mitchell is the real deal. However, he didn't have a lot of help tonight and our depth seemed to win the game. Our defense was MUCH better than I expected. For us not hitting any 3's and still win by 20, I like how that bodes for us.

The refs were poor on both ends tonight. They really let a ton go and sometimes it got pretty sloppy out there. You shouldn't be too hard on your squad. Rarely if ever has a non-conference opponent come in to the Clink and won. It's rare.

Good luck!

Just back from the after party after the game. Good game, UNT. Tony Mitchell is the real deal. However, he didn't have a lot of help tonight and our depth seemed to win the game. Our defense was MUCH better than I expected. For us not hitting any 3's and still win by 20, I like how that bodes for us.

The refs were poor on both ends tonight. They really let a ton go and sometimes it got pretty sloppy out there. You shouldn't be too hard on your squad. Rarely if ever has a non-conference opponent come in to the Clink and won. It's rare.

Good luck!

Agreed. I thought officiating was questionable, but it had no bearing on the game. You guys killed us on the boards. I don't mean to suggest what you saw from your defense was an aberration, but the defense you guys had might be tempered if you run into a team that can hit a three, or a jumper for that matter. We were pretty one dimensional in that regard, and that's an easy offense to defense against.

Agreed. I thought officiating was questionable, but it had no bearing on the game. You guys killed us on the boards. I don't mean to suggest what you saw from your defense was an aberration, but the defense you guys had might be tempered if you run into a team that can hit a three, or a jumper for that matter. We were pretty one dimensional in that regard, and that's an easy offense to defense against.

I agree you guys couldn't hit from the outside but last year everyone hit everything against us. So the fact that it was different tonight shows me that perhaps the defensive game plan finally worked on a team.

In a game where 3 seniors really didn't play due to injury (Holeman - 12 minutes, Walton - 1 minute, and Patton - out) and our two best players were hit with questionable fouls that landed them on the bench, this outcome was not unexpected. I don't think we ever had such a poor game offensively under JJ.

We got embarrassed. Simple as that. I didn't expect to win, but to pull a no-show and get run out of the building by a team who was having a off night shooting the ball is unacceptable. Very disappointed right now.

Not the end of the BB world, for sure. I think there were even a few positives. Creighton is a veteran top twenty school with some depth, but I didn't see any big gap in talent. What I did see is a much better team at this point playing with a stacked deck. Home game with 17k fans, I think a neutral court game later in the year could look a lot different.

NT played bad no doubt, Jones had an awful game and NT played without two of its better defensive players in Patton and Walton. You have to credit the Creigton defense, but NT missed a lot of open shots and had no outside game. I thought both Hardwick and Outlander who played much more than I thought, were descent for their first college game. Colemen didn't play a lot but he got 5 rebounds. Alzee remains the most underrated player on the team. Fouls took Mitchell out of lot of the game and of course Jones.

There were a lot of negatives, the team didn't handle the foul trouble well. The guard rotation hit under 25% which was the killer. They didn't guard McDermott well at all, if someone could have just blocked him out some of the time, the outcome could have been a lot different. He is an All American for a reason, relentless player.

Usually, at this time of the year, we are celebrating a win over Cameron or the like and really not knowing anything about the team. Now, we see a team that needs a lot of work and is obviously not a national top team. Different start, but this team can take advantage of what they have learned and grow to be dominant team most of us think this team can be.

7-32 shooting from Williams, Williams, and Jones.

Edited November 10, 2012 by H-towngreen

7-32 shooting from Williams, Williams, and Jones.

...and did not look comfortable shooting the ball from 10'+ either (or in the ECU game for that matter). After a while, Creighton was not even playing tough D and we were either bricking wide open shots, or not even looking to take them. Coleman will need to be able to work himself into steady minutes and provide a steady inside presence. We seem to have a couple of capable shooters. Hopefully, they will respond in the next few games.

Did not expect a win, but I expected Tony to have a few teammates get off the bus with him. Hopefully, this will provide a nice reality check that Benford can use to his advantage.

In a game where 3 seniors really didn't play due to injury (Holeman - 12 minutes, Walton - 1 minute, and Patton - out) and our two best players were hit with questionable fouls that landed them on the bench, this outcome was not unexpected. I don't think we ever had such a poor game offensively under JJ.

I would refer you to the 50 point a$$ pounding we experienced on the stage at UTA last year and beg you to reconsider.

And UTA was not a top 25 team.

I would refer you to the 50 point a$$ pounding we experienced on the stage at UTA last year and beg you to reconsider.

And UTA was not a top 25 team.

That's just about what I was going to say.

That's just about what I was going to say.

Ok...Tony Mitchell was not playing in the UTA game and CJ and JWilliams were very inexperienced at that stage. Plus, that was a horrendous game that nobody wants to even remember. The team this year has higher expectations for a reason. Until they get key wins, we can't believe the team will meet those expectations. Nobody was expecting a win (well, maybe some) but a loss like this was unacceptable for a team of this caliber, which should be playing more disciplined BB.

Edited November 11, 2012 by bleedgreen4ever

I was commenting on Glick's post, especially the bolded portion.

glick1980, on 10 November 2012 - 08:11 AM, said:

In a game where 3 seniors really didn't play due to injury (Holeman - 12 minutes, Walton - 1 minute, and Patton - out) and our two best players were hit with questionable fouls that landed them on the bench, this outcome was not unexpected. I don't think we ever had such a poor game offensively under JJ.

Ok...Tony Mitchell was not playing in the UTA game and CJ and JWilliams were very inexperienced at that stage. Plus, that was a horrendous game that nobody wants to even remember. The team this year has higher expectations for a reason. Until they get key wins, we can't believe the team will meet those expectations. Nobody was expecting a win (well, maybe some) but a loss like this was unacceptable for a team of this caliber, which should be playing more disciplined BB.

What did you find un-disciplined about their play?