Northern Iowa (11/7/23)

[Censored by Laurie]

7 hours ago, Matt from A700 said:

That was a very good UNI team that is going to have a much better record than their 14-18 campaign last season. Fundamentally sound, don't make a lot of mistakes, can shoot the ball, and also benefitted from more than enough shooter's rolls that the home team usually gets.

Their run was a perfect storm of them continuing to get good shots off of cuts that we just couldn't stop plus some tough 3's. We also gave up too many second chance opportunities. But during that bad stretch, we also had too many dumb turnovers tried to cut through double teams and getting stripped.

Really wish they would have taken advantage of #32, who had 4 fouls for like the last 10 minutes of the second half, when they UNI was making its run. Instead he fouls out on a crazy bang-bang play that I was honestly surprised we got a favorable call on.

But at the end of the night, you could not ask for a better game on opening night with that kind of student attendance. It felt noticeably different than the Southern Nazarene game last year, even though the average UNT student wouldn't know that UNI is a solid team. Hopefully that attendance carries over into Saturday, because two of the last three nonconference home games fall on fan-unfriendly days.

they mentioned it a few times on the broadcast, but UNI was picked 2nd in the MVC preseason coaches poll, so I think everyone close to the program/conference is expecting the same thing. 

Heise was the player they lost after two games last season and he dropped 20...and their center Hutson was definitely better than I anticipated. they're gonna be a problem for everyone they play, especially once their star Born gets going. 

UNI has a tune up game next, then play our conference mate South Florida before going to the Atlantis tourney in the Bahamas where they start off with North Carolina...would play either Villanova or Texas Tech next...and finish with either Michigan, Memphis, Stanford or Arkansas. 

I think for the sake of RPI, we'd want them to lose to AAC opponents and then run the table. UNC were down last year and struggled for a half with Radford in their opener. I think that's definitely a game UNI could win and would be a big boost for us. 

[NorthTexasWeLove]

12 hours ago, Andrew said:

Somebody doesn’t know how awful parking is around the Pit…. We get the side street reserved but most have to park at old fours or further. Not ideal in the dark for many who would want to come out. The students should help fill it up and they look decent right now. 

Uhh, I've been to a hundred basketball games. There is a gigantic ass parking lot right across the street from the arena. Wth are you talking about? Has the urban shrub architect taken over your account? 

[MeanGreenTexan]

Didn't get to watch the first half, but the 2nd half was a wild ride.  That should have been a L with how UNI closed the game out, and had a gimme short-jumper clang off the rim.  Credit to the guys for digging deep, and running away with it in OT.
I don't know if the guys ran out of gas late or something, but the perimeter defensive intensity slipped quite a bit toward the end, especially by Noland.   Noland is fun to watch offensively, but defensively, he's not playing up to Coach Hodge's relentless standard (at least, from what I saw).  I bet that changes...  Or we may not see as much of him moving forward.
Scott stepped up big time.  He can be the next superstar, for sure.  It will be fun watching how his game grows/evolves as opposing teams key on him throughout the year.
I like Edwards.  A lot.  Is he the next JUCO All-American transfer that continues this awesome run we've had over the previous 4 years?
Sissoko didn't have the type of game that endeared us to him during the NIT run.  Hoping that was just a blip, but it's nice having Allen to lean on if Moulaye's not feeling it.

[Censored by Laurie]

overall, definitely happy with a W and even more happy that we gave an impressive student's section something to keep them coming back...that's huge. 

Aaron Scott's performance is obviously the biggest talking point...he definitely looks ready to have a bigger/star role on this team.

Rubin's shot looks great and his defense stout as ever. some of his decision-making, especially late game, needs to improve though if he's going to be our lead guard. 

I like the offensive sets going through CJ Noland...he seems to be a calming influence on the ball and tough to defend with his size/athleticism as a slasher. 

Buggs only got off 4 shots...I'd like to see a bit more run for him. we know he's a scorer, not worried about him at all.

Sissoko struggled. it was interesting to me that they ran maybe a half-dozen post-ups for him. might not be his game...he excelled in the NIT playing more around the free-throw line as a screener, high-post passer and crashing. just one game...he's going to play a big part in our success this year. 

Allen is a gem. he got bullied a few times buy Hutson, but I was incredibly impressed with his athleticism and quickness...the steals and dunk (and miss), but more the few times he got switched on their guards and was able to keep guys like Born and Heise in front of him without fouling. he moves a lot like Scott, just with an extra 2 inches and 30 pounds.

Edwards is gonna get a lot of buckets for us. I also think he might lose a game or two for us. I hope I'm wrong and he turns into our closer bc he seems like the only player who can really go get his own shot anytime, but the decision making needs to improve. he didn't finish regulation and didn't start OT...FTs were clutch late, but I'd like to see him play a few MPH slower.

just another consistent line from Stone. 0-0-0-0, with one foul. if I'm Walker, Cotton and Moore, I'm re-doubling my efforts in practice and hoping to impress v. Omaha bc there are minutes to be won here. 

[GMG_Dallas]

31 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Sissoko didn't have the type of game that endeared us to him during the NIT run.  Hoping that was just a blip, but it's nice having Allen to lean on if Moulaye's not feeling it.

Sissoko didn't play much. 18 minutes I believe. What was nice was seeing both him and Allen on the floor at the same time to start overtime. It's nice to have the flexibility we have with size and athleticism. Hodge is an experienced coach and it looks like he'll figure out ways to match-up well with other teams or cause mismatches when appropriate.

[NorthTexasWeLove]

2 minutes ago, Censored by Laurie said:

overall, definitely happy with a W and even more happy that we gave an impressive student's section something to keep them coming back...that's huge. 

Aaron Scott's performance is obviously the biggest talking point...he definitely looks ready to have a bigger/star role on this team.

Rubin's shot looks great and his defense stout as ever. some of his decision-making, especially late game, needs to improve though if he's going to be our lead guard. 

I like the offensive sets going through CJ Noland...he seems to be a calming influence on the ball and tough to defend with his size/athleticism as a slasher. 

Buggs only got off 4 shots...I'd like to see a bit more run for him. we know he's a scorer, not worried about him at all.

Sissoko struggled. it was interesting to me that they ran maybe a half-dozen post-ups for him. might not be his game...he excelled in the NIT playing more around the free-throw line as a screener, high-post passer and crashing. just one game...he's going to play a big part in our success this year. 

Allen is a gem. he got bullied a few times buy Hutson, but I was incredibly impressed with his athleticism and quickness...the steals and dunk (and miss), but more the few times he got switched on their guards and was able to keep guys like Born and Heise in front of him without fouling. he moves a lot like Scott, just with an extra 2 inches and 30 pounds.

Edwards is gonna get a lot of buckets for us. I also think he might lose a game or two for us. I hope I'm wrong and he turns into our closer bc he seems like the only player who can really go get his own shot anytime, but the decision making needs to improve. he didn't finish regulation and didn't start OT...FTs were clutch late, but I'd like to see him play a few MPH slower.

just another consistent line from Stone. 0-0-0-0, with one foul. if I'm Walker, Cotton and Moore, I'm re-doubling my efforts in practice and hoping to impress v. Omaha bc there are minutes to be won here. 

Good write. But dang, why you gotta do Stone like that haha

[CMJ]

I had a false memory that Stone grabbed a board last night.  Guess he didn't.

[GMG_Dallas]

8 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

Good write. But dang, why you gotta do Stone like that haha

I used to defend Stone and I think he provides a lot of good energy but he needs to start giving something on offense. He does dive for loose balls, including yesterday, and stays active on defense but we just need something on offense.

Edited November 8, 2023 by GMG_Dallas

[Censored by Laurie]

4 minutes ago, GMG_Dallas said:

I used to defend Stone and I think he provides a lot of good energy but he needs to start giving something on offense. He does dive for loose balls, including yesterday, and stays active on defense but we just need something on offense.

everyone on this team provides good energy and dives for loose balls. not only has Stone yet to show he can contribute on offense, but more he got lost defensively a bunch yesterday. he was a liability on both ends. 

we've got a player on our roster with 3 seasons of BigXII experience in Walker who once showed he could score at that level (8ppg as a freshman)...not sure where his shot went at TCU, but he still contributed on a team that made the round of 32 last season. 

[Big Z]

17 minutes ago, GMG_Dallas said:

I used to defend Stone and I think he provides a lot of good energy but he needs to start giving something on offense. He does dive for loose balls, including yesterday, and stays active on defense but we just need something on offense.

Stone awfully sells his pump fake and then passes the ball.... didn't he average 25 to 30 pts a game in HS? Where is that? 

[GMG_Dallas]

1 minute ago, Censored by Laurie said:

everyone on this team provides good energy and dives for loose balls. not only has Stone yet to show he can contribute on offense, but more he got lost defensively a bunch yesterday. he was a liability on both ends. 

we've got a player on our roster with 3 seasons of BigXII experience in Walker who once showed he could score at that level (8ppg as a freshman)...not sure where his shot went at TCU, but he still contributed on a team that made the round of 32 last season. 

I agree. And yes, Stone got lost several times on defense. The perimeter is not his game whether it be on offense or defense. Physically, he has the tools to provide value. It just seems he's not able to slow the game down. I hope to see Walker get minutes and/or Moore. Regarding Moore, if we're going to have a defensive liability on the court, at least get some good 3s out of it.

[GMG_Dallas]

1 minute ago, Big Z said:

Stone awfully sells his pump fake and then passes the ball.... didn't he average 25 to 30 pts a game in HS? Where is that? 

He did but I believe he played power forward in high school. If I remember correctly, his better games last year came when he played more at the 4. He doesn't get bullied in the paint and is active on the boards. He'd do better in smaller lineups where he can guard other forwards.

[MeanGreenTexan]

2 minutes ago, Big Z said:

Stone awfully sells his pump fake and then passes the ball.... didn't he average 25 to 30 pts a game in HS? Where is that? 

Wasn't that at the 2A or 3A level in Oklahoma?    I mean, if you have game, it will translate, but to make the jump from being a walking bucket at the Oklahoma 3A level VS D1 Mid-major basketball... that's pretty big, and flaws will be exposed.

[Shark84]

12 hours ago, NT80 said:

Starting to wear them down a little.  Much better complimentary play, offense/defense.  Keep the crowd into it and we can start to extend the separation.  I wish Allen could have finished that power dunk!

I think he missed it because we had ball boys on the court using towels to clean the floor as he is going to the basketball. 

[Shark84]

40 minutes ago, Censored by Laurie said:

everyone on this team provides good energy and dives for loose balls. not only has Stone yet to show he can contribute on offense, but more he got lost defensively a bunch yesterday. he was a liability on both ends. 

we've got a player on our roster with 3 seasons of BigXII experience in Walker who once showed he could score at that level (8ppg as a freshman)...not sure where his shot went at TCU, but he still contributed on a team that made the round of 32 last season. 

Walker hasn't been cleared to play by the NCAA. Good chance that he will have to sit out this year since they aren't granting many waivers. Used his free transfer to go from Ok. State to TCU.

[greenminer]

11 hours ago, HoosMeanGreen said:

Didn’t find it. 😞

It was on the live feed.  I'd dig around the Mean Green networks (Varsity, MGS.com, etc) and see if they are archived anywhere.

[greenminer]

Stone has made a living off of lunch-pailing out there.  Problem is, our roster has leveled up their lunchpail all the way up and down the lineup.  At some point, he is going to need to offer something more if he wants to keep getting minutes.

Having said that, we've done a lot of winning with his lunch pail, 0-0-0 efforts.  So, maybe it's our secret weapon?

[greenminer]

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap/_/gameId/401608973

[MGS] UNT Wins Overtime Thriller To Start Hodge Era

 

[greenminer]

[UNI Panthers.com] Panther men’s basketball drops season opener at North Texas in overtime

Edited November 8, 2023 by greenminer

[kj86]

14 hours ago, Andrew said:

Somebody doesn’t know how awful parking is around the Pit…. We get the side street reserved but most have to park at old fours or further. Not ideal in the dark for many who would want to come out. The students should help fill it up and they look decent right now. 

Definitely something going on with parking last night.  Lot across from Pit was full.  I continued around the back of the old athletics buildings (Fouts site) and they gave me a parking ticket.  Didn't see anything saying I needed any kind of permit to park there.

[GMG_Dallas]

18 minutes ago, kj86 said:

Definitely something going on with parking last night.  Lot across from Pit was full.  I continued around the back of the old athletics buildings (Fouts site) and they gave me a parking ticket.  Didn't see anything saying I needed any kind of permit to park there.

I'd reach out to the athletic department and voice the concerns if I were you. If they want people to show up to games, they'll void the ticket and figure things out for next time.

[Big Z]

Awesome game last night! 

Love playing a tougher opponent to open the season, really sets the tone! 

Really good crowd!

It was good see the energy there in the student section 

My biggest complaint was that my popcorn was stale, and they put too much salt 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Big Z

[greenminer]

13 minutes ago, GMG_Dallas said:

I'd reach out to the athletic department and voice the concerns if I were you. If they want people to show up to games, they'll void the ticket and figure things out for next time.

Visitors will always have their tickets voided.  It only stands up if you are enrolled.  That was what I thought the case was when I was a student.

[Ross Hodgeson]

23 minutes ago, Big Z said:

Awesome game last night! 

Love playing a tougher opponent to open the season, really sets the tone! 

Really good crowd!

It was good see the energy there in the student section 

My biggest complaint was that my popcorn was stale, and they put too much salt 

Agreed on all points including the popcorn.

[MeanGreen22]

3 hours ago, Censored by Laurie said:

Buggs only got off 4 shots...I'd like to see a bit more run for him. we know he's a scorer, not worried about him at all.

Buggs energy is so damn infectious. He’ll be a fan favorite by game 5.