Mean Green beat Chatanooga

[CMJ]

TN-Chatt is usually a tough program. This was a good win for the guys.

[MeanGreenBuzz]

This was a great win. They hung around in the first half dispite the worst shooting performance I have ever seen out of Watson, of course the rest of the team didn't shoot much better. One thing I noticed from this game is we need a guard that can penetrate. They dominated points in the paint in the first half, and probably in the second too. The out rebounded us 2-1 in the first. If they had been a better offensive team there is no way we would have been able to come back. The way the hustle stats looked after the first you would have thought they had a 15 point lead. We need a good big man down low that can fight for rebounds and get second chance points.

[CMJ]

I was pretty impressed the way we came back in the second half. Chattanooga led by 10+/- a few points for what seemed like the entire first 20 minutes. The squad showed alot to me tonight.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

This was a great win.  They hung around in the first half dispite the worst shooting performance I have ever seen out of Watson, of course the rest of the team didn't shoot much better.  One thing I noticed from this game is we need a guard that can penetrate.  They dominated points in the paint in the first half, and probably in the second too.  The out rebounded us 2-1 in the first.  If they had been a better offensive team there is no way we would have been able to come back.  The way the hustle stats looked after the first you would have thought they had a 15 point lead.  We need a good big man down low that can fight for rebounds and get second chance points.

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I guess that we need a second big man. Simpson had 11 boards which is about as much as we can expect out of a post player. But, you are right; we were outrebounded big time. Williams needs to be more assertive. Sturms was spectacular off of the bench. Watson had an off night. From what was said, defense won this one. We had something like ten fewer turnovers.

[Guest e-bone]

We need a good big man down low that can fight for rebounds and get second chance points.

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We do, his name is Jeffery Simpson. But one man can't do it all.

Some thoughts on the game. It was a good win, I'm proud of the way the guys kept fighting even when their shots weren't falling. However I was disappointed in the first half when we kept settling for outside shots when we couldn't hit them. No one made an effort to drive the lane and make a shot for themselves or for their teammates. Sturns came in and turned the game around almost single handedly. He was confident in his shot and also created for himself, which is something that wasn't done up until that point. His energy really rubbed off on the rest of the team and guys like Davis started driving the lane more. Also, our defensive intensity wasn't too great for many parts of the first half and the beginning of the second half. The Mocs were tough on the defensive end, always pressuring the ball even when a post had it on the perimeter. Our guys finally figured out that they would have to make a move to get a open shot, or swing the ball to the open man. We did look pretty confused at times when the Mocs went to a zone defense. Guys didn't really make a big effort to get open in the middle of the zone, and even when they were they didn't get the ball.

It is great to have some players on the bench to bring in when the starters aren't playing well. Being able to bring Sturns and Brown in and not miss a beat is really nice. Sturns has matured a lot since last season, and now he has some reliability to go along with his athleticism and talent. Last season when Hines or Hopkins went out of the game we weren't able to bring in a guard and not miss a beat, I'm glad to see this year is different. As for post, I really like Barnett coming off the bench. When he can come in and bring some energy he plays well, it is when he has to stay in the game for prolonged stretches that I start getting scared about what he will do next. Stewart isn't going to set the world on fire offensively as a freshman, but I like his athleticism and how he doesn't seem to make a lot of mistakes. He knows his role and tries to get into position to rebound and play defense, which I'm sure is all the coaches are asking of him. Last season I was worried when we had to take out one of our "big 3" of Hop, Hines, and Simpson. And I was downright scared when 2 of the 3 were on the bench. But it looks like we have some solid players we can bring off the bench this season and still be able to run the offense and not get burned on D.

Sorry about the long and fragmented post, I just typed thoughts as they came to me.

[Guest e-bone]

meangreensports.com article

[NT80]

It was a good second half by North Texas, the first half stunk. I think JJ challenged them at half to step it up. This is not the same 20-win TN-Chatt we lost to last year. They are now 1-5 and lost by 10 to the Muts earlier this week.

[MeanGreenBuzz]

We do, his name is Jeffery Simpson. But one man can't do it all.

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Simpson is more of a power forward, he just happens to play center most of the time because JB plays center like SB. They are using Simpson much the way the Mavs used Dirk. We need a true 6-10+ big man that plays with Simpsons intensity.

[Guest e-bone]

Simpson is more of a power forward, he just happens to play center most of the time because JB plays center like SB.  They are using Simpson much the way the Mavs used Dirk.  We need a true 6-10+ big man that plays with Simpsons intensity.

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Simpson is nothing like Dirk is not being used the way Dirk was used. Simpson is a post player, Dirk is a 7' small forward who prefers to operate at the perimeter.

Yeah it would be great if we had a true 6'10" guy(I don't believe that Barnett or Howerton are 6'10"), but we don't and Simpson is by far the best post player we have. At the college level you don't really need a true center to be succesful, which is good because we don't. Simpson is only listed at C because he is our best defensive post player and he guards the other team's C if they even have one. But most teams are like NT and don't have a true C, so he just guards whoever the opposing team's best post is. We just need another post player, no matter his height, to step up and give Simpson some help down low. Quincy didn't look comfortable with the ball in the post last night, and he threw up some really awkward looking shots. He also got into foul trouble, but he showed flashes last year of being a good defensive player. That said, I think he has the best chance of being the guy who can take some pressure off Simpson, both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. We still have some time before conference play starts, but I really hope by that time we have someone other than Simpson step up their play in the post.

[MeanGreenBuzz]

Think back when they had Nash, Van Exel, Finley, and Dirk. Their centers were LaFrentz and Bradley both pretty weak low post players. So they would not have either of them and use Najera or other foreward and Dirk would drop down and play Center. Yes Dirk likes to operate outside, but the pre-Dampier Mavs used Dirk inside and he played the other teams center when Bradley and LaFrentz got pulled for crappy play. It may not be exactly the same, but it is a very similar situation. We don't have a true center so we are using another player down low.

[Guest e-bone]

Yes I know what you were talking about, but even when Dirk guarded the other team's center he wasn't necessarily a center himself. Position names are misleading, especially in the NBA. Dirk was classified as a center at those times but didn't really play that position. Often he wouldn't even guard the opposing team's center, even when he was the only Mav on the court taller than 6'9". In the NBA it is all about creating the 1on1 matchup, which is very different from college ball. College teams run offenses trying to get open looks while NBA teams try to find good matchups and then get isolation. Simpson is actually a post and plays in the post on both ends of the floor while Dirk only guarded an opposing team's PF or C in order to get that favorable matchup on the offensive end. North Texas won't play many teams that have a center who Simpson can't guard as he is an excellent defensive player who plays bigger than he is due to his leaping ability, long arms and quickness. Bottom line is that Simpson is a post player and will always guard the other team's best post and will always play in the post on the offensive end.

[eeally]

Dirk is a tweener! I don't know who is right here but I would like to hear more.

Who is more of a Mavs fan? Sounds like e-bone! But MGBuzz has some valid points.

[UNT_92_Fan]

i am bigger than both...JK fellas....