If Jj Doesnt Win In The Tourney, Will Rv Pull A Dickey On Him

[UNT_playmaker]

Correct me if I am wrong but has JJ never won a tourney game in his years at NT. If this trend continue, which I pray it ends weds night and throughout the tourney. Might we see a coaching change based on this feat.

What are your opinions? I do see improvement, but I also see inconsistent swings in the season. If we do lose, I say that JJ should be replaced by a Billy Gillespie figure who can turn things around. Tim Jankovich did really well while here at NT. I like JJ and hope for the best but the tourney proves what your team is made up of and if you can hang with your conference rivals, which we havent done really well at this season.

Highlight of the season the sweep of western Kentucky, hopefully we can out do that accomplishment wedsnesday night....

Go Green

[UNTFan23]

JJ is 1-6 in conference tourney games. He won it his first year here.

[UNT_playmaker]

Okay cool.... wasnt aware of that first year win ... thanks....

[foutsrouts]

Correct me if I am wrong but has JJ never won a tourney game in his years at NT. If this trend continue, which I pray it ends weds night and throughout the tourney. Might we see a coaching change based on this feat.

What are your opinions? I do see improvement, but I also see inconsistent swings in the season. If we do lose, I say that JJ should be replaced by a Billy Gillespie figure who can turn things around. Tim Jankovich did really well while here at NT. I like JJ and hope for the best but the tourney proves what your team is made up of and if you can hang with your conference rivals, which we havent done really well at this season.

Highlight of the season the sweep of western Kentucky, hopefully we can out do that accomplishment wedsnesday night....

Go Green

I think if he wins on Wednesday that he won't get DD'd. If he doesn't, I'd say 50/50.

[UNT_playmaker]

Yeah im thinking the same.....With Coach Dodge coming in, and the long anticipated stadium announcment hopefully coming soon, there is alot of higher expectations for Athlethic program....

Dammit if A&M can do it... so can we.....

[GrandGreen]

JJ will be back next year no matter what happens in the tournament as will Slinker, I don't see NT buying out any more contracts any time soon.

[mean green d]

JJ will return next year. I agree with you on needing to do more in the postseason, but he does seem to have the program heading in the right direction. Hopefully, they will have another good recruiting class this year. I haven't heard any name except Collin Dennis to this point.

[Eagle1855]

If we lose tonight, I think he's as good as gone.

[greenminer]

Do we have the money to buy out another contract?

Do we have the dignity to stop with the phrases "Pull a Dickey" and "he won't get DD'd"?

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

From NT athletics site: (interesting)

With one more win this edition of the Mean Green would become only the fifth 20-win team in the school’s history. Currently the 19 wins stands as the most successful season at NT since 1977-78.

The Mean Green will bring the nation’s 30th rated offense into the tournament. It is led not only by Davis but, also the low-post duo of Quincy Williams and Keith Wooden. Williams currently leads the Sun Belt in field goal percentage (56.8), and Wooden is averaging 11 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over his last six outings.

___________________________________________

---This could be interesting unless we shoot ourselves in the foot... our last FIVE losses have been by a total of "eleven points".

We need to get our act together.

[UNTLifer]

JJ won't get fired after a 19 win, possibly more, season.

[GreenBat]

From NT athletics site: (interesting)

With one more win this edition of the Mean Green would become only the fifth 20-win team in the school’s history. Currently the 19 wins stands as the most successful season at NT since 1977-78.

The Mean Green will bring the nation’s 30th rated offense into the tournament. It is led not only by Davis but, also the low-post duo of Quincy Williams and Keith Wooden. Williams currently leads the Sun Belt in field goal percentage (56.8), and Wooden is averaging 11 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over his last six outings.

___________________________________________

---This could be interesting unless we shoot ourselves in the foot... our last FIVE losses have been by a total of "eleven points".

We need to get our act together.

This just shows the talent is here. The problem is coaching.

[eulesseagle]

Coach JJ is one of the better coaches that UNT has had since the mid-1960's. These include coaches: Spika, Blakely and Jankovich.

The SBC, since its inception, has not been known as a power BB conference like some of the larger BCS affiliated conferences and some smaller college conferences that produce teams like Southern Illinois or Wichita State, out of the MVC or other smaller college power schools such as Gonzaga, Winthrop or Princeton. There are other "similar type teams" but these "type" teams have a propensity to defeat, on a regular basis, top 50 teams and teams that are in the "Top-20." Conferences like the SBC has not developed that reputation, yet. The SBC is still a "body bag" conference for BB as it is for FB. The SBC still has an Albatross around its neck and until one or two conference schools begin to distinguish themselves in FB and BB that Albatross will forever hang as the SBC's "Red Badge of Honor".... or dishonor. The SBC is a confernce of "parity" plain and simple, period. No SBC conference winner has ever won a game in the "Big Dance." For the SBC to exceed in BB there has to be one or two "break out" schools that start to defeat some of the "power 50" schools on a regular basis then start "snake bitting" some of the top 25. Until then the SBC will be a "one team selection conference" to the "big dance." This year the SBC may have a chance to place a team or two in the NIT. This would be great recognition if those teams won a game or two or three or four.

Some of you will point to a couple of teams in the SLC such as SHSU and Corpus Christi. The scheduled teams they play are not that impressive except with a couple of exceptions. When these these teams play a school in the top 50 or 60 they get the "crap" beat out of them. You see the SLC is another parity conference like the SBC. Some of you point to some of the teams that we have played this year and complain. How much complaining would most of you do if we played, this year, Prairie View A&M, Lamar, St. Louis, Idaho State, Pacific, Fordham, Jacksonville State and Grambling State????? Ohhhhhhh.......wait a minute those were the teams that #7 Texas A & M played this year. Nobody in complaining in College Station. Every BB team in the nation like to have "body bag" games to get the team ready for the regular season including Coach J.

Coach Trilli once made a statement on how one can judge the improvement of your team and I paraphrase. You go from getting beat by double digits to single digits. Then loosing some of the close ones then go to winning the close ones to winning in the single digits to the double digits. I have seen this trend with the teams over the last couple of years. For those of you who pay attention to what the players are saying about the team and Coach J it is "VERY POSITIVE." Coach J won 19 regular season games this year and by what is being said by the team, this year, UNT will either meet or exceed 19 next year. The members of this years BB team have expressed more confidence in their team and in Coach JJ than ever before!!! This IMHO is a "POSITIVE" indication that JJ has turned the corner and is about ready, as Bum Phillips once said, "kick the F****** door down." (that Bum Phillips statement is for those old enough to remember the rivalry between the Oilers/Steelers). For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about have PMG explain it in one of his epistles.

I, for one, am glad that JJ is here at UNT and by what Coach Blakely said after being an honorary coach stated that he hopes and prays that JJ stays at UNT. I only hope that the administration (RV/Dr. see these positive attributes of JJ and the situation that UNT is in just by being in a "parity conference."

[Quoner]

This just shows the talent is here. The problem is coaching.

Just to play devil's advocate:

If no one is all Sun Belt, but the team is 30th in the nation in offense....perhaps not so much.

I don't agree with all of the decisions JJ makes, but I think he's become the new popular alliteration-named punching bag for everyone too.

[Eagle1855]

How much complaining would most of you do if we played, this year, Prairie View A&M, Lamar, St. Louis, Idaho State, Pacific, Fordham, Jacksonville State and Grambling State????? Ohhhhhhh.......wait a minute those were the teams that #7 Texas A & M played this year. Nobody in complaining in College Station. Every BB team in the nation like to have "body bag" games to get the team ready for the regular season including Coach J.

sigh. nobody in college station is complaining because they also played Texas, Kansas, Texas Tech, Ok State, LSU, UCLA... we are in a conference full of "body bags", so our 19 win season, while exciting, is hardly comparable to that of the top 8 teams in the Big 12

I, for one, have no problem with the scheduling of light weights in the basketball non conference games. That is what A&M has done for years. It builds confidence going into the conference games. My problem is all the close losses, with questionable coaching calls at the end of the game in crunch time. Jones has the talent. Lets see how far he gets in the tournament. If we lose tonight, I will be surprised if he is still here. This is the most talented team he has had- far too talented for another one and done conference tournament with no post season play, again. And no, we wont get an invite with this "20 win season" because we dont really have any quality wins.

Edited February 28, 2007 by Eagle1855

[greenminer]

Just to play devil's advocate:

If no one is all Sun Belt, but the team is 30th in the nation in offense....perhaps not so much.

I don't agree with all of the decisions JJ makes, but I think he's become the new popular alliteration-named punching bag for everyone too.

nice

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

-I just figured out to double post, go back and make corrections instead of using edit....ie. don't do that.

Edited February 28, 2007 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

sigh. nobody in college station is complaining because they also played Texas, Kansas, Texas Tech, Ok State, LSU, UCLA... we are in a conference full of "body bags", so our 19 win season, while exciting, is hardly comparable to that of the top 8 teams in the Big 12

I, for one, have no problem with the scheduling of light weights in the basketball non conference games. That is what A&M has done for years. It builds confidence going into the conference games. My problem is all the close losses, with questionable coaching calls at the end of the game in crunch time. Jones has the talent. Lets see how far he gets in the tournament. If we lose tonight, I will be surprised if he is still here. This is the most talented team he has had- far too talented for another one and done conference tournament with no post season play, again. And no, we wont get an invite with this "20 win season" because we dont really have any quality wins.

----You are right.... 20 wins does't get you an invite, maybe not even NIT but it is better than we were doing. You are also right that the coaching staff needs to learn how to finish games and turn those close losses into close wins. -THINK !!- That is why I stated "We need to get our act together.... The league is fairly decent (not great) but the end of the season indicated by all the close games and "upsets" that the winner of it all is an open position and any of about 6-8 teams could win it. We are one of them.....

---They need our fan support and they need to go in with some confidence that they can win and that winning it is not really a stretch at this point. I don't see anyone in the league that I think is really better. Only 1-2-3 shots made in those losses turn those into wins instead. That is not too much more to expect and hope for.

[CMJ]

The SBC, since its inception, has not been known as a power BB conference like some of the larger BCS affiliated conferences and some smaller college conferences that produce teams like Southern Illinois or Wichita State, out of the MVC or other smaller college power schools such as Gonzaga, Winthrop or Princeton. There are other "similar type teams" but these "type" teams have a propensity to defeat, on a regular basis, top 50 teams and teams that are in the "Top-20." Conferences like the SBC has not developed that reputation, yet. The SBC is still a "body bag" conference for BB as it is for FB. The SBC still has an Albatross around its neck and until one or two conference schools begin to distinguish themselves in FB and BB that Albatross will forever hang as the SBC's "Red Badge of Honor".... or dishonor. The SBC is a confernce of "parity" plain and simple, period. No SBC conference winner has ever won a game in the "Big Dance." For the SBC to exceed in BB there has to be one or two "break out" schools that start to defeat some of the "power 50" schools on a regular basis then start "snake bitting" some of the top 25. Until then the SBC will be a "one team selection conference" to the "big dance." This year the SBC may have a chance to place a team or two in the NIT. This would be great recognition if those teams won a game or two or three or four.

Not recently(as in since we've been here). But that isn't correct. The SBC has had teams advance deep into the tournament in the past. I remember Western getting to the Sweet 16 in '94ish(and losing on a missed buzzer beater that kept them from the Regional Finals).

Edited February 28, 2007 by CMJ

[Eagle1855]

[VideoEagle]

Not recently(as in since we've been here). But that isn't correct. The SBC has had teams advance deep into the tournament in the past. I remember Western getting to the Swet 16 in '94ish(and losing on a missed buzzer beater that kept them from the Regional Finals).

From the Sunbelt Site I read 1 Men’s Final 4 appearance, UNC-Charlotte in ‘77. Also, there have been 8 Sunbelt appearances in the Women’s Final 4.

So, SBC teams certainly have “won a game” in the past.

[GrandGreen]

Couple of comments. Anyone who thinks JJ is a better coach than Dan Spika needs help. Spika's team played in the best conference in the nation at the time and was able to compete, while JJ is playing basically .500 ball in the mediocre Belt. Those comparing higher level 20 win teams with NT should recognize that many of the power conference records are a result like NT of playing a very favorable non-conference schedules. IMO a good winning record is certainly better than the alternative but NT and JJ's success should be based on how they finish in the Belt. This is JJ's best team, no doubt but after six years; NT needs to make some noise in the Belt tournament.

[UNTLifer]

Couple of comments. Anyone who thinks JJ is a better coach than Dan Spika needs help. Spika's team played in the best conference in the nation at the time and was able to compete, while JJ is playing basically .500 ball in the mediocre Belt. Those comparing higher level 20 win teams with NT should recognize that many of the power conference records are a result like NT of playing a very favorable non-conference schedules. IMO a good winning record is certainly better than the alternative but NT and JJ's success should be based on how they finish in the Belt. This is JJ's best team, no doubt but after six years; NT needs to make some noise in the Belt tournament.

Thank you.

[DeepGreen]

From NT athletics site: (interesting)

With one more win this edition of the Mean Green would become only the fifth 20-win team in the school’s history. Currently the 19 wins stands as the most successful season at NT since 1977-78.

The Mean Green will bring the nation’s 30th rated offense into the tournament. It is led not only by Davis but, also the low-post duo of Quincy Williams and Keith Wooden. Williams currently leads the Sun Belt in field goal percentage (56.8), and Wooden is averaging 11 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over his last six outings.

___________________________________________

---This could be interesting unless we shoot ourselves in the foot... our last FIVE losses have been by a total of "eleven points".

We need to get our act together.

Then my question is, who did we play during the '78 - '79 season? Was it Bellhaven, Sister's of the Poor, etc.? Or was it a legitimate 1A schedule?

[CMJ]

Then my question is, who did we play during the '78 - '79 season? Was it Bellhaven, Sister's of the Poor, etc.? Or was it a legitimate 1A schedule?

Honestly I'm not sure...but I dug up Blakely's '75-76 home schedule from a post here last November.

Texas A&I

Tarleton State

Sam Houston State

Arizona State

UTA

Virginia Commonwealth

Austin College

Wisconsin-Parkside

New Orleans

Southwest Louisiana

Trinity

Bradley

West Texas State