Step off the ledge

emmitt01 · November 10, 2012

This isnt football. A disciplined, veteran, basketball team...in their house...will do this to you. Especially if you are playing your first game with a new coach, in a new system, with players who havent played together much at all. This game will tell you NOTHING about how good you will be in two weeks, or two months.

We will still beat Lehigh at home.

We will still win the Belt.

We will still win in Hot Springs.

Take a look at what happened nationally. Kentucky squeaked put a win AT HOME against an unranked Maryland. The same UK with the nation's best recruiting class. The same defending national champs.

Breathe. Show up in the pit. This team won't let you down like football did...I know you're afraid to love again but Benford's boys won't hurt you. Give them your heart. It's real love this time.

Edited November 10, 2012 by emmitt01

aprice · November 10, 2012

Also, we should all give a big thank you espn for not picking this game up. That was truly awful

greenminer · November 10, 2012

For everyone disappointed at the thought that this UNT team is not as good as you hoped, I give you this. I took the 2011-2012 Week 18 AP Poll, and looked at every schedule. Every win/loss on their schedule that was 1) greater than 10 points, and 2) against another team on this poll or ranked at the time of said game. Look at the wild that is college basketball!!!

I'm not trying to say our team is going to be fine, or that I'm not disappointed. I thought we could keep this at about 10-15 points. But it is clear we need some shooters to emerge and for JW to stop looking lost on the perimeter or we will lose these types of games.

But bad games can happen to the best of them, even mid and late season! This was game 1! Let us regroup and learn from this. As CBL said in the chat: this is not tape you want to burn like last year's UTA loss. This was a potentially great BlueJay team with many starters back (like us) that have twice as much post season experience as us. There is a lot to take from it.

45: Total games listed

27: Games decided by 15+

7: Games decided by 20+

2: Games decided by 30+

#1Kentucky
vs #7Florida 2/7/2012 W78-58
at #19Florida 3/4/2012 W74-59
vs (8)Iowa ST 3/17/2012 W87-71

#2Syracuse
#3Kansas
vs #3Baylor 1/16/2012 W92-74
vs (1)UNC 3/25/2012 W80-67

#4UNC
vs #20Virgina 2/11/2012 W70-52
at #3Duke 3/3/2012 W88-70
vs (8)Creighton 3/18/2012 W87-73

#5Mizz
vs Notre Dame 11/21/2011 W87-58
vs #18Cal 11/22/2011 92-53
at #22Kansas ST 1/7/2012 L75-59
vs #6Baylor 2/11/2012 W72-57
vs #11Baylor 3/10/2012 W90-75

#6Duke
at #2Ohio ST 11/29/2011 L85-63

#7Ohio State
vs #8Indiana 1/15/2012 W80-63
vs #22Michigan 1/29/2012 W64-49
vs #13Michigan 3/10/2012 W77-55

#8Mich St
vs #1UNC 11/11/2011 L67-55
vs #15Indiana 12/28/2012 W80-65
vs #17Wisconsin 2/16/2012 W69-55

#9Marquette
vs #21Louisville 1/16/2012 W74-63
at Notre Dame 2/4/2012 L76-59

#10Michigan
vs #8Memphis 11/21/2011 W73-61
vs #19Wisconsin 1/8/2012 W59-41

#11Murray State
vs #16MSt Mary's 2/18/2012 W65-51

#12Baylor
vs #10Kansas 2/8/2012 L68-54
vs Iowa ST 2/13/2012 W79-64
vs (1)Kentucky 3/25/2012 L82-70

#13Georgetown
vs #19Notre Dame 2/27/2012 W59-41
at #7Marquette 3/3/2012 L83-69

#14Wisconsin
#15Indiana
at #22Michigan 2/1/2012 L68-56

#16Wichita State
vs #20UNLV 12/4/2011 W89-70
at #15Creighton 2/11/2012 W89-68

#17Florida State
at Mich ST 11/30/2011 L65-49
at #12Florida 12/22/2011 L82-64
vs #3UNC 1/14/2012 W90-57

#18San Diego State
vs (11)NCarST 3/16/2012 L79-65

#19Creighton
#20UNLV
at #16Wisconsin 12/10/2011 L62-51
at #19Illini 12/17/2011 W64-48

#21Temple
#22Florida
vs #16Miss ST 1/28/2012 W69-57

#23ND
at #18Gonzaga 11/30/2011 L73-53
vs #20Indiana 12/17/2011 L69-58
vs #22Pitt 12/27/2011 W72-59
vs #16UConn 1/14/2012 L67-53

#24Gonzaga
vs #13St Marys 2/9/2012 W73-59

#25Iowa State

Edited November 10, 2012 by greenminer

An Aquarian · November 10, 2012

Green Lantern · November 10, 2012

Don't project football dissapointment on to the basketball team. This was NOT an expected win. Get over it.

Comet7745 · November 10, 2012

Embarrassing loss. Regardless of the excuses you can come up with, a loss like this is an embarrassment, especially a team like ours. I'm sure the team realizes this and will start playing real basketball soon. Emmitt, ease up on your predictions there. This team hasn't proven anything yet this season.

There's nothing embarrassing about losing to a highly ranked Creighton team on the road. It's not as if you guys are ranked #2 in the polls, then maybe I could see it as being a little embarrassing, but come on now.

UNTcrazy727 · November 10, 2012

There's nothing embarrassing about losing to a highly ranked Creighton team on the road. It's not as if you guys are ranked #2 in the polls, then maybe I could see it as being a little embarrassing, but come on now.

I think most people here didn't expect a win, but to play as bad as we did is what's embarrassing IMO. Creighton is a great team, but yikes we were bad.

That being said, I only expect us to lose 3 or 4 more games.

emmitt01 · November 10, 2012

I think most people here didn't expect a win, but to play as bad as we did is what's embarrassing IMO. Creighton is a great team, but yikes we were bad.

That being said, I only expect us to lose 3 or 4 more games.

If we only lose 4 more games I'll call this, without question, our best team ever.

St Louis is quality. Lehigh is quality. EVERY team in the Belt will circle us on the calendar. A five loss season would be a dream scenario and would, in my estimation, put us in the tournament with or without a conference tournament title.

Green Mean · November 10, 2012

I would have liked to have seen a closer game and better performance but this NT team is still damn good. Lots of hype, new coach, and a fully healthy team on the court and it could just take a a little bit time to really gel and find their way. I'm not worried.

UNT90 · November 10, 2012

I was kinda afraid of this. Everyone needs to remember that Creighton is a veteran, nationally ranked team with a consensus All-Amerocan.

I had a prior commitment and can only view the game through the box score, so several questions:

Terrible shooting night. Was it just a case of us not able to hit shots, or were we smothered by Creighton's defensive effort? Were we jacking up shots with 1or 2 sec left on the shot clock?

CJ's line was miserable. Was this something Creighton caused or, again, just an off night?

How did Coleman look defensively and on the boards?

Everyone relax. Like everyone else, I would have loved for us to do what USA did, but this is one game and hopefully a hood humility lesson for the boys. Onward to the NIT.

Censored by Laurie · November 10, 2012

I was kinda afraid of this. Everyone needs to remember that Creighton is a veteran, nationally ranked team with a consensus All-Amerocan.

I had a prior commitment and can only view the game through the box score, so several questions:

Terrible shooting night. Was it just a case of us not able to hit shots, or were we smothered by Creighton's defensive effort? Were we jacking up shots with 1or 2 sec left on the shot clock?

CJ's line was miserable. Was this something Creighton caused or, again, just an off night?

How did Coleman look defensively and on the boards?

Everyone relax. Like everyone else, I would have loved for us to do what USA did, but this is one game and hopefully a hood humility lesson for the boys. Onward to the NIT.

Rushed and nervous shooting more than great defense, though Creighton did play much better defensively than I thought they would.

CJ picked up two early fouls, but seemed out of sorts the whole night.

Coleman looked really good for the stretches he played. Would've liked to see a lot more of him.

drex · November 10, 2012

OK, new coach, players who have limited time playing together, top 20 opponent, one all-american, crowd bigger than five of our home crowds together...seems like an easy win to me. Man, our team must be bad. Maybe we can get a mere 20 wins this season.

greenminer · November 11, 2012

If we only lose 4 more games I'll call this, without question, our best team ever.

St Louis is quality. Lehigh is quality. EVERY team in the Belt will circle us on the calendar. A five loss season would be a dream scenario and would, in my estimation, put us in the tournament with or without a conference tournament title.

Purely hypothetical, and this is directed at anyone who cares to respond, what if we lose 4 more OOC game then sweep the Belt. We follow that up with losing in the first round of the Belt tourney. What would our record be and would we deserve a bid?

Edited November 11, 2012 by greenminer

TheTastyGreek · November 11, 2012

Purely hypothetical, and this is directed at anyone who cares to respond, what if we lose 4 more OOC game then sweep the Belt. We follow that up with losing in the first round of the Belt tourney. What would our record be and would we deserve a bid?

The record under that scenario would be 26-6. The first game SBC tournament loss would come to either the 8th or 9th seed.

Best (?) case, the losses would come against Kansas State, St. Louis, Lehigh, and a top seed that was upset in PNIT round one and hosted a consolation pod (either Michigan, Virginia, or Pittsburgh). If none of the top seeds got upset, the "best" 4th OOC loss we could expect would be Lehigh again (the 5th seed in the PNIT pool).

Even if that happens, there would be almost zero possibility of an at-large NCAA bid.

Last year, Middle Tennessee was knocked out by 9th seed Arkansas State in their first SBC tournament game. Their record? 25-6. 3 OOC losses: 27 win NCAA qualifier Belmont, Vanderbilt (wound up a 5 seed in the NCAAs), and a .500 team in UAB. Conference record of 14-2, with the losses coming at Denver (a top 100 RPI team) and at Western Kentucky in the regular season finale (and, as we all painfully recall... WKU made the NCAA tournament last year).

After the one-and-done in Hot Springs, Middle Tennessee was not a serious consideration for an at-large bid, even with an RPI of 56. We wouldn't be, either.

A team in our league can't lose 5 regular season games and hope for an at-large unless we make the tournament semifinals, at least. Probably the finals, and even that is no guarantee... Ask Drexel, which went 27-6... With that 6th loss coming in the Colonial tournament final against VCU, after a last second 3 pointer didn't fall. Drexel lost 3 OOC games (none after the month of November, all to 20+ win teams), and still didn't get the at-large bid.

At large bids are hard. And rare.

EDIT to add: Oral Roberts last year is another good example. 17-1 conference record in the Summit Conference. 4 OOC losses: At West Virginia, at Oklahoma, at Gonzaga... and by one point to UTSA in the 2011 Preseason NIT. They missed 3 of 4 free throws in the final 30 seconds, and UTSA hit a running 3 pointer as time expired to beat them by one point. Their one conference loss was at South Dakota State (27 wins, RPI of 42). They split the season with SDSU, beating them by 22 at home a few weeks earlier.

Oral Roberts finished 27-6 after losing by one point in the Summit tournament semifinals. Final RPI of 48. Anyone here shed any tears or light any candles when they didn't get an at-large bid?

greenminer · November 11, 2012

I've always speculated that low-RPI losses hurt you more than high RPI wins help you.

Thanks for the input, Tasty.

Green P1 · November 13, 2012

JUMP

TheTastyGreek · November 13, 2012

JUMP

Or push someone else off it.

glick1980 · November 13, 2012

I am going to jump with a knife in my hand, stabbing myself in the gut the whole way down...

Edited November 13, 2012 by glick1980

Green P1 · November 13, 2012

I'm going to wait until the next time Tony Benford drives under the new bridge.

Mean Green Fan4Life · November 13, 2012

This season = FAIL

UNT90 · November 13, 2012

WE are a bad shooting basketball team that is poorly coached.

GrandGreen · November 13, 2012

You know the amazing thing, being a long time NT fan, although you always are somewhat optimistic; nothing bad that happens in NT athletics really surprises you. Even with on paper what appeared to be the most talented deepest bb team in NT history; it did not surprise me at all to be blown out at Creighton or being the first team in NIT history to get beat by a Div 2 team.

eulessismore · November 13, 2012

Please, none of you go ANYWHERE near a TRE train tomorrow.

Rudy · November 13, 2012

Please, none of you go ANYWHERE near a TRE train tomorrow.

What about a DART Train?

eulessismore · November 13, 2012

What about a DART Train?

I don't transfer to DART light rail, just walk to the office from the last TRE stop at Union Station. So...I still work in an office with Police and Fire Rescue staff, and know they hate working that kind of thing. So, just think Benford will figure it out before Tony Mitchell's mom rips him a new one.