Middle Tennessee State (1/25/14)

Andrew · January 26, 2014

please don't ever say we do anything like Syracuse ever again... ever... especially when referring to the thing they do better than anyone in the country...

That is the goal for our defense. Should it not be?

BillySee58 · January 26, 2014

I thought it was only one JUCO guy Ward. The other guard was a freshmen I thought. I could be wrong though..

Two. The other is Deandre Harris, a combo guard from Milwaukee who Benford recruited at Marquette when Harris was in high school. Harris spent last year at Tyler Junior college and averaged something respectable like 12-13 points/game. He is also a 2-guard and is supposed to give us some scoring punch off the bench as well as a consistent 3-point threat (Benford said if he were on our roster right now he'd be our best three point shooter).

He had a weird situation. Something like Tonsilitis forced him to miss the beginning of the year for TJC so his coach told him just to redshirt so he'd be a redshirt sophomore when he gets here, rather than a junior.

Andrew · January 26, 2014

Two. The other is Deandre Harris, a combo guard from Milwaukee who Benford recruited at Marquette when Harris was in high school. Harris spent last year at Tyler Junior college and averaged something respectable like 12-13 points/game. He is also a 2-guard and is supposed to give us some scoring punch off the bench as well as a consistent 3-point threat (Benford said if he were on our roster right now he'd be our best three point shooter).
He had a weird situation. Something like Tonsilitis forced him to miss the beginning of the year for TJC so his coach told him just to redshirt so he'd be a redshirt sophomore when he gets here, rather than a junior.

I was thinking he was out of high school. Well we still have one more scholarship. I was thinking a big man but they are running thin for next season.

UNTFan23 · January 26, 2014

To my knowledge he will not need a red shirt but I could be wrong. That is something Cooley NT03 might be able to answer.

If he started in the fall and can't play because of grades from high school then he has to redshirt otherwise he will have wasted an entire year of eligibility. Your clock starts rolling the moment you step foot in the campus/classroom.

BillySee58 · January 26, 2014

If he started in the fall and can't play because of grades from high school then he has to redshirt otherwise he will have wasted an entire year of eligibility. Your clock starts rolling the moment you step foot in the campus/classroom.

He is redshirting.

Andrew · January 26, 2014

If he started in the fall and can't play because of grades from high school then he has to redshirt otherwise he will have wasted an entire year of eligibility. Your clock starts rolling the moment you step foot in the campus/classroom.

I said I was unsure. Thanks Billysee.

BillySee58 · January 26, 2014

I was thinking he was out of high school. Well we still have one more scholarship. I was thinking a big man but they are running thin for next season.

Big man will be a major priority next recruiting cycle, but we need a point guard more direly. Particularly because CJ needs a backup next year. All the high school big guys are taken so if we add a big guy now we'd be looking at something like another Armani Flannigan type prospect, and no backup point guard for next year.

Gaines and Coleman will be seniors next year so we will definitely need to get some centers. Not to mention our 4s; Colin Voss and Flannigan will be be seniors so we will need to look at adding at least 3 new post players, and at least 2 guys who can play center. Wesley and Combs are both undersized at the 4, so we definitely need some quality height.

Andrew · January 26, 2014

Big man will be a major priority next recruiting cycle, but we need a point guard more direly. Particularly because CJ needs a backup next year. All the high school big guys are taken so if we add a big guy now we'd be looking at something like another Armani Flannigan type prospect, and no backup point guard for next year.
Gaines and Coleman will be seniors next year so we will definitely need to get some centers. Not to mention our 4s; Colin Voss and Flannigan will be be seniors so we will need to look at adding at least 3 new post players, and at least 2 guys who can play center. Wesley and Combs are both undersized at the 4, so we definitely need some quality height.

I think with this last scholarship we have this year we will just have to take the best player we can get. Hopefully PG and Big men will be addressed the following year.

Rudy · January 26, 2014

Please tell me how I know nothing about basketball... Go on...
(Obviously not everything considering we could have won... However they left it out there and it did not work on. I'm not going to try to critique any one play, player or coach. Instead I will just say we let the game get away from us and that is unfortunate. It is pathetic to keep blaming the coach every other post.)

Well you are the one who picked us to win by 14.

BillySee58 · January 26, 2014

I think with this last scholarship we have this year we will just have to take the best player we can get. Hopefully PG and Big men will be addressed the following year.

We will need to recruit both next class regardless. Not getting a point guard with this last spot would be a very dangerous proposition. We'd need 3 shooting guards to rotate in when CJ goes out and would hand over the reins to a guy the year after with no experience running this team.

Although that did work out for us a few years ago when we pulled in CJ. But it would take us getting a prospect like that and we'd need to start winning to get someone like that. Starting a new guy at the 5 in two years would be tough as well, but that's the spot you put yourself in when 7 of your 13 scholarship players are in one class.

Edited January 26, 2014 by BillySee58

Andrew · January 26, 2014

Well you are the one who picked us to win by 14.

And we lost by 7. I was feeling pretty confident in the first half. Middle is very beatable. Come tournament time if we play them I like our chances.

Mean_Green09 · January 26, 2014

That game right there oh man. UNT just straight up had their man hood taken from them. They just gave MTSU all their lunch money and ran for the exit. It was quite laughable.

Oh and by the way when the hell are we going to learn how to defend dribble drive penetration?

I see why we have to go zone so much now. We couldn't stop old man Jenkins with the walker and two knee replacements from driving the ball.

Mean_Green09 · January 26, 2014

And we lost by 7. I was feeling pretty confident in the first half. Middle is very beatable. Come tournament time if we play them I like our chances.

They are better than us. Wasn't hard to see that tonight. You could see even in the first half. I knew we would struggle to maintain a lead and the hot shooting against them.

MeanMag · January 26, 2014

Where did Benford miss a shot, turn over the ball! miss a rebound? Where... He did exactly what any other coach would have done. The game just did not come together. Defense fell apart there at the end of the first half. We also kept taking the same shots near the end of the second half. That guy knew where we were taking the ball and stepped up and blocked the shot. It's fine. The team will get better. Players and coach did everything they could. Middle is not very good though...

You are right, the coach did everything he knew how to do. Stomped his feet, flailed his arms, and pointed at guys on the bench to get them into the game. It is possible to over-coach. He's always trying to outsmart the other team with match-ups. Sometimes you have to let your players adjust on the court and fight their way out of things.

Andrew · January 26, 2014

You are right, the coach did everything he knew how to do. Stomped his feet, flailed his arms, and pointed at guys on the bench to get them into the game. It is possible to over-coach. He's always trying to outsmart the other team with match-ups. Sometimes you have to let your players adjust on the court and fight their way out of things.

Actually he did a lot less of that then Kermit did....

MeanMag · January 26, 2014

Actually he did a lot less of that then Kermit did....

Right again. My guest at the game said that if there was a white version of Tony Benford, it would be Kermit Davis.

Ben Gooding · January 26, 2014

Ding ding ding!!!! Benford, I hope you read these. Quit substituting. Your best 5 need to average 36 minutes. You substitute for situational purposes and rest. BASKETBALL IS NOT HOCKEY, QUIT DOING MASS SUBSTITUTIONS!! Play makers make plays, quit expecting starter production from bench players!!!

BillySee58 · January 26, 2014

Right again. My guest at the game said that if there was a white version of Tony Benford, it would be Kermit Davis.

Kermit sure handles us everytime we play, though. We haven't beaten them since 09. Anytime we play against Kermit, he makes sure we know first hand that it's not easy being green.

Sorry. I'm sure that joke has been made too many times on here.

Andrew · January 26, 2014

Ding ding ding!!!! Benford, I hope you read these. Quit substituting. Your best 5 need to average 36 minutes. You substitute for situational purposes and rest. BASKETBALL IS NOT HOCKEY, QUIT DOING MASS SUBSTITUTIONS!! Play makers make plays, quit expecting starter production from bench players!!!

There are few in any teams in CUSA who's players average those minutes. Our players minutes per game are actually on par with the league. I do agree Benford subs a lot however take a look on espn... They are comparable. LA techs best player averages 28 minutes a game. Southern miss has one guy at 32 but the rest are 26 or under. Middle is in the same boat. Alzee averages 29 and our starters hover around 24 to 26. Again similar to other teams in the conference.

Edited January 26, 2014 by Andrew

Andrew · January 26, 2014

Kermit sure handles us everytime we play, though. We haven't beaten them since 09. Anytime we play against Kermit, he makes sure we know first hand that it's not easy being green.
Sorry. I'm sure that joke has been made too many times on here.

He got under my skin with the bench warning. He was trying to throw off Chris at the line and it worked. CJ had to wait to shoot. Well played Kermit... Well played...

Mean_Green09 · January 26, 2014

Ding ding ding!!!! Benford, I hope you read these. Quit substituting. Your best 5 need to average 36 minutes. You substitute for situational purposes and rest. BASKETBALL IS NOT HOCKEY, QUIT DOING MASS SUBSTITUTIONS!! Play makers make plays, quit expecting starter production from bench players!!!

We don't have a best 5. His substitution pattern didn't lose the game either.

Andrew · January 26, 2014

Ding ding ding!!!! Benford, I hope you read these. Quit substituting. Your best 5 need to average 36 minutes. You substitute for situational purposes and rest. BASKETBALL IS NOT HOCKEY, QUIT DOING MASS SUBSTITUTIONS!! Play makers make plays, quit expecting starter production from bench players!!!

We are also a very deep team. Outside of Armani, Walton and Colman anyone on this team could start on a lot of teams in CUSA.

Mean_Green09 · January 26, 2014

Kermit sure handles us everytime we play, though. We haven't beaten them since 09. Anytime we play against Kermit, he makes sure we know first hand that it's not easy being green.
Sorry. I'm sure that joke has been made too many times on here.

His team certainly was the aggressor and the more physically imposing team tonight

Andrew · January 26, 2014

There are few in any teams in CUSA who's players average those minutes. Our players minutes per game are actually on par with the league. I do agree Benford subs a lot however take a look on espn... They are comparable. LA techs best player averages 28 minutes a game. Southern miss has one guy at 32 but the rest are 26 or under. Middle is in the same boat. Alzee averages 29 and our starters hover around 24 to 26. Again similar to other teams in the conference.

Check the numbers. For a deep team they match up. Sure a team like ODU plays less guys (8), but we are consistent (almost) with most teams. I also think the minutes will change. Benford has found his starting 5 and I am happy with that.

MeanMag · January 26, 2014

Check the numbers. For a deep team they match up. Sure a team like ODU plays less guys (8), but we are consistent (almost) with most teams. I also think the minutes will change. Benford has found his starting 5 and I am happy with that.

5+5 = 10

2+2+2+2+2 = 10

I think we've been over this before. Those numbers do not prove/disprove sub patterns. They only prove aggregate minutes played. With every game being being maxed 40 minutes barring overtime, you would expect when comparing player for player that they would come out close. Sub Patterns would have to be looked at on an individual sub event basis and then compared. Unfortunately, there isn't a source for that data to point to.

I am also happy that Benford has found a starting 5. It only took more than half a season.