YSU - WVU MBB

[mudclods]

Tonight at 6 PM on ESPN+

WVU is a 15.5 point favorite. 

WVU is 10-1 with their only loss to Marquette.  They beat Oakland 60-53 earlier in the season.

WVU is only averaging 69.4 per game, but giving up just 60.5.  They've only given up 70 or more twice this year; once in their loss to Marquette and 77 in a win against Eastern Kentucky.

YSU is 7-0 this year when scoring 70 or more. 

Coach Calhoun said they want to foul them and get them to the line because they aren't a good FT shooting team.  They are averaging just 60.6% and their opponents aren't much better at 61.9%.  YSU meanwhile is at 75.4%.

Also noticed WVU is only shooting 30.4% from 3, which is worse than YSU at 33.5%.

You have to think if YSU can shoot the ball well tonight they'll have a chance.  Need good possessions, minimize turnovers, knock down some 3's and keep them from easy baskets- get them to the line like Coach said.  I think YSU needs a big game from Akuchie and need Cohill and/or Olison to put some points up. 

I always feel like in these games the key is to not get down big early and hang tough to the first media timeout.  Then it always seems like the last few mins of the first half and the first few mins of the second half can determine a game.  If YSU can survive those 3 pieces I think they'll be in the game with under 8 mins to go and that's all you can ask.

[ucfpengbuck]

I believe in moral victories.   Hopefully we're competitive and the boys battle to the end.  Not one guy on our roster would have sniffed a scholarship to WVU  coming out of HS but there are at least 3 that if they were in the transfer portal WVU or similar school would take them.

Limit WVU to one shot and we need the 3 ball to drop to have a chance although you can say that about every game.   Like mud said Akuchie,Olison and Cohill need to have an A game and we need a X factor to emerge .

[mudclods]

I believe in moral victories.   Hopefully we're competitive and the boys battle to the end.  Not one guy on our roster would have sniffed a scholarship to WVU  coming out of HS but there are at least 3 that if they were in the transfer portal WVU or similar school would take them.

Limit WVU to one shot and we need the 3 ball to drop to have a chance although you can say that about every game.   Like mud said Akuchie,Olison and Cohill need to have an A game and we need a X factor to emerge .

Yes I agree.  We'll see YSU stands.  I know some have said they haven't beaten anyone this year, but they are a couple possessions away from being 9-1 basically without their best player and was in the game with PSU late.

Hopefully YSU can keep it a competitive game.  I think YSU can beat the spread, and would love to see it in single digits. 

Shemar needs to step up and have a solid game & hit some 3's and hopefully Shelton could be an X factor.  He's played well of late. 

[Dmorton]

completely unglued in the second half!

[ucfpengbuck]

That was embarrassing.  wanted to a least compete and make a decent showing.

[Dmorton]

Agree! Was hoping to compete!  Two toughies coming up in Michigan!

[guinpen]

Well that was not fun, first game I got to watch this year and I turned it on at half-time.

[mudclods]

Thought YSU was locked in the first half but didn't take advantage of WVU shooting so poorly and missed a lot of good looks.  They could have jumped out to sizable lead, but surely would have taken being down only 1 at the half if you had asked them that before the game.

Losing Shemar didn't help, but the full court press absolutely killed them in the second half.  WVU brought the intensity and couldn't miss in the second half.  YSU looked gassed and couldn't hit anything.  Even in the 2nd half YSU had a lot of wide open 3's they couldn't hit.  Ended the game 5-27 and I don't think many of them were contested. 

To hold WVU to 24 in the first half then give up 58 in the second half is mind blowing. 

Nothing from the keys to victory panned out.  Didn't score 70, turned the ball over (20), couldn't hit 3's and didn't get a big game from Akuchie, Cohill and/or Olison (18 points combined).  Fouling them also didn't pan out as they hit 25-34 for 73.5% well better than their 60.6% average.  And WVU entered the game at just 30.4% from 3 and they hit 46.7%.

Crazy that YSU out-rebounded them 39-32. 

I'd say the big positive is it didn't look like Shemar's injury was that serious as it certainly didn't look good when it happened.

[Penquin68]

Just finished watching the replay of the game. Shemar was walking with a bit of a limp during the 2nd half so hopefully his injury is not too bad. In the 2nd half their full court pressure got us, especially without Shemar and Cohill in the game and the refs not really helping us at all with their pressure and lack of fouls called. But hopefully it will help us get that straight for future games. We got out of any offensive plan with deperation shots most of the time. I know WVU had long fast defenders, but I think it was also panic on our part and missing some key players due to foul trouble and injury. Need to make shots to be in any game and good shooting goes a long way at covering up other areas.  And the foul disparity was obvious and really hurt us. Some of he calls were questionable in my opinion.

I liked the play of Chris Shelton and hopefully he can be a significant part of our player rotation. He is long and can shoot. Miles Hunter and Daniel Ogoro have been up and down offensively so far and maybe he can be a big addition on days those players are not doing much offensively. Our lack of inside players doesn't seeem to hurt us as much as I thought it would. If we can rebound with WVU, we should be competive in the Horizon League.

We will see how we do this weekend at Oakland and Detroit who seem to be fairly good in the league. For us to have hope on the road in the league is different than most years for us.