Missouri State

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DoubleDeuce

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I agree that there was a lot of energy coming from a small crowd later in that game and you could tell the positive impact on the team's effort. Was good to hear the students being loud and rowdy leaving RBA, sounds like they had a good time.
 
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Adunk33

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I've mentioned it a couple of times, but games like this are why a guy like Schmitt was brought in. The Sy did as good as he could, but in a game this physical, you NEED a guy on the bench who can come in and put his body on a guy like Prim. Mostly just to get some rest for the main guy. I'm fine with Prim scoring 30 or whatever he had because they did such a nice job everywhere else. Before the game I was going to comment that Prim is going to eat tonight because the Birds don't have anyone to compete with his size. Looking at the roster, Sy is listed at 230 and Prim at 235....one, probably both of those numbers are wrong.

You could see Sy throughout the game kind of starting to figure out what he needed to do to be successful vs Prim and it cam to fruition in OT. Sy gets the ball on the high block with his back to the basket vs Prim and uses his speed to go around him and throw it down.

Reeves taking over the game down 9 with around 4 to go was so much more than the points he put up during that stretch. He really let the game come to him and made the right decisions when to drive, pull up, or kick out. His pass to Jo in the corner around 35 secs was the biggest play of the game.

Also, shout out to Jo on a great shooting night. He plays with so much effort and its good to see some shots start falling for him.

Now, after big, emotional wins...historically a let down follows. Can't let that happen as one poster pointed out, pretty weak schedule coming up until Wisconsin. Ball State will be an interesting one in a couple weeks, they beat INST by 22. UTSA has some bad losses but plays GCU tonight. One of the big ones coming up is next weekend at Chicago State. Can the Birds win a game on the road against one of the worst teams in the country? We'll see.

Anyway, nice win to start MVC play. Birds return to Valley play 1/2/22 at Valpo.
 
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MadBird

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Lots of good comments and observations. Watched on "TV". Just a couple quick thoughts: I like Schmitt, I'd like to see him get some more PT. He's not physically strong at this point, but he can use his height and he seems to have a sense of what he can do offensively, meaning he can play within himself but still look for some shots. I'm not big on Fleming at this point. Seems a little out of control. He's got some talent, but needs to focus a little more. Maybe searching for his role with Freeman on board now.

Sure makes a whole lot of difference when you make your threes, doesn't it?

You can see why Chatman was highly regarded coming out of HS. And whatever happened to get him on track, thank you thank you.
 
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Phantom

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Really good W. We sure are OT-tested now, and that's far from a bad thing in some ways. This team plays hard and that's where a lot of good things stem from. Gotta find some ways to score other than beyond the arc...can't expect to shoot that well from 3 every night. Would love to see us attack the rim more and get to the line. Much of that is dependent on matchups, but it's something to consider...and even work on in these next few games.

Small but mighty crowd, and nice to see/hear the students finally get into it as well. By the end of that game it sounded like we had 7K in the building. Now when we get that kind of crowd energy when there actually IS 7K in the building, that's how atmosphere & homecourt advantages happen. Just keep playing hard and gutting out wins.
 
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Baltimore Bird

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I was able to watch the game this morning. It is very fun when you know the outcome.
Most/all has already been said. Obviously, making 3's changes everything. We also blocked numerous shots and like the UNCW game, the opponent starts altering their shots as the game progresses. In looking at the comparative scores before the game was played, I thought it would be a very good game which it was. I was thrilled with the result. GO BIRDS!
 
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DoubleDeuce

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Adunk33 said:
Looking at the roster, Sy is listed at 230 and Prim at 235....one, probably both of those numbers are wrong.
Click to expand...
Maybe, but I'm not convinced. The real difference is skill, and that's not a knock on Sy...he's very skilled. Prim is just next level offensively with his ability to score...and flop (NBA caliber flopper).
 
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BirdsEyeView

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That prevent offense by Missouri State down the stretch looked like us from the past few years. Get the lead and literally sit on it until the shot clock reaches 5 seconds. They went static and we were hitting on the other end.

We will take it., obviously!
Going into the game I thought Dana Ford should replace Dan next year. However, Dana has a long way to go with in-game coaching. He can definitely recruit, but needs help with tactical strategy still.

Good win. Should be 9-4 going into Wisconsin game looking at the KenPom rankings of our next 5 opponents...

Jackson St. - #283
Chicago St. - #356
Quincy - D2
Ball St - #250
UTSA - #287

We are now #224
 
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Adunk33

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DoubleDeuce said:
Maybe, but I'm not convinced. The real difference is skill, and that's not a knock on Sy...he's very skilled. Prim is just next level offensively with his ability to score...and flop (NBA caliber flopper).
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I'd put Prim at 240 and Sy around 215, maybe 220. Prim is definitely a more skilled "true 5." He used his size to get in good position near the hoop and had easy layups. If they were really only 5 pounds apart....I'm not sure it happens in that way. Prim is what Krutwig was.
 
SgtHulka

SgtHulka

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we need to work on our passing. Too many passes at the feet or above the head, by the time they catch and recover they are covered

Too many turnovers

It's great to know that we have multiple guys capable of 20+ point games. Will make us much tougher to defend

I'll lay money down that we stay in first place for the next month
 
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DaveBird10

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Game thoughts.
1. I loved that Dan started Schmitt last night. vs some of the other bigs we've played of late Sy has gotten into foul trouble early and we couldn't afford that last night. Schmitt started and you could see he was gaining confidence as the game went on. Can't wait to see Schmitt develop and put some good weight on with protein this off-season in a D1 weight room.

2. The last few games I have mentioned how I like Jo coming off the bench. With Reeves, Freeman and Sy they are going to get their shots and points. It looked early on in the season like Jo was struggling with his shot bc he might not have gotten many and wasn't sure when to in the offense. Coming off the bench he can come in and put up his shots and give us some points when Reeves, Freeman and or Sy is taking a break.

3. I love Kendall Lewis game and what he brings to the team. He's another that needs to stay out of foul trouble and on the court. It was such a huge advantage last night with Lewis guarding Mosley and being able to switch on screens and guys being able to guard anyone. Lewis and Reeves made it hard on Mosley. Then length on defense with Fleming, Strong, Reeves, and Lewis at the guards and forwards spots being able to rotate on defense with that length is fun to watch.

4. As Dan said on WJBC after the game continue to play hard and win and I guarantee you the fans will notice and come to the games, so true. This team is fun to watch and growing with each other, I hope this continues bc nothing beats a rocking Redbird Arena.
 
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Adunk33

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DaveBird10 said:
3. I love Kendall Lewis game and what he brings to the team. He's another that needs to stay out of foul trouble and on the court. It was such a huge advantage last night with Lewis guarding Mosley and being able to switch on screens and guys being able to guard anyone. Lewis and Reeves made it hard on Mosley. Then length on defense with Fleming, Strong, Reeves, and Lewis at the guards and forwards spots being able to rotate on defense with that length is fun to watch.
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People talk a lot about what Kendall brings to the table defensively and he is very good at that, no doubt. I just thought to look at the season stats, Kendall is shooting 53% from 3. If he can consistently hit that, he'll be able to pump fake his defender out of his shoes and get an easy layup/to the free throw line.

Also, the team might be pretty good from the 3 point line. As a team, they're shooting 37% but if you look at the key guys you see much better numbers. Reeves and Freeman at 45%, Strong (who has struggled) at 38%. Sy, Liam and Abdou have tanked the overall %. If you take those three out, that takes the team total to 41.7%, which would make them a top 10 % team in the country. Pretty solid start to the season.
 
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tpskult

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Adunk33 said:
People talk a lot about what Kendall brings to the table defensively and he is very good at that, no doubt. I just thought to look at the season stats, Kendall is shooting 53% from 3. If he can consistently hit that, he'll be able to pump fake his defender out of his shoes and get an easy layup/to the free throw line.

Also, the team might be pretty good from the 3 point line. As a team, they're shooting 37% but if you look at the key guys you see much better numbers. Reeves and Freeman at 45%, Strong (who has struggled) at 38%. Sy, Liam and Abdou have tanked the overall %. If you take those three out, that takes the team total to 41.7%, which would make them a top 10 % team in the country. Pretty solid start to the season.
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In a small sample size it's hard not to just shake your head when Chatman launches from deep.
 
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