2023-24 Season

[Berkman]

I know it i while before we come down to play Davidson but I went on their site and bought 3 tickets in the section behind the UMass bench. Glad I did because there were only 4 left in that section.

[vanmeter]

Strong defense, low turnovers, not taking bad shots is a good recipe for success

[natwam2547]

If this team could hit 3-4 more 3's a game (along with not having those monumental lapses at the FT line) we'd have very little to bitch about on this board. Imagine that?

[DoctorJ]

If this team could hit 3-4 more 3's a game (along with not having those monumental lapses at the FT line) we'd have very little to bitch about on this board. Imagine that?

We could probably achieve this in a few ways. One would be to get Davis and Foster more minutes, but that could be costly if they are unable to defend. The other is that the guys who currently shoot the three get hot. We shouldn't underestimate Diggins, Keon, and Curry. Ndjigue has been accurate but rarely takes the shot.

Frank has been pretty darn solid at keeping a functional group on the court this year. Other than one game lapses, the guys on the court have been aggressive and found a way to win. I'm enjoying our offense this year, especially when Cohen is hot.

Lasalle post-game Frank mentioned Refusing to Lose. Joked about Cal owning the rights. Sometimes this team shows flashes of an early Cal team. The challenge is different now, of course. Need to retain these young kids. I hope if we keep winning the collective picks up steam and the players bond in a way that leads to higher retention rates. We know this already.

Keep this core healthy.

Wish I knew more about the URI team this year. They were doing terribly for a while and now have a win streak. I'm guessing they got some players eligible and it made a difference. Have not seen them on the court.

[NilesGold]

Defense is vastly improved.

Yes, but their defense isn't even that good, a strength, or what I would call their identity. I think it's their overall physicality, toughness, and resiliency.

UMass is ranked 61 is defensive efficiency and 68 in FG% against. That is not “even that good”? What do you consider “good”?

Their Kenpom Adjusted Defense rank is 109th... the disparity is likely due to strength of schedule. Their offense ranks higher than their defense.

[Floyd]

we'd have very little to bitch about on this board. Imagine that?

Well, there has been bitchfests about things like salt levels on the popcorn or those razor thin white castle burgers at the Bill, so there's always that to go back to if we hit a lull

[InnervisionsUMASS]

LOVE the popcorn. The WC burgers left a bit to be desired...

[Floyd]

I've had gum thicker than one of those burgers

Speaking of the food, seems to be a little better and cheaper this year, no?

[minutefanjsf]

Yes, but their defense isn't even that good, a strength, or what I would call their identity. I think it's their overall physicality, toughness, and resiliency.

UMass is ranked 61 is defensive efficiency and 68 in FG% against. That is not “even that good”? What do you consider “good”?

Their Kenpom Adjusted Defense rank is 109th... the disparity is likely due to strength of schedule. Their offense ranks higher than their defense.

So, again what is your definition of good? You wrote they were not even that good. What metrics are the best?

[NilesGold]

UMass is ranked 61 is defensive efficiency and 68 in FG% against. That is not “even that good”? What do you consider “good”?

Their Kenpom Adjusted Defense rank is 109th... the disparity is likely due to strength of schedule. Their offense ranks higher than their defense.

So, again what is your definition of good? You wrote they were not even that good. What metrics are the best?

"Good" is very subjective. For this year's UMass team, if their adjusted kenpom defensive ranking was top 75, I'd say that would qualify as good.

That being said, even if their defense was ranked higher I might still argue that their identity and what really sets this team apart isn't their defense, but their physicality/toughness/resiliency.

[DanaDingle3]

Their Kenpom Adjusted Defense rank is 109th... the disparity is likely due to strength of schedule. Their offense ranks higher than their defense.

So, again what is your definition of good? You wrote they were not even that good. What metrics are the best?

"Good" is very subjective. For this year's UMass team, if their adjusted kenpom defensive ranking was top 75, I'd say that would qualify as good.

That being said, even if their defense was ranked higher I might still argue that their identity and what really sets this team apart isn't their defense, but their physicality/toughness/resiliency.

Ya, the thing I love about this team is it applies sustained pressure in a number of different ways, fast break offense, offensive rebounding, physical play, denial defense. It grinds down opponents. They're becoming more disciplined offensively, avoiding bad shots. It's a really fun team to root for.

[Juice Stand]

I've had gum thicker than one of those burgers

Speaking of the food, seems to be a little better and cheaper this year, no?

I don't know about cheaper, but better, yes. It has slowly improved over the years. Does anybody remember the horrendous pizza from a few years back? The slices they have now are much better. I recently got a chicken BBQ platter from the stand they have set up and I was pleasantly surprised
That was pretty darn good and an interesting option.

[LS71]

I've had gum thicker than one of those burgers

Speaking of the food, seems to be a little better and cheaper this year, no?

Used to love the Baby Berk truck outside and you could bring their food into the game….great burgers!

The food situation is a result of how the building was built…no real cooking facilities…a renovation needs to be made to the enable better food preparation.

[devildawg3010]

$9 for a slice of cheese pizza. With so many good eats in the area, I'll eat before and sometimes after the game. I'm not paying $72 dollars for a cheese pizza.

[Berkman]

I've had gum thicker than one of those burgers

Speaking of the food, seems to be a little better and cheaper this year, no?

I don't know about cheaper, but better, yes. It has slowly improved over the years. Does anybody remember the horrendous pizza from a few years back? The slices they have now are much better. I recently got a chicken BBQ platter from the stand they have set up and I was pleasantly surprised
That was pretty darn good and an interesting option.

You want to talk about horrendous pizza? Back around 2000 I was visiting relatives in Poland with my kids and we were site seeing in the country. It was around lunchtime and we came upon a bar/restaurant with a pizza sign outside. We went in and ordered a pizza. They brought us a plain pizza and asked us if we wanted ketchup on it. Got to be the worst kind of pizza anywhere in the world.