Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Anything and everything that is UMass Minutemen Basketball.
Worcester_To_Amherst
Senior
Posts: 894
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 1:02 pm

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by Worcester_To_Amherst » Sat Nov 09, 2019 3:32 pm

Tough win. Fairfield seemed like a well coached team and they did a great job moving the ball to beat the press. FTs are going to cost this team a couple games this year unless they figure it out. Lots of potential with this group but they still have a LONG way to go.

Side note for whoever follows Walfish on twitter. Is it just me or does he go out of his way to criticize the team in almost every tweet? I appreciate a non-homer reporting but I’m really missing Matt Vs coverage. Walfish seems to be holding the team to the standard of a veteran squad, doesn’t seem to factor in that they are all new to playing with each other and many of the guys have never played college ball. Going to need a much better effort going forward to have any shot at .500 in OOC.

jrdupe
Junior
Posts: 612
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2005 8:03 am
Location: Western Mass

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by jrdupe » Sat Nov 09, 2019 3:48 pm

any idea why CJ hasn't seen the floor yet? Based on the box scores from the USVI trip, he was one of the leading scorers...based on that I'm surprised he hasn't taken the warmups off yet.

User avatar
Jackson96
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2981
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:28 pm

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by Jackson96 » Sat Nov 09, 2019 4:00 pm

I’m guessing maybe they are thinking about redshirting him to help balance out the classes? Either that or maybe he’s just not as ready as the other guys. Or both.
"I wrote a column and it went national"

User avatar
RageintheCage
Junior
Posts: 281
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2003 9:05 am

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by RageintheCage » Sat Nov 09, 2019 4:28 pm

Really happy to see them stick together and pull this one out after being down. CP will come around and then he and Weeks with East distributing will be a tough matchup for a lot of teams. Great to get another win!

User avatar
Jackson96
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2981
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:28 pm

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by Jackson96 » Sat Nov 09, 2019 4:56 pm

For me the biggest thing is they didn’t play well for much of the game and still won. That and East’s second half. I do think they will miss having Kolton as a second point guard. Clergeot is not a point guard.

Anywho, plenty of things to clean up but much better to do it coming off a win. They will need to play better to beat Northeastern.
"I wrote a column and it went national"

bunkerhill87
Senior
Posts: 957
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2014 10:43 pm

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by bunkerhill87 » Sat Nov 09, 2019 5:34 pm

How can ya not like the guys. East is so steady so far. Not a lot of silly freshmen errors yet. Rebounding an free throws will help them stay ahead. Headed up for next weekend hoop/hockey combo. Looking forward to both games and watching the hoop team get better

User avatar
econalum
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2561
Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2003 10:31 am
Location: Boxborough, MA

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by econalum » Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:30 pm

I say keep playing the frosh, they'll learn and are very athletic. They are a lot more fun to watch than the past 2 seasons.
Feeling entitled is JUST a feeling...

69MG
Hall of Fame
Posts: 12096
Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:07 pm
Location: Western Mass

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by 69MG » Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:31 pm

I was away all day and did not see or hear any of the BB or FB games. Looking at the recaps and box scores:
1. As Al Davis said, "just win, baby". An ugly win is worth more than a valiant loss.
2. Defense will keep you in games. We have held our opponents to 64 and 60. I have not gone back to last year's results, but I'll bet that didn't happen often.
3. Last year, if Carl scored 3 points we probably lost by 20.
4. Sean East looks to be the real deal after 2 games. That's really good news if Kolton is out 4-6 weeks.
5. Statistically, a nice game for Tre. Needs to work on FT shooting however. I'll take 18/7 every game.

I really hope Sy is back for Northeastern. They are very good and we need all hands on deck. Without seeing the game it seems like we let Fairfield set the pace. We only took 50 shots vs. 64 against Lowell. Anyone want to comment on that??

bobolink
Senior
Posts: 896
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2016 10:03 am

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by bobolink » Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:33 pm

UMass scoring: Underclassmen 57, upperclass 5. Rebounds: 25-4; without Sy or Kolton, and you'd have to expect some from them if they could play

At first I thought this road trip was a poor scheduling idea, but it might turn out to be a good idea.

Floyd
Hall of Fame
Posts: 9559
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 8:50 am
Location: Not where I should be

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by Floyd » Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:52 pm

The press isn't perfect yet but it does create a little pressure for teams and runs down the shot clock a bit which is to our advantage. We've gotten a few turnovers, deflections etc as well. Teams will adjust to break it easier so I hope it can be something they can use in spots if thats the case.

Sean East is really stepping into that pg role and looks great. Plays with confidence, under control, dictates the pace, and can create his own points with his craftiness. He's gonna be a good one.

Tre also really impresses me with how well rounded he is as a freshman. Will only get better as he gets stronger. When Sy is back, I think he'll really go off as both are pretty versatile
Time to Win

UMassHoops
Senior
Posts: 1373
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2003 4:20 pm
Location: Northern California

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by UMassHoops » Sat Nov 09, 2019 8:20 pm

uz2b-len wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 3:28 pm I really liked the announcers. They were knowledgeable about basketball and showed a lots of interest in how the game was being played. It wasn't all about Fairfield for them.
At times I thought they were umass announcers. Very professional team and unbiased.

Will take the win although that was pretty ugly it won’t matter in a month it’s just a W.

Not worried about Pierre, he’s had a few Funk’s like this before and came back strong. Most encouraging is East, we have a solid floor leader for the year. Tre has immense potential as a stretch 4 if we got another big next to him, should be a great 2-4 years with him.

Best thing about the press is it gets our guys energized even when broken seems to pick up our pace.

Good win, go UMass!

69MG
Hall of Fame
Posts: 12096
Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:07 pm
Location: Western Mass

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by 69MG » Sat Nov 09, 2019 8:48 pm

Just finished watching the replay on "Watch ESPN". Glad for the win but we have a lot to work on. Fairfield broke the press fairly easily much of the time. I think having Kolton and Sy will make a big difference. 2 more athletic guys with length and quickness. Rebounding is also an issue but Sy can alleviate a lot of that.

I'm so impressed with East after watching this game. Even the Fairfield announcers commented several times about his maturity and poise. Weeks is a sniper. His 3's in the 2nd half turned the game around. He also grabbed 6 boards. I love this freshmen class.

Juice Stand
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2506
Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:37 am
Location: Eastern Ma

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by Juice Stand » Sat Nov 09, 2019 8:52 pm

^ it doesn't sound like we'll have Kolton for a while. Word on the street is a busted wrist, out 6+ weeks. I'm hopeful that Sy will return for the next game. Pairing him with Tre up front will be impressive.

DrG
Senior
Posts: 1978
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2003 11:02 pm
Location: MA

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by DrG » Sat Nov 09, 2019 9:17 pm

We had five freshmen playing big minutes in their first road game and they still won. I'll take that no matter who we were playing. We're only two games in but I am optimistic it will only get better. East could be the first pure PG we have had since Chris Lowe. Chaz was really a combo guard.

User avatar
Jackson96
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2981
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:28 pm

Re: Game 2, 2019-20: at Fairfield (Bridgeport, 11/9)

Post by Jackson96 » Sat Nov 09, 2019 9:23 pm

I disagree about Chaz. I think he was a point guard who could score. He could get his teammates shots but he could also get his own shot...sometimes the balance wasn’t what it needed to be but for the most part it was. He wasn’t a combo guard.

Just my two cents.
"I wrote a column and it went national"

Post Reply