Games 17 & 18, 2021-22: Saint Louis (1/20 & 23)

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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by Juice Stand » Thu Dec 30, 2021 6:44 am

So today is Thursday, aka game day, and I haven't heard diddly poo about getting a replacement game for tonight. What a shame. I don't usually say anything, good or bad, about the AD's performance, but two straight cancellations and two straight failures to get a replacement is not a good look. There's a lengthy discussion about attendance in another thread, and not playing games seems like a good way to drive this program into further irrelevancy.

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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Thu Dec 30, 2021 8:47 am

Juice Stand wrote: Thu Dec 30, 2021 6:44 am So today is Thursday, aka game day, and I haven't heard diddly poo about getting a replacement game for tonight. What a shame. I don't usually say anything, good or bad, about the AD's performance, but two straight cancellations and two straight failures to get a replacement is not a good look. There's a lengthy discussion about attendance in another thread, and not playing games seems like a good way to drive this program into further irrelevancy.

I'll put the NJIT replacement at the feet of Bamford and McCall, but there's likely not much they can do about SLU replacement until the A10 gives them some further direction.
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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by Juice Stand » Thu Dec 30, 2021 9:06 am

Didn't George Mason have their Thursday game canceled/postponed only to fill the slot with a game against Kansas? That's pretty good. Bamford and McCall should approach every game like it's 50/50 and have a list of teams as potential replacements. I said it before and I'll say it again, their jobs are to schedule and coach games, respectively. I expect them to try very hard to make that happen. This isn't 2020. We're not being blindsided by this anymore. Prepare for the reality of cancellations and save your season.

Edited to add that we all knew, everybody in the country knew, that coming out of Christmas break there would be huge potential for cancellations. Not being prepared for this possibility before the SLU game is weak, in my opinion. Do not expect the Fordham game to happen. That game is 50/50 in my mind.
Last edited by Juice Stand on Thu Dec 30, 2021 9:09 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Thu Dec 30, 2021 9:08 am

Juice Stand wrote: Thu Dec 30, 2021 9:06 am Didn't George Mason have their Thursday game canceled/postponed only to fill the slot with a game against Kansas? That's pretty good. Bamford and McCall should approach every game like it's 50/50 and have a list of teams as potential replacements. I said it before and I'll say it again, their jobs are to schedule and coach games, respectively. I expect them to try very hard to make that happen. This isn't 2020. We're not being blindsided by this anymore. Prepare for the reality of cancellations and save your season.

If GM did, I certainly take my comment back.
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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by Juice Stand » Thu Dec 30, 2021 9:11 am

I just cracked open the George Mason schedule, and they had tonight's game postponed vs VCU, and are traveling to Lawrence Kansas to play at Kansas on Saturday. That's awesome, I want that.

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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Thu Dec 30, 2021 9:16 am

Got it... ugh.
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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by UMassfan_19 » Thu Dec 30, 2021 10:13 am

We have a game vs Fordham sunday MAson game vs Duquesne was called off before we even found out our Thursday game was canceled

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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by bmc24 » Thu Dec 30, 2021 11:28 am

JoleonLescottsHair wrote: Wed Dec 29, 2021 10:09 pm I really liked Travis Ford, but he was never shy about putting together a weak schedule. Covid protocol seems pretty tailor made to his approach.

Given all this, I really, really hope Bamford is trying to schedule any D1,D2, D3 or NAIA school he can find to get us games. 15 games last season was a complete failure. Do that again and I will join the mouth breathers on this board calling for his head. Just schedule until you can’t. There is no strength of schedule nonsense now. Just play games. If rescheduled games are canceled because of Covid rules we get it. 100%. But not until that point.
What’s the matter with mouth breathing… better than not breathing!

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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by bobolink » Thu Dec 30, 2021 12:20 pm

SLU's OOC schedule this season looks pretty tough, 62nd toughest in the NCAA (UMass is 137). OTOH, they've only played 2 road games: Memphis (very tough) and Boise State (not easy, but winnable and they squeaked out that win). Their last 4 (UAB, Belmont, BC, Auburn) were all solid opponents, all at home, and they only won vs BC. With the postponement we should have conference records to go on by the time we play, which should be around January 18 or 19 (currently the bye week for both UMass and SLU). I say "should" with fingers crossed. Hoping the conference stays alert for possible gamesmanship on postponements/cancellations, although with safety first and medical privacy that may prove impossible.

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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by 69MG » Thu Dec 30, 2021 12:29 pm

^
Hoping the conference stays alert for possible gamesmanship on postponements/cancellations, although with safety first and medical privacy that may prove impossible.
That's my biggest concern. A team (SLU?) has an injured star who is at 60% and a couple of other injuries along with 4 Covid cases. They declare all 7 unable to play leaving them with 6. 2 weeks later their star is at 100% and they are good to go. How does the A10 monitor this?

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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by JoleonLescottsHair » Thu Dec 30, 2021 1:04 pm

Juice Stand wrote: Thu Dec 30, 2021 9:11 am I just cracked open the George Mason schedule, and they had tonight's game postponed vs VCU, and are traveling to Lawrence Kansas to play at Kansas on Saturday. That's awesome, I want that.
GMU were also scheduled to play at Wisconsin as part of a reschedule before UW had to cancel. Somebody at GMU is scrambling to secure games. Impressive.

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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by Juice Stand » Thu Dec 30, 2021 1:45 pm

You call it scrambling, I call it hustling. Either way, it's damn impressive

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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by Quann » Thu Dec 30, 2021 1:47 pm

I don’t how much fault you can give Bamford, it has to suck being an AD right now especially at a school in this area.

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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by devildawg3010 » Thu Dec 30, 2021 3:09 pm

There are a number of D1 basketball programs within a short distance to UMass. Contingency plans should be being made with other schools just in case. Even if it's just ADs on the phone saying yeah we would be open to play if our conference games go awry.

Looking at George Masons schedule they were suppose to play Coppin St. On 12/23, and that got cancelled. So they found #24 Wisc as a replacement for Coppin on 12/23, and that got cancelled. They were supposed to play VCU tonight and that got postponed. So now they are playing #6 Kansas New Years day. Major props to GM for not only finding replacement, but finding top 25 teams to play.

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Re: Game ##, 2021-22: home vs Saint Louis

Post by LS71 » Thu Dec 30, 2021 3:54 pm

^I'm surprised that ADs in the region aren't talking to each other to come up with possible solutions. This is not just a problem for UMass.
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