Game 15, 2022-23: at GW (1/7)

[eldonabe]

The last two games have made me very skeptical and confirmed one of my bigger concerns about this team:

Jekyll and Hyde syndrome.

Last night they looked as good as they have all year and one game previously they looked about as bad as they have looked all year. That is not a good thing.

It is a byproduct of being young (as a group playing together) more than anything. It makes for prognosticating - from a gambling standpoint - very difficult at best.

[stevemaz]

Despite my at times ridiculous rantings,which i do for all of you to liven up the board, I think we are jekyl and hyde ish.. Here is to hoping we blossom into a full time Hyde by the end of the season. There is only one really good team in the A10 and that is Dayton and I remain resolute to the thought that UMass could climb to the #2 position. Stay healthy, develope defensive identity, and ride the Fernandes coattails.. He is really good player and as Frank said yesterday, that is better than be a talented player.

[Floyd]

The last two games have made me very skeptical and confirmed one of my bigger concerns about this team:

Jekyll and Hyde syndrome.

Last night they looked as good as they have all year and one game previously they looked about as bad as they have looked all year. That is not a good thing.

It is a byproduct of being young (as a group playing together) more than anything. It makes for prognosticating - from a gambling standpoint - very difficult at best.

Excuses, excuses
Need that fitty dollas back?

Team is growing, Frank made adjustments to lineup last night and it worked. Things are coming around

[eldonabe]

The last two games have made me very skeptical and confirmed one of my bigger concerns about this team:

Jekyll and Hyde syndrome.

Last night they looked as good as they have all year and one game previously they looked about as bad as they have looked all year. That is not a good thing.

It is a byproduct of being young (as a group playing together) more than anything. It makes for prognosticating - from a gambling standpoint - very difficult at best.

Excuses, excuses
Need that fitty dollas back?

Team is growing, Frank made adjustments to lineup last night and it worked. Things are coming around

Umass is on the road here..... let's see what this one looks like before we get too excited. I was honestly worried they may start 0-5 after whatever that mess was in Olean. The Bonnies are not THAT good and they made Umass look like Fordham FFS......

[Plano Minuteman]

Not expecting a W, but would be very disappointed in a missed opportunity for a win in this one.

GW's something like 250th in the country in rebounding margin. Our frontcourt depth issues right now shouldn't be exposed by GW.

I predict it's coming down to the wire and will be a one or two possession game with Bishop or Noah having the final say.

[Floyd]

UMass by 11. Continued progression by Tafara, DD has a big game, and Noah runs the show brilliantly. Renewed energy by this team

[DoctorJ]

Going to be more difficult for DD, with Wildens out he is getting minutes at the 5 slot and fouling at a high rate. Good thing we have frontcourt depth.

[bobolink]

There’s something about the history of this series.
I think of GW as the exceptional A10 team that posted a winning record vs the great Calipari teams of the 1990s, although I’d like to think UMass won the biggest of those games.

Two years ago today, UMass was in DC to play GW. Most of us were looking forward to a game, having missed some in that Covid year. The game was prevented by insurrectionist rioters and our team fled Washington amid threats and reported racial yells. (And I think this board had way more political discussion than ever, perhaps appropriately so for such a seminal event.)

Last year was one of the most disappointing home games of Coach McCall’s tenure and perhaps Noah’s worst games at Mullins. Then in the A10 tournament game last March Noah was dominant. TJ hit one 3 after another and put GW in a deep hole just a few minutes into the game, and Noah made sure that wouldn’t change. His play that you see around the 4-minute mark in the link below could be highlight of the year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auDrFXC7tVM

Time for the first A10 win streak of Coach Martin’s time here. Go UMass!

[eldonabe]

Line looks pretty locked in now at Umass-1.

Despite my previously noted skepticism, I will be laying the point for $50 and my official prediction is Umass by 5.


My reasoning is that I think Noah is that we have the best player on the floor in Noah, and GW sucks on the glass - Umass should win this based on piling up on second chance points. I would go with a much bigger spread at home, but that gym is a dungeon (although not as bad at LaSalle) and strange things tend to happen there.

[MikeUMA]

Umass is on the road here..... let's see what this one looks like before we get too excited.

We have 6 wins outside of the Mullins Center already this season
2-1 in true away games
4-1 at neutral sites (technically Springfield was one of them)

The 6 is already more than in any season under McCall.

I agree that let's not get ahead of ourselves, but what we've seen so far from Frank is certainly encouraging.

[umasscollective]

If you’re planning on going to the game make sure you get your discounted tickets today as the link won’t be available on game day:

https://offer.fevo.com/gw-mbb-vs-massac ... 7c3ecf2%2F

[eldonabe]

Umass is on the road here..... let's see what this one looks like before we get too excited.

We have 6 wins outside of the Mullins Center already this season
2-1 in true away games
4-1 at neutral sites (technically Springfield was one of them)

The 6 is already more than in any season under McCall.

I agree that let's not get ahead of ourselves, but what we've seen so far from Frank is certainly encouraging.

Good points..... I would say that on the road in conference is a little different than a random OOC game. That gym sucks. Early in my career I spent too much time in Foggy Bottom for work training, I was fortunate enough to be there when Umass played GW so I went to the game - this was back in the early 90's as Umass was taking off. It was a decent High School gym at best and it still is.


If Umass shows up and puts down GW in a solid or better fashion, I may up my overall outlook for this team. My definition of "solid or better" is a 10+ point win that they have control over most of the way.

[vanmeter]

Who is my pal the great Maz going with in this game.

[Juice Stand]

There’s something about the history of this series.
I think of GW as the exceptional A10 team that posted a winning record vs the great Calipari teams of the 1990s, although I’d like to think UMass won the biggest of those games.

Two years ago today, UMass was in DC to play GW. Most of us were looking forward to a game, having missed some in that Covid year. The game was prevented by insurrectionist rioters and our team fled Washington amid threats and reported racial yells. (And I think this board had way more political discussion than ever, perhaps appropriately so for such a seminal event.)

Last year was one of the most disappointing home games of Coach McCall’s tenure and perhaps Noah’s worst games at Mullins. Then in the A10 tournament game last March Noah was dominant. TJ hit one 3 after another and put GW in a deep hole just a few minutes into the game, and Noah made sure that wouldn’t change. His play that you see around the 4-minute mark in the link below could be highlight of the year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auDrFXC7tVM

Time for the first A10 win streak of Coach Martin’s time here. Go UMass!

Great notes, and wow what a highlight from Noah. Pure tenacity from him. Prior to that win, we had lost 9 in a row to them.

I'm seeing that this game is on the USA network. Any streaming options that don't require a cable subscription? ESPN+?

[MikeUMA]

I'm seeing that this game is on the USA network. Any streaming options that don't require a cable subscription? ESPN+?

ESPN+ is not an option for this one, as the NBC Universal family owns the rights to it.