Game 17: GMU (10-6 / 2-1) at St. Louis (10-6 / 2-1) on Wednesday, January 11, at 8:00 PM.

[MasonSAE4]

The bottom line is this: this team isn't good. In fact, it isn't even really close to good. Our best player is super streaky and seems to only show up in a big way in games where the rest of the team is desperate to lose for some reason. Cooper has been a net-negative this year. Our star recruit (who had a head start on integrating with the team, might I add) is missing half of his game. Our FT rate is lower than the response rate to the DM's I keep sending Ana de Armas.

This game had every advantage possible. SLU was shooting bricks. Jimmerson McRedneck or whatever the hell his Chuck E. Cheese Band name is was anonymous for most of the game. The other coach got booted with over ten minutes left and handed us four free throws and two possessions. They were in far more egrgious foul trouble than us. And we still lost. Anyone who thinks this team is capable of winning neutral court A10 tourney games right now on Thursday or beyond is nuts.

All that being said, I still plan on going to games and enjoying the ride. I've made peace with the fact that this team isn't destined to do anything and I'll go and support them because I'm not some people on this board who only pop up to bitch. I love Mason basketball and every win from here on out is just gravy.

 

[mkaufman1]

Hoping GMU will get some road wins soon...easier ones are coming up than St. Bonaventure and St.Louis.

Good god I hope so man. I hope they can at least win URI and Loy Chi. Richmond Dayton vcu and GW will be tougher road games, but hopefully at least 1 of that group as well.

I just don't want Mason to finish a game behind 4th place and look back and say "well if only they beat SLU..."

 

[sleeperpick]

Atlantic 10 Stats on Twitter did the math and we are 10-46 on the front end of one and one’s for a staggering 21%. That is almost impossibly bad. So for those saying free throws aren’t the reason we keep losing they most certainly are

 

[Patriotsince81]

Atlantic 10 Stats on Twitter did the math and we are 10-46 on the front end of one and one’s for a staggering 21%. That is almost impossibly bad. So for those saying free throws aren’t the reason we keep losing they most certainly are

Wow!!!!!!!

 

[JimP]

The assistant who took over, Heavy D, he ran some good stuff and kept them level headed at the end. I agree our defense stunk bit it's heck of alot easier to make a free throw than to try and stop Yuri coming at you with the game on the line. We make 4 additional FTs and we win. We win but also see what needs to be fixed. But we win.

I know Kim has said in the past that he doesn't try to over emphasize making free throws, but maybe instead of shooting them at the end of practice, he should also start by having the team shoot them at the beginning of practice to make a subtle point. Or the entire practice.

Perhaps he should start over emphasizing FT's - lol. I cracked up when Polite did a nice job drawing a foul and exclaimed "Damn" and then apparently said "I thought that was going in." It was nice to see him with a smile on his face - nice to see a player having fun out there.

I went from these warm fuzzies to furiously yelling at the tv as he then missed both his free throws.

 

[JimP]

Good god I hope so man. I hope they can at least win URI and Loy Chi. Richmond Dayton vcu and GW will be tougher road games, but hopefully at least 1 of that group as well.

I just don't want Mason to finish a game behind 4th place and look back and say "well if only they beat SLU..."

Yeah, GW is looking tougher than I thought they'd be. Larranaga disciple doing a good job.

 

[sleeperpick]

Yeah, GW is looking tougher than I thought they'd be. Larranaga disciple doing a good job.

Limit Bishop at all and we win by 20. They aren’t good.

 

[Patriot Lawdog]

Part of the reason I'm even more frustrated at this loss is we actually got a fair whistle. If anything, we got more of the breaks than SLU did. The play that sums up our season is being up 5 late in the game and Bailey needlessly leaving a stone cold 3 point shooter. I would bet this was mentioned more than once in TOs, but it just didn't happen. The front end stat is a travishamockery.

 

[mkaufman1]

Limit Bishop at all and we win by 20. They aren’t good.

GW isn't good and probably won't be for a year or two but they will be tough under Caputo. Also, Mason has won in the Smith Center like 2 times ever so you know that one is bound to be another potential heartbreaker.

Yeah, GW is looking tougher than I thought they'd be. Larranaga disciple doing a good job.

Yeah, hes going to have that program corrected at some point in the next year or two for sure.

 

[JimP]

Wow!!!!!!!

Dear God. That's awful. I definitely think free throws are a huge reason for the losses. So many points taken off the board.

I thought someone made a good point last night in saying those last 2 minutes were more about failing to get a stop and lousy shooting/offense though. I fully expected Mason to be shooting free throws up 8 with 2:21, but remarkably, that didn't happen.

 

[dr. gunnie]

Desmond White's mom and sister made the 2+ hour drive to the game last night. Super nice people and very excited about Desmond playing at Mason.

 

[gmujim92]

The bottom line is this: this team isn't good. In fact, it isn't even really close to good. Our best player is super streaky and seems to only show up in a big way in games where the rest of the team is desperate to lose for some reason. Cooper has been a net-negative this year. Our star recruit (who had a head start on integrating with the team, might I add) is missing half of his game. Our FT rate is lower than the response rate to the DM's I keep sending Ana de Armas.

This game had every advantage possible. SLU was shooting bricks. Jimmerson McRedneck or whatever the hell his Chuck E. Cheese Band name is was anonymous for most of the game. The other coach got booted with over ten minutes left and handed us four free throws and two possessions. They were in far more egrgious foul trouble than us. And we still lost. Anyone who thinks this team is capable of winning neutral court A10 tourney games right now on Thursday or beyond is nuts.

All that being said, I still plan on going to games and enjoying the ride. I've made peace with the fact that this team isn't destined to do anything and I'll go and support them because I'm not some people on this board who only pop up to bitch. I love Mason basketball and every win from here on out is just gravy.

We had an 8-point lead with 2 minutes and change left on the road against what is still probably the second-best team in the A-10. I get the frustration over choking the game away, we’re all pissed, but a team that’s not good doesn’t even get in position to win in the first place. We’re honestly pretty damn close to breaking through …

 

[GMU79]

The bottom line is this: this team isn't good. In fact, it isn't even really close to good. Our best player is super streaky and seems to only show up in a big way in games where the rest of the team is desperate to lose for some reason. Cooper has been a net-negative this year. Our star recruit (who had a head start on integrating with the team, might I add) is missing half of his game. Our FT rate is lower than the response rate to the DM's I keep sending Ana de Armas.

This game had every advantage possible. SLU was shooting bricks. Jimmerson McRedneck or whatever the hell his Chuck E. Cheese Band name is was anonymous for most of the game. The other coach got booted with over ten minutes left and handed us four free throws and two possessions. They were in far more egrgious foul trouble than us. And we still lost. Anyone who thinks this team is capable of winning neutral court A10 tourney games right now on Thursday or beyond is nuts.

All that being said, I still plan on going to games and enjoying the ride. I've made peace with the fact that this team isn't destined to do anything and I'll go and support them because I'm not some people on this board who only pop up to bitch. I love Mason basketball and every win from here on out is just gravy.

I agree with everything you said, except of course that reference to me. But that's okay. At least you said it. Kudos.

 

[GMU79]

Hey! Look guys! I got a thumbs up!
So there!

 

[gmubrian]

We had an 8-point lead with 2 minutes and change left on the road against what is still probably the second-best team in the A-10. I get the frustration over choking the game away, we’re all pissed, but a team that’s not good doesn’t even get in position to win in the first place. We’re honestly pretty damn close to breaking through …

You beat me to it. My sentiments exactly. Not a moral victory, but I saw much improvement in that game, and that is what you expect to see. I thought that was the best defense we have playe in a long time, if ever under CKE.

Guys the team works hard on free throws. Our starters shoot mid 80s and above to close to 90 percent in practice.

 

[mkaufman1]

You beat me to it. My sentiments exactly. Not a moral victory, but I saw much improvement in that game, and that is what you expect to see. I thought that was the best defense we have playe in a long time, if ever under CKE.

Guys the team works hard on free throws. Our starters shoot mid 80s and above to close to 90 percent in practice.

Oh no, we aren't going to talk about practice are we.

Not a game but practice?

 

[GSII]

Maybe Kim should bring in some hecklers to yell at the team while they're doing free throws to replicate game situations or at the least some pressure

 

[sleeperpick]

Maybe Kim should bring in some hecklers to yell at the team while they're doing free throws to replicate game situations or at the least some pressure

Josh bricks his free throws at home just like he does away otherwise I would agree with you

 

[GMU79]

Hey! Look guys! I got a thumbs up!
So there!

Too late guys, (tblack, gunnie and verdad, kaufman) thumbs up is already there.
Just can't stand it, can you?

 

[GMUSSTN]

Too late guys, (tblack, gunnie and verdad, kaufman) thumbs up is already there.
Just can't stand it, can you?

Geeze dude get a hold of yourself