Game 25: GMU (13-11 / 6-5) at Fordham (11-13 / 4-8) on Sunday, February 20, at 2:30PM.

[gmujim92]

The fact that Fordham had FOUR team fouls in the second half until the last 30 seconds, with as physically as they play defense, was a fooking joke.

That crew did an atrocious job and let Fordham get away with bodying us all over the court, including tackling Ticket after he grabbed a late rebound, then fouled him out on a ticky-tack call 90 feet from the basket 10 seconds later.

Still Mason HAS to find a way to win that one. Fordham without Quesenberry should’ve been a layup.

 

[mkaufman1]

The fact that Fordham had FOUR team fouls in the second half until the last 30 seconds, with as physically as they play defense, was a fooking joke.

That crew did an atrocious job and let Fordham get away with bodying us all over the court, including tackling Ticket after he grabbed a late rebound, then fouled him out on a ticky-tack call 90 feet from the basket 10 seconds later.

Still Mason HAS to find a way to win that one. Fordham without Quesenberry should’ve been a layup.

You have no idea - the bumping flopping and smacking was unreal

 

[FreeGunston12]

The fact that Fordham had FOUR team fouls in the second half until the last 30 seconds, with as physically as they play defense, was a fooking joke.

That crew did an atrocious job and let Fordham get away with bodying us all over the court, including tackling Ticket after he grabbed a late rebound, then fouled him out on a ticky-tack call 90 feet from the basket 10 seconds later.

Still Mason HAS to find a way to win that one. Fordham without Quesenberry should’ve been a layup.

A bit of a homer take. This team as constructed just isn't capable of matching physical play. As skilled as they are, a front court of Schwartz and Oduro isn't exactly imposing.

Games are going to get physical, especially in conference and tournament play. It's time to add some big boys to the roster. Unfortunately, we haven't been linked to very many.

 

[mkaufman1]

A bit of a homer take. This team as constructed just isn't capable of matching physical play. As skilled as they are, a front court of Schwartz and Oduro isn't exactly imposing.

Games are going to get physical, especially in conference and tournament play. It's time to add some big boys to the roster. Unfortunately, we haven't been linked to very many.

I thought Mason also played physical at times, but they also got caught with some hard luck fouls. I think Oduro picked up a silly 4th foul, Gaines had foul trouble. Once you have that, its hard to completely match it.

Otherwise, I see this point too. Fordham wanted a rock fight today, got one, and pulled it out.

 

[gmujim92]

A bit of a homer take. This team as constructed just isn't capable of matching physical play. As skilled as they are, a front court of Schwartz and Oduro isn't exactly imposing.

Games are going to get physical, especially in conference and tournament play. It's time to add some big boys to the roster. Unfortunately, we haven't been linked to very many.

Physical is fine. That was not basketball. Even vcu doesn’t get a home whistle like that. Not sure how you’re supposed to play offense when the opponent mugs you nonstop and they still have two fouls to give with 35 seconds left.

But as I said, we still should’ve won even playing 5 on 8. Everybody other than X was atrocious.

 

[Irish44j]

A bit of a homer take. This team as constructed just isn't capable of matching physical play. As skilled as they are, a front court of Schwartz and Oduro isn't exactly imposing.

Games are going to get physical, especially in conference and tournament play. It's time to add some big boys to the roster. Unfortunately, we haven't been linked to very many.

It feels like half the teams in the A-10 have a big-man "scorer" (i.e. an Oduro-type) but also have a second big man, who often seems to be a 6'10+ eastern european dude, who can just body up when the primary guy taking a breather. On paper, Henry physically looks like he should be able to be that guy for JO, but he just doesn't have the skills or toughness it seems, and can't be counted on to play that position while JO takes a break. And nobody else on the team is big or physical enough to play on the low block.

Maybe KE should give a call to Kiev this evening. Maybe a few 7-footers are looking for someplace else to be. (Not making light of the current terrible situation over there, just saying that since the guy on Fordham's team was from Ukraine, as I recall).

 

[sleeperpick]

A bit of a homer take. This team as constructed just isn't capable of matching physical play. As skilled as they are, a front court of Schwartz and Oduro isn't exactly imposing.

Games are going to get physical, especially in conference and tournament play. It's time to add some big boys to the roster. Unfortunately, we haven't been linked to very many.

It is unreal how much our fans whine about physical play. Our team is entirely too soft. But it’s got to be the refs fault right? Two games this year where the refs just didn’t help us at all and this was not it at all. We are a soft team that got bodied by a bad basketball team that plays hard

 

[JPgmuswim]

Watching todays game has me reconsidering going to the vcu game Wednesday.

 

[JimP]

Watching todays game has me reconsidering going to the vcu game Wednesday.

Motivation to tune in at a season low...2-5 since 4-1 A-10 start.

 

[JPgmuswim]

Motivation to tune in at a season low...2-5 since 4-1 A-10 start.

I’ll be watching just not sure I want to be sitting in a seat amongst vcu fans watching.

 

[Jack Strop]

We fans went through the same crap with OCM at the helm many seasons—seasons when the team was rebuilding or just off. How many times did John Vaughn dribble the ball off his foot on the last possession? (A: Too many!) It was heartbreaking to watch. This game reminded me of the oh-so-many-times Mason lost to W&M and AU... auughghgh! Fordham came to play and caught Mason off-guard. Shouldn't happen, but it did.

Mason still has a shot at the #6 seed. Even if Mason won today @Fordham do you really think the #4 or #5 seeds were still within reach? Of course, a win today would have made that easier. But, like our players have to do, forget about the game just played and focus on the games ahead. Assess the damage, regroup, and prepare for vcu, GW, Davidson, and UMass. There's nothing else they/we can do. Move on...

 

[MasonFanatic]

Oduro being in foul trouble really hurt his ability to be physical on defense (multiple times he was in great position on Ohams but backed off slightly at the last minute), and I wonder if that carried over to being more passive on offense as well? Some of those were weak ticky-tack calls, yes, but you also can't put yourself in those positions, because they do get called a decent percentage of the time.

 

[gmutom]

Oduro being in foul trouble really hurt his ability to be physical on defense (multiple times he was in great position on Ohams but backed off slightly at the last minute), and I wonder if that carried over to being more passive on offense as well? Some of those were weak ticky-tack calls, yes, but you also can't put yourself in those positions, because they do get called a decent percentage of the time.

All four of Oduro’s were careless, unnecessary and good calls by the refs. He needs to be smarter and realize how important he is to this team.

Dumb fouls like charges and tricky-tack reaches either send him to the bench or make him play tentatively like he did most of the game, like you said — especially in the second half when he constantly threw up bad shots and turned the ball over.

He’s a really smart kid who is still learning how good he can really be, so I’m sure he’ll learn from this game.

 

[gmujim92]

All four of Oduro’s were careless, unnecessary and good calls by the refs. He needs to be smarter and realize how important he is to this team.

Dumb fouls like charges and tricky-tack reaches either send him to the bench or make him play tentatively like he did most of the game, like you said — especially in the second half when he constantly threw up bad shots and turned the ball over.

He’s a really smart kid whose still learning how good he can really be, so I’m sure he’ll learn from this game.

Not that it matters now, but Oduro’s second foul was in no way a charge — people keep getting fooled into thinking every time there is contact initiated by the offensive player it must be a charge. By rule the defender has to have established legal guarding position and he wasn’t even close. That call completely changed the complexion of the game.

Again, physical is fine @sleeperpick. But if you’d rather watch Fordham grab and bump for 40 minutes, be my guest. Whatever it is they “play hard” at, it’s not basketball … and if the game was called properly we would’ve been in the double bonus by the 10-minute mark both halves.

Some nerve, I guess, expecting officials not to just make stuff up as they go. These are the hills I choose to die on.

 

[GSII]

Re the reference to OCM days, we didnt have this type of experience on those teams ever.

Would of been nice if Cooper took over the game. But he likes to shoot instead of drive. Is mostly quiet every game. This team needs an Allen Iverson type dude that throws his gloves off and gets dirty. Too much Charmin currently.

 

[JPgmuswim]

I think we played into what Fordham was trying to do yesterday. Having XJ chuck up 14 3 pointers in a game kept us out of an offensive rhythm.

Yesterday was also another game where our bench provided 2 total points to the score.

 

[Petey Buckets]

Not that it matters now, but Oduro’s second foul was in no way a charge — people keep getting fooled into thinking every time there is contact initiated by the offensive player it must be a charge. By rule the defender has to have established legal guarding position and he wasn’t even close. That call completely changed the complexion of the game.

Again, physical is fine @sleeperpick. But if you’d rather watch Fordham grab and bump for 40 minutes, be my guest. Whatever it is they “play hard” at, it’s not basketball … and if the game was called properly we would’ve been in the double bonus by the 10-minute mark both halves.

Some nerve, I guess, expecting officials not to just make stuff up as they go. These are the hills I choose to die on.

Oduro's second foul is called a charge 99% of the time. Tuck it like a football and drop your shoulder in the lane... that's the one situation refs call charges consistently. Just about everything else is a coin flip EXCEPT for Josh's second. The fact that it came one possession after he picked up an iffy touch foul compounded the stupidity. Of all the fouls to complain about that one is kind of unbelievable to me.

Fordham went super big with Ohams and Tsimbila for long stretches, which helped them take Josh out of the game. Theoretically it should have created more opportunity for our other shooters, but not sure what happened since Schwartz never seemed to get going. Just rough and ugly - KE got got by Neptune.

 

[Falco]

We need a PG and rebounders. Fordham has like three chances on one possession.

 

[gmujim92]

Oduro's second foul is called a charge 99% of the time.

That roughly corresponds to college officials’ error rate on block/charge calls so…

 

[sleeperpick]

Not that it matters now, but Oduro’s second foul was in no way a charge — people keep getting fooled into thinking every time there is contact initiated by the offensive player it must be a charge. By rule the defender has to have established legal guarding position and he wasn’t even close. That call completely changed the complexion of the game.

Again, physical is fine @sleeperpick. But if you’d rather watch Fordham grab and bump for 40 minutes, be my guest. Whatever it is they “play hard” at, it’s not basketball … and if the game was called properly we would’ve been in the double bonus by the 10-minute mark both halves.

Some nerve, I guess, expecting officials not to just make stuff up as they go. These are the hills I choose to die on.

I thought you would gripe about the first foul certainly not the second. Seems to be pretty consistent a charge and Oduro has been called for it half a dozen times this year (kind of like a Ticket flop at this point).

I like when bigs bang down low, Oduro does not and you can tell by his game plan. He was complaining to the refs the entire St Louis and St Joes games as well. You can't be the best big in the conference and expect lesser talented teams to not try and punch you in the face. He got punked yesterday but it was far from only his fault. CKE also got punked by Neptune and didn't adjust his game plan which almost assuredly was not watch XJ go for the 3 point record. This is also not the Fordham of old and they too have a 4 star coming in next year.

All this without their second best player is troubling though. We have to do better against bleh teams.