Opening Week (Non-UConn) Game Thread | Page 4 | The Boneyard

Opening Week (Non-UConn) Game Thread

Auburn struggling a bit with Louisiana-Monroe. Auburn up 4 with 14 minutes left in the game.
 
Marquette in a battle with New Hampshire. Marquette led 2-0 and then didn't retake the lead until about 1:30 left in the first half. Right now they're down 2 in the 2nd half.

EDIT: Marquette escapes
 
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A&M with a big 3 to beat Abilene Christian by 1 in 2OT
 
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Yale/Seton Hall is gonna be fun. I was at the UMass game tonight with @elmcityboy and I thought Yale looked pretty good. UMass did not look good at all, but they did have a lot of fans in New Haven.
 
Nova is getting good looks just can’t get anything to fall early.
 
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what a great game so far at Westwood. It's going to OT

Nova had a nice 7 pt lead late in the game but let the Bruins come back
 
Nova should've won that game, Gillespie really disappeared down the stretch.
 
It's not a vintage Nova team. There's no Hart, Brunson, DiVincenzo, Bridges etc. talent on this team. It's your typical Nova team in terms of how they play. Ball control, guys backing down into the paint and kicking it out to shooters but I don't see NBA talent on this team. They are small and as of now they aren't going to the bench. UConn will definitely have an athleticism and size advantage and Sanogo should be able to do what he wants down low. Nova will be really tough just because Jay Wright is such a great coach and they are a veteran team.
 
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Takeaways from that game. Don't guard Gillespie with your PG. Hide your PG on Slater (that's who UCLA had Tyger guarding in the 2H). Put someone longer and bigger on Gillespie. Stay home on shooters even if Nova is posting up deep. Attack Nova's green and tired center Dixon every time they switch him onto your ball handler. Get Moore or Samuels into foul trouble.
 
auror said:
Takeaways from that game. Don't guard Gillespie with your PG. Hide your PG on Slater (that's who UCLA had Tyger guarding in the 2H). Put someone longer and bigger on Gillespie. Stay home on shooters even if Nova is posting up deep. Attack Nova's green and tired center Dixon every time they switch him onto your ball handler. Get Moore or Samuels into foul trouble.
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And let Gillespie shoot driving open layups, lol.
 
Hey Adrien! said:
Here's my Saturday and Sunday Viewing Preview. Between my sister's birthday and a quinceanera, my Saturday is pretty booked, so please enjoy these matchups on my behalf:

Saturday Morning Coffee Game, 11:30 PM Friday: Villanova @ UCLA - ESPN2

Cronin’s defense against The Suit’s beautiful offense…get your popcorn ready (or Corn Pops, for morning watchers like myself).

12 PM:

Coppin State @ UConn - FS2: Fun reminder…Coppin State’s coach is Juan Dixon.

1 PM:

Harvard @ Iona - ESPN3: It was a ton of fun watching a live game in New Rochelle on Thursday! A “palpable buzz” w/ Pitino at the helm as he had the loudest applause during pre-game lineup announcements, even from the student section.

SMU grad transfer Tyson Jolly (19 points in debut)` immediately jumps in as their heart-and-soul leader as a physical lead guard while their three-man front court trio of Nelly Junior Joseph (big low post bruiser) and their stretch bigs Quinn Slazinski (Louisville transfer) and Dylan van Eyck will make Iona a force in the MAAC.

Harvard is more of an unknown after a year off from Covid, but they’ve been a top Ivy team since Amaker has taken over. Boiling the matchup down to coaches: Pitino vs Amaker is a hell of a mid-major matchup. Definitely should be a good game and a worthy watch after the UConn game.

2 PM

Colgate @ NC State - ESPN+: Upset alert: Four starters return from last year’s Colgate team, led by first team Patriot Leaguers Nelly Cummings and Tucker Richardson. NC State returns a meh offensive tea, and their elite rim protector, Manny Bates (2.7 bpg) is out for the year. I’m checking the spread on this one.

4 PM

Saint Peter’s @ St. John’s - FS2: This is going to be a fun game w/ two tenacious defensive teams. Saint Peter’s KD Ndefo is arguably one of the best defensive players in the country averaging 1.4 steals and 3.6 blocks last season. Posh is a punishing defensive bully, but Saint Peter’s doesn’t have that “one guy” for Posh to glue himself to. I’m checking the spread on this one.

7 PM:

Eastern Kentucky @ Milwaukee - ESPN+: EKU is one of the fastest teams in the country and Milwaukee has Patrick Baldwin, so definitely an interesting mid-major match-up.

Ohio @ Cleveland State - ESPN+: Ohio started the season w/ a big win over Belmont. Cleveland State coach Dennis Gates has a bright high-major future, but right now in the present, he’s coaching an old team w/ eight seniors/grads in his rotation.

9 PM:

Boise State @ UC Irvine - ESPN+: One of the best MWC teams vs the best team in the Big West. The do-everything Kevin Durant clone Derrick Alston graduated, but Boise State boasts a strong trio of senior/grad wings in Abu Kigab, Devonaire Doutrive and Emmanual Akot, all three former Pac-12 players.

UC Irvine runs through 6’9 senior Collin Welp, a mid-range technician. Caron’s son, JC, is a rotation guy and potential starter.

10:30 PM:

Texas @ Gonzaga - ESPN2: This will be my “Sunday Morning Coffee” game before yard work. The amount of talent in the front court is insane: Timme, Holmgren, Mitchell, Disu, Bishop…

SUNDAY:

Noon:

Yale @ Seton Hall - FS1: Potentially an interesting game, but even though Yale should be one of, if not, the best team in the Ivy, I’m not confident they will be gelled together after a year off. Greenwich’s Jack Molloy is a big part of Yale’s future and will be an interesting prospect to see develop

1 PM:

Florida State @ Florida - ESPN: Great opening weekend in-state game. Leonard Hamilton is one of my favorite coaches and it seems like he’s never rebuilding, just retooling. Houston transfer Caleb Mills will be a big scoring boost while the top-30 freshman wing duo of Matthew Cleveland and Jalen Warley will be exciting to see how they fit in Hamilton’s system.

Florida won the Myreon Jones sweepstakes and are a team mostly built by transfers. I don’t think he’s playing Sunday, but I wish Keyontae Johnson a speedy recovery. Hope to see him on the court soon.

3 PM:

South Dakota State @ Stephen F. Austin- ESPN+: Very good mid-major matchup. South Dakota State is arguably the top team in the Summit, returning FIVE double-digit scorers, three of which averaged 15+ last season. SDSU has good size too: their starting lineup clocks in at 6’4, 6’4, 6’6, 6’7 and 6’8.

SFA, the former Southland stud, is entering its first year in the WAC and should be a top-tier team thanks to three of their best players returning for a fifth year. Gavin Kensmil is their stud, a 6’7 260 monster in the post. SFA is known for two things: causing turnovers (3rd in nation last year) and offensive rebounding (7th in nation).
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Love your write-ups, thanks!
 
Jay-Bone said:
Love your write-ups, thanks!
Expand ...
Thanks! I figured it was too much too early, so here's a preview of some of the best games today.

Saturday Morning Coffee Game, 11:30 PM Friday: Villanova @ UCLA - ESPN2

12 PM:

Coppin State @ UConn - FS2: Fun reminder…Coppin State’s coach is Juan Dixon.

1 PM:

Harvard @ Iona - ESPN3: It was a ton of fun watching a live game in New Rochelle on Thursday! A “palpable buzz” w/ Pitino at the helm as he had the loudest applause during pre-game lineup announcements, even from the student section.

SMU grad transfer Tyson Jolly (19 points in debut)` immediately jumps in as their heart-and-soul leader as a physical lead guard while their three-man front court trio of Nelly Junior Joseph (big low post bruiser) and their stretch bigs Quinn Slazinski (Louisville transfer) and Dylan van Eyck will make Iona a force in the MAAC.

Harvard is more of an unknown after a year off from Covid, but they’ve been a top Ivy team since Amaker has taken over. Boiling the matchup down to coaches: Pitino vs Amaker is a hell of a mid-major matchup. Definitely should be a good game and a worthy watch after the UConn game.

2 PM

Colgate @ NC State - ESPN+: Upset alert: Four starters return from last year’s Colgate team, led by first team Patriot Leaguers Nelly Cummings and Tucker Richardson. NC State returns a meh offensive tea, and their elite rim protector, Manny Bates (2.7 bpg) is out for the year. I’m checking the spread on this one.

4 PM

Saint Peter’s @ St. John’s - FS2: This is going to be a fun game w/ two tenacious defensive teams. Saint Peter’s KD Ndefo is arguably one of the best defensive players in the country averaging 1.4 steals and 3.6 blocks last season. Posh is a punishing defensive bully, but Saint Peter’s doesn’t have that “one guy” for Posh to glue himself to. I’m checking the spread on this one.

7 PM:

Eastern Kentucky @ Milwaukee - ESPN+: EKU is one of the fastest teams in the country and Milwaukee has Patrick Baldwin, so definitely an interesting mid-major match-up.

Ohio @ Cleveland State - ESPN+: Ohio started the season w/ a big win over Belmont. Cleveland State coach Dennis Gates has a bright high-major future, but right now in the present, he’s coaching an old team w/ eight seniors/grads in his rotation.

9 PM:

Boise State @ UC Irvine - ESPN+: One of the best MWC teams vs the best team in the Big West. The do-everything Kevin Durant clone Derrick Alston graduated, but Boise State boasts a strong trio of senior/grad wings in Abu Kigab, Devonaire Doutrive and Emmanual Akot, all three former Pac-12 players.

UC Irvine runs through 6’9 senior Collin Welp, a mid-range technician. Caron’s son, JC, is a rotation guy and potential starter.

10:30 PM:

Texas @ Gonzaga - ESPN2: This will be my “Sunday Morning Coffee” game before yard work. The amount of talent in the front court is insane: Timme, Holmgren, Mitchell, Disu, Bishop…
 
Mixed feelings about Villanova.

On the one hand, they played an impressive game in a hostile environment versus an elite team (UCLA). Should have won the game. Tough, veteran players that can shoot and post-up.

On the other hand, some concerns:

-Lack of size,
-Lack of elite athleticism / future pro,
-Lack of depth (only 6 guys played real minutes). But I'll give Jay Wright time on this one. Bryan Antoine is recovering from injury. Antoine would have helped a lot in this matchup. And Wright may work his young players into the rotation as the season progresses.

Overall, Nova represented the Big East well. Too bad they couldn't close the deal. Nova will be a tough out for anyone, but several other BE teams should challenge them.
 
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