UNCG 52 - NC State 79
News & Record
News & Observer
UNCG
NC State
A 16-4 run after the halftime took what had been a competitive game and turned into a rout. UNCG whittled down a 17 point Wolfpack lead down to 11 by the half, but got no closer. Courtney Fells had 22 points and Ben McCauley had a double-double (17 pts and 15 rebs) for NC State. Damian Eargle scored 10 fro UNCG.
The Good:
- Kendall Toney - If NC State were on the team on UNCG's schedule, Kendall Toney would go down as the greatest player ever at UNCG. Toney led UNCG in points (16) and rebounds (8). After not playing particularly well in his first three games this season, maybe this will get Kendall going and playing with a high level of confidence.
- Turnovers - After turning the ball over a ton in the first 3 games (20+), UNCG limited it's turnovers to 13. However, 4 of them came in the second half spurt that knocked the Spartans out.
The Bad:
- "Paging Landon Clement" - UNCG could really use the version of you that came out firing to start the year.
- Assists - UNCG had 8, compared to NC State's 22. Part of this is based on the fact that NC State made more baskets. However, part of it is that UNCG's offense doesn't look good at all .. all leading back to the point guard issues that have been plaguing the team.
The Ugly:
- UNCG's record falls to 1-3 for the year. That's not completely unexpected. 2-2 would be better, but the team has played 3 road games and 1 home game. This team is young. Young teams tend to struggle on the road. But a 27-point loss to an ACC team that isn't supposed to be a great team hurts. If this NC State team beats Davidson next weekend, then this doesn't look quite as ugly. However, I really wish the Spartans would have been more competitive.
Other blog recaps:
Section Six
850 the Buzz
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
UNCG (1-2) @ NC State (3-0)
When: Sunday, Nov. 30 2 pm
Where: RBC Center (19,722)
TV: None/ACC Select
NC State Athletics
NC State Forum
NC State Blog - Section Six
NC State Blog - State Fans Nation
Spartan Notes:
- UNCG is coming off a 73-60 loss at Central Arkansas on Saturday. Mikko Koivisto scored 24 points and Ben Stywall had 8 rebounds. It was the third straight game for UNCG with 20+ turnovers. Also, UNCG shot just 50% (12-24) from the free throw line. Landon Clement was held scoreless.
- Mikko Koivisto leads UNCG in scoring (18.0 points) and assists (3.0). Ben Stywall leads the team in rebounding (8.3).
- On the year, UNCG is shooting 41.6% from the field, 36.7% from 3 point range and 60.6 % from the free throw line. The Spartans are averaging an amazing 23.7 turnovers a game.
- In their last meeting, NC State defeated the Spartans in overtime (95-93). The game took place on January 2, 2007. Kyle Hines led UNCG with 27 points as the Spartans hit a school record 18 three pointers. Ben McCauley led the Wolfpack with 26 points.
Wolfpack Notes:
- The Wolfpack crushed Winthrop 74-48 in their last outing. NC State was led by Ben McCauley (15 pts and 11 rebs) but had three other players in double figures.
- NC State lost 2 starters from last years squad ... JJ Hickson (declared for the draft) and Gavin Grant (graduation). Grant hit a three pointer 2 years ago to send the game against the Spartans into overtime.
- There are 3 Wolfpack players averaging in double figures ... Ben McCauley(14.7) , Courtney Fells (14.0) and Brandon Costner (13.3). Costner (7.7) and McCauley (7.3) are the leading rebounders.
-On the year NC State is shooting 44.5% from the field, 34.5% from 3 point range and 74.6% from the free throw line. They are averaging a meager 9.7 turnovers a game and have 5 players with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio.
My Thoughts:
NC State lost a lot of "star power" when JJ Hickson left for the NBA. However, they have a lot a quality players returning. The Wolfpack big men have some interesting skill sets. Ben McCauley is a tremendous passer with a knack for find open shooters. Brandon Costner can shoot from all over the court. Reserve F/C Tracy Smith is the closest thing NC State has to a traditional low post player.
Where: RBC Center (19,722)
TV: None/ACC Select
NC State Athletics
NC State Forum
NC State Blog - Section Six
NC State Blog - State Fans Nation
Spartan Notes:
- UNCG is coming off a 73-60 loss at Central Arkansas on Saturday. Mikko Koivisto scored 24 points and Ben Stywall had 8 rebounds. It was the third straight game for UNCG with 20+ turnovers. Also, UNCG shot just 50% (12-24) from the free throw line. Landon Clement was held scoreless.
- Mikko Koivisto leads UNCG in scoring (18.0 points) and assists (3.0). Ben Stywall leads the team in rebounding (8.3).
- On the year, UNCG is shooting 41.6% from the field, 36.7% from 3 point range and 60.6 % from the free throw line. The Spartans are averaging an amazing 23.7 turnovers a game.
- In their last meeting, NC State defeated the Spartans in overtime (95-93). The game took place on January 2, 2007. Kyle Hines led UNCG with 27 points as the Spartans hit a school record 18 three pointers. Ben McCauley led the Wolfpack with 26 points.
Wolfpack Notes:
- The Wolfpack crushed Winthrop 74-48 in their last outing. NC State was led by Ben McCauley (15 pts and 11 rebs) but had three other players in double figures.
- NC State lost 2 starters from last years squad ... JJ Hickson (declared for the draft) and Gavin Grant (graduation). Grant hit a three pointer 2 years ago to send the game against the Spartans into overtime.
- There are 3 Wolfpack players averaging in double figures ... Ben McCauley(14.7) , Courtney Fells (14.0) and Brandon Costner (13.3). Costner (7.7) and McCauley (7.3) are the leading rebounders.
-On the year NC State is shooting 44.5% from the field, 34.5% from 3 point range and 74.6% from the free throw line. They are averaging a meager 9.7 turnovers a game and have 5 players with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio.
My Thoughts:
NC State lost a lot of "star power" when JJ Hickson left for the NBA. However, they have a lot a quality players returning. The Wolfpack big men have some interesting skill sets. Ben McCauley is a tremendous passer with a knack for find open shooters. Brandon Costner can shoot from all over the court. Reserve F/C Tracy Smith is the closest thing NC State has to a traditional low post player.
NC State's "lock down" defender, Courtney Fells, will probably stay with Mikko the entire game. Fells' size (6'4") and athleticism tend to bother most guards that he's called upon to shut down. Hopefully Mikko's size (6'4") will keep that from being a problem.
The one area where NC State is thin is at PG. Reserve PG Farnold Degand is re-injured after returning from a season ending ACL tear last season. Unfortunately, UNCG's troubles at this position are also well documented. It might be to the Spartans advantage to play a more controlled pace b/c none of the guards seem to value the basketball.
I do think that this will be the first time this season that UNCG can play lineups without worrying about size match ups. Mikko, Ben, Kendall and Landon can all be on the court at the same time against most NC State lineup combos.
NC State is not a particularly tall team and is not known (lately) for its rebounding. UNCG will need to do well in rebounding in order to stay competitive. Also, the Spartans must limit their turnovers or this game could get ugly in a hurry.
In the end, the Spartans need to play well and gain some confidence. A win is not exactly necessary, but they do need to stay in the game to feel like they can compete on the road. Three years ago, the Spartans were hammered in back-to-back games against @NC State and @Duke and a promising season spiraled out of control. UNCG needs to avoid a similar outcome.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The rest of the OOC schedule
Just figured I'd put up some info on the other 6 of UNCG's out-of-conference opponents. These are current as I write this post. I'll try to update it every few days. So, check back often. All of my RPI numbers come from RealtimeRPI.
*Red - Where they were when UNCG lost to them.
*Green - Where they were when UNCG defeated them.
NC State (3-0)
Current RPI: 227
Wins: @ New Orleans, High Point, Winthrop.
Losses: None.
East Carolina (7-1)
Current RPI: 126
Wins: Coker, St. Andrews, Campbell, VCU, @Winthrop, @UNCW, Limestone.
Losses: George Mason.
Kent St (4-5)
Current RPI: 216
Wins: NC Central, St. Louis, UNCW, Youngstown St.
Losses: Illinois, Texas A&M, @Kansas, St. Mary's, Western Carolina.
Dayton (9-1)
Current RPI: 36
Wins: Wofford, Deleware St, Bethune-Cookman, Mercer, Auburn, Marquette, Troy St., @Akron, Coppin State.
Losses: @Creighton.
Akron (7-4)
Current RPI: 102
Wins: Canisius, Winthrop, Urbana, @Niagra, @Fairleigh Dickinson, NC A&T St. Francis (NY).
Losses: @ Pitt, Eastern Kentucky, Dayton, @VCU.
Princeton (2-8)
Current RPI: 323
Wins: @ Army, @Fordham.
Losses: Maine, Central Michigan, South Carolina, @St. Bonnie, Rutgers, Manhattan, Central Conn State, Lafayette.
Last updated: 12/30/08
*Red - Where they were when UNCG lost to them.
*Green - Where they were when UNCG defeated them.
NC State (3-0)
Current RPI: 227
Wins: @ New Orleans, High Point, Winthrop.
Losses: None.
East Carolina (7-1)
Current RPI: 126
Wins: Coker, St. Andrews, Campbell, VCU, @Winthrop, @UNCW, Limestone.
Losses: George Mason.
Kent St (4-5)
Current RPI: 216
Wins: NC Central, St. Louis, UNCW, Youngstown St.
Losses: Illinois, Texas A&M, @Kansas, St. Mary's, Western Carolina.
Dayton (9-1)
Current RPI: 36
Wins: Wofford, Deleware St, Bethune-Cookman, Mercer, Auburn, Marquette, Troy St., @Akron, Coppin State.
Losses: @Creighton.
Akron (7-4)
Current RPI: 102
Wins: Canisius, Winthrop, Urbana, @Niagra, @Fairleigh Dickinson, NC A&T St. Francis (NY).
Losses: @ Pitt, Eastern Kentucky, Dayton, @VCU.
Princeton (2-8)
Current RPI: 323
Wins: @ Army, @Fordham.
Losses: Maine, Central Michigan, South Carolina, @St. Bonnie, Rutgers, Manhattan, Central Conn State, Lafayette.
Last updated: 12/30/08
Monday, November 24, 2008
Well, that certainly wasn't pleasant
UNCG 60 - Central Arkansas 73
News & Record
UNCG
Central Arkansas
I've given myself a couple of days to think about this game and it's still really bad. UNCG was thoroughly beaten (don't let the score fool you) by a program that was transitioning to D1. Even "Baghdad Bob" couldn't spin this train wreck.
The Good:
- No comment - I'm sure I could find some moral victory things to put here. Things like: UNCG outrebounded UCA (34 to 30), or Mikko Koivisto scored in double figures (24 pts) for the third straight game. But I choose to highlight nothing.
The Bad:
- I had to listen to this game on the Central Arkansas radio network via WUAG's live stream over the internet. The play-by-play guy was flat out terrible. He referred to UNCG as "North Carolina" a half dozen or so times and then shortened it to just "Carolina" for the rest of the game. Also it was quite difficult to keep up with game action over the constant recaps of how UCA won a football game and the Sugar Bears won a women's basketball game. Just stick to telling me what's going on directly in front of your face, please. I basically had to follow the game by the sounds made by the crowd in the background. Also, WUAG's announcements during game breaks were pretty lame. Someone needs to get a memo out to the activists on UNCG's campus that we're not Cal-Berkeley.
- Landon Clement - UNCG's leading scorer was 0-3 from the field with 3 turnovers.
The Ugly:
- Turnovers - 22. Third straight game where the Spartans turned the ball over like it was their job (20+ times). This team will struggle to win more than 5 games this year unless they start taking care of the basketball. Maybe the guys should consider walking it up the court a couple of times each half.
- Free throw shooting - I haven't been impressed with this aspect of the Spartans so far this year, and against UCA it really hurt (12-24). Hit those other 12 and it's a 1 point game. Ben Stywall's 2 misses with UCA's lead down to 9 were killers.
There's not much to say about this game. The guys must start to show some improvement soon or this season will really get away from them.
News & Record
UNCG
Central Arkansas
I've given myself a couple of days to think about this game and it's still really bad. UNCG was thoroughly beaten (don't let the score fool you) by a program that was transitioning to D1. Even "Baghdad Bob" couldn't spin this train wreck.
The Good:
- No comment - I'm sure I could find some moral victory things to put here. Things like: UNCG outrebounded UCA (34 to 30), or Mikko Koivisto scored in double figures (24 pts) for the third straight game. But I choose to highlight nothing.
The Bad:
- I had to listen to this game on the Central Arkansas radio network via WUAG's live stream over the internet. The play-by-play guy was flat out terrible. He referred to UNCG as "North Carolina" a half dozen or so times and then shortened it to just "Carolina" for the rest of the game. Also it was quite difficult to keep up with game action over the constant recaps of how UCA won a football game and the Sugar Bears won a women's basketball game. Just stick to telling me what's going on directly in front of your face, please. I basically had to follow the game by the sounds made by the crowd in the background. Also, WUAG's announcements during game breaks were pretty lame. Someone needs to get a memo out to the activists on UNCG's campus that we're not Cal-Berkeley.
- Landon Clement - UNCG's leading scorer was 0-3 from the field with 3 turnovers.
The Ugly:
- Turnovers - 22. Third straight game where the Spartans turned the ball over like it was their job (20+ times). This team will struggle to win more than 5 games this year unless they start taking care of the basketball. Maybe the guys should consider walking it up the court a couple of times each half.
- Free throw shooting - I haven't been impressed with this aspect of the Spartans so far this year, and against UCA it really hurt (12-24). Hit those other 12 and it's a 1 point game. Ben Stywall's 2 misses with UCA's lead down to 9 were killers.
There's not much to say about this game. The guys must start to show some improvement soon or this season will really get away from them.
Friday, November 21, 2008
G on TV
UNCG just got 2 more of its games scheduled as TV games. The Dec. 13th game at East Carolina will now be shown on MASN. For people like me with Time Warner Cable, this won't matter much. Even though several lower courts have found that Time Warner must start providing MASN, TWC still refuses and is appealing the decisions. If you've got DirecTV, let me know how the game goes.
UNCG's January 3rd meeting at Princeton is going to be carried on ESPNU. This makes me really happy that TWC at least put this channel on the digital package last year. I've always wondered with all of the mid and low major basketball being played all over the counrty, why ESPNU doesn't have wall-to-wall programing going on during basketball season. Hopefully, this is something that network plans on doing a lot of in the future. Maybe they'll do it for college baseball too.
I'm also happy just b/c this gets the Spartan basketball program in the living rooms of many possible recruits. Even though MASN isn't available in the triad, it is on DirecTV nationwide. I think this has something to do with the "ripple down" effect of Davidson's elite 8 run last year. Hopefully, more mid-major programs can make big runs in March to show the people who put together sports programming that there is plenty of good basketball available for TV.
*** By the way, there were already two UNCG games that were scheduled to be on TV - College of Charleston @ Fleming Gym (Dec. 6) and Elon @ Fleming Gym (Feb. 28) - on SportSouth.
UNCG's January 3rd meeting at Princeton is going to be carried on ESPNU. This makes me really happy that TWC at least put this channel on the digital package last year. I've always wondered with all of the mid and low major basketball being played all over the counrty, why ESPNU doesn't have wall-to-wall programing going on during basketball season. Hopefully, this is something that network plans on doing a lot of in the future. Maybe they'll do it for college baseball too.
I'm also happy just b/c this gets the Spartan basketball program in the living rooms of many possible recruits. Even though MASN isn't available in the triad, it is on DirecTV nationwide. I think this has something to do with the "ripple down" effect of Davidson's elite 8 run last year. Hopefully, more mid-major programs can make big runs in March to show the people who put together sports programming that there is plenty of good basketball available for TV.
*** By the way, there were already two UNCG games that were scheduled to be on TV - College of Charleston @ Fleming Gym (Dec. 6) and Elon @ Fleming Gym (Feb. 28) - on SportSouth.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Oh, the horror
It has been a pretty brutal start to the year for the SoCon. Let's review what has happened after the first week or so of the season. Right now Real Time RPI has the SoCon at 21st and Ken Pomroy has it at 23rd.
North Division:
Chattanooga (0-2) - The Mocs have a very tough early season schedule and it has showed so far. They have been blown out by Tennessee and Missouri and have to play national runner-up Memphis next.
Western Carolina (0-1) - Beaten by 26 @ #2 UConn.
Samford (1-1) - Lost by 18 to Belmont, beat Spring Hill by 20.
Elon (1-1) - Destroyed by West Virginia and destroyed Southern Virginia.
App State (1-1) - This may be a tough team to gauge. They lost on the road to a UNCW team that was supposed to be down, and won at home against a good Charlotte team in double overtime.
UNCG (1-1) - We've gone over this.
South Division:
Davidson (2-1) - Blew out Guilford and James Madison and then lost a close game at Oklahoma. Stephen Curry is averaging a meager 35.3 points per game.
College of Charleston (2-1) - The Cougars finished 3rd in their own tournament beating SIU-E and TCU and losing to Temple.
Wofford (0-2) - Lost by 3 @ Dayton and 53 @ Clemson.
Ga Southern (2-2) - They went 1-1 in Durham and 1-1 since then.
Furman (1-1) - They beat Emory and lost @ Charleston Southern.
The Citadel (1-1) - Beat Grace Bible and were hammered by VCU.
Totals (12-15) with a lot of wins against non-D1 teams. A quick glance says that the best wins were Houston (GSU), Charlotte (ASU), James Madison (DC) and TCU (CofC).
UNCG (1-1) @ Central Arkansas (1-1)
When: Saturday, Nov. 22 7:30 pm cst (8:30 pm est)
Where: Farris Center (5,500)
TV: None
Central Arkansas Athletics
Spartan Notes:
- The Spartans won their last game, against NAIA member Webber International, in a very unconvincing fashion. The bright spots were Landon Clement's 26 points and Mikko Koivisto's 18 points. Ben Stywall had a double-double (12 pts and 10 rebs).
- 11 of the 12 eligible players on UNCG's roster have played in the first 2 games. Mike Hardiman played in the season opener against Charlotte, but didn't appear against Webber International. All 10 scholarship players are averaging over 10 minutes per game.
- UNCG leaders ... Landon Clement 19.5 points, Ben Stywall 8.5 rebounds & Mikko Koivisto 3 assists.
- Only one player has a positive assist/turnover ratio ... Mikko Koivisto 3/1.
- UNCG is shooting 42% (36% from 3 point range) from the field and 66% from the free throw line.
- UNCG defeated Central Arkansas 80-62 in Fleming Gym last year. The Spartans were led by Kevin Oleksiak (28 pts) and Kyle Hines (18 pts and 12 rebs). Mikko Koivisto sat the game out with a sore ankle, but Kendall Toney scored 10 points in his place. Nate Bowie scored 20 for the Bears.
Bear Notes:
- Central Arkansas (Conway, Arkansas) is from the Southland Conference and is in year 3 of transition to D1. They are not yet eligible to win their conference.
- The Bears are 1-1 on the season after losing on the road to Northwestern and winning at against home Bacone College. Marcus Pillow scored 19 points for UCA against Bacone and 13 points against Northwestern. Brian Marks pulled down 12 boards in the Bacone game.
- Marcus Pillow leads Central Arkansas in scoring (16 pts) and assists (2). Mitch Rueter is also scoring in double digits (11.5 pts). Marks is averaging 9 rebounds per game, including 6 offensive.
- On the season, the Bears are shooting 36% from the field and 23% from 3 point range.
My Thoughts:
If the Spartans are going to finish at .500 or better, this is a game they need to win. Yes, it's a road game. But it's at a transitioning school that UNCG beat soundly a year ago in Greensboro. With more road games than home games, UNCG has got to get some wins on the road. Might as well start Saturday night in Conway.
Northwestern held UCA to 25% shooting in the first game. If, UNCG can play solid, 40-minute defense, they'll have a good chance. The Spartans have shown that they can play good defense at times in both of their first 2 games. Hopefully they put it together for a full game.
Pillow appears to be a very capable scorer, and Marks looks like a good rebounder. UNCG big men are going to have to do a better job on the glass or they are going to give up lots of offensive rebounds. The guys are going to have to be strong and decisive with the ball.
For the second straight game, I'm going to make this point. UNCG needs to get some kind of substitution pattern started in this game. There's not much I can add at this point that I haven't already stated.
Hopefully, all of these things can come together and UNCG can return with road victory #1.
Where: Farris Center (5,500)
TV: None
Central Arkansas Athletics
Spartan Notes:
- The Spartans won their last game, against NAIA member Webber International, in a very unconvincing fashion. The bright spots were Landon Clement's 26 points and Mikko Koivisto's 18 points. Ben Stywall had a double-double (12 pts and 10 rebs).
- 11 of the 12 eligible players on UNCG's roster have played in the first 2 games. Mike Hardiman played in the season opener against Charlotte, but didn't appear against Webber International. All 10 scholarship players are averaging over 10 minutes per game.
- UNCG leaders ... Landon Clement 19.5 points, Ben Stywall 8.5 rebounds & Mikko Koivisto 3 assists.
- Only one player has a positive assist/turnover ratio ... Mikko Koivisto 3/1.
- UNCG is shooting 42% (36% from 3 point range) from the field and 66% from the free throw line.
- UNCG defeated Central Arkansas 80-62 in Fleming Gym last year. The Spartans were led by Kevin Oleksiak (28 pts) and Kyle Hines (18 pts and 12 rebs). Mikko Koivisto sat the game out with a sore ankle, but Kendall Toney scored 10 points in his place. Nate Bowie scored 20 for the Bears.
Bear Notes:
- Central Arkansas (Conway, Arkansas) is from the Southland Conference and is in year 3 of transition to D1. They are not yet eligible to win their conference.
- The Bears are 1-1 on the season after losing on the road to Northwestern and winning at against home Bacone College. Marcus Pillow scored 19 points for UCA against Bacone and 13 points against Northwestern. Brian Marks pulled down 12 boards in the Bacone game.
- Marcus Pillow leads Central Arkansas in scoring (16 pts) and assists (2). Mitch Rueter is also scoring in double digits (11.5 pts). Marks is averaging 9 rebounds per game, including 6 offensive.
- On the season, the Bears are shooting 36% from the field and 23% from 3 point range.
My Thoughts:
If the Spartans are going to finish at .500 or better, this is a game they need to win. Yes, it's a road game. But it's at a transitioning school that UNCG beat soundly a year ago in Greensboro. With more road games than home games, UNCG has got to get some wins on the road. Might as well start Saturday night in Conway.
Northwestern held UCA to 25% shooting in the first game. If, UNCG can play solid, 40-minute defense, they'll have a good chance. The Spartans have shown that they can play good defense at times in both of their first 2 games. Hopefully they put it together for a full game.
Pillow appears to be a very capable scorer, and Marks looks like a good rebounder. UNCG big men are going to have to do a better job on the glass or they are going to give up lots of offensive rebounds. The guys are going to have to be strong and decisive with the ball.
For the second straight game, I'm going to make this point. UNCG needs to get some kind of substitution pattern started in this game. There's not much I can add at this point that I haven't already stated.
Hopefully, all of these things can come together and UNCG can return with road victory #1.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A win is a win
UNCG 90 - Webber International 78
News & Record
UNCG
Webber International
The best thing I can say about this game is that can be remembered simply as a win. It wasn't pretty or dominating. So, let's move on.
The Good
- Landon Clement - had 26 points and 3 steals. He flat out shoots the ball with extreme confidence now. It looks like it's going in every time.
- Mikko Koivisto - had 18 points and 4 assists. He even spent some time bringing the ball up the court. Not sure how great that strategy will be going forward, but it didn't look too bad last night.
- Rebounding - UNCG out rebounded Webber 48-36 (including 19-10 offensive).
- Student turn out - It appeared that the entire student section was full and loud.
The Bad
- PG play - 16 assists/25 turnovers. Also no one has really taken hold of that position
- Substitution patterns - Let's just say I don't really see any kind of pattern. There were times that you could look at the court and wonder where points were going to come from.
The Ugly
- Post play - Webber didn't have a player taller than 6'7" and UNCG's big men didn't look very good. Nobody really made strong moves with the ball and there was way too much falling away from the basket. This will need to get better against taller and stronger teams.
- Defense - Webber shot 41% (same as Charlotte on Friday) but shot 8-18 (44%) from 3 point range. I made the statement that Charlotte had open shots and just missed them. Webber hit most of their open looks. If this doesn't get better quick, Stephen Curry could drop 60 on the Spartans.
In the end, this game goes down as a "W". I think the team was better than it was on Friday night, and I guess that's really what it's all about right now ... getting better.
News & Record
UNCG
Webber International
The best thing I can say about this game is that can be remembered simply as a win. It wasn't pretty or dominating. So, let's move on.
The Good
- Landon Clement - had 26 points and 3 steals. He flat out shoots the ball with extreme confidence now. It looks like it's going in every time.
- Mikko Koivisto - had 18 points and 4 assists. He even spent some time bringing the ball up the court. Not sure how great that strategy will be going forward, but it didn't look too bad last night.
- Rebounding - UNCG out rebounded Webber 48-36 (including 19-10 offensive).
- Student turn out - It appeared that the entire student section was full and loud.
The Bad
- PG play - 16 assists/25 turnovers. Also no one has really taken hold of that position
- Substitution patterns - Let's just say I don't really see any kind of pattern. There were times that you could look at the court and wonder where points were going to come from.
The Ugly
- Post play - Webber didn't have a player taller than 6'7" and UNCG's big men didn't look very good. Nobody really made strong moves with the ball and there was way too much falling away from the basket. This will need to get better against taller and stronger teams.
- Defense - Webber shot 41% (same as Charlotte on Friday) but shot 8-18 (44%) from 3 point range. I made the statement that Charlotte had open shots and just missed them. Webber hit most of their open looks. If this doesn't get better quick, Stephen Curry could drop 60 on the Spartans.
In the end, this game goes down as a "W". I think the team was better than it was on Friday night, and I guess that's really what it's all about right now ... getting better.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Webber International (4-1) @ UNCG (0-1)
When: Monday, Nov. 17 7:00 pm
Where: Fleming Gym (2,320)
TV: None/UNCG All-Access
Webber International Athletics
Spartan Notes:
- The Spartans fell to Charlotte (77-59) Friday night. Landon Clement had 13 points and Mikko Koivisto had 12 and 2 assists. Ben Stywall had 7 rebounds and 2 assists.
- UNCG shot 38.5% (20-52) from the field, 35% (7-20) from 3 point range and 75% (12-16) from the free throw line.
- All 10 scholarship players got into the game within the first 10 minutes of the game. Even walk-ons Mike Hardiman and Sean Spooner made brief first half appearances.
- This is the first home game for the Spartans. Last year, UNCG went 10-2 at Fleming Gym.
Warrior Notes:
- The Warriors are a NAIA team from Babson Park, Florida. They are part of the Sun Conference.
- Webber International is coming off a 96-91 loss to Ave Maria University on Friday. Halston Schaffer led the way with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
My Thoughts:
Doing research on the Warriors was an interesting task. I'd advise everyone to go over to their website and read a recap story. Good luck. It appears they have several capable scorers. Schaffer looks like their best all-around player.
Now let me say, there is no reason that UNCG should be playing an NAIA team in the regular season. If they wanted to play an NAIA team, it should have taken place as an exhibition game. This is unfortunate for the fans that want to see good college basketball. That is not a knock on Webber International. They appear to have a nice squad. However, they should be playing other NAIA teams in the southeast and the Spartans should be playing D1 teams. Heck, there are 3 within a 30 minute drive of campus.
Having said that ... the game is on the schedule. So, go win it and do it in convincing fashion. Don't get frustrated if it's not a 30 point game right off the bat. Just play a normal game and pull away. This game should be more about UNCG getting better at playing together and playing within themselves. The last thing that needs to happen is for this game to be close in the second half and guys to start getting tight.
I would like to see a less crazy substitution pattern for this game than the Charlotte game. It seemed like every break during first half that there would be 2 or 3 new players enter the game. I assume that some of this was coach Dement just trying combinations to see what worked. Hopefully he's paired down the rotations a little bit.
The big men need to do a better job of playing defense without fouling. Webber doesn't have a player taller than 6'7". So this should be where the Spartans can assert themselves. I would like to see the guards take care of the ball, gain some confidence and run the offense offense smoothly. There is talent at this position. The guys just need to try to do a little less.
In the end, this game will probably be close for part of the first half. The size and depth of a D1 program versus a NAIA program should allow the Spartans to pull away for a win. It should be by a large margin. In the end, let's just win and move forward.
Go Spartans !!!
Where: Fleming Gym (2,320)
TV: None/UNCG All-Access
Webber International Athletics
Spartan Notes:
- The Spartans fell to Charlotte (77-59) Friday night. Landon Clement had 13 points and Mikko Koivisto had 12 and 2 assists. Ben Stywall had 7 rebounds and 2 assists.
- UNCG shot 38.5% (20-52) from the field, 35% (7-20) from 3 point range and 75% (12-16) from the free throw line.
- All 10 scholarship players got into the game within the first 10 minutes of the game. Even walk-ons Mike Hardiman and Sean Spooner made brief first half appearances.
- This is the first home game for the Spartans. Last year, UNCG went 10-2 at Fleming Gym.
Warrior Notes:
- The Warriors are a NAIA team from Babson Park, Florida. They are part of the Sun Conference.
- Webber International is coming off a 96-91 loss to Ave Maria University on Friday. Halston Schaffer led the way with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
My Thoughts:
Doing research on the Warriors was an interesting task. I'd advise everyone to go over to their website and read a recap story. Good luck. It appears they have several capable scorers. Schaffer looks like their best all-around player.
Now let me say, there is no reason that UNCG should be playing an NAIA team in the regular season. If they wanted to play an NAIA team, it should have taken place as an exhibition game. This is unfortunate for the fans that want to see good college basketball. That is not a knock on Webber International. They appear to have a nice squad. However, they should be playing other NAIA teams in the southeast and the Spartans should be playing D1 teams. Heck, there are 3 within a 30 minute drive of campus.
Having said that ... the game is on the schedule. So, go win it and do it in convincing fashion. Don't get frustrated if it's not a 30 point game right off the bat. Just play a normal game and pull away. This game should be more about UNCG getting better at playing together and playing within themselves. The last thing that needs to happen is for this game to be close in the second half and guys to start getting tight.
I would like to see a less crazy substitution pattern for this game than the Charlotte game. It seemed like every break during first half that there would be 2 or 3 new players enter the game. I assume that some of this was coach Dement just trying combinations to see what worked. Hopefully he's paired down the rotations a little bit.
The big men need to do a better job of playing defense without fouling. Webber doesn't have a player taller than 6'7". So this should be where the Spartans can assert themselves. I would like to see the guards take care of the ball, gain some confidence and run the offense offense smoothly. There is talent at this position. The guys just need to try to do a little less.
In the end, this game will probably be close for part of the first half. The size and depth of a D1 program versus a NAIA program should allow the Spartans to pull away for a win. It should be by a large margin. In the end, let's just win and move forward.
Go Spartans !!!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
If at first you don't succeed ... try, try, try, try, try, try again
Charlotte 77- UNCG 59
- News & Record
- Charlotte Observer
- UNCG
- Charlotte
Early in the second half, a Charlotte player missed a point blank shot. However, in what was a microcosm for the entire game, 49ers players proceeded to rebound and shoot the ball 6 more times before finally converting. The Spartans got Charlotte to play the kind of ugly game that it needed to have a chance. They just couldn't grab the ball, figuratively and literally.
It was a disappointing, yet not unexpected result. UNCG had lost too much to simply go down to Charlotte and knock off a good team. But it wasn't all bad. Landon had 13 points and Mikko had 12. The guys did quite a few nice things. And let's not forget, this is a Charlotte team that should go to the NCAA tournament. Lamont Mack (18 pts, 10 rebs) is a big time player. However, some of this game was them not playing well either, but I'll get to that ...<>
The Good
- Landon Clement - The Blue-White game was not an aberration. He stepped up and took his shots with confidence and made quite a few of them (3-6 from deep). After a bad shot that resulted in an air ball, he was harassed by the student section badly for the rest of the game. But still made a few more shots. It was obvious the crowd was getting to him, though.
- Montel Smith - He looked the part of the starting PG that UNCG desperately needs. His stat line wasn't all that special (2 pts, 2 rebs, 1 ast) but it was the fact that he got the ball down the court and got the team in an offense. No one else that ran the point looked nearly as good.
- Defense - UNCG held Charlotte to 41% shooting and 4-18 from 3 point range. The match up zone (not sure if it was 2-3 or 1-3-1) that the Spartans used for much of the game was pretty effective. All-in-all it was a good defensive effort. However, Charlotte missed a ton of wide-open shots. I've not seen a team miss that many shots with no one around them. So, I don't think you can attribute all of Charlotte's offensive problems to UNCG defense.
- Rebounding - I know, UNCG got beat on the boards 37-28. Let me point out again that Charlotte got 6 of those on one trip down the floor. Other than that, I thought Ben Stywall did a respectable job. As the first post-Hines game, it wasn't too bad.
The Bad
- Post play - Except for a few nice second half plays from Bone, the UNCG big men looked massively overwhelmed. And it seemed like anyone that checked into the game in the 4 or 5 spots got whistled for a foul immediately. That's got to get better quick.
- PG play - 7 assists/23 turnovers.
- The Score - UNCG lost by 18. It felt like 30 watching from home. Other than a 5 minute run in the second half, this game wasn't really competitive.
The Ugly
- Intentional foul - That was a bad and dangerous play made by Eargle. He's got to let that play go and not compound one mistake with another one. I agreed with his frustration. Something should have been called on that play. But UNCG needed him on the court.
- Shot selection - Landon and Mikko are going to score 9-15 points every game. They let their shots come within the offense. Everyone else forced too many shots. UNCG shot themselves out of their run by taking two bad 3 pointers.
All-in-all I think that this game will provide some film that the guys will use to get better on Monday.
Go Spartans !!!
- News & Record
- Charlotte Observer
- UNCG
- Charlotte
Early in the second half, a Charlotte player missed a point blank shot. However, in what was a microcosm for the entire game, 49ers players proceeded to rebound and shoot the ball 6 more times before finally converting. The Spartans got Charlotte to play the kind of ugly game that it needed to have a chance. They just couldn't grab the ball, figuratively and literally.
It was a disappointing, yet not unexpected result. UNCG had lost too much to simply go down to Charlotte and knock off a good team. But it wasn't all bad. Landon had 13 points and Mikko had 12. The guys did quite a few nice things. And let's not forget, this is a Charlotte team that should go to the NCAA tournament. Lamont Mack (18 pts, 10 rebs) is a big time player. However, some of this game was them not playing well either, but I'll get to that ...<>
The Good
- Landon Clement - The Blue-White game was not an aberration. He stepped up and took his shots with confidence and made quite a few of them (3-6 from deep). After a bad shot that resulted in an air ball, he was harassed by the student section badly for the rest of the game. But still made a few more shots. It was obvious the crowd was getting to him, though.
- Montel Smith - He looked the part of the starting PG that UNCG desperately needs. His stat line wasn't all that special (2 pts, 2 rebs, 1 ast) but it was the fact that he got the ball down the court and got the team in an offense. No one else that ran the point looked nearly as good.
- Defense - UNCG held Charlotte to 41% shooting and 4-18 from 3 point range. The match up zone (not sure if it was 2-3 or 1-3-1) that the Spartans used for much of the game was pretty effective. All-in-all it was a good defensive effort. However, Charlotte missed a ton of wide-open shots. I've not seen a team miss that many shots with no one around them. So, I don't think you can attribute all of Charlotte's offensive problems to UNCG defense.
- Rebounding - I know, UNCG got beat on the boards 37-28. Let me point out again that Charlotte got 6 of those on one trip down the floor. Other than that, I thought Ben Stywall did a respectable job. As the first post-Hines game, it wasn't too bad.
The Bad
- Post play - Except for a few nice second half plays from Bone, the UNCG big men looked massively overwhelmed. And it seemed like anyone that checked into the game in the 4 or 5 spots got whistled for a foul immediately. That's got to get better quick.
- PG play - 7 assists/23 turnovers.
- The Score - UNCG lost by 18. It felt like 30 watching from home. Other than a 5 minute run in the second half, this game wasn't really competitive.
The Ugly
- Intentional foul - That was a bad and dangerous play made by Eargle. He's got to let that play go and not compound one mistake with another one. I agreed with his frustration. Something should have been called on that play. But UNCG needed him on the court.
- Shot selection - Landon and Mikko are going to score 9-15 points every game. They let their shots come within the offense. Everyone else forced too many shots. UNCG shot themselves out of their run by taking two bad 3 pointers.
All-in-all I think that this game will provide some film that the guys will use to get better on Monday.
Go Spartans !!!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
UNCG (0-0) @ Charlotte (0-0)
When: Friday, Nov. 14 8:00 pm
Where: Halton Arena (9,000)
TV: None
Charlotte Athletics
Charlotte Forum
Spartan Notes:
- The Spartans return 2 starters from a team (19-13) that finished 3rd in the North division of the SoCon.
- UNCG was picked to finish 4th in the North division by both the coaches and media. No Spartan player was single out for any individual or all-conference honors.
- The graduation losses were pretty significant. The starting back court and Kyle Hines are now gone.
- As opposed to playing any exhibition games, UNCG opted to play closed door scrimmages against NC A&T and South Carolina (according to the N&R) or Winthrop (according to the athletics website).
- Landon Clement scored 19 points in the annual Blue-White game. Freshman Damien Eargle scored 14 and Mikko Koivisto scored 16 in the game (2 15-minute halves).
49er Notes:
- The Charlotte 49ers were picked to finish 5th by the A-10 media and coaches.
- Senior Forward Lamont Mack was tabbed 2nd team all-conference.
- The 49ers return 4 starters from last year's squad (20-14) that finished 4th in the A-10.
- Charlotte beat Pfeiffer 122-85 in an exhibition game last week. 4 of the 5 starters scored in double figures, but reserve Ian Andersen led the way with 24. The 49ers shot a ridiculous 57% (16-28) from 3 point range. They out rebounded Pfeiffer 46-39.
- During an exhibition trip to Canada, Charlotte scored over 100 points in 3 of 4 games.
My Thoughts:
This is an interesting game b/c I feel like these two programs should be playing often in several different sports (i.e. baseball). However, this may be a bad year to open with the 49ers in basketball. I really feel like as the season goes on, UNCG is going to get better. Maybe a lot better. As for the first game, though, it may be ugly. Having 3 new starters, one likely to be a freshman, is not a recipe for winning in a hostile environment.
I'm expecting this game to be a high number of possessions game. I'm also expecting UNCG to shoot a huge number of 3 pointers. In order for the Spartans to be successful, they are going to have to turn this game into an ugly "turnover fest" and hit a high percentage of their 3's. They're also going to need to play solid perimeter defense. Keeping close with the 49ers on the boards is almost a must.
While all of those are some big "if's", the major thing that needs to happen in this game or very early in the season is that players are going to need to step up. Kyle Hines is gone, but there are still plenty of solid players with experience on the roster. When everyone figures out their roles, I think this team will surprise people. Hopefully it happens Friday night.
Go Spartans !!!
UPDATE:
- Game preview from UNCGSpartans.com. From the game notes it appears UNCG will use a very odd starting lineup of Landon, Kendall, Ben, Eargle and Pete Brown. I'm very surprised not to see Oliver or Mikko starting. Guess the other 5 have shown Coach Dement something extra in practice.
Where: Halton Arena (9,000)
TV: None
Charlotte Athletics
Charlotte Forum
Spartan Notes:
- The Spartans return 2 starters from a team (19-13) that finished 3rd in the North division of the SoCon.
- UNCG was picked to finish 4th in the North division by both the coaches and media. No Spartan player was single out for any individual or all-conference honors.
- The graduation losses were pretty significant. The starting back court and Kyle Hines are now gone.
- As opposed to playing any exhibition games, UNCG opted to play closed door scrimmages against NC A&T and South Carolina (according to the N&R) or Winthrop (according to the athletics website).
- Landon Clement scored 19 points in the annual Blue-White game. Freshman Damien Eargle scored 14 and Mikko Koivisto scored 16 in the game (2 15-minute halves).
49er Notes:
- The Charlotte 49ers were picked to finish 5th by the A-10 media and coaches.
- Senior Forward Lamont Mack was tabbed 2nd team all-conference.
- The 49ers return 4 starters from last year's squad (20-14) that finished 4th in the A-10.
- Charlotte beat Pfeiffer 122-85 in an exhibition game last week. 4 of the 5 starters scored in double figures, but reserve Ian Andersen led the way with 24. The 49ers shot a ridiculous 57% (16-28) from 3 point range. They out rebounded Pfeiffer 46-39.
- During an exhibition trip to Canada, Charlotte scored over 100 points in 3 of 4 games.
My Thoughts:
This is an interesting game b/c I feel like these two programs should be playing often in several different sports (i.e. baseball). However, this may be a bad year to open with the 49ers in basketball. I really feel like as the season goes on, UNCG is going to get better. Maybe a lot better. As for the first game, though, it may be ugly. Having 3 new starters, one likely to be a freshman, is not a recipe for winning in a hostile environment.
I'm expecting this game to be a high number of possessions game. I'm also expecting UNCG to shoot a huge number of 3 pointers. In order for the Spartans to be successful, they are going to have to turn this game into an ugly "turnover fest" and hit a high percentage of their 3's. They're also going to need to play solid perimeter defense. Keeping close with the 49ers on the boards is almost a must.
While all of those are some big "if's", the major thing that needs to happen in this game or very early in the season is that players are going to need to step up. Kyle Hines is gone, but there are still plenty of solid players with experience on the roster. When everyone figures out their roles, I think this team will surprise people. Hopefully it happens Friday night.
Go Spartans !!!
UPDATE:
- Game preview from UNCGSpartans.com. From the game notes it appears UNCG will use a very odd starting lineup of Landon, Kendall, Ben, Eargle and Pete Brown. I'm very surprised not to see Oliver or Mikko starting. Guess the other 5 have shown Coach Dement something extra in practice.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Spartan Salvation
I decided I'd compile a list of preseason articles. Here are a few articles previewing the new look Spartans basketball team and a few other just interesting articles.
- Greensboro News & Record preview.
- Winston-Salem Journal preview.
- SoCon Preview from the USA Today.
- And the there's this awesome line from the blog The Grand National Championships ...
- Greensboro News & Record preview.
- Winston-Salem Journal preview.
- SoCon Preview from the USA Today.
- And the there's this awesome line from the blog The Grand National Championships ...
"UNC-Greensboro: It's a new era in Greensboro. Your threats
from the inside have disappeared from the graduation of Kyle Hines. It's time
for some long distance action. You know who it's time for? Mikko Koivisto.
He is your Spartan Salvation."
- The recap of the Blue-White game.
- This is a Q&A with new UNCG chancellor Linda Brady.
- There was this random opinion piece talking about UNCG's possibility of starting up a college football program.
- Kyle Hines' Italian blog 1, Italian blog 2 & Italian blog 3.
-Then there's NCAA and the penalties they handed UNCG.
A blog is born ...
Well, I've heard that blogging was so easy that any idiot could do it. Apparently that is the case as I now have one.
I started this blog to discuss the basketball program at my alma mater, UNC-Greensboro. I plan on using this blog to link to articles that I find about the basketball team, and to add my 2 cents worth about each game individually. I may also jump to a completely different subject, but I doubt I'll do it very much.
If anyone notices things on here that are wrong, please let me know. As I note at the bottom, this site isn't connected with UNCG or the SoCon (or any other school named on here). It's just me and my opinions.
So, with the season starting soon, there will be a lot of updating going on. Enjoy ...
I started this blog to discuss the basketball program at my alma mater, UNC-Greensboro. I plan on using this blog to link to articles that I find about the basketball team, and to add my 2 cents worth about each game individually. I may also jump to a completely different subject, but I doubt I'll do it very much.
If anyone notices things on here that are wrong, please let me know. As I note at the bottom, this site isn't connected with UNCG or the SoCon (or any other school named on here). It's just me and my opinions.
So, with the season starting soon, there will be a lot of updating going on. Enjoy ...
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