Butler center Smith out vs. Charlotte

49ers Basketball Forum 🏀
21

More $ as an NCAA team, easier to recruit as an NCAA team, more relevant locally as an NCAA team - and what would be most awesome? The chance the Chapel Hill doesn’t make it and we do. That alone is worth hoping for,

With that said I don’t see how we are even on the bubble. We have done nothing to prove we deserve an NCAA bid thus far IMO. All we have done is avoid WTF losses and dropped just about every game to upper teams all season. NCAA tourny teams perform better than that. Kills me because what is stopping us is mostly self inflicted - FTs, turnovers, questionable coaching calls all over the course of the season. NIT is better than what we have been doing so it’s a positive step, just not the one we all want so badly.

Honestly at this point I just want us to finish strong and let tourny aspirations land where ever. When is the last time we closed a season strong? Major hasn’t and it had been awhile for Bobby. Just avoid the end of season collapse please.

As for the team itself - I don’t think we are as good defensively as we think we are - we let perimeter shooters get too many open looks, but I think we are solid. Offensively I think we are limited and not very creative. I can’t quite figure out if that is talent or coaching. We rely too much on offensive rebounding for point production, great that we can do it though. Have to take care of the ball more, work on spacing and stop playing for contact hoping a foul will be called.

I hope we beat Butler - but my gut (much like against VCU) says no. Hate to think we run this stretch of games winless - will undo much of the good we did this year in terms of getting fans back interested in us. I know we all expected it to be rough - I was just hoping we could validate our win total in the eyes of the public and fans that haven’t been coming around.

22

I find it a little silly to talk about what it would take to get an at-large bid when we have proven (even though we are a much improved team and program) that we are not a NCAA tournament calibre team. We’re just not.

NIT is a good step forward for this team and the program…and in all honesty, that’s who we are at this point.

No shame in that.[/quote]

nit is not acceptable here. bottom line. at least in most years.[/quote]
Not that long ago I would have agreed with you. But, at least IMHO, the NIT is a good stepping stone for this year given how we’ve sucked the last couple of years. Baby steps. Besides, I personally never even thought this team was NCAA caliber preseason, as did most people. Some got anxious with the early season wins but most believed this to be building year and next year NCAAs.

23

[quote=“NinerWupAss, post:21, topic:27482”]More $ as an NCAA team, easier to recruit as an NCAA team, more relevant locally as an NCAA team - and what would be most awesome? The chance the Chapel Hill doesn’t make it and we do. That alone is worth hoping for,


With that said I don’t see how we are even on the bubble. We have done nothing to prove we deserve an NCAA bid thus far IMO. All we have done is avoid WTF losses and dropped just about every game to upper teams all season. NCAA tourny teams perform better than that. Kills me because what is stopping us is mostly self inflicted - FTs, turnovers, questionable coaching calls all over the course of the season. NIT is better than what we have been doing so it’s a positive step, just not the one we all want so badly.

Honestly at this point I just want us to finish strong and let tourny aspirations land where ever. When is the last time we closed a season strong? Major hasn’t and it had been awhile for Bobby. Just avoid the end of season collapse please.

As for the team itself - I don’t think we are as good defensively as we think we are - we let perimeter shooters get too many open looks, but I think we are solid. Offensively I think we are limited and not very creative. I can’t quite figure out if that is talent or coaching. We rely too much on offensive rebounding for point production, great that we can do it though. Have to take care of the ball more, work on spacing and stop playing for contact hoping a foul will be called.

I hope we beat Butler - but my gut (much like against VCU) says no. Hate to think we run this stretch of games winless - will undo much of the good we did this year in terms of getting fans back interested in us. I know we all expected it to be rough - I was just hoping we could validate our win total in the eyes of the public and fans that haven’t been coming around.[/quote] Just to address your bubble comment: I still think a lot of us have memories of what the bubble meant a few years back, and it’s coloring what we think the bubble means now. This is an extraordinarily weak bubble (last year’s was similar), with a lot of teams that have flaws in the discussion, because who else are you going to talk about? Scroll through some of the columns on “bubble teams” and just look at who is included. E.g. Virginia and Maryland are invariably included, yet they have even weaker OOC schedules than the Niners, by quite a bit. Heck, Lunardi now has Virginia making it because they’re beating up on a semi-weak ACC (at least past the top 2). Chapel Hill had a tougher schedule, but hasn’t really beaten hardly anyone on it. Teams like Xavier, Wyoming, Az st., they pop up on these things despite few impressive wins either.

The play-ins also further lead to a weaker bubble. The bubble in the past usually included the last few teams to make it, along with a few teams that came close but didn’t. Now those teams coming close make it into playins, and teams even worse are included as close but not quite.

24
They have to take 68 teams.

.

25

Butler -11.5 to start

26

La Salle beat Butler and we beat La Salle.
So, what I’m saying here is there is a chance.
Maybe?

27

[quote=“VA49er, post:26, topic:27482”]La Salle beat Butler and we beat La Salle.
So, what I’m saying here is there is a chance.
Maybe?[/quote]

Same logic could be applied to VCU…

28

[quote=“Honest Niner, post:27, topic:27482”][quote=“VA49er, post:26, topic:27482”]La Salle beat Butler and we beat La Salle.
So, what I’m saying here is there is a chance.
Maybe?[/quote]

Same logic could be applied to VCU…[/quote]

And we definitely could have beaten VCU.

29

[quote=“Powerbait, post:28, topic:27482”][quote=“Honest Niner, post:27, topic:27482”][quote=“VA49er, post:26, topic:27482”]La Salle beat Butler and we beat La Salle.
So, what I’m saying here is there is a chance.
Maybe?[/quote]

Same logic could be applied to VCU…[/quote]

And we definitely could have beaten VCU.[/quote]
True.

30

TV info:

The Charlotte 49ers (17-6, A-10: 5-4) return to the road when they travel to Indianapolis to face 10th -ranked Butler (20-4, A-10: 7-2), Wednesday, February 13 at 7 pm. The game is being broadcast on WISH TV/WNDY in Indianapolis.

The game will air in the Charlotte area on Antenna TV on WJZY 46.2. Antenna TV can be found on Time Warner Cable 147 or 46.2. Antenna TV is also available on Comporium (120), Charter (80), SkyBest (262), ComPas (143), ComPas Morganton (113) and RST Fiber (8).

http://www.charlotte49ers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=363433&SPID=44799&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=206357561&DB_OEM_ID=23200

31

Remember, though, that Lasalle beat Butler by 1 point and Butler was missing Rotnei Clark in that game. We are lucky that Smith is out and that makes them more vulnerable on the interior, but we’ll see if that is enough.

32

We also beat la salle at home, and la salle beat butler at home. And we’re horrible on the road. I’m not expecting a win here, but part of me has a good feeling about this game. Winning tomorrow night would be huge.

Major on Smith being out:

“It may affect things in terms of their rotation and who we match up but outside of that, it may not have a huge effect on the game,” Major said. “I expect Butler to be the same old Butler.”

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/preview?gameId=330442086

33

I don’t see us beating Butler on the road (even without Smith) and I think even at Halton it would take a great effort. With that said, maybe our guys come out fired up and Butler doesn’t take us serious and we win…maybe.

34

Game highlights will most likely be shown on sportscenter. Hopefully it’s good press for us.

35

I just hope we don’t get blown out of the building.

36

I have watched us on tv twice this year…third times a charm. Keep it within 20 please.

37

[quote=“sportsman1417, post:36, topic:27482”]. Keep it within 20 please.[/quote]11.5 would be even better. 8)