[kentuckywildcats]

although the flames didnt perform as well as everyone wanted, I have to admit I liked the fact that even though it was pretty clear who was going to win with a few minutes left in the game, they didn't quit and kept going at it to try to comeback. that's a positive to take away from this game. also it looked like their D helped keep them in the game some, sure they got outrebounded by 4 (which isn't that big of a margin) and did allow them to shoot over 45%, but they forced 22 turnovers. surely the offense won't perform this badly every game, and the opponent isn't going to be shooting over 90% from the FT line either. if they just make some more shots, take care of the ball better, and do a little better on the boards - all of these should be fixable, plus the first two facets were flukes in this game in my opinion - then I think the flames should do just fine in their remaining games in this tournament.

[olldflame]

In looking at the numbers, it really was poor shooting, and particularly missed layups that did us in. 21 turnovers is a lot, but they had 22, and the rebounding was not lopsided at 32 to 28 in their favor. Certainly work to be done, but I have to believe we are going to shoot better in future games.

Personally, I was glad to see Rell scoring some points. If we can get anything like that kind of production from him in conference play it will make us tough to deal with.

[TIMSCAR20]

RD's groups never quit on him either. These kids are solid in terms of character for the most part. 2 seasons ago when everything was not going well on the court I was amazed at how hard everyone continued to work and to play but more importantly keep good attitudes. I think this team is going to struggle to score points unless someone like Tyler Baker or BJ Jenkins can show the ability to be a double digit scorer. Anthony Smith seems to not be assertive as we all know he can be at times. He is almost too unselfish. I think this year is going to be his opportunity to take over games. He will have to grow into that role as time goes on. If I am playing Liberty I put my best perimeter defender on Smith and have him stay close. Smith won't force shots if they are not there. Then I would double McLean every time he touched it. I would absolutely deny TJ Bannister the ball and play way, way off of him on the half court. I wouldn't let him pass to guys off his penetration. That is what we are going to see a lot of this year. It will be up to this group and the coaches to adjust. I am not saying anything they don't already know but hopefully they can overcome these things. Did Tyler Baker play tonight? I can't wait to see a box score.

[olldflame]

Tyler did not play.

[Hold My Own]

*Porter leading all scorers with 12*

I was telling my father the other night when Rell hit a few shots to look out for him...in a practice scrimmage (I know practice) he was 6 for his first 7 shots from behind the 3 point line....my pops didnt believe me


Side Note: RD's teams NEVER quit...and thats something that REALLY surprised me b/c one year it was a VERY down year yet they still showed up every night and wouldnt go down easy

[bigsmooth]

take a deep breath everyone, it is game one and we had too many turnovers and shot poorly. if we tune it up a notch we may have one. the guys never quit and we will get better. let's get fresno tonight!

[paradox]

Losing by 12 on the West Coast to a quality opponent is respectable.

It's important to remember who we were playing: a team from a tough conference coming off back to back 20+ win seasons--led by a coach who won an NCAA championship, made it to the NCAA final three times, and won an NIT championship.

This is a game that we can build on, especially with improved play and leadership from TJ in the future. Also, we need to get Baker back and hopefully Anderson as well.




Brace yourselves. We have another tough one tonight: Fresno State at home, coming off a 22 win season.

The three teams that we play in this tournement are better than anything that we will see this year in the Big South, so anything respectable is a good sign and coming out of this with a win would be a nice early season accomplishment.

[WinthropEagleFan]

The three teams that we play in this tournement are better than anything that we will see this year in the Big South, so anything respectable is a good sign and coming out of this with a win would be a nice early season accomplishment.

I can see why you'd say that about SDSU and Fresno, but Portland? Unless they improved alot from last year, I don't see it. They had an awful RPI last year (279) despite being in a decent conference...that's hard to do.

[Stevev]

Paradox wrote

Losing by 12 on the West Coast to a quality opponent is respectable.

I agree that loosing to a fine program like San Diego State is nothing to be ashamed of. We need more production out of Anthony Smith, Tee Jay Bannister, and Alex MacLean. All of these guys shot poorly last night and we need them to do much better if we are going to beat these types of teams. I guess Tee Jay is still learning the offense and is not 100% healty right now but he will get better. Could use Tyler Baker off of the bench. Where was he last night? Great shooter from 3. Rell Porter played well but that is about it. Kyle Olhman's 3's were off but got a lot of minutes. Fresno State will be a huge challenge but our big 3 has got to step up the scoring.

[paradox]

The three teams that we play in this tournement are better than anything that we will see this year in the Big South, so anything respectable is a good sign and coming out of this with a win would be a nice early season accomplishment.

I can see why you'd say that about SDSU and Fresno, but Portland? Unless they improved alot from last year, I don't see it. They had an awful RPI last year (279) despite being in a decent conference...that's hard to do.

Actually, Portland is supposedly a much better team this season. Eric Reveno seems to have them headed in the right direction. They are a young team of mostly freshman/sophomore players. They played a tight game with FSU last night. Also, last night was the Portland debut of Nik Raivio, who is Derek's younger brother (Gonzaga).

Portland will be a tough opponent for LU.

[paradox]

Paradox wrote

Losing by 12 on the West Coast to a quality opponent is respectable.

I agree that loosing to a fine program like San Diego State is nothing to be ashamed of. We need more production out of Anthony Smith, Tee Jay Bannister, and Alex MacLean. All of these guys shot poorly last night and we need them to do much better if we are going to beat these types of teams. I guess Tee Jay is still learning the offense and is not 100% healty right now but he will get better. Could use Tyler Baker off of the bench. Where was he last night? Great shooter from 3. Rell Porter played well but that is about it. Kyle Olhman's 3's were off but got a lot of minutes. Fresno State will be a huge challenge but our big 3 has got to step up the scoring.

TJ's our leader and he needs to play better in order for us to win. He was outplayed last night and that's going to happen from time to time.

I like McKay's emphasis with defense and shooting 3's. As more 3's fall, we should get more backdoor opportunities. Baker and Anderson may be our best 3 pt shooters and they're both out with injuries. Getting them both back healthy would be huge for LU down the road.



Hopefully, we'll hold our own in the next two and come back east with something positive that we can build on.

[Stevev]

I thought that Anderson was redshirting but I am not sure if it is medical related or just to learn the system. Lets see what the team brings against Fresno State, keep it respectable, and then go into games where we have a better chance of winning.

[LUconn]

Tyler Baker had a boot on his foot during the exhibition. So maybe we wont see him for a little while. Not sure what's wrong with it though.