Moderators: jcmanson, Sly Fox, BuryYourDuke
paradox wrote:The last time we won the Big South in '03-04, we were 11-0 at home in conference play that year, and only 4-4 on the road. We actually started out 1-3 on the road in conference play that year. The loss @UNCA does not make or break us in any way whatsoever.
Keep in mind, we won a mere total of 4 D-1 games last year. We have already made significant strides, but there is obviously much work and progress left to be done. The good news is that we have ample time to still have a successful season this year. If this team comes together and begins to peak in mid-February, we could be in the hunt.
That said, we need a bit of a reality check with regard to a little team just south of Charlotte. Winthrop is a senior-laden, big-time mid-major, with the potential to do some damage this year in the NCAA's. If they win the Big South and can get at least a 14 seed, then I expect them to win a game or two in the big dance. Larry Blair may end up with the all-time conference scoring title, but Torrell Martin is the best ever to lace 'em up in the Big South. Aluma and Nwsou had a cup of coffee in the NBA, but Martin has enough all-around game to have a legit NBA career. In addition, they are well coached and play great team ball on both sides of the floor.
If we should peak at the right time and make it to the ESPN-2 title game against Winthrop and give them a respectable game, then I'd define that season as a major success, considering who Winthrop is and who we were last year.
If we should somehow pull off the miracle and upset Winthrop, then we need to form a commitee to ensure that Dunton becomes the first protestant saint to be canonized since the reformation.
That said, we might win one or two BS games we probably shouldn't win, but there is no way we should have lost this one. I didn't think any one would be able to find any kool aid after this game.paradox wrote:Duh, but I have heard we would get better in Dec, we would get better when Brew starts playing, we will get better in conference, etc. I am just tired of listening to excuses and need to vent a little. We haven't improved at all since the beginning of the year and the direction of this program is not on the right path. Drink all the kool aid you want, doesn't change the facts.flameshaw wrote:Ideally, you would want to peak at conference tourney time, and not the first week of January.
You know we are running out of months to peak in.
Flames Drop Big South Opener To UNC Asheville, 84-77http://libertyflames.com/index.cfm?PID= ... 8&TeamID=6
January 6, 2007
Asheville, N.C.
The Flames dropped their 19th-straight road game and their eighth-consecutive contest overall as Liberty (6-9, 0-1) fell in its Big South Conference opener at UNC Asheville (5-10, 1-0) on Saturday night at the Justice Center, 84-77.
The last time the Flames won a road game was on Feb. 24, 2005 at the Justice Center, when Liberty topped the Bulldogs, 84-70.
Larry Blair, who paced Liberty with 21 points, passed Whit Holcomb-Faye of Radford for third place on the Big South all-time scoring list on his jumper with 6:04 left in the game. Blair has now tallied 1,869 career points.
The Flames started out the game on a 5-2 run, capped by a tip-in by Damien Hubbard with 17:01 left in the first half, but that turned out to be Liberty’s largest lead of the game.
Liberty lost the advantage for good less than a minute later, when UNC Asheville’s Bryan Smithson hit a three-point basket to give his team a 7-5 lead with 16:17 remaining in the half.
The Flames proceeded to fall behind 37-18 by the half as the Bulldogs went on a 35-13 run, fueled by six blocks by UNC Asheville’s 7-6 center, Kenny George.
In addition, Liberty’s shooting from the field was stone cold in the opening half. The Flames were 7-of-31 (22.6 percent) from the field during the opening 20 minutes. No Flame had more than one field goal in the first half and Hubbard led Liberty with four points.
The second half started out not much better than the first, as the Flames got down by as many as 26 points when Smithson scored with 9:30 left in the game to make it 65-39.
The Flames then got hot, going on an 18-2 run, which was capped by a three-point play by Blair with 3:35 left in the game, making it 71-59.
A three-point basket by B.J. Jenkins wrapped up a game-ending 18-13 run by Liberty, but it was not enough as the Flames fell for the 12th time in 16 all-time Big South openers.
Blair scored his 21 points on 8-of-19 shooting. Dwight Brewington scored 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting and Alex McLean rounded out Liberty’s top scorers with 15 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
The Flames were hot in the second half, shooting 56.1 percent on 23-of-41 field goal attempts. The Bulldogs were proficient from the field the entire evening, shooting 52.7 percent for the game on 29-of-55 tries.
Smithson led the way for the Bulldogs with 21 points, while K.J. Garland scored 17 points. Vincent James scored 12 points and Garrett Moles rounded out the top UNC Asheville performers with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Flames return home when they take on in-state rival Radford on Tuesday at the Vines Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Sly Fox wrote:I'm just glad Kenny George couldn't play more minutes.Good point.
There is no disguising the frustration in this one. When was the last time someone had 24 turnovers in agame and won? We had a golden opportunity oin this one and couldn't get it done.
The foul trouble obviously kept Brew from busting out. He was effective in his minutes after that slow start for everyone. But we can't afford for him to be on the bench in foul trouble.
Realist wrote:Wow, this one surprised me, I picked LU to win. WU won in a blowout, but it may have been costly, Martin and Bradshaw both went down with injuries. Unsure of how serious.Wow, what happened to Torrell? I heard that he left the game in the opening minutes.
Realist wrote:Torrell hurt his foot in practice a few weeks ago and has been playing through it. He landed on it funny tonight and looked like he was in some pretty bad pain, he came out in a aircast in the second half, though we heard he's been wearing it when not playing already. Nothing broken after an MRI last week, just sprained, but who knows after tonight. Bradshaw sprained his ankle, not sure how bad. Marshall commented that he didn't know if they would play monday at CSU.Yea, that's the downside to being a BB player: Ligament tears in your feet.
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