MBB-Loyola

[NJwave]

It looks like the game is not being streamed tonight. They used to stream it every year and it feels like they have not for the last several. I don't get it. It seems like it would be a good idea to generate at least a little buzz by streaming it. Anyway, I hope somebody that goes to the game tonight can provide their input tomorrow.

[NJwave]

Per twitter, 13-2 to start. Starting 5 was Barrett, Zhang, Daniels, Koka and Sehic. I wouldn’t have guessed that.

[OGSB]

Injuries before the season even started apparently

https://www.nola.com/tulane/2018/10/tul ... iver_index

[waverider]

Cornish and Ona Embo sitting out.

[TU77CAL82]

Freshmen playing a lot. 2 or 3 on the floor the entire first half.

[1309th WAVE]

37-34 at the half? Other than youth, is there any other explanation? I'm hoping it's like some of those games against them in the late Dickerson-Conroy years where we wake up and win the 2nd half by 40.

[NJwave]

37-34 at the half? Other than youth, is there any other explanation? I'm hoping it's like some of those games against them in the late Dickerson-Conroy years where we wake up and win the 2nd half by 40.

Reyes gave away all of our secrets?

[OGSB]

85-74 final.

Tulane won.

[randymc]

Zhang played very well for his first game, handles ball pretty well for a bigger guy, can shoot the 3; Daniels in much better shape than a year ago, seemingly can get anywhere on the court he likes...leaps thru the ceiling...best player on court. All three frosh can shoot...(their defense? not so much at this point, though Zhang held his ground pretty well early on defense I thought). Need Embo and Cornish in the backcourt...; Koka and Paul showed flashes. Loyola has a better club than in years past. Tulane starting five if all healthy...Embo, Cornish, Daniels, Sehic, Koka; Paul, Zhang, Crabtree and Wood off the bench. probably we get limited minutes from Ajang and Barrett early in season unless one or the other is forced into service due to lingering injuries to other players (Embo?). Need to rebound better. Daniels could play a little bit of the point in a pinch; he is much quicker and decisive on the court than a year ago. can get to the rack with power as well.

[Tito]

Had it been regular season, Cornish would have played. Ono Embo still not able to play.

Loyola will be very good this year. We spent time looking good, then would fall asleep. Blake Paul in very limited minutes nearly had a double-double. Sehic led us in scoring, but missed several easy layups. We looked good from 3, then stopped shooting it for long stretches.

The freshman look very promising.

[windywave]

Had it been regular season, Cornish would have played. Ono Embo still not able to play.

Loyola will be very good this year. We spent time looking good, then would fall asleep. Blake Paul in very limited minutes nearly had a double-double. Sehic led us in scoring, but missed several easy layups. We looked good from 3, then stopped shooting it for long stretches.

The freshman look very promising.

Is Paul cured of trying to block everything disease?

[tjtlja]

One thing this team is missing is a true PG. A guy who can score, create, distribute, and defend. MD will have to deal with this the entire year.

[visualmagic]

Had it been regular season, Cornish would have played. Ono Embo still not able to play.

Loyola will be very good this year. We spent time looking good, then would fall asleep. Blake Paul in very limited minutes nearly had a double-double. Sehic led us in scoring, but missed several easy layups. We looked good from 3, then stopped shooting it for long stretches.

The freshman look very promising.

That’d be a first

[sr]

It's good that Loyola is better in MBB. Years ago they were very good. When they decided to drop MBB, Tulane picked up two starters in John Kardzionak and Ernie Losch. Kardzionak was lights out from the floor. Both from Chicago ….

[Baywave1]

Tito and RandyMc fairly summed it up. I would just add several thoughts. I haven't seen final box score but it seemed like Tulane had 20 turnovers or so. It was very ragged. Team generally played hard but as noted sometimes went into sleep mode for whatever reasons.

Tulane needs Ona Embo/Cornish at point guard. Not much weak side defense nor rebounding muscle tonight. I know MD has spoken about stepping up defense but to the extent Tulane enjoys success this year it will be from winning on the offensive end.

The freshmen can all shoot very well but Wood looks like he weighs 165 pounds (hyperbole, I know, but he has a lower frame like Koka) and Crabtree isn't any thicker. Zhang is very athletic and I expect he and Daniels this year will generate the Sports Center highlight reel plays.


The Sudanese duo are still in development but Paul did show more savvy offensive skills than the past.

I can see Tulane upsetting several NCAA tourney teams this year by scoring at will and then other nights being blown out when ice cold shooting wise. I do think it has potential to be better than MD's first two teams. As SI projected, as of today, Tulane looks like an average Div 1 team in an above average Div 1 conference.

But again this team can and will clearly score. As MD has said, it needs to succeed defensively if it is to excel. First test is in ten days.

[Baywave1]

One more point: crowd was what it was. More Loyola students than Tulane. However late arriving but great turnout by football team. May it be good karma for Saturday.

[windywave]

It's good that Loyola is better in MBB. Years ago they were very good. When they decided to drop MBB, Tulane picked up two starters in John Kardzionak and Ernie Losch. Kardzionak was lights out from the floor. Both from Chicago ….

Just sayin?

[randymc]

and don't forget a guy named Phil Hicks who started at Loyola before playing his way into the Tulane Hall of Fame.

[PeteRasche]

First off, thanks to those who were there for reporting!

Random thoughts:
1. Preseason exhibitions are nothing to really get concerned about as far as the final score. Top 5 teams have lost to D2 teams or traveling semi-pro teams in preseason scrimmages. Coaches are generally trying things out. Also, you are still in the middle of long, brutal preseason conditioning practices and the guys are exhausted (and maybe intentionally trying to hold back a little and not wear themselves out before the season starts), whereas the underdogs (those D2 or traveling teams) are always going all-out trying to upset the big guys.

2. We should never judge the athleticism of our guys when compared to a D2 team... or at least I hope we remain at a point where we shouldn't (there were some times in the DD/EC eras where some of our players were arguably D2 talent level). Let's hope we don't return to that state again. In other words, if our freshmen looked "really athletic", they better have looked "REALLY REALLY athletic", because the guys they were going against were generally not athletic enough to get a D1 scholarship at one of 347 schools.

3. That said, if we can't play defense against a D2 team.... hoooo boy, this could be a long year.

4. REALLY glad to see Daniels started after hearing he got hurt and never came back from the locker room at the recent scrimmage. That had me really worried.

5. Are we really talking about guys who played at Loyola then transferred to Tulane over 50 years ago as though that has relevance to the two programs today?

6. "Starting 5 was Barrett, Zhang, Daniels, Koka and Sehic".... so I'm guessing Barrett PG, Daniels SG, Zhang at 3? If Ona Embo and Cornish will start, will Daniels be playing 3? He seems a bit short for a 3 (defensively he'd often be covering guys several inches taller).

7. Looked at game photos on the Tulane site... Zhang's shoes... WTH?

[NJwave]

Pete is right on. We have blown out Loyola and had terrible years. I remember one year where we ran and ran all night and I got really excited that Conroy meant it when he said we would run a really fast pace. It ended up being the most we scored all year and we regressed to "Pass. Pass. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Bad 3."

The concern to me based on what those at the game posted is that we still aren't rebounding and playing defense. I'm a big proponent that with superior effort you can rebound and play defense effectively no matter your size. It makes me think the staff still isn't preaching it enough. We are going to score points as Dunleavy has proven he can guys open looks and put them in mismatches. We won't get over the hump until we rebound and play defense.

[wavedom]

Fortunately no one had expectations for this team. As noted we still can't play defense or rebound. All the talking MD did about Koka has no basis in reality. They made him look foolish. Wing span is nice but you have to have athleticism and awareness to be able to use it. Zhang made some fancy dribbles but he can't handle the ball. He forgets there's a defense on the floor and had the ball taken away several times. The Dicksonian schedule may fool a few early but it's going to be a long year. Even with the conference being down. Wish I could say otherwise.

[TUPF]

Fortunately no one had expectations for this team. As noted we still can't play defense or rebound. All the talking MD did about Koka has no basis in reality. They made him look foolish. Wing span is nice but you have to have athleticism and awareness to be able to use it. Zhang made some fancy dribbles but he can't handle the ball. He forgets there's a defense on the floor and had the ball taken away several times. The Dicksonian schedule may fool a few early but it's going to be a long year. Even with the conference being down. Wish I could say otherwise.

Yikes!

Cue Monty Python...“Always look on the bright side of life...”

[Baywave1]

Fortunately no one had expectations for this team. As noted we still can't play defense or rebound. All the talking MD did about Koka has no basis in reality. They made him look foolish. Wing span is nice but you have to have athleticism and awareness to be able to use it. Zhang made some fancy dribbles but he can't handle the ball. He forgets there's a defense on the floor and had the ball taken away several times. The Dicksonian schedule may fool a few early but it's going to be a long year. Even with the conference being down. Wish I could say otherwise.

Yikes!

Cue Monty Python...“Always look on the bright side of life...”

Since you asked, I will channel my inner Melvin and as he repeatedly said last year, "We just have to listen to Coach."

https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans ... 60094.html

Money Dunleavy Quote: But the number coach Mike Dunleavy focused on was Tulane’s 18 turnovers and Loyola’s 18 offensive rebounds.
“That’s a bad combination to have bad nights in,” Dunleavy said. “It leads to a lot of opportunity points for the other team."

So keep both those numbers in single digits then your superior shooting skills at minimum will make you competitive and often lead to victory.

It's a narrow path but doable for this team. Tulane will beat some Top 50 teams this year because of its shooting. Will it have a winning record? TBD.

Meanwhile no doubt Zhang has an enormous amount of self confidence in his basketball skills and athleticism. Is it an inappropriate level? TBD. However any Tulane player who in his opening exhibition attempts a Daryl Dawkins Chocolate Thunder Backboard Busting Windmill Slam (which Zhang missed on the last active play of the game) has my enthusiastic attention for not bringing a losing attitude to the gym.

[TUPF]

Your Darryl Dawkins reference.

[TU77CAL82]

Seven of our conference mates open their seasons tonight. The rest in the next couple days. Some will have played two games before we open on Sunday evening.