One more game before finals week. Bring on the 3-7 Lions. The scariest part of this game? Even with losses to teams like Montana, Wyoming, and UC Irvine, Loyola Marymount outranks UCLA by Ken Pomeroy's statistics.
Seton Hall transfer Larry Davis has missed the past five games and should sit out again with a swollen Achilles tendon. He was the second highest scorer at the time with 13.2 a game.
#34 Drew Viney has been the surprising star of the team. He sat out last year after transferring from Oregon and has been red hot so far. 17.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 53% from long range (single-handedly propelling the Lions to 30th in the nation in three-point percentage). He's 6'7", which creates a big mismatch on the wing.
#1 Vernon Teel, who broke his foot in last year's contest, has been shooting the ball very well and filling up the stat sheet. With twelve points, six assists, and five rebounds per game, he controls everything LMU does on both ends of the floor.
With the injury bug striking freshmen big Edgar Garibay, #32 Tim Diederichs is back in the starting lineup. However, he clearly has not earned the respect of coach Max Good. After playing a lot his freshman year, his minutes have fallen through the floor the past two seasons. Even as a starter, he has averaged eight minutes his last two games.
Remember last season, the Irish stopped at LMU on its way to Maui and struggled through a 65-54 jetlagged win. Coach Bill Bayno had the program feeling positive when he was hired, but he left after three games and the team ended up as one of the worst in the country. Even with an early win over USC, the Lions have a ways to go. This should be an easy win.
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8 comments:
Easy win, huh?
Never for this team.
outscored 5-0 in last 90 seconds, have to partly blame brey for that one
Partly blame Brey, your being kind. He's pulled the same thing forever. Let your point guard drive the lane and not get off a decent shot. It started with Chris Thomas and has continued ever since. This team will be lucky to win 6-8 games in the Big East.
I have one question. How mant times did you see a Notre Dame go to the floor for a loose ball tonight?
Quite simply LMU players and coaches wanted it more tonight. We are as soft as a morning breeze. We can't inbound the ball coming out of a time out. That is simply inexcusable at any level.
Is it sinking in yet if you continue to pound 7 guys in your rotation, you will get burned by better athletes.
Just think what's going to come down when the Big East rosters look to double Gody and we have the lackluster perimeter shooting from this group.
Instead of getting after it and playing free and loose, Coach Brey wants to control his 7 man rotation, and with the game on the line they're out of gas defensively.
With non-conference games the new guys have to be getting at least 10minutes to show you if they can contribute come Big East time. Or is it a simple matter of always looking to feast on the creme puffs (come on LMU is 3-7 for crying out loud) and rack up the Ws at the risk of developing the younger players.
You either have first year players that are recruited to contribute immediately, or you have to reassess the types of players you bring in if they can't play a lick or are denied a chance to show what they have.
This has all the makings of a 6-10 looking Big East squad. And the root of the problem is and has always been the short bench.
Short bench, inattention to defense...
Poor practice facilities and a budget in the last quartile of the conference are systemic disadvantages that must be addressed. But you don't need a big budget or a fancy practice facility to stress good defense, or develop players.
Time for Swarbrick to start another search. His first stop might be right in his own backyard of Indianapolis...
The problem with the basketball team is the same problem that we have with the football team. We have a bunch of nice student- athletes that you would be thrilled to have your daughter go out with. Not a nasty lad in the bunch.
Knock somebody down when they drive the middle. After you knock them down tell them that you will hit them harder if they drive the middle again. Oh, heavens, that would not be in our players DNA, now would it. An LMU player certainly wasn't above cracking Scott in the bean with an elbow at the end of the 1st half. I'll stop rambling at the risk of someone much smarter than me retorting with the "The game has changed and you just don't understand" refrain. Here's what I saw and understand - a mid-major team came into our house tonight and beat us because they were hungrier and tougher than we were.
It's no secret I'm a Mike Brey fan, but we're seeing the same issues that have plagued this program for ten years. Unless there is a dramatic turnaround the rest of the way, I'm guessing we may be discussing possible new coaches down the road.
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