Bison137
Professor
Posts: 16147
Reg: 01-23-06
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01-01-22 11:44 AM - Post#332032
https://bucknellbison.com/news/2021/12/30/mens- bas...
Boston U is favored by about 11 points following a 9-4 OOC performance, their best record in 39 years. They have been missing All-PL SF Walter Whyte for the last 9 games with some sort of ankle/foot injury. Also are missing 6-9 transfer Nevin Zink, who was a 3-year starter at SC-Upstate of the Big South Conference. He is out for the year.
Boston's normal starting lineup features three 5th year players and two 4th year players. In total they have five grad students in their regular rotation. They were picked for 1st in the PL preseason poll. Both Whyte and Javante McCoy were picked for All-PL in that poll. Both have already been All-PL twice.
Boston U typically has maybe 500-600 fans in the seats. Will be interesting to see what it looks like at 1 PM on a New Year's Day.
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HuskyColonial
PhD Student
Posts: 1976
Age: 50
Reg: 02-17-12
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Boston U Game
01-01-22 02:02 PM - Post#332039
In response to Bison137
What in the world are the announcers wearing? The masking policies of Northeast states are so bizarre to me.
My buddy is at the Rose Bowl parade today. Masks are required for people sitting in any bleachers that are in line with television cameras. Otherwise not required. That pretty much sums up the state of COVID affairs.
Go Bison!
Edited by HuskyColonial on 01-01-22 02:19 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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jkrun80
Postdoc
Posts: 3305
Age: 65
Reg: 05-07-12
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01-01-22 02:28 PM - Post#332042
In response to HuskyColonial
I like what I see so far. Hopefully, we can avoid the long scoring lapses that have plagued so many other games.
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Bison137
Professor
Posts: 16147
Reg: 01-23-06
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Re: Boston U Game
01-01-22 02:35 PM - Post#332043
In response to HuskyColonial
What in the world are the announcers wearing? The masking policies of Northeast states are so bizarre to me.
My buddy is at the Rose Bowl parade today. Masks are required for people sitting in any bleachers that are in line with television cameras. Otherwise not required. That pretty much sums up the state of COVID affairs.
Go Bison!
At least Boston U's policies for players are not as bizarre as last year. Last year, players on both teams were required to wear masks at all times. But all of the players wore the masks around their necks! And that was OK.
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nh2032
Sophomore
Posts: 185
Reg: 02-28-06
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01-01-22 02:56 PM - Post#332045
In response to Bison137
Boston U announcers, who always do a pretty good job, really highlighting the uneven playing field in terms of the school's different situations on transfers and grad students. Feels like McCoy, Matoun and White have been there forever. Didn't realize Boston doesn't even have a freshman on the roster, but when everyone there is likely to get a 5th year I guess that doesn't matter as much.
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HuskyColonial
PhD Student
Posts: 1976
Age: 50
Reg: 02-17-12
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01-01-22 03:00 PM - Post#332046
In response to nh2032
I thought Bucknell played a pretty good half at both ends of the court. They tend to panic when they can’t get the offense to work rather than patiently going through the motions. Lots of pick and rolls that don’t work when the guy rolling never has the ball go back to him.
As will be the case in many games this PL season, how Funk plays will probably determine the outcome. He’s got to be under control, work the drives and short jumpers. He’s one of the more complete and veteran guards in the PL when he’s not launching wild NBA jumpers.
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jkrun80
Postdoc
Posts: 3305
Age: 65
Reg: 05-07-12
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01-01-22 03:01 PM - Post#332047
In response to nh2032
Boston U announcers, who always do a pretty good job, really highlighting the uneven playing field in terms of the school's different situations on transfers and grad students. Feels like McCoy, Matoun and White have been there forever. Didn't realize Boston doesn't even have a freshman on the roster, but when everyone there is likely to get a 5th year I guess that doesn't matter as much.
They also mentioned they have 7 players over 22. Bucknell has 1. That makes a huge difference.
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HuskyColonial
PhD Student
Posts: 1976
Age: 50
Reg: 02-17-12
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01-01-22 03:15 PM - Post#332048
In response to jkrun80
I think their announcers have been pretty even handed in their game coverage.
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nh2032
Sophomore
Posts: 185
Reg: 02-28-06
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01-01-22 03:32 PM - Post#332049
In response to HuskyColonial
Think the babyfaced (assuming under the mask) official had a few too many on NYE. Some really late whistles and questionable calls from him.
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MrPhillie
Postdoc
Posts: 2757
Loc: NE PA
Reg: 07-14-08
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01-01-22 03:43 PM - Post#332050
In response to nh2032
Bucknell hanging in better than I would’ve predicted. As an aside, maybe the offense won’t rely on 3-pointers as much moving forward? They are terrible today yet can win this game. Of course, Boston is also bad from distance today as well.
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jkrun80
Postdoc
Posts: 3305
Age: 65
Reg: 05-07-12
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01-01-22 03:43 PM - Post#332051
In response to HuskyColonial
I think their announcers have been pretty even handed in their game coverage.
Their announcers have always been great. They do their homework and are not blatant homers.
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jkrun80
Postdoc
Posts: 3305
Age: 65
Reg: 05-07-12
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01-01-22 03:44 PM - Post#332052
In response to jkrun80
Still hanging around. Can they keep up the D?
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HuskyColonial
PhD Student
Posts: 1976
Age: 50
Reg: 02-17-12
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01-01-22 03:53 PM - Post#332056
In response to jkrun80
This game was a microcosm of everything great and awful about Funk. He played us back in the game as a Senior leader playing at a high level and then decided he was Steve Kerr. So hard to watch but I’m proud of the defense and energy displayed by the guys.
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nh2032
Sophomore
Posts: 185
Reg: 02-28-06
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01-01-22 03:55 PM - Post#332058
In response to jkrun80
Funk 3-6 FTs. Screen 0-4 FTs including the front end of two 1 and 1's. Frustrating outcome.
But for those who are in the only doom and gloom crowd tune into some of the other PL games today and see how awful the rest of the league is too. Lehigh and their single D1 win taking on American should be a barn burner.
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Bison137
Professor
Posts: 16147
Reg: 01-23-06
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01-01-22 04:22 PM - Post#332060
In response to nh2032
But for those who are in the only doom and gloom crowd tune into some of the other PL games today and see how awful the rest of the league is too. Lehigh and their single D1 win taking on American should be a barn burner.
I agree that there are a lot of horrendous PL teams. Here are the current rankings:
268 Army
273 Loyola
301 Lafayette
314 Bucknell
323 American
326 Lehigh
348 Holy Cross
But it gives me absolutely no consolation at all that Bucknell is not the only horrendous team in the league. If ND cannot produce teams that are consistently better than #200 - given that he has the best facilizes and the team with the best PL hoops tradition (by far) - then I think there is no question that he should be replaced. Worse, the trajectory is straight downhill. Ranking (Pomeroy) for the last six seasons:
2017 - 76 (DP recruits)
2018 - 97 (DP recruits)
2019 - 145 (key players DP recruits)
2020 - 242
2021 - 276
2022 - 314
With this trend, can 350 be next?
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nh2032
Sophomore
Posts: 185
Reg: 02-28-06
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01-01-22 04:38 PM - Post#332061
In response to Bison137
But for those who are in the only doom and gloom crowd tune into some of the other PL games today and see how awful the rest of the league is too. Lehigh and their single D1 win taking on American should be a barn burner.
I agree that there are a lot of horrendous PL teams. Here are the current rankings:
268 Army
273 Loyola
301 Lafayette
314 Bucknell
323 American
326 Lehigh
348 Holy Cross
But it gives me absolutely no consolation at all that Bucknell is not the only horrendous team in the league. If ND cannot produce teams that are consistently better than #200 - given that he has the best facilizes and the team with the best PL hoops tradition (by far) - then I think there is no question that he should be replaced. Worse, the trajectory is straight downhill. Ranking (Pomeroy) for the last six seasons:
2017 - 76 (DP recruits)
2018 - 97 (DP recruits)
2019 - 145 (key players DP recruits)
2020 - 242
2021 - 276
2022 - 314
With this trend, can 350 be next?
Or take a broader view of how significantly the MBB landscape has changed in the last few years and realize that given the new transfer rules (both COVID driven and otherwise with immediate eligibility) and the NIL law the Patriot League is now disadvantaged across the board compared to other conferences. To the point where we may be headed back to The Last Amateurs days pre-scholarships.
The fact is when the transfers we've lost care more about getting to 1 million TikTok followers or launching a clothing brand than the actual playing time they are getting I don't know what Davis (even with his shortcomings) is supposed to do about that.
I firmly expect the PL teams more willing or able to play the transfer game (ie. Boston and Colgate) to stay near the top with the service academies peppered in based on their unique draw.
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MrPhillie
Postdoc
Posts: 2757
Loc: NE PA
Reg: 07-14-08
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01-01-22 04:41 PM - Post#332062
In response to Bison137
Just not a Davis fan and agree the trajectory of his teams is negative at best. As for today, it seemed to be a better defensive effort coupled with poor Boston shooting. Had a chance but allowing Boston offensive rebounds and some poor offense in final minute sealed the Bison loss. Finally,
being okay with the Bison being terrible just because much of their league is also poor does not seem to be what Bison basketball has been about. Can’t imagine Pat Flannery being comfortable with his teams poor play just because other teams are also bad. Really, can’t imagine any coach or program having that thought process.
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nh2032
Sophomore
Posts: 185
Reg: 02-28-06
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01-01-22 04:51 PM - Post#332063
In response to MrPhillie
Just not a Davis fan and agree the trajectory of his teams is negative at best. As for today, it seemed to be a better defensive effort coupled with poor Boston shooting. Had a chance but allowing Boston offensive rebounds and some poor offense in final minute sealed the Bison loss. Finally,
being okay with the Bison being terrible just because much of their league is also poor does not seem to be what Bison basketball has been about. Can’t imagine Pat Flannery being comfortable with his teams poor play just because other teams are also bad. Really, can’t imagine any coach or program having that thought process.
Where did I ever say we or the coaching staff or anyone else should be ok with it? My point is it's worth looking at the broader context when discussing what's going on. Unless you are suggesting it's pure coincidence that the bottom is completely dropping out on 70% of the league at the same time.
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MrPhillie
Postdoc
Posts: 2757
Loc: NE PA
Reg: 07-14-08
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01-01-22 05:03 PM - Post#332065
In response to nh2032
Idk, I guess by bringing up poor league play as a whole suggests an “at least it’s not just us” vibe. Forgive my misreading your comment, but I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who took it that way. If anything, we should be even more upset we are terrible this year because it is a great opportunity to win the league and get to the tournament.
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Bison137
Professor
Posts: 16147
Reg: 01-23-06
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Boston U Game
01-01-22 05:24 PM - Post#332066
In response to MrPhillie
I think the league's biggest problem is having more bad coaches. Flannery or Paulsen or Ralph Willard wouldn't have any trouble being top 150 programs in today's world. Ed DeChellis and Matt Langel are not having any problem. With Bucknell's facilities, fan support, and winning tradition, Nathan Davis shouldn't be having a problem either.
Btw, I took a look at the Lehigh @ American game. Looking at the bench side and both end zones, there are a total of 34 spectators visible. There are also some on the camera side, and likely more not visible, so it is possible they have 75 or more in total. That is one of several reasons why winning at American is harder than winning at Bucknell.
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HuskyColonial
PhD Student
Posts: 1976
Age: 50
Reg: 02-17-12
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01-01-22 07:08 PM - Post#332070
In response to Bison137
Nathan Davis needs to go. That’s not up for debate. His contract is up soon. If the administration renews it, that would be a travesty.
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bisonmania
Masters Student
Posts: 920
Reg: 10-26-07
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01-01-22 08:38 PM - Post#332075
In response to HuskyColonial
I read a message or 2 with reference to Pat Flannery. I am not sure how closely he follows the Bison. He no longer lives in Lewisburg. But I agree he can not be happy and especially since Davis was on his coaching staff.
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JVBison
Freshman
Posts: 6
Age: 70
Reg: 04-03-19
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01-02-22 09:30 AM - Post#332085
In response to MrPhillie
I watched pretty much the whole game and I did see improvement. We fought hard for 40 minutes. BU has several very skilled players, we played on the road, and it came down to the final shot. I did think the playcall was suspect, I think we could have done better than a Funk isolation. Funk played great driving to the basket under control and is one of the top players in the league. This is a development year. The non league games were for figuring out the rotation. Now we have to win games. I am hoping for a better than .500 record in the league and I believe that is very attainable. The real problem with the program is in recruiting. The current freshman class is pretty good, prior years were not, and I see very little in the incoming class, so that is where I think Davis is vulnerable, and the next step may be to shake up his staff to improve recruiting. Meanwhile I am going to try to look for the positives.
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bison63
Postdoc
Posts: 3857
Reg: 01-23-06
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01-02-22 01:56 PM - Post#332106
In response to JVBison
Actually, a two point road loss to the pre- season conference favorite is not imo cause to proclaim that the sky is falling. And I will leave others more knowledgeable than me to pass judgement on the recruiting. Unfortunately, the real fly in the ointment as far as I can tell is the new transfer rule. Would we be a better team this year with the undergraduate players we’ve lost over the past two years to transfer? To say nothing of the 5 th year players. Of course we would.
What is to keep an Andre Screen at Bucknell for two more years? Unfortunately the NCAA has created a situation that turns schools like Bucknell in to minor league teams for the power 6 conferences. Given todays rules, how long would CJand Muscala remained in the PL? Bucknell further handicaps itself with its negative policy towards 5th year players. This new transfer situation is a dagger to the heart for schools like Bucknell, and frankly I don’t see a solution. In the past our key to success was finding players that the power conference coaches missed for whatever reason. In the case of CJ and Mike that reason was their late development. Now the transfer situation gives the power guys a second chance at such players. This is not a problem that is going to go away.
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nh2032
Sophomore
Posts: 185
Reg: 02-28-06
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01-02-22 08:03 PM - Post#332184
In response to bison63
Actually, a two point road loss to the pre- season conference favorite is not imo cause to proclaim that the sky is falling. And I will leave others more knowledgeable than me to pass judgement on the recruiting. Unfortunately, the real fly in the ointment as far as I can tell is the new transfer rule. Would we be a better team this year with the undergraduate players we’ve lost over the past two years to transfer? To say nothing of the 5 th year players. Of course we would.
What is to keep an Andre Screen at Bucknell for two more years? Unfortunately the NCAA has created a situation that turns schools like Bucknell in to minor league teams for the power 6 conferences. Given todays rules, how long would CJand Muscala remained in the PL? Bucknell further handicaps itself with its negative policy towards 5th year players. This new transfer situation is a dagger to the heart for schools like Bucknell, and frankly I don’t see a solution. In the past our key to success was finding players that the power conference coaches missed for whatever reason. In the case of CJ and Mike that reason was their late development. Now the transfer situation gives the power guys a second chance at such players. This is not a problem that is going to go away.
Be careful, you aren't allowed to suggest the problem might be anything bigger than Davis around here. But I agree, why would a star caliber player not take the extra year and earning potential at school's with that infrastructure and increased reach. For whatever it's worth Sotos is estimated to be making $100K+ from social media while barely playing at OSU - you can extrapolate what the actual top tier looks like.
Unless this board is going to rally local businesses to start lining up NIL deals or lobbying for wholesale changes in how transfers and grad students get handled the future looks extremely challenging regardless of the coach.
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BisonRoadWarrior
Professor
Posts: 5203
Loc: Where the Bison Roam
Reg: 08-16-06
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01-03-22 01:19 AM - Post#332205
In response to nh2032
What’s the source for the Sotos $100,000 income claim?
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nh2032
Sophomore
Posts: 185
Reg: 02-28-06
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01-03-22 08:27 AM - Post#332206
In response to BisonRoadWarrior
What’s the source for the Sotos $100,000 income claim?
Let me Google that for you
Lots of different calculations out there. Many articles are only quoting money that's direct from TikTok, not sponsored posts / ads. Then add in cameos at $50 a pop, merch and who knows what else.
Would be truly interested what quote you'd get if you contacted his NIL management company about advertising for your blog.
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