MBB: Game 25 - vs. Northeastern (Sat 2/8, 4:00 pm)

[EvanJ]

Note if the converse was true and they were in the bonus almost definitively we would have been in trouble because most of their players especially Roland and Brace are automatic from the foul line.

NU leads Division I in free throw percentage at .808. Pepperdine, who used to be over .840, is second at .801. We're second in the CAA, and we combine with Northeastern for a .788 free throw percentage, which has a chance at being the best by a pair of teams in the same conference. It slightly trails Summit League teams Western Illinois and North Dakota State, who are both at .789. We're 13th in Division I, and Charleston is 16th. Making it the top three teams in a conference keeps it close, with the CAA at .782, and the Summit League at .783 adding in North Dakota's .772, which is slightly ahead of South Dakota's .772. The Summit League has 9 of 353 teams, but has 4 of the top 19 in free throw percentage. From Charleston's point of view, I wonder how many times a team has played consecutive games with as high with as a high a free throw percentage as they have but a worse free throw percentage than their opponent.

In conference free throw percentage, the CAA leads at .7397. The Summit League is second at .7378. The Western Athletic (WAC), which at one point needed five or six decimal places to be separated from the CAA, is fourth at .7233. If it ends this way, it would be the second consecutive season that the CAA was first and the Summit League was second.

[Wags]

Funny that people bring up the refs...had coffee with Joe last week and he said he hates playing on Saturdays because there are no refs available due to all the games.

He said wait until you see this group on Saturday....The worst! How prophetic was that????

I noticed before the game, they all seemed a lot younger than the typical ref crew at home games, and I was wondering how that might play out. Sure enough, the lack of experience showed. As with anything else, those refs will get a lot better than they were yesterday, the more experience they'll have.

I think early on, the players and Joe were letting the refs' calls get in their heads too much instead of just playing their game and fighting through the calls.

They did get a good whistle break to start the second half -- 9 of the first 10 fouls of the second half were called against NU, which proved very helpful. NU couldn't score without getting to the line (20 pts over the first 18:51 of the second half) and HU attempted 15 more (22-7) and made 14 more (19-5) FTs than NU in the second half.

[EvanJ]

How about that heave Roland made from the left corner from Roland to get NE within one 69-68????? Crazy shot.

A W&M fan complained that we fouled him and he should have had a chance at a four-point play to tie the game. We have two things that help us hold on to leads that Roland can't stop. We have the second highest free throw percentage and second fewest turnovers per game in the CAA. Even if our opponent makes threes, it's harder to come back allowing us to score 2 per possession than allowing 0 from a turnover or missed free throw(s), or 1 from 1 of 2 free throws.

They did get a good whistle break to start the second half -- 9 of the first 10 fouls of the second half were called against NU, which proved very helpful. NU couldn't score without getting to the line (20 pts over the first 18:51 of the second half) and HU attempted 15 more (22-7) and made 14 more (19-5) FTs than NU in the second half.

NU averages 2.8 fewer free throw attempts per game than their opponents, which is how they lead Division I in free throw percentage but have 0.7 fewer made per game. We have +5.7 made per game, which must be among the leaders, but I don't have a way of finding out.

Roland made 99 threes last season, and he's on pace to become the first player in CAA history with two seasons with at least 99 threes.

[Wags]

Give credit to Hofstra for the second half comeback but when Roland fouled Ray a call Roland was very unhappy with Roland sat (4th foul)and NE looked totally lost without him, desperate to effectuate their offense. We got back in the game quickly

This seemed like it was going to be huge at the time, but he really wasn't out for long. He left with his 4th foul at 12:13, but he was right back in at 10:23 again gave them the lead again at 8:37. He still played 38 minutes even with the 4th foul so early. I think it was more Ray and Buie at the offensive end in the second half and the defense in the second half, even with Roland in the game. And that 4th foul was legit. He did bump Ray on the drive.

[Wags]

How about that heave Roland made from the left corner from Roland to get NE within one 69-68????? Crazy shot.

A W&M fan complained that we fouled him and he should have had a chance at a four-point play to tie the game. We have two things that help us hold on to leads that Roland can't stop. We have the second highest free throw percentage and second fewest turnovers per game in the CAA. Even if our opponent makes threes, it's harder to come back allowing us to score 2 per possession than allowing 0 from a turnover or missed free throw(s), or 1 from 1 of 2 free throws.

Nah, definitely not a foul. Ray simply stood there, arms up, and Roland went around him, with the double-clutch, one-handed jumper. W&M fans should worry about their team losing 5 of 7 after starting 6-0.

One thing that I thought I saw though that I didn't see anyone else mention, which would've been a huge mistake, was on HU's final possession. Up 73-71, they inbound to Ray past midcourt. I'm pretty sure I saw him hold the ball with both arms and signal for a timeout near the HU bench which HU didn't have, just before he was fouled. That would've been a tech and could've severely changed everything. The foul was obviously called instead and Ray iced the game at the line with :01.6 left. Wondering... anyone else happen to see what I thought I saw?

[Wags]

I was there early so had time to see both teams pre-practice and I just find it hard to believe that this kid Roland who has the most unorthodox shot ever could be a scorer. It just defies logic and he shoots in the corner like jumping backwards to avoid the D and hurls the ball two handed over his head and the crazy thing is he has perfected this bizarre shot. I'm sure when he was growing up probably lots of coaches tried to correct this shot and make him shoot in a more normal way. The shot he hit at the end of the game with his left hand was clearly other worldly just unbelievable.

He also often kicks his legs straight out when he shoots a 3. It looks more like a heave than a shot. It is bizarre to see and you wonder where he's getting the power from to make those shots with that style. A lot of coaches will try at first to correct unorthodox shots, as you said, but if players are making them that way, they eventually let them be, as long as the shot goes in consistently. It's often better to let players be comfortable as long as they're making their shots than to fix a result that's not broken even if it looks like the shot is. It's sort of like a strange batting stance for a hitter who has a high batting average. Might look weird, but if the results are good, no one will try to change their style.

[triplec2195]

I was there early so had time to see both teams pre-practice and I just find it hard to believe that this kid Roland who has the most unorthodox shot ever could be a scorer. It just defies logic and he shoots in the corner like jumping backwards to avoid the D and hurls the ball two handed over his head and the crazy thing is he has perfected this bizarre shot. I'm sure when he was growing up probably lots of coaches tried to correct this shot and make him shoot in a more normal way. The shot he hit at the end of the game with his left hand was clearly other worldly just unbelievable.

He also often kicks his legs straight out when he shoots a 3. It looks more like a heave than a shot. It is bizarre to see and you wonder where he's getting the power from to make those shots with that style. A lot of coaches will try at first to correct unorthodox shots, as you said, but if players are making them that way, they eventually let them be, as long as the shot goes in consistently. It's often better to let players be comfortable as long as they're making their shots than to fix a result that's not broken even if it looks like the shot is. It's sort of like a strange batting stance for a hitter who has a high batting average. Might look weird, but if the results are good, no one will try to change their style.

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[triplec2195]

Yes well said Wags a heave might be a better description


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[EvanJ]

I took a set of screen shots showing when Ray could have called timeout. Screen shots are not as good as video, but neither the highlights from the CAA nor from Hofstra showed that part, so I took screen shots for people who don't pay for Flo. I took nine screen shots, and each post is limited to three attachments. I didn't see him try to call timeout, but he was on the opposite side from the camera, so I'm not saying he certainly didn't.

[EvanJ]

Screen shots 4 through 6 of 9 are attached.

[EvanJ]

Screen shots 7 through 9 of 9 are attached.

[Cards]

He also often kicks his legs straight out when he shoots a 3. It looks more like a heave than a shot. It is bizarre to see and you wonder where he's getting the power from to make those shots with that style.

I'm sure you guys remember Marcus Thornton from W&M. Great player who routinely kicked a leg out during his jumpers. Even did it many times to get contact and convince refs he was fouled.

[Wags]

He also often kicks his legs straight out when he shoots a 3. It looks more like a heave than a shot. It is bizarre to see and you wonder where he's getting the power from to make those shots with that style.

I'm sure you guys remember Marcus Thornton from W&M. Great player who routinely kicked a leg out during his jumpers. Even did it many times to get contact and convince refs he was fouled.

Yup. That was more like what you see in the NBA now, though they started cracking down on that. That’s a regular shot, kicking one leg out to draw contact usually. But what Roland does is just a weird looking shot in general, kicking both legs forward and just sort of slinging the ball rather than shooting it. But hey, if it goes in...

[Wags]

I took a set of screen shots showing when Ray could have called timeout. Screen shots are not as good as video, but neither the highlights from the CAA nor from Hofstra showed that part, so I took screen shots for people who don't pay for Flo. I took nine screen shots, and each post is limited to three attachments. I didn't see him try to call timeout, but he was on the opposite side from the camera, so I'm not saying he certainly didn't.

Thanks, Evan. It’s unclear from these pics, though if anything, pic #7 would be the one where it’s closest to where I thought he corralled the ball and called timeout before I thought Mihalich immediately stepped in and convinced the ref that it was only a foul and no timeout. Without audio, we also don’t know whether he might have verbally called timeout and if so, whether the ref might’ve heard it (and maybe that’s why Mihalich seemed to be stepping in there with the ref?). None of it matters because they called it the way they did and HU got the win, but it’s interesting to think of the wild finish it might’ve been had it actually been a timeout.