|
Post by austinace on Feb 4, 2024 15:09:14 GMT -6
Wed, Feb 7th @ 7 pm @ The Ford Center | 6:30 pm Pregame | vs.
| Bradley (17-6,9-3) @ UE (14-9, 5-7) | Game Info | Feb 7th | 7 pm CST | Evansville, IN | Game Coverage | ESPN+ | Live Stats | WJPS 107.1 | The Varsity Network | Opp Msg Board | BradleyFans.com | TapaTalk.com | Comparison | Resume Comparisons | Bart Torvik | haslametrics | Evan Miya haslametrics: Bradley Kenpom: UE (204), Bradley (62) NET: UE (184), Bradley (55) SOS: UE (126), Bradley (151)
| In-Game Links | UE Men's Basketball | MVC Standings | Jevin | Evansville | Home Page | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Bradley | Home Page | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Odds | Covers.com | Haslametrics: L 65.97 - 75.34 | Notes | Early in the year Bradley struggled when Connor Hickman was hurt. Since he has returned, they have been on a roll - winning 11 of their last 12 games. Their only loss in this stretch was an OT loss at Indiana State. Bradley beat us 86-50 at their place on January 10th. Their marque non-conference win was over #17 Utah State (72-66 OT).
Bradley is noted for their strong defense. They have a strong backcourt with speedy 5'8" senior Duke Deen and 6'3" Jr sharpshooter Connor Hickman (40.9% from three with 2.5 makes a game on average).
They have height with 7'1" So. Ahmet Jonovic and a variety of other players including 6'9" Gr. Malevy Leons and 6'9" Sr. Darius Hannah. 6'8" Fr. Almar Atlason and 6'4" Fr. Demarion Burch round out their normal rotation. |
|
|
|
Post by 6thman on Feb 5, 2024 21:20:24 GMT -6
Will there be a change in the starting line-up this week? Will Bobe, Strawbridge and Thomas start? Will Cuff, Hughes or Bailey get the nods instead? Will Haffner win back his spot as a starter?
Will parking get any closer?
Just some questions that are unanswerable before Wednesday.
LET'S GO ACESS!!!!!
|
|
|
Post by aceloverlarry on Feb 5, 2024 21:24:52 GMT -6
Will there be a change in the starting line-up this week? Will Bobe, Strawbridge and Thomas start? Will Cuff, Hughes or Bailey get the nods instead? Will Haffner win back his spot as a starter? Will parking get any closer? Just some questions that are unanswerable before Wednesday. LET'S GO ACESS!!!!! If you listen to the coaches show this week, I don’t think Gage will be leaving the starting lineup anytime soon. Ragland had a lot of high praise for Gage. He said no one is more locked in to the scouting reports than Gage and praised how his defensive effort has been paying off for him lately. Maybe he’ll exit the starting lineup before the season ends, but I wouldn’t bank on it happening Wednesday. He’ll have to get cooked by Connor Hickman to see any changes to the lineup.
|
|
|
Post by wildbill on Feb 6, 2024 14:58:39 GMT -6
Will there be a change in the starting line-up this week? Will Bobe, Strawbridge and Thomas start? Will Cuff, Hughes or Bailey get the nods instead? Will Haffner win back his spot as a starter? Will parking get any closer? Just some questions that are unanswerable before Wednesday. LET'S GO ACESS!!!!! If you listen to the coaches show this week, I don’t think Gage will be leaving the starting lineup anytime soon. Ragland had a lot of high praise for Gage. He said no one is more locked in to the scouting reports than Gage and praised how his defensive effort has been paying off for him lately. Maybe he’ll exit the starting lineup before the season ends, but I wouldn’t bank on it happening Wednesday. He’ll have to get cooked by Connor Hickman to see any changes to the lineup. Bobe starting is still an absolutely bad decision. I really think Coach R is doing well, but this is a red mark. Of course, that's my opinion.
|
|
|
Post by municup14 on Feb 6, 2024 18:44:50 GMT -6
Gage is probably our best defensive guard, that is why he starts.
|
|
|
Post by austinace on Feb 6, 2024 19:09:16 GMT -6
We open as 9 to 9.5 point underdogs.
|
|
|
Post by daddysboy on Feb 6, 2024 19:52:37 GMT -6
Kenny, leading the MVC in steals per game is probably our best wing defender. Probably why he starts
|
|
|
Post by austinace on Feb 6, 2024 20:46:37 GMT -6
Kenny, leading the MVC in steals per game is probably our best wing defender. Probably why he starts Point well-taken. Technically he is second though with Gillespie of Belmont first. Page 7 of this link: mvc-sports.com/documents/2023/11/7//2023_24_MVC_MBB_Stats.pdf . Kenny has played 22 games though to Gillespie’s 15. Bradley has four players in the top 15 in steals per game. Tanner is tied for second behind Duke Dean of Bradley in assist to turnover ratio (page 9). Ben is the leader in 3 point field goal % (page 8).
|
|
|
Post by austinace on Feb 7, 2024 10:22:24 GMT -6
Don't want to get overly analytical here but: - We lost to Bradley at their place by 36 points (86-30);
- We are a 9 to 9.5 point underdog tonight at home;
- Home court advantage is generally considered to be a good three points or so (by Sagarin standards);
- So say maybe a seven point swing for playing at our place versus Bradley's place;
- 36-7-9 = 20 points;
Does that mean Ben playing is worth 20 points? as he did not play at Bradley. I would probably say that is pretty close but interesting to see what others think.
I think the answer is yes.
|
|
|
Post by lawrencevgibson on Feb 7, 2024 10:24:49 GMT -6
Don't want to get overly analytical here but: - We lost to Bradley at their place by 36 points (86-30);
- We are a 9 to 9.5 point underdog tonight at home;
- Home court advantage is generally considered to be a good three points or so (by Sagarin standards);
- So say maybe a seven point swing for playing at our place versus Bradley's place;
- 36-7-9 = 20 points;
Does that mean Ben playing is worth 20 points? as he did not play at Bradley. I would probably say that is pretty close but interesting to see what others think.
How many points is his defense worth?
|
|
|
Post by thevampire5 on Feb 7, 2024 10:50:53 GMT -6
Another poster on here said last week.... "You just can't start and play, Strawbridge, Thomas and Bobe together" Because that's 3 players who usually won't give you any scoring. So, my question is, why does Coach Ragland still start those 3 together? It puts a lot of pressure on Ben and Toumi to do the scoring. Plus the Aces have a bad habit of not getting good starts in either halves. 🤦♂️🤷♂️
|
|
|
Post by ad1770 on Feb 7, 2024 10:59:27 GMT -6
Don't want to get overly analytical here but: - We lost to Bradley at their place by 36 points (86-30);
- We are a 9 to 9.5 point underdog tonight at home;
- Home court advantage is generally considered to be a good three points or so (by Sagarin standards);
- So say maybe a seven point swing for playing at our place versus Bradley's place;
- 36-7-9 = 20 points;
Does that mean Ben playing is worth 20 points? as he did not play at Bradley. I would probably say that is pretty close but interesting to see what others think.
How many points is his defense worth? This is the true question. How many points is his defense worth? Atlason, Leons, and Hannah combined for 30. If Ben can prevent 10 on that by defense alone, that is a start. However, our guards are either going to have to fight their a$$es off getting through screens, or our bigs are going to have to be quick moving their feet and stay in front of their man on a switch since we all know if not, Bradley will kill us from behind the arc. This game comes down to defense and rebounding above all else more than any other game we have played. I hope they work on putting a man on their back to box out in this game. We will need it.
|
|
|
Post by austinace on Feb 7, 2024 11:19:17 GMT -6
Hopefully with Ben back and the improvement that the rest of the team has made since we last played Bradley (and a lot of hard work and fan support) will be enough to squeak out a W tonight.
|
|
|
Post by goacesgo on Feb 7, 2024 11:30:31 GMT -6
Another poster on here said last week.... "You just can't start and play, Strawbridge, Thomas and Bobe together" Because that's 3 players who usually won't give you any scoring. So, my question is, why does Coach Ragland still start those 3 together? It puts a lot of pressure on Ben and Toumi to do the scoring. Plus the Aces have a bad habit of not getting good starts in either halves. 🤦♂️🤷♂️ Like I have said many times, i trust the coaches, they put a lot more time into the analysis of who we start. I actually have been really pleased with Strawbridge the last few games, really engaged and playing great defense. Several on here have mentioned Bailey starting, and they tried that and he was in foul trouble. He also has to learn when to drive so he doesn’t get his shot blocked which has happened probably 10 times in the last 5 games. I think it’s a mixture of senior leadership, ball handling, and defensive scheme is the reason he starts the players he does. Idk I’m not in the practices, and I’m not making a living by making these decisions, so i don’t waste brain cells thinking about it.
|
|
|
Post by db1972 on Feb 7, 2024 11:33:03 GMT -6
Another poster on here said last week.... "You just can't start and play, Strawbridge, Thomas and Bobe together" Because that's 3 players who usually won't give you any scoring. So, my question is, why does Coach Ragland still start those 3 together? It puts a lot of pressure on Ben and Toumi to do the scoring. Plus the Aces have a bad habit of not getting good starts in either halves. 🤦♂️🤷♂️ I'm not sure I agree with this assessment of that trio not providing any offense. This has come up enough, I would like to hopefully dispel the myth for everybody. Below is our roster ordered by points per minute (minimum 10 games played): Humrichous: .53 Bailey III: .47 Toumi: .47 Hughes: .37 Cuff: .34 Strawbridge: .34 Thomas: .32 Kalle: .27 Haffner: .24 Bobe: .16 We have a clear-cut top 3 scoring options, but then from Hughes to Thomas it's about even. Kalle, Haffner, and especially Bobe are in a separate class at the bottom. Bobe has earned his playing time with defense that has impressed me in conference play, and I have confidence that PPM will go up because he's a much better pure 3P shooter than his percentage this season shows. Bobe aside, the offensive drop-off from Hughes/Cuff to Strawbridge/Thomas is negligible. While yes, Bailey III offers more raw offensive output, he is a black hole with bad efficiency numbers. And don't get me started on his defense, or lack thereof. I certainly think you can make valid arguments why Cuff/Hughes should start, but "lack of offense" from Strawbridge/Thomas is not one of them.
|
|