Who are we? Where are we going?

[pantherfan4ever]

win at SIU + one MVC tourney win = NCAA
lose at SIU + two MVC tourney wins = NCAA
lose SIU + lose first MVC tourney = NIT? last 4 in NCAA?

things could be worse... that LSU win is looming LARGE!

i disagree.... i dont want us to play like it, but i'm pretty sure we could lose our next 2 games (siu and mvc 1st round) and still get in the tourny. overall, the big conferences are down this year (as every expert has been writing this season) and 22 wins is still among the best in the nation... i know home losses are never good and we have slipped some as of late.. but we still have a VERY good resume and Indiana State is our only "bad" loss. ISU, MS, CU, and Bradley all have good RPI ratings and besides ISU they all have very good resume's themselves... It is a lot like when the big conferences send teams to the tourny who are only .500 in league play.. While the MVC is not respected as much as they are, we are seeing (on a small scale) how this works....since there are so many tough teams in our league this year, it doesnt hurt us (as much as past years) to have some losses in our conference...

we definitely need to overcome the tired look we have had as of late and need to play MUCH better come tourny time... but i definitely think we will see our panthers in the tourny no matter what

[DWadle1983]

I should feel happy I didn't get a chance to listen to tonight's game. UNI will make the NCAA Tournament, but at this rate as an 11 seed. I've only been able to watch a couple UNI games on TV, but UNI lacking a quick point guard who can break down a defense hurts. This is not meant as a comment toward Brooks. Nobody can expect him to be a quick point guard if he wasn't when he came to UNI, so people should stop ripping on him. I guess, like a lot of people, I thought Michael Williams or Jared Josten would be playing this role, and their not being able to has hurt the team. How much better would Ben Jacobson's shooting percentage be if he was able to take a lot more spot up jumpers? I also expected Atila Santos to play more minutes. I recognize from his turnovers and fouls why he probably doesn't play more minutes, and that hasn't helped Coleman and Stout and the minutes they've had to play most of the season.

I also see the discussion of developing the bench. Greg McDermott plays a system where defense, lack of fouls, and lack of turnovers are the keys to winning. If he's not comfortable playing guys who don't play defense as well as he expects, commit more fouls than he expects, and commit more turnovers than he expects, he's not going to play them. McDermott isn't the first coach who doesn't go 9 and 10 deep.

[jegbomb52]

Throw Crawford back into the fire???? Are you crazy?? He's a senior who's been starting for 3 years. He was most certainly not thrown into the fire. He's been amazing since coming back from injury. Brooks needs someone else to take over the point because he struggles so much when he's got a good man-to-man defense in his face as we saw by his TO's and 5 second call.

If he is so amazing then why have we lost 3 of our last 4 since he's been back?

[BCPanther]

Thanks Jeg!! We needed to ease him in for 3 or 4 games. We need to win games in March not in Mid-February. He looked slow last night. He has really struggled guarding on the perimeter. He is a 4-player right now!!

[jegbomb52]

I guess I don't want people to think that we hate Eric Crawfore because we don't, he needs to be in the line up but there shouldn't be such a difference in our team when he is, ultimate stat W-L, Without EC 8-2, With EC 1-3

Let me put this into a football scenario for you meatheads out there.
In 2004 the Panthers got off to a 2-3 start under a very quality quarterback that we all remember named Tom Petrie (I am trying to show no disrespect here so I will use his name), during the 5th game Tom got hurt and we had to start a freshman the rest of the year named Eric Sanders, at the end of that year IF the Panthers were 7-3 going into their last game at Northern Arizona needing nothing but a win to go into the "tournament" would we put Petrie back in? I don't know if I would, I might but probably not, not because Petrie is not and was not a great quarterback but because at the end of the year things were clicking with Sanders. I really hope everyone gets my drift here and also that I mean this as no harm to Tom, great guy, great quarterback, period! Just think of the scenario though, what do you do, McDermont put Tom back in if you pick up what i'm putting down.

[BCPanther]

Exactly,
Crawford will be a big part of the success this team can still have. How much better off would he have been if this Saturday at SIU was the first game he would see substantial minutes in? I think by getting caught up in the emotion of having one of your leaders back on the floor, you may have done more harm than good. Another week of rest means another week to get some quickness and explosion back. He just doesn't look comfortable on the floor yet.

[UNI MadCat]

lol... wow, so much for me laughing at people who cant spell on a message board

Sorry BT, I didn't mean to call you out, it was just ironic b/c I had wanted to post about us playing too tight lately and you set it up for me!!

[UNI MadCat]

NCAA/NIT...For Christ sakes, do you know anything about the history of UNI Basketball? My family and I were in that straggling group of fans for the past 20+ years watching our team get pounded like they did tonight night in and night out. You and many others on here have become spoiled. Mac said it all tonight at the end of the post game when he said that even our best shot tonight probably wouldn't have been enough. I am an eternal optimist but sometimes you have to tip your cap to the other team. Thank God the team is more mature than many on here who have already mailed it in as they will regroup and overcome this. Hopefully the venting on here is temporary and reasonable minds will return and support this team and coaches because they deserve it!

I'm sick of this type of post. You people that want to "Rip the Rippers" need to realize that those of us being realistic (or, some, being negative) are still all here because we are Fan-ATICS and want to see this team succeed. I see this after each loss when comments like this are made... you aren't focusing on the whole bredth of the thread. No one has mailed it in!!! We're still talking NCAA and NIT on this board. I'm sorry but you are flat out wrong for thinking we can't be disappointed with the ladder. Yeah, a year from now, if we do end up in the NIT, we might look back and say, "hey, how cool is it that we can hang another banner?" But that's a reflection thing... let us do that at the proper time. Right now IS NOW and it IS DISAPPOINTING!!!

No one here isn't a Panther fan my friend. We all are and just because some of the younger fans didnt have to live thru the struggles as much as you did, doesn't mean that they can't be disappointed and be venting here.

I want you to take a look around PP... notice that after other losses recently the amount of people spouting off similar statements like yours was pretty high. Now where are they??? People were willing to say "be positive 100% of the time, get behind this team, you're not a real fan," yada, yada, yada because there were a lot more games left to right the ship.

Now we're facing a 2 game season. IMHO, you win one of those two and you are in (and if the one is in the tourney, then obviously, you have another) but it is a lot more of a nerve racking situation than it was, say, after the MSU game. Look, I'm not inviting more and more people to post negatively, but I think more and more people are realizing that it is ok to vent and not be a "bad fan".

I also want you to take a look at the thread entitled "PASSION" started by UNI92 (a poster that you think highly enough to quote yourself). His statements are right on. There was a time when no one cared enough to vent... so I'll take the venting any day.

[Panthers#1]

I guess I don't want people to think that we hate Eric Crawfore because we don't, he needs to be in the line up but there shouldn't be such a difference in our team when he is, ultimate stat W-L, Without EC 8-2, With EC 1-3

Let me put this into a football scenario for you meatheads out there.
In 2004 the Panthers got off to a 2-3 start under a very quality quarterback that we all remember named Tom Petrie (I am trying to show no disrespect here so I will use his name), during the 5th game Tom got hurt and we had to start a freshman the rest of the year named Eric Sanders, at the end of that year IF the Panthers were 7-3 going into their last game at Northern Arizona needing nothing but a win to go into the "tournament" would we put Petrie back in? I don't know if I would, I might but probably not, not because Petrie is not and was not a great quarterback but because at the end of the year things were clicking with Sanders. I really hope everyone gets my drift here and also that I mean this as no harm to Tom, great guy, great quarterback, period! Just think of the scenario though, what do you do, McDermont put Tom back in if you pick up what i'm putting down.

Let me get this straight. You're comparing Tom Petrie to Erik Crawford? Are you Loco? First off, Tom Petrie sucked. Erik Crawford does not. That is the first flaw in your argulment. Second, UNI won 14 games with Crawford in the line-up. UNI had won 1 with Petrie in the line up. There is a little bit of a difference. Third, your telling me that if you were a coach and Crawford said he could go, you wouldn't put him in? Say goodbye to the Bucknell game.

This argument is stupid. Crawford is not the problem and everybody should realize that. You can't blame one person for losing because it is a TEAM EFFORT! Especially blaming one of our best players. Now I know a lot of you will say, "You blamed Brooks!" Well that is wrong and I admit it but it is a little bit easier to blame someone when he stops at halfcourt and gets called for a 5 second call.

[jegbomb52]

Tom Petrie = Horrible? Career Record 18-8, UNI's third all time leading quarterback, two out right Gateway Titles. I'm loco? What has Eric Crawford done (this is hypothetical as we all know he is a fantastic basketball player but if he is not 100% he might not be effective)In any competitive sport there is only one stat that matters, Wins and Losses. We were in third place in the conference when Eric got hurt, we were 1st when he came back, we are now in 5th. You can not tell me that there is no possible scenario where this has hurt our team. Have you ever heard of team chemistry? Ya, I have, when you have it you win, when you don't have it you lose. Right now we don't have it, plain and simple. I am not saying that everyone is not giving a 110%, I know they are, but something is wrong and you are an idiot if you can 100% rule out that any of it has to do with Eric Crawford!

Oh, and P.S. If I had to "say goodbye to the Bucknell game" to say "hello" to the Missouri State game, the Indiana State game and the Bradley game, I would do it in a heart beat and no one will tell you differently.

I am getting really f(*Y$ing tired of all of you freaking manufactured fans coming on this board and spouting your freaking mouth!

[Panthers#1]

Tom Petrie = Horrible? Career Record 18-8, UNI's third all time leading quarterback, two out right Gateway Titles. I'm loco? What has Eric Crawford done (this is hypothetical as we all know he is a fantastic basketball player but if he is not 100% he might not be effective)In any competitive sport there is only one stat that matters, Wins and Losses. We were in third place in the conference when Eric got hurt, we were 1st when he came back, we are now in 5th. You can not tell me that there is no possible scenario where this has hurt our team. Have you ever heard of team chemistry? Ya, I have, when you have it you win, when you don't have it you lose. Right now we don't have it, plain and simple. I am not saying that everyone is not giving a 110%, I know they are, but something is wrong and you are an idiot if you can 100% rule out that any of it has to do with Eric Crawford!

Oh, and P.S. If I had to "say goodbye to the Bucknell game" to say "hello" to the Missouri State game, the Indiana State game and the Bradley game, I would do it in a heart beat and no one will tell you differently.

I am getting really f(*Y$ing tired of all of you freaking manufactured fans coming on this board and spouting your freaking mouth!

Part of the reason Petrie had an 18-8 record is because he had Freeny and Carter to carry him there.

Lets look at Crawford: 58-27. Thats about 68% winning percentage. Petrie has 69%. Pretty close. Crawford has won one MVC tourney title and has had two NCAA tournament appearences at the D1 level, not 1AA (no disrespect to our football program).

Also Petrie sucked his Sr. year winning only one, I repeat, ONE of the games he started. Eric Sanders pretty much dominated for the rest of the season. Don't tell me that its all about wins and losses because Petrie only won one of his games that he started in his Sr. season. Crawford has won 15 in his.

[UNI Guy]

Ever since we were first ranked a few weeks ago, I had been dreading the scenario where we play like crap to finish the season and get left out of the NCAA. I never thought it would come to pass, but now our backs are against the wall. If UNI doesn't put in a good showing at SIU and win a game or two in the MVC tourney, I think they will get overlooked and be in the NIT.

[MediaPanther]

What has Eric Crawford done (this is hypothetical as we all know he is a fantastic basketball player but if he is not 100% he might not be effective

Let's get one thing straight
In the last 4 games:
Crawford: 36pts, 11reb, 7assists, 6TO in 102 minutes
Brooks: 8pts, 9reb, 7assists, 9TO in 103 minutes

And to say Erik is somehow disrupting team chemistry is just plain insane. He's a senior leader, not some screw up who's coming back from suspension like Pierre Pierce. He is the heart and soul of this team just like Little and Benny. I'm not sure where those 36 points in the past 4 games would have come from, but I can promise it wouldn't have been from Brooks. Erik has earned every minute of playing time this year, especially now at the end of the season when it matters most. I would take him playing defense at only 80% than almost anyone on the team at 100%. I understand we had a great record without Erik, but only two of those wins were against teams with better than a .500 record.

[jegbomb52]

This is freaking retarded, you have us arguing over who is better or D-I vs D-IAA now? Tom Petrie was a hell of a qb, not the best, but he was good, Crawfords win % not as good as Toms but hey, Tom sucked right? Ya, football is D-IAA but I don't expect you to know too much about seeings how you will be donning the Black and Gold in September anyway. Crawford was a player on the teams that went to a 64 team tournament (65 technically) and football goes to a 16 game tournament, but go ahead and try to look down on it anyway because it was I-AA, I am so tired of you, now you are looking to degrade Tom, what the hell do you know. What, let me guess, you played high school football and your 3-A team barely missed the playoffs so you know everything right, all I am trying to do is give a scenario here SINCE ERIC CRAWFORDS RETURN UNI IS 1-3? Coincedence? Probably, worth talking about? Absolutely! This board is becoming a freaking joke, if its not talk about McDermont its people like you trying to act like they know what the he!! is going on, I will tell you right now I know absolutely nothing about basketball other than wins and losses, but I can tell you about team chemistry and how players coming and going, getting hurt or getting better can effect it, WE HAVE NO CHEMISTRY RIGHT NOW! But don't sit here and talk negatively about a quarterback, mostly a person that you don't even freaking know. I have said some stupid crap on this board about other people but it is nothing that I wouldn't say to their face so why don't you do this, call up Tom (i'll give you his number, pm me) and tell him he sucks, cool?

[panther2317]

Who is in a better position to get an at-large?

Team A: 22-7

record vs. the RPI top 25: 2-0
wins vs. the RPI top 50: 7

Team B: 18-9

wins vs. the RPI top 25: 1
wins vs. the RPI top 50: 1

Team A is UNI and Team B is Syracuse. Last night NC State was pounded at home by UNC. They are third in their league. Is anyone starting the NIT chant for them? They lost to Iowa, UNI beat Iowa. Colorado got beat by 20 + points again last night. West Viorginia (still ranked 14th) has lost 5 of 6 games. It happens. People...the committee does look at the last 10 games, but they also look at a team's entire body of work. 22-7 is still pretty damned good and they have MARQUEE wins (not good or key)...that's right MARQUEE wins.

What I would like to see from this team is to play like their NCAA lives are on the line. To play with a sense of urgency and have fun playing basketball again. They relished the undedog role the past couple of seasons, well...now people are giving up on the Panthers again...and I think they will relish proving them wrong again. This team isn't done and they will prove it over the next month! GO PANTHERS!!!