Game 28 - Feb 19 - @ Belmont

[clenz]

Damn - this didn't seem right to me but it is true.

UNI is in a really good place right now. You want to avoid playing Drake until Sunday. Three games in three days is going to be a challenge for them - they have guys averaging 39, 37, and 34 minutes a game. Even with UNI losing two starters to injury, there is nobody averaging over 30.0 minutes a game.

Winning a share of title is very much in play, but the chance of getting the 1 seed still has to be very remote with Drake owning the tiebreaker. I haven't seen any of Hacksaws charts recently but we have to be about locked in to the 2/3 seed. Its gotta be about statistically impossible to play Drake before Sunday.

We are locked into the top 3. We are something like 98.5% locked into the 2/3 with about 1.5% for the 1 if we catch a few breaks in D+s other games.

Win out and at worst tie for the league title but get the 2 seed based on NET. Which honestly might be best case given the Belmont/ISUr match up that is nearly locked into the 4/5

[UNIpanther99]

We are locked into the top 3. We are something like 98.5% locked into the 2/3 with about 1.5% for the 1 if we catch a few breaks in D+s other games.

Win out and at worst tie for the league title but get the 2 seed based on NET. Which honestly might be best case given the Belmont/ISUr match up that is nearly locked into the 4/5

Yeah - I think best case is sharing the title and beating Drake in the championship game for the best possible seed in the NCAA tournament. Losing out and limping in as a third seed with an early exit could still leave UNI at home in the postseason. The NIT is the middle ground.

[achrist70]

This is not a bash at RJ at all, but I do think it shows that Ben probably should have started over him from the beginning of the season, I still think that Leon is better than Max, but Max has stepped up big with Leon out.

[Panther AC]

So much for my simplification that if Trey hits his 3s, we win. He was 2-9 from distance. (Hey Trey - you could have made it easier to win!) He did have 8 rebounds. And committed only 2 turnovers.

How in the heck did we win? FT% of .455 and lose the turnover battle. 2 steals to 8. 33% from 3. They commit only one foul in the first half.????????????

We used 3 bench players for a total of 17 minutes (no rest minutes at all for Ben). And yet we were the more energetic team at the end. All of those offensive rebounds. 46 points in the paint. Wow.

They played the first 5 minutes about perfectly. From 70 seconds left until about 20 seconds left, they also did well. (Made us use our last time out, hit a 3, etc.) Max could have helped with free throws (he did make important ones in a previous game).

What a gutty, core group.

Tytan refuses to lose.

For a good part of this season, we have been looking for that one player to be the emotional leader so that we refuse to lose (like Tuttle was back in the day). Tytan has shown he is that guy and his performance and output is really carrying us in the latter part of the season. Lots of good effort by role players and other starters, stepping up after injuries, has us in an enviable spot right now, Go Panthers!

[kochrab]

For a good part of this season, we have been looking for that one player to be the emotional leader so that we refuse to lose (like Tuttle was back in the day). Tytan has shown he is that guy and his performance and output is really carrying us in the latter part of the season. Lots of good effort by role players and other starters, stepping up after injuries, has us in an enviable spot right now, Go Panthers!

What's wild about Tytan too is that it's not just one area that he refuses to lose in. He's constantly fighting for loose balls, getting multiple offensive rebounds, fighting through multiple guys with contact and scoring, and recovering on defense for steals or blocks. The dude is literally all over the place in games.

[clenz]

What's wild about Tytan too is that it's not just one area that he refuses to lose in. He's constantly fighting for loose balls, getting multiple offensive rebounds, fighting through multiple guys with contact and scoring, and recovering on defense for steals or blocks. The dude is literally all over the place in games.

There are dozens of examples to point to with him to show that but the Indiana State game last week is the best example I can think of, and I mentioned it as it was happening to others I was texting with.

He went down and rolled that ankle. It was bad. The replay of it is awful to see. The first fraction of a second you see the reaction he should have. Intense pain. Slap the floor. At that point, anyone else grabs the ankle and is helped to the locker room and is done for not just that game but probably a bit.

Less than one second after going down he's up heading back on defense refusing to acknowledge, even with the tiniest of grimaces on his face that it hurts. He has a bit of a limp for a few possessions and then right before half he jumps as high as I remember seeing him jump to block a shot. Then he comes out the second half with not even the tiniest of limps and finishes with 34 minutes 22 and 5 with a couple of blocks and assists to go along with getting his 100th career assist.

Go find the replay fo the game and go grab that moment, it's the 5-minute mark of the first half give or take a few seconds. You see the pain for a fraction of a second and his face resets like his brain goes "That's all the weakness you're allowed to have. Back to business". It was talked about in that game thread but he is going to go down as one of the best to ever wear the uniform. Not just statistically, but from a leadership, mentality, and living the "Ever Loyal" mentality. Given the way the college game is going, I don't know if we ever see a kid with the kind of career he is going to finish with ever play 4/5 years for us again. They'll bolt somewhere else for a payday. He embraced, and embodies, what UNI is as a program and school. You can see his passion in every game. The looks he gave Wolf during the two games we've faced them so far have very "personal" intensity to them. You can see he wants to punish, for lack of a better word, those who abandoned the program. It put a chip on his shoulder of "Screw you. I'll do it myself then".

Beyond that any time my kids have seen him at Culver after a game, or just around in general when we've managed to get to a game, he will always talk to them with the biggest smile on his face. Not just the patronizing few seconds you'd usually get. There is a genuine sense of appreciation for the recognition, fandom, and connection with him.

[Username]

Ben is a dawg.

He was good as a reserve as he's talented and can play off the ball well sort of like Heise, but give him an opportunity with the ball he can show out too.

Weisbrod showed some major tenacity as well. I wasn't super sold on him as part of the core, but he's more than shown he is needed on this team even if Bond comes back.

Ty will be Ty basically no matter what, and even if it was a bad shooting night for Trey, I love the aggressiveness. As someone stated above he can win us games by himself, so I don't mind him taking shots, and even Moreso I'm glad Jake sticks with him even if the shot isn't there.

Trey/Ben/Ty will continue to get huge minutes but they are very well conditioned, and coach Jake has figured out the rotations to where he can get them short breathers when needed.

[BCPanther]

There's a reason everybody in the league wanted Weisbrod. He's going to really take off next year and we might get an extra year or two depending on what the courts ultimately rule.

[PantherAlum09]

Ben is a dawg.

He was good as a reserve as he's talented and can play off the ball well sort of like Heise, but give him an opportunity with the ball he can show out too.

Weisbrod showed some major tenacity as well. I wasn't super sold on him as part of the core, but he's more than shown he is needed on this team even if Bond comes back.

Ty will be Ty basically no matter what, and even if it was a bad shooting night for Trey, I love the aggressiveness. As someone stated above he can win us games by himself, so I don't mind him taking shots, and even Moreso I'm glad Jake sticks with him even if the shot isn't there.

Trey/Ben/Ty will continue to get huge minutes but they are very well conditioned, and coach Jake has figured out the rotations to where he can get them short breathers when needed.

Ben and Max have been the biggest needle movers for us recently in my opinion. They have both been outstanding defensively and Ben has gotten better at finishing at the hoop. He is really using his length and athleticism better and being more aggressive. Max is just shooting the ball better and better. He is lethal from the corners. I love Tytan's attitude on the court, but I don't think Max is too different. He's an intense dude and a competitor.

[skydog0784]

There's a reason everybody in the league wanted Weisbrod. He's going to really take off next year and we might get an extra year or two depending on what the courts ultimately rule.

I'm out of the loop here, what is the legal issue(s) and the basis for him possibly getting an extra year or two; if you don't mind? Thanks!

[Wxcpanther]

I'm out of the loop here, what is the legal issue(s) and the basis for him possibly getting an extra year or two; if you don't mind? Thanks!

Ya, I'm not sure either. I suppose it's possible that someone could argue you should have 4 years of D1 eligibility?

[CletusCat]

I'm out of the loop here, what is the legal issue(s) and the basis for him possibly getting an extra year or two; if you don't mind? Thanks!
[/QUOTE]

There are a lot of eligibility battles popping up. Most notably the Vanderbilt QB who attended a prep school and then an NAIA I believe? He successfully argued his case essentially saying if you attend those transitional type schools it should not count towards your "eligibility clock".
Not sure if that's what was being referenced or not, but nonetheless that was a very interesting case.

[clenz]

That ruling was initially juco.

It has since been expanded to any non D1 years.

[BCPanther]

Correct. Max is going to get one extra for sure and maybe both of his D2 years back depending on the next interpretation.

[Gboom23]

And Drake's entire team that came from NW MO ST can come back for the next 3 years as well?