Furman @ ETSU (Feb. 19)(SoCon Showdown)

[fufanatic]

Disappointing loss, but certainly not a bad loss. Didn’t play particularly well and still had a chance on the road at a top 40 team. Lyons needs more help in big games. Even though he was our second-leading scorer, I was especially disappointed in Gurley. 17 shots to score 14 and small on the boards. We need much more from him in order to win the league. Something like 15 and 7 every night. Learn from this loss in a tough environment and move on. Monster game Saturday. To get the 2 seed I would think we need to win out.

[CharlieFU]

During a break on the Duke/NC State game they just said the biggest game of the night was played in Johnson City, Tennessee.

The atmosphere and full arena made it feel like a BIG game. They support their team with gusto. And without being mean spirited and personal like the WCU folks. Have enjoyed each of my road trips up there.

Well that’s not true. Jeff Jackson team won 22 games that year and we went to post season CIT or CBI. First round game at ETSU mini dome. A disaster. Amu Saaka was nowhere to be found. We did not show up.

[Paladin91]

ETSU was the better team tonight and is tops in the conference. I think UNCG is second best, with us in third. We just don't have enough offensive consistency from night to night. Why didn't we see Pugh come into the game? Seems like he's been demoted to the bench behind Kenney, who has shot fairly poorly in games. We also need another big man behind Gurley and Slawson - not sure why Beeker can't get 5 -7 min a game to help with the foul situation. One of our big men are always getting into early foul trouble. I realize he's young, but why even lift the redshirt on him? As much as I love Tre Clark on D, he needs to sometimes take the open shot - teams now realize he can't shoot from outside and his only option is to drive to the basket. We need to get hot in the tournament if we're going to have any chance at making the field of 64.

[apaladin]

ETSU was the better team tonight and is tops in the conference. I think UNCG is second best, with us in third. We just don't have enough offensive consistency from night to night. Why didn't we see Pugh come into the game? Seems like he's been demoted to the bench behind Kenney, who has shot fairly poorly in games. We also need another big man behind Gurley and Slawson - not sure why Beeker can't get 5 -7 min a game to help with the foul situation. One of our big men are always getting into early foul trouble. I realize he's young, but why even lift the redshirt on him? As much as I love Tre Clark on D, he needs to sometimes take the open shot - teams now realize he can't shoot from outside and his only option is to drive to the basket. We need to get hot in the tournament if we're going to have any chance at making the field of 64.

It’s a field of 68 now and has been for years. The reason Beeker does not play is because he is not ready. He is not a redshirt because he is on an academic scholarship and won’t be around for a 5th year so no since in waisting a year. Clark is the backup for Gurley and Slawson. There is no one else. If Clark is out a while that could be a big blow. Why is it when we lose the final score is the largest margin of the night? ESPN showed highlights at halftime of the Duke/NC State game of they were all ETSU.

[purplehorse]

A great bus trip. Amazing seats right behind the Furman bench. Phenomenal atmosphere. If anyone had told me we would have been down by 4 with 5 minutes to play, I would have taken it. The problem was we did nothing in the last 5 minutes to win a winnable game.

Lyons fouling out was critical. I am still waiting for us to play our best games. We need to get hot NOW. The early ETSU 11-1 run to go from 2-4 to 13-5 put us in a hole.

The biggest encouragement for me is that I now KNOW we can play with and beat ETSU in Asheville. We did not play our best game in a hostile environment. I like our chances in Asheville.

[purplehorse]

My goodness-getting out-rebounded 41-24 is ridiculous.

Gurley needs to get more than 3 rebounds in 36 minutes.

Slawson with his playing time needs to at least score a few baskets (had zero) in each game.

I expect all or our returning 6 players to be better next year. I don’t believe any of them have reached their potential.

Do people really see NBA potential for Gurley? He just doesn’t seem to go up strong to me-but he has two more years to develop.

[Affirm]

ETSU was the better team tonight and is tops in the conference. I think UNCG is second best, with us in third. We just don't have enough offensive consistency from night to night. Why didn't we see Pugh come into the game? Seems like he's been demoted to the bench behind Kenney, who has shot fairly poorly in games. We also need another big man behind Gurley and Slawson - not sure why Beeker can't get 5 -7 min a game to help with the foul situation. One of our big men are always getting into early foul trouble. I realize he's young, but why even lift the redshirt on him? As much as I love Tre Clark on D, he needs to sometimes take the open shot - teams now realize he can't shoot from outside and his only option is to drive to the basket. We need to get hot in the tournament if we're going to have any chance at making the field of 64.

It’s a field of 68 now and has been for years. The reason Beeker does not play is because he is not ready. He is not a redshirt because he is on an academic scholarship and won’t be around for a 5th year so no since in waisting a year. Clark is the backup for Gurley and Slawson. There is no one else. If Clark is out a while that could be a big blow. Why is it when we lose the final score is the largest margin of the night? ESPN showed highlights at halftime of the Duke/NC State game of they were all ETSU.

Field of 68, Field of 64:
More precisely one might say Bracket of 64.
There is the First Four playing Tuesday/Wednesday after Selection Sunday. A team could be in that but fail to get to the Bracket of 64.
The goal of any team getting into the First Four would be to get to the Bracket of 64.
I think we may make Bracket of 64 this year by winning on 3/9/2020; and I guess we could get to the First Four if we win all our games from now to 3/9/2020 but lose on 3/9/2020.

[Furman Sports Report]

http://www.furmansportsreport.com/2020/ ... -etsu.html

[fufanatic]

I'm curious as to others thoughts on the decision to play Lyons with 2 fouls towards the end of the 1st half (worked out just fine) and the decision to play him with 4 fouls with like 12 minutes to play in the game (didn't work out). I guess at the end of the day you have to trust your only senior and your best scorer to play conservatively on defense to not foul out, but having him gone at the end made all the difference. Do you not consider sitting him from the time of the 4th foul until maybe 5-6 minutes left and have him down the stretch? Might not have made a difference in the game, but the decision had me scratching my head.

[DungeonRealm]

I'm curious as to others thoughts on the decision to play Lyons with 2 fouls towards the end of the 1st half (worked out just fine) and the decision to play him with 4 fouls with like 12 minutes to play in the game (didn't work out). I guess at the end of the day you have to trust your only senior and your best scorer to play conservatively on defense to not foul out, but having him gone at the end made all the difference. Do you not consider sitting him from the time of the 4th foul until maybe 5-6 minutes left and have him down the stretch? Might not have made a difference in the game, but the decision had me scratching my head.

If he's riding bench with fouls or fouled out its all about the same, not on the court

I think the biggest difference was not having Clark at all in the second half, defensively and on the boards, at halftime we were close to even in rebounding, in the second half we got absolutely waxed. That is where the game was won just like when we waxed ETSU on the boards in Greenville

[apaladin]

We showed the last 5 minutes that we are completely lost without JL. If you had sat him the game would have gotten out of control. Missing Clark certainly hurt. Anyone heard anything on Clark. The coach say anything on the postgame?

[fufanatic]

I'm curious as to others thoughts on the decision to play Lyons with 2 fouls towards the end of the 1st half (worked out just fine) and the decision to play him with 4 fouls with like 12 minutes to play in the game (didn't work out). I guess at the end of the day you have to trust your only senior and your best scorer to play conservatively on defense to not foul out, but having him gone at the end made all the difference. Do you not consider sitting him from the time of the 4th foul until maybe 5-6 minutes left and have him down the stretch? Might not have made a difference in the game, but the decision had me scratching my head.

If he's riding bench with fouls or fouled out its all about the same, not on the court

Well yeah, but you never know what having him the last 5 minutes instead of on the bench might have done to change the outcome.

[apaladin]

ETSU was the better team tonight and is tops in the conference. I think UNCG is second best, with us in third. We just don't have enough offensive consistency from night to night. Why didn't we see Pugh come into the game? Seems like he's been demoted to the bench behind Kenney, who has shot fairly poorly in games. We also need another big man behind Gurley and Slawson - not sure why Beeker can't get 5 -7 min a game to help with the foul situation. One of our big men are always getting into early foul trouble. I realize he's young, but why even lift the redshirt on him? As much as I love Tre Clark on D, he needs to sometimes take the open shot - teams now realize he can't shoot from outside and his only option is to drive to the basket. We need to get hot in the tournament if we're going to have any chance at making the field of 64.

It’s a field of 68 now and has been for years. The reason Beeker does not play is because he is not ready. He is not a redshirt because he is on an academic scholarship and won’t be around for a 5th year so no since in waisting a year. Clark is the backup for Gurley and Slawson. There is no one else. If Clark is out a while that could be a big blow. Why is it when we lose the final score is the largest margin of the night? ESPN showed highlights at halftime of the Duke/NC State game of they were all ETSU.

Field of 68, Field of 64:
More precisely one might say Bracket of 64.
There is the First Four playing Tuesday/Wednesday after Selection Sunday. A team could be in that but fail to get to the Bracket of 64.
The goal of any team getting into the First Four would be to get to the Bracket of 64.
I think we may make Bracket of 64 this year by winning on 3/9/2020; and I guess we could get to the First Four if we win all our games from now to 3/9/2020 but lose on 3/9/2020.

Sorry but FU has zero chance to get an at large bid now. They are not going to give a 7 loss FU team an at large bid. We are playing for the NIT now and prolly need at least 4 more wins to get there which won't be easy.

[MidlandsPaladin]

ETSU was the better team tonight and is tops in the conference. I think UNCG is second best, with us in third. We just don't have enough offensive consistency from night to night. Why didn't we see Pugh come into the game? Seems like he's been demoted to the bench behind Kenney, who has shot fairly poorly in games. We also need another big man behind Gurley and Slawson - not sure why Beeker can't get 5 -7 min a game to help with the foul situation. One of our big men are always getting into early foul trouble. I realize he's young, but why even lift the redshirt on him? As much as I love Tre Clark on D, he needs to sometimes take the open shot - teams now realize he can't shoot from outside and his only option is to drive to the basket. We need to get hot in the tournament if we're going to have any chance at making the field of 64.

It’s a field of 68 now and has been for years. The reason Beeker does not play is because he is not ready. He is not a redshirt because he is on an academic scholarship and won’t be around for a 5th year so no since in waisting a year. Clark is the backup for Gurley and Slawson. There is no one else. If Clark is out a while that could be a big blow. Why is it when we lose the final score is the largest margin of the night? ESPN showed highlights at halftime of the Duke/NC State game of they were all ETSU.

Field of 68, Field of 64:
More precisely one might say Bracket of 64.
There is the First Four playing Tuesday/Wednesday after Selection Sunday. A team could be in that but fail to get to the Bracket of 64.
The goal of any team getting into the First Four would be to get to the Bracket of 64.
I think we may make Bracket of 64 this year by winning on 3/9/2020; and I guess we could get to the First Four if we win all our games from now to 3/9/2020 but lose on 3/9/2020.

Sorry but FU has zero chance to get an at large bid now. They are not going to give a 7 loss FU team an at large bid. We are playing for the NIT now and prolly need at least 4 more wins to get there which won't be easy.

Agreed. Pains me to say it but the SoCon is now a one-bid league unless ETSU doesn't win the tourney. I think ETSU has done enough for an at-large bid if they slip up in Asheville, but the rest of us are tourney champs or bust.

[MidlandsPaladin]

I'm curious as to others thoughts on the decision to play Lyons with 2 fouls towards the end of the 1st half (worked out just fine) and the decision to play him with 4 fouls with like 12 minutes to play in the game (didn't work out). I guess at the end of the day you have to trust your only senior and your best scorer to play conservatively on defense to not foul out, but having him gone at the end made all the difference. Do you not consider sitting him from the time of the 4th foul until maybe 5-6 minutes left and have him down the stretch? Might not have made a difference in the game, but the decision had me scratching my head.

Fourth foul came with 12:36 or so on the clock and Lyons came out. I thought he would have stayed out until the under 12 time out but with a break in the action before the under 12 he went back in. That was the only question I had about leaving him in. I would have kept him out until the media break, but no way could you leave him out any longer.