Quote from: Titan Q on March 25, 2008, 09:33:08 AMQuote from: tniem on March 25, 2008, 07:49:22 AMQuote from: Gregory Sager on March 25, 2008, 12:22:17 AMQuote from: AndersDY on March 24, 2008, 01:11:51 PMIn the Ursinus game, the posters to this point have been correct that there was no reason to fear their monstrosity in the middle. He was pretty much a liability who would come in the game until his next foul would mean he needed to wait on the bench a while. As far as missing players to injury, they did something special for the opening tip of the consolation game to get a player on the floor as a starter just for the first second. Klein held off the jump ball and the big guy tapped it right to #21 for Ursinus, they then stopped the clock to sub him out. The fans were chanting MVP for him, so I assume that was an important loss which may explain their showing for the weekend. I was meanwhile chuckling to myself, complaining that "aw, c'mon, Ryan was gonna win that tip..."
Number 21 for Ursinus was senior guard Nick Shattuck (21.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg). Shattuck was just named a second-team d3hoops.com All-American this past weekend. As d-mac said, Shattuck hobbled through the tourney on two bad ankles, played on Friday even though he was supposedly something like only 50% or 60% of his usual self, and only took the floor for the opening tip on Saturday afternoon in the consolation game. The people in this room who dissed Ursinus without knowing that Shattuck was hurt didn't do their homework.
I assume I am being referred as one of the people that didn't do his "homework." I knew that #21 was out and it was clear from the fan's support he was important - had even read the d3 feature before the weekend. I was simply asking (and it appears that it has now been answered) whether he really made that big of a difference (and we are talking about almost forty points v Amherst, 20 v Hope). Very disappointing to Ursinus to have their season impacted like that in the Final Four.
Another poster mentioned that #41 usually plays better but had a bad weekend. Fair. Against Hope, however, #23 was the third big option for Ursinus. No, I have not seen any of their other games all season. For all I know #23 had his best game of the season and usually cannot hit the broad side of a barn. But what I know is on Saturday, I would have played him until he needed a rest. He was playing that well and kept bringing the team back in the game. Always glad as a fan when the Ursinus coach took him out.
Before Saturday's game vs Hope, #23 (Matt Howell) played in 13 of 33 Ursinus games on the season. In those 13 games, he played 65 minutes total (5 per game), scored 22 poinst (1.7 per game), and pulled down 7 rebounds (0.5 per game).
Michael Shema, #41, started all 33 games for Ursinus. The Bears ran the table in the Centennial Conference (18-0) and got to Salem. Shema averaged 8.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and shot .621 from the field.
Playing Howell over Shema would be like Hope playing Dan Holt instead of Ryan Klein. The suggestion here that Ursinus was somehow making a mistake by playing Shema is laughable.
We have MANY laughable moments in this chat room.
