Wrapping up the discussion of the Alabama game and the PNIT in general, a few thoughts on each side of the ledger:
PRO: This team hasn't played its best basketball yet. Chris Fouch won't finish the season shooting 27% from three point range. Tavon Allen probably isn't a 25% guy either as shown by shooting 36% from deep last year. Frantz may regress a bit from 38% but that number certainly isn't crazy for him. The effective field goal percentage for the team is 273rd in basketball, and even without Lee they shouldn't be that bad. Part of this is starting cold, part of it is not playing in the DAC yet, part of it might be bad luck. Outside of Tavon Allen, and an occasional choice/floater from Fouch or Massenat, the shots taken have been overwhelmingly good shots and more will fall going forward. The team that beat Bama and rolled with Zona? Is better than what they showed.
CON: Gotta finish. At a point in regulation of the Arizona game, Pomeroy had the Dragons as 84% likely to win. In regulation of the Bama game it was 84%. In the first OT it was 93%. In the second OT it was 94%. All of those leads were blown. Calculated out, teams with the leads the Dragons were given would blow the games .01% of the time. Drexel came within a foul shot of doing it. Allen took silly shots, Fouch shot too early, and the inbounding plays continued to cost the team valuable possessions. For a guy that values possessions as much as Flint does, it's amazing that he can throw out an inbounds play that Bobby Knight can call out as terrible before it is even run (and resulted in a turnover). Running the point guard at the inbounder after every made basket might need a wrinkle thrown in as well. It's not like anyone is saying that these will cost the Dragons someday - they've cost them for years.
PRO: Going into the season there were significant concerns about the Dragons interior game. Arizona and Alabama will both end the season as elite rebounding teams. Drexel was beat on the boards against the Wildcats but by no means destroyed. That's hard to read since two more rebounds could have meant a different outcome, but given how good that frontcourt for Zona is, and going into the game without Abif, the frontcourt should be very proud of what they did. On Friday, they broke even with Alabama on the boards, which really attests to the fact that the Dragons may be very legitimate in this department. Kazembe Abif's numbers really make it look like he's doing his best Samme Givens impression, killing it on the offensive glass and breathing new life into Drexel possessions. This is an unexpected and outstanding surprise.
CON: There was significant improvement in the Alabama game, but the team still needs to do a better job of using the new rules to their advantage. Getting to the line continues to be important, as the war of attrition showed on Friday. After starting the game feeding the post, Drexel once again forgot about it. And it had been successful! In the first two possessions of the game, Ruffin was fed, got to the line once and hit a bucket with the other. For the entire rest of the game, he had three shots, and two of those three were putbacks. C'mon man.
PRO: When a teams shooting isn't there, they better be able to rebound and take care of the ball. Having only 14 turnovers (at least two that I can think off the top of my head were on inbounds plays) in 55 minutes against an Anthony Grant team is pretty damned fine work. Per Pomeroy, Drexel has played the 17th hardest schedule in the country and they are 18th in the country in not turning over the ball. They've taken care of the rock against very good opponents, and should be considered an elite ballhandling team.
It's a great time to be a Drexel fan, and optimism should be at a high. It's hard to beat a team when they are an elite ballhandling team and can rebound with the best the country has to offer and that's what the Dragons are right now.
The blog wishes Damion Lee best of luck with the MRI today. Regardless of the outcome, Damion will be back sometime, and we'll all remember just why he's such a favorite on campus. Great kid with great talent is an awesome combination to root for.
Lastly, DAC Pack, coming out of Alabama and Arizona, there are many who will consider this Wednesday's game a letdown spot for the Dragons. It's your job to make this home opener so loud, showing how proud this teams six game road trip performance made the campus that there's no chance the guys aren't amped up. Pomeroy shows Cleveland State as a very respectable team and if the Dragons are going to be taken seriously, they can't lie down for CSU.
Look forward to seeing everyone Pack the DAC on Wednesday. Happy Home Opener!
Monday, December 2, 2013
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Bennett Resnick - Player of the Game
Some may have noticed that Bennett Resnick picked up player of the game honors alongside Kaz at the big Alabama win. Many may not yet have heard of Bennett's heroics, or possibly even Bennett himself. Thankfully, the reader has this blog which leaves no stone unturned:
Avid Dragon and Philadelphia Union fan Bennett Resnick took time from Bar Mitzvah perpetration to support the Drexel mens basketball team at MSG this Thanksgiving weekend, finding himself seated between his father and a traffic stopping female Duke fan. During a stoppage, the jumbotron found its way to young Bennett, and in an avid attempt to assist with the Bar Mitzvah process, the woman to his left turned her back to her own boyfriend and leaned into the jumbotron frame and gave Bennett a big smooch.
In a followup conversation, the aforementioned nameless, attractive blonde, tried to persuade Bennett to root for her Duke Blue Devils. Bennett shut her down so cold she might as well have been Peyton Manning at Foxboro. He only supports one blue team, and it's the blue and gold.
Bennett Resnick: You're our Dragons Speak Co-Player of the Game.
Avid Dragon and Philadelphia Union fan Bennett Resnick took time from Bar Mitzvah perpetration to support the Drexel mens basketball team at MSG this Thanksgiving weekend, finding himself seated between his father and a traffic stopping female Duke fan. During a stoppage, the jumbotron found its way to young Bennett, and in an avid attempt to assist with the Bar Mitzvah process, the woman to his left turned her back to her own boyfriend and leaned into the jumbotron frame and gave Bennett a big smooch.
In a followup conversation, the aforementioned nameless, attractive blonde, tried to persuade Bennett to root for her Duke Blue Devils. Bennett shut her down so cold she might as well have been Peyton Manning at Foxboro. He only supports one blue team, and it's the blue and gold.
Bennett Resnick: You're our Dragons Speak Co-Player of the Game.
Alabama - The Happy Recap (Part 1) - A Zone Coach!
As noted in the title, this will be a two part update with the second part rolling out tomorrow. The reason for this is in the interest in brevity on the part of the articles as well as the importance of this game. I felt that after this win a review was needed on both the micro (in game) and macro (seasonal) level.
Final: Drexel 85, Alabama 83 @ Madison Square Garden
Players of the Game: Kazembe Abif and Bennett Resnick
Key to the game: Free Throw Shooting
Next Game: Wed, December 4 vs Cleveland St @ The DAC (Home Opener)
The Dragons walked into a potential letdown game situation on the day after Thanksgiving after blowing a 19 point lead to one of the top games in the country two days earlier. They were playing a mid pack SEC team, they were without possibly their most talented player, and Frantz Massenat sat for almost a third of the game in foul trouble. In a game that made Bobby Knight go "Wow", Drexel had an eight man rotation, and four players fouled out. One man played 46 minutes -- off the bench.
And they won.
And none of that was the weirdest thing that happened.
The Dragons won three game for two reasons:
1) They played a 2-3 zone that was the same zone you see on the courts in west philly when guys don't feel like running
2) They hit their free throws
3) No injuries occurred when Bruiser Flint told his team that they were going zone. Great job by the trainer preventing head explosions
Drexel's seemingly panicked zone call may have both cost them the lead and won them the game. After the Z was relatively effective in the first half Alabama quickly shot Drexel out of it in the opening minutes of the second half as the Tide went on a seemingly effortless 10-4 run to open the half. A 10-4 run during which no fouls were committed by DU guards. In this war of attrition style game, already down Damion Lee, Bruiser Flint had to trade points for bodies, and with a first half lead he decided to Riverboat Ron it up.
Debating whether or not the zone worked is a futile exercise but the fact that Bruiser was willing to do it is both notable and laudable. This is for a future blog post, but Bru has recruited a team that is at the next level from Drexel teams past. They have talent, experience, size and ability that is superior to all other Flint teams, and if they are going to fully realize what they can do, Bruiser will need to raise his game to another level as well. The fact that he was willing to leave his comfort zone to try and give this team a better chance to win, whether or not it worked, hopefully is a signal of whats to come.
Kazembe Abif is the on the court Player of the Game. While his boxing out is not about to be put on an instruction video, he did a decent job on Jacobs during the times that he had to pick him up in OT. More to the point, he had 8 offensive boards, shot 90% from the line and was able to keep himself in the game for 46 minutes, the longest amount of court time for any big man on either team.
The Drexel Dragons crawled to victory at MSG through 95 minutes of intense big conference competition that they couldn't have imagined, or maybe just didn't want to. 95 minutes, almost two and a half full games.
One win. A win unlike any others. What does it mean? That's for part two.
Final: Drexel 85, Alabama 83 @ Madison Square Garden
Players of the Game: Kazembe Abif and Bennett Resnick
Key to the game: Free Throw Shooting
Next Game: Wed, December 4 vs Cleveland St @ The DAC (Home Opener)
The Dragons walked into a potential letdown game situation on the day after Thanksgiving after blowing a 19 point lead to one of the top games in the country two days earlier. They were playing a mid pack SEC team, they were without possibly their most talented player, and Frantz Massenat sat for almost a third of the game in foul trouble. In a game that made Bobby Knight go "Wow", Drexel had an eight man rotation, and four players fouled out. One man played 46 minutes -- off the bench.
And they won.
And none of that was the weirdest thing that happened.
The Dragons won three game for two reasons:
1) They played a 2-3 zone that was the same zone you see on the courts in west philly when guys don't feel like running
2) They hit their free throws
3) No injuries occurred when Bruiser Flint told his team that they were going zone. Great job by the trainer preventing head explosions
Drexel's seemingly panicked zone call may have both cost them the lead and won them the game. After the Z was relatively effective in the first half Alabama quickly shot Drexel out of it in the opening minutes of the second half as the Tide went on a seemingly effortless 10-4 run to open the half. A 10-4 run during which no fouls were committed by DU guards. In this war of attrition style game, already down Damion Lee, Bruiser Flint had to trade points for bodies, and with a first half lead he decided to Riverboat Ron it up.
Debating whether or not the zone worked is a futile exercise but the fact that Bruiser was willing to do it is both notable and laudable. This is for a future blog post, but Bru has recruited a team that is at the next level from Drexel teams past. They have talent, experience, size and ability that is superior to all other Flint teams, and if they are going to fully realize what they can do, Bruiser will need to raise his game to another level as well. The fact that he was willing to leave his comfort zone to try and give this team a better chance to win, whether or not it worked, hopefully is a signal of whats to come.
Kazembe Abif is the on the court Player of the Game. While his boxing out is not about to be put on an instruction video, he did a decent job on Jacobs during the times that he had to pick him up in OT. More to the point, he had 8 offensive boards, shot 90% from the line and was able to keep himself in the game for 46 minutes, the longest amount of court time for any big man on either team.
The Drexel Dragons crawled to victory at MSG through 95 minutes of intense big conference competition that they couldn't have imagined, or maybe just didn't want to. 95 minutes, almost two and a half full games.
One win. A win unlike any others. What does it mean? That's for part two.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Closing Time
The Happy Recap (part 1 of 2) will be up on the site tomorrow, but I was going to start it with one of these and then just kept having fun with it, so here you go to hold you over until tomorrow:
-The Dragons close games like a 130 pound, balding, freshman male closes the ladies
-Drexel closes games like the Eagles win titles
-An anonymous Make-A-Wish patients only wish was to change the channel whenever Drexel went up by 4
-Drexel is as effective closing games as a blind man is in a strip club
-Tom Yeager just offered to permanently move the CAA Tourney north of the Mason Dixon if Bru promises that DU will never have a 5 point lead with 2 minutes to go again.
-While watching the game court side, Bobby Knight threw a chair at himself
-Barack Obama is making House Republicans watch Drexel trying to hold a lead to make Obamacare look good
-Drexel closes out games so poorly that Penn is no longer afraid to play them at the DAC
-Watching Drexel try to close the game out Friday was so bad that it made Devon Saddler want to go to class
-Hofstra students have offered to stop wearing grease in their hair if ESPN never airs a Drexel lead again
-The NCAA says their regulations are based off of Drexel's end of game offense
-Watching that game made the the creators of Alcoholics Anonymous think that drinking was a good idea
-BREAKING: Bruiser Flint hires new assistant Andy Reid to help players with clock management
-The Denver Broncos watched tape of their game against the Patriots and then the DU games this week and felt pretty good afterwards
And my personal favorite:
The blown leads by DU this week were so concerning, Dr. Eric Zilmer is considering diverting funds from the squash program to assist.
Lastly:
Drexel closes games better than Alabama does!
-The Dragons close games like a 130 pound, balding, freshman male closes the ladies
-Drexel closes games like the Eagles win titles
-An anonymous Make-A-Wish patients only wish was to change the channel whenever Drexel went up by 4
-Drexel is as effective closing games as a blind man is in a strip club
-Tom Yeager just offered to permanently move the CAA Tourney north of the Mason Dixon if Bru promises that DU will never have a 5 point lead with 2 minutes to go again.
-While watching the game court side, Bobby Knight threw a chair at himself
-Barack Obama is making House Republicans watch Drexel trying to hold a lead to make Obamacare look good
-Drexel closes out games so poorly that Penn is no longer afraid to play them at the DAC
-Watching Drexel try to close the game out Friday was so bad that it made Devon Saddler want to go to class
-Hofstra students have offered to stop wearing grease in their hair if ESPN never airs a Drexel lead again
-The NCAA says their regulations are based off of Drexel's end of game offense
-Watching that game made the the creators of Alcoholics Anonymous think that drinking was a good idea
-BREAKING: Bruiser Flint hires new assistant Andy Reid to help players with clock management
-The Denver Broncos watched tape of their game against the Patriots and then the DU games this week and felt pretty good afterwards
And my personal favorite:
The blown leads by DU this week were so concerning, Dr. Eric Zilmer is considering diverting funds from the squash program to assist.
Lastly:
Drexel closes games better than Alabama does!
Friday, November 29, 2013
Dragons Comings and Goings
Tweeted last night, but to follow-up:
I spoke with multiple doctors in the sports medicine space yesterday, and working off of nothing but a description of the play, the trainers response, and the post game quotes from Damion, both of them separately told me almost word for word the exact same thing. While nothing is known until the MRI comes back, these symptoms are that of a "classic non-contact ACL injury". While neither has seen Damion, both said the odds of the "no structural damage" report being correct were unlikely.
In short, those asking if he'll be back in the next couple of weeks - don't ask. The MRI will be conducted today, and while I'm sure Bru will be asked about the results in the postgame today, I don't expect him to answer the question until early next week.
Also of note: Freddie Wilson is eligible to play at the end of the fall term, after serving one year of residency at beautiful Drexel University. As the fall term is over as of December 14, Freddie should be eligible to return for the December 15 game against Davidson. I will be there and will have a full report after hopefully getting to see him in action.
If Freddie does play in the Davidson game, then Drexel will only be dropping to a short rotation for the Bama game at Madison Square Garden and the following two DAC games, against Cleveland State and Tennessee State.
I spoke with multiple doctors in the sports medicine space yesterday, and working off of nothing but a description of the play, the trainers response, and the post game quotes from Damion, both of them separately told me almost word for word the exact same thing. While nothing is known until the MRI comes back, these symptoms are that of a "classic non-contact ACL injury". While neither has seen Damion, both said the odds of the "no structural damage" report being correct were unlikely.
In short, those asking if he'll be back in the next couple of weeks - don't ask. The MRI will be conducted today, and while I'm sure Bru will be asked about the results in the postgame today, I don't expect him to answer the question until early next week.
Also of note: Freddie Wilson is eligible to play at the end of the fall term, after serving one year of residency at beautiful Drexel University. As the fall term is over as of December 14, Freddie should be eligible to return for the December 15 game against Davidson. I will be there and will have a full report after hopefully getting to see him in action.
If Freddie does play in the Davidson game, then Drexel will only be dropping to a short rotation for the Bama game at Madison Square Garden and the following two DAC games, against Cleveland State and Tennessee State.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Alabama Pregame - Low Tide
Well, they finally did it. On Friday, November 29 the year 2013, the Drexel Dragons will play an Anthony Grant team on a neutral court outside of Richmond. Take that Berto!
See if this sounds familiar: A fast paced defense first team that is full of guys who can score from anywhere from the floor.
There are differences though, the ghost of Jesse Pellot-Rosa isn't walking (on) through that door, Nick Jacobs, while skilled on the offensive end isn't a poor man's Larry Sanders, he's a broke college student's Larry Sanders. Jacobs will never be the defender that Sanders was, and the outside shooting won't match those old VCU teams, but the athleticism of this Bama team is much better than those VCU teams and the half court D far superior than then Grant's teams past that relied on turnovers for defensive stops.
The big question in the Drexel huddle is how they can replace a stud, and their most talented player in Damion Lee?
Lets rephrase:
The big question in the Drexel huddle is how they can replace a defensive liability who has shot 27% from deep and hasn't recorded an offensive rebound this season?
Both versions of that question are correct. Lee's talent is undeniable, but lets not confuse him with the reason why Drexel has competed so well thus far this year, as he's struggled early and seems to have let those struggles get to his head at times. The faster he heals the faster that he can get through that and become the star that all Drexel fans are well aware that he is.
What the loss of Lee does mean to the Dragons is the loss of their best player at getting to the rim at a time where they desperately need someone to carry that torch. It also takes away a strength of Drexel, guard depth, at a time when foul issues are at an all time high. Tavon Allen can come into the lineup and quickly take care of the first problem if he shows a willingness to take some contact. As for depth? Expect to see a little more Major Cannady and a lot more Allen, Fouch and Massenat. The rotation will get tight and all three guards will be asked for 34+ minutes a game. I expect some 40 minute marathons for guys who stay out of foul trouble. This is a rotation that can absolutely be successful, even against top tier schools like Bama.
For this game, Dartaye Ruffin should be able to neutralize Nick Jacobs better than the Duke forwards who were stuck in foul trouble (Hairston was limited to 20 minutes). Frantz will be dedicated to star Tide senior Trevor Releford and if he can make that a wash Drexel will be in good shape. Abif would really help with the matchups down low, but the freshman proved their worth on the boards against a much better Arizona frontcourt. There should be concern about a letdown after the Arizona game, but not if these players see the opportunity that in front of them.
The Dragons finally have Anthony Grant on a true neutral court. They can prove they belong in the discussion with the teams of the power conferences come March. Not having Lee isn't a time for excuses, it's a time to send a message. If Drexel can beat a power conference contender without Lee, imagine what they can do with him.
This years Drexel team needs to prove to their fans and more importantly themselves that they aren't about moral victories, they're in it for the outright victory. This game is a Black Friday gift-wrapped chance to send that message.
Prediction: Drexel 68 - 61
Vegas Line: Alabama -3
See if this sounds familiar: A fast paced defense first team that is full of guys who can score from anywhere from the floor.
There are differences though, the ghost of Jesse Pellot-Rosa isn't walking (on) through that door, Nick Jacobs, while skilled on the offensive end isn't a poor man's Larry Sanders, he's a broke college student's Larry Sanders. Jacobs will never be the defender that Sanders was, and the outside shooting won't match those old VCU teams, but the athleticism of this Bama team is much better than those VCU teams and the half court D far superior than then Grant's teams past that relied on turnovers for defensive stops.
The big question in the Drexel huddle is how they can replace a stud, and their most talented player in Damion Lee?
Lets rephrase:
The big question in the Drexel huddle is how they can replace a defensive liability who has shot 27% from deep and hasn't recorded an offensive rebound this season?
Both versions of that question are correct. Lee's talent is undeniable, but lets not confuse him with the reason why Drexel has competed so well thus far this year, as he's struggled early and seems to have let those struggles get to his head at times. The faster he heals the faster that he can get through that and become the star that all Drexel fans are well aware that he is.
What the loss of Lee does mean to the Dragons is the loss of their best player at getting to the rim at a time where they desperately need someone to carry that torch. It also takes away a strength of Drexel, guard depth, at a time when foul issues are at an all time high. Tavon Allen can come into the lineup and quickly take care of the first problem if he shows a willingness to take some contact. As for depth? Expect to see a little more Major Cannady and a lot more Allen, Fouch and Massenat. The rotation will get tight and all three guards will be asked for 34+ minutes a game. I expect some 40 minute marathons for guys who stay out of foul trouble. This is a rotation that can absolutely be successful, even against top tier schools like Bama.
For this game, Dartaye Ruffin should be able to neutralize Nick Jacobs better than the Duke forwards who were stuck in foul trouble (Hairston was limited to 20 minutes). Frantz will be dedicated to star Tide senior Trevor Releford and if he can make that a wash Drexel will be in good shape. Abif would really help with the matchups down low, but the freshman proved their worth on the boards against a much better Arizona frontcourt. There should be concern about a letdown after the Arizona game, but not if these players see the opportunity that in front of them.
The Dragons finally have Anthony Grant on a true neutral court. They can prove they belong in the discussion with the teams of the power conferences come March. Not having Lee isn't a time for excuses, it's a time to send a message. If Drexel can beat a power conference contender without Lee, imagine what they can do with him.
This years Drexel team needs to prove to their fans and more importantly themselves that they aren't about moral victories, they're in it for the outright victory. This game is a Black Friday gift-wrapped chance to send that message.
Prediction: Drexel 68 - 61
Vegas Line: Alabama -3
Arizona - Learning From Our Mistakes
Final: Arizona 66, Drexel 62 @ Madison Square Garden
Player of the Game: Chris Fouch
Key to the game: The Foul Line
Next Game: Wed, Nov 29 vs Alabama @ Madison Square Garden
It's genuinely hard to sit down and write about a Bruiser Flint team not being physical enough and think that the post will be taken seriously by anyone. Hence, the writer leaves for you the following and asks you to make your own conclusions:
- In a fairly well officiated game, Drexel got to the line 7 times to Arizona's 30. Conceding to the blame the refs crowd that the refs called a few bumps on Drexel that Arizona wasn't called for, and yes, a tragic 4th foul on Dartaye Ruffin, that is a huge disparity.
- On 20% of Arizona's made baskets, they also got to the line. Drexel gave up four "and one" opportunities, the symptoms of weak fouls close to the rim.
- Excluding three pointers, Drexel made 6 jump shots. Arizona: None. Arizona had 17 made two point field goals, and 34 points in the paint, and that's not counting getting to the foul line like its Best Buy on Black Friday.
- As foreshadowed in the "Adjustments: Part II" post, Tavon Allen ended with 3/12 shooting for 6 points. No foul shots attempted, and no reasons for the refs to give him any. We're not singling out Tavon so much as using him for an example of whats wrong with all DU guards right now. Fouch, Massenat and Allen, even when driving, shy away from contact. Allen loves his jumper and when Fouch and Massenat drive they get to the paint and float it, not get to the rim and lay it in. With the Dragon's up big early, I tweeted to the @DragonsSpeak account the concern that Frantz was making buckets, but they were on poor quality shots. From that point forward, Frantz was 3 of 14 from the floor and only got to the line once.
- The ball was passed into the post zero times. Zero.
There's an argument that the Dragon's saw a bigger team across the floor from them and backed down, but the truth is this is how this team has played in all five games to date. The coaching staff clearly went in at halftime and told the guys to get to the basket as was apparent when they drove time after time in the second half, but from the non-Lee guards, it was more of the same, floaters et al. I believe the coaches are trying to adjust to the new rules, but they simply can't make players go out there and take contact. That's on the players.
Speaking of Damion Lee, I'm both happy and proud to report that the @DragonsSpeak account was the first place where you saw double confirmation of the trainers diagnosis that Damion Lee is expected not to have structural damage on his knee. I hope to have a couple of followup posts coming over the upcoming days both on the injury, and what to look for from the Dragon's while Lee sits. Of note: Lee began both halves with hard drives in the lane. All night Damion, not a lot of people in this level of basketball can stop you when you do that. My thoughts go out to Lee, a good kid and a great athlete on his speedy recovery.
On Player of the Game Chris Fouch: Yes, the 29 points were on 27 shots. There's absolutely no problem with that. Per Kenpom his offensive efficiency was still in a happy zone, and here's what we really love: He led the team in offensive boards. Chris was scrapping and clawing for this game all night long, singlehandedly keeping DU in it at times. It was the best effort I remember seeing from him since the CAA Championship Game in his last full season of basketball. He left it all out there, and effort like that is always appreciated on the blog.
If you just read the top part of this post, you'd probably think that the Dragon's were crushed in this game. And this isn't good news, it's great news. Drexel got their nose bloodied a bit, they were outshot both from the field and the line against a (supposedly) top five team in the country and... Were right in it til the end. If you had been told that Drexel would be outshot in this game, you would probably guess that they got killed. They didn't and it's because they are playing smart. No turnovers. They didn't get killed on the boards even with Abif out (and there needs to be an upcoming post about how over the moon I am about the freshman big men). They played with these guys. They didn't need to shoot like a hot Ivy League team to compete with this Arizona team, because they played on the same level as this Arizona team. If you're not excited about that, I just don't know what to tell you.
The Dragons are currently 257th in the country in field goal efficiency. That's right in line with where they were last year actually, but given the sub of Fouch for Thomas, I think it's safe to bet that the true talent is much better than that. And even with their poor shooting, no matter what ranking system you look at, they're playing in the top 64 of teams in the country. When the shooting comes, and the adjustments to the new rules hopefully do, look out. This team is scary good. Oh, and not to jump too far in front of the upcoming preview, but they're about to Roll some Tide right back to Alabama.
There's stuff to work on. There's clear and evident ways to improve that don't involve things that Bru will refuse to do. But this year it's not about adjustments to make the team good, it's about making a good team great.
Player of the Game: Chris Fouch
Key to the game: The Foul Line
Next Game: Wed, Nov 29 vs Alabama @ Madison Square Garden
It's genuinely hard to sit down and write about a Bruiser Flint team not being physical enough and think that the post will be taken seriously by anyone. Hence, the writer leaves for you the following and asks you to make your own conclusions:
- In a fairly well officiated game, Drexel got to the line 7 times to Arizona's 30. Conceding to the blame the refs crowd that the refs called a few bumps on Drexel that Arizona wasn't called for, and yes, a tragic 4th foul on Dartaye Ruffin, that is a huge disparity.
- On 20% of Arizona's made baskets, they also got to the line. Drexel gave up four "and one" opportunities, the symptoms of weak fouls close to the rim.
- Excluding three pointers, Drexel made 6 jump shots. Arizona: None. Arizona had 17 made two point field goals, and 34 points in the paint, and that's not counting getting to the foul line like its Best Buy on Black Friday.
- As foreshadowed in the "Adjustments: Part II" post, Tavon Allen ended with 3/12 shooting for 6 points. No foul shots attempted, and no reasons for the refs to give him any. We're not singling out Tavon so much as using him for an example of whats wrong with all DU guards right now. Fouch, Massenat and Allen, even when driving, shy away from contact. Allen loves his jumper and when Fouch and Massenat drive they get to the paint and float it, not get to the rim and lay it in. With the Dragon's up big early, I tweeted to the @DragonsSpeak account the concern that Frantz was making buckets, but they were on poor quality shots. From that point forward, Frantz was 3 of 14 from the floor and only got to the line once.
- The ball was passed into the post zero times. Zero.
There's an argument that the Dragon's saw a bigger team across the floor from them and backed down, but the truth is this is how this team has played in all five games to date. The coaching staff clearly went in at halftime and told the guys to get to the basket as was apparent when they drove time after time in the second half, but from the non-Lee guards, it was more of the same, floaters et al. I believe the coaches are trying to adjust to the new rules, but they simply can't make players go out there and take contact. That's on the players.
Speaking of Damion Lee, I'm both happy and proud to report that the @DragonsSpeak account was the first place where you saw double confirmation of the trainers diagnosis that Damion Lee is expected not to have structural damage on his knee. I hope to have a couple of followup posts coming over the upcoming days both on the injury, and what to look for from the Dragon's while Lee sits. Of note: Lee began both halves with hard drives in the lane. All night Damion, not a lot of people in this level of basketball can stop you when you do that. My thoughts go out to Lee, a good kid and a great athlete on his speedy recovery.
On Player of the Game Chris Fouch: Yes, the 29 points were on 27 shots. There's absolutely no problem with that. Per Kenpom his offensive efficiency was still in a happy zone, and here's what we really love: He led the team in offensive boards. Chris was scrapping and clawing for this game all night long, singlehandedly keeping DU in it at times. It was the best effort I remember seeing from him since the CAA Championship Game in his last full season of basketball. He left it all out there, and effort like that is always appreciated on the blog.
If you just read the top part of this post, you'd probably think that the Dragon's were crushed in this game. And this isn't good news, it's great news. Drexel got their nose bloodied a bit, they were outshot both from the field and the line against a (supposedly) top five team in the country and... Were right in it til the end. If you had been told that Drexel would be outshot in this game, you would probably guess that they got killed. They didn't and it's because they are playing smart. No turnovers. They didn't get killed on the boards even with Abif out (and there needs to be an upcoming post about how over the moon I am about the freshman big men). They played with these guys. They didn't need to shoot like a hot Ivy League team to compete with this Arizona team, because they played on the same level as this Arizona team. If you're not excited about that, I just don't know what to tell you.
The Dragons are currently 257th in the country in field goal efficiency. That's right in line with where they were last year actually, but given the sub of Fouch for Thomas, I think it's safe to bet that the true talent is much better than that. And even with their poor shooting, no matter what ranking system you look at, they're playing in the top 64 of teams in the country. When the shooting comes, and the adjustments to the new rules hopefully do, look out. This team is scary good. Oh, and not to jump too far in front of the upcoming preview, but they're about to Roll some Tide right back to Alabama.
There's stuff to work on. There's clear and evident ways to improve that don't involve things that Bru will refuse to do. But this year it's not about adjustments to make the team good, it's about making a good team great.
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