Niagara WED

[BuffaloBilly62]

If you can get Niagara + 4, take it. Purple Eagles have shot horribly to open season and still undermanned due to suspensions, but they are the better team and likely to get first W tonite at St. Bonaventure. My site down to +3, ML enticing.

 

[BuffaloBilly62]

Hope somebody else cashed with me! :SIB

 

[PharoahUB]

Hope somebody else cashed with me! :SIB

nice one. should be a good game on saturday when they play the bulls. if niagara is getting alot of points they might be the play

 

[BuffaloBilly62]

Niagara-UB

Niagara-UB

Yeah, I think I'm going to this game. As you note, it depends on the points but I don't initially like Niagara in this spot. If they had Fisher and the big transfer from Northeastern active, I would give them a good chance. The teams usually play close but if UB covers Clif Brown, doesn't look like Eagles have too much other scoring. And if Eagles can't hit the 3, could be double digit loss. Feelin' Parnell and Yasim having bigger games inside. Gonna think hard on this one. Thanks for the post Pharoah.

 

[PharoahUB]

Yeah, I think I'm going to this game. As you note, it depends on the points but I don't initially like Niagara in this spot. If they had Fisher and the big transfer from Northeastern active, I would give them a good chance. The teams usually play close but if UB covers Clif Brown, doesn't look like Eagles have too much other scoring. And if Eagles can't hit the 3, could be double digit loss. Feelin' Parnell and Yasim having bigger games inside. Gonna think hard on this one. Thanks for the post Pharoah.

i'll be at the game. unfortunately i'm working the game though-doing security stuff. you goin to the Pitt game? they might be #1 coming in tickets are almost sold out.

 

[BuffaloBilly62]

yeah, i figured Pitt would be a big draw, like when UNC came here a few years ago. Thinkin about it. Let me know your thoughts on UB in the conference this year.

 

[PharoahUB]

yeah, i figured Pitt would be a big draw, like when UNC came here a few years ago. Thinkin about it. Let me know your thoughts on UB in the conference this year.

It's too early to tell right now. The team has got some young talent at the guard position. They are playing much better then Turner Battle and Co. did in their sophomore year. Eric Moore can shoot lights out, Andy Robinson is regarded as one of the best/if not the best defender in the MAC. Sean Smiley is also very good, but he is injured. The front court is solid as I'm sure you know with Parnell and Ibidhi, both seniors.

The biggest problem with the team is their chemisty. So many guys are getting substantial minutes this year with Cage and co. graduating that have barely seen the floor before. Alot of turnovers are the result of the young guards being on the wrong page with Ibidhi and Parnell.

Youth at the guard position... the other problem. The temple game alone was proof enough. They almost blew the game in the last few minutes with turnover after turnover. This team has to be worried about close games down the stretch with their inability to hold onto the ball.

With that said, coming into the season I figured they would be a middle of the road MAC team. Now I would put them in at least the top 4-5 teams based on how they are doing and how bad some of the other MAC teams have looked in OOC.

If they can gel together and the guards can grow up quick the team can compete for the MAC title this year behind Ibidhi and Parnell. However, I think two years from now will be UBs year. The young talented guards they have now will be seniors and it will give the big-men stuck on the bench behind parnell and ibidhi a chance to develop a year.

Ask me again in two weeks, I may tell you something else. The next few games will say alot about the team. Are they the team that looked terrible against Iona and Evansville, or are they the team that played the other night against Temple. The talent is there, but there is alot of growing up to do and alot of chemistry that needs to build within the team.

So are you a Niagara fan?

 

[BuffaloBilly62]

I like all the WNY teams but I'll confess that I'll probably pull for Niagara. A close friend teaches at Niagara so I've had more access to the program and saw them a lot last year. I didn't see the UB-Caniusus game but went to Canisius-Syr at HSBC. Syr totally overlooked them and Griffins outplayed them for 30 minutes before throwing the ball way for Dickendorf layups (just can't warm up to that punk and I am former Orange season ticket holder). Marist appears to be class of that conf with Iona way down after losing all the seniors from last year's nice squad. Bonnies have a deep hole to crawl out of after their problems.

I like Reggie and what he's done with the program. Have heard things similar to your notes above. Don't have a good feel yet for the conference foes yet though. Thanks for the useful post.