geezer

Other than the fact I just want to LU to kick some McNeese but Saturday I am not sure the 4 seed is really worse when you look at the top two seeds.  LU has to bring their "A" game for each of the SLC tourney games otherwise we are in trouble.  I like the 3 seed as I really want LU to play SFA again and prove that Coach Knight's press conference after the first game was necessary.  As the 4 seed UTA might be more likely to be a little flat for the semi final than the conference championship game.

The headline is a cheap shot.  The players will catch enough BS from the opponents student bodies between now and the end of the season.  No One from Beaumont needs to heap any coals on the fire.  A simple headline such as Lamar bounces back would have sufficed.

Made the trip to Sam and was happy with the energy level of the players, but not sure it would have been enough to beat either UTA or SFA.  LU seems to struggle most against a team with a strong inside presence and taller wing players than we have.  While it was good to see Mike James get 30, I wouldn't want to count on that.  We have to score with our inside guys to beat a better team and that still isn't happening.  Don't remember which two wing players it was but one play that didn't happen stuck out to me as an example of what we are missing.  I think Harper had the ball deep outside and Lamb set up at the side of the lane looking for a pass.  It seemed like Harper held the ball for 5 seconds trying to let Lamb get free of his defender.  What was missed was an oppurtunity for Lamb to roll back accross the lane and set a screen for Osas to come off the screen toward Harper and the basket which easily could have led to a dunk or at least a Sam foul.  Instead we held the ball trying to force something to happen and then settled for passing the ball back around the three point arc and settling for a jumper.  Another time Osas got the ball about one step outside of the low block and tried to pass into the middle of the lane when he could have taken one step and gone up for a possible layup and again if not scored probably could have picked up a Sam foul.  Just my opinion but to get the next level those type of plays have to be executed to take some of the pressure off of James, Miles and Davis to open up better shooting oppurtunities.  One play that I saw that I really liked was when the ball was passed out to the head of the key for Miles and rather than shoot the three with a defender coming at him he pump faked and dribbled past the defender to take a clear shot from the free throw line for two points.  Yes the team seemed to responded adequately to the criticism they got after Wednesday game but their is still a ton of room for improvement.  All in all a good game and it was worth the trip.

I don't things really changed as much as the hidden came to light, even things Coach Knight wasn't aware were going on at the time.  Also the problems were there earlier it just that winning has a way of putting rose colored glasses over what you are seeing.  Going back to January, Lynch is lost to grades, then since Feb 4th, Harper caught with drugs, terrible game at Nicholls,  three players are late for bus at GM and the individualism pops it ugly head against SFA.  It may be that even PK overlooked some behavior issues because we were winning.

Every University misses out on too many local prospects if you are looking at it from the local fans point of view.  There are kids from Texas starting at many out of state major programs.  Wasn't the starting QB at Alabama last year or the year before from Texas.  If you are a UT, A&M, Tech or any other school fan it looks like they missed out on a local kid to me.

Southeast just beat Northwestern so LU and Northwestern are still tied for 2nd in the east.  Who would have thought the two worst teams in the east would both beat the teams tied for 2nd.  LU has to take care of business.

For the most part Lamar still controls their own destiny for a share of the East.  Northwestern beat McNeese in Lake Chuck and the rematch is Monday night.  Assuming a Northwestern win (which is questionable) then LU is one game back of both.  Northwestern still travels to UTA and SFA so one more loss is probable.  McNeese still has UTA, UTSA and LU so two losses are probable.  LU needs to win out at this point with the most difficult game by statistics being at Sam.

I am an optimist about what Coach Knight has accomplished with the MBB so far.  While we may be much less experienced next year I think saying we won't be any good next year is giving to much credit to this years senior class and not enough to the coaching.

It would have been nice to get a home game, but I am happy with the outcome.  GM is a quality program and will becoming to Beaumont next year I believe (it might be another year or two).  If our attendance numbers were higher then I think we could get a home game easier and possibly a tv game in a few years assuming this bracket busters format continues.

Didn't see any signs of Doty who reportedly walked on with the new semester.

Hopefully this team has learned from the past two weeks and this win propels them to the East title and with some luck a conference championship banner.

Good win

Next year with only two players on the squad left over from Roc's recruits assuming Lynch doesn't get his act together Coach Knight will have to take more responsibility for the players performances.  I don't think this will be an issue but maybe that is why he was so frustrated after last weeks loss, because it was still Roc's team that showed up.

According to the quote from Woodard the new QB from Northwest Mississippi JUCO is the best QB on campus.

What is the status of the potential QBs?  Johnson missed last four or five games with a rib injury?  Prewitt a concussion to end the season and questions about how many concussions he may have previously had?  Berry injured ankle in last game?  Tatum, has he made through a complete season yet?

A losing teams coach's days are always numbered, it is just how long will the money people put up with it.  At the beginning of most new coach's tenure we say give them 4 to 5 years to get their players and their system in place, but that is not always the case.  Turner Gil at Kansas only got two years.

If the reason for playing a Div 2 school is to get six home games and you can't do it with FCS teams then I understand.  If the reason is to balance the two near guarantee losses for a payday playing at the FBS schools I understand, but that doesn't mean that I like it.  If LU is to someday reach for the FBS level then it needs to win against FCS schools and not D-2 schools in the non-conference.  I also understand it takes time to build to that level.

I hope Prairie View is a home game and they bring their band, that is usually entertaining.  Not happy that we have a Division 3 team on the schedule.

Hopefully two humbling losses and week to get ready for UCA next week will help these guys get back on the right track.  Big worry is the first UCA game was so easy that the LU players will have their heads up their butts thinking that because it was an easy win the first time we don't have to prepare for this game.  I doubt that will happen once Coach K gets through with them this week, but you never know with this bunch.

I think the 1000 number was for the ladies game, the announced attendance for the men was about 3200 and being there I would say that was fairly accurate.  Need students to start attending.

Lamar needs to step up and play a fundamentally good game against one of these major schools.  Pat Knight is not just scheduling them as a recruiting ploy.  Recruiter to recruit Hey we're going to play top notch teams and get our tails kicked, he wants to compete.

Well deserved win, LU played tough and through adversity.  Three starters fouled out and they still hung on for the win.  Not usually one to complain about the officiating but it did not seem even especially from the one official.  IMO LU got screwed on several non-calls that should have been fouls against Rice and then got called for a foul on much less of a physical play on the other end.  LU won the Rebounding edge against a bigger team and shot great from the free throw line and the three point line.

Sam up 21-0 in the first half

I don't remember Knight's exact remarks in the post game interview on KLVI, but the implication was he took the starters out because they weren't performing and wasn't going to put them back in.

I think there already is a lot to feel good about our performance in conference.  At 4 & 2 currently we should at worst be 8 &  6 going into conference with all but two of these games against D-1 opponents.  I think we have a real shot at a 10 & 4 record, which I would argue is the best OOC record in the conference.