VCU @ Bonaventure

3rdShayCripSet

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First game back in the RC since December 8 and first since we've put into place our vaccine mandate.

After looking at the seating chart for Friday's game, it looks like there's still a decent amount of tickets left. If we can't get over 4,000 for this VCU game, I will be disappointed.

Bona won't be home again until Jan. 29, so this is a big game for SBU...obviously.
 
Not a commentary, just observation - but you have the vax mandate which doesn't play well locally, and then a segment of an older population that if they have had the shot are not too keen on a maskless RC. Add in the fact that students aren't back and the game is on ESPN2. I don't expect a large or very exciting crowd.

Let's just hope we have a full squad because VCU is finding their rhythm.
 
Hoping the students are able to come back for the game but I have a feeling they wont be able to. If they play well, the crowd will be behind them and it will be good but if things dont go well it will be a morgue.
 
I would hope that any student who comes back early will be given entry. Won't be a super raucous crowd but yeah, anything less than 4k will be a huge disappointment on TV.

Regardless, I had this game circled on my calendar as a party -- Friday night game on TV against a good opponent at home -- that's a recipe for a busted liver. Now it's a game I'm dreading because VCU is in rhythm and bona hasn't played well in nearly two months.
 
I think there is also a certain % of fans that frankly are scared/won’t put themselves in that position to attend the game. I’ll be there, curious to see what the final crowd looks like.
 
I have been back and forth on whether to attend the game or not based on the new rules and Omicron. I've landed on going but will be interested in seeing the vax check operation and plan to use the entrance by the baseball field to avoid what is likely going to be a massive cluster at the ticketbox entrance.
 
The more I think about this game, the more nervous I am. I hope I’m wrong but it just seems like VCU might stroll into the RC and pound our guys like Charles E. Maggio at a no-rules swingers party.

Our defense kept us alive through Charleston but since then has evaporated. VCU shoots a meager 32% from three but you just know they’re going to make 50% on our court.

It’s probably been more than a decade since I last dreaded a game this much. I hope my gut feeling is wrong and I hope our starters find the swarming D that got them into the tournament last season. Otherwise it’s going to be a rotten start to the weekend.
 
I don't get the anxiety. VCU has got a piss-poor offense. With that, I have probably jinxed our guys, but I still don't get the concern. We've got a talented team. Every team should be allowed to put its head in rectal defilade for a few games. We've done that. It's over. Move on. Please delete this post if we get our head out of the dark place and proceed to have it handed to us.
 
You indirectly answered your own question, X. It's been about 6 weeks since we saw anything that inspired confidence in being able to expect a 40 min performance. I've given up all hope in attempting to understand what to expect from this team, and a 3.5 week covid layoff didn't do anything to lessen the mystery.

I'll be there too. I am prepared to be so pumped I rush to the Burton and stay the night after, be so pissed that I drive back to Buffalo in silence after, and anything in between.
 
CB3T - The drive home after a loss is brutal, especially that late at night. I totally get what you are saying

I am somewhere in between all of you and X. VCU is not a bad matchup for us and to me the key is that we dont play sloppy on offense and turn the ball over or rush shots. I think in the half court, we can win. Like was said, they are dreadful from 3 and we struggle to defend the 3 so I dont feel as bad there. Save the anxiety for when Davidson comes to town.
 
Amazingly the spread hasn't budged much other than to move a half a point toward Bonaventure... now -3 at some casinos from -2.5.
 
VCU is a much better shooting team with Ace Baldwin back in the lineup. My perception is he is more of an off the dribble/pick shooter given that he has PG duties. I think this is where we are most successful at defending the 3. We become more vulnerable on kick out or ball movement 3s.

The last 3 years we have been a team that could control the pace and win grind it out games which is important against VCU. Making VCU start possessions off an inbound either via deadball turnover or a make significantly changes their offense. While we have been good at not turning the ball over we have allowed ourselves to be sped up at times which is where VCU thrives. (I would have said the same thing about Marquette and that was our best game of the year).

The two biggest differences between last year's defense and this years is we are blocking more shots and giving up more 3s. Intuitively this makes sense, opponents stop attacking the basket because we are getting blocks on 17% of possessions, and "settling" for 3s.
 
VCU is a much better shooting team with Ace Baldwin back in the lineup. My perception is he is more of an off the dribble/pick shooter given that he has PG duties. I think this is where we are most successful at defending the 3. We become more vulnerable on kick out or ball movement 3s.

The last 3 years we have been a team that could control the pace and win grind it out games which is important against VCU. Making VCU start possessions off an inbound either via deadball turnover or a make significantly changes their offense. While we have been good at not turning the ball over we have allowed ourselves to be sped up at times which is where VCU thrives. (I would have said the same thing about Marquette and that was our best game of the year).

The two biggest differences between last year's defense and this years is we are blocking more shots and giving up more 3s. Intuitively this makes sense, opponents stop attacking the basket because we are getting blocks on 17% of possessions, and "settling" for 3s.
Thats a good point with Ace coming back. We need to look at what was successful last year vs VCU and what worked on Tuesday. Get into the lane and force the defense to either collapse and then you can lob to Shoon or hit the floater. Jive also makes a good point about live ball vs dead ball turnovers. We have to make this a half court game. Slow it down, make them run sets and beat us. They dont have anybody that will break you down and bail out near the end of the clock. VCU typically wins ugly and we are very capable of that.
 
Bona03 brings up a relevant point about last year. A10 play has the advantage that the teams know one another so well. As to Baldwin, I don't remember if it was Lofton or Holmes guarding him, but his total production in the three games he played vs. Bona last year was 13 points, 3/14 from two and 2/6 from three. I'll take that and the loss of Nashon Highland and hope the guys are back in playing form. That's the real question. We were rusty vs. LaSalle but maybe one tune-up game was enough.
 
I have been back and forth on whether to attend the game or not based on the new rules and Omicron. I've landed on going but will be interested in seeing the vax check operation and plan to use the entrance by the baseball field to avoid what is likely going to be a massive cluster at the ticketbox entrance.
How was the experience? I thought the vax check was a joke as the old woman barely glanced at it. I will however preface that I have almost nothing to compare it to, as I largely avoid places that require this check.
 
How was the experience? I thought the vax check was a joke as the old woman barely glanced at it. I will however preface that I have almost nothing to compare it to, as I largely avoid places that require this check.
They looked longer at my vax card than my ticket but it was pretty much a joke. I went to Bills vs Jets last week and the Bona checker took about the same time.

I'm pretty certain there were some (not many) people turned away due to the vax check. A guy in my section also didnt bring one of his grandkids with him because he wasnt sure the rules about kids needing a vax card or not. So i think there is still a bunch of confusion on the policy and hopefully the school continues to clarify and notify people about the policy.
 
I didnt see much issue at all. I walked in around 7:15 and there was not much of a line. The people in front of me did not know they needed proof and were denied,. that sucked for them but this was communicated in multiples places. I got emails, saw tweets and FB posts so if you are that disconnected I dont know what to tell you. These were not old people. Anyway, they took a cursory look at my app and that was that.

On to the game. Was surprised at how sparse the crowd was, Granted the student seats were full of people so they would normally be in the reds but still, it was quiet. I can only imagine how nuts that place would have been with the students there (no captain beer?!). I have never seen a block like Shoon had. All the dunks and turnovers, place would have been nuts. I told you guys not to worry about VCU as much. They are probably the best matchup we can possibly have given their ranking and what they do best vs what we do best.
 
That block was fantastic. I could give 2 shits that he hammered it into the stands (some comments on the other board about how great ones would keep it in play) that was a big FU to VCU, which I was more than ok with.
 
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