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Post by belfieldhappyhour on Oct 9, 2014 9:37:44 GMT -5
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MisterD
The Baptist Himself
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Post by MisterD on Oct 9, 2014 10:21:12 GMT -5
2013-14 Coaches Poll: 1. VCU Rams (2) 2. Saint Louis Billikens (1) 3. La Salle Explorers (8) 4. Massachusetts Minutemen (5) 5. Saint Joseph's Hawks (3) 6. Richmond Spiders (7) 7. Dayton Flyers (5) 8. George Mason Patriots (12) 9. Rhode Island Rams (10) 10. George Washington Colonials (3) 11. Fordham Rams (13) 12. St. Bonaventure Bonnies (9) 13. Duquesne Dukes (10)
Predictions +/- 2 slots: 8 of 13
Biggest miss: GW under-projected by 7
2012-13 Coaches Poll: 1. Saint Louis Billikens (1) 2. Saint Joseph's Hawks (8) 3. VCU Rams (2) 4. Temple Owls (3) 5. Massachusetts Minutemen (6) 6. Butler Bulldogs (3) 7. La Salle Explorers (3) 8. Dayton Flyers (11) 9. Xavier Musketeers (6) 10. Richmond Spiders (8) 11. St. Bonaventure Bonnies (11) 12. Charlotte 49ers (8) 13. George Washington Colonials (11) 14. Fordham Rams (14) 15. Rhode Island Rams (14) 16. Duquesne Dukes (16)
Predictions +/- 2 slots: 10 of 16
Biggest miss: St. Joseph's over-projected by 6
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Post by belfieldhappyhour on Oct 9, 2014 11:03:16 GMT -5
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Post by theneumann64 on Oct 9, 2014 11:41:17 GMT -5
2 paragraphs is fine, unless the whole article is like 3 paragraphs.
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Post by explorer88 on Oct 9, 2014 12:09:13 GMT -5
It pays to be picked 7th in the pre-season. Both La Salle and Dayton advanced deep in the NCAA's at #7. If we are truly picked 7th again this year it may be a good omen.
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Post by belfieldhappyhour on Oct 9, 2014 12:09:32 GMT -5
2 paragraphs is fine, unless the whole article is like 3 paragraphs. The whole La Salle part is two graphs. Yeah or Nay?
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MisterD
The Baptist Himself
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Post by MisterD on Oct 9, 2014 12:24:22 GMT -5
What if you go every other word?
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MisterD
The Baptist Himself
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Post by MisterD on Oct 9, 2014 12:25:47 GMT -5
I'll do it, mostly because I just read it and one sentence really, really annoys me ...
7. La Salle Explorers
The encore turned out to be a massive letdown. With the core of the team back from 2012's run to the Sweet 16, expectations were high in Philadelphia last fall. Instead, the Explorers took a step back, finishing 15-16, including 7-9 in the conference. Somehow John Giannini's men lost the ability to put the ball in the basket. After ranking fifth in offensive efficiency in the conference two seasons ago, La Salle finished last in 2013-14, with just 98.1 points per 100 possessions in conference pay. The cause? Senior guards Tyreek Duren, Tyrone Garland and Sam Mills -- who keyed the perimeter-oriented success of the Sweet 16 squad -- shot a combined 37.6 percent from the field.
With that trio gone, La Salle will turn to the interior this season, where 6-8 Jerrell Wright (13.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and 6-11 Steve Zack (8.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg) should see increased usage. That's one way to ensure higher efficiency. The other is for 6-5 transfer Jordan Price (Auburn) to play like the top-100 prospect he once was and for redshirt freshman Amar Stukes to provide a steady hand at the point. And, of course, it would help if those guards knock down a few more jumpers than their predecessors did.
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MisterD
The Baptist Himself
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Post by MisterD on Oct 9, 2014 12:27:08 GMT -5
I take it back. Two sentences really, really annoyed me.
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Post by explorerman on Oct 9, 2014 13:39:45 GMT -5
I take it back. Two sentences really, really annoyed me. Which ones? It seems to be a fairly accurate summary. Since ESPN was jumping on the bandwagon last year preseason and naturally got burned by our lack of performance, I am sure they are going to be a little harsher this year.
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MisterD
The Baptist Himself
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Post by MisterD on Oct 9, 2014 14:05:25 GMT -5
With the core of the team back from 2012's run to the Sweet 16
Implies no turnover. Galloway was the core of the core.
Senior guards Tyreek Duren, Tyrone Garland and Sam Mills ... shot a combined 37.6 percent from the field
Misleading as hell given that of the three combined, two were above 37.6 and one was below it.
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Post by coachd on Oct 9, 2014 14:39:58 GMT -5
What bothers me is that writers forget that Duren was hobbled at the start of the season and probably should have taken an injury red-shirt. Garland never developed like we had expected he would. Mills also had an early season injury.
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Post by cpico on Oct 9, 2014 15:08:05 GMT -5
Not a bad overview. Though losing Ramon was huge, we had a lot returning from the Sweet 16 team and we woefully underperformed last year. We were picked as a top 3 type team in the A-10 last year and we laid an egg. If someone would have said at the beginning of last season that 6 A-10 teams would have made the NCAA tournament and that La Salle would not be one of them you would have said no way. The disappointing performance of last season seems to be hurting us on the recruiting trail, and of course last season will be pointed out in preseason publications this year. That's just reality. I'm hoping we can be over .500 this year. We'll see what happens.
Things aren't looking too positive on the recruiting trail right now, but recruiting is fluid and that can change over the next few weeks. I'm still hoping coach and his staff can get us an impact forward/center who can give us quality minutes in 2015-16, but time is starting to run out.
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MisterD
The Baptist Himself
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Post by MisterD on Oct 9, 2014 15:29:20 GMT -5
I'm a lot more confident going into this year than I was last year, which is probably backwards and weird. I think my prediction was sneaking in last year and I expect a better-than-sneak resume this year.
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Post by belfieldhappyhour on Oct 13, 2014 18:55:08 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2014 19:12:34 GMT -5
Matt Norlander is the least knowledgeable of all the national college basketball writers, and it's not even close. He proves it by not mentioning Jerrell at all. Being picked 6th, 7th, or 8th are educated and realistic picks. Picking La Salle 11th is a lazy and uninformed pick.
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Post by explorer88 on Oct 13, 2014 19:12:55 GMT -5
Norlander always sticks it to La Salle. Must have been denied admission.
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MisterD
The Baptist Himself
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Post by MisterD on Oct 13, 2014 19:35:50 GMT -5
I'm giving you guys the Mister D Guarantee that La Salle finishes in the top half of the conference.
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Post by sweat83 on Oct 14, 2014 10:59:43 GMT -5
Previews are interesting, and are meant to generate conversation. But in the end, do they even really matter? I mean, nobody knows for sure how this team is going to do this year. We have 2 starters back that accounted for 22 points per game. Everything else is up in the air as far as who is playing when, etc. I would have liked to have seen a Canadian team or two play us in a couple of exhibition games, just to get an idea of what we have heading into the season.
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Post by a10champion15 on Oct 14, 2014 11:06:38 GMT -5
8th place is alright for SJU I don't get how they could be any higher. I don't see them being a surprise team by any means. The pick I dont understand is Dayton. Dayton lost three very important players, has injuries, is very small and has to play a much different style than they did last year seeing how they aren't nearly as deep.
I'm perfectly okay with seventh for La Salle. Can't wait for this season.
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Post by belfieldhappyhour on Oct 22, 2014 19:15:17 GMT -5
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Post by 23won on Oct 23, 2014 14:39:09 GMT -5
SI did a good job with those picks. There is potential for a real logjam of teams a game or two above .500 in A 10 play
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Post by belfieldhappyhour on Nov 9, 2014 20:15:30 GMT -5
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Post by belfieldhappyhour on Nov 11, 2014 21:09:38 GMT -5
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