Focused on getting to 4-0 and a 7 game winning streak. Spiders can and will do this - 72-67.
DUQ game thread - Tuesday 7pm ESPN+
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The first 3 conf games lined up well for us, even the Goo Moos tho less so. They were due to shoot much better & probably salty from vcu loss, but we were due against them incl knocking us out last year.
These next 2 on road really need to be focused and match desperation of teams. 2 teams that r looking for 1st home A10 win. Both off to poor a10 starts and better than their recent struggles. So not facing at best times. Desperate. Not lined up like the first 2-3 games but that happens. We historically play well vs Duq so that’s good. And weak crowd likely Tues night coming off their sellout Fri night v Dayton.
We have ability to win of course. I’d be satisfied w 1 of 2 but next one always most important. Season a grind but need that killer instinct.
These next 2 on road really need to be focused and match desperation of teams. 2 teams that r looking for 1st home A10 win. Both off to poor a10 starts and better than their recent struggles. So not facing at best times. Desperate. Not lined up like the first 2-3 games but that happens. We historically play well vs Duq so that’s good. And weak crowd likely Tues night coming off their sellout Fri night v Dayton.
We have ability to win of course. I’d be satisfied w 1 of 2 but next one always most important. Season a grind but need that killer instinct.
Our only potential path to an at-large is going something like 16-2 or better and making it to the finals of the league tourney, so we can’t afford any losses right now if there’s even a 1% chance that’s still in play.
Anyone going to Pitt for the game? I can’t this week but Alonso certainly headed to Davidson next Saturday …
I could see a few more paths. Winning the regular season at 14-4 or 15-3 might be enough. If not that, 14-4 with a loss in the finals puts us at 24-10. If that puts us 2nd in the A-10 behind Dayton and then we lose to Dayton in the finals, that seems like a pretty good chance. The A-10 had a pretty good OOC, so a 2nd place finish at 14-4 definitely gives us a shot, and depending on who we beat IC, how many good wins we end up with, and what the other bubble teams look like, 13-5 and 23-11 could be enough. Just keep winning!!!!!!!!
The penalty of being on the forum when on an elliptical at the gym ..
We seem to own Duquesne year after year regardless of how good either team is. I think with the mental hurdle of the road losing streak being removed, the team will be motivated to keep this run going and ride the momentum to another win on Tuesday.
We may have beaten them last year, but we had to dig ourselves out of a 22-point hole in order to do it.
Are you saying giving them 47 points before the last tv timeout of the first half is not the best strategy?
I'm not even thinking at large at this point. It will require us to do some extraordinary after our mediocre OOC performance. That said our NET is currently around 82, we are picking up some nice Quad 2 wins, so we just need to keep piling W's on our resume. I think if we can get into the low 70's by the end of the month, we can begin talking about our resume.
Duquesne scares me, they are 0-3 in the league, so they will be really hungry to get a conference win, they have an extra day of rest, they are at home.
I think one of our "insiders" on here put Burton's NIL at 500K at Villanova. That would definitely be hard to turn down and if invested wisely could set you up for life - especially if you don't make it to the NBA or one of the very top Euro leagues.
Yup, PQ coulda matched or exceeded that offer but didn't. So no one should hold any ill will towards him even if it sucks. Don't blame him either, but anyone thinking or suggesting that we couldn't use him on this team is insane.
He maybe wasn't a "killer" or "the guy" or "clutch" but he was a hell of a defender and rebounder. I love U of R, but if another school comes and offers me a pile of cash that I likely never see again I am dipping out. Especially after as uninspiring season we had last year.
I don't really care if he does well or not there, for me it'll always be a bitter pill to swallow to root for someone your hypothetically competing against for the same title. I don't hold it against him though. He made the right choice, its insane to suggest otherwise. At the end of the day hell be playing in March and if he takes care of business there, no ones going to remember his numbers in January.
I will say, it would be fun to think what this team would look like with him in the lineup, but overall I enjoy watching this team and how they have developed. Would rather us focus our energy on a team that is improving and getting closer to being fully healthy.
This is why NIL is so frustrating. The BIGGEST thing Mooney was good at was retaining players. Players had an unfathomable loyalty to him given our success rate with him. Hopefully, some of it is pride in Richmond as well. But when you throw big $ at it, loyalty is lost quickly.
I am starting to come around to the idea that this NIL could actually be one of the best things to happen to Mooney.
Let's face it, he was pretty set in his ways after 17 or 18 years, players stayed forever, etc etc. Now all of a sudden, nothing is a given anymore. His best player might leave. He might have to sign four or five new guys who he had no connection with a week ago. He might have to adapt to what they are good at, because he doesn't have two years to spoon-feed them every little detail of his system.
Adapt or die, basically. He has done well in the portal, and portal success may beget portal success. If he keeps identifying the right type of guy who can come here, fit into the general scheme of the system and thrive, we become a more desirable place for the Kings, Quinns and Bigelows of D1.
I would prefer to win the old-fashioned way with a bunch of 4-year recruits who don't transfer. But more than that, I would prefer to win, period. So if this is how it's going to be, let's win this way.
Let's face it, he was pretty set in his ways after 17 or 18 years, players stayed forever, etc etc. Now all of a sudden, nothing is a given anymore. His best player might leave. He might have to sign four or five new guys who he had no connection with a week ago. He might have to adapt to what they are good at, because he doesn't have two years to spoon-feed them every little detail of his system.
Adapt or die, basically. He has done well in the portal, and portal success may beget portal success. If he keeps identifying the right type of guy who can come here, fit into the general scheme of the system and thrive, we become a more desirable place for the Kings, Quinns and Bigelows of D1.
I would prefer to win the old-fashioned way with a bunch of 4-year recruits who don't transfer. But more than that, I would prefer to win, period. So if this is how it's going to be, let's win this way.
100% EightLegger! Completely with you. I still find the NIL frustrating. But as I've hinted, this is forcing Mooney's hand to allow players to play more in their own natural way.
I also believe we will have competitive enough NIL funds that if a player really wants to be here, money won't be the ONLY decision because we're in the ballpark.
I do still believe, though, that NIL limits our ceiling. I think we will have more competitive NILs, better facilities, better school, and yes, better crowd support than many many other schools. So, I think it keeps us where we are - typically a top 100 team with upside to top 50. However, when we have super elite talent, some perennial power will offer more money. So our chance to break thru to a deep run in the NCAAs is limited. Many teams from the A10, most at one point when Temple and Xavier were still in the A10, have been to the Final 4 at some point. That was always fun to have as a big possible goal. Now, it is way harder to accomplish with the NIlL landscape.
I also believe we will have competitive enough NIL funds that if a player really wants to be here, money won't be the ONLY decision because we're in the ballpark.
I do still believe, though, that NIL limits our ceiling. I think we will have more competitive NILs, better facilities, better school, and yes, better crowd support than many many other schools. So, I think it keeps us where we are - typically a top 100 team with upside to top 50. However, when we have super elite talent, some perennial power will offer more money. So our chance to break thru to a deep run in the NCAAs is limited. Many teams from the A10, most at one point when Temple and Xavier were still in the A10, have been to the Final 4 at some point. That was always fun to have as a big possible goal. Now, it is way harder to accomplish with the NIlL landscape.
I would say Tyler was pretty loyal. He could have transferred after year 2 and year 3, and could have given pro ball a shot after year 3. He gave us 4 great years. Hard to say he wasn't loyal just because he went to a program like Nova for year 5.
That's exactly my point. He was loyal UNTIL the NIL $ showed up. Then $ won out over loyalty to Richmond and Mooney.
This is hopefully still a strong point for Mooney. If we keep the $ close, Mooney may still win those battles even if we are a little short on $.
While at the same time, it forces Mooney to be a little more on his toes mixing things up system-wise because he can't be certain he'll keep all his players the next year.
Maybe it's the perfect storm.
Huge game. Line is indeed moving in Duquesne's favors, so guessing Law is hammering Duq line. JK JK.
Even though these are college guys, I kind of agree with GK, this one does not set up great. Duq coming of a loss to Dayton. Extra day rest. Again, feel like Bigs and Dji seem to get beat up a lot during the games. Hoping everyone can bring the energy tonight. It is great to have DLo back, because that gives us extra depth and extra ball handler. Also agree that Duq will have the desperation factor. On the flip side, I feel like if we can just keep it close, that desperation factor can become a self doubt factor. I like our chances to make the plays down the stretch, but we need to stay within striking distance.
Even though these are college guys, I kind of agree with GK, this one does not set up great. Duq coming of a loss to Dayton. Extra day rest. Again, feel like Bigs and Dji seem to get beat up a lot during the games. Hoping everyone can bring the energy tonight. It is great to have DLo back, because that gives us extra depth and extra ball handler. Also agree that Duq will have the desperation factor. On the flip side, I feel like if we can just keep it close, that desperation factor can become a self doubt factor. I like our chances to make the plays down the stretch, but we need to stay within striking distance.
I know some of you are spiking the football after the 3-0 A10 start. Its a great start, but it is just a start. If you want to do the unthinkable and actually contend for the A10 regular season championship for the first time under Mooney, you win games like these against 0-3 competition. Won't be easy, but the Spiders have to find a way.
Yes very good point. We blew out some bad teams early and looked good, moving the ball and hustling on defense - and we were ecstatic. Next, we stepped up in competition and got smacked, and I was leading the parade to the edge of the cliff. Then we won a few A10 games, and we are back on cloud 9. Agree this is a game - on the road - tired legs - guys banged up - that would really be a nice win and we need to be able to win to reach that top 4.
Being at the top of the standings means all the teams should be motivated to win. Hopefully the Spiders will maintain the one game at a time approach and keep playing tough. It would definitely be really nice to have a road win streak. Go Spiders!
Dukes always seem to be guard-heavy, and we seem to do pretty well against teams like that for the most part because our guards usually are more disciplined than theirs. Seems that their scoring is mostly from guards again (top 3 are all 6'3" or under) this year, and they shoot a lot of threes but not particularly well, so take care of the ball, rebound a little bit and we have a good chance.
Drop the smothering D on them, continue to limit TO's, send Bigs, Dji and Quinn to the boards, and good things will happen more often than not. Not assured, but believe it will happen tonight.
Go Spiders!
Go Spiders!
it's "must watch tv" to see if Jordan King gets on another heater.
While you do make some good points, I believe that we need to be a forward looking team. We can’t change the past games but we are in control of our future games. The players we have now have shown the type of mentality of never give up and fighting until the end.
Anyone have any insight if its easier for him to recruit transfers over high schoolers with regards to academics?
Also, post grad transfers here depending on the program they're in (SPCS), may not be nearly as intense as being an underclassmen here.
I don't see how Mooney would want to turn his keys over to an freshman PG after the night and day differences between the last two seasons.
Part of being a good team is beating the teams you should.
We historically have done quite well against Duquense, I think Spiders have only lost to them twice since we have joined the A10, which is an absurd stat line.
Well find out alot about this team after these next two games.
Huge news about Grant. He's their leading scorer. That's a big letdown in terms of production and emotionally, so let's stomp on their throats right out of the gate and not look back.
