Kyyote Wins the OPT

[Austintacious]

UTEP 67 - 72 Boise St.  (Total Score 139)
NEXT GAME:  01/02/20 vs. FIU

No One predicted the winning team. 

UTEP   Opp   NAME   Differential      Total Predicted/ Total Score Differential
68      63   kyyote           10
66      62   ATL-Miner       11
72      65   Chanson         12            137 / 2
70      63   Austintacious   12            133 / 6

1st Tie Breaker:  Total Predicted Score and Actual Total Score differential.  Smallest differential wins.

[kyyote]

Funny!  I remember not too long ago when BSU wouldn't have belonged on the same floor with the Miners.  I said I thought we might be a C+ or maybe a B- team.  I have seen enough to believe we are a full letter grade less.  We are losing ground every year and every game this year.  We only get rebounds by accident.  Terry should bench anyone who shoots a three pointer, and no one seems to know what a dribble drive is.  The only thing they do a little bit is play some, and I do mean some, defense.  How many of you would give your left nut for Tony Barbee to come back?  We padded our win record by playing teams that should never have been on a team with any pride's schedule and will be lucky to win 17 games, with five or six not worthy of being played by a team with any self respect or with the gall to think we need to play in a better conference.  Our basketball program will soon be on par with our football program.  I'm sorry to be such a downer, but remember when we looked down our noses at the teams that replaced the fleeing AAC teams.  We would now maybe be a middle of the conference team in their leagues.  Maybe.  But, I assume we are dripping with class.  I would cry, but I have gotten somewhat used to it.  I think they have a name for it, the Battered Spouse Syndrome, maybe.  Where you learn to take it and tell people it is going to get better.  It isn't.  I don't know if anyone realizes it, but our coach is the Fresno State throw away.  Take a deep breath and give that a minute to set in. But, to end on a high note, we have a beautiful campus, with more new buildings than you can shake a stick at.  There are probably a dozen or so, nowadays, that I couldn't even guess what they might be.  And sculptures.  And we can always claim to have the biggest dzong in the country.  Yo baby, want to take a ride with me to UTEP and see my dzong!  Huge!  Soory.  I would say I'm bummed, but it is way past that. 

[SisyphusMiner]

Funny!  I remember not too long ago when BSU wouldn't have belonged on the same floor with the Miners.  I said I thought we might be a C+ or maybe a B- team.  I have seen enough to believe we are a full letter grade less.  We are losing ground every year and every game this year.  We only get rebounds by accident.  Terry should bench anyone who shoots a three pointer, and no one seems to know what a dribble drive is.  The only thing they do a little bit is play some, and I do mean some, defense.  How many of you would give your left nut for Tony Barbee to come back?  We padded our win record by playing teams that should never have been on a team with any pride's schedule and will be lucky to win 17 games, with five or six not worthy of being played by a team with any self respect or with the gall to think we need to play in a better conference.  Our basketball program will soon be on par with our football program.  I'm sorry to be such a downer, but remember when we looked down our noses at the teams that replaced the fleeing AAC teams.  We would now maybe be a middle of the conference team in their leagues.  Maybe.  But, I assume we are dripping with class.  I would cry, but I have gotten somewhat used to it.  I think they have a name for it, the Battered Spouse Syndrome, maybe.  Where you learn to take it and tell people it is going to get better.  It isn't.  I don't know if anyone realizes it, but our coach is the Fresno State throw away.  Take a deep breath and give that a minute to set in. But, to end on a high note, we have a beautiful campus, with more new buildings than you can shake a stick at.  There are probably a dozen or so, nowadays, that I couldn't even guess what they might be.  And sculptures.  And we can always claim to have the biggest dzong in the country.  Yo baby, want to take a ride with me to UTEP and see my dzong!  Huge!  Soory.  I would say I'm bummed, but it is way past that.

I feel like the eggnog might have been talking here.  I think we are top 4 in the weakest top-tier mid-major conference, and this is an improvement for us.  We have 14 conf games, and a pretty favorable schedule.  The better teams come to our house, and our road games are against the weaker teams.  We still have a plausible shot at a 20 win season.  We lose one significant player (assuming Williams returns).  We are on a postive trajectory.

I really feel like the cupboard was very bare when Floyd left.   At the moment we are 12 points away from being 12-1.  With just one of the following we would be 12-1 : one quality big man, one more shooting guard, or a little better point guard we would be much tougher.  With all three we would be very dangerous.  Maybe Keonte Kennedy is that extra SG next year.  Hawkins and Lathon will be a year older and more stable at point.  With the addition of a big man we could definitely be top tier mid-major next year.

I do have some concerns about CRT from an X and O standpoint.  He is willing to play with his lineups but gametime adjustments don't seem to happen.  I would be very interested to hear whether he is trying to get them to do things and they just aren't executing or if he actually has just one gameplan -- on both offense and defense.  I'm not sure enough right now to say which it is.   But it's way too early to hit the panic button.

[kyyote]

Our wins:

New Mexico Highlands NMH is 8-2  With wins over Eastern NMU, Western NMU, Northern NMC, Loss to Uni of the Southwest(Hobbs, NM), a second win over Northern NMC, Ft. Lewis College, a loss to Adams State Col, a loss to Dixie State Col at Las Vegas, NM, win at Westminster Coll, and a win at CO State-Pueblo the two losses not accounted for were the exh games with UTEP and the U of the Southwest at Hobbs
So this win doesn't count

ENMU is 3-7 they have a losses at NM Highlands, FT. Lewis Coll, West Texas A&M, Metro State Denver, Regis University, Wayland Baptist, and St. Edwards, with wins at St. Mary's in San Antonio, UAFS(?) and OK Christian.  Our win was an exhibition and doesn't count.

UNM is 12-2 BUT, with wins over ENMU, CSUN(?), Green Bay, McNeese State, NMSU, Wisc, Montana, Boise St, Wyoming, NMSU, Grand Canyon, and Houston Baptist, losing to UTEP and Auburn.  That is about as unimpressive a 12-2 as you will ever see.

East Central is 9-1 with wins against the likes of Wayne State College, Nebraska-Kearney, McKendree,  a loss to Southwestern OK St, a win at Southern Nazarene, loss to UTEP, wins at Austin Coll, Bacone Coll, OK Baptist, Northwestern OK St, and Randall.

Ark Pine Bluff is 1-10  Losses UCF, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, K State, Pitt, Tulsa, UTEP, Oregon St. NMSU, and UNT and a win over Champion Christian.  You have to give these guys credit for losing to not just no bodies!  lol

We have split with NMSU and I won't bother listing their wins and losses.  You can look them up if you want to.

NC A&T 3-10  wins over Charleston Southern, Nicholls, and Longwood and losses to UNCG, Western Carolina, Utah State, UNT, Eastern Michigan, Jacksonville, and Bradley, UTEP, Kent St, and Wake Forest

UC Irvine 7-7 wins, UC San Diego, San Diego, Life Pacific, Boise St, Louisiana, Eastern Michigan, Pacific Union, Kent St, and losses to Pepperdine, Colorado, TCU, Detroit Mercy, CA Baptist, UTEP, and IL Chicago

Ball St is 7-6 having beat Defiance, UIC, Indy St, Howard, IUPUI, GA Tech, and Portland, and with losses to Evansville, Northern Kentucky, Western IL, Loyola Chicago, Washington and UTEP

You look at our 9 wins and tell me again how impressed you are with those wins after looking over the above information.  I will stand by my belief that we are now playing teams we never should have been playing.  I don't drink, but it would probably help to ease the pain.  I stand by every word I wrote.  We are 12 points away from being 12 and 1 against a butt load of teams that smell like stale ass.  And we have been around them enough to have started smelling pretty bad ourselves. 

[Chanson]

I do like the points you two bring up. I still think our team is pretty good. We have only played 1 game where we were not even close. All others we were close and should have won those games, but silly newby mistakes just got in the way. Like turn overs & jittery shooting.
As it is every year, it will come down the the CUSA tourney winner. We do have a chance and may come close, but it looks like NIT for us this year. That's not bad given Terry's 2nd year. Also, Williams is going no where next year. He is no longer a secret & he will be the focus throughout the year for opposing defenses. His big numbers will dwindle which will make his game that much better next year. As for the others on the team, I have no clue when they will mature. I just hope its sooner than later.
Go Miners

[Minermojo]

Like I said, aside from Williams and sometimes Boum we don't have a good team. It's mediocre at best. Defense really sucks under the basket as I can't count how many times teams have gotten easy points driving and shooting from under the basket. All we can do is lob 3 point shots because we don't have a bonafide Tofi or a similar type player who wasn't afraid to mix it up under the basket.