South Dakota game

[stymeman]

don't know much about them, thinking we should take care of biz tomorrow night, unsure if going or not, maybe some stats etc would change my opinion, but it's on Root(so i betcha there's only 2500 in attendance then)

[TheRealUW]

The Cowboys are back at it tonight in the first of two matchups with the South Dakota Coyotes. As has been mentioned, the second half of the Jackson State game was a difficult one to watch for Poke fans as a rash of careless turnovers allowed the overmatched Jackson State team to creep back into the game. Although the offense has looked the most dynamic we have seen it in the Shyatt tenure, turnovers continue to be an issue for the Pokes. With what looks to be many teams fighting to get into the upper half of the MWC this season, making every possession count could be the difference between a 5th place finish and a 9th place finish in the conference this season. Moreover, it may end up deciding who gets an NIT invite and who plays in one of the “other tournaments”. I’d like to see Hankerson given a little more freedom on the offensive end. I’d like to see him come off the screens looking to curl to the basket more. I still think his offensive development is going to be the key to how this team performs when the conference schedule rolls around.

Player to Watch: Trevor Gruis (C, 6’10, 235 lbs, Sr.)
Gruis is an example of the type of college basketball player that is becoming a rarity amongst the high-major teams these days. He isn’t overly athletic, doesn’t have a flashy game, and plays below the rim…but he polished what skills he does have over his four years at South Dakota where he has become a textbook fundamental post player. He always makes the right basketball play, which is one reason he shot nearly 60% from the field last year. While the average fan won’t come away overly impressed with Gruis, basketball junkies should enjoy watching this guy do work in the post. Will the athleticism of Nance and Cooke win out over the fundamental play of Gruis? If the answer is yes, the Cowboys should be able to run away with this game.

The South Dakota Coyotes were picked to finish 7th in the 8 team Summit League. They are still looking for their first win of the season, after dropping their first two games on the road to begin the season. They are a poor jump shooting team, so I would look for the Cowboys to run a fair amount of zone in an attempt to make the Coyotes beat them with jump shots. On paper, this game looks like a mismatch. Can the Cowboys validate that on the court? I expect they will.

[CowboyNV]

The Cowboys are back at it tonight in the first of two matchups with the South Dakota Coyotes. As has been mentioned, the second half of the Jackson State game was a difficult one to watch for Poke fans as a rash of careless turnovers allowed the overmatched Jackson State team to creep back into the game. Although the offense has looked the most dynamic we have seen it in the Shyatt tenure, turnovers continue to be an issue for the Pokes. With what looks to be many teams fighting to get into the upper half of the MWC this season, making every possession count could be the difference between a 5th place finish and a 9th place finish in the conference this season. Moreover, it may end up deciding who gets an NIT invite and who plays in one of the “other tournaments”. I’d like to see Hankerson given a little more freedom on the offensive end. I’d like to see him come off the screens looking to curl to the basket more. I still think his offensive development is going to be the key to how this team performs when the conference schedule rolls around.

Player to Watch: Trevor Gruis (C, 6’10, 235 lbs, Sr.)
Gruis is an example of the type of college basketball player that is becoming a rarity amongst the high-major teams these days. He isn’t overly athletic, doesn’t have a flashy game, and plays below the rim…but he polished what skills he does have over his four years at South Dakota where he has become a textbook fundamental post player. He always makes the right basketball play, which is one reason he shot nearly 60% from the field last year. While the average fan won’t come away overly impressed with Gruis, basketball junkies should enjoy watching this guy do work in the post. Will the athleticism of Nance and Cooke win out over the fundamental play of Gruis? If the answer is yes, the Cowboys should be able to run away with this game.

The South Dakota Coyotes were picked to finish 7th in the 8 team Summit League. They are still looking for their first win of the season, after dropping their first two games on the road to begin the season. They are a poor jump shooting team, so I would look for the Cowboys to run a fair amount of zone in an attempt to make the Coyotes beat them with jump shots. On paper, this game looks like a mismatch. Can the Cowboys validate that on the court? I expect they will.

Another great write up! +10

[stymeman]

Thanks for this, glad its on Root tonight!!!

[YankPoke]

[quote="stymeman"]don't know much about them, thinking we should take care of biz tomorrow night, unsure if going or not, maybe some stats etc would change my opinion, but it's on Root(so i betcha there's only 2500 in attendance then)[/quote
Since it is a Friday I think that we get around 5500 tonight.

[SDPokeFan]

I'll be watching on Root! I'm excited to get my first look at the 2013-14 Pokes!

[BeaverPoke]

I'll be watching on Root! I'm excited to get my first look at the 2013-14 Pokes!

You should enjoy!
If they play like they did against Arkansas State, it will remind you of the McClain years with the non-stop running up and down the court, but with that good ole Larry Shyatt defense.
If they play like they did against Jackson State, then...well it will be like last season.
Slowed down ball, and missing a lot of shots.

[fromolwyoming]

Pokes defense clamping down and they're getting rebounds all over the place.

[fromolwyoming]

40-25 Wyoming. 1 minute left before the half.

[SDPokeFan]

I like what I see so far! Love that they push it when the opportunity presents itself, but aren't forcing shots. Cooke is owning the boards. I wish someone would tell that announcer it's Sobey not Scobey.

[BeaverPoke]

I like what I see so far! Love that they push it when the opportunity presents itself, but aren't forcing shots. Cooke is owning the boards. I wish someone would tell that announcer it's Sobey not Scobey.

Yep the team is playing awesome.
Man Grabau is surprising me.
He continues to just put up points.
After the first few games where he lead the team in scoring, I thought it was just a little flash in the pan, and it may be just that, but at half he is leading the team with 9.
Man if Grabau ends up being the team leader in points, that is going to be awesome for us, as I still feel he isn't the most dynamic, athletic, scorer we have.
Hopefully teams put him on lockdown and let Adams, Sobey, Hankerson, and Granberry roam free.

[seattlecowboy]

The thing that I like about Grabau is he plays smart and is good at getting the other team to foul him with this new rule and of course he can drain 3's when he gets an open look.

Hankerson and Granberry seem to be getting more and more comfortable each game also.

[BeaverPoke]

The thing that I like about Grabau is he plays smart and is good at getting the other team to foul him with this new rule and of course he can drain 3's when he gets an open look.

Hankerson and Granberry seem to be getting more and more comfortable each game also.

Yep no doubt.

[BeaverPoke]

Adams euro-step move was awesome! Too bad they called it a travel.
Like the announcers said, in the NBA that isn't a travel.

[seattlecowboy]

Wyoming looks terrible again in the 2nd half so far. Another long stretch of mental lapses. They need to continue to play hard and not start getting sloppy like they did the other night.

Need to play smart and hard and push this lead back out to 20 points. We should be up by a lot more than we are if not for acting like we can just show up and go through the motions.

[PokeOLoco]

They're letting em play a little tonight, nice for a change.

[seattlecowboy]

Adams euro-step move was awesome! Too bad they called it a travel.
Like the announcers said, in the NBA that isn't a travel.

I didn't think that was a travel , I thought it was a good play.

[seattlecowboy]

We need to put these guys away. We are letting them hang around a little bit too much.

[BeaverPoke]

I love how aggressive Adams is attacking!
If he can drive down the middle like that all season, he will draw a lot of fouls, score a lot of points, and be able to dish it to Cooke or Nance like he did to Cooke for that easy dunk a few possessions ago.

Keep it up Pokes!

[BeaverPoke]

Granberry for 3!!!!!

Get that confidence up and keep shooting it!

Glad he took that one, because there were some times he has passed up the wide open 3.