WYO @ UNLV

[Cosmic Cowboy]

This isn't that surprising of a result. The team has a ton of versatility, but really lacks that star player or a group of complete players. There aren't any glaring holes that water can shoot through, but everyone has flaws that allow a little water through which can add up when things don't go Wyoming's way. Edwards has done a good job of making up for some of these flaws by playing smart basketball and focusing on the valuable shots. This team can compete with anyone when they play defense, hit the right percentage from 3, and get to the free throw line.

The talk of an at-large was a little silly and now we can get back to reality. This team is playing to get ready for the conference tournament. That's all that matters as an NIT bid is the ceiling if UW fails to win the conference tournament. Hopefully they learn from the loss and move on to the next opponent.

I still believe this team can win the conference outright. They need Adams fully healthy soon to achieve this and have to get this Fresno game now. If they win the regular season then the tourney dream is still alive. Is it a long shot? YES, but doesn't this team seem like they could rattle off the next 4 wins in row? I feel like they could. Flip-side sure seems like they could lose whenever the shots don't go down and there is a LOT to be proved on the road with this squad as well. Lack of hustle and edge can be fixed, the talent is there, this season remains exciting.

Yeah it is all a bit silly but our board tends to always over freak on losses and get over hyped when winning/playing well against quality opponents. I like it personally. This fanbase has passion. Who isn't tickled Brown N Gold that this squad is likely headed toward another 20 win season??? That's a great benchmark to maintain at a program. UW needs to be shooting for 20+ W's and being in the top 125 programs yearly. They are still on track to do this in a "down" year.

 

[DVDA]

This isn't that surprising of a result. The team has a ton of versatility, but really lacks that star player or a group of complete players. There aren't any glaring holes that water can shoot through, but everyone has flaws that allow a little water through which can add up when things don't go Wyoming's way. Edwards has done a good job of making up for some of these flaws by playing smart basketball and focusing on the valuable shots. This team can compete with anyone when they play defense, hit the right percentage from 3, and get to the free throw line.

The talk of an at-large was a little silly and now we can get back to reality. This team is playing to get ready for the conference tournament. That's all that matters as an NIT bid is the ceiling if UW fails to win the conference tournament. Hopefully they learn from the loss and move on to the next opponent.

I still believe this team can win the conference outright. They need Adams fully healthy soon to achieve this and have to get this Fresno game now. If they win the regular season then the tourney dream is still alive. Is it a long shot? YES, but doesn't this team seem like they could rattle off the next 4 wins in row? I feel like they could. Flip-side sure seems like they could lose whenever the shots don't go down and there is a LOT to be proved on the road with this squad as well. Lack of hustle and edge can be fixed, the talent is there, this season remains exciting.

Yeah it is all a bit silly but our board tends to always over freak on losses and get over hyped when winning/playing well against quality opponents. I like it personally. This fanbase has passion. Who isn't tickled Brown N Gold that this squad is likely headed toward another 20 win season??? That's a great benchmark to maintain at a program. UW needs to be shooting for 20+ W's and being in the top 125 programs yearly. They are still on track to do this in a "down" year.

I agree that this team could and should compete for a regular season title. Finishing outside the top 3-4 teams in conference would be a disappointment at this point. The conference is incredibly weak which means a regular season championship means little unless it's done with 2-3 losses and a loss in the conference tournament championship game. It's a possibility, but highly unlikely that the team manages to do so. Even then, what signature wins does Wyoming have that get them on the right side of the bubble? Plain and simple, the MWC is looking like a one bid league this year.

Although I'm critical of their tournament chances, I'm excited for this team. This was supposed to be a building year where we saw guys continue to grow while we fight for a .500 overall record. They're ahead of schedule with a really strong recruiting class coming in. Edwards has shown he is a solid coach already although his rotations could use some serious reconsiderations. This year is icing on the cake as next year is the one where this squad should really shine. McManamen has made Wyoming proud, but he isn't going to be a big loss. James and Adams will be a year older along with everyone else. Dalton and Herndon will have another year to mature physically. Naughton and Moemeka will have another year to improve technique and positioning on defense. Jones and Redding will be eligible with a year of practice under their belts. To top it off, Edwards will have a year under his belt to see where he and his staff can improve.

 

[LanderPoke]

Just looking at the minutes I'm confused. 25 for James? 14 for Naughton 29 for Dalton? All need 5-10 more. I'm really confused and frustrated by this

 

[seattlecowboy]

Just looking at the minutes I'm confused. 25 for James? 14 for Naughton 29 for Dalton? All need 5-10 more. I'm really confused and frustrated by this

If Dalton got 10 more he would be in the whole game. I think if Dalton and James each got about 30 minutes that would be perfect to play three fourths of the game and still not tire them out for the rest of the year.

Naughton should be in more than 14 minutes , probably in the 20 to 25 minute range. Depends on the match up I guess.

Then you give Herndon, JMAC around 30 minutes also. Have Adams play around 25 minutes. Let Moemeka play the other minutes Naughton doesn't play. Have Gorski rotate in for Jmac, James and Adams to get his minutes. That is a good 8 man rotation. You can have Lieberman and Kelley come in for spot minutes for guys to catch a breath for maybe 2 or 3 minutes.

I understand your point though that Dalton and James should be on the court more than they are. Maybe they should get around 32 minutes each per game. I would like to see Adams play more if he can get under control and not turn it over. Sometimes he looks like Josh Adams as a freshman when he is going 100 miles per hour and he just needs to slow down and relax. He can get to the basket almost anytime he wants he just needs to not rush everything at times.

Doubt coach Edwards is going to listen to any of us on this board though lol . Oh well. Just have to hope we can win 3 games in the MWC tournament I guess.

 

[LanderPoke]

Just looking at the minutes I'm confused. 25 for James? 14 for Naughton 29 for Dalton? All need 5-10 more. I'm really confused and frustrated by this

If Dalton got 10 more he would be in the whole game. I think if Dalton and James each got about 30 minutes that would be perfect to play three fourths of the game and still not tire them out for the rest of the year.

Naughton should be in more than 14 minutes , probably in the 20 to 25 minute range. Depends on the match up I guess.

Then you give Herndon, JMAC around 30 minutes also. Have Adams play around 25 minutes. Let Moemeka play the other minutes Naughton doesn't play. Have Gorski rotate in for Jmac, James and Adams to get his minutes. That is a good 8 man rotation. You can have Lieberman and Kelley come in for spot minutes for guys to catch a breath for maybe 2 or 3 minutes.

I understand your point though that Dalton and James should be on the court more than they are. Maybe they should get around 32 minutes each per game. I would like to see Adams play more if he can get under control and not turn it over. Sometimes he looks like Josh Adams as a freshman when he is going 100 miles per hour and he just needs to slow down and relax. He can get to the basket almost anytime he wants he just needs to not rush everything at times.

Doubt coach Edwards is going to listen to any of us on this board though lol . Oh well. Just have to hope we can win 3 games in the MWC tournament I guess.

If Dalton played 5 more, that would be 34 min. If James played 10 more that would be 35. I think 10 more of James and 5 more of Dalton probably puts us over the top. That loss is on Edwards' shoulders.Those two are our best players and should be playing the most minutes.

 

[joshvanklomp]

I think minutes show the importance of defensive versatility and playing smart. That's why I think James and Naughton play less than fans think they should.

No questions asked, James lost us that game down the stretch. He makes some questionable plays on offense and iffy defense. For Naughton, it's the lack of versatility, not being able to stretch the field on O or switch on D that holds him back.

 

[LanderPoke]

I think minutes show the importance of defensive versatility and playing smart. That's why I think James and Naughton play less than fans think they should.

No questions asked, James lost us that game down the stretch. He makes some questionable plays on offense and iffy defense. For Naughton, it's the lack of versatility, not being able to stretch the field on O or switch on D that holds him back.

wtf? Herndon dropped two dunks/layups down the stretch

 

[FarmerPoke]

I think minutes show the importance of defensive versatility and playing smart. That's why I think James and Naughton play less than fans think they should.

No questions asked, James lost us that game down the stretch. He makes some questionable plays on offense and iffy defense. For Naughton, it's the lack of versatility, not being able to stretch the field on O or switch on D that holds him back.

wtf? Herndon dropped two dunks/layups down the stretch

Herndon channeled his inner Alex Dunn on those two plays :lol:

 

[joshvanklomp]

I think minutes show the importance of defensive versatility and playing smart. That's why I think James and Naughton play less than fans think they should.

No questions asked, James lost us that game down the stretch. He makes some questionable plays on offense and iffy defense. For Naughton, it's the lack of versatility, not being able to stretch the field on O or switch on D that holds him back.

wtf? Herndon dropped two dunks/layups down the stretch

Those were both poor passes from James

 

[POKE FAN]

Just looking at the minutes I'm confused. 25 for James? 14 for Naughton 29 for Dalton? All need 5-10 more. I'm really confused and frustrated by this

James took a seat after getting his 2nd foul in the 1st half, but that was with around 2:30 minutes remaining. That doesn't explain to me why he still only got 25 minutes of floor time. Granted he made some ill-advised decisions during the game, but who hasn't? Justin still led the team in scoring with 17. Dalton nearly had another double-double with 29 minutes of court time. He's a double-double machine if he gets 33+ minutes a game.

Many Cowboy players over time have had no breakdown in their play averaging 33-35 minutes per game. Most coaches worth their salt will tell you that the first five minutes of each half set the tone for the rest of the half. James and Dalton will carry this team more times than not. Aside from foul trouble, they should be getting 33-35 per game to give the Pokes the best chance, in my eyes.

Let's hope the three-point shooting (along with solid defense) comes around on Wednesday versus Fresno. Pivotal game for the Pokes.

 

[stymeman]

Alls I wanna know is where was Jason????? this team will be a home/road team like usual, sorry to say, if they beat Fresno I'll truly be surprised, we NEVER play well there, EVER