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Post by Yote 53 on Feb 1, 2011 13:32:19 GMT -6
Might as well get this started as it is now the next game. I hope the Coyotes come out like gangbusters and take care of the Sioux. There has been some push for the Yippin' Yotes Club. Here is the information if you want to sign your kids up this Saturday. www.usdcoyotes.com/YippinYote/
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Post by Coyote Fan on Feb 5, 2011 10:40:57 GMT -6
It won't be perfect conditions but it looks like the weather might not be too bad for those needing to travel to Vermillion today. The Southeastern part of South Dakota will likely be the best area of travel at least for the east river portion of the state. I am really looking forward to this doubleheader.
It's revenge time
For the women they played well for much of the game in Grand Forks but just couldn't avoid the cave in at the end. If the Yotes play at least as well during the first 30 minutes I don't foresee UND having nearly as much forture to end the game this time around. With a tough road ahead for the USD women, if they are to make a serious claim for the Great West title or even 2nd place it behoves that this game be a victory.
Prediction the Coyotes win 71-62
For the Men, they also need to ensure they hold their home court. It would give the Sioux all the confidence in the world if they were to sweep the Yotes and start their Great West road tour with a win. Lets make sure that we put the Sioux resurgance on hold for awhile and send them off to the Big Sky with a reminder who holds Dakota supremacy when it comes to the battle of the Dakota U's. The Yotes will get their outside shooting touch going tonight to the tune of 12-25 for the three point arc.
Prediction USD wins it 86-73
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Post by yotemeal on Feb 5, 2011 12:12:26 GMT -6
Sagarin has the USD men a 6.22-point favorite. Hope to see a good crowd and an inspired performance. When's the next time we'll see USD/UND in a regular-season conference game?
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usdlaw
Senior Member
Posts: 930
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Post by usdlaw on Feb 5, 2011 16:55:47 GMT -6
Just leaving SF, hope the roads hold up. Verm town here we come. Can't wait, I've heard the Athletic department is trying some new things with the student section. Let's hope the crowd is rowdy. Go Yotes
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Post by yotemeal on Feb 6, 2011 0:15:40 GMT -6
One of the worst performances I've ever witnessed from a USD men's basketball team. I won't point to any areas in particular; doing so might imply facets of USD's game were satisfactory. We simply stunk, and Coach Boots acknowledged as much in the post-game interview.
On a more positive note, I thought the pregame atmosphere in the Dome was good. The student section was full (though they definitely need more take-charge leaders with a better sense for when it's time to get loud).
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Post by Coyote Fan on Feb 6, 2011 1:20:01 GMT -6
yotemeal I am glad I am not the only one that thought tonight was downright awful. Usually I think Boots has been a little hard on his players, but man after tonight that would have been a difficult task.
First of all lets congradulate UND. They wanted it much, much more tonight. Concerning Brian Jones if there was any doubt before tonight and if he was on any kind of a hot seat going into this season just erased any legitimate question that he will be back for at least one more year. Are there any hard core Sioux Mens basketball fans. Hello, your team was in the midst of winning at USD and sweeping them in a season series for the first time since 1991 but you couldn't tell by their crowd. They were as silent as can be and they were playing great. I would have been standing up left and right to cheer on the guys if I had made a 7 hour drive. With that kind of fan support the Sioux fans don't deserve a good mens team. A few of them cheered for the women but even those fans aren't as passionate as they used to be. Kinda sucks I guess, the the entire regional basketball landscape has long since caught up to the mighty Sioux that just used to walk in and out of arenas across NCC land with 30 & 40 point wins as if they were candy. It's a different world now.
I will get a little bit more into the gooooooorey details about the mens game. Could this team be any more flat than they were tonight. It wasn't just for a stretch here and there but for the WHOLE game. What was really surprising is that it happened down the stretch as well. As poorly as the team played for most of the game if they would have woken up for even 6 or 7 minutes they could have swept the rug right out from underneath the Sioux and taken their wallet as well. It's as if the team forgot that they were actually playing a game tonight alltogether. I think the signs were pointing towards it a bit though. The Pan American game wasn't very pretty but a late crowd enduced run may have hidden some things or at least masked potential issues that stuck out like a sore thumb tonight.
I noticed two things that really stood out to me and they both pointed towards not being mentally into the game. First of all the blatent disregard for rebounding on both ends. There were some second chance points by UND that weren't just a guy outmuscling his man but rather wide open O-rebounds with easy putbacks. On the offensive end the Yotes weren't even bothering to hit the glass. Are they not taught to go after the rebound until it's a lost cause. They were just conceding the glass on many boards. I honestly couldn't figure out if the game plan was to not battle for Offensive Rebounds of if the Yotes effort was just that poor. I couldn't tell.
The other thing was the absolute careless turnovers. There were quite a few head scratchers in there. I hate to do this but there was one player that gets by on flash alot of the time that was absolutely careless with the ball and or unmotivated to play tough defense. The same player that Boots took out of the game for much of the second half of the UTPA game.
One thing that is very apparent is how much the Yotes still miss Tyler Cain. He was the safety valve on defense that the team doesn't have in it's luxury box this year. If the Yotes effort was better all around I would say the 1-19 from three point range was a major factor but with the overall effort this didn't deserve to be a win.
The USD crowd just couldn't get it going either. The UTPA game was a much better overall experience and the thing is the dome atmosphere at the beginning of the Women's game seemed like it was going to make for a special night. Unfortutely the whole balloon just went flat after the change in games.
The men simply aren't going to be able to repeat as Great West Conference champs the way it looks. It would take going at least 4-2 on the road and I just don't see that happening. They would have to go 4-1 the rest of the way. I see one loss at Utah Valley, very possibly at least one during the Texas trip and probably one in Chicago or New Jersey. I think the fortune that USD has had against the Broncs will finally come to an end in Texas.
Lets hope we don't see a repeat of 2008 where the Yotes hit a mid season slump during their last year of D2 and never recovered and whether intentional or not basically tanked the rest of the year. To recollection I have not seen an effort this poor since at least that season.
It's going to take a gut check to have a strong finish to the season. It's a heart check more than anything right now. The desire simply has to burn bright and alot brighter if they want to win on the road. It's gonna take much more desire to compete in the Summit let alone win in it.
Utah Valley is still in the drivers seat with a home court win over the Sioux. If they do indeed get the #1 seed for the conference tourney it would be in the best interest of the Coyotes to finish well and be the #2 or #3 seed but a #4 or #5 seems more likely. It's really all a moot point if the Yotes don't right the ship quickly.
For the women, great performance. Good energy, confidence, great shooting etc. There was no way the Sioux were gonna come from behind in this one, not tonight. Hegge looked great. She has lifted her game this year compared to last IMHO. The ladies now have their true test of their metal now as they hit the road. Really impressive start to the Great West other than the last few minutes in Grand Forks.
The roads sucked getting out of Vermillion tonight. Took way longer to get home than normal. Why is it that no matter how bad the passing lane is there will always be multiple Semi's that think they need to go 80 MPR regardless. Sorry but those are the drivers that I don't feel sorry for that end up jackknifed in the ditch.
One other thing. Props to USD for getting the jumping tents back into the dome again. Very good idea and had plenty of activity. I know this doesn't apply to all but kid zones are a good thing.
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Post by #1CoyoteFan (Admin) on Feb 6, 2011 2:37:18 GMT -6
Like everyone said, the men were flat. There is just a spark missing from this team. It just seems they take games off here and there, or points in the game where the intensity isn't there. I don't really get it because these aren't kids I really think have that energy.
This might boil down to the fact that they won the GWC last year, they got to the CBI and some of the players might be content for that and waiting for the Summit for next year. I mean, heck, all the fans seem to care more about it, so why should the players care about the GWC games since the fans (especially this board) has already moved on from this year with the GWC.
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Post by Coyote Fan on Feb 6, 2011 2:41:29 GMT -6
CF#1,
You are right the spark definately flickers on and off quite a bit, especially as of late. Even if people don't really care about the Great West the interest level should still be high for the Sioux rivalry game. There is really no excuse for the lack of interest on the board.
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Post by #1CoyoteFan (Admin) on Feb 6, 2011 3:04:35 GMT -6
The Sioux aren't going to be the rivals anymore, so why are people going to care? They have already focused on NDSU and SDSU in the Dome too. People have already moved on to next year, and I bet the players feel that in that too with the lack of attendance.
If people would actually focus on this year instead of looking at next year's Summit schedule, and National Signing Day didn't help and took attention away from the bball team, I bet the players would take notice. Instead, they have the same apathy as the fans.
This is something I have been saying, gotta focus on what's happening now before you can look at the future, or else the current accomplishments mean nothing. I bet there are very little people who would care if USD won the GWC this year because they did last year. Same with football, because it's not the MVFC.
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Post by yotemeal on Feb 6, 2011 11:14:07 GMT -6
The Sioux aren't going to be the rivals anymore, so why are people going to care? They have already focused on NDSU and SDSU in the Dome too. People have already moved on to next year, and I bet the players feel that in that too with the lack of attendance. If people would actually focus on this year instead of looking at next year's Summit schedule, and National Signing Day didn't help and took attention away from the bball team, I bet the players would take notice. Instead, they have the same apathy as the fans. This is something I have been saying, gotta focus on what's happening now before you can look at the future, or else the current accomplishments mean nothing. I bet there are very little people who would care if USD won the GWC this year because they did last year. Same with football, because it's not the MVFC. I've gone on record numerous times saying that I'm looking forward to our Summit schedule. It's not just about SDSU and NDSU; by any standard it's just better basketball. I've also stated that I remain supportive of our current teams and their current campaigns. Despite a sketchy forecast, I made the trip from Sioux Falls to Vermillion for yesterday's game. I suspect if you surveyed a lot of paying fans that show up to support the Coyotes (though not as vocally as they probably should), many would share my view. I, like the next guy, would love to see USD win the Great West and advance to a post-season tourney. This is a young team, and even assuming these guys sense fans are looking ahead (which I have no reason to believe, nor do i think Coach Boots would allow it), the future is now in the sense that if we can't hack it in the Great West, we're in for a rough ride in the Summit. This young team, in many ways, is still finding its chemistry. From a motivational standpoint, if there were truly a problem with players struggling to find value in this season, frame it as though there's no meaningful stopping point between this season and next season. I'll refrain from further comment of this line, as I think we're probably getting ahead of ourselves. The Yotes laid an egg last night, and now we work to get things back on track. Short memory. Take care of business.
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Post by Coyote Fan on Feb 6, 2011 11:17:50 GMT -6
I am not totally buying into the notion of it simply being the Great West Conference as the reason for lack of attendance. I think it plays a part but there is more to it than that. At least the numbers are up a bit the last couple of home games which is a positive. I wish people would go to games for the love of the Coyotes and not always who they are playing. I can understand not going to the Midland Lutheran type games but the Great West (although not the best) is still of high enough quality for people to enjoy and certainly high enough for the Yotes to lose in if they don't play well.
I understand the recruiting class is getting some attention but that really doesn't take away from the weekend basketball games all that much. Being that is was on Wednesday gives people a few days to simmer off.
My question would USD fans be all that interested in the Summit League itself if SDSU was not in the conference? I say probably not.
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Post by wileycoyote on Feb 6, 2011 14:17:06 GMT -6
From the Argus Leader:
said USD's Charlie Westbrook, who had 15 points. "But we didn't work as hard as they did to make the plays to win the game. We can get better - we can see if this team has the character to stay together and keep fighting."
"We can stick together as a team or fall apart," Gruis said. "We've still have a lot of conference games and a conference tournament to think about. If we keep grinding as a team, we can do this."
TEAM!!!!! Key word here. They need to play like one. No team ball that I could see recently. Maybe instead of just jacking up a shot, work the ball inside or drive in.
I won't mention names either cuz you just need to look at the stats.
I agree with "not mentally in the game". No heart or desire from a couple of the players. If they are not in it a win is hard to get. It is only a couple of the players as I see it.
Rebounding! Maybe more than one player should be boxing out. One player gets pretty tired when he boxes out and tries to get the rebound as the rest of the team is on the perimeter or running to the other end.
"One thing that is very apparent is how much the Yotes still miss Tyler Cain. He was the safety valve on defense that the team doesn't have in it's luxury box this year." Are we comparing Cain's senior year to a freshman and a juco transfer. Not very fair to them.
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Post by Coyote Fan on Feb 6, 2011 19:23:09 GMT -6
One thing that is very apparent is how much the Yotes still miss Tyler Cain. He was the safety valve on defense that the team doesn't have in it's luxury box this year." Are we comparing Cain's senior year to a freshman and a juco transfer. Not very fair to them. I am not comparing the two or even insinuating it. It's just a simply observation that has nothing to do with the players that we have now. Cain was obviously a special player that would be very unlikely to be able to be replaced with an incoming freshman in his first year. I will say that Gruis has really improved, ALOT, during his freshman year. The Yotes should definately be trying to get him the ball for more scoring. It might just open up the outside a bit more as teams have been defending the Yotes outside well so far. I don't think anyone is really arguing that the effort was just not there. The bottom line is that this needs to really serve as a wakeup call and not only just for a game or two. I don't want to see bad habits develop and for that not to happen there is going to need to be a big ass chewing session in practice this week. It wasn't too long ago that we witnessed a near complete colapse of the basketball team in season. At least with this team the youth factor is in play. With the team of 2008 there was no excuses. I felt that after last year that the Yotes were going to step into the Summit as a mid level team right off the bat. That notion continued to a point with the quick development of the young team. There is some unfortunate signs that the team is going to be a bottom half Summit team. There is plenty of time to get things going but the time for that correction is TODAY and not tomorrow. Today meaning very soon, instead of tomorrow next year.
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Post by wileycoyote on Feb 6, 2011 20:18:30 GMT -6
Didn't mean anything as an insult to your opinion. Just get tired of hearing how much of an inside game we don't have. I agree with you on needing a wake up call. I also agree that they need to make the changes and they need to be made TODAY. EVERYONE needs an ass chewing. The outside will open up more if they try working it inside or driving. Try some different players if someone is not hitting. Where was Tecker?!? How bout Boots? Bouie? He creates offense when he's in. He PLAYS the entire time he's in.
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Post by littleyote on Feb 6, 2011 20:57:08 GMT -6
This is just my humble opinion and I do not want to start any wars on here. I was extremely disappointed at last nights game. I feel the need to unload a few thoughts. A few of my thoughts may come across as being negative towards the Yotes, but now is the time and place to point out some of the mistakes as well as the good things. First off a large percentage of the loss falls on the coaches shoulders. We have several players that are considered 3 point shooters. Each and everyone of them has shown the potential to have an awesome game. Last night a couple of them were struggling with their shot. As stated in the previous post I am wondering why Tecker and Boots didn't get any more minutes. As far as the inside game where were Andreotti and Bouie? Why were their minutes cut so short? These two work extremely hard when they are in the game. Gruis was forced to work against a fresh pair of legs every couple of minutes. If Andreotti or Bouie were positioned opposite of him on the low post UND would have been forced to use up some of their rotation on one of the other post players. The coaching staff seems to be so focused on being a perimeter oriented team. With this fact being known other teams are finding it very easy to defend. Our 3 point shooting will never improve if we do not develop more of an inside out game. The perimeter is not getting good looks which is causing poor shot selection.
The other thing which has been discussed previous is the desire to win. We have too many players that show no desire to win. A few of the players act like it is a hassle to out there playing for the Yotes. My comment for any Yote that has this attitude is if you think that a free education is not worth a 110% effort for the team then you can take over my student loans and I'm sure we can find another person who can give 110% for the team. This may sound harsh but it is the truth. These scholarships are not to be taken lightly and I think a little hard work, devotion and team pride is a very small price to pay.
The court and the bench alike are filled with a lot of talented individuals. I hope that both the team and the coaching staff take a steps back and reevaluate what they have and use it for the good of USD. I too think this needs to happen today and not tomorrow. I am hoping for a strong finish to the season to set a strong foundation for USD basketball. The tools are all there, it is up to this group to use them.
Thanks for letting me air my opinions. GO YOTES!
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