ESPN+, But you ought to be there. Eastern did not have much coming back this year but when DePaul fired their coach, Stan Heath got their two best players and they brought in a couple of other good transfers. They do not have the depth that we do, but they have great talent in their starting lineup. It took them a while to gel. but they are good now. We split this season, each team winning at home.
Eastern is16-15 (9-9). Sr Guard Jalen Terry averages 16.5, Sr Center Da 'Sean Nelson averages 16.0. Those are the DePaul guys. Guard Christian Henry is another transfer they brought in this year, he averages 14.4. Jalin Billingsley is a SR post who averages 10.6. Both post players are 6-8. They also have a European guy who shoots 3’s.
Miami has had an amazing season, winning 23 games which ties the all time record for wins in the regular season. We are 7th in the nation on 3 point % and9th in the nation in Effective FG%. We are also in the top 50 in 5 other stats.
Obviously root for us, and also root for Kent and Akron to lose, which would be helpful but maybe not necessary. We play our game we are going to do well.
This is probably my last pregame piece this week as I am going to be spending my life in the Arena, sports bars, driving to the Arena, and sleeping. We have a group of 4 this year looking forward to seeing 14 games and two trophy presentations. Good times. Good friends. I have not seen anything yet about a Miami pregame event, but I was told Saturday that they were looking into it.
In the 2 meetings, Henry, Nelson, and Terry combined for 104 of their 156 points. They exploited our desire to switch 1-5 defensively and either got clean looks or clean driving lanes in the 2nd meeting. Nelson’s 3 3s killed us as he ended up only hitting 8 all year. We can’t switch 1-5 against Henry and Terry or they will light us up. 1-4 is ok, but not 1-5. I’d rather hedge hard on the ballhandler, take away the outlet to Osojnik, rotate to the big guy rolling, whoever it was, as the big guy rarely gets the ball, rotating to Nelson, but not flying at him so as to not let him drive. We can’t go under screens against Henry and Terry.
Offensively, ball reversal is the key. Statistically, they’re not a good 3 point defensive team, but we only shot 33% against them. We can’t settle for one pass and a 3 jack. Reverse the ball, drive and get to the foul line or see if the kickout is there. The patience to reverse the ball worries me as does some of the quick shots we take. If you’ve been watching tournament ball, even with teams looking to play faster, the pace finds a way to slow and sometimes our quick shots act as turnovers.
I’ve said it a million times but I’ll say it again, your level of detail is beyond correct. I hope you coach even if just kids shit. And I hope the coaches read your posts. They don’t need to for guidance, only to know fans out there like you can appreciate the right strategies. Let’s play this one well. A great first test.
good breakdown–especially defensively.
Quick shots are not necessarily bad shots. So long as they are open quick shots with the right people shooting them that’s the ideal offense. the best shots typically happen in first 10 seconds of a possession.
Stan Heath? The guy who parlayed 1 or 2 seasons at Kent State, with the other coach’s players, that got him the Arkansas job. He’s still around. Interesting
If anyone thinks AI is ready for primetime and is about to take over the world, I post this as evidence that it’s definitely not ready. Not even close.
Input to Chat GPT: create a post for miamihawktalk.fans in the tone of poster Theman about the upcoming Miami vs Eastern Michigan basketball game
ChatGPT said:
Sure! Here’s a post in the style of Theman for MiamiHawkTalk.fans about the upcoming Miami vs. Eastern Michigan basketball game:
BIG one Tuesday Night – Miami vs. EMU
Alright, folks—strap in. We’re coming down the home stretch, and this one matters. Miami vs. Eastern Michigan. Millett Hall. Tuesday night.
We all know the deal—MACtion waits for no one. EMU is bringing their usual brand of chaos: athletic, erratic, and just dangerous enough to make you sweat. But guess what? We’re better.
Safford, Mirambeaux, and company have been clicking. If we play inside-out, take care of the ball, and—heaven help us—hit our free throws, we win this one. Simple as that.
The crowd needs to show up. It’s late in the season, and the guys are fighting for seeding. No excuses. Be loud, be there, and let’s send EMU packing.