Big Sky begins: NAU (12/2) & PSU (12/4)

[weberwildcat]

this is a bizarre schedule as we have never played conference games 5 minutes after thanksgiving, to my memory. we are 6-0 and have played just 1 game at home thus far.

WSU vs NAU: 84-29 all-time, 50-8 in Ogden, have beat the jacks 9 of last 10 overall. Last NAU win in Ogden was 2014-15. Rahe is 14-3 in Ogden against NAU. From 2009-14 Rahe beat NAU 12 in a row.

NAU (3-4):
L @ Arizona
L @ washington
W non
W CSUB
W vs UTRGV
L vs UTRGV
L CSUF

roster stats:
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/stats/_/id/2464


WSU vs PSU: 42-17 all-time, 22-4 in Ogden and have beat the viks 6 of last 10 overall. Last PSU win in Ogden was 2019-20 (their last visit). Rahe is 10-3 in Ogden against PSU. From 2016-19 Rahe beat PSU 7 straight.

PSU (2-3):
L @ oregon st
W non
W non
L portland
L @ iowa
dec 2: @ isu

roster stats:
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/stats/_/id/2502

PSU average 44.4 rpg which is 9th best in all of DI.

 

[oldrunner]

This NAU team coming in is much improved over the last few years. These guys should not be taken lightly. Their transfer PG, Cone #15, is the real deal. He can shoot from the outside and dribble drive. His drives mostly end in 8 to 10 foot floaters. This kid can hurt you if you let him. Another player they have, who is a threat to shoot or dibble drive, is Haymon #13. He can hurt you the same way Cone can, but he finishes at the rim with authority. They have some others who can shoot the three if left wide open, #20 and #11, but they don't seem as dangerous as Cone and Haymon. Their big men are active on the boards, but seem less likely to hurt you in the scoring dept. I think our big men will have a slight advantage if we also hit the boards with enthusiasm.

Defensively, NAU will give up the dribble drive and will leave shooters open when you do.

NAU seems to want a faster pace and that plays well with what we want. I expect a high scoring game. To win, we will have to stay in front of their shooters and limit the dribble drive. It will be good to be back home. I hope our guys don't relax too much. We still need to play with an edge.

 

[oldrunner]

PSU is a different animal all together. They are a transition team and have transition type atletes. Their game plan revolves around pressuring you into turnovers and scoring quickly in transition. They also crash the offensive glass for second chance points.

If you beat their pressure, you get layups. If you get defensive rebounds, you get fast break buckets. They will foul you a lot and if the refs don't get tired of it, you will go to the line quite a bit. There is a lot of 'if's' there.

When their game plan works, they can win big. When it doesn't, they can lose big.

I'm, sort of, glad that they play ISU first. Maybe ISU can take away some of their bounce. None of our league games are likey to be easy. That is the nature of the BSC beast.

 

[oldrunner]

Well, that NAU game didn't turn out anything like I thought it would. We were not hitting our normal shots and just didn't seem to get into any sort of rithym. I guess that shows what playing solid D will do for you. A 23 point win seems big, but if we are hitting at our normal pace, it's a 40 point blowout.

On to PSU.

 

[WSUProf]

I agree. If Weber had shot anywhere near its season averages so far, would've been a win by 40. Don't think the missed shots were due to NAU defense. Weber missed a lot of open 3s. Hopefully they'll all have their touch back Saturday evening.
One real good stat - zero turnovers in the 2nd half. (after committing 10 in the 1st half).

 

[weberwildcat]

i sort of felt like maybe a bit rusty after a week off but the D was still very good. We had 14 steals, nearly 30 turnovers by nau. i also cant help but wonder if they are a bit let down by the fact that we had 100 people at the game. :thumbdown:

 

[Chex]

One of the things I like about this team is it can win shootouts but also win defensive grinds. Last few teams didn’t put a lot of effort on the defensive side. This game was not a great shooting night for the Wildcats, but they made up for it with defense. I like what I am seeing.

Portland State has always caused problems for Weber State as of late, so I will be interested to see how it goes Saturday, and hopefully a bigger crowd comes out to see this team.

 

[oldrunner]

The students who were at the game seemed to be having a great time. I feel that if the students will show up, they will have a good time and come back for more. I hope that they all know that they can get 5 people in for free with their student ID. What a great family night. I'll have my family there on Saturday night. Hope to see about 10,000 of my closest friends.

PACK THE DEE

 

[PURPLEFORLIFE]

Capt. Obvious moment! But you have to market more than through Twitter and Instagram. Social media only reaches those individuals who follow you. Uh, those folks are at the games. Marketing means reaching audiences that you sale too. Not the ones who are likely buyers. Why sale to those who already buy? Athletic marketing really is the blind leading the blind.

I was on campus to get tickets for the volleyball match today and curiously wandered around for a few mins. I couldn’t believe what I saw on campus telling students about events. No wonder the student section is sparse. Aren’t these your next season ticket holders? Alumni donors? And a small campaign sign with an infinitesimal sticker on it seems pretty lazy. If there are interns, wouldn’t the idea be to teach them something about marketing? To me the their final grade would hinge on their ability to get butts in the seats. Fill the student section. Weirdly, Athletics changes heads but the same stupid crap continues. Weber State culture is about doing the bare minimum. Just enough Tim now?

 

[Chex]

Wildcats played great. A big stretch coming up. It will be interesting to see how they do.

 

[oldrunner]

There was a much larger student contingent at the game tonight and it was awsome. They looked like they were having a good time. They were loud and into the game. Hopefully, this is just the start of even better things to come. Loving it.

 

[oldrunner]

I thought this while watching the game, but a peek at the stat sheet confirmed it. We won that game with defense and rebounding. We outrebounded the top rebounding team in the BSC. Huge night for Dillon Jones, 12 points and 14 rebounds. 16 boards from the 4 spot, 11 from the 5 spot, 9 from our PGs, and 6 from our 3 spot. We held them to less than 40% from the field and about 30% from three. We held their top guy to way under his averages for most of the game. He did pick up some numbers in the waning minutes and ended up with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

I will say it right now, if they don't allow Dillon to get freshman of the year twice, then Alex Tew should be a shoe in. That young man is a workhorse in the paint. I feel that his role will get bigger as the season goes on.

One of these days our home crowd will be treated to our good shooting to go along with the good D. This is setting up to be a special sort of season. :notworthy: