Game five: Scoring! Toughness!

What a game. RMU raced out to a 14-0 lead, then UTA went on a big second half run, but RMU had enough to hold off the Mavs and RMU won 88-81.

Reactions:

Lee: Juanie Newton made the play of the game late in the second half. It won't go down in the stat sheet, but wow was it huge. After Karvel Anderson (who played incredible) was trapped at halfcourt he turned it over. It appeared that UTA had an easy breakaway lay up to tie it up. Newton had other ideas. He raced down the court and used every bit of athleticism he used to win the RMU dunk contest to contest the layup at the rim. His D forced a crucial miss.

On the other end, the ball deflected off a UTA defender right to Newton under the basket. He calmly finished with a reverse layup and put the Colonials up four. A four point swing all off pure hustle. Well done Juanie. Newton finished with five points, four assists, and two rebounds.

Chris: Glue guy alert! I’ve expressed my love for Juanie’s game a few times already and it continues to grow. Good things happen when he’s on the court. Watching him play with the energy level he does energizes me. I thought about checking in a few times but ultimately decided against it because a) Toole wouldn’t like it (maybe) and b) I had a radio broadcast going. Either way, Juanie had a direct impact on some of the biggest plays of the game. I’m interested to see if he could eventually find himself in the starting line-up over a guy like Aaron Tate or Jeremiah Worthem.

Lee: Ant Myers Pate was fantastic. We told you Ant would bounce back, and he did. The senior finished with 10 points and nine assists, not to mention a perfect 6-6 from the FT line including two big one's late to help seal the victory. He was in complete control all game long. Way to bounce back Ant!

Chris: THAT’S the Anthony Myers-Pate I’ve been waiting for. He was in complete control. He’s so quick off the dribble he can beat just about any defender to the hoop but is almost always looking to pass. It was awesome. His free throw shooting was obviously really good and had to be. What a game he gets my game ball.

Lee: Karvel was out there looking like Karvel Anderson. Yea. Eight three's tying a Sewall Center record (which he has done before) isn't even a surprise anymore. He's just that good. Only complaint...SHOOT MORE VEL. He only took 11 shots tonight! I want to see more then 15 shots when he is shooting this good. Anderson finished 8-11 on the night (8-10 from three) with 24 points.

Chris: Agreed! Keep shooting! Toole even said as much in his postgame press conference. The kid is such a great shooter but an even better teammate. He doesn’t want to come off as selfish by taking too many shots. Ron Ratner summed it up best with this tweet:

Enough said. Love everything about this guy truly.

Lee: Mike McFadden hit a few big jumpers but it was an off night for the big guy. He almost cost the team the game by picking up a foul, then a stupid technical, giving UTA a four point possession, and got himself disqualified doing so. I'm not worried about it though. Mike is a leader and a smart player. He knows he messed up, and I expect him to bounce back quick. Love the jumper big fellow, all that off-season work paying off.

Lee: Lucky has came a long way. His jumper wasn't there at all tonight. He couldn't buy a shot (0-6 from three). Didn't matter. He still made some great plays and helped the team win. He doesn't have to have his shot going to make winning plays. A lot of players --both in college and professionally-- do not make a positive impact on games when they are not in a flow offensively. The special ones do. Jones finished with a team high 10 rebounds and still tallied 15 points despite his struggles. That's good for a double-double. Nice job Luck.

Chris: Best part about Lucky’s game was his effort on the defensive end. I enjoyed so much watching him compete. He rebounded like a center tonight, grabbing ten boards. The best part of his game is when he gets to the hoops. His fouls drawn per game were among the top 40 in the country last year and I can see why. His size and quickness is just a problem. Great complete game from Lucky tonight. Even when his shot is off, he can still get you 15 points. That’s the mark of a great player

Lee: Jeremiah Worthem is going to be a BEAST for RMU for a long time. He doesn't look, nor play like a freshman. He bossed an older, taller UTA frontline on multiple occasions. He also showed some nice touch on a baseline jumper. Toole will take 7 and 6 from the big guy every night this season.

Charles Oliver could be one hell of a weapon off the bench. Chuck came in and scored eight straight points during a stretch in the second half that included two corner three's and a nifty floater in the lane. Oliver finished the game with 11 points. He'e RMU second best shooter behind Karvel, and could become the teams best weapon off the bench by NEC play.

Other odds and ends via Chris: McFadden and Hawk found themselves in foul trouble again and Worthem really stepped up to the plate. It seemed like every time RMU needed a rebound or a put-back he was there. Doesn’t it feel like when RMU is on they’re really on? I mean, who played a bad game tonight? It’s been like that in every win… Chuck Oliver can ball. Beautiful floater in traffic to get his scoring going and some knock down corner three’s. He always seems to score in spurts and at crucial times… Complaint: finishing at the rim is still a problem.

Lee: Nice crowd crazies, I liked what I saw. But lets get a few chants going next time?! Baby steps though! Keep it up.

More to come tomorrow!

Lee Kunkel (@Kunkel5)
Chris Cappella (@C_Cappella)

Behind enemy lines: chatting with Drew Davidson

CTC caught up with the Star-Telegram’s Drew Davidson to help get a better feel for Texas-Arlington basketball: 

What were the expectations for UTA coming into the year? 

The expectations for UTA is simply to be competitive come conference play. That's what the team is focused on building up to through the non-conference season. Wins are nice and important, of course, but the Sun Belt typically sends only one team to the NCAA tournament so the Mavs are hoping to have it clicking at the right time later in the season. They certainly have the talent to earn a bid come March.

Through five games, what has the feel for this team been like? They seem to struggle defensively and shoot a ton of three's....

The expectations for UTA is simply to be competitive come conference play. That's what the team is focused on building up to through the non-conference season. Wins are nice and important, of course, but the Sun Belt typically sends only one team to the NCAA tournament so the Mavs are hoping to have it clicking at the right time later in the season. They certainly have the talent to earn a bid come March.

What type of style does UTA like to play? 

As I mentioned in previous answer ... UTA relies a lot on its guard play. Lonnie and Reger Dowell form a nice backcourt and can make things happen with their quickness. Inside, Brandon Edwards is a nice player who is a double-double threat on a nightly basis. He has really come into his own as a senior this season, and scored a career-high in points at Rupp Arena.

Oklahoma State transfer Reger Dowell has been scoring (and shooting) a ton? What's the vibe around him? Was this expected?

Reger Dowell is definitely a scorer and probably UTA's biggest threat every game. He has the green-light to shoot and has done a nice job of scoring. He's probably the most talented player on the team, which is why he's leading the team in scoring and believe he's in the top-10 or so of scoring in the nation. With that being said, as the year goes along, UTA needs to try and get more guys involved so teams don't simply focus on Dowell.

Are there any other players we should know about?

Dowell is obviously the biggest name being a transfer from OSU. Brandon Edwards has been playing well. McClanahan is a quick guard, Jorge Bilbao has potential.

Game day: RMU vs Texas-Arlington

It’s game day! Happy Thursday, at this time next week I’ll be a few bottles of wine deep and stuffing my face in mashed potatoes but that’s next week and I try not to look ahead in life.

RMU (2-2) will take on Texas-Arlington (2-3) tonight at the Charles L. Sewall Center. Tip-off is at seven and you can catch the game by going (preferred), watching on NECFrontRow.com, or listening on RMUradio.com or ESPN 790 AM.

This will be an interesting game. I don’t think UTA is really all too great but it’s hard to gauge; they’ve beaten two nobodies but have lost to three very good teams. If you haven’t caught our preview of the game yet read it here. Just to add on, here are a few things I’m looking forward to:

-Lucky Jones having his best game of the year tonight: UTA plays zero defense. I have a good feeling about this one.

-Ball movement: Ball movement in the second half of the Kentucky game, for the most part, wasn’t too great. If they move the ball tonight they should get a lot of good looks.

-The return of Anthony Myers-Pate: Hopefully it comes tonight.

CTC feels pretty strongly about scouting an opponent. We’ve done a lot of work on Texas-Arlington the basketball team but there’s more to it than that. You have to know an opponent inside and out. Here is what I learned about the University of Texas-Arlington as a school:

-It was founded in 1895 and was in the Texas A&M system before switching to the University of Texas system in 1965. The school has a population of 33,439 students, making it the second largest UT-system school.

-Their mascot is the Mavericks and their mascots name is Blaze.

-The school refers to itself as a powerhouse in its mission statement, which I somehow find intimidating: 

'The University of Texas at Arlington is a growing research powerhouse committed to life-enhancing discovery, innovative instruction and caring community engagement. An educational leader in the heart of the thriving North Texas region, UT Arlington nurtures minds in an environment that values excellence, ingenuity and diversity.'

-Some interesting undergraduate majors: Aerospace engineering, French teaching, geoinformatics, modern languages, real estate, philosophy. What do you do with a BA in philosophy anyway?

-There are over 320 student organizations and 30 intramural sports.

-Nationally ranked architecture, nursing, and engineering programs.

-Seven restaurants on campus you can use your dining dollars at but the lady in office of admissions assured me the cafeteria food is good and she’s even a picky eater.

3 (potentially bad) reasons why RMU wins:

1. We’re going to lose to a state whose professional football teams include the Cowboys and Texans? Yeah right.
2. UTA is the little sister of Texas-Austin. I've never lost to my sister in basketball
3. Because this is Bobby Mo at the Chuck. Bobby Mo doesn’t lose at the Chuck. And look at these fee giveaway posters: 
   

Recap tonight!

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella

Game Preview: University of Texas-Arlington vs Robert Morris

Special note, the first 1000 fans get this free poster.
Pretty cool if you ask me.

UT- Arlington (2-3) at Robert Morris (2-2) 
When: Thursday, November 21st, 7pm EST
Where: Moon Twp PA, Charles L Sewall Center
Ken Pom: RMU 154, UT Arlington 238
Story line: Both Robert Morris and Texas Arlington will look get back to the winning ways Thursday night, as both are coming off a loss to the top 5 ranked Kentucky Wildcats. If you didn't read our piece here about the poor home attendance and Velton Jones' take on this, please do so. It's time to #PacktheChuck.
Link: The game should be available to watch via this link: NEC Front Row, but you will all be at the Chuck anyway so this link will be worthless. 

Getting to Know Texas Arlington:

After playing a team with six or seven NBA first round picks, the competition will come back down to earth for the Colonials on Thursday against UTA. It needs to be noted that UTA is also coming off a game against Big Blue Nation --they also got crushed losing 105-76-- so both teams will play competition they are better suited against.

Texas Arlington is off to a bit of a slow start, but when you look at their schedule, you can see why. They beat Samford and a D-II team, so neither win is impressive, but two of their losses have come to UK and Boise State. Those two teams that will be in the top-25 most of the season.

The Colonials must slow down ex-OK State Cowboy,
Reger Dowell (Photo by Stephanie Goddard).

6-1 guard Reger Dowell is the Mavericks top scoring weapon, and let me tell you, he isn't shy about shooting. Dowell is averaging 24.8 points-per-game and has already attempted 50 threes this season. He's made 19 of them (38%) so he can knock them down at a pretty good rate. Dowell is a transfer from Oklahoma State. Anytime you go to a school like that --even if it doesn't work out-- you have some talent.

UTA hasn't been good defensively so
far this season.

Brandon Edwards isn't far behind him at 18.8 ppg and he does his damage at a much more efficient rate. He's 22-28 from inside the arc (good for 78%). He has struggled a bit from downtown, going just 8-26 (30%) so far this season. It would be smart of the Colonials to keep the 6-6 senior out of the paint.


As a team, UTA has been terrible defensively so far. Again, they have played Kentucky --who as we know is loaded-- and Boise State, who is a GREATTTT offensive team, so how much of their bad defensive numbers are due to their tough competition? 

We will see, but I think they are just a bad defensive team. Cleveland State dropped 83 on them, and Samford scored a season high 75 points on the Mavericks.

They are allowing teams to shoot over 45% from three point range (LET IT FLY LUCKY, KARVEL, AND CHUCK). That's good for 335th in all of college basketball at the moment. 

They also don't turn teams over at all, evidence being that 5.5 steal percentage. RMU could really use a nice game from Ant Myers-Pate to help his confidence, and this may be the perfect team to do it against.

For those that don't know KenPom statistics, you never want to have a lot of red in your categories. As you can see from the graphic, UTA has an abundance of red, so the Colonials offense will have a good shot of getting back on track after two bad games against EMU and UK.

(Editor's note: CTC will dive into the Colonials KenPom numbers next week after the UTA game and Cleveland State game Saturday.)

RMU's keys to the game:

Point guard play: We still don't know the exact status of Kavon Stewart. He practiced with the team this week, so maybe he will return back to the lineup (suspension). One thing is for sure, RMU could use him with Myers-Pate in a funk. I want to see Ant be a aggressive early in the game. He has came out tentative the past few games and it's hurt his already lacking confidence. Come out firing number 5. I know he's 1-6 from 2pt range and 0-8 from three, but if he can get back on track --and he will eventually-- the offense will be a lot better off.

As for the backup, I like what David Appolon has done filling in for Stewart. Keep the good play up Dave.

Lucky Jones is off to a slow start. That could change Thursday night.
(Photo: Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

Loaded Luck: Just so you guys know, Lucky Jones is going to have his best game as a Colonial (this season anyway) on Saturday, if he can even play. That's a pretty bold statement given his hip-injury he picked up against Kentucky but all indications are that Luck will be ready to go. He played a very good game against EMU but struggled a bit against Kentucky. CTC believes he will come back with vengeance. He is a tough match-up for a bad defensive team who fouls a lot. Look for Lucky to be aggressive and score 20 plus points.

Home cooking: Here at CTC we haven't been shy about just how good the Colonials are at the Sewall Center (we also haven't been shy about grilling RMU fans for their crappy crowds, so Pack the Chuck). With that said RMU needssssss to win this game. The team plays their next four games on the road, the first two being the toughest of the stretch against Cleveland State and a really good Buffalo team.

You don't want a three game losing stretch heading into the stretch. The Colonials need the win to boost their confidence going into a gauntlet of games away from the friendly confines of Moon Township PA.

Prediction: RMU 83 UTA 70
The Colonials know this is a big game with this tough road stretch approaching. They are a better basketball team on paper, and given their ability to shoot he ball well --and UTA's inability to defend-- the Colonials should pull this one out. One thing to remember, UTA played Tuesday night and had to fly to Pittsburgh Wednesday, and play another game Thursday. That's a quick turnaround that can sometimes be difficult to deal with early in the season.

Enjoy the game, get to the Chuck early for your poster, and cheer on the Colonials.

Also: This is a must watch/read for all #RMCMB fans. A nice ESPN piece on the Colonials. If you were wondering why RMU played UK again, this exposure is the answer. Link: RMU Story

Lee Kunkel (@Kunkel5) --

#PackTheChuck

If you were on twitter last night during the Robert Morris/Kentucky game, you may have noticed Velton Jones, arguably the best player to ever wear the RMU uniform, go on a bit of a rant about fan support. I don't use rant in a negative connotation because Velton was spot on in everything he was saying.  Here are a few of the tweets.

Question: How can so many people go watch a game at latitude 40 but can't come out to the chuck?
— Velton Jones (@VeltonJones2) November 18, 2013

Don't get me wrong, I know the fellas appreciate everyone that's comes out to support. But for a team that wins as much as they do
— Velton Jones (@VeltonJones2) November 18, 2013

The chuck should look like Kentucky last year night in night out
— Velton Jones (@VeltonJones2) November 18, 2013

Can't tell me RMU is not a legit mid major program.. Numbers don't lie, all the top mid majors have GREAT fan base. RMU has to step it up
— Velton Jones (@VeltonJones2) November 18, 2013

These are only a few of the tweets posted by Mr. Jones, and as I noted above he is spot on. Come on Colonial Crazies, I know you exist, I know you care (you packed Latitude 40 on multiple occasions)! Time to Pack the Chuck on a regular occurrence.

RMU has over 5000 undergrad students now. If 15% (That's not a high number people!!!!) come out and make a student section, that's a student section 750 people. I'll bring you back to this piece that Chris and I wrote before the season began: Attendance Issue 

#PackTheChuck

Chris: Well put by the G.O.A.T of RMU hoops and our founding president. Not a lot to add here, I think basketball games are fun + a great way to show school spirit. The interest is there, just have to put it to use. See you Thursday.

Learning process Part II

I think the Pitt Post Gazette's Craig Meyer put it perfectly when saying,  "sequels are way more often Caddyshack 2 than the Godfather: Part II. Just have to be glad the first one happened."

Yikes, that wasn't pretty Sunday night, but let's step back and look at the facts. The jerseys may have been the same, but that was about it. Kentucky started five freshmen, all of which will be in the NBA within the next year or two. UK is a completely different team, only Willy Cauley Stein played a major role in this years game. 

To put things in a little more perspective, UK's Jarrod Polson played 31 minutes in the NIT. Last night, he didn't get in until the final media time out when the game was all but over. 

If the Colonials would have won that game last night, it would have been 10 times more shocking than the NIT win last year, after all, UK was the number one team in the country (though Michigan State will likely pass them today), with the number one player in the country (give me Julius Randle over Parker/Wiggins/Gordon by a hair). So yea, the odds were against the troops last night, but that's not what is so frustrating.

John Calipari tweeted before the game "They execute as well anyone and are going to give us a dogfight, which is what our team needs." 

Maybe last years team, but not this group, not yet anyway. Leaders need to emerge, but so does some toughness. The Colonials are working in a new group of players, and lost a lot. It will take time.

Outside of Karvel Anderson, everyone looked shell shocked. Missed layups, airballs, bad execution, missed opportunities (as Chris noted, they blew multiple 2-1 opportunities in the first half). The crazy part is the Colonials D was pretty good, and they rebounded about as well as they could have given the size disparity, and Coach Toole had a good game plan. 

First off, what is going on with Ant Myers Pate? I wish I had the answer. He is really struggling with his shot. Ant, you're a heck of a player, stop playing tentative and let it rip. I don't know if it's pressure, nerves, or what, but it's time to pick it up, or David Appolon, a wing, will take the starting PG job (okay, there is no way App becomes the starting PG, but Kavon Stewart is good enough to take that job from Ant if he doesn't pick it up). 1-14 from the field, 0-8 from 3, 4-13 from the free throw line. It's all confidence. Like Chris, I still believe in Ant. Just let it rip #5.

As for the new guys, it would be naive of me to think they would come right in and replace Velton, Russ, Coron, and Lijah. It will take time. Chuck Oliver looked awful last night, and Juanie Newton wasn't any better. Jeremiah Worthem airballed his first shot, but I have to say his D was pretty good. I still love this trio. This whole road trip was a learning opportunity for them and the team. They will get better, and more comfortable with playing on the road. I still think these guys become a force down the road. Keep your head up fellas, and get ready for UT-Arlington. 

As for Aaron Tate, he actually played the second best game behind Karvel Anderson. He played decent D, and knocked down a few shots. I would like to see him grasp the offense a bit more, and he's got to finish at the rim. He's a hustle guy, and it's not his job to score the ball, so all things considered, he was alright. 

Mike Mcfadden wasn't that great last night, but I don't care. Mike balled his ass off last year in the NIT, and hit the game winning FT's that allowed me to storm a court. He gets a pass from me (but big Mike, cut down on the silly travels 10-15 feet from the basket). 

I'm happy Lucky Jones is okay after the hip injury, but stop scaring me like that Luck!! My man Velton Jones tweeted that Luck was good for one of those a game (so true too). What's funny is V was always throwing his body around, and I thought he was out for the season like 327523489753489 times while at RMU, and then he checked back in minutes later. You probably taught him that V!!! :)

One other thing. Awesome support by the bus and the fans who showed up at Latitude 40, but lets translate that over to the Sewall Center. If you didn't get a chance to read Velton Jones' timeline on twitter, do so. He goes on a rant that is 100% accurate. Pack the Chuck and support these guys. Sure it's great to fill latitude 40 for a viewing party, but that support is actually put to use when the Chuck is packed. More on this later.

Again, let's not overreact to one loss against a team that I picked to win the national championship. The upcoming schedule is a lot more crucial to the overall success this season. UT Arlington is next (Thursday, at the Chuck), get that win, and go from there. 

In just over a month the Colonials will travel to Stillwater to take on Oklahoma State. I predicted UK over Ok State in the national title game. They are equally loaded. There are a lot of games in between now and then, so that will be a good measuring stick to see if the team has improved.

--Lee Kunkel

--@Kunkel5

Game four: "learning process"

So the sequel didn’t go so great. Robert Morris fell to the University of Kentucky 87-49 in a completely one-sided affair. I can’t help but laugh at all the “learning process” tweets I saw while we were getting our asses handed to us in the first half. This game, through at least 30 minutes, should have been way closer than what it was. Yeah, this team is still learning, but that doesn’t mean much when you play such low quality basketball.

The Positives:

1) Karvel Anderson: Karvel did Karvel things. He knocked down some three pointers but kept defenders off balance with the occasional drive to the hoop and mid-range jump shots from the elbow. The 5-17 stat line may not reflect it, but Karvel is the go-to guy on this squad and at least stepped up to the task. He went ice cold late when the game was out of reach.

2) The game plan: I loved what coach Toole and staff put together, the execution just wasn’t there. RMU was not going to let Julius Randle beat them scoring and they doubled down on every big immediately receiving a pass. Kentucky burned RMU early with some three balls but overall went 7-19 (36.8 percent). You can live with that against the number one team in the country.

3)….

4) Well shit. I guess that’s about it.

The negatives:

1)Execution: It was lacking, to say the least. Of the at least three 2-on-1 opportunities I can remember, RMU turned the ball over every time. The colonials also struggled terribly finishing at the rim. RMU trailed this game 44-20 in the first half. They missed four of six free throws, blew two 2-on-1 chances, and had Aaron Tate, Mike McFadden, and Desjuan Newton all miss at the rim. That’s 14 easy points left on the table. Sometimes when shots aren’t falling, they aren’t falling I guess.

2)Rebounding: I’m not going crazy on this one. Kentucky is bigger than most NBA teams. Their 56-38 advantage probably could have even been worse considering Mike McFadden and Stephan Hawkins both fouled out with about seven minutes to go.

3) Y.G.T.M.Y.F.F.T, DAMMIT: 11-20 ISN’T EVEN ACCEPTABLE AGAINST MY MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAM. NOTHING DRIVES ME MORE INSANE THEN MISSING FREE THROWS.

4)Ball movement: Let’s just say that six assists on 16 buckets could be a taddddd bit better. More on this below…

I’m not sure exactly what’s going on with Anthony Myers-Pate right now but his play has not been good. He has absolutely no shot right now and everyone knows it. Defenders are playing way off of him taking away passing lanes and it’s just leading to overall ineffectiveness. If he could just get a few jump shots to fall it’ll open up everything. I still believe in you Anthony.

As for Lucky Jones, I think this is a bit more concerning. The thing I like so much about Karvel’s game is how he works to get open. He’ll run off screens galore and make his defender travel miles to keep up with him. He works and deserves to get the ball. I’m not saying Lucky doesn’t deserve the ball, because he’s the most talented offensive weapon we have, but his off ball movement is terrible. There were a few instances in the first half I saw him calling for the ball at midcourt looking to go iso I guess. That isn’t going to fly. The coaching staff has to find ways to get Lucky going.

5)Mike McFadden’s jump shot: The form doesn’t look bad, but is he ever going to make one? Like ever? And can he please stop traveling?

6)Finishing at the rim and free throws: Just needed reiterated.

The biggest concern I had was just the overall timid nature the guys had. They looked scared for no reason. Did we not just beat this program a few months ago? We’ve seen RMU blowouts but there have been few times, if ever, I can remember them looking scared and playing soft.

It’s also easy to go nuts about a blowout loss and focus on all the negatives while forgetting RMU just played one of the top teams in the country. There is a large portion of Kentucky fans who will be disappointed if they aren’t cutting the nets at the end of the year. RMU had to play a perfect game to have a chance at winning and pretty much did the opposite of that. There are problems, but they’ll fix themselves as Toole figures out rotations and roles for players and as these young guys keep getting more experience.

That’s all I have everyone. Just be lucky you got me instead of Lee doing this recap. A ton more to come tomorrow if I can carve out the time.

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella