jdub27

The tortoise took the lead early and despite letting the hare back in the game, held on for the win. Interesting last two minutes.

#butrpi?? John Gasaway - ESPN Insider

I'd be lying if I said there weren't at least a handful hockey jerseys being worn by fans last night...

What was it FargoU drew again? 0? All because their coach decided to shut the season down because their locker room was a mess due to things like a player quitting midseason then being welcomed back (and the suspension coincidentally being lifted when another starter got hurt), the leading scorer getting suspended before the conference semi-finals for "violation of team rules" and another who just wanted the season to be over so he could announce he was transferring (and that's just the parts that are public knowledge). Or was it that they were looking for ways to keep costs down because the students didn't give them the money they needed to help cover their budget shortfalls due to a decrease in state funding?

I thought it was closer to 2,000 but that was just me. The turnout (eye test, not box score number) seemed to indicate the fans thought it was worth it, I was concerned about attendance when the game was announced. UND has a tough time getting quality mid-majors up to Grand Forks. Outside of UNI (done on a 3-1 and still only then because of coaching ties), UC-Irvine was easily one of the better OOC opponents that has been to Grand Forks in a while, so it was nice from that perspective as well. Throw in how little this team loses, getting them the chance to play against quality programs, allowing them to continue to measure themselves and what they need to do in the offseason was the right choice.

On that possession, I agree, you need to get a shot off. I'll give credit for not doing what they had been doing which is Q holding the ball at the top of the key until 10-12 seconds left on the shot clock and driving, but you still need to get someone open and get it off. However he's right on in regards to McDermott's three pointer with just under a minute to go in regulation, Hooker's missed three with 40 seconds to go in OT and Geno's look at the end of the game. Those were all good looks that didn't go.

I don't think the plan was for Q to take the shot but no one got open. Possibly hoping for him to get doubled since that was where everyone thought the shot was coming from but it never came and UCI played great defense. From sitting near the bench, the reaction seemed to be that whatever play was called did not get run the way it was supposed to and obviously didn't have the results it should have. Did he seriously comment on that? Their guy ran into Shanks, who is by no stretch of the imagination a brick wall, and fell down and laid there. He didn't look all that interested in playing before or after that so I'm not so sure how injured he was.

I don't disagree with your first sentiment but Vegas had zero interest in actually courting another tournament and didn't put in any sort of bid. Reno went all out and had the attitude of making the tournament an event, not just something else going on to get lost in the shuffle like it would be in Vegas and they had a pretty aggressive bid to get it. From what I heard, they did a really good job of following through on their promises. Unfortunately they can't make fans show up and it will always be tough in a league that is spread out like the Big Sky is. No one expected a home run year 1, the hope is that word spreads on how well the tournament was put on and it grows in years 2 and 3. My personal opinion is I'd be more likely to go if it was in Vegas but I believe the conference made the right choice out of cities that chose to bid (Reno, Missoula, Ogden, Flagstaff, Spokane/Cheney, Greeley/Loveland, and Billings).

Can't argue with the play calling at the end of regulation or overtime. Jones was calling for them to get a shot off earlier in regulation, it was passed at least once or twice instead. Had an good look on two possessions in a row to end overtime and they didn't make the shots. McBuckets with one of them and Hooker with the other. Geno played a hell of game but one more free throw from him would have been huge. Seales had a chance too. Two freshman who will grow from it. Q just missed that shot at the end of regulation, the place was ready to explode. UC-Irvine was a fun team to watch. Had some serious athleticism and height. Avants taking the opening tip was hilarious being a full foot shorter. Props to Faison for stepping up and paying for the game. Same to the fans for showing up. Great crowd tonight. This team is going to make noise next year, they know what they need to do this off-season. Seeing the reactions, particularly from Q and Geno, after losing a game that didn't mean that much to most reinforces that thought.

Cringe-worthy. Wow... Things actually said by McFeely in a 5 minute window: -Are you trying to start a fight by saying calling UND the Flagship University on a Fargo radio station? -Implying UND will have to shrink due to budget issues, while in the next breath stating NDSU has a goal of growing to 18,000+. -Are you going to be flying coach or first class to Turkey? -What’s more important in the sports world, FCS football or Division 1 hockey? Kennedy answered everyone one of the questions perfectly, not sinking to the host's level while making him look like a fool for asking such dumb questions on a couple of them.

Unless there was an at-large bid no one knows about, IPWF was only there because they won the regular season title. However I'd argue the BSC still had a better showing than the Summit did in the NIT...

Now that the majority of the nickname sideshow is over and UND has a fresh start in the president's office, they can actually devote time and resources into important things again. It isn't a huge surprise they might be a little threatened, especially considering Kennedy has a background working with legislators as a former one himself while Bresciani seems to be willfully ignorant while doing things to upset the folks in Bismarck. Throw in McFeely's political leanings and his recent change in stripes where he defends all that is NDSU, no surprise he tried to create issues where there are none. Par for the course for him.

Congrats, the Summit has fewer conference games and has figured out how to use those extra OOC games to manipulate their RPI, which is public knowledge and openly discussed by coaches. You can really tell how much RPI matters when SDSU's is that high and their only chance at making the tournament was to win the Summit Championship game, they had zero chance at getting an at large bid. SDSU had a great season (despite those stinging losses to Weber St of the lowly Big Sky and Summit also-ran UMKC) but the chest pounding over an easily manipulated number is a little silly.

Looks like the committee is still trying to figure out a resolution to a problem no one knew about or even apparently cared about after it Bresciani decided to make an announcement about but they are hoping that maybe by the end of the semester they'll have it figured out. Looks to be a lot more than simply changing it, but it's done right?

I think it was the best choice from the finalists. If Shirley chooses to spend some time at a research university, I think the job is his for the taking next time around.

Not saying Daum isn't good, because he is, but considering what Crandall has played through, his numbers are pretty impressive for a freshman guard. Not that it matters because it's an Internet fan vote, not sure why an NDSU fan is in a UND fan site defending an SDSU player.

I actually thought the "Sioux" stuff was just as much or more noticeable tonight than normal. Guess I didn't notice a change in the reaction to Hawks mentions but you could be right.

Who said it has to be one or the other?

That was fun. Little lull, which is honestly tough to avoid when you're up that much and trying to milk the clock, but ending the game in something like a 14-1 run was nice, especially with Gene fouled out. Need that kind of shooting tomorrow. Hopefully McBuckets 2.0 and Baldwin feel comfortable in that the gym and can keep it up.

A great basketball mind told me that UND was going to work on taking advantage of the high post in ISSU's zone. Definitely seems to be the case.

"I don't want him fired I just named the thread Fire Mussman." -darell Please point out where I have "pumped up" Jones over a replacement. I've been critical of him while also putting into context his finishes and the other things he has dealt with. Did I hope for better results? Of course. But my stance has been that there are things that will be considered beyond on the court performance whether people want to understand that or not.

http://forum.siouxsports.com/topic/14331-fire-mussman/?do=findComment&comment=465455 http://forum.siouxsports.com/topic/15920-fire-muss/?do=findComment&comment=513980 That's two during transition but who's counting? I didn't bash you or pump up Jones, I merely pointed out my amusement by irony from what I thought was an incredibly hypocritical statement. But whatever, I'm sure you'll continue to go around downvoting my posts since I'm guessing makes you feel better.

Big game, perimeter defense needs to get back to where it was earlier in the season. I know some guys are playing banged up, particularly Geno, but can't let ISU get going from beyond the arc.

That is funny as hell coming from the guy who started the "Fire Jones" thread halfway through UND's second full D-1 season in a year they made the conference championship after making the semi's the first year. That's not even mentioning the multiple "Fire Muss" threads you started during UND's football transition. At least be consistent... Yes and I hope UND does as well. Let's see if Q can channel his inner Nate Wolters. I think the point being made is that some people were lauding Nagy while forgetting that there were SDSU fans calling for him to be fired well before he had a chance to make the NCAA tournament (I assume). Nagy obviously built up some goodwill in the D-II days that Jones didn't which likely played a big part in SDSU's decision making process.

He actually did Nagy a favor by inadvertently including SDSU's first year as a full D-1 school, it raised his winning percentage from 28.4% to 30.9%. It's not quite apples to apples because Nagy had quite a bit more time at SDSU before the transition, but if you count the four transition years and their first three years of D-1 play, Nag had a 79-131 record for a winning percentage of .376. For comparison, Jones record in that same time frame was 101-121 for a winning percentage of .455. Obviously Nagy had some pretty good years after that, having that Wolters kid blossom didn't hurt, but even if you include the 4th year out of transition for both schools (UND still obviously still having a few games left), Jones still has a higher winning percentage in that time frame, though that was the year Nagy punched his first ticket to the dance without even having come close prior. I'm not saying that one is better than the other, just laying out their records over a comparable time frame. There is no arguing that Nagy struggled big time during the transition and the first few years out of it.