jdub27

Why did you leave out the rest of it?

I'd argue that UND has been the third best team in the Big Sky since they joined, thus above average in conference. However the gap between where they are compared to Weber/UM is sizable and I've already said multiple times they need to make the jump and be there with those two every year. Again, there's a difference between stating a coach isn't going to be fired and saying they should or shouldn't be.

Yikes, that ended closer than it should have! Nice win ladies, on to Reno!

Really? Scheels sponsored it but it was most definitely an NDSU related event. Otherwise it'd be pretty strange that there were NDSU employees going around with the trophies and present at every stop, including Klieman in Fargo.

We have different definitions of what sticking up for someone actually means. Please point out where I praised him last season because I can't recall it. I've never advocated for him to receive an extension (though have recently stated what Faison's options might be). I was very specific in saying he wasn't going to get fired last season, again because I understand contracts and budgets (and I was correct for those reasons), but stating someone isn't going to lose their job isn't the same as saying they shouldn't. You live in Fargo, of course you're going to hear about NDSU.

Back and forth with MSU. 1 point game with 5 minutes to go.

You're ranting is comical. Pointing out where UND stands in conference road wins since they joined to put things in perspective is not sticking up for the coach, it is pointing out actual numbers, especially when I stated they need to move out of the clear second tier into the first tier. Saying that a coach isn't going to be fired because of his contract situation isn't sticking up for him, it is having an understanding of results, college athletics and real life budget situations. Then mention a transitioning D-II team but then leave out that your time frame for judging UND/Jones is when they were exactly that for longer than they haven't been. I could not care less about NDSU, what I hate is that you will, without fail, bring them up. But since you did: Signature win is such a joke of a phrase, what does it even mean? They absolutely boat raced a team that made it to the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament and ended with an butRPI of 32. If you lose excitement over a team because of one game, look in the mirror, that's on you, not that coach. Was it a discouraging game? Of course, the team played like hot garbage, couldn't make a shot and made some incredibly dumb turnovers. Other than rambling and making your favorite go-to accusation of anyone who doesn't immediately want Jones run out of Grand Forks with pitchforks being his best friend/brother/relative/etc, you still didn't say what Jones should have done differently last night.

Looking at their road record this year, yes, get over them. Using them as an example doesn't help your point. I guess I haven't seen more about NDSU basketball than I have UND this season so I'm not even how to answer that. I fully believe the Big Sky is harder to win on the road in than the Summit, the travel is significantly different. I don't really care about OOC at this point. What exactly starts at the top? Let's be specific, what should Jones have done different last night?

Get over NDSU. They were 4-10 on the road this year including 1-7 in conference. Related to UND, they have the 3rd most road wins in Big Sky conference play since joining. Its not an easy league to win in the road on. They are in the second tier, a clear step behind UM and Weber and you'll get no arguments from me that they need to make improvements to move up as equals as those two teams, but put things into perspective a little bit.

Average to above average teams struggle on the road against good teams? Who would have thought?! That's not a recurring theme with UND, that's a recurring theme in all sports. All kidding aside, not a good performance last night regardless of who gets the blame. The best game plan in the world doesn't matter when the teams can't hit the side of a barn.. Montana was smarting from Weber handling them last weekend and came out a lot better than UND. Not sure why, UND had been playing very well as of late. Hoping the can bounce back Saturday, get the 4 seed and go from there.

Not going to win any games when your two best players shoot 3-20 and have 10 turnovers combined and your two sharpshooters go 2-7 on 3 pointers. Hopefully it was just an off night for Q and there isn't something else wrong, this team goes as he goes. Ugly game, turn the page and on to Bozeman. UND still can get the 4 seed if they win and ISU loses in Idaho.

No. I like the rest of your suggestions though.

NDSU fans claim the only reason that SDSU has such big fan support at Summit basketball tournament is because its in SDSU's backyard (completely ignoring the part where NDSU fans just don't bother to show up). Now you're trying to say that Brookings:Sioux Falls = Fargo:Grand Forks? Do you get dizzy with all the spin you repeat from board to board?

UND currently an 8 point underdog and at +315 to win outright.

I agree to a point but your examples are quite a bit different than Minnesota/Wisconsin/Michigan/Michigan State in a whole lot of ways. The money, facilities and now FCOA are there even when the fan support is down plus they still carry the B1G clout that matters to people regardless of the reality on how the teams or conference are actually doing. The fact a couple of the B1G have fallen so far and aren't even competitive is pretty mind-blowing.

Where did he mention the Big Sky in the post you quoted? He was talking about the MVC.

I'd argue he's been overshadowed courtside by the opposing coach quite a few times this year. NAU, PSU and Sac State come to mind just off the top of my head.

There is zero decision to make UND wins the Big Sky tournament especially considering the current roster make-up. It is already sitting at a tough decision because of what he has done with a young squad. Now it is just a matter of how much has he earned. I previously stated with how this season has gone, he should get a 1 year extension with a small bump in salary for next season in exchange for a reduced buyout on the extension year. This is mainly because I'm not a fan of letting a coach go into a lame duck year.

I can agree with the majority of that. I think player development was somewhat stunted by players themselves the past handful of years. I also think that this team has improved quite a bit from where they were at the beginning of the year, which shouldn't be a surprise when 6 of your top 7 players didn't play a single minute for UND last year and the 8th only played the second semester. The way this team has been playing lately is incredibly encouraging. Hopefully the trend of playing their best basketball in March continues. Thursday is a big test to see where this team is heading into the conference tournament.

They need to continue to improve on how they use the main scoreboard and side panels. Got better last year but much room for improvement. I know its been mentioned here and the reasoning for why it isn't done has also been put forward, but the lights absolutely need to be turned off during the pre-game intros.

But there is a lot of things going on behind the scenes! Details are completely unnecessary even if you happen to be doing things like asking for more money, breaking previous agreements or updating your budget with the state. How can you not see that an explanation like this should be good enough? Haven't they suffered enough being expected to honor agreements they made and mandates passed down by the governor?

I don't think he's the world's greatest coach and think he still hasn't necessarily fully proven himself, which isn't a where you want to be after 10 years, but: -It was pretty much all Jones' fault for the struggles during the transition, even though its obvious a large part of it had to do with the players and how they played, which he obviously recruited -Yet any turnaround isn't attributed to him even though the team is finally back to doing fundamental things that were being done his first few years and then seemed to disappear with the transition group I just can't see how one can be all his fault but yet he gets no credit on the other. He did a few different things to greatly improve the locker room chemistry this year because it was a huge problem over the last few seasons. He also is finally able have a better chance at getting the kind of players he wants and appear to be very coachable instead of getting guys that are talented but have deficiencies in other areas. I have no clue what is going to happen with the coaching situation and it will be a tough decision but this team is fun to watch and I'm excited to see what they can do in the postseason.

Actually over 22% more (or just about 1.6x the amount women will get!!). Men currently get 61.1% of scholarship funds, while women get 38.9%. But nothing to see here, NDSU "diligently monitors its students' interests so its athletic offerings can continue to meet its students' needs", just disregard that they include club, intramural and recreational sports in their "offerings".

It is? What was the resolution?

1 year extension and then add a buyout clause that is worth less than 1 year's salary? Probably have to give a little bump in exchange for that but could be worth it. The lame duck year is not an attractive option.