It's tournament time...I'll take a win any way we can get it. Poly is a tough match up for us. They are very physical inside, play tough defense and can get hot from 3. We've been inconsistent on offense all season so our defense has to carry us through the offensive droughts we're going to have.
We played great defense in this game and rebounded the ball well. Chima was a monster on the boards and White kept us in the lead in the first half. Schneider was pressing...just trying too hard to make something happen.
Short answer, no. You would think the BWC would make their own lives easier and keep the format the same for the men and women...nope. It's like they are gluttons for punishment.
'“I single J.T. out for the guy with the multiple efforts. J.T. is the guy in the ball strains so he has to help and support the ball handler and has to physically block some shots. His activity and his athleticism when he plays like that, he makes everyone on our team a better defender. He doesn’t look like a guy who has two A.C.L. surgeries. There was a lot of long hours and hard work in the training room. At the end of the day, it comes down to how much he wanted it and he wanted to be back with his guys. He has a great relationship with the rest of his seniors and his team and he wanted to be a part of this.'
not sure what 'ball strains' are (sounds painful), but i couldn't be happier for J.T. that he got another year as an Aggie. He's been an unsung hero on this team defensively and on the boards. Hope the season ends on a high note for him and the rest of the Aggies on Saturday!
unless Riverside shocks Irvine, looks like we'll have Fullerton tomorrow -> they are putting the finishing touches on Northridge. i like our chances of getting to the final on Saturday.
"↪agalum Can you share what he said or emphasized? Fundraising?"
I was actually trying to get some work done as i listened, but he emphasized how proud he was of our true tradition of academically strong student athletes, he mentioned several sports including volleyball (he was happy with the new contract retaining the coach), opening of baseball, lady Aggies bball, and im missing another sport he mentioned other than football. He stressed, similar to Hawkins comments, that we need a strong foundation of support from faculty, staff, alumni, and the community to be successful, which included filling the stands. He specifically mentioned Hawkins and football, but no more or less then the other sports. Summary, he delivered a real positive message on Aggie sports and he articulates his points in a clear, understandable fashion. I was left with the thought, "this guy is an ace in the hole for us."
#1 UC Irvine beat #8 UC Riverside 76-67. So the Aggies will play #3 Fullerton at 9 pm tomorrow. The game will be televised live on ESPNU and streamed live on ESPN3.
Interesting comment as he gets sidetracked on comparing his high school dating history to post season collegiate basketball. "...but I felt like a human NIT." Maybe it was intentional.
Of course both the men and women would submit bids to host a first round NIT game, that's called due diligence. It doesn't mean that we are going to the NIT. Why would a team with an RPI near 200 get an invite to the NIT, let alone host a first round game?
He also doesn't mention that the reason we went for the NIT was because we won the regular season title, something that didn't happen this year.
I hope the team can give me the chance to drive up to Anaheim for the championship game (was banned from attending game outside of SD after taking my girlfiend (now wife) to Irvine years ago to watch the Ags losing to UCI in OT (0 points scored in entire OT).
We didn't even host a game when we did go two years ago. Not sure what other west coast schools might be considered for the NIT, but I bet a Pac-12, MWC, WAC or WCC school would get the nod to host the first round game over a BWC runner-up.
As I recall, back when we played Slack in FB in the D-II playoffs, we hosted because we had the application in order and Slack didn't, even though they had won the regular season streak-ending game. 'Course I think the fact that we hosted didn't get lost on the Hornets and their coaches when it came time to firing up the team. Ugly year. Ugly.
uci by 6 at half. Irvine doesn't give you anything defensively. And Beach fans wimped out tonight. Last night they were numerous and loud. Tonight, they must all have something better to do.