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BlueGoldAg
1.3kGame #3 of the Continental Tire Classic pits the Aggies against another tough foe when they square off with Lamar at 2:30 pm Friday in Las Vegas. The Cardinals, who play in the Southland Conference, have lost their first two games of the tournament like the Aggies have. The Ags lost to San Francisco and Nevada and Lamar lost to Southern Illinois and Duquesne.
The Cardinals field a very athletic team that creates a lot of pressure on defense. Both teams lead with defense. Lamar has held their opponents to 63.8 ppg and the Aggies are stingy as well allowing only 65.5. One impressive defensive stat is that Lamar has forced their opponents into nearly 20 turnovers per game so the Ags will have to handle the defensive pressure and take care of the ball.
On offense the Cardinals hold the statistical edge at 77.5 ppg to the Ags 69.7. Their offense is spread out evenly with 5 players averaging between 10.5 and 14.6 points per game.
Coach Les sat Chima Moneke early in the second half of the Nevada game and gave his bench lots of playing time. It's hard to know if he did that because he was unhappy with what he was seeing from some of his starters or he just needed a chance to see who is ready to step up give the team some good minutes. My guess is that he was sending a tough love message to his team. It will be interesting to see how they respond against a pretty good Lamar team on a neutral count before what will probably a very small crowd.
There is no TV or live online stream. The Aggie website posted the following information about the radio broadcast:
"Due to station regulations, KSAC 105.5 will broadcast Friday’s UC Davis-Lamar game on a tape delay, starting at 6 p.m. However, Aggie basketball fans can listen to Scott Marsh’s live broadcast online through TuneIn Radio, or on its app, by searching for the UC Davis Sports Network."
https://tunein.com/radio/UC-Davis-Aggies-Sports-Network-s297303/?_branch_match_id=432592998304568903
Go Ags! -
aggie6thman
158This is a game where we have to find the fire to win. Day game, empty gym, neutral site. All about self motivation! -
BlueGoldAg
1.3kNo doubt about it. This is a game that it would be very easy to be flat as a pancake. I hope that's not the case. Lamar is a very tough defensive team and the Ags have struggled to find a good offensive flow this season...not a good combination of factors for the Ags. They'll need to dig deep.
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BlueGoldAg
1.3kScott Marsh just said that Chima will not play today and he doesn't know why. He said Chima was warming up but has been told he will not play. Wow...I wonder what's going on between Chima and Coach Les...??
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Oldbanduhalum
599wow something big happening with Chima apparently. Time for the next man to step up -
BlueGoldAg
1.3kLes is not an easy coach to play for. He is intensely competitive and a tough disciplinarian. That combination does not always work well with today's athletes.
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DrMike
742Sitting basically the entire second half was clearly a message; apparently it’s rolling over into this game too. Hate to see this kind of stuff.
Maybe it’s Vegas. Wasn’t there a trip to SUU a few years back where we sat several starters due to some team issues in Vegas? The Eddie Miller/Gary Stewart years.
Les can be a hard-ass. In the past more so than I liked. Hope this doesn’t derail the season -
BlueGoldAg
1.3kI've never been a fan of Les' tough style of coaching...just too intense for me. He does know the game and he does get a lot out of his players but I think his barking and intensity can do more harm than good most of the time especially to players' morale.
During the last basketball coaches show Scott Marsh interviewed players from both the men's and women's team and he asked them what it was like playing for Les and Gross. I was struck by the different responses he got. The women talked about how much Jen Gross meant to them in their lives and how they felt like a family with her. Chima said it was tough when he first got to Davis because it was tough being told what he was doing wrong all the time but that he's become a better player. I think that was a thinly veiled way of saying that Les can be a real hard-ass, like you say, and, although he gets results, I'm not sure the players have the kind of relationship with him that the women have with Jen Gross. -
BlueGoldAg
1.3kThat's an outstanding win especially considering that Chima was on the bench. How about TJ Shorts with 25 points on 6 of 9 from the floor and 13 of 13 from the line. Nice contributions from everyone who got into the game.
I hope whatever is going on between Les and Chima is done and we'll be at full strength tomorrow against Radford. -
BlueGoldAg
1.3kScott Marsh said the team went to see The Blue Man Group last night and went out to dinner at a place called "Hole in the Wall."
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SoCalAggie
60Chima is a game changer for our team. It's great to see the team perform this well. Short... monster.
Hopefully Chima and Les figure this out quickly though...
In Vegas as we speak! Might need to place a bet on our Ags! -
BlueGoldAg
1.3kLes just said "he didn't want to give out too much information about Chima in order to keep the Ags' opponents guessing but he thought Chima would be ready to go tomorrow."
So, maybe and injury....??? Who knows...?? -
BlueGoldAg
1.3kLamar previously had some good wins over Tulsa, Coastal Carolina twice and UTEP. Excellent win for the Aggies.
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SoCalAggie
60here for my girlfriend's, grandmother's birthday so unfortunately I couldn't make the game.
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Toke69
327I'd be very surprised if Chima was benched because of some problem between he and Coach Les, unless Chima violated some kind of team rule that was well understood. Based only on what I see on the court, Les does not seem to be very tough on his players. When I was at UCD we used to be amazed at Bob Hamilton who would scream at this players during the games, stomp on the floor and throw this towel he had up into the stands when one of his palters goofed up. I talked to some of the varsity guys from those days and Coach Ham was definitely tough to play for. Not a few of them quit to play IM instead. Of course, there were no scholarships back then, -
aggie6thman
158That would have been a good present for both of them! ;)
Didn't Chima hit the deck hard a few nights ago? Maybe it is a lingering injury? Or maybe Les wasn't happy with his response during the interview. Who knows.
The good news is this team found a way to win and have players step up with their leader out.
Two games until conference play and we open with UCI. -
BlueGoldAg
1.3kChima did hit the deck hard at the end of the game at San Francisco when he got undercut. Also, in the game against William Jessop he had something bothering him on the inside of his knee or thigh. Could be some lingering strain...? Hope that's the case and not something simmering between him and Les.
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69aggie
377I agree. Another entirely different reason Les sat Chima was to make the team know that it can still score without him. Often with a star player teammates will push try to get him involved. Bad passes. Always Looking for their favorite player. General distraction from the game plan. Great game from John and Shorts. Good win!! -
BlueGoldAg
1.3kI remember Ham well. He was a maniac but his antics were pretty comical and the fans loved him. Les is just very, very intense and when he yanks a player he usually just looks right past them as they come off the court. He gets locked into the game like a laser which is a good thing, I guess, because he makes good in game coaching decisions. His scowling intensity would bother me if I was playing for him though.
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