Evansville @ Wichita State

[pafan]

I'm pretty sure it was just 1.....and yes even 1 is unusual.

I know there was one where the whistle blew but Harris's shot fell ... not sure if that technically counts as goaltending or not. I'm thinking there was one in the first half as well.

[WSUbballer]

I absolutely love some of the posts and comments in this thread by several speak-happy Aces. Now, I appreciate the rational veiwpoints by a few Aces fans like Aces0376, acesfool, and another poster I failed to recall.

But these other posts are absolutely mind-numbing.

I love how second halves seem to be valued more than first halves by certain fans. Are some Aces fans forgetting the first half of play when you were completely outmatched and outclassed at every possession? Are you forgetting how a 6-0 UE lead grew to a 15 point Shocker lead in a matter of minutes? Are you forgetting the 51 points and 80% free throw shooting that was put up by WSU by halftime? Are you forgetting the 51-34 halftime deficit? I'm guessing perhaps you were because there were zero Evansville fans here to tell us all about it. It wasn't until the second half, when WSU let the foot off the gas, when multiple substitutions and backups were getting inserted in after WSU grew the lead to 25. And then the last 10 minutes of the game happened, where WSU was just trying to pass time with the subs and Evansville was playing carefree after the pressure was off. And guess what certain number of Aces fans are concentrating on? The last 10 minutes of the game. All of a sudden, that trumps the first 30 minutes of domination by WSU.

This again is a result of playing for the moral victory. The game was decided late in the first half. It was never in doubt. It's harder for a 20 point lead to double to 40 than to cut a 20 point lead in half to 10. That is a fact of life and a fact of 20-something year old college basketball players. That's why it happens all the time. Check the box scores of games with 20 point halftime leads. The second half is either equal in scoring or the team with the deficit outscores the dominating team. ALL THE TIME.

And then you play the if game.. That was classic... IF WSU turns the ball over there, IF Evansville hits a 3 there, IF the first half never happened, IF Garrett Stutz wasn't in a WSU uniform... Yeah, IF an airplane didn't have wings..

Good Lord, just stop it. The respect card is so overplayed here. It reminds me a lot about Sycamore fans last year, only Indiana State was actually winning more games than they were losing and they ended up in the NCAA's. It's almost to the point that I wish Indiana State fans were actually posting again over some of this mindless drivel from some UE fans.

[WSUbballer]

[quote="Ace Dad"]but you are a biased fan.[/quote]

And you are not?

[Ricardo del Rio]

I'm pretty sure it was just 1.....and yes even 1 is unusual.

I know there was one where the whistle blew but Harris's shot fell ... not sure if that technically counts as goaltending or not. I'm thinking there was one in the first half as well.

There was one in which the ball became lodged between the rim and glass. It was called a goal tend.

There was at least one other play, which was called a goal tend.

I am not sure about a third, but it is possible.

[Ace Dad]

but you are a biased fan.

And you are not?

No, and you still have not figured it out:

Players
Coaches
Fans
Media
Parents

Players want to win.

Coaches need to win.

Fans get an adrenaline rush when their team wins.

Media does not care who wins.

Parents are less concerned about winning and more concerned about graduation and life experiences.

Unlike you, I can put basketball in perspective. You will too, after you have married a woman, raised a child, fired an employee, buried your parents, and survived a life threatening illness. Your posts display your youth and inexperience.

Remember, respect is earned

[Sharpe]

but you are a biased fan.

And you are not?

No, and you still have not figured it out:

Players
Coaches
Fans
Media
Parents

Players want to win.

Coaches need to win.

Fans get an adrenaline rush when their team wins.

Media does not care who wins.

Parents are less concerned about winning and more concerned about graduation and life experiences.

Unlike you, I can put basketball in perspective. You will too, after you have married a woman, raised a child, fired an employee, buried your parents, and survived a life threatening illness. Your posts display your youth and inexperience.

Remember, respect is earned

You think parents don't care about the outcome of a game that involves their children? Have you ever actually been to a sporting event where parents were present?

[cu8493]

O.K., Sharpe, given the 6 posts you have made I am going to guess that Ace Dad is in fact correct about your age. For your information before you go from looking silly to down right embarrassing - I'm just guessing that because Ace Dad has put at least two kids into college on basketball scholarships, including one through Evansville (thus the moniker Ace Dad), I am gong to go out on a limb and say he has been to a game or two where parents were present.

[moshock]

After reading this epic thread, I watched the game again last nite.

Evansville came out guns-a-blazin and got a 6 - 0 lead. 3G makes an adjustment and the next thing you know WSU is up by 17 @ half.

Marty makes an adjustment after the Aces are down by 25 with 10 minutes left in the game ? How could he not know that the Shox are going to throw it in to Stutz and abuse the poor little guy that was guarding him from the beginning ? Note to Marty: If you meet up with WSU in the MVC Tourney - throw everything you have at Stutz and make the rest of the team beat you. I like Marty and the job he has done at UE but that doesn't make sense. He's a better coach than that.

The Aces never did give up and played well. After getting hit in the mouth by the Aces (the 6 - 0 lead), the Shox responded and steam rolled them for the next 28 minutes. Sawvill played his heart out in the second half but the mis-match was too much.

Just before the Aces made their final push, you could see the Shox smiling and frankly, it appeared that they did relax. The Aces kept chipping away and when the lead was cut to 9 you could see "that look" again that the Shox had after the 6 - 0 lead.

I did my best to watch the referee's without bias. There were bad calls both ways. The Aces could have been called for moving screens everytime down the court. WSU is tough and physical and fouls could have been called in the paint. The bottom line is - the ref's did not decide that game.

UNLV had a similar experience at Koch with worse results than UE but a loss is a loss.

The Aces are a good team and will probably finish 3 - 5 in a tough league. The Shox will finish top two in the MVC and are with out at doubt a top 25 team.

Physically, it looked like men vs boys - especially in the paint. The Shox obviously live in the weight room. The Aces need to gain some bulk to be able to compete above the level that they are right now.

Just my 2 cents. Nothing is meant as a slap to the Aces. Just my observations.

[Ace Dad]

To the poster who asked if I had ever attended a game with parents:

Both my boys played very competitive AAU basketball. Each played in a program with future D1 and in several cases, NBA players. Can you imagine the number of AAU games I attended from 1995-2004? Parents were sitting next to me for over 200 AAU games.

Both my sons were high school starters as Sophomores. One in Kansas and the other in Virginia. That is six winning seasons between them. Each played in a high school state championship game. The older son's team won the title game. The younger son's team lost the title game. Parents sat next to me for over 140 high school games. My older son had four teammates who received D1 scholarships. My younger son had four teammates who received D1 scholarships. Can you imagine the number of high school games I attended with parents who were concerned about their player's future?

During 3 of these years, I ran a Message Board on Virginia Preps called "Ask Basketball Dad" where I helped players and parents navigate college basketball recruiting. I literally received and answered emails from parents and players in the Washington DC and East Coast region. Can you imagine the number of email and phone conversations I had with parents about their player. I still get emails from friends of friends of parents, based on this connection.

My oldest son was a college athlete for five years. He used basketball as a tool to get his degree. My youngest son was a college athlete for 3 years. He failed to use basketball as a tool to get his degree. My oldest son played basketball overseas for four years. Can you imagine how many games I attended and sat next to other parents? (Approximately 35).

Last year I went to a funeral in Lawrence, KS for the wife of a former AAU coach (JUCO All American) and in attendance were the former players and parents from a 15 year period. Most of their sons had already completed college basketball or their playing days were over. As we caught up, I do not remember the conversations being about how many games we won or how many tournaments we attended or who made the NCAAs or who made the NBA. When parents talk, it is about their player's life decisions and goals.

Following is part of a letter I sent to a sports writer in October 2001 who was criticizing Jim Crews. Note the last sentence:

"There are about 326 Division 1 basketball programs. Not all of them can win. Not all of them can have a "high RPI." Not all of them can go to the "big dance." But each program can be competitive on the floor and graduate a high percentage of athletes prepared for the real world - a world after college basketball. Most parents are less concerned about the NBA and more concerned about their boys being prepared for life filled with other acronyms - AMA, ABA, MBA, GRE, GMAT, MCAT - so they can get a JOB one day. "

So yeah, I have

[UE 71]

I've got your back 100% Ace Dad. I'm the father of an athlete that went to a PAC-12 (10) school and I traveled across country to attend many of his competitions. While winning and losing was always in the back of my mind, my primary concern was how my son was doing athletically, how school was going, was he keeping his grades up and doing his best, was he always doing the right thing and keeping out of trouble. I sat with parents at every competition and got to know many of them personally. I can assure you this sentiment was expressed by most as we conversed.

I can assure you that no one wants to see UE win games more than me. I attended the school during 3 of their national championships including the 29-0 year. That year we were sure Evansville could be the University Division national champion UCLA and were calling for a challenge game to settle who was the best team, but it never happened. But as I stated above, winning was always in the back of my mind.