SLU

[pnthr30]

teddyp00 said:

What Joah needs to do is stop shooting 3's and start driving and banging down low. Thats his game, period.

Can I get an amen?!

He definitely needs to chill with the 3's. Additionally, once he asserts himself down low, his outside shots will be more wide open - and hopefully he will make more of them.

[CellBlockInmate]

Does anyone have a good idea of how good SIU is? I really haven't followed them at all and am wondering what kind of opponent SLU just downed.

On another note, I am hoping for a strong showing on Sat. I am going to try to bring a couple extra bodies, I urge all of you to do the same... How dare the Bucks (game not televised) go head to head w/ the Panthers.

[dylanrocks]

Well, the Salukis defeated Louisiana Lafayette 65-47, lost to Monmouth (N.J.) 80-68 in Alaska, lost at Alaska-Anchorage 75-67, defeated Eastern Washington 80-72 in Alaska and lost to St. Louis 56-42. Draw your own conclusions about what these early-season games mean.

[uwm97]

"I agree 100%. I am worried that Joah is more concerned with how he is perceived by scouts (are there even any at our games?) than he is in integrating his game into this new offense. "

That's been my position as well. The ironic thing is he made a name for himself in the tournament last season not by jacking up 3's, but by posting up and taking the ball strong to the cup. Let's face it, he's a respectable outside shooter if left open, but he's never going to be a guy who's coming off screens and launching 3's like McCants was. We need him on the block dominating guys where he's most effective.

[brettpanther17]

well let us remember that last year when joah was bangin the ball down low is that he was the 4 spot in the line-up. This year with us starting AT and McCoy at 5 and 4, Joah has seemed to be playing the 3 spot, which in the swing offense means he is going to spend time outside on the 3 pt arc which doesnt hold well to what weve been used to seeing... look at it from the memphis game, if im not mistaken Joah scored the majority of his points when mccoy was out and it was AT, Joah, Pancratz, Avo and Hill on the floor... maybe coach Jeter will see that Joah belongs in the post and maybe stick Massiah in the line up to play the 3 and let him and Joah rotate between who posts and who stays outside...

[formerseasonticketholder]

great observation Brett, but even while Joah's playing the 3 he's got to have better shot selection than he has so far this year.
Joah's got a decent shot (although he almost always fades away on his jumper instead of following through toward the hoop), but he seems to make a much higher percentage in the 16-18 foot range than with the three pointer, so I'll gladly give Panther30 an AMEN!
The heart of Joah's game is going to the hoop and the coaches have to get him back to it if we're going to upset St. Louis.

[PANTHERfan]

well, i for one can't wait for this game tomorrow since it feels like this season has barely started. it's nice to finally get a weekend game at home. hopefully we'll see a nice crowd, despite the bucks playing next door at the same time. i especially hope to see a strong and rowdy student turnout.

as for the game i think it's hard to predict what will happen. UWM has had almost a week to continue to work on the new system. seems to me like the coaching staff felt they learned a lot coming out of TTU so hopefully we'll see some maturation against SLU. on paper i'd say we win this game with SLU's youth and our experience/talent. but again, Milwaukee has to prove itself on the floor. getting off to a fast start for the first time all season would go a long way towards winning.

[Pantherholic]

the official preview is up on UWM's site.

uwmpanthers.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/120205aab.html

[fan]

and from that report let me cite reason #1 that we have struggled and will ultimately be better:

"A career 58.8 percent shooter from the field - the best mark in Milwaukee's Division I history - Tigert is shooting just 29 percent from the floor in the first three games."

This is an early season trend that won't continue. Chip in 5-6 extra points a game from this stat alone.

[fan]

UWM favored by 9 points tonight. Thats right nearly double digits. We'd better not hang an L on this one.

also of note, Illinois State is favored by 6.5 over UWGB

[teddyp00]

Hopefully tonight fans and the team show why the cell is quietly becoming one of the most difficult places to play in the country.

I think SLU slow down style of play which was a concern for us last year when we played them, will work in our favor tonight as that is the style of play that has been most successful for us so far. I can easily see a double digit win tonight as long as we shoot better than 30%.

[formerseasonticketholder]

the cell is becoming one of the most difficult places in the country to play? I love the optimism teddy, but I think that's a bit of a stretch.

[fan]

"Milwaukee has started to turn the U.S. Cellular Arena into one of the best homecourt advantages in college basketball. The Panthers have a modest 10-game home winning streak, which started after UWM was stunned by Detroit in early January last season. The Panthers are 24-4 in regular season and postseason contests at the U.S. Cellular Arena since returning downtown for the 2003 Horizon League Tournament and are 75-56 all-time as the home team at the Arena. Also, combining games at both the Klotsche Center and the U.S. Cellular Arena, UWM is 40-6 in regular season Horizon League home contests over the last six seasons."

I believe those stats would make for a strong argument that teddy wasn't preaching pure optimism.

[teddyp00]

There is no doubt the Cell is a hard to place for a visiting team to come in and win at. However, we are a major step away from turning it into a true homecourt advantage for our team and that is fan turnout so there is some optimism in my statement. That is why I said quietly, because untill 8,000+ show up on a regular basis and we rock the place will the team truly reap the benefits of being at home. Basketball is the game most affected by momentum and a large, loud crowd can and does affect the visiting team and fire up the home team.

[formerseasonticketholder]

yes, we've had a good home record the past couple of seasons, but let's not get carried away - the Cell just isn't one of the toughest places in the country for visiting teams to play. the team has won most of those games in front of relatively small crowds with tournament games swelling the average attendance figures. we don't enjoy the kind of home court advantage that programs like Duke, Kansas, Michigan St. or Wisconsin do. that said, things are absolutely headed in the right direction, so I'm looking forward to seeing all of you tonight!