That was a long team, picked near the top of what's probably a better conference now.

Not too worried about this loss, and saw some positive signs, alongside some things that we're gonna need to fix.

I liked what Simmons brings, even though he didn't have a good game. Missed 3 shots at the rim he should have made and didn't shoot as well at the line as he will. Also liked what Breath brought. We're bigger and stronger than last year.

Scariest thing is the 3P shooting. We got Hadaway's best ever (probably) game from three, but 2-7 from Sheldon, 0-4 from Pavs, 2-6 from Conners and 0-2 from Kuany. Not sure where we look for reliable makes from outside this year.

Better call SAUL!! Yet another year of out rebounded, no 3pt shooter horrid from the FT line and yet another home loss to a less than stellar opponent! Does Jeff have a dog?

I was thinking about this tonight towards the end of the game. New AD in town, obviously Boals wasn’t his hire. I like Boals but the results haven’t been all that different from Saul Phillips if we’re being honest.

Before you guys slit your wrists wait until January and see just how good or not so good tonight's opponent in the Convo becomes, they sounded like a hand full. Wright State and Ohio State both easily took down their opponents tonight.

Guarantee 15+points a night from Hadaway and I'll like OUr chances in the MAC. Simmons and Breath are a major upgrade over last year departed. Hadaway appears to be an upgrade on the pre-hurt Hadaway. Just have to get JJ to take over most of the Sheldon minutes and Conners coming in 4 out of 10 games and going off.

Keep working on the defense, free throws and rebounding. It is a LOOOONNNG Season so do not throw in the towel yet as you say it is all about a few days in March not a few halves in early November.

I said this after watching us play in Dayton 2 weeks ago, we are not good at stopping dribble penetration. And then, when beaten off the dribble, we're left reaching and fouling. You can't put the other team on the line 21 times in one half.

I thought Breath was giving us more production around the basket than Simmons in the 2 exhibition games and the first half tonight. But Simmons tried to take over near the bucket in the 2nd half. He showed ohio fans what made him a special player for UT the last 2 years.

Without looking at any box scores, I'll wager Ohio had by far the best crowd tonight among all MAC schools. And the Cats' defensive disappearance sent the fans home disappointed.

I agree with all of this, and add that Boals does not seem to be a good game-day coach. After he calls a time out in a critical situation, more often than not we don't see a new strategy or a play call that makes a difference. Some here have said that the team does not have set plays. We'll, if so, that's a problem. You need set plays for crucial situation, and you need to be able to design new plays on fly.

I guess I was spoiled growing up when Gentleman Jim Snyder was the coach. He was very, very good at calling strategic TOs and then devising just the right play to take advantage of his teams strenghts and the other teams weaknesses. Just one example, I was there at St. John's Arena the first time we beat OSU. I remember a TO late in a very close game where Jim called a TO, and what happened after that was masterful. OSU was in a man defense. OHIO put the ball in play and after a several seconds every OHIO player except the man with the ball pulled to their side of of the court (two to the left and two to the right), this opened up a hole in the center that a MAC truck could go through, the guy with the ball (don't remember who it was) drove down the center for an uncontested layup. It was like a choreographed ballet. To call for this play and pull it off Jim had to know the talents of his players and tendencies of the OSU players. I just don't see any thing resembliing this kind a mastery of the game in Boals.

I know it's a different era now, but the ball is still round and the rules are much the same (save for the 3-point shot and the shot clock). I've seen some coaches in this era who have the kind of smarts that Jim had. It just doesn't seem to me that Jeff has it.

I'm not ready to say "fire the coach," but my patience is wearing thin.

Such a frustrating loss and a tale of two halves. We did not take advantage of their turns and fouls in the first half. Couldn't buy a stop in the second half. 30% 3pt shooting at home ain't gonna cut it.

Frustratingly similar to last season. Wasted an amazing crowd at the Convo. What is the offense, exactly? We never draw plays to get shooters open. Every 3pt shot feels like an after thought. Slaughtered on the boards. Bad FT shooting. Not finishing at the rim. Post touches felt few and far between, and when Simmons did get a few in the second half, he couldn't hit FTs.

Frustration aside, there are pieces here. Simmons is gonna be that guy for us this year, I can feel it. Not having an alpha at guard hurts.

Boals going into the 2025-2026 season with Sheldon as his starting shooting guard is coaching malpractice. Never in a million years after last season did I think Sheldon would be the starting two-guard in the opener playing 36 minutes against Arkansas State. We aren’t talking Dave Jamerson here.

Coaching malpractice.

The question about to start or not start Sheldon comes down to how quickly the new guys can work into the starting lineup.






GO BOBCATS

Boals is loyal to a fault.

Dior had 8 points in 16 minutes. Let’s drink from that well, please.

I tend to agree with BLSS. This isn’t doom and gloom. Plenty of positives. Arkansas State looks the part of a top SBC team. That said, it’s an annoying loss.

I still like the talent on this team but I also echo some of the comments about Boals’ coaching this season. For instance, I don’t think Groce, Sendy, or Frank Martin lose last night with the same team because they manage the roster better.

Sheldon and Pavs can’t play 35+ mins each. This isn’t Coop/Bassett. I say this thinking Sheldon played well, but it’s complete malpractice he got 20 more minutes than Breath given the rebounding difference.

I also don’t think it’s in the best interest to have 3 of Sheldon, Pavs, Elliot, or Connors on at the same time. Our guards (and the team) will continue to get owned on the glass if that’s the case. Chandler Jackson was the games leader in rebounding with 8 total and 4 offensive rebounds. Hampton also had 2 offensive rebounds on the wing.

If for nothing else than defense and length, Boals has to go against his own grain this season and work in Kuany and Kelly more as part of a unit with 2 of the other 4 guards as wings. One of the two should seriously start at the 3. Let them take their lumps in non-conference.

Last year we had a roster that was just too small. This year, we really don’t. No reason to be down 16 on rebounds. It just comes down to how Boals is allocating minutes and coaching in-game, to me this isn’t a talentless or unathletic team.

Simmons is a beast, Hadaway looks like an All-MAC caliber player, Breath. Feed these guys with pick and rolls, drive and dish, and hopefully the 3 point shooting opens up more.

All of this. Sheldon is a 10 minute energy guy. Kelly is ready now. Kuany looks like a steal. That was a very winnable game and lineup mismanagement was frustrating.

Guard play is a big concern. Pav with just 2 assists. Weird. Elliot looked ready for even a bigger role last night. He's got quickness others don't. Wonder what the injury was.

Really liked Simmons attitude/fire. So aggressive. Gonna be fun to watch this year in green and white.

(JJ Kelly looks super athletic even though he barely touched the ball. Will be interesting to watch his minutes throughout the year as he gets comfortable.)

People need to make shots for guys to get assists.

My brother in Christ...

Saul was below .500 three of his five years. He had 14 wins or less 3 times.


Boals has one season of being .500 (16-16 last season).



Saul's best year was a trip to the CBI.

Boals has a MAC championship and an NCAA tournament victory.


And for the rest of this (from 2019-2024)...
Boals: 19 win avg, 1 NCAA Tournament win, 1 appearance, 1 MAC Championship
Tod K: 21.5 win avg, 0 NCAA Tournament wins, 0 appearances
Rob S: 21.5 win avg, 0 NCAA Tournament wins, 1 appearance, 1 MAC Championship
Groce: 22.8 win avg, 0 NCAA Tournament wins, 3 appearances, 3 MAC Championships

So what you're saying is:
1. Groce
2. Sendy
3. Boals
4. Toddy K

And I have to say that your data, while nice, does omit details that are important. With Sendy and Groce, the NCAA Tourney appearances are with THEIR guys. Boals, while doing a masterful job of coaching that group in a COVID year, had nothing to do with getting those players. Saul, for all his faults, will go down as the Belichick (Brady) who found Preston and brought him in and who found BVP out of Wisconsin. While I love the MAC Tourney title, it is a bit deceiving when you look at recruits.

You're seeing something in Kuany that I sure haven't seen. When he was put in to spell Hadaway in the second half, Boals told him to just stand in the corner (literally) on offense. But hot damn, he looks great in warmups.

The same Frank Martin who lost at home to Marshall last night?

Arkansas State had seven guys who grabbed four or more boards. Ohio had three. With that kind of disparity, Breath getting only 16 minutes is just awful roster management.

I thought it was a good game, both teams looked pretty solid. I'll be surprised if Arkansas State isn't near the top of the Sun Belt again. They've got several good players on that roster, and size.

Great student turnout for the opener. I was a little worried when they were sitting for the first 5 minutes of the game but they eventually woke up. Lost a lot at halftime but overall fairly encouraged, but losing to not big name schools is not the best way to get them to come back.

Also how did 2 Arkansas St fans end up in the middle of the Ozone? We've gotta have someone from the Athletics Dept walk up to them and ask for a student ID. Not only is it weird and embarrassing, it's probably not the best for safety and peacekeeping.

This game was very much like much of our OOC last year. Not terribly upsetting or horrific, but frustrating that we just couldn't find a way to win...again. On that point, I understand the frustration with coach Boals. When you consistently lose toss-up games, it is easy to look at the coach and a few key decisions. We just have not been good at winning these "gut-it-out" type games for a few seasons now.

I am not surprised we were outrebounded, and if you had to point to one factor as the difference in the game that was probably it. I don't expect that to be a consistent issue in the MAC.

Shout out to Hadaway, what a game. His touch around the rim was elite. His trash talking was strategic and contained, he got in a couple guys heads at times. He was dejected after the game, walked off without shaking hands. If he can be that guy in the paint, we will take a step forward. 9 for 10 from 2!

And speaking of the paint, Simmons had a frustrating night with foul trouble early (aided by some garbage calls) but he clearly can turn on a killer instinct when he needs to. He could have a big year.

I'm a Sheldon supporter, but agree 36 mins is too much. I like Connors & Kelly a lot and we should see more. Connors is probably the 3 point shooter we need. Jackson would be an elite player if he could shoot the 3, but he just isn't above average there which effects how he is defended. We missed several really good looks from 3. Sometimes you shoot 30% from 3 because of good defense and bad looks...last night we shot 30% because we sucked at shooting.

Offensively I thought we passed up some good jumper opportunities early in the clock. Would like to see guys pull up when they get some space, especially knowing we don't have much of a 3 ball weapon. Defensively, we've gotta be quicker to seal off the lanes. OSU & Ark St both had success going quick to the rim.

In the prediction thread I said we were in for a rough start followed by a hot streak and I stand by that. I think we are better than last year. If we can knock off Illinois St, I'll be content at 1-1. But 0-2 at home, even if the opponents are good, will be a tough pill to swallow.

Also when was the last time we lost a game that included a 20-0 run to the good???

I manually calculated Hadaway's plus minus last night because it seemed his brief spurts were disastrous.

+3 with him in to start
-10 with him out for 3 mins in 1st half
+14 rest of 2nd half
-3 with him to start 2nd half
-6 with him out for 2 mins in 2nd half
-2 rest of 2nd half

+12 with him in.
-16 with him out (for just 5 minutes)

Are we really comparing Frank Martin's and Jeff Boals' resumes right now? I think our roster is better than UMass' -- that has equivalent turnover to that of Arkansas State.

I think the point is just let the length and athleticism play -- something we need more of. He's going to go through growing pains. Better sooner than later.

In three contests, Hadaway is 6/12 from three. Sheldon is 7/22. If that trend continues, I am trusting replacing Sheldon with Breath in the starting lineup. Rebounding and defense would surely improve, Elliott would not be forced to guard the occasional 6'6"+ three man (though does he look taller than last year to anyone else?). What am I missing? This should be the move.

I love Pavs but his inability to score at the rim costs us 8-10 points a game. He's very good at getting past his defender only to get stuck under the hoop with no hope of even going up with it. It happened last year often and happened several times last night.

Our offense needs to go through Hadaway and Simmons. They are by far our best chance at putting the ball in the hoop. The motion offense makes it tough to get the big guys involved at times so I'd be in favor of running more sets just to get these two in good spots on the floor. If Hadaway had any right hand, he'd be a major problem for the defense but he's pretty much stuck going left.

ASU looked horrible IMO. They were on pace for 40 turnovers at one point. I'm not sure what I'm missing but I was not impressed.