UNF Basketball Thread: 2015-16 Season

spuwho · March 03, 2016, 07:49:57 PM

Good crowd here at UNF Arena tonight.

UNF is playing good defense.

Huge game for Ospreys.

spuwho · March 03, 2016, 07:53:55 PM

Media TO.

UNF 21 - FGCU 12

FGCU has 3 offensive fouls already. They are trying to penetrate the UNF defense.

spuwho · March 03, 2016, 08:07:34 PM

UNF 24 - FGCU 30

FGCU is starting to dominate the boards and UNF is missing the quick 3's.

JaxJersey-licious · March 03, 2016, 08:15:20 PM

UNF is just making to many mental mistakes and letting FGCU back in. HT can't come quick enough.

spuwho · March 03, 2016, 08:20:23 PM

UNF 31 - FGCU 45

Ospreys got blitzed in the last 6 minutes.

FGCU has a lot of fouls, but the Ospreys cant make the FT's.

They couldnt stop Norega in the final 3 minutes. He totally smoked Daniels twice.

spuwho · March 03, 2016, 08:39:49 PM

UNF 33 - FGCU 53

They need some major defense now.

17 min left.

spuwho · March 03, 2016, 08:55:44 PM

Ospreys will need some miracles now. They looked pretty gassed.

Down by 25 with 10:25 left.

People are starting to file out.

Tacachale · March 03, 2016, 08:59:31 PM

Ugh.

JaxJersey-licious · March 03, 2016, 09:11:50 PM

A shame to go down this way. Wonder where they'll be seeded in the NIT?

spuwho · March 03, 2016, 09:34:15 PM

UNF 56 - FGCU 89

I know you will freak when you read this.

Stetson upset Lipscomb up in Nashville tonight. So if Stetson upsets FGCU in Ft Myers on Sunday, UNF will be declared the NCAA team.

Stetson is ineligible for NCAA play this year. If they win the tourney, the NCAA reverts to the regular season champs.

Which of course was the Ospreys.

So just think how many Osprey fans will be rooting for Stetson on Sunday.

Lucasjj · March 03, 2016, 10:04:27 PM

That was a tough loss. I was one of those who filed out early, but I think I made it till 8 minutes left. I am can deal with a loss from cold shooting, but it was extremely frustrating watching FGCU just have opportunity after opportunity, either from offensive rebounds or sloppy turnovers by UNF. I don't know if it was an adjustment made by FGCU, but it was like someone turned the switch off for UNF. They were up 8 and then just got careless. I know they doubled up Dallas a bunch after his hot start, but it was just shocking to see them collapse like that.

spuwho · March 03, 2016, 11:38:49 PM

Quote from: Lucasjj on March 03, 2016, 10:04:27 PM
That was a tough loss. I was one of those who filed out early, but I think I made it till 8 minutes left. I am can deal with a loss from cold shooting, but it was extremely frustrating watching FGCU just have opportunity after opportunity, either from offensive rebounds or sloppy turnovers by UNF. I don't know if it was an adjustment made by FGCU, but it was like someone turned the switch off for UNF. They were up 8 and then just got careless. I know they doubled up Dallas a bunch after his hot start, but it was just shocking to see them collapse like that.

It was after the first media time out. The Ospreys missed several free throws and then Noriela started going inside.

The forward traps they started running on Dallas Moore forced his head down and wasted shot clock while he back court dribbled to break the trap. This put all of the Ospreys out of their usual positions as they circulated forward to help out.

But the Ospreys didnt have an answer for those top court traps. And if Dallas drove to the basket when the trap broke, he had significant height blocking his path to the basket.

Coach didnt replace Moore with Karlos Odum until they were down by 24, which was nearly too late. Odum never got trapped, but did get his shots blocked a couple of times.

Beau Beech had several shots tipped at release, his defender was getting just enough jump on him to scratch the ball. Beau started driving after that and drawing fouls, but it was too late by that time.

I hate second guessing coaches, but if UNF had changed up their game plan sooner, stop using Moore exclusively for the front court dribble (as good as he is) and broke the trap cycle, perhaps.

But by the 10 minute mark, I could see it on the Ospreys faces. When they let Providence graduate Terrell free access to the basket twice and even let him take 2 rebounds away from them, it was done. By this time they couldnt defend or rebound. The turnovers just pushed the margin even higher.

Like what was said, it was like a switch got turned and UNF lost their nerve.

copperfiend · March 04, 2016, 08:45:09 AM

We are all Stetson fans now, lol

Downtown Osprey · March 04, 2016, 09:37:51 AM

This was just another example of how this team has played all year. Even early on it was apparent that having no inside presence was going to hurt them. Once other A-SUN teams figured that out, well, you saw the slump they went on and never did recover from.

Also, they have to be one of the worst defensive basketball teams I've ever seen. Oh well, let's hope they can still build up this program and Coach stays around for the foreseeable future. There IS something here.

spuwho · March 04, 2016, 02:24:04 PM

Coach Driscoll said he changed the defensive schemes 3 times during the FGCU run.

Man 2 man, 1-3-1 and 2-3 trapping zones, none of them worked.

But the Ospreys shot absolutely terrible during the same run. Beech, Mackey, Bodager all missed open threes they usually make.

This is why I think UNF should have gone "big" and took it to the basket more and draw the fouls. It would have allowed the game to slown down and allowed more points off the clock. FGCU was clearly physical and the refs were calling it, so leverage it.

But the guys got rattled mentally at about the 12 minute mark and started turning the ball over. Malonga, Mackey, ill advised or ill timed passes. Beech had a line drive pass slip in his hands and it ended up in the student section.

Great no look passes were wasted because the player wasnt expecting it or wasnt quite ready. I will say that FGCU played excellent defense and it forced the Ospreys onto a lot of low percentage shots, many near the end of the 30 second clock.

But one thing I have said since they played Austin-Peay, they arent good rebounders. I dont know if that is the result of being a 3 point team and just expecting it to swish or what, but I still dont see them blocking out under the basket. They stand with their arms up.

Overall, they have had a great season and the fact they done this well (for 2 years no less) with essentially a 3 guard, 2 power forward team speaks volumes about Coach Driscoll and his abilities.

If they dont make the NCAA or NIT, they will probably get invited to the CollegeHoops.com Classic which is a post season tourney for winning mid-major programs.

Both USC Upstate and FGCU played in it last year. FGCU lost in the first round, but Upstate lost to the eventual champion UT-Martin in the semis.

I love watching these guys play, yeah, they got flaws as everyone does, but they have done some cool things and have added some great history to the University.

More people know about North Florida now than they did 3 years ago.