Game 3: NM State (at Springfield)

[mlaconte459]

all I can say is could anyone have asked for anything more out of gurley this year? it seems that the time with the pro scouts has really helped his game.. Not forcing up bad shots.. taking it to the lane.. dishing the ball when hes covered.. is like a totally new player this year and I am beyond impressed

[xlgman]

AG has shown in the past that he's capable of playing this well. He was fantastic in the non-con schedule last year but unfortunately hit a big slump in A10 play and perhaps lost some confidence or focus. This type of play is not a fluke from him. He's a hell of a player who has had some weaknesses in his game that are fixable with effort and coaching - namely defense, decision making and playing under control. Hopefully he'll avoid slipping back into old habits and provide steady play all year long.

I've held off commenting much because I only listened to part of the game and I like to hear what people say who were actually there. I must say that I am very encouraged by what I've heard and not a little excited about our prospects this season. Much more so that before the season. It's early, I realize. But it's hard to not be optimistic right now. You have to think that these guys are finally seeing what they are capable of and with the depth we have, they will push each other to not let up.

[InnervisionsUMASS]

Great to see the team come together so well... the first have was fantastic, and they did enough to ensure that NMS couldn't get back into the game in the 2nd half.

I was upset about the attendance as well, but that is the fault of the HOF for thinking they could get away with charging an arm and a leg for this type of competition (especially when you don't put the best two teams against each other...)

[InnervisionsUMASS]

Got an email from DK through UMASS Athletics....

Dear UMass Fans,

Wow. I want to thank those of you who were with us at the MassMutual Center last night as we beat New Mexico St. and moved to 3 – 0 on the season. Your Minutemen played UMass Basketball with tough defense and smart execution. If you couldn’t make it out, we would love to see you on Monday evening as we look to go 4-0 and beat a very good TCU basketball team to close out the Inaugural Hall of Fame Tip Off event. It is great to play in my hometown of Springfield and the guys would love to have a packed MassMutual Center to root them on in the battle.

The Hall of Fame has a special offer for reduced rate tickets. Being a member of the UMass faithful, you can get tickets for $39, $29, and $19. Tickets can be purchased in person at the MassMutual Center Box Office with the promotional code “FRIENDS” or online at www.ticketmaster.com using the same code. You know, there isn’t a bad seat in the building!!!! So come out and JOIN THE REVOLUTION!

Best Wishes,

DK

[Minutemanfan]

What jumped out at me were 3-D's...Defense, Depth and Daryl.

In addition to the quote from Marty's article about him diving for the ball, DT got into the head of their point gaurd...Hernst Laroche. He had Hernst talking to himself.

Javorn, Sampson, AG and TV were great too. By saying so, I'm not taking anthing away from the performances of the rest of the team.

I loved the way DK managed the game, especially down the stretch. whevever the Aggies made 2-3 hoops in a row, he called time out. He used those time outs to talk to the team and keep their heads on straight.

Only two things sucked about last night; attendance and the officiating.

Interesting that Marty cites the Oklahoma and Arkansas games. My buddy and I were talking about them as well. Hope last night's game is as important to UMass coming back to national prominence as those games were in establishing UMass in the first place.

Senior Anthony Gurley led the way with 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Sophomore Javorn Farrell, who had missed the first two games with an ankle injury, scored a career-high 15 points.

“He was kind of like Dominique Wilkins tonight,’’ said Menzies. “You know what he’s going to do, but you can’t stop him from doing it."

Is he referring to Javorn?

[MassMan06]

Senior Anthony Gurley led the way with 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Sophomore Javorn Farrell, who had missed the first two games with an ankle injury, scored a career-high 15 points.

“He was kind of like Dominique Wilkins tonight,’’ said Menzies. “You know what he’s going to do, but you can’t stop him from doing it."

Is he referring to Javorn?

Yea, it's clearer from the quote in this article:

http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ss ... arrel.html

[Floyd]

Blutrane, I don't mean to speak for Swampy, but I think that was his point. The post was laden with sarcasm...at least the way I interpreted it.

It's the hippie hay

[Minutemanfan]

Yea, it's clearer from the quote in this article:

http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ss ... arrel.html

Thanks.

High praise indeed! Well deserved, I mght add.

On another note...people running these things need to realize that if they price tickets reasonably, the house will be full and people will spend the "extra" money on concessions souvenirs etc.

[UMass1991]

I'll take the W but the game shouldn't have been this close. Up by 21 at half against a team that just played a couple of days ago in Arizona. What happened to Bailey? Only 7 minutes?? Looks like Putney will be riding the pine this season

If they would have won by 42 should they have won by 50? Come on it is a good win.

First off, I never said I was unhappy they won. I am ecstatic. In fact, I only see UCF and maybe Seton Hall from preventing this team from entering conference play at 13-0

"You havw got to be kidding me! Get the hell out of here! We played great in the first half you can't expect the whole game to go like that...we just beat a pretty damn good team by double figures"

Second, you are damn right. I want this team to win by 40 or 50 or 150. What is wrong with that. What is wrong with wanting your team to come out and look at their opponent and say "You think 21 points is bad, just wait, you have seen nothing yet. I am going to kick you in the balls, punch you in the stomach, eat your young... announce my presense with authority... a greasy fast 200 pound Italian tank, now go through him, run over him.. I play like Gennaro played... I am going to rip off your head and shit down your neck..." I didn't realize that was wrong

[Roadtrip]

UCF is 3-0 against lesser competition, but if they are pretty much the team they were last year I believe they can be beaten. UMass played them in their opener last year; very young, jittery, and still played them close.

[MassMan06]

USC beat New Mexico State 80-61. Can't imagine they had a whole lot left in the tank.

[Marty Peretz]

Hate to say it, but it makes our win look a lot less impressive. Rider beat USC by 20 at their place...

[OutlawPete]

But our Rider win looks better now than it did last week. Won't really matter because we won't be getting an at-large bid to the NCAA unless there is some miracle. It's all about A-10 games.

[MassMan06]

It's still early, but I don't think an NIT bid is completely out of the question. It's important our opponents do well.

[Winslow05]

MassMan I was thinking the same thing the other night. This team reminds me a lot of TF's team that went deep in the NIT. We have a weak OOC schedule that should allow us to win a lot of games and build confidence as we mature just as that team did.