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Jim French Stepstool

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Everything posted by Jim French Stepstool

  1. Jim French Stepstool
    Right. As I remember it now, Grambling didn't show due to concerns about getting HOME afterward, not getting in. Shoulda just scheduled Edgewood College.
  2. Jim French Stepstool
    I think this nails it. I believe they have plenty of confidence in Monasterio, they just see him in a particular role & getting regular ABs ain't it. The hype, and the longer-term plans, are reserved for those they believe have more upside.
  3. Jim French Stepstool
    That was a real scramble situation. IIRC, after Grambling couldn't get here Gard tried to get UWM to come over & fill in but it was close to the holidays & much of their team had already scattered.
  4. Jim French Stepstool
    What I wouldn't give for games to be called the way they were oh, 15-20 years ago. It's almost as if some of the people who work for the NCAA see NBA scores in the 120s & 130s & go "Ooh!! ooh!! Me too, me too", all the while being oblivious to the fact that they have a superior product as is (at least I think so). I have two particular beefs, besides what you mentioned above. 1) People guarding 3PT shooters are being called for fouls they'd never be called for if it was a jumper inside the arc or in the paint, and 2)I don't know exactly when this started, but refs are viewing shots close to the hoop in traffic, waiting to see if the shot goes in, and blowing the whistle if it doesn't but swallowing the whistle if it does. Probably impossible to prove but I'm convinced they're doing that & it's maddening.
  5. Jim French Stepstool
    I took a look at the box score from their game with MSU, since it's most likely the closest in skill, size & physicality to what they'll face Friday (I recall watching some of it, but it was early in the season & I was young then). Some of the stuff that stood out to me: JMU was whistled for 32 fouls. They collected an astonishing 51 rebounds, no doubt fueled by Michigan State missing 46 shots from the floor (1-20 from 3PT) & 14 free throws. JMU did not shoot the ball well from the floor but got to the line quite a bit. From what I recall it was a grinder of sorts & a typical case of MSU not being in November what they'd be later on. Ely is correct. Establish the post. I'll still beat the Wahl drum. I thought he looked a little better (offensively) in the second half. Hoping the next four days are a healing time for him, and also for Blackwell who looks to be feeling the effects of what has been the most challenging docket of his short career.
  6. Jim French Stepstool
    Big shout out to Grambling for reaching their first D1 tourney. Their head coach is a Milwaukee native, and he has three Milw kids on the roster. And even a chance to win a first four game vs Montana State, before having four of their post players disqualified on fouls in their next game.
  7. Jim French Stepstool
    I'm surprised JMUs' RPI is below the other three. Perusing the skeds, UAB lost by 21 to McNeese. At Home. Although they did beat FAU & almost knocked off Clemson. GCU, I dunno. The WAC is awfully watered down these days. They did beat SDSU at home. I'd prefer UAB. But when I make a bracket out it usually winds up looking like my dog filled it in, so...........
  8. Jim French Stepstool
    Certainly not easy. depends on how you view it, I guess. UAB would be the preferred 12 seed for me, but then you'd have Auburn which might be the best #4 unless Kansas suddenly gets healthy. Pick your poison I suppose.
  9. Jim French Stepstool
    After watching the selection show, I didn't bother with much of the "expert analysis". I'm just assuming most if not all talking heads out there are going with James Madison & McNeese in popular 12-5 upsets. Without being well-versed on JMU, I'm sure they're capable of pulling off a win, but nationally I think what will be lost on most people is that UW is probably playing their best ball right now, IMO even a little better than during the 16-4 start. Watching them at Penn State, Michigan & Rutgers, it's hard to believe how good they looked especially yesterday & today. I suspect they win if the trend continues. And i'm sure the time off won't hurt. JMU knocks down about 4 of every 11 3pt attempts, so that's a concern. And a # of different guys shoot them. Oh, and if they advance to play Duke, anyone frustrated by thinking Edey gets away with a lot, wait'll you see Filipowski do mostly whatever he wants for 38 minutes w/o consequence.
  10. Jim French Stepstool
    You called it re the offensive boards. A few second chances for them in the 2nd half kept it from UW maybe having a 4-5 point lead late. Other than that, they just made more plays once it was 85-85. Not too much to complain about. Couple questionable foul calls hurt. But the thing about Illinois, they're loaded with these 6-5 to 6-7 guys who can make plays and, when they feel like it, defend. I would've liked for Crowl to get a few more looks in the post, but can't complain when Hepburn & Storr dominate the shot chart with the way they got things done. Big sigh of relief when Klesmit came back in. A liiiiiiitle bit more from Wahl in the 2nd half. Maybe he's starting to feel a little better. An extra weapon, even a 10PPG one, can make a difference.
  11. Jim French Stepstool
    Did it briefly in the 1st half, then went away from it. I just don't think he likes the offensive flow when he tries it, plus I don't know if there are two guys plodding enough in the Illinois lineup to make it work defensively.
  12. Jim French Stepstool
    Agreed, but that's a good OREB team. Keeping them in the halfcourt might give us a chance there. Would be nice if Wahl channels his inner Peter Frampton and Comes Alive. Fortunately we're hitting the offensive boards pretty well ourselves.
  13. Jim French Stepstool
    Tighten up the D. Keep Illinois out of transition. If we shoot early in the clock fine, but it can't result in a long rebound. Keeping them from running also means cut back on the TOs (we usually do that after halftime). This might be a longshot because he's in a funk right now, but a good 2nd half from Wahl could be instrumental. Gilmore doing the relentless hustle stuff he always does, except this time it's resulting in points for him. He deserves it. I wonder what kind of SR year Hepburn could have if he builds on this. He's arguably playing the best ball of his career right now.
  14. Jim French Stepstool
    Agree.
  15. Jim French Stepstool
    If NIL & transfer portal stuff ever leads to the NCAA considering moving to a format where you have the top 75 or 100 schools in a separate classification, the folks doing the considering need to be locked in a room, tied to a chair & forced to watch a loop of UMBC vs Virginia, Fairleigh Dickinson-Purdue, and some of the 2-15 upsets until they get their mind right. I don't think it'll ever come to that. But when you have a bureaucracy, sometimes you just can't assume common sense.
  16. Jim French Stepstool
    Just a quick PSA about this time of year for college basketball & how entertaining it is. Just watched the 2nd half of the Ivy League championship game. Yale was playing Brown, who has made the tournament twice--in 1986, and 1939. They appeared on the verge of winning it, but missed some FTs & Yale made a few huge threes, then knocked in a short jumper at the buzzer to win it. You see the pure exhilaration from the players & fans, as well as the contrast of the disbelief from the Brown fans in attendance as they get something they thought they'd probably never experience in their lifetime placed in front of them, then ripped away. This whole time of year is just such a passion play, repeated time & time again. True reality TV at its' best. I love March.
  17. Jim French Stepstool
    I get the feeling Iowa State might be a good darkhorse pick to win it all. Maybe not even all that "dark" of a horse. It's so dependent on matchups. I mean it wouldn't be surprising to see an Auburn in the FF, an Illinois, a Kansas if they get healthy..........
  18. Jim French Stepstool
    Nebraska looks like they can beat anyone the way they've been playing, if they can defend just a little bit. Missed most of the 2nd half of the 2nd game today, was more than a little surprised to learn it was 58-36 Illinois. I've felt Crowl, if aggressive, can get a lot done in the post vs them, but now Dainja is getting used more & looked good vs Ohio State. It's gonna be tough no matter how you slice it, but Illinois is playing for the 3rd day in a row themselves & I believe we have a little more effective depth. Maybe the 3-headed power forward steps up. Perhaps Winter (I like his increased aggressiveness) has a good day. Maybe a little more run from McGee. And there's this guy on the bench with fresh legs who's been known to get hot from deep. Maybe...............
  19. Jim French Stepstool
    Got a kick at how they were talking to the former ref on air, and he bent over backwards to be diplomatic. Reminded me of when they used to talk to Bruce Froemming during Brewer telecasts. Edey could tear down the Target Center brick by brick tonite out of frustration, and they'd probably cite the construction company for a building code violation.
  20. Jim French Stepstool
    What's nice about winning this game, is you can b**** about the officiating w/o it sounding like sour grapes. I get that it's hard to officiate with a guy that big. But the two calls in the OT, my goodness. So you're down three bigs, Carter Gilmore battling like he's throwing 1930s prop planes at King Kong, Chris Hodges having to get quality minutes in the 1st half, and you still---find---a---way. Today, the guy with the straight As & pocket protector got the girl😁. My star of the game has to be Hepburn. Just pure guts. Gutsy stuff also from Klesmit, Crowl, Gilmore. I think you gotta live with Storr & the high volume. Just wish he'd lean a little more towards driving the ball. Wahl fought his heart out. But you gotta be smarter with the shot selection. PLEASE. Let's hope they play on Friday. Tomorrow will be their 4th day in a row, Could use every extra day they can get.
  21. Jim French Stepstool
    The early tech set the tone for these calls. Not justifying it, just sayin'.
  22. Jim French Stepstool
    Certainly don't want Wahl doing that, almost more than not wanting Gilmore doing it. But Ilver not making them really costs us. That's one of the reasons he's gotten increased minutes, to knock down some shots. He makes one or two, now they probably have to guard him with a four, and Edey has to come out on Crowl. Instead he misses on both his attempts, plus misses a boxout on a FT. That's quite a big swing in a tie game. That, and leaving 3 or 4 points on the FT line hurt us. Really could've been up 6 or 8 at the half.
  23. Jim French Stepstool
    Hah!! Turns out Wahl got tangled up w/someone else, went down, & Buie fell over him. My description above wasn't quite accurate. It would've been hard to lay him out on some of his 3pt attempts since you'd have to be nuts to guard him 28 feet from the hoop. Glad we won't see that guy anymore.
  24. Jim French Stepstool
    Certainly possible. Nowadays it's so much more about opponent matchups than seeding so we'll see how it breaks down. It would help if Tyler Wahl can get back to doing Tyler Wahl things (the good things lol). Good call about Klesmit switching on to Buie. He guarded (and shut down) Ty Berry last time the teams played, so it was nice to have him "freed up" for the assignment. I liked the idea of Blackwell starting out on him, it just didn't work out today. Give him a year or two & Blackwell will be guarding 1s, 2s or 3s effectively.
  25. Jim French Stepstool
    Big picture, I thought UWs' defense vs Buie was "good enough" after they seemed averse to guarding him in the opening minutes, and the defense vs everyone else was very impressive. And if anyone wants to point out Buie not being 100% after Wahl rolled over him, well, I agree. He usually gets into the lane & creates or puts up that little floater, and after getting banged up he hardly did any of that. But making life miserable for Langborn, Barnhizer & Martinelli was huge. It seemed like every time Northwestern had a chance to get it down closer than 5 or so pts in the second half, someone made a play. Crowl or Storr with a bucket, someone getting into the lane & drawing a foul, McGee with the blocked shot (still not sure I actually saw that😲), and Blackwell, despite struggling, with the late dagger. Nice team win w/o Hepburn. Klesmit & McGee kept things organized. I guess Wahl had some health issues which was why he was in-and-out of the lineup. It's been awhile since he's looked good on the floor. Certainly need him playing better going forward.
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