Has the coaching improved, or are they winning on talent?

The coaching was pretty bad last year.

_________________

I think it has. I wasn't thrilled with the coaching even in year 1 when they won something like 25 games. I thought the success was attributable to the quality of that senior class (which had a final four and sweet sixteen under its belt)

Last year was a mess. Coaching was horrible but they also didn't have the talent to match the step up in conference.

This year, they have returned to their character as a defensive team. Defense is the great equalizer in college hoops. As clutch as that final four group was, they were lock down defenders at every position and against the biggest of talents. Unfortunately, they still turn the ball over too much and miss too many free throws.

Valentine is still just 32, so there is a learning curve.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

15-7 now and a game out of first place. This is a big week in DC against the Georges, Mason and Washington.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

big game tonight at george mason. Both are tough defenders and GM is very good at home.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

That was a character revealing win. 16-7. It’s validly time to start paying attention.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

they finished off a big road trip 2-0 and are now 17-7. They are tied for second in the conference with Dayton, who is a top 20 team (for the moment).

You can tell that they are good because they win when they don't play their best game. It was the opposite last year.

I think they have a very good shot at winning the A10 tournament. The top four teams get double byes, which is huge. Dayton is 0-2 against the other two teams in the top 4 and plays Loyola in Chicago later this year in a game that is already sold out. Now, the Ramblers are also 0-2. Both Loyola and Dayton played both of those games on the road, in a quirk of scheduling.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Tied for first place in the A 10 after being last in their previous year. Nice turn around.

18-8 with one that should be easy next and then a test of three games, which, if they go 3-0, they should have the regular season title

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

19-7 now.

Team is great at closing out games. They really lock down in the last 5 minutes.

Big three game stretch v. GM, @ Bonnie, v Dayton. GM really should be a win. They get a five day break before and GM is not very good on the road.

They had a great weekend of recruiting news with 2 top 75 players committing, one from Egypt the other from Russia (joe will love him). I have a feeling they will be a popular destination for transfers as well, if they close out this year strong. A 10 has definitely exposed them to bigger markets on the east coast. Go to Loyola and you are assured of playing in your home town if you are from NY, Phila, DC and Boston. They lose a lot at the end of this year and Braeden Norris is irreplaceable, but their overall talent may end up being stronger.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

This is the week of truth. First they have a tricky game tonight at St. Bonaventure. Bonnie was picked to finish second in the league behind Dayton, but they have underwhelmed with a slightly over .500 record. Still, they are a good team at home and this could definitely be a look ahead situation with Dayton on Friday.

Friday-Saturday the tope 4 teams play against each other, so this will really be heavily determine who wins the regular season championship. Dayton at Loyola and VCU at Richmond (although they are both from Richmond). Three teams are within one game of each other.

Loyola received a couple of votes in national rankings, so people are taking notice. Win this week and they might crack the top 25.

Also, UMass is leaving the A10 after next year to join the MAC. Bad move for basketball but good for football. However, their football is terrible. MACtion gets you on tv at prime time during the week. However, their TV deal seems terrible for building school spirit as you aren't filling a stadium on a Tuesday night.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Still in this thing for the championship but now need a lot of help. There is no difference between the 2 and 3 seed so a loss to Dayton now doesn't have any damage.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Win the conference tourney for the auto bid, or bust.

Big game at home against Dayton tonight. 8 pm on the deuce. Worth a watch if you aren't doing anything.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Great win

Now they need vcu to take down richmond

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I hope you were able to catch the game on Friday night. It was really a great showcase for the university and the program. It sounded loud on TV.

First home win against a top 25 program in something like 35 years. This team is playing like an NCAA tournament worthy team. They just didn't take care of business in the early season.

They need a miracle to finish in first. They are a virtual lock for the 2 seed.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

23-8 and co champs of the A10. Worst to first in their second year in the conference. Pretty impressive stuff.

Unfortunately, they lose the #1 seed due to an early loss to Richmond. This makes the road much tougher as they will have to play Dayton in the semifinals (if they get there), who I still think is the best team in the conference. They also, most likely, get a revenge game against St. Bonaventure.

This should be a three bid conference. It may be one if Dayton wins out. Loyola is playing like a tourney team but I just don't think the objective numbers justify a bid if they don't win out. They started out slowly.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Bonnie's today. Tough draw for a first game. Mully was kvetching about it because they beat the Ramblers soundly a couple of weeks ago. That was a terrible spot for loyola on the road and in a look ahead game. Bonnie's didn't have a great record away from home and will be playing on consecutive nights after a tough game. I like the Ramblers to win by 10.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Who the hell are the 'Blers?

Played themselves out of an NCAA bid.

_________________

Well, all the top seeds in the A-10 lost so hopefully Loyola can still get in.

_________________

Nope

Bad loss after being up double digits with 8 to play

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I caught the OT periods. The analyst said that The Bonnies scored the last 11 points in regulation to tie it.

_________________

So the Blers choked?

badly. They didn't score for something like 7 minutes at the end of regulation. It was an almost unlosable game. Despite all of that, they should have won in OT.

I have a hard time even talking about it. All four top seeds lost yesterday. The NCAA was right there for them.

Young coaching definitely into play. Valentine still has plenty of growing to do. Players choked on it though.

The lose a lot this year. They also bring a lot back and had probably the best recruiting year in their history. They absolutely must insure that Miles Rubin returns. The future still looks good.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

This is the best time of the year for watching college basketball, but we're also a few days away from the portal opening. Makes it really hard to play the game of "future looks bright".

Missed free throws, and a number of missed interior shots as well.

_________________

There is a better chance he already has his next deal line up. SIU looked to have a good team returning and got gutted in the portal last year. The new era of NIL is just turning mid major teams into farm systems.

_________________

What region are the Ramblers in?

Good question. Where are the Blers?

Interesting to see if Porter Moser keeps his job. I read somewhere it's the first time since the late 70s Oklahoma has gone 3 years without going to the tournament.

They have an interesting matchup with former MVC rival Bradley. The two always played each other tough. I like that the NIT creates these fun rivalry type games

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.