MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - Printable Version
+- The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board)
+-- Forum: C-House! (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-5.html)
+--- Thread: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 (/thread-25357.html)
+- The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board)
+-- Forum: C-House! (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-5.html)
+--- Thread: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 (/thread-25357.html)
MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - skip75 - 12-17-2024
Stanford returns to action after a break for final exams. Hopefully this will be a "shake off the rust" game against a smaller, less athletic team heading into Saturday's game vs. #10 Oregon. But I also figured the Cal Poly game was a "shake off the first loss vs. GCU" game against a smaller, less athletic team.
Stanford is favored by 13-1/2 over the Warriors from the Metro Atlantic Athletic League. Merrimack is 6-5 against a schedule considerably stronger than what Stanford has faced. They are led by #0 Adam "Budd" Clark, a 5'10"/155 lb soph guard, leading the team in scoring (19.7 ppg) & assists (5.2/game). Clark was the MAAC Rookie of the Year last season and he has been the MAAC Player of the Week twice already this year. He is currently one of 50 players on the watch list for the Lou Henson award to be presented to the top mid-major level basketball player in the nation.
The Warriors have had the same starting line-up in all 11 games. Besides Clark, they start: two 6'4" guards - #3 Matt Becht (7.5ppg) & #5 Devon Savage (9.6 ppg and their most prolific 3pt shooter at 26-80); and two 6'7"/215 forwards - #11 Bryan Etumnu (5.9ppg & 5.0rpg) and #40 Sean Trumper (9.5ppg & 5.8rpg).
FWIW, Joe Lunardi's latest bracketology includes Merrimack as a 16 seed automatic qualifier as MAAC champ. Also in as AQs are Grand Canyon as a 12 seed and Norfolk State as a 15 seed. It also has Oregon as a 3 seed. The ACC has only 4 teams in (Duke as a 2, Clemson 6, Pitt 7, & UNC 9, with SMU as the 5th team out). This trails the SEC (13 teams), Big 10 (10), Big 12 (8), & Big East (5).
Another FWIW - I ran across a Syracuse fan site (https://www.nunesmagician.com/2024/12/16/24322167/tniaams-acc-mbb-power-rankings-return-for-the-24-25-season-soccer-league) with an ACC MBB power rating. It currently has Stanford ranked 8th behind Duke, Clemson, Pitt, SMU, UNC, Wake, & NC St. The comment for Stanford is "Maxime Raynaud will be first team All-ACC ... and no we're not talking about men's soccer." It also has Cal at #15 with the comment "Lost to Cornell so you can't be ranked much higher than this right now."
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - GK3 - 12-17-2024
(12-17-2024, 10:48 AM)skip75 Wrote: Stanford returns to action after a break for final exams. Hopefully this will be a "shake off the rust" game against a smaller, less athletic team heading into Saturday's game vs. #10 Oregon. But I also figured the Cal Poly game was a "shake off the first loss vs. GCU" game against a smaller, less athletic team.We have lost our game to a very seak opponent. My guess is we win by double figures. No matter how good their guard is, my guess Blakes makes his life miserable. We have a brobdingnagian size advantage and we should score inside at will. But there is the issue is that you do have to play the game. We shall see.
Stanford is favored by 13-1/2 over the Warriors from the Metro Atlantic Athletic League. Merrimack is 6-5 against a schedule considerably stronger than what Stanford has faced. They are led by #0 Adam "Budd" Clark, a 5'10"/155 lb soph guard, leading the team in scoring (19.7 ppg) & assists (5.2/game). Clark was the MAAC Rookie of the Year last season and he has been the MAAC Player of the Week twice already this year. He is currently one of 50 players on the watch list for the Lou Henson award to be presented to the top mid-major level basketball player in the nation.
The Warriors have had the same starting line-up in all 11 games. Besides Clark, they start: two 6'4" guards - #3 Matt Becht (7.5ppg) & #5 Devon Savage (9.6 ppg and their most prolific 3pt shooter at 26-80); and two 6'7"/215 forwards - #11 Bryan Etumnu (5.9ppg & 5.0rpg) and #40 Sean Trumper (9.5ppg & 5.8rpg).
FWIW, Joe Lunardi's latest bracketology includes Merrimack as a 16 seed automatic qualifier as MAAC champ. Also in as AQs are Grand Canyon as a 12 seed and Norfolk State as a 15 seed. It also has Oregon as a 3 seed. The ACC has only 4 teams in (Duke as a 2, Clemson 6, Pitt 7, & UNC 9, with SMU as the 5th team out). This trails the SEC (13 teams), Big 10 (10), Big 12 (8), & Big East (5).
Another FWIW - I ran across a Syracuse fan site (https://www.nunesmagician.com/2024/12/16/24322167/tniaams-acc-mbb-power-rankings-return-for-the-24-25-season-soccer-league) with an ACC MBB power rating. It currently has Stanford ranked 8th behind Duke, Clemson, Pitt, SMU, UNC, Wake, & NC St. The comment for Stanford is "Maxime Raynaud will be first team All-ACC ... and no we're not talking about men's soccer." It also has Cal at #15 with the comment "Lost to Cornell so you can't be ranked much higher than this right now."
Another questions about the upcoming season is why are we playing all ACC home games at 8pm except Cal and then playing our road games in the ACC at much more reasonable times. The East Coast ACC fans are going to have to stay up until 11 PM just to start the watch of the games out here. Why play our week night games at 8 PM/ I just do not see the sense of it.
What are our travel plans? Travel seems really difficult. Play at 6 PM mid week on the East Coast, then again on Saturday. So we fly Monday and back Sunday. How much practice can we fit into that mess? Frankly, if I were an ACC team I would be very unhappy with my mid week West Coast game being on TV at 11 PM at night. For us the mid week ACC road games are on line at a much better time. Really bad news is that most of our tough league games are on the road.
One last comment. If we can once again develop a strong basketball program, in the long haul the ACC and Stanford can benefit.
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - PVTree - 12-17-2024
I'm going to get tickets for the game tonight... Taking my niece to her first-ever Stanford sporting event. Does anyone know if the band will be present or are they on break already?
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - skip75 - 12-17-2024
No rust so far on the offensive end - 5/5 from 3 in the early going. Leading 39-30 at the half. Sellers with 13 pts and Blakes with 11. Need to tighten up the D and be more dominant on the boards. Can't find a points in the paint stat, but seems to me that we should have more than we do.
76lsjumb - 76lsjumb - 12-17-2024
Raynaud’s worst game of the season. Can’t throw it in the ocean…
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - JJJ - 12-17-2024
10/19 from beyond the arc.
But Merrimack guards are “pesky” as Ben Braun keeps repeating.
Agarwal making some needed shots. Hopefully Maxime reverts to form.
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - Sam Leopold - 12-17-2024
If Natalya Simonova from the classic '90's spy thriller GoldenEye were watching this game, she might say something like, "Oh dear, James, that didn't go so well."
Maybe so, Natalya, but the fact of the matter is that James Bond is still alive and kicking and that's the important thing.
Now let's get ready to jack the quacks.
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - fullmetal - 12-17-2024
Should we be concerned that Stanford was outscored by three in the second half? Or was that just the non-starters getting more minutes to rest the starters? Onward indeed.
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - needle - 12-18-2024
As I type this, literally no one in the ACC has a better record than Stanford (Duke, Pitt and SMU are tied with Stanford at 9-2). I'll take it!
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - JohnR34231 - 12-18-2024
(12-18-2024, 02:42 AM)needle Wrote: As I type this, literally no one in the ACC has a better record than Stanford (Duke, Pitt and SMU are tied with Stanford at 9-2). I'll take it!
I'll take it too, but I'm going to keep my enthusiasm down until I see how we do against stiffer competition.
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - Goose - 12-18-2024
(12-18-2024, 07:40 AM)JohnR34231 Wrote:I am doing the same. I admit I do not expect to win more than we lose, but hopefully we can be close to .500 going forward. I will also be very happy if Stanford can remain "in system" and not revert to aimless offense. On nights when the 3 pt shots are falling we can be dangerous (I hope :-).(12-18-2024, 02:42 AM)needle Wrote: As I type this, literally no one in the ACC has a better record than Stanford (Duke, Pitt and SMU are tied with Stanford at 9-2). I'll take it!
I'll take it too, but I'm going to keep my enthusiasm down until I see how we do against stiffer competition.
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - TriangleTree - 12-18-2024
(12-17-2024, 10:36 PM)fullmetal Wrote: Or was that just the non-starters getting more minutes to rest the starters? Onward indeed.
That was not the case
It was simply an inability to stop a 5’10 guard that was playing out of his mind. It happens. The game got a bit uncomfortable but never out of hand, we simply couldn’t put them away.
I noticed for the first time a far less enthusiastic and aggressive Maxime R, which showed in the performance. A bit concerning, but nice to see that others are capable of carrying the team went that happens, notably Sellers and Blakes. Agarwal can provide sparks too.
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - SkiBum80 - 12-18-2024
I watched about half the game, so my disclaimer is that I'm possibly only half on target with my assessment.
But I am holding to a couple of perceptions from earlier this season.
The main one being that Coach Smith has taken the team in a good direction.
Not only did he scramble to fill in a bunch of holes left by the exodus he inherited,
but he was able to cement the return of Maxime, no doubt with a nice assist from Lifetime Cardinal.
And with the depleted roster he inherited and quickly cobbled together, this team is playing better than last years.
So kudos to Coach and players.
That being said, yes they've pretty much only proved so far that they can usually beat a fair to middling mid-major type team if that team isn't having a season best night.
The truer tests are coming soon.
Regarding last night's game, anytime Maxime has the stat line he had, 16 pts, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, only 1 foul (and 3 turnovers),
I'm not sure what could possibly be the complaint. Others on the team have to pick up something beyond that, and they did (just enough, compliments to Sellers and Blakes especially, honorable mention to Agarwal) last night.
The Merrimack guard Clark had perhaps the most quickness and ball and body control in a player I've seen all year.
He was truly amazing and I'm not happy but not surprised he unleashed 32 pts on us.
(nor did Coach S look pleased)
I'll bet he does it again this season against others, if not multiple times.
Anyway, Coach and team have done what they needed to do, which is build a commanding win % at this stage of the season.
As now entering into much more challenging terrain.
Good luck guys.
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - fullmetal - 12-18-2024
(12-18-2024, 09:25 AM)TriangleTree Wrote: That was not the case
It was simply an inability to stop a 5’10 guard that was playing out of his mind. It happens. The game got a bit uncomfortable but never out of hand, we simply couldn’t put them away.
I noticed for the first time a far less enthusiastic and aggressive Maxime R, which showed in the performance. A bit concerning, but nice to see that others are capable of carrying the team went that happens, notably Sellers and Blakes. Agarwal can provide sparks too.
I wasn't able to watch the game, so thank you for that brilliant, brief summary!
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - Sam Leopold - 12-18-2024
(12-18-2024, 09:25 AM)TriangleTree Wrote: I noticed for the first time a far less enthusiastic and aggressive Maxime R, which showed in the performance. A bit concerning, but nice to see that others are capable of carrying the team went that happens, notably Sellers and Blakes. Agarwal can provide sparks too.
Let's take a look at what this game was. Classic sandwich game, following a needle-moving win at Cal, something Haase and for that matter Dawkins couldn't do very often, and also a lay-off of a week and a half. On the future side, top-10 Oregon in San Jose, followed by the rigors of our first-ever ACC conference schedule, road trip city, and everything else that will come with that. All of which would make this a hard game to get up for and a lot was set up for Stanford to have one of their worst games of the year, and I feared that the whole team would suffer the letdown that was exhibited by M.R. To be honest, the fact that it was just M.R. is encouraging if anything, and he still managed to heap up 16 points and 16 rebounds. If I were an athlete who could have a game like that on a night when I was far less enthusiastic and aggressive and having my worst game of the pre-conference season, I wouldn't need to put on deodorant......
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - Hurlburt88 - 12-19-2024
does anyone know why B. gealer did not get any minutes? Or did I mis-read the box score?
RE: MBB: vs. Merrimack, 7:00 - skip75 - 12-19-2024
According to Rivals, Benny was unavailable Tuesday due to illness and Derin Saran was unavailable due to injury.