Now THAT’S what I am talking about. Great f-ing win. Reminded me of the Braun/Monty years when Haas was rocking. We should start seeing more 2-big sets and less Chris Bell…
Tip of the cap on another solid game by DJ Campbell. 12-15 mpg is the sweet spot.
Run the O thru Pippen, Dai Dai, Camden…a 2nd big in Ilic or Kocanas allows Dort to do different things.
My loyalty to Ilic is almost unhealthy. His film From Loyola-MD was unreal, a true inside/outside threat who operates at all levels. I think there's a magical lineup somewhere in here and hoping Madsen can unleash it.
Yeah, Ilic looks like a truly different player now. At the start of the season he looked like he'd never used the round, orange bouncy object before. He's moving with purpose now on both offense and defense. The last few games it looks like he's been better at returning to his post when his man lures him away from the basket.
I agree - his rough start in Berkeley seemed an outlier, based on what he did in the Patriot League. Word is he was slow to recover from an offseason injury. The FT stroke especially - he was 65% career FT shooter, shooting 30%….and the passing is no joke.
The Kocanas 3-ball was a game changer. Almost hit another.
The development of these 2 could allow this team to do some different things in 2H of ACC play. Move Bell into a 6th man role.
Seeing Kocanas hit 3 once, then do a heat check immediately lol. He'll do the craziest things with the highest energy and excitement. Friggin love that guy.
I know he can shoot decently for a big man, but he hasn't established himself as Dirk Nowitzki yet.
💯 our seats were above the visitors tunnel which at that time also had a student section to the right of the tunnel looking from the court. I remember Don MacClean being spit upon by students resulting in chaos in the tunnel. Security tried to find the offender without any luck. I don’t think most of Haas knew what the commotion was about. Cal went onto upset UCLA in this game which I believe had Tracy Murray also as a key player. Those were the days packed into Harmon like sardines.
But Bell had one of his better games on D. Also, if he keeps his shot selection in check he is a threat especially in the midrange as he is able to shoot over most defenders.
Well they’re certainly going to need him, but the lack of consistency that plagued him last year at ‘Cuse has returned. The ability to shoot over defenders is a plus, but he’s not making them because he’s a catch and shoot guy that struggles to create his own O. While he showed up in the L to Va Tech, in the other 3 past games he’s gone 3-24 from the field (2-17 from beyond the arc) with just 4 boards.
Need him to shake the shooting slump because really that’s what he does best…but the stroke is there. Camden shot himself out of it…hoping CB will too.
He needs to stay focused and in the game mentally. He failed to hustle back after missed jumper where he thought he was fouled on at least one occasion again and of greater concern he was repeatedly in the wrong spot for the full court press break. Madsen subbed out for him w/ Campbell because Bell kept ending up not sufficiently spreading the back end of the floor.
i was super impressed by howcrisp the defensive rotations were. super organized, players quick to rotate to the right guy after blitzing their star players. kudos to madsen. thats all coaching
HUGE Quad 1 win for our hopes of getting a selection in March. It just seemed like we couldn't miss at all in the 1st half, and I kinda expected it to cool off in the 2nd. But Ilic and Kocanas hitting threes....is this a dream?!?!
HAHA! My two good friends and I who have been in the student section all year became huge fans of him after the Sac State game, we exchanged a few words with him throughout the game and been glazing him since lol. The struggles have not been great lately, but his confidence is never an issue so I'm confident he'll be back to his non-conference form soon!
Need to hang in there for the first half of ACC play. The second half is where we could put it together and make a run. At least now the team can believe that they have a chance to win any game from here on (especially since we don’t see Duke again).
Sitting in the stands as our Golden Bears left the court I thought "that was the best half of basketball I've watched us play in ... I can't remember how long!" Fortunately the second half was just good enough for us to get what is in my book a signature win.
Made it through the toughest stretch of the schedule. Getting that Hokies win abc going 3-3 would've made this a clear success, but 2-4 with a Top 25 upset is still great considering our past struggles.
We abused the defense of a ranked team. Just rained 3s on their heads while Dort wiped the boards with authority. I've seen this team play 30 minutes of a 40 minute game before so was emotionally prepared for the bricks, turnovers, and UNC's comeback. But we locked in, broke their press, hit some shots and got the very impressive W.
Of note: I am again asking Madsen to NOT WIND THE CLOCK DOWN BEFORE STARTING THE OFFENSE. I've never seen us get a decent shot off because we don't have someone like Tyson who could actually get to the hoop. Gotta score on the drive or the kick...and we don't accomplish either.
For some reason I thought this was a night game so didn’t pay any attention until I was talking to a friend who is a fellow alum and he dropped the news on me. That’s a good win.
Fantastic win. And gets you right back on track for the Dance (long shot) OR NIT (not as much) after the tough L at Va Tech …realistic best case 1H of conference play was, what, 3-6? You had to get ND, which they luckily did. LOU/@UVA/Duke/UNC/@Furd was/is likely 5 L’s…to get even one of them is huge.
@FSU becomes a must win. Then if you lose at MIA you’re 3-6 with a more manageable 2H. Plus you have a 2nd marquee W over a blue blood for the resume.
Even bigger though is the roster is starting to develop more of an identity. 30 real solid minutes v Duke, big W over UNC. Camden/Pippen/Dai Dai - time to run the O thru them and continue to develop the bigs.
I'm just bummed that Rytis is out for the season. He's the missing piece of the 2nd unit, snagging boards and being a pest on defense. Dorsey's trying to take the pest role but he can't shoot or rebound well.
Now THAT’S what I am talking about. Great f-ing win. Reminded me of the Braun/Monty years when Haas was rocking. We should start seeing more 2-big sets and less Chris Bell…
Tip of the cap on another solid game by DJ Campbell. 12-15 mpg is the sweet spot.
Run the O thru Pippen, Dai Dai, Camden…a 2nd big in Ilic or Kocanas allows Dort to do different things.
My loyalty to Ilic is almost unhealthy. His film From Loyola-MD was unreal, a true inside/outside threat who operates at all levels. I think there's a magical lineup somewhere in here and hoping Madsen can unleash it.
Yeah, Ilic looks like a truly different player now. At the start of the season he looked like he'd never used the round, orange bouncy object before. He's moving with purpose now on both offense and defense. The last few games it looks like he's been better at returning to his post when his man lures him away from the basket.
I agree - his rough start in Berkeley seemed an outlier, based on what he did in the Patriot League. Word is he was slow to recover from an offseason injury. The FT stroke especially - he was 65% career FT shooter, shooting 30%….and the passing is no joke.
The Kocanas 3-ball was a game changer. Almost hit another.
The development of these 2 could allow this team to do some different things in 2H of ACC play. Move Bell into a 6th man role.
Seeing Kocanas hit 3 once, then do a heat check immediately lol. He'll do the craziest things with the highest energy and excitement. Friggin love that guy.
I know he can shoot decently for a big man, but he hasn't established himself as Dirk Nowitzki yet.
He has a solid stroke for a big. That 2nd 3 almost went too. Would’ve blown the roof off Haas.
I do miss the old Harmon Gym bandbox days with Kidd, Murray and Grigsby!
💯 our seats were above the visitors tunnel which at that time also had a student section to the right of the tunnel looking from the court. I remember Don MacClean being spit upon by students resulting in chaos in the tunnel. Security tried to find the offender without any luck. I don’t think most of Haas knew what the commotion was about. Cal went onto upset UCLA in this game which I believe had Tracy Murray also as a key player. Those were the days packed into Harmon like sardines.
Brian Hendrick and Roy Fisher led Cal, but my favorite player was guard Billy Dreher, talk about a feisty player who didn’t back down from anyone.
Dreher was so solid.
Those were glorious days.
Those were simpler days. Would take em now. I think it was even still the Pac-10.
It was easier to be a fan.
But Bell had one of his better games on D. Also, if he keeps his shot selection in check he is a threat especially in the midrange as he is able to shoot over most defenders.
Well they’re certainly going to need him, but the lack of consistency that plagued him last year at ‘Cuse has returned. The ability to shoot over defenders is a plus, but he’s not making them because he’s a catch and shoot guy that struggles to create his own O. While he showed up in the L to Va Tech, in the other 3 past games he’s gone 3-24 from the field (2-17 from beyond the arc) with just 4 boards.
Need him to shake the shooting slump because really that’s what he does best…but the stroke is there. Camden shot himself out of it…hoping CB will too.
He needs to stay focused and in the game mentally. He failed to hustle back after missed jumper where he thought he was fouled on at least one occasion again and of greater concern he was repeatedly in the wrong spot for the full court press break. Madsen subbed out for him w/ Campbell because Bell kept ending up not sufficiently spreading the back end of the floor.
A salient point - he does seem to look for a foul on many of his missed FGA….
i was super impressed by howcrisp the defensive rotations were. super organized, players quick to rotate to the right guy after blitzing their star players. kudos to madsen. thats all coaching
HUGE Quad 1 win for our hopes of getting a selection in March. It just seemed like we couldn't miss at all in the 1st half, and I kinda expected it to cool off in the 2nd. But Ilic and Kocanas hitting threes....is this a dream?!?!
Need your guy to start hitting shots. ;-)
HAHA! My two good friends and I who have been in the student section all year became huge fans of him after the Sac State game, we exchanged a few words with him throughout the game and been glazing him since lol. The struggles have not been great lately, but his confidence is never an issue so I'm confident he'll be back to his non-conference form soon!
He seems like a good dude. Shooters gotta keep shooting…the whiff on the fast break lay-up today kinda tells his story the past month.
Need to hang in there for the first half of ACC play. The second half is where we could put it together and make a run. At least now the team can believe that they have a chance to win any game from here on (especially since we don’t see Duke again).
Madsen just makes it work through magic. We really need to find him some real NIL.
Will the House Settlement at least help a little with MBB?
Sitting in the stands as our Golden Bears left the court I thought "that was the best half of basketball I've watched us play in ... I can't remember how long!" Fortunately the second half was just good enough for us to get what is in my book a signature win.
The Haas felt like Haas again this week. Hopefully alot of folks continue to come back.
Go Bears! An amazing first half. Scary at the end. Bears competed and hung in there.
Got tense at the end but very fun win to watch overall! Good to see Camden showing that he can be a productive power conference starter
Made it through the toughest stretch of the schedule. Getting that Hokies win abc going 3-3 would've made this a clear success, but 2-4 with a Top 25 upset is still great considering our past struggles.
20 wins is possible! Let's go Bears!
We abused the defense of a ranked team. Just rained 3s on their heads while Dort wiped the boards with authority. I've seen this team play 30 minutes of a 40 minute game before so was emotionally prepared for the bricks, turnovers, and UNC's comeback. But we locked in, broke their press, hit some shots and got the very impressive W.
Of note: I am again asking Madsen to NOT WIND THE CLOCK DOWN BEFORE STARTING THE OFFENSE. I've never seen us get a decent shot off because we don't have someone like Tyson who could actually get to the hoop. Gotta score on the drive or the kick...and we don't accomplish either.
We just spammed elevator for ten straight possessions - that was a lot of fun. Wish it had been more comfortable in the back end though.
For some reason I thought this was a night game so didn’t pay any attention until I was talking to a friend who is a fellow alum and he dropped the news on me. That’s a good win.
Fantastic win. And gets you right back on track for the Dance (long shot) OR NIT (not as much) after the tough L at Va Tech …realistic best case 1H of conference play was, what, 3-6? You had to get ND, which they luckily did. LOU/@UVA/Duke/UNC/@Furd was/is likely 5 L’s…to get even one of them is huge.
@FSU becomes a must win. Then if you lose at MIA you’re 3-6 with a more manageable 2H. Plus you have a 2nd marquee W over a blue blood for the resume.
Even bigger though is the roster is starting to develop more of an identity. 30 real solid minutes v Duke, big W over UNC. Camden/Pippen/Dai Dai - time to run the O thru them and continue to develop the bigs.
I'm just bummed that Rytis is out for the season. He's the missing piece of the 2nd unit, snagging boards and being a pest on defense. Dorsey's trying to take the pest role but he can't shoot or rebound well.
Agreed. Really miss RP…glue guy for this roster.
In other news, Duke won 80-50.
Cal hung with them for 30 minutes despite poor shooting.
I was talking about tonight’s game—Duke clobbered the Furd.
I know.
I was tipping my cap to Cal, battling a legit National Championship team for 30 minutes. That game set them up for this W, imo.
Yes—seemed like it was a good tuneup.