Post by ironlions on Feb 4, 2009 19:12:19 GMT -5
WE MUST WIN THIS ONE.
Loyola Marymount Team Report
Yahoo! Sports
Loyola Marymount faces a pressure-packed, must-win situation on Feb. 7.No, the Lions are not going to win any titles, and they are not one win shy of a playoff berth. Even a upper-division finish in the West Coast Conference is virtually out of the question.
But if you looked at the Lions’ schedule before the season started, the Feb. 7 home game against Pepperdine seemed like the most likely place for Loyola Marymount to get a WCC victory.
The Lions will still have a home game against San Francisco on Feb. 26 that the Lions could win, but they just lost to the Dons by 20 points on Jan. 31.
The game against Pepperdine is the one. Not only are the Lions at home, but they lost to the Waves by just two points in their first meeting this season.So why is winning that game so important for the Lions? Well, there is the matter of personal pride, especially against its Los Angeles-area neighbor. And this is the Lions’ best chance to avoid a winless conference record, although teams have gone without a victory in WCC play before.
But the biggest factor is that Loyola Marymount does not want to wind up with the worst record in all of Division I or the worst record in LMU history.There are no winless teams left in Division I, and, as of Feb. 2, Loyola Marymount and New Jersey Institute of Technology were the only ones with just one win. NJIT has some winnable games ahead, while the Lions are running out of opportunities. And no team wants to have the worst record in the country.No team wants to have the worst record in school history either, and the Lions need one more win to at least tie Loyola Marymount’s 2000 team, which went 2-25.The problem for LMU in the Feb. 7 game is that Pepperdine seems to have improved more than the Lions since their first meeting. However, the Lions this time will have Vernon Teel, the team’s leading scorer, who missed the first game against Pepperdine while recovering from a broken foot.
Notes, Quotes
• Loyola Marymount and San Francisco both were 0-6 in conference play when they met Jan. 31, and the Lions’ loss dropped them into last place by themselves.
• The Lions are 0-13 away from home this season and have lost 23 straight road games dating back to December 2007.
• Since losing to Pepperdine in its conference opener, Loyola Marymount lost by at least 11 points in all six WCC games leading up to the Feb. 7 game against Pepperdine.
Quote To Note: “Sometimes the atmosphere has not been what we’re used to, night in and night out.”—Gonzaga coach Mark Few, to the Spokane Spokesman Review, alluding to Loyola Marymount’s home court, which is far from intimidating.
Strategy And Personnel
Vernon Teel came off the bench in his first two games after returning from his broken foot, but he was back in the starting lineup for the Jan. 29 game against Santa Clara and the Jan. 31 game against San Francisco. Corey Counts came off the bench in those games, which makes sense because he can provide a spark with his 3-point shooting ability.
Player Rotation: Usual starters—F LaRon Armstead, G Jarred DuBois, G Vernon Teel, F Marko Deric, F Kevin Young. Key subs—G Corey Counts, F Brad Sweezy, G Chris Kanne.
Game Preview:
vs. Pepperdine, Saturday, Feb. 7
s. San Diego, Thursday, Feb. 12
vs. Santa Clara, Saturday, Feb. 14
In Focus: If Loyola Marymount is shooting its 3-pointers well, it will have a good chance against Pepperdine because the Waves’ zone defense allows opponents open shots on the perimeter. The Lions are not a good outside shooting team, though, and only Corey Counts and Jarred DuBois have been any good at all from long range. Those two must hit some 3s for the Lions to win.
Roster Report:
• Vernon Teel finally made a 3-pointer in the Jan. 31 game against San Francisco. He had missed all 12 of his 3-point attempts this season before making one on his first try against the Dons. He then missed his other three 3-point shots in that game.
• Jarred DuBois had his streak of consecutive double-digit scoring games stopped at nine by San Francisco, which limited him to four points.
• LaRon Armstead did not make a field goal in the games against Santa Clara and San Francisco on Jan. 29 and 31, going 0-for-3 and scoring four points.
Loyola Marymount Team Report
Yahoo! Sports
Loyola Marymount faces a pressure-packed, must-win situation on Feb. 7.No, the Lions are not going to win any titles, and they are not one win shy of a playoff berth. Even a upper-division finish in the West Coast Conference is virtually out of the question.
But if you looked at the Lions’ schedule before the season started, the Feb. 7 home game against Pepperdine seemed like the most likely place for Loyola Marymount to get a WCC victory.
The Lions will still have a home game against San Francisco on Feb. 26 that the Lions could win, but they just lost to the Dons by 20 points on Jan. 31.
The game against Pepperdine is the one. Not only are the Lions at home, but they lost to the Waves by just two points in their first meeting this season.So why is winning that game so important for the Lions? Well, there is the matter of personal pride, especially against its Los Angeles-area neighbor. And this is the Lions’ best chance to avoid a winless conference record, although teams have gone without a victory in WCC play before.
But the biggest factor is that Loyola Marymount does not want to wind up with the worst record in all of Division I or the worst record in LMU history.There are no winless teams left in Division I, and, as of Feb. 2, Loyola Marymount and New Jersey Institute of Technology were the only ones with just one win. NJIT has some winnable games ahead, while the Lions are running out of opportunities. And no team wants to have the worst record in the country.No team wants to have the worst record in school history either, and the Lions need one more win to at least tie Loyola Marymount’s 2000 team, which went 2-25.The problem for LMU in the Feb. 7 game is that Pepperdine seems to have improved more than the Lions since their first meeting. However, the Lions this time will have Vernon Teel, the team’s leading scorer, who missed the first game against Pepperdine while recovering from a broken foot.
Notes, Quotes
• Loyola Marymount and San Francisco both were 0-6 in conference play when they met Jan. 31, and the Lions’ loss dropped them into last place by themselves.
• The Lions are 0-13 away from home this season and have lost 23 straight road games dating back to December 2007.
• Since losing to Pepperdine in its conference opener, Loyola Marymount lost by at least 11 points in all six WCC games leading up to the Feb. 7 game against Pepperdine.
Quote To Note: “Sometimes the atmosphere has not been what we’re used to, night in and night out.”—Gonzaga coach Mark Few, to the Spokane Spokesman Review, alluding to Loyola Marymount’s home court, which is far from intimidating.
Strategy And Personnel
Vernon Teel came off the bench in his first two games after returning from his broken foot, but he was back in the starting lineup for the Jan. 29 game against Santa Clara and the Jan. 31 game against San Francisco. Corey Counts came off the bench in those games, which makes sense because he can provide a spark with his 3-point shooting ability.
Player Rotation: Usual starters—F LaRon Armstead, G Jarred DuBois, G Vernon Teel, F Marko Deric, F Kevin Young. Key subs—G Corey Counts, F Brad Sweezy, G Chris Kanne.
Game Preview:
vs. Pepperdine, Saturday, Feb. 7
s. San Diego, Thursday, Feb. 12
vs. Santa Clara, Saturday, Feb. 14
In Focus: If Loyola Marymount is shooting its 3-pointers well, it will have a good chance against Pepperdine because the Waves’ zone defense allows opponents open shots on the perimeter. The Lions are not a good outside shooting team, though, and only Corey Counts and Jarred DuBois have been any good at all from long range. Those two must hit some 3s for the Lions to win.
Roster Report:
• Vernon Teel finally made a 3-pointer in the Jan. 31 game against San Francisco. He had missed all 12 of his 3-point attempts this season before making one on his first try against the Dons. He then missed his other three 3-point shots in that game.
• Jarred DuBois had his streak of consecutive double-digit scoring games stopped at nine by San Francisco, which limited him to four points.
• LaRon Armstead did not make a field goal in the games against Santa Clara and San Francisco on Jan. 29 and 31, going 0-for-3 and scoring four points.
