*Fake* ASU @ *The Real* ASU

[asu66]

Well, you'll recall that Caesar had a real bad experience the last time he went to the Theatre of Pompey. In somewhat like fashion, our Apps have had really bad recent trips to Mobile, Alabama and Little Rock, Arkansas--dropping at least 100 points in RPI ranking along the way. In fact, they have a three-game losing streak in progress that actually started at home against UL-L just 10 or so days ago.

Tonight's opponent, the A-State Red Wolves have done no better. In fact they'll take the court tonight as losers of four straight SunBelt tilts. The Apps started A-State's slide almost two weeks ago and hope to extend the visitors downhill tumble to five games tonight.

So, RPI #304 A-State (6-8) takes on our RPI #280 Apps (4-9) tonight in a game between two teams struggling badly as the season nears the mid-point. The Apps are slight 2+ point favorites--only by virtue of having a slight home-court advantage.

My only prediction is that it'll be very difficult for the Apps to win if they play a stand-around-like-deeply-rooted-trees-defense like they have in their last three outings.

Hopefully, a rowdy student turnout will inspire the Apps to up their level of play several notches.

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

WOMEN WIN 70-69

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

Those last 4 min was some good basketball by the women. Good turnovers.

[Saint3333]

Men shot 25% in first half! only down two?..?

[hapapp]

Men shot 25% in first half! only down two?..?

This edition of the App Basketball is truly the "gang that couldn't shoot straight!"

[Saint3333]

2-17 from three, might want to go inside guys.

[hapapp]

I admire the fight in this team, but to be honest this a pretty bad team. We are clearly the worst team in the SBC...just take a gander at the league stats, we rank last in just about every category. We shot 29% from the field, 17% from 3, and 59% from the FT line tonight.

At 1-4, we have played one team in the top half of the league, three of our five games have come against the other two bottom dwellers (Ark State and UALR). It looks like this season is going to be a very long one.

Meanwhile our friends in Statesboro just knocked off UL to move into a tie for first.

[proasu89]

2-17 from three, might want to go inside guys.

Sadly we couldnt make those either. 29% for the game.

[EastHallApp]

The mini-hot streak in OOC play might have given us an inflated impression of how good this year's team is. The last few games, unfortunately, are what I think most of us expected to be the norm this year. Hopefully we see steady progress as the year goes on, even if it takes a while to show up in the record.

[Gonzo]

I think we'll turn it around and play spoiler in February. We just have to make some baskets.

[asu66]

I think we'll turn it around and play spoiler in February. We just have to make some baskets.

I hope you're right. Coach Fox is still expecting that to happen. He continues to say that the kids are hitting shots in practice; but they seem to freeze in game situations. He thinks the shots will start going in. I'm not so certain. Many of our misses are uncontested layups where we brick the ball off the rim or the backboard. We seem to have no soft touch; and even less luck. We also miss a lot of shots that go completely over the rim, well off to the side or are just forced air balls.

The fact remains that our three best returning shooters--Canty, Neal and Hamilton--either didnt return at all or didn't stay around very long. Last night, returnees from last season shot a collective 12 for 43 from the floor (27.9 %) against the only other team in the league as bad as we are. The same group shot a collective 10 for 19 from the line (52.6%). That's bloody awful. Those shots are called free throws for a reason.

The great ASU basketball drought continues. We do get some reinforcements in the perimeter shooting department next August. Most especially Ronshad Shabaaz from Raleigh by way of Huntington Prep in Huntington, WV.

[JTApps1]

I admire the fight in this team, but to be honest this a pretty bad team. We are clearly the worst team in the SBC...just take a gander at the league stats, we rank last in just about every category. We shot 29% from the field, 17% from 3, and 59% from the FT line tonight.

At 1-4, we have played one team in the top half of the league, three of our five games have come against the other two bottom dwellers (Ark State and UALR). It looks like this season is going to be a very long one.

Meanwhile our friends in Statesboro just knocked off UL to move into a tie for first.

I agree with everything you say, but why do our fans feel the need to constantly compare ourselves to GS? They are a year or two ahead of us in their rebuilding project so it's not a fair comparison. We just have to suffer through this year.

[T-Dog]

Last night, the first halves of both games were similar for the Apps. A lot of close shots that just didn't go in. The difference was that the WBB team kept on shooting and eventually started making shots. MBB didn't shoot as much in the second half and so they couldn't make the shots when they counted.

[hapapp]

I admire the fight in this team, but to be honest this a pretty bad team. We are clearly the worst team in the SBC...just take a gander at the league stats, we rank last in just about every category. We shot 29% from the field, 17% from 3, and 59% from the FT line tonight.

At 1-4, we have played one team in the top half of the league, three of our five games have come against the other two bottom dwellers (Ark State and UALR). It looks like this season is going to be a very long one.

Meanwhile our friends in Statesboro just knocked off UL to move into a tie for first.

I agree with everything you say, but why do our fans feel the need to constantly compare ourselves to GS? They are a year or two ahead of us in their rebuilding project so it's not a fair comparison. We just have to suffer through this year.

That is no doubt true, but because we come from the same place at the same time, the comparison is inevitable.