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Post by rmancarl on Jan 4, 2024 14:15:31 GMT -8
I just watched a replay of the ducks/Beavers game at Gill from last season 1/20/2023. I had forgotten how quick oregon was with Rogers, PaoPao, and Gray. Gray was also 6-12 from 3 point range. The Beavs won the game and Beers only played 13 MINUTES. The Beavs only hit 4 three's and the ducks hit 12. Now, considering how bad the Beavs record was last year, that game was a bit of an outlier. I'm not sure that game tells us anything, but it does show that you can win even when the other team is quicker, even if they are better at shooting 3's, and even if your most dangerous player barely plays. Admittedly, that's not the norm. I hope we all agree that speed is important much like height is important, but those ingredients alone don't guarantee a great player or a great team. If that were the case, Bendu (great speed) and Jelena (great height) would have made the Beavs a winner last year. As for this weekend, I expect the Beavs will lose both games. Quality opponents, first road games, young team early in the season. It won't shock me if they win one, but I don't expect it. I just remember the 2017/2018 team that went to #14 ranked UCLA on 1/5/2018 and lost 84-49 (yes, you read that right) and then six weeks later beat UCLA at Gill 67-64 and went on to make the final 8 in the NCAA tournament. I don't know if this version of the Beavs will improve that much, but they are much more likely to win games later in the season, than these first couple weeks of January. I think that the Beav's are a young team that will keep getting better as the season goes along. The oddity with USC is that they are kind of the opposite in some ways. Their starters consist of three grad transfers and a freshman. That means that none of them have ever played together before this season, but that they have a lot of playing experience. My thought is that as they play together they have a good chance of getting more and more in sync with each other and also improve as the season goes along. I think the Beav's greater experience in playing with each other and the self confidence in beating them the last time they played each other will make a win probable rather than possible. There is a slight possibility I'm wrong. Nawww. 😜😎 beaveragain, you can't be wrong! That would be a near impossibility. I do have one small slant on your comment about the Beavs experience playing together. Yes, there is some truth to that, but let's also remember that the Beavs are starting a minimum of 4 new starters this year. Most starts last year were Mitrovic 29, Yeaney 27, Aaron 25, Von Oelhoffen 24, and Mannen 23. Although a lot of the young players got good minutes last season, this team is very different and maybe not as experienced playing together as we tend to think. Gardiner didn't play until mid-season. Talia didn't play down the stretch.
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Post by ag87 on Jan 6, 2024 8:20:35 GMT -8
I'm heading to LA tomorrow, visiting my son in Ventura. I'm definitely attending the UCLA game (with my son) but am a little concerned about the drive for the Friday night game and wondering about the parking situation. Any advice from someone who has attended a game at the Galen Center? So what was the verdict? How did you get to Galen Center? Travel reports are always appreciated.
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Post by ricke71 on Jan 6, 2024 9:07:02 GMT -8
OSU RPI jumped "7" to #24 with last nights tough loss.
Just across town, another WBB from the State of Oregon got absolutely pounded and that loss resulted in their RPI jumping "9" to #53. And what was UCLA's RPI 'reward' their lopsided victory? ....minus 2.
btw, I get it that RPI depends on many factors.
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Post by treasurevalleybeav on Jan 6, 2024 11:25:16 GMT -8
This game really showed they belong in the upper echelon of the conference. When our best player and the refs weren't having ideal nights for us and we STILL hung on until the very end ON THE ROAD vs a team like that........I think it showed a lot.
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Post by beavsteve on Jan 6, 2024 13:09:33 GMT -8
I'm heading to LA tomorrow, visiting my son in Ventura. I'm definitely attending the UCLA game (with my son) but am a little concerned about the drive for the Friday night game and wondering about the parking situation. Any advice from someone who has attended a game at the Galen Center? So what was the verdict? How did you get to Galen Center? Travel reports are always appreciated. I ended up heading out early (about 1:30) and took 101 to 405 and then 10. I passed time at the nearby Natural History Museum of LA until about 5pm, and went to the parking garage right next to Galen Center, where it was easy to park and pay ($20.50 for the rest of the day). The drive in took only a little over and hour and a half and there was no stop and go, just a bit sluggish at times. Seating at the Galen Center seems to be all general admission except for courtside, so I got to sit behind the Beaver bench with most of the other Beaver fans. A couple rows in front of me sat Rocky and Rowdy Beers with their mom (big rugged guys, as advertised!). USC is getting bigger crowds this year and I think the big draw is mostly JuJu Watkins. They have a DJ who talks (revs up the fans) and plays music throughout the game during the pregame and timeouts; he does a good job of creating a fun atmosphere for the fans. The game had me, literally, on the edge of my seat… very tense the whole way. It was pretty disappointing seeing Raegan miss that last shot, but I was really proud of the team for the way they competed; they did make it clear that the are very capable of finishing in the upper echelon of the conference this year. I’m really looking forward to the UCLA game tomorrow, which I’ll attend with my son. I’m convinced that we are capable of pulling off a win. UCLA posts are not all that mobile, and I think we can take advantage of that. Halfway through the trip and I’m really glad I came down despite the loss.
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