UNI @ Ohio

[2livewu]

Was kind of hoping the 3rd best team in the Valley would be better than the 5th or 6th best team in the MAC.

Guess not.

[PantherSigEp]

Was kind of hoping the 3rd best team in the Valley would be better than the 5th or 6th best team in the MAC.

Guess not.

They very well could be at the end of the year but the inexperience showed for UNI although I was really impressed by Morgan and Washpun. Maurice Ndour for Ohio looked practically unstoppable for the Bobcats and I wouldn't be surprised if he makes waves in the NCAA this season. He was knocking down threes and having his way in the post. I think he will be one of the best players UNI faces this year

Could take awhile for this team to mesh but there are a lot of encouraging signs that I'm seeing already from this team. It's the first game and with 3 completely new guys receiving a baptism by fire this one was going to be tough. That game against VCU certainly doesn't look very inviting though, could be an ugly one if some adjustments aren't made. Thankfully we didn't have to face them for the very first game. Still feel sorry for the jail birds

[valleychamp]

Was kind of hoping the 3rd best team in the Valley would be better than the 5th or 6th best team in the MAC.

Guess not.

Well, I guess we are making definitive conclusions based on a single game now huh?

In that case, Evanasville must be way WAY better than the shox as evidenced by their definitive sweep last season.

[2livewu]

Well, I guess we are making definitive conclusions based on a single game now huh?

In that case, Evanasville must be way WAY better than the shox as evidenced by their definitive sweep last season.

Lol, well ya, isn't that kind of why you play games? To determine who is better?

I don't know who "Evanasville" is but Evansville did beat WSU twice last year, so they do get to say they were better.

Wait for it....now we're all going to hear how UNI will be the only team to improve and gel as the season goes on and be so good and dangerous at the end of the year, as if no other team can also improve.

The thing is, much like Eddie Fogler coached teams at WSU, Jake has his teams so well prepared, they often execute at a much higher level than their opponents early in the season. Not always, but more often than not.

Now, believe it or not, I actually think UNI has a shot at VCU. First, it's the only decent home game you have outside of WSU, so it will be your other super bowl, and second, you have the guards and athleticism to have a chance to negate some of their pressure tactics.

I'm not saying UNI will win, but I believe they'll be in the game, at least, to the end. VCU is good, but they aren't as good as Illinois State made them look.

[Khan4Cats]

well crap, Ohio wins 75-64

I saw where Morgan started (along with Rank) and Friedman and Bohannon came off the bench. Looks like the 8 man rotation is set.

Tough opponent to open against on the road.

Morgan didn't start, but did get starter minutes. Same with Rank. Starters were Mitchell, Washpun, Bohannon, Tuttle and Friedman. If Morgan improves his play from what he began today with, he will probably move ahead of Bohannon by mid-season, though Jake doesn't often like to tinker with line-ups unless there is injury or illness.

[Black]

Was kind of hoping the 3rd best team in the Valley would be better than the 5th or 6th best team in the MAC.

Guess not.

Well, I guess we are making definitive conclusions based on a single game now huh?

In that case, Evanasville must be way WAY better than the shox as evidenced by their definitive sweep last season.

Why are we comparing conference opponents from last year to non-conference opponents of this year? That seems like faulty logic.

[DUShock]

Panther fans & boosters, is this loss a surprise? Given the caveat of not reading too much not a single game, I am somewhat surprised as I thought UNI might be a sleeper for the conference title.

Go Valley!!

Go Shocks!!!!

[Khan4Cats]

Panther fans & boosters, is this loss a surprise? Given the caveat of not reading too much not a single game, I am somewhat surprised as I thought UNI might be a sleeper for the conference title.

Go Valley!!

Go Shocks!!!!

Considering Ohio was co-conference champs last year, played in the NIT, return 4 seniors and 3 juniors, these Bobcats aren't exactly push-overs as some would lead you to believe. Add in that it is the first game of the year and on the road...

No, I am not surprised that we lost. Disappointed in the final spread, yes. Do we have areas that need shoring up, absolutely. Did we look like a team that will battle as past UNI teams have, yep.

We may still have some head-scratching losses this year, but this is not one of them. Ohio is a solid team.

[Wufan]

A couple of thoughts on UNI:

With the new emphasis on contact (not a new rule) Mitchell will be much better offensively than originally anticipated. Morgan will be a stud at some point in his career. Washpun was a HUGE addition. UNI will struggle on the interior as they don't have the athleticism, size or depth to be in the hunt at the end of the year. The Valley as a whole is not strong on the interior, so I'm not going to change my prediction for a third place finish.

[Drakey]

Ohio returned one starter from last season.