Game #1 - Southern Utah Thunderbirds @ the ARC Friday 11/11/16

[talksalot]

so... we bring back the old Mid Con nemesis Southern Utah Thunderbirds.   They have played two Exhibition games this year...and have proven they have an OFFENSE!

Note:   63 fouls called in their first exhibition, 52 fouls called in the second one.

Roster:
http://www.suutbirds.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=20100&SPID=11728&SPSID=95897

Question 1:  Randy Onwuasor is  6'3 guard RsJR, from Texas Tech.

Game 2 Box score:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=152407

==============game 1=============
CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Thunderbird men's basketball team picked up a 110-86 victory over The Master's University on Saturday night, in the first competition of the Todd Simon era at Southern Utah University.

The game was the first of two exhibition games the Thunderbirds will play before opening the regular season.

In his debut with the Thunderbirds, Randy Onwuasor had The Centrum rocking with 35 points on 13-of-26 shooting.

Onwuasor came out firing for the T-Birds, as he scored the first 12 points of the night for his team as they quickly went up 12-2 over the competition.

This is Onwuasor's first competition in some time, as he transferred to SUU from Texas Tech and had to sit out last season.

SUU head coach Todd Simon, who picked up a win in his SUU coaching debut, said the performance from the redshirt junior is something he's come to expect.

"He's one of the most improved players I've seen in such a short period of time," he said. "From where he was in May and June to what he's evolved into, I'm really, really proud of him." 

The Thunderbirds built a sizeable lead in the opening half, but the Mustangs did not go away, as they took their first lead of the game with about three minutes left. Master's University took a five point lead into the halftime break.

Within the first three minutes of the first half the Thunderbirds regained the lead, as they went up by one on a Decardo Day layup.

SUU guard John Marshall said the turnaround in the second half was all about composure, and the team did a nice job responding to the adversity.

"I think most of us have been in those situations, and we just needed to settle down a little bit," he said. 

The T-Birds built their lead to double-digits with 12:39 to play, and from there they were able to increase the separation through the rest of the contest. SUU's lead got as big as 27, as they pulled away with a 110-86 victory.

Overall, Onwuasor said he was happy with the way the team was able to compete on Saturday, and looks forward to what they'll be able to do in the future.

"It's a great feeling," he said. "I think we played well as a team. We shared the ball and it feels good to come out with a win. It was our first exhibition game, but we've got plenty more to come."

Decardo Day finished with 17 points in his Thunderbird debut, knocking in eighth shots from the freethrow line. Marshall, Race parsons and Ivan Madunic all put in 12 points for SUU.

Simon said he saw what he wanted from the team, which was giving it all.

"The folks that support this team were a presence, and the students were phenomenal," he said. "It was really good to see and hopefully the style and the brand of basketball, and how hard the guys play was visible. I'll say this, our guys emptied their tanks. And that's all I wanted from the guys is good attitude, effort and to empty their tanks every night and the rest will get you there."

The T-Birds will play their second exhibition game against La Verne on November 4 inside the Centrum Arena with tip-time set for 6:30 p.m.

==============CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Southern Utah Thunderbirds defeated the La Verne Leopards with a 103-88 victory, marking back-to-back triple-digit Thunderbird wins to round out exhibition play.

"We need to clean up some things (defensively). Giving up 89 points is more than we wanted to give up. We had stretches where we showed how good we can be, but I don't think we were competitively mature enough to string it all together," said head coach Todd Simon. "From that standpoint I wasn't very satisfied, but obviously offensively we're coming together. Our tempo is kind of where we want it. We scored 103, so that shows the potential of what we can do on that end of the floor.

Randy Onwuasor led the way with 33 points, shooting 12-19 from the field and 2-3 from the three-point line. Christian Musoko added 13 points as Race Parsons and Brayden Holker each added 11. Ivan Madunic led the team in rebounds with eight as John Marshall led in assists with four.

Onwuasor has now posted back-to-back 30+ point games.

"I'm just giving credit to my team. They've been finding me, and I've just been able to hit shots these last two games," Onwuasor said. "Coach told me to be aggressive, so I just kept being aggressive, and I kept attacking."

The Thunderbirds shot 34-68 from the field for a 50% field goal percentage. From beyond the arch, the T-Birds shot 37.5% and 69% from the free throw line.

"We did good, but we need to do a better job defensively," Musoko said. "We know we're going to score, so we just need to do a better job on defense."

The Leopards took a quick 5-0 lead to open the game and held onto the lead until the 13th minute as the Thunderbirds fought back to tie the game at 30.

La Verne pulled back ahead with back-to-back treys before Musoko and Onwuasor each knocked in shots to knot the game once again, this time at 36-36. A pair of Decardo Day free throws gave SUU its first lead of the game at 38-36 with just over four minutes to play in the opening half.

Southern Utah led by just three before a set of free throws from Marshall and a three-pointer from Parsons gave the Thunderbirds a 51-43 halftime advantage.

The T-Bird momentum carried over into the second half, stretching their lead to 60-45 just three minutes in. From there on out, Southern Utah held at least a double-digit lead until the final buzzer as SUU captured the 103-89 win.

Following two exhibition wins, the Thunderbirds open their season with Valparaiso in Valparaiso, Ind. on Nov. 11. at 6:00 p.m.

"We have guys that haven't worn this jersey and guys that haven't played together, so it's going to be a constant evolution," said Simon. "We're going to take this thing game-by-game and just keep getting better."

[M]

Valpo wins by 17 points, 86-69.

[wh]

SUU is picked to finish last in the 12-team Big Sky Conference.

http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2016/10/12/MBB_1012162614.aspx

[hailcrusaders]

I'm reasonably familiar with the Big Sky, but it's been a long offseason (especially in Cedar City), so I don't have quite the scouting report I would on other BSC teams. SUU has a first year coach and it looks like they played a lot of freshmen in their earlier games.

SUU has never had a winning conference record in the BSC since joining in 2012. Went 6-24 last year, and I doubt they'll hit .500 this year. Biggest scoring threat last year was James McGee, a 6'2" guard who can shoot the 3. I doubt he gets as many shots with Onwuasor in the mix this year. Next three top scorers either graduated or transferred. Race Parsons was their other notable guard. At 6'4", he plays the 2 or 3 more often. Also a good three point shooter. John Marshall does a lot of their ballhandling.

Onwuasor transferred from Texas Tech and has two straight 30-pt games. He's a bit of a wild card, so we'll see how he does against a D1 defense. Their other top scorers in the exhibition games were freshmen or first year transfers.

Last year, SUU was dead last in the conference in scoring defense, and despite a coaching change and quite a bit of player turnover, that might not change much. They liked to push the tempo but they just weren't very good at doing it. They'll remind you a bit of a classic Youngstown team, or an ineffective RP40 thing at GB. Their frontcourt is very green, so I think Peters has a legitimate shot at 30 points this game, and maybe Sorolla/Smits/Jubril are able to do some damage on the offensive end.

[bbtds]

Makes you wonder if the SUU faithful long for the days of the 3 hour bus rides to Las Vegas and then flying into the Midwest cities of Chicago, Indy, Tulsa, Kansas City, Detroit, etc.

How come I always think of roller derby when I think of SoUtah?

Or this British old animation TV show?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfIAKj3Gl1E

Thunderbirds are Go!!!

Do you think Elton John got his look from Brains the Scientist/Engineer?

[covufan]

I think that SUtah will try to push the tempo, but it will backfire. 

Valpo   83
SUtah  59

[oklahomamick]

Any video for this game?

[agibson]

Any video for this game?

It's listed on the ESPN3 schedule. As are all the home games up to and including Rhode Island at the end of the month. I assume they're waiting for the link before putting it up on the Valpo page. I expect all home games to stream unless they're on TV.

(Hmm... Looks like one needs PAC-12 Network for @Oregon, SEC Network for @KY. ESPNU for @UIC. American Sports Network for UIC - that means regional affiliates? I wonder if I might get lucky and get all of these on the xfinity sports pack; I think that worked last year for Oregon with maybe ESPNU.)

[bbtds]

Any video for this game?

In case you didn't see it.........

http://www.espn.com/watchespn/index/_/id/2920125/southern-utah-vs-valparaiso


BTW, Bill Evans, the former SUU head coach during their time in the Mid-Con, has been the head coach at Idaho State in the Big Sky with this 16-17 season being his 5th year. I remember Evans getting a raw deal at his alma mater, SoUtah, after 15 years as head coach. He was fired in 2007 and it took him till 2012-13 to get hired by Idaho State. Evans was an asst coach at Montana from 2007 to 2012.

Idaho State finished 4th in the Big Sky under Evans last year. I wonder how he feels about beating up on SUU, 4 years as a student, 1 year as an asst coach in 1983-84 and 15 years as head coach in Cedar City. 



http://www.thespectrum.com/story/sports/college/southern-utah/2016/02/19/suu-basketball-conversation-former-coach-bill-evans/80639952/


SUU basketball: A conversation with former coach Bill Evans
6:57 p.m. MST February 19, 2016

How often do you think about the tournament experience?

Bill Evans: It's something that will always be a part of me and my past. It was a terrific experience. But I don't live in the past, I live in the present. I'm working with this team and trying to make it realize who they are and recognize some of the things that they can do.

There's a lot of up and downs in coaching. There are some highs and there are some lows. So I try not to get too high and not to get too low. It still doesn't feel good to lose games. So I still got a lot of edge to me and a lot of fire, and we've got a game on Saturday against a team that just took one of the best team's in this league right down to the wire. We have to prepare the right way.

How often do you talk to Jeff Monaco, Frederick House or the other NCAA tournament team players?

Bill Evans: Not on a regular basis by any stretch of the imagination. That's the thing that's amazing about coaching — you coach all these guys and you are really close to them. Then all of the sudden they get their own lives and they've got jobs and families. It's not as regular as I'd like it to be, but occasionally I get a chance to catch up with them.

[vu72]

Any video for this game?

Always check the athletic website.  If there is coverage they will always have a link up.

[bbtds]

Any video for this game?

Always check the athletic website.  If there is coverage they will always have a link up.

Link ups aren't provided until ESPN 3 gets their line up set on their website. So when mick asked the link up was not up at the Valpo Athletics website yet. Now it is. For future reference all the remaining games should be on ESPN 3 if not on a TV channel already.

[bbtds]

The 2001 NCAA Tournament Southern Utah Thunderbirds






Monaco is 32, House is 21. I'm sure some of you can name others in this pic.

[humbleopinion]

After seeing that Coppin State was ranked by Sagarin at 338, I went looking for Southern Utah's ranking.  It took me a while -- I didn't expect (and was disappointed) to find Southern Utah right above Coppin State at 337.  I guess we shouldn't be tested too much this weekend.  Maybe Trinity will be tougher.

[sliman]

Nothing is easy early in the season.  --  John Wooden or someone.

[a3uge]

Valparaiso starters... Lexus, Tevonn, Shane, Peters, Jubril


Called it! I think.

[FieldGoodie05]

Anyone else unable to find the game on the WatchESPN app?

[oklahomamick]

Almost halfway through 1st half.  No smits

[atkins]

We play like that against any higher-level team, and we walk away with a loss. Onwausor was clearly the best player on the court, and his defense was nearly as superb as his offense.  His performance was the only thing that really impressed me tonight, aside from Alec's steady play. 

Our guys hit free throws, which is a nice change from past squads. 

[agibson]

I thought Max did pretty well, big minutes filling in for Tevonn.

And everybody hit their FT's.

[wh]

If we were playing by last year's rules, I'd be more than a little concerned about where we're at right now. However,  the game is being officiated so differently this year that my guess is most D-1 programs are experiencing the same learning curve and resultant disjointed play that we are.

[M]

Refs will lighten up on the whistles as the season progresses.

I thought Alec let his poor shooting affect his defense tonight. I suspect that will be the last time we win a game when he doesn't hit a fg attempt outside the paint.

Hope Walkers jaw is alright and he's ready to go in a few days.

[a3uge]

Just watched the game.

* Max Joseph had his moments on offense, but his defense was pretty brutal. Usually he's much better.
* Holy bad shooting night. How many jump shots did Valpo make? Three?
* Peters just ate them alive inside.
* Jarume is gigantic. His rebounding is almost unfair
* I like Bradford. He's way too thin, but he has a nice handle and plays with some swagger.
* Smits is still a work in progress. It'll be interesting to watch his minutes.
* We didn't get to see much transition ball since every play ended in a whistle. It looks like they're trying to attack and finish at the rim more on offense. Or that could've been a product of bad shooting, or a bad opponent.

[VU2014]

-Was rough shooting night. Could be some first game jitters.

-Max looked pretty good. I agree with a3uge.

*Smits is still a work in progress. It'll be interesting to watch his minutes.

Wasn't a great showing but he hasn't played in a while. Definitely not discouraged by one game though. I've heard that Smits has a pretty good outside shot for a big guy and can even shoot 3's. I wonder if the coaching staff will try and use him like former Green Bay player Alec Brown was used as a big guy who can play all over the court and cause match up fits.

-I was pretty impressed with Jarume rebounding abilities. He looked pretty good out there.

-That officiating was pretty bad. I think the NCAA officiating of not allowing hand checking should be over turned. Also those refs were calling BLOCKING FOULS on obvious CHARGING FOULS on both team. It was pretty ridiculous and one of the reasons Onwuasor was able to get to the line as much as he did.

-I'd also like to see a bit more ball movement or crisp ball movement on the offense like we saw from our team the last few years. I know I'm knit picking a little because it was only the first game, but just thought I'd point it out.

Overall not to worried. Bad shooting night along with the poor officiating allowed for almost not offensive flow. We beat a team we should have beat and on to the next one.

[valporun]

Coach Lottich even made reference to some of the issues with the offensive flow due to the foul calls, whether they were calls for or against us, or were in favor of a shot that Onwausor put up to get to the line again and again.

I was impressed with Max. He handled himself, for someone that didn't get minutes his first two years. Now he's getting minutes, and given confidence by Coach Lottich to be able to do things. Interested in seeing how Smits does, once he has some more minutes and experience. He did look real raw last night, but he'll grow.