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https://uabsports.com/news/2023/1/30/men...tid=q5o4bk

Congrats to KJ! Nice to see him bounce back and show some leadership, because he had been dreadful while we were in the worst of our slump. Maybe one day he will realize that he's more of an asset to the team on the court vs. sitting out with ticky tack personal fouls and techs and a better player when he expends his energy playing hard vs. barking at the refs, the other teams, and the fans.

KJ doesn’t get the headlines like Jelly but he’s a massive asset to this team. Double-double machine. He does like to run his mouth but everyone needs a Draymond. (We unfortunately might have more than one on this team)

Get Buffen going. Keep Trey rolling. Work on fast break offense. Get Jelly healthy.
In order to make a move this season, this has to happen.
We need all of our team playing together as well.
Go Blazers!

(01-31-2023 01:25 AM)notnow Wrote:  Get Buffen going. Keep Trey rolling. Work on fast break offense. Get Jelly healthy.
In order to make a move this season, this has to happen.
We need all of our team playing together as well.
Go Blazers!

Thursday’s game is pivotal on so many levels. How do Davis/Brewer play coming off their suspensions? How do the players whose minutes increased greatly with Jelly’s absence react when their minutes shrink? I put Gaines, Lovan, Toney & Butta in this group. Will Jelly immediately be his old 25 a game self? Will AK play 10 guys meaningful minutes from here out? Very interested to see what Vegas thinks about this one. FAU is a blistering 15-5 ATS while we are 9-13. I’m guessing we’ll be a 1 or 2 point dog and get the win.

Feel like this is a trap game for FAU where we show our best.

But on the other hand, they are seriously good. Truly the sum of parts playing great TEAM basketball. They (and North Texas) are so disciplined in the very area where we tend to lose our heads. In FAU’s case, they have much better talent than they are getting credit for as well. Same guys on UAB roster might be called “most talented team in the league” but since it is FAU without a lot of basketball history, they get labeled “well coached” etc. Well, they are. But they have some ballers too!

(01-31-2023 10:39 AM)Ima Blazer Wrote:  

(01-31-2023 01:25 AM)notnow Wrote:  Get Buffen going. Keep Trey rolling. Work on fast break offense. Get Jelly healthy.
In order to make a move this season, this has to happen.
We need all of our team playing together as well.
Go Blazers!

Thursday’s game is pivotal on so many levels. How do Davis/Brewer play coming off their suspensions? How do the players whose minutes increased greatly with Jelly’s absence react when their minutes shrink? I put Gaines, Lovan, Toney & Butta in this group. Will Jelly immediately be his old 25 a game self? Will AK play 10 guys meaningful minutes from here out? Very interested to see what Vegas thinks about this one. FAU is a blistering 15-5 ATS while we are 9-13. I’m guessing we’ll be a 1 or 2 point dog and get the win.

The team has clearly shown the last 1.5 games, as well as in spurts throughout the season, that we are better playing a slower, more methodical game, with a bigger rotation. That coupled with intense effort on defense and relatively fewer mistakes, and working the ball through the post have been a recipe for success. If jelly is back and AK lets the team go immediately back to sloppy, fast paced, uptempo ball, with jelly taking as many shots as he wants to, team be damned, that is a major mistake IMO, and a recipe for more Ls and major disappointment.

The team has shown the recipe for success. We need to play more like the 2020-2021 team, rather than a wannabe, run and gun, fast paced team. That style of play was letting us score 80 points a game and still get beat.

FAU is good and has been incredible in close games. That being said, they could've easily taken 3 conference Ls, maybe 4, at this point. They are beatable. I take nothing away from them, and they are having the season we should've been having - but they are no Calipari Memphis team running through CUSA. The team should be embarrassed by how our first game against them ended, started our ensuing slide, and come out with a vengeance.

(01-31-2023 11:49 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  FAU is good and has been incredible in close games. That being said, they could've easily taken 3 conference Ls, maybe 4, at this point. They are beatable. I take nothing away from them, and they are having the season we should've been having - but they are no Calipari Memphis team running through CUSA. The team should be embarrassed by how our first game against them ended, started our ensuing slide, and come out with a vengeance.

Yep, they’ve beaten UNT by 4 twice, UAB by 2 and FIU in OT. While we’ve lost two games in OT and two more by 2 points. We have better players and now is the time to show it. It appears we will have full roster.

(01-31-2023 12:06 PM)Ima Blazer Wrote:  

(01-31-2023 11:49 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  FAU is good and has been incredible in close games. That being said, they could've easily taken 3 conference Ls, maybe 4, at this point. They are beatable. I take nothing away from them, and they are having the season we should've been having - but they are no Calipari Memphis team running through CUSA. The team should be embarrassed by how our first game against them ended, started our ensuing slide, and come out with a vengeance.

Yep, they’ve beaten UNT by 4 twice, UAB by 2 and FIU in OT. While we’ve lost two games in OT and two more by 2 points. We have better players and now is the time to show it. It appears we will have full roster.

Have you heard somewhere that Jelly will play? I don't think anyone knows that for sure.

(01-31-2023 12:46 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  

(01-31-2023 12:06 PM)Ima Blazer Wrote:  

(01-31-2023 11:49 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  FAU is good and has been incredible in close games. That being said, they could've easily taken 3 conference Ls, maybe 4, at this point. They are beatable. I take nothing away from them, and they are having the season we should've been having - but they are no Calipari Memphis team running through CUSA. The team should be embarrassed by how our first game against them ended, started our ensuing slide, and come out with a vengeance.

Yep, they’ve beaten UNT by 4 twice, UAB by 2 and FIU in OT. While we’ve lost two games in OT and two more by 2 points. We have better players and now is the time to show it. It appears we will have full roster.

Have you heard somewhere that Jelly will play? I don't think anyone knows that for sure.

That’s what Chris is telling me, we’ll see Thursday.

(01-31-2023 02:10 PM)Ima Blazer Wrote:  

(01-31-2023 12:46 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  

(01-31-2023 12:06 PM)Ima Blazer Wrote:  

(01-31-2023 11:49 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  FAU is good and has been incredible in close games. That being said, they could've easily taken 3 conference Ls, maybe 4, at this point. They are beatable. I take nothing away from them, and they are having the season we should've been having - but they are no Calipari Memphis team running through CUSA. The team should be embarrassed by how our first game against them ended, started our ensuing slide, and come out with a vengeance.

Yep, they’ve beaten UNT by 4 twice, UAB by 2 and FIU in OT. While we’ve lost two games in OT and two more by 2 points. We have better players and now is the time to show it. It appears we will have full roster.

Have you heard somewhere that Jelly will play? I don't think anyone knows that for sure.

That’s what Chris is telling me, we’ll see Thursday.

Hope you're right. Also hope Jelly returns in the flow of team offense and doesn't force wild, contested shots to try to show out in his return.

(01-31-2023 04:49 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  

(01-31-2023 02:10 PM)Ima Blazer Wrote:  

(01-31-2023 12:46 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  

(01-31-2023 12:06 PM)Ima Blazer Wrote:  

(01-31-2023 11:49 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  FAU is good and has been incredible in close games. That being said, they could've easily taken 3 conference Ls, maybe 4, at this point. They are beatable. I take nothing away from them, and they are having the season we should've been having - but they are no Calipari Memphis team running through CUSA. The team should be embarrassed by how our first game against them ended, started our ensuing slide, and come out with a vengeance.

Yep, they’ve beaten UNT by 4 twice, UAB by 2 and FIU in OT. While we’ve lost two games in OT and two more by 2 points. We have better players and now is the time to show it. It appears we will have full roster.

Have you heard somewhere that Jelly will play? I don't think anyone knows that for sure.

That’s what Chris is telling me, we’ll see Thursday.

Hope you're right. Also hope Jelly returns in the flow of team offense and doesn't force wild, contested shots to try to show out in his return.

Me too. That's what I was alluding too earlier. I think this team has shown how it has to play in order to win and be successful. Going back to the wild, uncontrolled, fast, no-defense-played style will not work.

What this jelly-less team has been missing, obviously, is scoring and shooting. If he can provide that within the flow of a more controlled, slowed-down offense, and contribute in some way on the defensive end, I think we have a winning recipe.

What I really hope we do not see is a return to the full blown "nothing but Jelly show." That's not going to win us any meaningful games. I don't like scoring 87 points in a game and losing to FIU. I'm hoping he scores more along the lines of 18-20 points per game, is subbed out more for defensive plays, the rotation is extended like it has been for the last few games, and we continue to play the hard-nosed, intense defense we have played for the last 1.5 games.

A lot of ifs and buts... and I remain dubious that it will all come together, but the team has at least shown a pulse the last 3 halves of basketball. That's a longer period of consistent winning basketball than we've seen all season so far.

I think an interesting plot twist would be for Jelly to come in for Lovan about 5 minutes in.

(01-31-2023 08:28 PM)FNblazer Wrote:  I think an interesting plot twist would be for Jelly to come in for Lovan about 5 minutes in.

I like that scenario too. Wouldn’t surprise me.