GrandGreen

You expect anything different from the people who hired Benford. I think it is still too early to give up on Benford or the team, but a bunch of bs excuses from RV means nothing and if he really mentioned MItchell in that manner; it was a very bad mistake for an AD. Also, the decision by the broadcast group was made after he didn't show up and they decided not to wing it or have dead air way past the planned broadcast.

You do realize that NT just got beat at home by a 2-5 team playing almost all freshmen and sophomores. Might add that a 6'9 freshman scored what 25 and looked a lot better than NT's lottery pick.

Lots of banner about whether the problem lies in the coaching or the players. Obvious answer, it is both. My opinion, and it is only an opinion is that both coaches, team and you can add fans thought they were better than they are. This is backed up by the facts that it is easily the highest rated players NT has accumulated possibly ever with a legit 5 star and several other three. Prior to this group, JJ had signed one three star high school player. Add to that NT had all their starters back from a team that peaked late last year. Bedford came in and kept the team together and say all the right things. More emphais on defense, get pressure of Tony, etc. This added fuel to the toughts that this team could be exceptional. Now, we are hit with the cold reality that all those projections were at best illustions. I held out hope until I finally saw them play a meaningful game in person against UTA. This team was not only fairly easily beaten but many of players lost all composure and frankly the second half of that game was as bad as I have seen. Even worse than the debacle against UTA last year, at least that was a young team. The team I saw Wednesday is not going to win many games. The talent and I believe coaching is a lot better than that performance. Now confidence is a major issue. This team will get a lot better, but the question is will it be enough to salvage this dream season to some extent.

Actually the way the girls game is attended, I hope a lot of people use their men's tickets to watch both games. There probably wasn't more than 100 last Wednesday for the first half of the WBB game; more the second half were on hand to see the team blow a big lead. I much rather fans and potential fans get in cheaply than not bother at all.

ULL played Mitchell better than anyone last year, and would expect the same. Mitchell is going to have play smart or he will be on the bench in foul trouble for much of the game, that is what happened against ULL last year with Tony completely off his game. Obviosly the rest of the team is going to have to take the pressure off Tony, something they have achieved rarely this year. Should be an interesting game, a good game by NT could be the needed turnaround, another bad loss and this season will be even more difficult to recover. Pre-season, I admittively stupidly didn't think this team could lose more than 3 or 4 Belt games, now I am wondering if they can even play JJ ball. About .500 in conference and a strong run in the conference tournament.

I don't know what the issues are with Coleman and Patton, but if Patton is healthy and Coleman is expected to be around next semester, than both need more time on the court. Neither as played enough to determine their value, but either one could take pressure off Mitchell. I didn't think Franklin was good enough to play on this team, talk about wrong; there are few players that are not good enough to play on this team. Franklin hustles and is effective but him playing the four shows how much for whatever reason; they are not relying on Patton and Colemen. I think you have to stay with Jones, he is a talent; he showed that last year. He is I hope just going through a rough spot. Jordan Williams can take over a game when he is on, but is a liability when he is not. I think he has great potential but shows little discipline and his minutes should be limited until he played with more control I would start Mitchell, Jones, A. Williams, Franklin and either Patton or Coleman.

Every job should be up for crabs, including Trice. If Trice were a cc doesn't it figure that is where he would have played this year. Trice was not great covering out of the safety spot, I highly doubt he could play an effective corner.

I don't understand the inflatuation with Florida. Neither of the new CUSA schools have any following, they actually make NT look good. I would have chosen ULL or WKU which are much more developed overall athletic programs and offer descent markets and frankly whould have about killed the Belt. NT has a very narrow thread of separation now, but I have always thought the best solution would have been a CUSA/Belt spit with one taking the Western and the other the Eastern teams. I wouldn't want ULM or Troy in anything but a more regional arrangement makes sense.

Size was and has not been NT's problem, talent and skill are. Orr is a great middle line backer. He is smart and big enough and has good speed for the middle but not necessarly the outside. Akunne, Phillips and Wright are all faster than Orr. Orr is the best player on the NT defense who doesn't have many above average Belt players.

I wonder about Benford, I have not gave up on him but there are a lot of bad to horrible signs. Benford was hired to keep this band of players together and he did that, but thus far he as shown no ability to get them to play as a team. Benfords talk about all the talent on this team, I assume was to build them up; but it appears to had the opposite effect. Mitchell, the most talented player Benford was quoted saying he has been around, looked about as bad as any athlete I have ever seen at NT againt UTA. No doubt, he had more talent than anyone on the court by a mile which is usually the case, but his actions on the court were as bad as I have seen. Not his play, he was still effective; but those stating that his antics didn't effect his draft status; know very little about basketball. He may be still drafted high but it he doesn't turn around his attitude he is going to leave literately millions of dollars on the table. Jones, Benford has stated as being as good as any Big East point, based on his play so far will be lucky to keep his job over Hardwick. Colemen, a power conference post that is going to take the pressure off Mitchell, is mysteriously not getting hardly any playing time. I don't think Benford is as bad a coach as he has shown thus far, but this isn't the season to watse on a rookie coach that doesn't seem at this point any more qualified than Todd Dodge. Does anyone else think that if UTA and NT switched coaches that NT would have won by twenty easily?

You would think NT could beat out Southern, McNeese and ULM. I am still looking for signs that recruiting is improving and I don't see it.

The sign of a good coach is that the team is greater than the sum of its parts. Based on that, Benford has started off horribly. Look at the UTA team, not a player on a pure talent basis that should be able to hang with Tony, Chris or Jordan yet they dominated. A no name to most, Polish kid was the best player on the court.

One thing, I hope they stop because it is beyond embrassing to all involved; do not play a promo at the game or anywhere about how this is the most talented team in NT basketball history.

A Texas recruit, highly unusual these days. From all accounts gets to join a great group of girls.

Lamar getting beat by 40 by ASU, doesn't make NT's earlier victory over that team look very inspiring.

I don't think many are calling for a coaching change and they should not be at this point. McCarney will almost certainly get two more years short of a Shanice Stephens melt down. However, I don't see how anyone is happy with the progress demonstrated this year ether on the field or thus far in recruiting. There have been some positives, the team is bigger and more fundamentally sound. It was also a relatively young team with lots of players returning next year. Next year will tell the tale, no more excuses will be acceptable.

Not entirely sure how a game that NT should have won, but turned into a lost as the coach went ultra conservative morphed into a recruiting debate. Other than one poster opined that McCarney went into an offensive shell because he couldn't trust his team particularly his QB. I don't think that is the case, I just think McCarney is going to nurse a lead and today it backfired on him. I agree with Harry that McCarney didn't go with the quick fix with JUCOS; but disagree that there is a lot of evidence that recruiting is improving. It is interesting to me that the people that defend the recruiting and think all is well continue to point to the "fact" that you really can't tell how recruiting is going until 3 or 5 years down the road. Therefore, either praise or damnation of the recruiting is meaningless, yet woe to anyone who indicates that recruiting is not going well. I will state based on what little we as fans can see of recruiting, I am far from impressed with NT's progress. Not that NT is worse or hasn't improved to some degree but with the much ballyhooed better facilities, much better paid staff, and new conference; thus far there has not been any really discernible uptick in recruiting. Again no one can really tell for at several years, so I am hopeful after a couple of very successful CUSA campaigns that someone can point backward and say I told you so those early McCarney classes were the foundation of the upturn in NT football.

Players are redshirted because the year off benefits them more than the value of playing them in the staff's view. Most freshmen fall into that group unless the team is very weak at a position or they are very talented. I strongly disagree with anyone who believes that McCarney is stockpiling players. Anyone eligible the coaches thought could significantly help this team would be playing. A lot of the reshirts are injury related: Horton, Lancaster, Prior, Warner, Feldt and others. If you have watched all year and don't think McCarney is conservative than I sure am not going to convince you. As far as rating classes till after they graduate, that works but it sure cuts down on conversation. If NT played like a lot of fans continually rate the recruits, than NT wouldn't have 7 straight losing seasons.

Chancellor, Orr, Johnson, Bellazin, Fortenberry, Boutwell, Abbe, etc Every coach finds players, it is a question of how many and how good If you really analyse the team you will see that NT does not have an usually or maybe even the usual amount of young players making contributions, especially if you subsribe to the McCarney view that the cupboard was really bare Just because a player gets field time doesn't mean he is good, it only mean he is better than the other players on the team.

Nonsense on a lot of levels. If an HC does not think his QB is capable, he gets another one and McCarney had an opportunity to do that. I am afraid McCarney is playing his game, and ten new QB's is not going to change that. He is ultra conservative and he is going to play the kind of game you saw today if he gets in the lead. Stockpiling means that you are holding back players for future years, I don't think McCarney is doing that. He is redshirting players because they are injured or they are not good enough to play. Overhauling the roster with better players maybe the objective, but thus far I have seen very few signs of that happening. McCarney's class unless something drastically changes, will be the lowest rated in Texas. You can say the rating agencies suck, but it is still far from encouraging. I and all fans would like to believe McCarney is turning the corner, but results are the only thing that counts. Wishing and hoping and McCarney saying it is true, does not mean it is happening.

Geez, I guess he should have told them to score some more tds. Turnovers happen, NT would not have been in the game if WKU didn't turn it over. Unfortunately, WKU continued to run their offense.

No, I expect Andrews would not have slide down at the one.

Not a good outing for McCarney, played defensive and lost all momentum. The interception was bad, but timid coaching lost this game.

Great way to end a great year

Yes, and removed from MG premium; the most unreliable source ever; so for two games in a row the football game is scheduled and not shown