Pilots @ USF, Thursday @ 7pm

Next up for the Pilots is a reeling USF squad on the road. The Dons have lost their first 3 WCC games:

@ Pepperdine (61-77)
vs LMU (76-77)
@ BYU (56-81)

USF's points allowed have been pretty consistent in WCC play, granted it's an insignificant sample size.

Considering that the Dons were pegged to finish 4th in the preseason poll, it would be great to get a win while they're down, before they potentially come alive.

It doesn't look like this game is going to be televised.

I'd love to say more but work beckons.

I believe the game at USF on Thursday is the one and only WCC game that is not televised, and that is unfortunate, as I would like to see how we look on the road now that we have a couple wins undernearth us... I guess we will have to rely on Bill Johnson and Jason Brough to be our eyes!

USF plays @SMC tonight at 7pm, with a tape delay broadcast at 1am Tuesday morning on CSN-NW.

USF could very well come into our game Thursday with an 0-4 WCC record, so they could either implode or explode... but you know they will be "extra anxious" to get a win. If we continue to play the better defense we saw this weekend, we should remain competitive regardless.

The new 9-team WCC schedule has some interesting quirks; USF only played one game last weekend (lost @BYU Saturday), but now has to play @SMC tonight, against us Thursday, and hosts Pepperdine Saturday 1/14... 4 games in 8 days! The game tonight is @SMC, so it will be a full house... but scheduling up against the BCS Championship game tonight is unfortunate...

PilotNut wrote:I guess we will have to rely on Bill Johnson and Jason Brough to be our eyes!

There appears to be a video link at usfdons.com, so maybe you could upgrade to a grainy internet feed.

PilotNut wrote:I guess we will have to rely on Bill Johnson and Jason Brough to be our eyes!

Well, Bill and Jason are a good combination of the old and young, but not to be outdone, DJ Sherman and I will be at the game too. I'll have to check if the students are back at USF, but that's where I plan to sit.

DJ will have to give you his impressions of the game, as I will head straight to the Condor Club and Carol Doda after the game. (Look her up young PN regulars, the Condor Club was where many of us spent a great deal of time in the '60s).

DoubleDipper wrote:

PilotNut wrote:I guess we will have to rely on Bill Johnson and Jason Brough to be our eyes!

Well, Bill and Jason are a good combination of the old and young, but not to be outdone, DJ Sherman and I will be at the game too. I'll have to check if the students are back at USF, but that's where I plan to sit.

DJ will have to give you his impressions of the game, as I will head straight to the Condor Club and Carol Doda after the game. (Look her up young PN regulars, the Condor Club was where many of us spent a great deal of time in the '60s).

I thought my recap of the Pepperdine game was good but then I read DJ Sherman's trip to UC Davis. It rhymes:

http://www.midmajority.com/p/2427

PurplePrideTrumpet wrote: I thought my recap of the Pepperdine game was good but then I read DJ Sherman's trip to UC Davis.
It rhymes:http://www.midmajority.com/p/2427

Haha, that was great! What a talent. But man, that must have given him a headache.

PilotNut wrote:The new 9-team WCC schedule has some interesting quirks; USF only played one game last weekend (lost @BYU Saturday), but now has to play @SMC tonight, against us Thursday, and hosts Pepperdine Saturday 1/14... 4 games in 8 days! The game tonight is @SMC, so it will be a full house... but scheduling up against the BCS Championship game tonight is unfortunate...

Yeah, I was noticing we play GU and USF twice before we ever play LMU or BYU. The new scheduling provides some interesting situations. For example, we play USF twice in 9 days.

Alright. The Dons are lead in scoring, rebounding and turnovers by these three guys:

Dior Lowhorn ABOUT TIME!
Angelo Caloiaro 14.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.9 tpg
Perris Blackwell 11.4, 5.7, 1.9
Rashad Green 11.1, 4.9, 3.7

Caloiaro and Green both shoot just under 37% from 3-point range. Oddly, the 6'8", 225lbs Caloiaro (4.0 attempts per game) shoots more 3s than the 3'4", 195lbs Green (2.9 attempts per game).

Caloiaro and Blackwell are the most likely to get to the line and while Caloiaro shoots a respectable 78%, Blackwell shoots a Knutson-like 56% (Sorry Kramer!).

The Dons are not a large team. The tallest players listed are 6'9". Blackwell appears to be the only one getting significant miinutes. Sophomore Justin Raffington (8.8 mpg, 2.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and Freshman Mark Tollefsen (redshirting?) don't appear to be impact players (yet). Caloiaro is the only player listed at 6'8". Sophomore Cole Dickerson (15.4 mpg, 5.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and freshman Khalil Murphy (6.4, 2.4, 1.1) round out the forwards at 6'7".

I think this is a winnable game but I imagine it'll be a tough win. These guys are desperate for a win after opening conference 0-4, including a 15-point loss to SMC tonight and they're playing at home. We need to come out strong, we need Thomas to use his size and we need to keep their (athletic?) big men in check. Wouldn't the return of Riley Barker be great? I'm not counting on it but I'm sure DoubleDipper has better insight there.


*I know Lowhorn was gone last year too but I thought he'd never leave!

**I know nobody cares about turnovers but I liked that these three represented the top 3 in all of those categories.

ShipstadPilot11 wrote:Caloiaro and Green both shoot just under 37% from 3-point range. Oddly, the 6'8", 225lbs Caloiaro (4.0 attempts per game) shoots more 3s than the 3'4", 195lbs Green (2.9 attempts per game).

That's a lot of muscle to pack onto that body frame!

Rob's Jacket wrote:

ShipstadPilot11 wrote:Caloiaro and Green both shoot just under 37% from 3-point range. Oddly, the 6'8", 225lbs Caloiaro (4.0 attempts per game) shoots more 3s than the 3'4", 195lbs Green (2.9 attempts per game).

That's a lot of muscle to pack onto that body frame!

He's been working out.

I'm gone on break and I come back to this. Nice to see PN did not have any resolutions...

Addressing an earlier tangent, thanks for the positive feedback, PPT and DD! Some parts came easily, but like DD wrote, after editing and submitting, I wanted to spend some time away from rhymes.

Back on the titular topic, it will be fun to see the team since I have only made cursory looks at the team since the Ohio game. Plus, any way to produce fodder for the aforementioned return trip on the 21st is always nice.

From looking at the Academic Calendar, the dorms are back open for Intersession, so there could be a crowd. As UP's break comes to a close, this game comes at the perfect time for my first Men's road game. However, I'm driving solo, so the Condor Club is not on the itinerary. Salud to DD in advance!

If the War Memorial Gym has wireless, I'll try to pop into the Chat to provide insights and compare notes.

Rob's Jacket wrote:

ShipstadPilot11 wrote:Caloiaro and Green both shoot just under 37% from 3-point range. Oddly, the 6'8", 225lbs Caloiaro (4.0 attempts per game) shoots more 3s than the 3'4", 195lbs Green (2.9 attempts per game).

That's a lot of muscle to pack onto that body frame!

Our blocked shots should spike on Thursday...

DJ Sherman wrote: However, I'm driving solo, so the Condor Club is on on the itinerary. Salud to DD in advance!

What, seriously, the Condor Club still exists?

I’m guessing (hoping?) that Carol is no longer the main attraction.


Below is the California historical marker at the original Condor Club site. It reads: "The Condor, Where it all began; The birthplace of the world's first topless & bottomless entertainment; Topless - June 19, 1964 Bottomless - September 3, 1969 Starring Ms. Carol Doda; San Francisco, California



Guys, it was a different era; before implants even. Just as Curt Flood (look him up) paved the way for baseball free agency, Carol Doda made it possible for you to enjoy God's creations on any given night (or day).

OK, back to basketball.

#184 USF is being shown as an early 8 point favorite over #239 UP (79-71) with a very high 75% confidence factor. The reason: UP has not won on the road (still the 6th toughest schedule in D-1), and that winless streak includes a loss to #321 Utah in Salt Lake.

USF may be winless in WCC play, but at the end of the day, it is currently anticipated that SCU, USF and Portland will be in a statistical tie for 6th place ahead of USD.

I’m looking for higher for the Pilots!

LMU has a win at San Francisco. That means we need a win at San Francisco if we are to have any hope of fighting for 4th. 4th would be a good finish for this year. As long as we keep winning against everyone other than SMC, BYU, and Gonzaga I can keep hoping.

I think we have a chance against SF, especially if we can play like we did in the first half against Santa Clara. If we play like we did against Pepperdine I'm guessing we'll lose. Pepperdine doesn't score much anyways so our defense was OK, but didn't have to be great to pull out that win while our offense was struggling.