Wooden Legacy - Thanksgiving Weekend

To make your Thanksgiving planning easier, this is Thursday’s schedule of first round games at the Wooden Legacy with W-L records and KenPom rankings and predictions:

11:00/ESPN3 - Texas A&M (2-1/#32) vs. CSUN (2-2/#182) Texas A&M favored by 13
1:30/ESPN - New Mexico (3-0/#81) vs. Virginia Tech (3-0/#45) Virginia Tech favored by 5
5:30/ESPNU - Dayton (2-1/#38 vs. Nebraska (3-0/#76) Dayton favored by 6
8:00/ESPN2 - UCLA (4-0/#21) vs. Portland (3-0/#146) UCLA by 13 (90-77)

Most likely, if the prognosticators are correct, the Pilots will play:

Thursday @ 8pm vs. UCLA on ESPN2
Friday @ 6:30 (Consolation #2) vs. Dayton/Nebraska on ESPN3 (If you have Xfinity/Comcast internet, you should be able to get this streamed live for free)
Sunday @ 8:00 (Seventh Place game) vs. Cal St. Northridge on ESPNU.

Here's the complete TV/online schedule:
http://portlandpilots.com/news/2016/7/14/mbb_vUCLA_woodenlegacy.aspx

Let’s hope there’s an upset in the Pilots’ future on Thursday and/or Friday…..

DoubleDipper wrote:Thursday @ 8pm vs. UCLA on ESPN2
Friday @ 6:30 (Consolation #2) vs. Dayton/Nebraska on ESPN3 (If you have Xfinity/Comcast internet, you should be able to get this streamed live for free)
Sunday @ 8:00 (Seventh Place game) vs. Cal St. Northridge on ESPNU.

Meh, Nebraska would be 3rd/4th if they were in the WCC. Not ready to concede that one just yet if Dayton does as expected and beats the Huskers. Would sure be nice to chalk up a win on Friday and get a crack at New Mexico or someone like that on Sunday instead of CSUN.

UCLA, on the other hand...that's gonna be a bit of a tall order for our Pilots.

Dean Murdoch wrote:

UCLA, on the other hand...that's gonna be a bit of a tall order for our Pilots.

What surprised me about the last time we played in Anaheim was that UCLA fans really didn't show up.  Minnesota and West Virginia had way more fans.  Hopefully it's not too big of a home court advantage this year too.  

For your reading enjoyment, here is the thread from 2009 https://www.pilotnation.net/t2786-portland-vs-ucla-gameday?highlight=ucla

As if UCLA needed the help, looks like Ike Anigbogu will make his debut tomorrow after missing the first four games of the year to a knee injury. Anigbogu is 6-10, 250 and was either a 4 or 5 star guy depending on what site you look at. Some chatter that he may even start over Thomas Welsh at center sooner rather than later.

On another mildly interesting (at best) note, UCLA has the market cornered with four Ikes. Besides Anigbogu, they've got Ikenna Okwarabizie, Isaac Hamilton, and Isaac Wulff.

Did we win yet? UCLA is ranked between Gonzaga and St. Marys. Given we can beat those teams once in a while...this is a winnable game. Plus...I heard a rumor they've got this guy coming back from injury that is going to throw off their rhythm...

Here's a preview from the UCLA side via Bruins Nation.   It recalls the last UP-UCLA meeting.  
wooden-legacy-tournament-preview-ucla-needs-to-win-the-tournament

No pressure, UCLA players, you just need to win.

Edit: I haven't looked at Bruins Nation for a quite a while. Last time I was reading it, they were howling for FB Coach Karl Dorrell to be fired. Now, they are howling for FB Coach Jim Mora to be fired. Some things don't change.

Las Vegas odds for tonight's game has the Bruins favored by 15 with a 169 over/under....

As we sit around watching sports on the TV and eating turkey today, let's take a moment to give thanks to our wonderful military men and women who are far from home, but very close to danger, and also to their families who make so many sacrifices while their loved ones serve our country.

Pretty generous from a fly boy to use a ground soldier picture.  Happy Thanksgiving to all in harms way.  And to the police, firefighters, doctors and nurses who work on our holidays.

Are there any pregame functions tonight?

pilotfan4life wrote:Are there any pregame functions tonight?

Don't know if you found a pregame event, but you sure found some great seats!

I thought we played a great first half until the final couple minutes. Clean up the second half cause we are still in this game.

blacksheep wrote:I thought we played a great first half until the final couple minutes.  Clean up the second half cause we are still in this game.

Well, the second half hasn't gone well so far.

Certainly something to build on playing the 14th team in the country, but still wish the game was closer.

Well, hats off to UCLA. That's a balanced offence if I've ever seen one. Weapons up and down the roster, inside and out...pretty much the kind of team that you'd expect to go deep in March.

Pilots basically matched them from 3. Rebounds and turnovers were similar. But 12-for-37 for UP from inside the arc was the difference.

Gotta admit it was different watching this team with a new coach and only one player (Alec) from the "old days"....

That said I liked the play of the Pilots. They did a great job probing the defense in the first half, resulting in buckets. UCLA obviously made halftime adjustments and the lead by the Bruins grew to almost 30.

The offense looked fluid, good spacing and ball movement. The Pilots should be competitive in most leage games. Hard to tell about the D as UCLA will make many teams look silly trying to stop all the offensive weapons on the floor.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and GO PILOTS

Next Game, Friday at 6:30pm vs Dayton Flyers. ESPN3.

Dayton is from the Atlantic 10 conference. They are 2-2. They started the season with victories over Austin Peay and @Alabama. Then they lost by 4 to St. Mary's, and lost the first round tournament game by 2 to Nebraska. They have 6 players who do all their scoring, and 3 others who play but rarely score. 6'-5" Sr G Charles Cooke leads them with 23ppg. He shoots 50% from 3pt range. They don't seem to have a true center, so Pilots could go small with Gabe at the 5 position if they want. Should be a tough test.

0-7 lifetime against Dayton, with all seven games being played between 1959 and 1970 at Dayton.

Come on Coach Negratti, you couldn't have gotten ONE home game out that series?

DoubleDipper wrote:Friday @ 6:30 (Consolation #2) vs. Dayton/Nebraska on ESPN3 (If you have Xfinity/Comcast internet, you should be able to get this streamed live for free)

If anyone has any "suggestions" for me on how I could watch this one, send me a PM

Dean Murdoch wrote:

DoubleDipper wrote:Friday @ 6:30 (Consolation #2) vs. Dayton/Nebraska on ESPN3 (If you have Xfinity/Comcast internet, you should be able to get this streamed live for free)

If anyone has any "suggestions" for me on how I could watch this one, send me a PM

Hopefully someone send you an xfinity password to use. I would, but I'm too cheap for cable

Dean Murdoch wrote:0-7 lifetime against Dayton, with all seven games being played between 1959 and 1970 at Dayton.

Come on Coach Negratti, you couldn't have gotten ONE home game out that series?

Haha, really can't blame Big Al Negratti for all those away games and losses, he was only at the helm for the first 3, but yes, back in the day UP often forayed to the Midwest to play the really good Catholic schools like Dayton and DePaul.

Some of it was tradition, some was to connect with Midwest alumni (the student body back then hovered between 1200-1800), and there were a lot recruiting opportunities there.  If you look at the rosters from those years you'll find a number of the players were a bit 'non-traditional,' and many were from the Midwest and South.

The Pilots never beat DePaul either, but they did come close, a one point loss in the only game played in Portland in which Andy Johnson, Dick Jolley, and Frank Bosone starred.  All three were at one time Catholic Digest All-America selections....a big deal, "back in the day."

blacksheep wrote:Hopefully someone send you an xfinity password to use.  I would, but I'm too cheap for cable

Hmm, I have Xfinity, but I know of no password.....I just open the laptop, go to ESPN3, and it starts streaming.

This whole internet thing is really just magic anyway, isn't it?

up7587 wrote:Pretty generous from a fly boy to use a ground soldier picture.  

For a quarter of a century, from Vietnam to the Gulf War, my whole reason for flying was to support the fine soldiers and marines on the ground.....

Obviously I have a number of films and videos from those days, but I think this one from my A-10 squadron best depicts the intensity of the guys on the ground and in the air.  The heavy breathing into the oxygen mask and the grunting when fighting the g's during hard turns and pull ups from shooting and bombing are normal day-to-day sounds while flying a fighter.  The occasional woman's voice you hear is "Bitchin' Betty," whose sole purpose it is to warn us when we are too close to the ground for her computer brain.

The activities depicted here are routine when providing "close air support' to the heroes on the ground from the comfort of the cockpit.

Just joshin' you, of course.  As always thanks for your service.

I was glad to see they recently decided the keep the A-10 program alive.  Seems like an awesome weapon in today's conflicts.  Plus, that GAU-8 is extremely impressive.  Would hate to be on the wrong end of that fire.

Anyway, back to basketball! I noted that on the ESPN2 broadcast last night, they specified that we were river pilots.     Go Pilots!

Just so I have this straight. DD was a pilot that flew an A-10, and today the Pilots are playing the Flyers from the A10?

DoubleDipper wrote:

Dean Murdoch wrote:0-7 lifetime against Dayton, with all seven games being played between 1959 and 1970 at Dayton.

Come on Coach Negratti, you couldn't have gotten ONE home game out that series?

Haha, really can't blame Big Al Negratti for all those away games and losses, he was only at the helm for the first 3, but yes, back in the day UP often forayed to the Midwest to play the really good Catholic schools like Dayton and DePaul.

Some of it was tradition, some was to connect with Midwest alumni (the student body back then hovered between 1200-1800), and there were a lot recruiting opportunities there.  If you look at the rosters from those years you'll find a number of the players were a bit 'non-traditional,' and many were from the Midwest and South.

The Pilots never beat DePaul either, but they did come close, a one point loss in the only game played in Portland in which Andy Johnson, Dick Jolley, and Frank Bosone starred.  All three were at one time Catholic Digest All-America selections....a big deal, "back in the day."

I was 100% certain that busting out an Al Negratti reference would generate a history lesson...I am not disappointed! It's fun to learn.

Dean Murdoch wrote:Just so I have this straight. DD was a pilot that flew an A-10, and today the Pilots are playing the Flyers from the A10?

Maybe the Pilots fans in attendance will pick up on this and chant "Warthogs" at the opponents.