-Talor Battle withdrew from the NBA Draft to apparently the surprise of some people. This is old news, but it’s just a little bit big for PSU. I don’t know how many people thought he would leave, but I personally was never concerned. Talor’s a smart guy. I’m happy he was finally able to get a pre-draft workout with the Trailblazers just before the deadline. He reportedly made 36 of 50 NBA threes. But in reality, Talor’s chances to get drafted and stick in the pros were pretty slim this year. I will say right now, though, I do expect Talor Battle to hear his name called in the 2011 NBA draft. Just a hunch.

-On the recruiting front, Penn State has been busy looking to fill their 2 remaining scholarships for the 2010 class with some big men. It’s been reported that the staff is not planning to hold the open 2 ‘ships for the 2011 class, unless they presumably strikeout on their targets. A couple kids who have been on visits recently have committed elsewhere. 6’7″ F Andre Roberson from Texas chose Colorado over PSU. 6’7″ F Colton Christian from Hargrave Military Academy by way of Bellevue, WA, committed to Michigan over Cal and PSU. Previous targets who have also gone elsewhere: Dwight McCombs (Central Florida), Andre Clark (TCU), and Eric McKnight (Iowa State). However, while PSU has struck out with these guys, all hope is not lost. It seems very possible that 6’8″ F Jonathan Graham from Baltimore could end up at Penn State. He reportedly was seen on campus two weeks ago and presumably will make his decision by May 19th, the end of the spring signing period. It was found out today by Nate Bauer at BWI that Graham is visiting today. There’ll be more on Graham when his decision is public (especially if it’s PSU).

-A couple of scheduling tidbits. The Big Ten/ACC Challenge was released today. PSU fans have been complaining forever that the Nittany Lions play the same teams in this challenge. At the beginning, it was Clemson year after year. But the last 4 seasons have brought Georgia Tech (2x), Virginia Tech, and Virginia. What I believe to be the root of PSU’s complaints is the fact that they just really want to play Maryland once and were never given the opportunity. Well, lo and behold, the Terrapins will be traveling to State College on December 1st (on Wednesday, wonder how the staff feels about the 76 Classic withdrawal now?). It’s a very exciting matchup between quiet rivals who really don’t play each other in either revenue sport for no apparent reason. Well I’m sure there’s some bullshit money excuse, but it’s nice that ESPN has set up this gig. Maryland was co-ACC champs last season, but they lost do-everything PG Greivis Vasquez and their other 2 leading scorers. They obviously are a traditionally strong opponent, but it’s probably looking like a ‘down year’ for the turtle next season, or at least by their standards. But that means it could be a very winnable game for the Nittany Lions.

-Also, it was discovered that Fairfield will be traveling to the BJC next year as well (although the source has since rescinded the leaked opponents on Fairfield’s schedule). I don’t know too much about the MAAC, but it’s very possible the Stags will be preseason favorites to win the conference. They finished 2nd in 2009-2010, runners-up to the dominant Siena Saints. Here’s a nice prospective overview of the Stags from USAToday of all sources. These are the types of games the Nittany Lions need to schedule for the sake of their RPI and SOS. Fairfield will easily be a top 200 team, possibly top 100. They don’t pack the name recognition to sell out the BJC, but they are eons better than any America East squad.

That brings the 2010 schedule to this so far:

• vs. Maryland
• @ Ole Miss
• @ Virginia Tech
• vs. Fairfield
• vs. Delaware State
• vs. Lehigh

Hopefully the remainder of the schedule is strong. I don’t believe this was posted on the blog but Cornell was going to travel to Penn State for a game. That, however, has been dropped, which is a smart move on PSU’s end because there is no way the Big Red is going to contend next year. Their run this year was marvelous, but that program is now in serious rebuild mode after the mass exodus. Highly unlikely they’re above 250 or so next season. Also, it was also reported by a fan that Kanaskie said at a public function we were in negotiations with Kansas to play a home-and-home series in Kansas City and Hershey. It is unknown whether that has fallen through or if those negotiations are still ongoing.

That’s all for now.

Find me an NBA mock draft with Talor Battle in it, and then maybe I’ll actually be worried about him leaving. The only thing I’m worried about is how is he going to finish out this semester if he’s going to be on the road working out with NBA teams over the next month? (EDIT: NCAA rules prohibit players from missing class for NBA workouts, so if Talor did that, he would basically be giving up his eligibility).

Of course, I hope Talor performs well in workouts. I’m rooting for him as always. I just don’t see how he’s going to be able to do anything in a month to raise his draft status from undrafted to a sure pick, which is what I think it would take for TB to leave. As I’ve said before, you can bet the house on Talor Battle and Taran Buie being in Penn State uniforms in 2010-2011.

There’s nothing to see here, move along.

There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that PSU is not the worst basketball team in the conference right now at the end of the season (when it’s most important). However, the standings say so and PSU gets the 11-seed in the Big Ten tournament. But what’s exciting is, everybody gets new life. PSU has the opportunity to build on their inspired play of late and make up for this disaster of a season.

The first step is today against 6-seed Minnesota, who’s NCAA at-large hopes hinges on a good performance the next few days. It’s been a disappointing season for the Gophers, too, relative to expectations. I don’t hesitate in saying this could very well be Tubby’s worst coaching job I’ve seen. Al Nolen’s academic suspension certainly didn’t help. But this team is way too talented to lay eggs in March against weaker teams, especially considering their bubble hopes.

PSU played Minnesota tough the first two meetings, but lost both of them. There really was no consistent correlation between the two games. We have not had much success against Minnesota in recent years, but there’s no doubt in my mind that PSU can win this game. However, I think much of the outcome of this game depends on Minnesota’s effort level. They present matchup problems that PSU can’t handle.

Keys for PSU:

• Handle the Gophers press, when they do, and limit TOs. 25% TO rate killed the Lions in the first meeting.
• Keep rebounding the basketball. It didn’t hurt PSU in the first two meetings, but if Minnesota outrebounds PSU, I believe that will signify Golden Gopher dominance down low with their size.
• Out shoot the Gophers from 3. Hoffarber is still hitting 48% of his threes. Babb and Battle have to produce more than Hoff and Westbrook, IMO.
• Continued Jeff Brooks’ aggressiveness. Jeff’s unstoppable when he plays within himself and with confidence. But the ticking time bomb that is his mind can always backfire on him.
• Get some valuable bench production. If PSU is going to do anything in this tournament, the bench has to show up with 10 minutes of production, not 5 minutes of liability. Frazier, Edwards, Ott, and even Woodyard and Borovnjak need to be ready to play this weekend.

Now, yes, we know about the universal rule in tournament play, but if PSU pulls out a W today, I really like how their end of the bracket is set up for the Lions to get on a little bit of a roll and make some noise. Wisconsin and Ohio State, who we haven’t beaten since 2003, are on the opposite side. PSU wouldn’t face either until the finals. Up next for PSU would be a Michigan State team, without Chris Allen.  Then would be the Hummel-less Boilers again (unless our favorite whipping boy, Northwestern, could pull out some magic themselves).  Obviously both teams are still gonna be tough, but they aren’t hopeless.

We’ll see. Hopefully we’re in for some exciting basketball (that lasts longer than a day). If this season has taught Nittany Lions fans anything, it’s we have the players to compete in this league. The first step is the Golden Gophers (tentative 7:30 tip, Big Ten Network). It’s time for the Lions to deliver on this season. It’s their last chance.

Editor’s Note: If you don’t want to spend the time reading this novel, you should just scroll down to the end and read the final counts.

Possession #1 – 7 passes around the perimeter leads to a badly missed 3 from Babb. Nobody posted up once to call for the ball. Entry Pass Count – 0. Center Touches – 0. Shot Clock Usage – :28 seconds

Possession #2 – Jeff Brooks receives the first pass and drives into the lane. His penetration forces Derrick Nix to help, leaving Andrew Jones open on the low block. Brooks sees it and passes the ball. Jones fumbles the pass out of bounds for an unforced turnover. Poor execution on both players’ account. EPC – 0. CT – 1. SCU – :09.

Possession #3 – Ball screens and dribble handoffs for 20 seconds. Nobody posts up once. Battle is left with the ball 30 feet from the hoop. His forced drive marked the first time the ball crossed the 3 point line. He doesn’t even make it past the foul line before he loses the ball. Turnover #2. EPC – 0.  CT – 1. SCU – :28.

Possession #4 – Miscommunication on MSU’s part leaves Chris Babb with the ball at the wing and an open baseline. Good recognition by Babb to drive and draw the foul. He made 1 of 2 at the line. EPC – 0. CT -1. SCU – :14.

Possession #5 – Another questionable switch by MSU leaves Kalin Lucas on Jeff Brooks. Brooks actually posts up, which leads to the first entry pass by PSU. Good recognition by the team on the mismatch, but Brooks misses the shot because of good help defense by Nix. EPC – 1. CT – 1. SCU – :21.

Possession #6 (Transition) – Battle, probably bored from the last 5 possessions, forces a 2 on 3 break. He gets caught underneath after he drives it all the way to the hoop, but right when it looks like he’s about to pull it back out, he makes a crafty spin move and puts up a reverse lay up. He misses, but David Jackson grabs the offensive board and lays it back in. Good job by Brooks and DJ crashing the boards. Poor job by MSU getting back and boxing out.

Possession #7 (Transition) – A mishandled MSU pass leads to a steal by Chris Babb, who recognizes Battle running down the court. Battle makes a pretty over the shoulder catch and slams it home.

Possession #8 – After some more Battle/Babb/Jackson exchanges around the perimeter, Brooks attempts to post up again. However, he does so roughly 10 feet away from the hoop and ends up receiving the pass about 17 feet away on the wing (not an entry pass). Brooks aggressively (or recklessly, depending on your perspective) drives the baseline against Durrell Summers. Summers knocks the ball out of bounds with 14 seconds on the shot clock, a blessing considering Brooks was going absolutely nowhere with the ball. The inbounds play was pass the ball back to Brooks, who’s 30 feet away from the hoop. Brooks catches the ball and motions for Battle to come get the ball. This exchange somehow takes 5 seconds. Talor Battle now has the ball 30 feet away with 9 seconds left on the shot clock. He looks to the coaching staff for direction, another 3 seconds wasted. After realizing he is on his own, he calls David Jackson out for a screen, but DJ slips and Battle feeds him the ball out of the double team. DJ has the rock near the top of the key about 22 feet away with less than :03 on the shot clock (which is audibly known by the student section). He has enough room to put up the shot, but he somehow thinks he can make another pass to Ott underneath. Shot clock violation. Turnover #3. EPC – 1. CT – 1. SCU – :35 seconds.

Possession #9 – Brooks drives this time from the corner on Draymond Green, a much better match-up. He gets into the lane and makes a nice kickout pass to David Jackson, who nails the 3. EPC – 1. CT – 1. SCU – :09.

Possession #10 – Battle forces a three early in the possession off a ball screen from Jackson. Poor shot selection from Talor, as he airballed the shot. EPC – 1. CT – 1. SCU – :08.

Possession #11 – Battle’s not in, but nothing really changes. Ott (or anybody else for that matter) never posts up. Frazier tries to split a double team and penetrate twice, but MSU plays good defense. Possession ends in a fall-away 24 footer from Babb. Clank. EPC – 1. CT – 1. SCU – :29.

Possession #12 – Battle beats Summers on a drive off the bounce and forces a foul. On the reset, PSU runs the same inbounds ‘play’ aka throw the ball into the backcourt. Mike Kebler, the defensive star apparently, nearly forces the easy turnover but doesn’t. Frazier and Battle are on the floor together this time, but again, nothing changes. Only 2 passes occur throughout this 25 second possession. Frazier to Battle back to Frazier. Frazier tries to penetrate again and force something, but he travels. Turnover #4. EPC – 1. CT – 1. SCU – :27.

Possession #13 – A foul as Battle brings the ball up leads to another opportunity for PSU to run an inbounds play. Once again, PSU is forced to throw the ball out to Frazier near halfcourt. After a few more perimeter passes, Frazier beats his man off the dribble (pretty easily in fact), but has no one to pass to. He misses a tough 8 foot runner in the lane. EPC – 1. CT – 1. SCU – :18.

Possession #14 – Battle forces the issue after a rebound, despite once again not having numbers. He still beats his defenders and gets to the hoop, but there’s no way he’s getting a shot up. He makes a nice dish to Jones in the paint, who gets fouled. The inbounds play goes to Brooks on the wing this time, but MSU wasn’t pressing the issue. In fact, I’m not entirely sure what MSU is doing here. They did not seem to be ready as the ball was inbounded. It took them a while for everybody to get on a man, and their confusion led to Battle being guarded by Draymond Green. After driving by Green on the break before the foul, Battle decides to pull up from 3 in Green’s face. Swish. EPC – 1. CT – 2. SCU – :14.

Possession #15 – Battle is coming off the ball, but Chris Allen is able to stay with him through some screens. Multiple exchanges around the perimeter once again. Andrew Jones gets a pass off a slip screen from Battle, about 12 feet from the hoop on the baseline. Jones makes a nice explosive move to the basket, but too bad he can’t explode vertically. He gets blocked by Raymar Morgan, and MSU gets the deflection. EPC – 1. CT – 3. SCU – :25.

Possession #16 – Not sure what the hell MSU is doing this possession, either. Summers and Allen miscommunicate right away and leave Battle wide open. Deep 3 is good. EPC – 1. CT – 3. SCU – :11.

Possession #17 – PSU tries to find Battle coming off a double screen, but it’s well-defended. After a few more exchanges around the perimeter, Battle gets a little daylight and puts up a long 2-pointer. He is fouled on the attempt. He makes 1 of 2 at the line. EPC – 1. CT – 3. SCU – :26.

Possession #18 (Transition) – Fast break with Battle going 1-on-1 with Chris Allen. Impressive defense by Allen forcing Battle to miss a tough layup without fouling. Not sure if CA got a piece of it or not.

Possession #19 – More of the same as far as exchanges around the perimeter.  With 8 seconds left on the shot clock, Battle has the ball 40 feet away from the hoop. He dishes to DJ, who pretty much has to put up a contested 3. No good. EPC – 1. CT – 3. SCU – :29.

Possession #20 – I should mention this possession is coming after ED called a timeout. Andrew Jones receives a pass this time. He catches it at the top of the key and immediately passes it off. I don’t even know how else to describe this anymore. It’s more of the same, but I’ve felt like I’ve said that at least 4 times already. Actually, no. I’m going to call it ‘Ring Around the Perimeter’ or RAP, for short. I think everybody on the court touches the ball once, but the ball never crosses the 3 point line. Babb is left with the ball at the top of the key with time running down. He’s doubled and forces a pass to DJ at the elbow with 5 seconds left. Derrick Nix inexcusably fouls to bail PSU out. The inbounds goes back to halfcourt again (this is after a media timeout because of Nix’s foul). Jones gets another pass, but he’s not a threat 25 feet from the hoop. After plenty of RAP, Babb fakes out Lucas (off the ball) and drains an open 3. EPC – 1. CT – 5. SCU – :31/:18.

Possession #21 – RAP. Jones doesn’t touch the ball and sets weak screens. A little dribble penetration by Battle and a kick to DJ for yet another 3. He misses but the rebound is deflected out of bounds. Good hustle by Brooks to save it to Battle under the hoop who gets fouled. He makes both free throws. EPC – 1. CT – 5. SCU – :18.

Possession #22 – Babb gets some separation as his defender gets caught behind Jones after a screen, but he forces a three from the top of the key and misses badly. Not a good shot, considering Babb took 3 or 4 steps backwards before shooting off the dribble. EPC – 1. CT – 5. SCU – :15.

Possession #23 – RAP. Only thing different is Battle forces a drive and tries to kick it to Jones. It’s a low pass and Jones isn’t gonna do anything with it anyway, so he kicks it back out. Battle drains a 35 footer with :06 on the shot clock. Go team! EPC – 1. CT – 6. SCU – :29.

NOTE: Should I even mention at this time that Michigan State gets Durrell Summers a WIDE OPEN jumper as the shot clock expires? And they had to inbound the ball with only :07 on the shot clock.

Possession #24 – Andrew Jones gets the ball twice on this possession. Both times are out at the 3 point line. This great possession ends with an 18-foot airball off the dribble from Cam Woodyard as the shot clock expires. EPC – 1. CT – 8. SCU – :35.

Possession #25 – Frazier tries to penetrate and gets fouled after 20 seconds of RAP. He goes to the line for 1-and-1. Frazier makes the first and misses the second. EPC – 1. CT – 8. SCU – :20.

Possession #26 – RAP. Jones gets a touch out there. Frazier splits another double team and gets penetration, but MSU recovers nicely on defense. Battle has to force a contested 3 that doesn’t drop. EPC – 1. CT – 9. SCU – :32.

Possession #27 – Battle’s dramatics draw a foul on Chris Allen early in the possession. Talor makes the first at the line, but misses the 2nd. Jones makes a nice tip on the rebound, though, and PSU gets the ball again. Steve Lavin comments that PSU now has a chance for a 2 for 1 at the end of the half, but PSU RAPs it for 30 seconds. Jones is included. Tim Frazier, the pure shooter that he is, has to put up a contested 3. “Wow, a rock” was the description from Lavin. EPC – 1. CT – 10. SCU – :32.

HALFTIME: Thanks to some crazy hot shooting by Battle, PSU is down only 6. Yes, they only threw one entry pass to somebody posted up on the low block (when Brooks was posting up Lucas).

Possession #28 – Jackson off another slip screen makes a nice, aggressive drive to the hoop. He just doesn’t finish the lay up. EPC – 1. CT – 10. SCU – :09

Possession #29 – Michigan State falls asleep on defense. Jones is left open on the low block. We’ll count it as an entry pass even though he’s not posting up anybody. Battle finds him and Jones slams it home. EPC – 2. CT – 11. SCU – :07.

Possession #30 – RAP. Kalin Lucas backs off Battle, I guess respecting Battle’s driving ability (and possibly his own bum ankle), so Talor puts it up and buries another 3. EPC – 2. CT – 11. SCU – :16.

Possession #31 – Jones gets two more touches out at the top of the key (and a shot fake one time to boot! He had me fooled). Battle makes an NBA 3 with a guy in his face at the buzzer. Go team! EPC – 2. CT – 13. SCU – :32.

Possession #32 – Jones gets the ball because Battle picks up his dribble. Chris Allen cheats way too hard to help on Battle and leaves Babb wide open in the corner for a 3. EPC – 2. CT – 14. SCU – :20.

NOTE: At this time, I’m starting to feel like I’m coming across as criticizing Jones throughout this post. I just wanted to clarify that is not my intent. I’m simply informing what his ‘role’ is in this offense the coaching staff is running.

Possession #33 – Jeff Brooks wants his own possession. After a defensive rebound, Jeff brings the ball up the court himself. He then decides to not give it up to anybody and drive all the way to the hoop. His short 5 foot floater goes in and out. EPC – 2. CT – 14. SCU – :08.

Possession #34 – Jones participates in RAP. Brooks gets an open look from 3 but it’s long. EPC – 2. CT – 15. SCU – :12.

Possession #35 – RAP for 15 seconds until Kalin Lucas reaches in on Battle. On the reset, more RAP until Battle dishes while in mid shot to DJ in the corner for a clean 3. He buries it. EPC – 2. CT – 15. SCU – :18/:14.

Possession #36 – RAP until a switch has Babb guarded by Garrick Sherman. Chris makes a nice drive and kick to DJ, who dishes off to a wide open Talor Battle. MSU was chasing as soon as Babb drove. Battle’s 3 is money. At this point Talor has 24 of PSU’s 41 points and is 6-8 from 3. EPC – 2. CT – 15. SCU – :25.

Possession #37 – This possession starts with Brooks coming off a down screen and receiving the ball at the top of the key. Jeff then dribbles the ball back towards Battle like he’s going to hand it back off, but he keeps it and splits the double team with a smooth spin move. He finishes the play with a tough 8 foot fall-away bank shot. It was his usual glimpse of greatness that usually happens once a game.  EPC – 2. CT – 15. SCU – :15.

Possession #38 – Brooks, now overconfident, forces a baseline drive that isn’t there. He attempts to pass it back out to Babb, but it’s low. Not really sure why Babb makes such a feeble effort to catch it, either. He most likely wasn’t ready for it, but who knows. Turnover #5 as Lucas picks up the loose ball.

Possession #39 – RAP for 25 seconds. Battle then has to decide on his own what to do. He makes the pass to Babb who puts up a contested 23 footer as the shot clock winds down. It’s long but the rebound goes out of bounds off MSU. The inbounds pass has to be tracked down by Battle 85 feet away from the hoop. More RAP for 25 seconds. Battle then penetrates and draws the defense. He kicks it out to DJ for an open 3. PSU takes the lead. EPC – 2. CT – 15. SCU – :33/:30.

Possession #40 – Battle shoots a quick 3 early in the shot clock, but the ball goes out of bounds off MSU. I must make a note that Mike Kebler has entered the game sometime before this possession. Kebler got screened by DJ before this shot, and I wouldn’t say he contested it more than Allen/Lucas or anybody else on Battle’s shots all game. It was just a quick shot by Battle (who was moving to his left when he caught and fired) and he missed. I don’t think Kebler’s defense had anything to do with it. The inbounds pass is the first time PSU executes any sort of set. Frazier catches a pass on the wing, not in the backcourt. Battle, the inbounder, comes off a nice downscreen by Ott and fires up a clean 3. Steve Lavin called it a ‘good’ look. Unfortunately,  Talor misses again (progressing toward the mean?). Kebler was guarding Frazier on the shot, anyway. EPC – 2. CT – 15. SCU – :10.

Possession #41 – Tim Frazier gets a little too crazy here. He’s once again able to get right to the rim but the MSU defense collapses on him and swats his shot. The deflection goes out of bounds off Ott. Wasted possession. EPC – 2. CT – 15. SCU – :06.

Possession #42 – Andrew Ott gets called for 3 seconds. Mind-numbing turnover considering what this offense has done in the paint the entire course of this game. Turnover #6. EPC – 2. CT – 15. SCU – :12.

Possession #43 – More RAP. Although this time Frazier comes off a curl cut and receives a pass at the foul line. MSU defense is chasing. Eventually Battle ends up with the ball and drives the baseline. He’s cut off, but finds Ott, who makes a strong dribble towards the hoop. Maybe his move was too strong, or Draymond Green wrapped around his body and picked his pocket. All I know is Ott loses the ball going up and it deflects high off the backboard and back in play. Frazier corrals the loose ball but there’s only :10 on the clock. I guess he felt the need to penetrate and create on his own because he misses a wide open Chris Babb, who was calling for the ball 5 feet from him. Frazier instead drives and dishes to Talor in a bad spot underneath the hoop. Talor then tries to dribble amongst a big crowd with nowhere to go and it goes off his foot. Turnover #7. Nothing impressive by Kebler, yet. EPC – 2. CT – 16. SCU – :31.

Possession #44 – Frazier is holding the ball as the Lions try to run a set to get either Battle or Babb open coming off the ball. Ott sets a great pick of Kebler and Battle is open. It was a tough angle, but I’m not sure why Tim didn’t try to make the skip pass. Anyway, nothing happens for 20 seconds so Battle has it at the top of the key with the clock winding down. DJ starts to come out for a screen so Kebler prepares for it by taking away Battle’s right. Battle waves off DJ, and then drives to his left. The problem is the entire team is on the right side of the court. Poor spacing gives Battle nowhere to go with the rock when the D collapses. He pulls it back out and Ott tries to come out and screen. At this point, there’s just not enough time for anything to materialize, and Battle is stuck trying to heave a fadeaway 30 footer, but it’s after the shot clock buzzer. Kebler is in his grill on this ‘attempt’, which prompts praise from MSU’s bench and the broadcast team. However, I don’t see how Kebler is responsible for the outcome of this possession. Turnover #8. EPC – 2. CT – 16. SCU – :35.

NOTE: At this point, I would also like to note that I have no hate or bias towards Mike Kebler. I’m just very skeptical that a walk-on player, who has not played much at all this year, can shut down somebody as good as Talor Battle.

Possession #45 – RAP all day. Ott gets two touches. Possession ends with Battle driving 1 on 3. O’Brien calls it ‘a wild shot in the lane’. Lavin calls it a 9.8 out of 10 as far as degree of difficulty. Kebler is not even one of the 3 Spartans defending Talor’s drive. EPC – 2. CT – 18. SCU – :29.

Possession #46 – RAP. Ott gets a touch and get this. When he does, he passes it to Battle, who is posting up Kebler (about 15 feet from the hoop, not an entry pass). Just interesting to me that our center is feeding a posted up point guard. Frazier eventually gets the ball this time with the clock winding down. He penetrates and forces a wild shot that has no chance of going in, but it comes after the shot clock buzzer anyway. Turnover #9. EPC – 2. CT – 19. SCU – :35.

Possession #47 (Transition) - We’ll call this transition just because of how quick the shot is. After a block by David Jackson, Battle brings the ball up the court and immediately finds Babb open in the far corner. He’s got some daylight to put up the shot, but I don’t think Babb has earned the right to shoot whenever he wants. Then again, that might have been the best shot we could have gotten all possession. He misses. EPC – 2. CT – 19. SCU – :04.

Possession #48 - Battle races down the court after a missed free throw and uses his theatrics to draw a foul on Kebler. Another weak inbounds set results in Brooks catching it in the backcourt. Battle sets up the offense and somehow Lucas is on Brooks again. Brooks posts up, DJ feeds him, and Brooks gets an easy two points. First high-low action from PSU in the game. Too bad MSU already went on a 13-0 run. EPC – 3. CT – 19. SCU – :11.

Possession #49 – Battle forces the issue again after a miss. He penetrates and kicks to Babb, who swings it to DJ. MSU hasn’t gotten back on defense, and DJ puts up an open 3. Unfortunately, DJ’s shot is a brick. Steve Lavin called the shot ‘a grenade’. O’Brien says, “We’ve seen a bunch of those today.” EPC – 3. CT – 19. SCU – :08.

Possession #50 - Battle comes down the court and Ed calls a play. I swear, all that happens is Battle comes off a weak ball screen by DJ to advance from the wing to the top of the key. All four players are now watching Battle dribble the ball. Talor then tries a very weak attempt at a dribble weave with Babb. As Babb passes the ball back, Kebler knocks it away. Good defense by Kebler, but I think I could have deflected the incredibly weak pass. PSU inbounds the ball and Talor roams around the arc with DJ attempting some slip screens. Battle eventually drives past Kebler, who was screened, and makes a tough floater in the lane. EPC – 3. CT – 19. SCU – :30.

Possession #51 – RAP for 20 seconds. Battle then splits a double team (DJ set up for another ball screen) and gets fouled by either Kebler or Green. The inbounds set is just a lob into Andrew Jones at the wing. More RAP for 20 seconds after the reset. Babb drives and pulls up for a 15-footer from the corner. Brick. Not a good shot. EPC – 3. CT – 20. SCU – :22/:23.

Possession #52 - After some more 2 man game with Battle, Jackson slips to the basket and posts up. Battle swings it to Babb on the wing, but he doesn’t drop it in to DJ. It looks like PSU is making a concerted effort to get it inside here, but I really don’t know why Babb doesn’t make this entry pass. DJ looks to have Raymar Morgan sealed. Babb instead throws it to Drew Jones at the foul line, who has a much worse angle on the pass to DJ. He kicks it back out to Babb, who then forces a pass to Jackson, who is clearly no longer open. The refs call it off of PSU. Questionable call, but Ed doesn’t argue despite it happening right in front of his face. Turnover #10. EPC – 3. CT – 21. SCU – :17.

Possession #53 - Desperation mode. There’s two minutes left with a 12 point deficit. Battle recklessly drives into the lane and is fouled. He makes 1 of 2 at the line. EPC – 3. CT – 21. SCU – :08.

Possession #54 – Battle, after getting abused on defense by Lucas, comes right down the court and nails a pull up 3. EPC – 3. CT – 21. SCU – :04.

Possession #55 – Highberger is in. He brings the ball up the court and gets mauled from behind by Derrick Nix. Officials don’t call the foul and the ball goes out of bounds off PSU. Turnover #11. EPC – 3. CT – 21. SCU – :07.

Possession #56 - Babb misses a 3. I got tired of waiting for the ESPN360 feed, but I have to assume there were no Center Touches or Entry Passes.

FINAL COUNT:

• Just 3 total entry passes for the entire game from Penn State. It was really more like 2, but I was generous and counted Battle finding a wide open Andrew Jones as one. Jeff Brooks posted up twice when he was guarded by Kalin Lucas. That is the only time Penn State fed the ball to the low block.
• Just 21 touches by Andrew Ott and Andrew Jones combined, 13 of which came out past the 3 point line. They did attempt to post up throughout the game, but it was seldom. Even when they did, they never seriously called for the ball and it looked like they were just going through the motions. 56 possessions, 8 touches inside the 3 point line. We’re playing 4 on 5.
• 22 times PSU ran the shot clock to under :10. I’m not going to figure out the success rate because it’s probably half decent, considering Battle hit some ridiculous shots.

Now, for everyone wondering why I haven’t been blogging, try being motivated to do so when watching a team whose offensive gameplan is as frustrating as this. This is all we’ve seen the last month. It’s a miracle that we’re even in games. Talor Battle is phenomenal in that regard. With the same personnel coming back next year, how can we expect things to change?

WHO: Michigan Wolverines (7-6, 1-1)
WHERE: Bryce Jordan Center
WHEN: 7 PM
TV: ESPN2
LINE: Penn State by 2
Enemy Blog: UMHoops
Pomeroy Profile

Michigan’s season has been disastrous in the early going. A preseason top 25 team has stumbled mightily and has looked anything but. Their best win has been a 9 point home win against the Evan Turner-less Buckeyes (although no more! nice to see ET back playing). They’re in desperation mode if they want to get back to the NCAA tournament. They’ve performed terribly on the road, understandably losing to KU but also to Utah and Indiana.

While Wisconsin is one of the worst matchups for the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten, I think UM is one of the most favorable. They’re small and don’t really pose a threat on the glass. Their offense is predicated on threes and no turnovers. PSU doesn’t force turnovers anyway and it’s always easier to stop a shooting team than it is to stop a team that can dominate inside. Michigan’s defense is nothing like Minnesota/Wisconsin/Purdue, either. PSU should be able to get better shots and make them.

For no reason whatsoever, I just have a really good feeling about this game. Talor Battle on national TV against a team with no real threat to stop him…with PSU’s backs on the wall with the 0-2 start. I just think Talor’s going to go nuts. Not sure if he can top his 28 point, 13 rebound, 6 assist performance against the Wolverines his freshman year, but I’ll say he comes close. If David Jackson can keep Manny from going nuts as well, PSU could be in great shape. Or they could not guard anybody and watch UM shoot the Lions out of their own building. You never know but I’m surprisingly confident about this game. That is why I’ll take the Lions to cover the 2 point spread and win, 68-61.

Huge game for the Nittany Lions in the Jordan Center today against Bo’s Badgers. Ed DeChellis will be looking for his first career win against Bo (0-10). It is not going to come easy.

These games against the Badgers always seem hopeless to me. Wisconsin always dictates the pace of the game (usually 56 possessions or so), and Penn State has always had trouble defending them for. It generally went like this; PSU would guard for 30 seconds and watch Wisconsin get a backdoor layup. Meanwhile, Wisconsin stymies PSU’s motion offense and the Nits look terrible. They shut down Battle last year and they’ll look to do the same again.

Wisconsin looked great against the Turner-less Buckeyes on Thursday, and they already have wins against Arizona, Maryland, Duke, and Marquette. However, they’ve only played on true road game and they lost (Wisconsin GB, 88-84 in OT). We all know how dominant the Badgers are in the Kohl Center, but this UW team has to prove itself on the road if they’re for real conference title contenders this season.

Neither team has a particularly deep bench (both go 8-deep). The Badgers are led by underrated senior PG, Trevon Hughes and junior F Jon Leuer. Jason Bohannon continues his limited role as a shooter, while Jordan Taylor is a solid guard off the bench. This is going to be a tough game, but it’s one PSU can win.

I’ve long thought that PSU should try to force the pace a little bit in these games, but they never do. They won’t force turnovers on defense, and Wisconsin will make sure they don’t get 2nd opportunities. PSU is just going to have to outshoot the Badgers. They need to create good shots in the halfcourt and pressure the Badgers into bad ones on defense. If Talor Battle outplays Hughes, I think PSU has a shot. Leuer is going to be tough to guard, but I think the Lions can get enough help from other players to compensate. It would be a huge advantage if the Lions can get Leuer in foul trouble early. Tim Frazier could also be a huge factor for Penn State’s offense if he is able to penetrate around Bohannon and dish like he did against the Gophers early. A lot of good matchups in this game and it will be interesting to see how each team responds.

PREDICTION: I just can’t pick against the Badgers until PSU is able to end this painfully lopsided streak. I’ve seen too many ugly games from PSU in this series to pick them to win. I’m taking UW to cover the 4.5 with some free throws late, but I won’t be shocked if PSU comes away with a big W.

Going into the game, I really believed PSU didn’t have a chance. But the Nittany Lions showed some toughness on the road and lost a hard-fought game to a supposedly much better team.

It didn’t look like it was going to be that way at the start. PSU looked dreadful in the first 10 minutes or so of the game as Minnesota raced out to a 21-10 lead. The offense was sputtering and Minnesota was getting further and further ahead. Stephen Bardo, the ESPN color guy, pointed to the foul on a Chris Babb 3-pointer as the turning point for PSU. Talor Battle hit a 3 on the next possession and PSU cut the lead to 5, but what seemed to be forgotten was Minnesota then extended their lead back to 10 at 26-16. I thought Tim Frazier was a huge key to why PSU stayed in the game in the first half. He came in and had 3 pretty assists that set up easy baskets in the half-court offense, something PSU wasn’t able to get before (except for a few long range jumpers from Battle). They went into halftime down only 7, a moral victory considering their play.

But a different PSU team came to play in the 2nd half. The Nittany Lions came out roaring to start the second half, as they hit their first 7 field goals. In the first 7 minutes, PSU outscored the Gophers 17-5 as they jumped out to a 44-39 lead. Talor Battle only contributed 2 of the 17 points. The damage was done mostly by Drew Jones and Jeff Brooks, who were getting great looks inside and finishing. It was exciting and encouraging to watch.

Minnesota weathered the early storm to the half as Hoffarber and Westbrook really started to get going, but PSU wouldn’t go away. Frazier hit a pretty 8 foot floater on a fast break and Battle then hit one of his patented 30-footers. The score was in PSU’s favor at 53-50 with 9 minutes left, when the turnovers came at all the wrong times. Minnesota stepped up the pressure and the Lions weren’t able to handle it, whether it was fatigue, inexperience, or inability to hang onto the rock. They turned it over on 4 straight possessions.

David Jackson did his best to keep PSU in it, hitting a big 3 to tie it at 56, but that’s when a huge swing really killed PSU. First, after struggling with the full-court pressure, PSU finally beat it until Andrew Jones couldn’t finish a contested dunk. That was a momentum killer, as Minnesota grabbed the board, raced down to court, and scored on a putback. PSU beat the pressure yet again, but Jeff Brooks took an ill-advised elbow jumper that he missed. It was a shot that even if he made it, I think DeChellis still would’ve been fuming. Penn State was playing into Minnesota’s fullcourt game, which is exactly what ED didn’t want to do, especially at such a critical point in the game. Jackson and Battle hit some big shots to keep PSU in it, but another turnover by Chris Babb (or should I say he got tripped and there was no call) was killer. It didn’t help that PSU couldn’t stop Westbrook, who scored 29 points (11-16 from the floor). Battle was guarding him most of the night, but it’s hard to be critical of a player’s defense when he had to play all 40 minutes. He’s understandably not going to be able to exert the necessary defensive pressure down the stretch. DeChellis finally put DJ on Westbrook towards the end of the game, but his damage was already done.

All in all it was a very encouraging performance, but the turnovers killed the Lions down the stretch. After making the first 7 shots on their first 7 possessions of the 2nd half, PSU finished with 9 turnovers in the remaining 12 minutes of play. Westbrook and Hoffarber hit some timely threes that put away the game.

Player Bullets

• Talor Battle – 40 minutes, 23 points (7-14/5-8), 6 rebounds, 4 assists. Quality game from Talor, but too many minutes prevented him from stopping Westbrook. Or at least attempt to make it more difficult for him.
• Andrew Jones – 12 points and 8 rebounds. His best game of the year, but that missed dunk was a big play down the stretch. Hopefully Drew builds off this game after such a lackluster non-conference performance.
• Jeff Brooks – 9 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals. Jeff played well, but I thought he could’ve been a little more assertive. Those are some good numbers for Jeff, but it didn’t feel like he had that great of an impact on the game to me.
• David Jackson – 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists. I thought David did exactly what we needed him to do. He made big plays down the stretch as he tried to keep the Lions in it. His confidence was rising as he created a pretty 15 foot baseline jumper off the bounce to cut MN’s lead to 2. Didn’t seem hampered at all with the hyperextended knee.
• Chris Babb – played OK. He doesn’t have the green light to shoot anymore, as he only took 4 3-pointers (box score says 3, he was fouled on the other). I thought he did OK handling the ball as well, but his turnover (whether he got tripped or not) was killer.
• Tim Frazier – played great in the first half to get PSU back in it, but he was credited for 3 turnovers in the 2nd half. It didn’t look like he was slowed down at all from a ‘turned ankle’, but DeChellis only played him for 13 minutes.
• Andrew Ott – gave a forgettable 5 minutes. At least Drew got some rest.
• Bill Edwards – struggled heavily in his first BT game. He forced the issue quite a few times. He’s an above average ball-handler for a guy his size, but I’m pretty sure DeChellis doesn’t want him breaking a press by himself. He still contributed with 2 big putbacks in the 2nd half. I thought it was pretty telling of the coaching staff’s confidence in him when ED had Bill in there for the last 3 minutes of the game instead of Jeff, who had been playing better.

Always disappointing to lose road games that you had a chance to win in the 2nd half, but this was a great early experience for the team. Despite the loss, there was a lot of good that came out of it. The question now is can the supporting cast build off their performances? If Jones/Jackson/Brooks contribute like they did in this game, this team can win some games in this league. We’ll see if they can break the streak against those damn Bo Ryan Badgers tomorrow.

]]> http://www.battledoesitagain.com/2010/01/02/minnesota-75-psu-70/feed/ 0 http://www.battledoesitagain.com/2009/12/29/minnesota-preview/ http://www.battledoesitagain.com/2009/12/29/minnesota-preview/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:22:39 +0000 Eric http://www.battledoesitagain.com/?p=1783
• WHO: Minnesota Golden Gophers (9-3)
• WHERE: Williams Arena aka The Barn
• WHEN: 9:00 PM
• TV: ESPN2
• LINE: Minnesota by 12
• Enemy Blog: From the Barn
• Pomeroy Profile

Conference play starts tonight, and the Lions open up with no cakewalk. The Golden Gophers play defense, something many opponents in the OOC schedule could not. Will the Nittany Lions be able to handle it?

Minnesota’s only real competition came in the 76 Classic and the Big Ten/ACC challenge. They did beat Butler, but they went 1-3 in those games. However, all of those games were on the road. They lost close games to Miami FL, Texas A&M, and Portland (when they were the story of college basketball).

The Golden Gophers practically returned their whole team from last year (89% returning minutes). Defensive stud Damian Johnson and offensive scorer Lawrence Westbrook return as the senior leaders. Hoffarber, Nolen, Iverson, and Sampson are back as well. The Gophers are deep (11 guys average between 9-25 MPG), tall (21st tallest team in the country), and experienced. Penn State is none of those things. Oh, boy.

Minnesota, much like last year, is still finding their way offensively. Usually Tubby just goes with the hot hand, which this year has been Blake Hoffarber (49% from behind the arc). Blake has torn PSU up in the past so the Lions must be weary of the sharpshooter. Lawrence Westbrook is the go to scorer at 12.9 PPG, but after that, it will be whoever has the hot hand. They can go inside with Sampson (8.4 PPG) or Damian Johnson (10.7 PPG).  Or they could outside with Hoffarber, Westbrook, and 6’3″ reserve Devoe Joseph, who also has had crazy success against the Lions.

But the strength of the Gophers is their defense. Pomeroy has them rated as the 2nd best defense in the entire land (behind only Texas). They like to press you and force steals, but if you successfully get into the halfcourt, they’ll swat your shots. Their defensive numbers so far have been outstanding. The Nittany Lions haven’t seen a defense nearly as good as the Gophers will bring tonight.

So can PSU win this game tonight? I guess they can, but I have no idea how they will. Here are some keys for PSU:

• Slow the game down. Minnesota’s weakness is the halfcourt game, so it’s crucial for the ball handlers to be able to beat the Minnesota press with regularity.
• Be aggressive on offense. The Nittany Lions have to get to the foul line. Minnesota’s defense is allowing their opponents to shoot 29% from 3 and 39% from 2. PSU is going to have to put up some points at the foul line. It’ll be much easier.
• Lock down their shooters. The Gophers have had ridiculous success from behind the arc against the Lions. They shot 19-29 last year in 2 games (including a record 9-9 in the game at The Barn). That obviously cannot happen if PSU expects to win.

PREDICTION: Minnesota covers the 12 point spread. Their defense is just too much for a Nittany Lions offense still struggling to find their identity. Battle could go off and I still think it wouldn’t matter (much like the VT game). Good chance this could get ugly.

A few notes…

• David Jackson, who hyperextended his knee against American, will play tonight but who knows how much. DeChellis was quoted as saying he’s 80%.
• Tim Frazier is also hobbled and will not start tonight. He turned his ankle in practice on Sunday. Chris Babb, who played well the last 2 games, will get the start. Babb’s ball-handling skills will be put to the test.
• Nittany Lions haven’t won at Williams Arena since 2001, the only time they’ve won there.

A few links…

• Check out a Q&A interview I did with From The Barn, as part of his Big Ten previews.
• The Only Colors already breaking out the tempo-free scatterplots.
• Brian Siegrist with some valuable tweets, already. I’m sure more will be coming throughout the day/game.
• Lions shuffling into Big Ten play – Jeff Rice

There’s still opportunities that the schedule ratings could improve. Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Davidson and UNC-Wilmington all look like they will make some noise in their respective conferences. But you can also basically stick a fork in Penn (who already fired their coach), American, UMBC, and Gardner-Webb.  In the end, though, does it really even matter? The bottom line is this young Penn State team is about to embark on an 18 game conference season. Their preparation was the 317th toughest schedule, and they did not fare well against it.

The NCAA tournament is a long ways away for this team. A road win against ACC bottom-feeder Virginia isn’t going to impress anyone. The Nits have set themselves up for another 11 win conference season if they want to get in. They were unable to do it last year, and it’s highly unlikely they don’t get it this year.

Have any questions heading into this season been answered? There are no consistent scoring options after Battle. As much as we all love Talor, it’s foolish to think he’s going to score 20 points in every Big Ten game. When he has a bad outing, which I’m sure will happen at least a few times, will PSU get run out of the gym or will they still be able to stay competitive? Time will tell.

David Jackson has been the best shooter on the team in terms of shooting percentages, but he continues to not be involved (only 15.2% possessions used). He rarely takes more than 5 shots a game, and it’s unlikely that since conference season is here, things will change. DJ is a great defender and a solid role player. But on a team so desperate for somebody to step up, role players aren’t going to win games.

I’ve been pretty disappointed in Chris Babb. I didn’t think he’d be as streaky of a shooter as he is. He shot his way out of the starting lineup in the Charleston Classic. But in fairness to Chris, he’s still an underclassmen and never proved to be a consistent scorer. My expectations for him were probably a little high. But Penn State’s offense needs him to hit the open jumper when he gets a clean look. He started sinking some shots the last two games, so maybe he can carry that over to conference play. Another thing I’ll say for Chris is he still contributes even if his shot is off. He’s averaging 4 boards in 23 minutes, and I’m impressed with how much he has improved defensively.

Andrew Jones, on the other hand, probably is the biggest disappointment. I’m starting to wonder if he’s maxed out. I thought last year he was ignored on offense, but he’s not using many more possessions this year (15.2% compared to 13.9% ). He struggled early in the year just establishing post position. He’s still scoring his garbage points that are set up by Battle or him grabbing an offensive rebound. But PSU needs Drew to be able to score his own points , and he hasn’t been able to do that. Will he ever?

Jeff Brooks was a pleasant surprise in November, but he has since struggled. Jeff can score with his back to the basket, but he still insists on floating around the perimeter. PSU needs him to touch the ball on the low block with regularity. His length and athleticism is tough to guard, but he needs to stay inside. It’s mind-boggling that with Jeff’s size (6’8″), he has registered 6 games with just 1 rebound or less.

Tim Frazier is going to be really good, but he’s going through the learning curve every freshman guard faces. He’s going to be inconsistent. It has to be expected from the true freshman. I like his defense and athleticism, but we’ll see how he handles Minnesota’s press. Broadcasters have exposed his inability to drive with his left, so you can be sure all the coaches in the league have noticed. His jumper has been a pleasant surprise, even so much that I would like to see him shoot more.

And then there’s Bill Edwards. The late signing has been an awesome surprise. He’s a smooth, versatile playmaker with above average passing and balling handling skills. The coaching staff has given him a lot of freedom on the court. He can shoot the 3, drive the lane, and post up. If there’s anyone who will step up into that 2nd scorers’ role, I’d bet it will be Bill. But he’s still a true freshmen and makes his fair share of bad plays (29.7% TO%). I never feel comfortable relying on a true freshman to be consistent. Especially one who hasn’t even played a game yet at 100%. He’s still hobbled by that knee injury, and I’m curious if Bill will be able to keep up with the athletes in this conference.

I’m more optimistic about the defense this year, however. Before the season, I thought PSU had the potential to put out their best defensive team in years. That wasn’t the case early on, as Sacred Heart and UNC-Wilmington tore the Lions up. But they’ve guarded much better since then, even against decent clubs like Virginia, Va Tech, and Temple. There are much better offensive teams in the conference than those 3 clubs, though, so we’ll see how improved the defense really is. Just because they could be PSU’s best doesn’t mean they’ll be elite. I’m hoping PSU could register a sub 1.0 PPP defense in conference play this year for the first time in DeChellis’ era, but I don’t think they will be at the point to win games on defense.

So, as you can probably tell, I’m not really optimistic as we enter the Big Ten campaign. Too many questions have been left unanswered and too much has been the same. The offense is in disarray. However, I certainly wasn’t optimistic last year and the team went on to post a winning conference record for the first time since 1996…Can Talor Battle really do everything?

Penn State 104 Gardner-Webb 57

This game wasn’t a contest, obviously. While PSU was resting all week and taking care of finals, G-W was out and about getting killed by Duke and James Madison. On the ESPNU broadcast, they claimed G-W was also fighting the flu bug (despite playing 15 total guys in the game?). They didn’t have the legs to play with the Nits as 4 of G-W’s starters played less than 20 minutes. The Bulldogs never stood a chance, and PSU jumped out to a 30-4 lead.

This was another annual pre-Christmas snoozer that meant nothing. Credit to the Lions, though, for coming out in front of 500 fans and taking care of business. If the Lions can take anything away from this game, its that they remembered how to shoot jumpers. They hit 12 of 26 3PA for 46%, while 4 players hit 2 or more. The bench got some run, as well, as no one logged over 30 minutes but 10 guys logged at least 10 minutes.

Battle scored 21 points on 13 shots in 24 minutes. Tim Frazier had one of his best games with 18 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. Chris Babb went 5-6 from the field for 12 points (much better than his 35% FG%). Even Andrew Ott had a career-high 12 in 14 minutes (he went 8-9 from the foul line!). So pretty much everyone got in on the action as the Nittany Lions posted their best offensive efficiency on the season (1.4 PPP) and scored over 100 for the first time since December 2006 when they beat VMI 129-111.

Penn State 76 American 57

I thought PSU might struggle with this game, despite the inferior opponent. It was the last game before the players could go home for the first time in 6 months or so (the players apparently already had their bags packed and some literally went home immediately after the game), and they had just played a game on Saturday night. However, American actually had just lost a game 22 hours earlier to UMBC at home (a game that was postponed a day b/c of the Nor’easter last week). American was just as tired, if not moreso, than G-W two days before.

American came out strong as Vlad Moldoveanu scored 11 of American’s first 13 points. Vlad, a recently eligible George Mason transfer, scored 26 points in American’s upset of Depaul. The game was tight in the first half, until PSU opened up a comfortable 11 point lead with a minute left. But they let American creep back in it and the halftime score was 36-30.

Vlad and the rest of the Eagles were out of gas in the second half, as PSU busted the game open. The score was 66-38 with 7 minutes left (PSU going on a 30-8 run). For the second time in 3 days, the Lions were beating down on an over-matched opponent at home.

The stars of the game for the Lions were Chris Babb and Bill Edwards, who started the 2nd half and broke the game open. Frazier and Brooks, who had been struggling, were benched. Babb continued his hot shooting (5-7 from the field) for 13 points to go along with 6 boards. Edwards scored 12 points on 5 shots with 5 rebounds. Battle had 16 points on 9 shots and 7 assists. Andrew Jones had 9 points, but had just as many shots as turnovers.

All in all, neither of these games offered any stiff competition to get PSU ready for the Big Ten season. More to come on the Real Season before PSU’s game @ the Barn on Tuesday.