Those going to the game make sure to bring this.

I hate Richmond.

No really, I think we all do. We’ve lost to them four times in a row.

Including two years ago on Homecoming. On Homecoming, against Richmond. We weren’t even terrible that year and we still lost to those damn Spiders!

For me, the hatred really started in early ’06, the Niners first trip to Richmond as an A10 foe. The 49ers were still vying for an at-large and needed to avoid anymore bad losses. Enter Richmond. Those little jerks played slow disciplined basketball and our players couldn’t handle it. Lutz got two technicals, and my friends and I went home dejected. DEJECTED. That’s how Richmond makes me feel.

With that out of the way, the Spiders are probably better this year than they’ve ever been since we joined the A10. Their guards are sick, they play disciplined basketball, and they’re extremely proficient from the 3-pt line. Basically, that is a recipe for 49ersAreGonnaStruggle Casserole. You’ve heard of that dish right? We had some this year against Winthrop and Saint Louis already. Luckily, we won those games. And Saint Louis beat Richmond. So, if you believe in the transitive property of sports, then just add on to Richmond’s loss column now.

Anyway, squash the spiders, I really hope we beat them tonight. The game’s on Channelsurfing.net if you want to watch. Predictions are below, leave yours and we’ll sign you up for our awesome email list with special promo codes to save on exclusive GreenTintedGlasses.net gear. No really, do it.

letsgoNINERS11 – We dont win in the Robins Center. Ever.  67-63 Richmond wins.

J Felt – Charlotte 70, Richmond 64. I don’t believe in the words… don’t ever. We win tonight, because miracles do happen and Braswell’s packing some Raid.

JRitchie – Djiuan Harris reveals that he was actually Spider-Man all along. Niners 38 Richmond 37

HP – The itsy bitsy spider’s web didn’t cover the rim. Niners win an ugly one, 59-54.

D-Fo – Much like St. Louis, this looks to be one that’s gonna really grind down to a crawl.  A big game from Braswell coupled with solid contributions from Green and Harris help the Niners squeeze out a 79-73 victory.

NLP – Shamari Spears sends Dan Geriot into the Witness Protection Program as the Niners get the Robins Center monkey off their collective back.  Niners 65 – Richmond 61

Bust – Not sure how a spider beats a human.. one carrying a pick axe no less, but they do it. Richmond 72, Charlotte 65.

For the second season in a row, Charlotte is playing host to an “almighty” ACC team in Halton Arena. Before we begin to taunt

Georgia Tech's bus ride home will look like this.

the Jackets and wish for their misery, let’s commend them for having the jewels to step up to the challenge. Clemson did it last year and almost walked away with a loss to one of our worst teams ever. But almost only counts in horseshoes and weight loss, this season we’re much improved and looking for another solid W for the ole’ tournament resume. When was the last time we actually checked our resume for typos, let alone actually thought it might land us a spot?

We haven’t been playing our best basketball as of late, especially on the defensive end, we were basically putting up traffic cones versus ODU and Mercer. Luckily, our offense was in gear for the Mercer game and we literally outscored them on our way to victory. We won’t be able to do the same versus GT. Our guards are going to need to step up their game and put some pressure on the ball and guard the perimeter. Oh and probably hit some shots from the outside as well. I think we’re due for a Shamarr Bowden offensive showcase, and hopefully it’s tonight.

Derrick Favors is a legitimate player, and our big guys will need to step up their games even more. While Phil and KJ have played good defense, Braswell and Spears play soft on that end. Would love to see them step it up tonight and win the battle of the paint.

So what do we predict? Is it too much to predict a win against a ranked team for the second time this season? It’s definitely possible, but it will be an all out war. The Charlotte 49ers who showed up at Louisville will have to reappear. Leave your predictions in the comments and the closest will win something amazingly awesome that words can’t describe.

J Felt – Charlotte 87, GT 80. Bobby locates the Jackets’ nest, pours gasoline in, lights the match and enjoys the show.

D-Fo – This one’s really gonna test Charlotte’s toughness down low.  Good thing Spears and Braswell come in hungry and chew up the ‘Jacket frontcourt, both scoring in double figures.  I can see this one being a brawl…Charlotte 85 – GT 79

HP – Hoping that Georgia Tech’s inside size is somewhat negated by Charlotte’s inside quickness. A few 3s will drop and the 49ers sneak out with their first 2010 win, 82-75.

Bust – Niners start the new year off with a splat.  Sanitation technicians work into the wee hours cleaning up Yellow Jacket guts. Guys in green win a thriller. Charlotte 82, Ga. Tech 77.

NLP – I’ll keep it simple:  We’re gonna win.  Charlotte 75 GT 73

Real Ram's Wool - Just in time for Christmas!

Don’t you love a good thrashing?

Charlotte came out and dominated every facet of this game from start to finish. Just as we should, since the Rams are next to last in RPI overall and have practically dropped all expectations to ever compete in D1 basketball this year. We controlled every part of this game. From defensive rebounds (28 to their 10) to offensive rebounds (22 to 17) to assists (18 to 10) to field goals (35-20), the 49ers completely shut down WSSU’s entire game plan (did they really have one?).

The performance of the night, without a doubt, goes to Chris Braswell. He was phenomenal, scoring 16 points, 7-7 FGs, and bringing in 15 rebounds. He also had one assist, and it was a beauty. That high-low assist to Phil Jones for the dunk is the perfect example of what this team has lacked for a few seasons. 3 pointers, alleyoops, break away dunks, all nice, but legitimate post play is what we want to see. The best part of all? He’s a freshman!

Before this author gets lazy and starts bullet-pointing it, it would be unwise to go without mentioning the very entertaining conclusion of the game. Sure, it was WSSU, but we showed some serious depth. Our walk-ons seem legitimately serviceable, and who didn’t get visions of Plavich in their head when Colby shot that three pointer from Bass Pro Shops?

The Pros

• Post play is legit, we were looking inside all night and seemingly scoring at will
• Our defense doesn’t force turnovers (only 12), but it is working by forcing bad shots (WSSU shot just 30.8%) and getting the rebounds
• Dewhurst seemed to be in a funk to start the game, but he’s getting comfortable on offense
• Wilderness is back on the court and showing that “must-kill the humanoids” mentality we all enjoy
• Harris may have developed a jumpshot
• It may have been WSSU, but we were getting it inside pretty easily
• Our transition offense is coming together
• Gokhan Sirin showed off his beautiful shot again
• Two home games in a row with an airballed free throw, can we make it three?
• Oh yah, Chris Braswell Chris Braswell Chris Braswell

Put on your Green Tinted Glasses

• Spears may have led all scorers with 17, but he seemed to be forcing it
• Bowden was colder than ice and willing to sacrifice our love
• Kyle Church didn’t get a basket, though he did get a sweet assist to the Turkish Terror

That’s more like it.  Tonight the Niners got their first “true” road win against Hofstra 80-72.  I threw true in quotation marks because of the whopping 783 attendance tonight.  That’s not a typo either.  But consider the Mack Sports Complex was a house of horrors and the Niners lacking any sort of statement victory in this young season where we still have more questions than answers, it was a very welcome relief.

Shamari is a baaaaaaad man. Photo courtesy of William Roberston.

The Niner effort was propelled by another sensational performance by junior pit-bull Shamari Spears, who led all scorers with 26 points on 9-13 shooting and added 4 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.  Spears really did a little of everything on the offensive end, displaying a nice step-back three pointer from the baseline in the first half, a consistent turn-around jumpshot, and strong interior drives in traffic with the finish at the rim.  To say that Spears is the best post player since Demarco Johnson is increasingly becoming a statement of the obvious with each successive game.

Hofstra led the contest in the half 41-39 mostly as a consequence of lax Charlotte defense, hitting 5-10 from behind the arc.  In the second half, the Niner defense did improve as more shots were contested and fewer fell for the Pride, who shot 2-15 from the 3 and 12-38 overall in the 2^nd half as Charlotte rallied to the victory.  A major key to victory for the Niners was the persistence with the inside game.  Hofstra defenders resorted to committing fouls as they have all season long, sending the men in green to the line 25 times in the second half compared to only 7 for Hofstra.  Wing forwards Charles Dewhurst and RaShad Coleman did an excellent job cleaning up misses and preventing opportunities for Hofstra late in the game and solid, but not spectacular foul shooting helped  preserve the win.

Ready for the blackout against ECU

Overall, Charlotte had another solid night shooting the ball overall, despite only 27.3% from 3 point land.  Spears and frosh forward Chris Braswell,who recorded his second

double-double in his young career, scored around the basket and got to the foul line seemingly at will against the Hofstra man-to-man defense.  It came as a surprise that Hofstra didn’t attempt to play more zone to limit opportunities for the Niner big men and force our “marksmen” to beat them from the perimeter.   Hofstra did occasionally double-team Spears with some success but this was not a large part of the Pride strategy.  Joining the Niners forwards in double figure scoring was sophomore guard Derrio Green, who despite scoring 12 points struggled a bit with his shot, particularly in the 2^nd half.  For Hofstra, Charles Jenkins and Greg Washington stood out.  The former scored 25 points on 8-16 shooting and Washington contributed 18 points and 9 rebounds.

The Niners will be off until a December 2^nd contest against the Pirates of ECU.  Plenty of tickets will be available for any ninjas that want to see their arch enemies fall at the hands of the Niners.   – NLP

Our resident wise alumnus, HP, will be providing images from the games he attends. He takes great pictures, most of them of Golddusters, but sometimes he manages to grab a few shots from the game. We’ll share his favorites here at Green Tinted Glasses. Click on the pictures for full size..