Oso planning to go pro
I really enjoyed the game. After 7 years of Wojo defense I enjoy being able to hang in a rock fight.Mississippi State is a very good defensive team. All Jans teams are. One more of those open threes goes down and we win the game.The defense was very very good. Mississippi state isn't an all-world offensive team by any stretch but we shut them down for long stretches multiple times. We did an excellent job keeping Tulo Smith from scoring....but the rebounding was the down fall today.I like when Kolek makes his threes. Wish he could do it without back breaking TOs in the final minutes.I came away encouraged. We're going to win a lot of games in the Big East this season. I think we can beat Bucky and the Domers too. Unfortunately, BEast underperformance in the non-con is going to give us a very narrow path to dancing.
Well, Shaka better substitute Gold or Itjere for Oso. They are certainly not going to gain experience or contribute by sitting on the bench.
Gold played two minutes last night. He plays away from the basket, usually facing it on offense in order to shoot a three. Not working well for him because he hit his first three, missed his next 9 and is 2 for 11 on season. Forget his defense on opposing centers.Keeyan was the pre season hit on the fluffy video highlights put out by MU. Allocades went out for his athletic ability, his motor, etc. Yet he sits. Is he really that bad even though he sat out a year to improve. Guess the staff sees it as that.The recruit Amadou is 6ft 9 and weighs 180. Waiting for the Todd Smith will get him bigger reactions.......and the "under the radar" recruiting aspect. The games against Wisconsin and Baylor with their bigs and the BE gauntlet with Sanago, Soriano, Dixon, Nunge, Kalkbrenner, Croswell, Fremantle and others should be very interesting. Especially if Oso picks up two quick fouls. Everyone knew the rebounding will be an issue because even with Justin Lewis last year, they got pummeled on the boards. Hope some rebounds go their way as season progresses and maybe get a few points scored.
I worry about what it says about our program that we’re encouraged by a neutral court loss to a Mississippi State team coming off a season that resulted in the firing of their coach. A team picked to finish 10th in their conference.I can take a moral victory if we lose a 3 point game at Baylor. Heck even at Purdue. Those are winning, good basketball programs. We lost a neutral court game, with 90% of the crowd behind us, to Mississippi State and their first year (at MS State) head coach.
The game was lost in the first half when the offense was pretty much just chucking up threes, many early in the shot clock. The second half was better when they started getting into the paint. Kolek’s shooting was encouraging, but he needs to stop with the ‘look at me’ passes - they are doing more harm than good. And rebounding needs to be a five man effort.
It's interesting how a game can bring some things into focus.Imagine you're a Texas fan, you lose to Abilene, and three of the reinforcements coming in are Ellis/Itejere/Joplin. Based on what we've seen so far, I think their anger was probably justified. Like I said, I like Shaka and love how he wants to play. But there's no more waiting for the prior coach's guys to leave, that happened. Time to get some dudes that'll fit the system.
It's a strange phenomenon on this board where many like to take extremely low outside expectations and use that as what is acceptable for our team's performance. We were picked 9th in the Big East, so we should expect to suck and be ok with sucking.
There is still room with me on the COLE bus. This is a step back year to get the system in place for the future.Purdue and MSU won the battle of tempo. The early launch offense was brutal which also put MU out of position on rebounds. But that is the philosophy so the talent will have to grow within it.MU simply struggled versus the zone in the half court. Sean was successful as he was the only one who could get to the seams. With the schedule and the likelihood of more zones, Sean needs more run time.Great defensive effort by both teams. MU is still looking for its Alphas to replace Morsell and Lewis at the end of games.
We are 334th in D-1 experience per KenPom. It is Year 2 of Shaka. I don't recall us being a slam dunk winner to matchups on the road/neutral floor against Top 20-25 teams during the Buzz years - years I loved.
Seems many Scoopers are melting down over a road loss at Purdue in a game we controlled for 34 minutes, and a hard fought loss on a neutral court to a physical and old Mississippi State team that Ken Pom has at 25.We are 334th in D-1 experience per KenPom. It is Year 2 of Shaka. I don't recall us being a slam dunk winner to matchups on the road/neutral floor against Top 20-25 teams during the Buzz years - years I loved.I mean FFS, we've been extremely competitive in both of these losses - and probably should have won 1 of the 2, but Scoopers in meltdown mode at this stage?Right now Ken Pom has Creighton and UCONN at 19 and 20. Purdue and MS State at 25 and 26. Nova, Xavier, St. John's, Seton Hall at 32, 33, 34, 35.Point being, we are going to be very competitive in the Big East, and likely will finish better than 9th, and more likely somewhere in the 4-6th range.
As an aside, every time they cut to a grumpy looking old guy in MU gear, I was giggling trying to figure out which scooper it was.
Have you watched him? Yeah, he is really that bad.
I feel insulted