okay...while this loss just means that we're gonna beat WI by that much more next weekend, we cannot excuse this loss. This is a HORRIBLE loss and will hurt in tourney seeding. I know a lot of the top teams are fallinf (ku, fl, etc) but we don't have the talent of those teams. We need to win through hard work and constant focus... Losing to ndsu is a joke and in my eyes negates any other quality wins this season (t teach & duke). I don't pin this loss on coach crean but on the leaders of the team. I'm not sure who the leaders are but you guys gotta step up. We had more talent on the court tonight we need our pride and heart to show. Guys... U just lost to friggin North Dakota State!
I hear ya loud and clear brother.
Not to take anything away form NDSU, but losing to WI would be hard but I wouldn't be as irate as losing to a team who was more inferior, at home, in a championship game.
Just got home from another holiday party and saw the news headline at the top. I think LW's subject says it all. BTW, no Sapphire tonight just Gordon's. :'(
I haven't read any other threads, but I'm sure everyone feels the same. I'll probably sleep in tomorrow (today) and hope when I wake up this will all be a mediocre gin induced bad dream.
I for one, while upset, am not concerned about this loss to NDSU. We've avoided close calls or have played below expectations in quite a few games already this year. Without a doubt our Free Throw shooting and perimeter shooter must improve, and with the development of Lazar and getting Fitz more involved I think that it will. Like the loss versus Idaho State I expect our team to use this loss as a great source of motivation over the next couple of weeks and into the Christmas holiday. The loss does make the Wisconsin game even more important and its going to be a great environment at the BC next weekend. Prior to this weekend and the Blue & Gold Classic I was expecting a loss to Northwestern State. Although that didn't happen we still lost our own tournament for the second consecutive year. Our own tournament which in past years has been a cake-walk. I'd also like to point out that an early season loss may be good for this team. It proves that this team hasn't peaked and we have plenty to work on. Let's focus on Delware State Tuesday night, and then the rest of the week we can look forward to the showdown with Bucky.
Quote from: McHenryWarrior on December 03, 2006, 01:00:34 PM
Prior to this weekend and the Blue & Gold Classic I was expecting a loss to Northwestern State.
No way! A fan of a top ten team should not say that. We really are good, and there's no reason in hell we should lose to teams like this. The B&G should've been a cakewalk for this team.
yes, it should have been a cakewalk.....the team blew it. Let's hope the loss is a wakeup call and we look back at it in March as a mere abberation.
8-1 is still a good place to be. 9-0 woulda been a helluva lot better
Remember how the sky was falling last year after the Winthrop loss? I think last year's young team learned from that game and rebounded quite well. I see no reason that this year's team won't do the same.
NOT WORRIED
ok that's out of my system.. now here's WHY I am not worried..
I actually think this loss did more good than harm..
why the harm is little:
1.) it is early in the season.
2.) we still completely control our own destiny.
3.) the ncaa selection committee tends to pay less attention to things that happen before January.
4.) gets us out of the volatile top ten and into the respectable teens
5.) makes the target on our back a little smaller - a little more under the radar - perhaps teams will underestimate us a little more ("after all they lost to.. uh.. who was it? northern somebody?")
why the good is a lot:
1.) one monkey off our back - we're not going undefeated. SOOO much less pressure.
2.) if they didn't believe it before, the players do now - there's a weakness in the armor somewhere and we've got to fix it.
3.) can you say hello earth? clipping wings might be good for some of these players
4.) learn how to lose - experience the week after - learn that they cannot forget about the grossly underdogged teams either.
5.) that which does not kill you makes you stronger.
I was unable to listen to the game last night. I checked the score periodically on my cell phone. Yes, I was frustrated but once the screen showed "Final" I just shrugged my shoulders, said "that's that", and actually was already thinking about the next game. My expectations for this team have not dwindled. I said when we made our preseason predictions that we would lose to a sleeper type team and said that every good team seems to - just couldn't figure out which one it would be. We've done that so let's check it of our list and move on. There's nothing more sobering than a loss like this. There's nothing more dreaded than the practice after a loss like this. There's nothing quite as valuable as looking into each of your teammate's eyes and saying "let's not lose like this again".
Like I said.. NOT WORRIED.
I am not any more or any less concerned after this loss. We lost because NDST forced us to score from the perimeter and we are not a good perimter shooting team. They outplayed. So say what you will about ND St. but they are a solid team with a very good coach. You don't beat UW, MU and almost beat Texas Tech at Texas Tech in less than a year if you are not a good team. I am disappointed that we lost a game we never should have lost but I never really expected us to only have 1 loss at this point in time. We will have more losses and they will all hurt just as much as this one.