Damn....what a gag job....totally unfortunate

[MR.HAYWARD]

He got it and stood there.  Either make a move or call a timeout.  I appreciate your opinions Hayward, but you are just an unkind person who makes unnecessary cuts on people.  We clearly did not play it right, we lost.  Good game, tough ending.  Lazar should have made something happen.

if me pointing out your ignorance makes me unkind then so be it.  please explain Dr. naismith how did "we not play it right" ?  In what way should Lazar have "made something happen" ? 

comical

[GGGG]

if me pointing out your ignorance makes me unkind then so be it.  please explain Dr. naismith how did "we not play it right" ?  In what way should Lazar have "made something happen" ? 

comical

Agreed.  Nothing but tired cliches.

[NotAnAlum]

Sorry guys but we MUST be able to count on our second best player and normally one of our best (and most experienced) free throwers to hit the front end of a one and one.  Lazar should definately have passed the ball, Butler should have gotten it, no time out necessary.  He simply MUST hit that free throw (and probably the second). 

[Blackhat]

Damn, free throw shooting is really about the size of your heart (or truthfully probably more like the size of your balls).  


Guys were going to the line afraid to lose rather than excited to win and put the dagger in.    

[NersEllenson]

Lets get real about this game - did anyone really think we had a legitimate chance to be in the drivers seat at the end of this game?  The fact it took 2 buzzer beater shots - at the close of the half and game - both of which were high degree of difficulty/luck...speaks volumes about the job Buzz Williams has done with this team.

I will say they are tough, gritty, ultra-competitive - and their effort tonite should be celebrated.  Obviously it sucks to NOT be able to pull out another close game...but this team is still largely, fairly young all things considered.  MU just needs to get this monkey off the back of losing buzzer beaters..maybe should start calling the "buzz" beaters..because they keep beating his team..through basically no fault of his own, but largely credited to him for even getting this team in a position to win a game like this.

[WarriorHal]

Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing.

[MUfan12]

Not sure I agree on the Timeout situation.  It allows you to again setup who you want to inbound the ball.  Plus, in college, the 10 second rule resets allowing you another 10 seconds to get the ball across the line (at least I believe this is the case).

The only thing that worries me about a timeout is the inbounder is stuck in the corner and cannot move. Combine that with WVU's length, and I'm more worried about a turnover there.

While we all want a 6-8 beast, I was really wishing for a Tony Miller at the end. A guy who could beat the press and was cold blooded from the line when it counted.

[21Jumpstreet]

if me pointing out your ignorance makes me unkind then so be it.  please explain Dr. naismith how did "we not play it right" ?  In what way should Lazar have "made something happen" ?

comical

Thanks Hayward, I appreciate your comments.  I wouldn't say it's ignorance, or necessarily comical, just a differing opinion.  I wanted Lazar to have the ball (more than just standing there looking to dish) with the chance to get to the line, dribble, call time-out and regroup, perhaps take it out of bounds and get it right back.  He's our best player and should have been the one to win it at the line.  We had a chance with Jimmy, he missed, he should have made it, you're right.  I do agree with that.  Have a happy new year.  It is always fun and interesting to read your posts, and I think your insight is always thought provoking.

[ATWizJr]

Lets get real about this game - did anyone really think we had a legitimate chance to be in the drivers seat at the end of this game?  The fact it took 2 buzzer beater shots - at the close of the half and game - both of which were high degree of difficulty/luck...speaks volumes about the job Buzz Williams has done with this team.

I will say they are tough, gritty, ultra-competitive - and their effort tonite should be celebrated.  Obviously it sucks to NOT be able to pull out another close game...but this team is still largely, fairly young all things considered.  MU just needs to get this monkey off the back of losing buzzer beaters..maybe should start calling the "buzz" beaters..because they keep beating his team..through basically no fault of his own, but largely credited to him for even getting this team in a position to win a game like this.

Yeah. That's what we want.  More frackin' moral victories! Yeah, let's settle for that.  Great.

[StillWarriors]

Well, Butler seems to have proven he can't handle a pressure FT, so he shouldn't be touching the ball at the end of a close game where MU is ahead by a point or two.

Going into that situation last night, he has been an excellent free throw shooter with the significant exception of the FSU game. I felt good about him going to the line last night, and surprised he missed it. The only way to get comfortable in those situations is to be in them. Yes, it is extremely frustrating as that would have been a huge win, especially on the road, but it is part of the process. He is far from the first to miss a pressure free throw, and won't be the last. For people to bail on him and say he should not touch the ball at the end of a game is a little ridiculous. If he was normally a 50% shooter I'd agree, but he is clearly a good FT shooter who has struggled under pressure. He'll get better at that. Hopefully SOON.

[tower912]

Buzz wasn't a genius for 39 minutes and an idiot for 59 seconds.   He did everything right to put us in a position to win.   Players have to make free throws.    Simple as that.   Winning begats winning.   Right now it looks like choking begats choking when it comes to FT's in the last minute.    Buzz gets an A for coaching.    Maybe a 97% instead of 100%, but still really good.

[TJ]

Lets get real about this game - did anyone really think we had a legitimate chance to be in the drivers seat at the end of this game?  The fact it took 2 buzzer beater shots - at the close of the half and game - both of which were high degree of difficulty/luck...speaks volumes about the job Buzz Williams has done with this team.

I will say they are tough, gritty, ultra-competitive - and their effort tonite should be celebrated.  Obviously it sucks to NOT be able to pull out another close game...but this team is still largely, fairly young all things considered.  MU just needs to get this monkey off the back of losing buzzer beaters..maybe should start calling the "buzz" beaters..because they keep beating his team..through basically no fault of his own, but largely credited to him for even getting this team in a position to win a game like this.

We can all read this post and feel a lot better about ourselves when we're wondering if we'll get that NIT bid or not.

[MR.HAYWARD]

Buzz wasn't a genius for 39 minutes and an idiot for 59 seconds.   He did everything right to put us in a position to win.   Players have to make free throws.    Simple as that.   Winning begats winning.   Right now it looks like choking begats choking when it comes to FT's in the last minute.    Buzz gets an A for coaching.    Maybe a 97% instead of 100%, but still really good.

+1000000000000

[damuts222]

 Buzz did a great job of coaching his team up last night. By running out the clock he seemed to make WV inpatient. Everyone talked about the difference between our team and size, this has gone on for years and will probably continue on into the near future....its all about matchups and our team was smaller and quicker and probably will be with the lineup we put out there every night.

 Matchup problems will present themselves not only for us but for the other team. I don't think WV had a good game plan on offense, I don't remember them posting up often or driving too the hoop until the last minute of play. Just look at the amount of free throws they took...4. Unfortunate result especially since our schedule is tough and stealing one of these games especially our first Big East game would have been huge.

[NersEllenson]

Yeah. That's what we want.  More frackin' moral victories! Yeah, let's settle for that.  Great.

Sure MU should have won this game, but they did not - that doesn't mean you can't take positives from the loss.  I call B.S. on any real MU fan who would say that they thought we would be in the driver's seat at the end of this game - only to fail to close out from the free throw line..again...we played a hell of a basketball game...one of the best I've seen out of MU in a long time..given everything that was lost from last year's team, injuries and the the transfer from this year's team, in an environment like that.  I'll take the moral victory out of this game, even though it killed me to see how we lost.

[Big Papi]

I can't bash Buzz about this game.  At the end of the day or game in this instance, our weakness are just too glaring to think Buzz is a bad coach.  His coaching is actually what put us in a position to win instead of lose.  Missed free throws and bad defense only magnifies are teams weaknesses, especially at the end of games where stars shine and unfortunately we don't have many or any true stars.  To judge the last minute instead of the full 40 minutes is very short sighted. 

We lost because:

We are severly undersized at just about every position.  (Not Buzz's fault) 
We are severely short handed as only 7 players are Big East caliber ready at this point in time.  (Not Buzz's fault) 
We don't have a Big East starting point guard.  Acker/Cubillian are subs at best and Buycks is not a point.(Not Buzz's fault)
We don't have any stars that want the ball and shine at the end of games.  Not a dig on Hayward, he is great but he is what he is. (Not Buzz's fault)

Add to the fact that West Virginia is a very good team.  Has a legit NBA lottery pick.  Has a great coach with a ton of experience. And played at home and we should be satisfied with our team's effort.

 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Buzz wasn't a genius for 39 minutes and an idiot for 59 seconds.   He did everything right to put us in a position to win.   Players have to make free throws.    Simple as that.   Winning begats winning.   Right now it looks like choking begats choking when it comes to FT's in the last minute.    Buzz gets an A for coaching.    Maybe a 97% instead of 100%, but still really good.

I don't think anyone is saying that, but it can happen....to suggest someone coached or played well for the whole game and couldn't have a brain cramp at the end is a bit disingenious, don't you think? Not saying it happened here, but it happens all the time.  Chris Webber in the NCAA final....Brett Favre in countless big games, Lazar Hayward in the NCAA tournament last year, etc, etc.

Same with coaching....my biggest concern was the defense in the last minute...it's as if they were told to play very aggressively because we had two fouls to give and then back off completely and don't foul at all which led to a wide open slam dunk, etc.

[tower912]

Lazar's defense on the last shot was the best it could have been without fouling.    Stayed with the guy through a series of moves and then got his hand in the face of the guy shooting a twisting, fallaway 19 footer.    The other baskets looked like individual breakdowns instead of systemic failures.   Moping down the floor because you missed a ft.   C'mon.   I have seen Buzz make mistakes.      This one is on the FT shooters down the stretch.

[ChicosBailBonds]

We lost because:

We are severly undersized at just about every position.  (Not Buzz's fault) 
We are severely short handed as only 7 players are Big East caliber ready at this point in time.  (Not Buzz's fault) 
We don't have a Big East starting point guard.  Acker/Cubillian are subs at best and Buycks is not a point.(Not Buzz's fault)
We don't have any stars that want the ball and shine at the end of games.  Not a dig on Hayward, he is great but he is what he is. (Not Buzz's fault)

Add to the fact that West Virginia is a very good team.  Has a legit NBA lottery pick.  Has a great coach with a ton of experience. And played at home and we should be satisfied with our team's effort.
 

I'm getting sick of these excuses.

No stars...we have a preseason All Big East player on our team. 

You seem to be saying we lost because of things you mention yet somehow we beat these teams for 39 minutes and 58 seconds only to finally be overcome at the last second.  C'mon. 

This is a game MU should have won...PERIOD!  We outplayed them and lost.  We SHOULD NOT BE SATISFIED.  This was a game we gagged and to suggest otherwise is ridiculous.  I'm not blaming Buzz at all....but all these excuses.  Despite the comments you make above, height didn't miss free throws...a short bench didn't miss free throws or break down defensively....etc, etc.

Stop with the excuses....that was a game MU should have won.  FSU was a game MU should have won.  NC State was a game MU should have won.  They didn't execute, period!

[Daniel]

Buzz coached a great game, and had us in it and potentially winning.  We missed some FTs - well,  sometimes the pressure gets to these kids.  We need to lighten up on these kids - as said, they DO practice free throws, just not on the NCAA allocated time.

Great game.  Tough loss.

[hdog1017]

The more I think about last night's finish to the game, the more I get frustrated.  Luckily I have Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch playing on my Ipod right now to calm the anger. 

[Big Papi]

I'm getting sick of these excuses.
No stars...we have a preseason All Big East player on our team. 
You seem to be saying we lost because of things you mention yet somehow we beat these teams for 39 minutes and 58 seconds only to finally be overcome at the last second.  C'mon. 
This is a game MU should have won...PERIOD!  We outplayed them and lost.  We SHOULD NOT BE SATISFIED.  This was a game we gagged and to suggest otherwise is ridiculous.  I'm not blaming Buzz at all....but all these excuses.  Despite the comments you make above, height didn't miss free throws...a short bench didn't miss free throws or break down defensively....etc, etc.
Stop with the excuses....that was a game MU should have won.  FSU was a game MU should have won.  NC State was a game MU should have won.  They didn't execute, period!

I wasn't making excuses I was stating facts.  I wasn't making excuses why we lost, I was stating facts if you ask anyone in college basketball, they would say West Virginia is more talented.  I wasn't making excuses why we lost, I was stating that Buzz should get kudos for putting us in a position to win this game.  I find it funny that you emphasis our bad defense over the last 2 minutes of the game but discount the fact that West Virginia had what 10, 15 made shots from 5 feet away from the basket.  Height didn't miss free throws, height allowed West Virginia to get at least half of the points they got.  Height matters. You look at a 90 second span and I look at 40 minutes. You say Hayward is preseason ALl Big east player and I see no one on this team that wants the ball at the end of the game that includes Hayward.  Conversely, Butler and Ebanks sure did.

[Lennys Tap]

I'm getting sick of these excuses.

No stars...we have a preseason All Big East player on our team. 

You seem to be saying we lost because of things you mention yet somehow we beat these teams for 39 minutes and 58 seconds only to finally be overcome at the last second.  C'mon. 

This is a game MU should have won...PERIOD!  We outplayed them and lost.  We SHOULD NOT BE SATISFIED.  This was a game we gagged and to suggest otherwise is ridiculous.  I'm not blaming Buzz at all....but all these excuses.  Despite the comments you make above, height didn't miss free throws...a short bench didn't miss free throws or break down defensively....etc, etc.

Stop with the excuses....that was a game MU should have won.  FSU was a game MU should have won.  NC State was a game MU should have won.  They didn't execute, period!

Yes MU should have won. And we would have, but for a 40 ft off one leg bank at the end of the half, a 20 ft turn around jumper at the end of the game, and missed free throws (twice) on our part. Chances of all four happening? 10%x40%x25%x25%=.0025. That's once every 400 times. Even given the missed free throws, WVU wins that game maybe 2.5x out of 100. So incredible bad luck conspired with our own mistakes to cost us a game we never should have lost - even though they had bigger, stronger and better personnel and were playing at home. That WVU needed our mistakes + one heave + one great shot to edge us in Morgantown is testimony to great coaching and near flawless execution on MU's part. The good news is we won't always be the third shortest team in D1 and we won't always be trying to get it done with only a handful of Big East ready players.

[LAZER]

Yes MU should have won. And we would have, but for a 40 ft off one leg bank at the end of the half, a 20 ft turn around jumper at the end of the game, and missed free throws (twice) on our part. Chances of all four happening? 10%x40%x25%x25%=.0025. That's once every 400 times. Even given the missed free throws, WVU wins that game maybe 2.5x out of 100. So incredible bad luck conspired with our own mistakes to cost us a game we never should have lost - even though they had bigger, stronger and better personnel and were playing at home. That WVU needed our mistakes + one heave + one great shot to edge us in Morgantown is testimony to great coaching and near flawless execution on MU's part. The good news is we won't always be the third shortest team in D1 and we won't always be trying to get it done with only a handful of Big East ready players.

Yeah, but doesn't it always seem a little more likely when Marquette is playing

[ChicosBailBonds]

Yes MU should have won. And we would have, but for a 40 ft off one leg bank at the end of the half, a 20 ft turn around jumper at the end of the game, and missed free throws (twice) on our part. Chances of all four happening? 10%x40%x25%x25%=.0025. That's once every 400 times. Even given the missed free throws, WVU wins that game maybe 2.5x out of 100. So incredible bad luck conspired with our own mistakes to cost us a game we never should have lost - even though they had bigger, stronger and better personnel and were playing at home. That WVU needed our mistakes + one heave + one great shot to edge us in Morgantown is testimony to great coaching and near flawless execution on MU's part. The good news is we won't always be the third shortest team in D1 and we won't always be trying to get it done with only a handful of Big East ready players.

Excuses....we should have won.  For every miracle shot there are dozens that should have gone in that didn't which we were the beneficiaries of.