NCAA Tournament

[thebigjake]

Looked to me like they were hunting Joey for switches all night. Solid strategy

[MUfan12]

Looked to me like they were hunting Joey for switches all night. Solid strategy

MU tried that but none of the guys could turn the corner.

Ballhandling has to be a major development point for everyone this offseason. Too loose with the rock, and it slows them down when they try to attack the rack.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Well, it has lasted a quarter of a century.  And, before he pissed off the world, he said that MSU did not play defense as well as they had in the first two games.   I will take him at his word.   

I did not see the first 36 minutes, so I don't know if K State banked in two shot clock 3's.

Shortly after I turned the game on, I saw K  State get an offensive rebound.  Hall left the man with the ball in the lane and closed out on a 3 point shooter.   Hauser left the man with the ball in the lane to wrestle with the other big who did not have the ball.  The offensive player turned and made the lay up.   I thought ooooooh, so it is that night.

All season, MSU has been plagued by defensive lapses.  The USC/MU games are the first time Sparty had strung together consecutive stellar defensive efforts.  KState going for 98 after MSU playing two good defensive games is actually consistent.

Tower, I would urge you to stop being such a spokesperson for Izzo.

I get it, Yes he’s a good coach and had a great career, but like many others have said, he’s not a good human.

[MU82]

I just noticed the countdown clock at the top of Scoop. That, combined with watching other teams compete last night, is a little depressing.

[5DollarPitcher]

Well, it has lasted a quarter of a century.  And, before he pissed off the world, he said that MSU did not play defense as well as they had in the first two games.   I will take him at his word.

Question not directly related to this topic - do you believe there is such a thing as coachspeak in pressers?

[tower912]

Tower, I would urge you to stop being such a spokesperson for Izzo.

I get it, Yes he’s a good coach and had a great career, but like many others have said, he’s not a good human.

Nah.

[rocky_warrior]

Aren’t you smarter than that?

I could never best you shoot!

I guess that’s a yes you are one of the board moderators.

Golly, your investigative skills must have been in overdrive to be able to "guess" that!

I just noticed the countdown clock at the top of Scoop. That, combined with watching other teams compete last night, is a little depressing.

Apologies. My OCD tendencies can't stand the countdown going negative. 

[Scoop Snoop]

Obviously the Big Ten is the best league in the country.

https://twitter.com/SSN_BigXII/status/1639115639498608640?s=20

    They have simply been unlucky, that's all!

[Scoop Snoop]

Question not directly related to this topic - do you believe there is such a thing as coachspeak in pressers?

Is the Pope Catholic?

[MuggsyB]

No they can't. *

* - pending status on Nowell's ankle.

They completely outplayed Tennessee.  They certainly have a shot. 

[shoothoops]

I could never best you shoot!

Golly, your investigative skills must have been in overdrive to be able to "guess" that!

Apologies. My OCD tendencies can't stand the countdown going negative.

Leaders lead. You’re one of the moderators of the board. Maybe act like it once in a while. Just a thought.

[JakeBarnes]

MU tried that but none of the guys could turn the corner.

Ballhandling has to be a major development point for everyone this offseason. Too loose with the rock, and it slows them down when they try to attack the rack.

Agree on this point. TKO is a special distributor, but I think that we saw flashes this year of what the offense could be with multiple active passers/distributors in the guard/wing position. Additionally, speed in which the team cuts to the hoop (see Oso and Joplin slow backdowns as a thing to fix). Speed and violence on passing and driving are essential to this offense thriving.

[5DollarPitcher]

Is the Pope Catholic?

Question was for Tower

[dgies9156]

As I watched last night, the MSU game hurt even more.

There wasn't a team that played Thursday night that I didn't feel that if we had a decent night, we couldn't take. Period. We're better than everyone who played Thursday! We just sucked when it mattered.

The best team of the night was UConn with what they did to Arkansas and we beat them twice! Tennessee was a crappy match-up against us but I look at what we did to Creighton and Xavier and think what could have been.

The reality is basketball is a horse race and we lost it in the final stretch. Not by much but the size of the loss means less than the fact we lost. It's tough when you see the other horses but the reality is next year is coming -- faster than we think!

[lawdog77]

As I watched last night, the MSU game hurt even more.

There wasn't a team that played Thursday night that I didn't feel that if we had a decent night, we couldn't take. Period. We're better than everyone who played Thursday! We just sucked when it mattered.

The best team of the night was UConn with what they did to Arkansas and we beat them twice! Tennessee was a crappy match-up against us but I look at what we did to Creighton and Xavier and think what could have been.

The reality is basketball is a horse race and we lost it in the final stretch. Not by much but the size of the loss means less than the fact we lost. It's tough when you see the other horses but the reality is next year is coming -- faster than we think!

It might be the COLE talking, but I think if UConn plays their A game, they beat us. Last night, they looked like the best team in the country.

[MU82]

It might be the COLE talking, but I think if UConn plays their A game, they beat us. Last night, they looked like the best team in the country.

Sure, but 2 of the 3 times they played Marquette, including on their self-proclaimed home court at MSG, they didn't play their A game. I like to think our coaches and players had something to do with that. Going into our matchup at MSG, all the talk was of how UConn had regained its mojo and was on a roll ... and then they ran into Marquette and the roll stopped.

But hey, UConn is still playing and winning in dominating fashion, and our guys are done for the season, so it's hard to sit here and argue that Marquette is better. Props to Hurley, whose results are finally jibing with his reputation, and kudos to his players.

[Goose]

UConn is very, very good when they bring their A game. They are tough out for any team in the country if they are playing well. It would not surprise me if they won the whole thing.

[Jockey]

Jaquez is awesome but Campbell is my favorite non MU player in a long time. He’s Chris Paul without being a douche to everyone.

Except Paul is a HoF’er and Tyler will probably never play in the NBA. So he’s not quite Chris Paul.

But yes, Paul is a douche and I hope he never gets a title.

One other thing as well. Paul has choked in big games at a much higher rate than Campbell.

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

Is the Pope Catholic?

And...

[wadesworld]

Except Paul is a HoF’er and Tyler will probably never play in the NBA. So he’s not quite Chris Paul.

But yes, Paul is a douche and I hope he never gets a title.

One other thing as well. Paul has choked in big games at a much higher rate than Campbell.

Well yeah.  I'm speaking of Campbell at the college level and comparing him to Paul at the NBA level.  Similar playing styles.

[PointWarrior]

"We're better than everyone who played Thursday! We just sucked when it mattered."


If you are better than everyone, then you don't suck when it matters....

[wadesworld]

"We're better than everyone who played Thursday! We just sucked when it mattered."


If you are better than everyone, then you don't suck when it matters....

I don't think we were better than everyone playing.  But I also don't think this is true either.  I think a large majority of the years the best team probably doesn't win this Tournament.

The one and done format, combined with the variability of these being 18-22 year olds, makes it really difficult to win 6 straight games against good teams.

[wisblue]

I just noticed the countdown clock at the top of Scoop. That, combined with watching other teams compete last night, is a little depressing.

I don’t mind the countdown clock, but I wish the banner with the MSU score could be replaced with something like “2023 Big East Champions”.

[wisblue]

I don't think we were better than everyone playing.  But I also don't think this is true either.  I think a large majority of the years the best team probably doesn't win this Tournament.

The one and done format, combined with the variability of these being 18-22 year olds, makes it really difficult to win 6 straight games against good teams.

This is why I put a lot more emphasis and emotional energy on the regular season than on the NCAA tournament. IMHO the tournament identifies a CHAMPION, but not necessarily the BEST team.

Especially in this age of parity, very few teams win the championship, or even advance to the Final Four, without at least one game that could have gone either way. There is a measure of fortunate bounces and luck of the draw for most of the champions.

I haven’t seen any teams that MU couldn’t beat, and seeing the UConn team that MU beat twice rolling on reinforces that. But the flip side of that is that there are probably at least 25- 30 teams in the tournament that could beat MU without it being a big upset. Given that, the chances that MU was going to win the title were always pretty low.

I am choosing to savor the Big East titles instead of torturing myself over what might have been in the tournament.  If you look at it objectively, I think you would have to conclude that if we restarted the conference season today with all of the teams healthy, it would be extremely difficult for MU to go 17-3 again. Take a step back and think about what an amazing accomplishment that was, especially when followed up with a tournament title.

[Scoop Snoop]

This is why I put a lot more emphasis and emotional energy on the regular season than on the NCAA tournament. IMHO the tournament identifies a CHAMPION, but not necessarily the BEST team.

Especially in this age of parity, very few teams win the championship, or even advance to the Final Four, without at least one game that could have gone either way. There is a measure of fortunate bounces and luck of the draw for most of the champions.

I haven’t seen any teams that MU couldn’t beat, and seeing the UConn team that MU beat twice rolling on reinforces that. But the flip side of that is that there are probably at least 25- 30 teams in the tournament that could beat MU without it being a big upset. Given that, the chances that MU was going to win the title were always pretty low.

I am choosing to savor the Big East titles instead of torturing myself over what might have been in the tournament.  If you look at it objectively, I think you would have to conclude that if we restarted the conference season today with all of the teams healthy, it would be extremely difficult for MU to go 17-3 again. Take a step back and think about what an amazing accomplishment that was, especially when followed up with a tournament title.

Like Wade's post in the outlook thread, spot on. I appreciate you guys for articulating (actually... writing well) on the two threads with your posts.  I simply cannot find the right words sometimes.