NCAA Tournament

[statnik]

Yep. Just more salt atm

You think we would've beat K State?

[TSmith34, Inc.]

This is where I'm at.  Saying the loss was "50% MSU's defense and 40% Kolek's thumb injury" is not accurate, IMO.  We had a ten minute window in the second half where we could've taken control of the game, and instead played our worst 10 minutes of the season.  Nothing wrong with just admitting we played like crap. 

I've said 70% Kolek's thumb, 20% MSU defensive effort, 10% nerves.

But as Tower has said, and I agree, we will not convince one another...which is perfectly fine, it's what sport arguments are about.

[withoutbias]

It's almost like college basketball players sometimes have bad nights. Wild, I know.

We're acting like Sparty just went on and lost by 47 to DePaul. They lost an OT game to a really good KSU team. Sure it was a much different game than the MU game, but that's college hoops. Sometimes you beat UCONN with your two most important players on the bench in foul trouble a bunch of the game and other times you get the doors blown off from start to finish by UCONN with no foul trouble. That's the nature of amateur athletes and a one and done format Tournament.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

I realize I'm beating a dead horse, tough to see two All American point guards play the same team in 4 days and see two drastically different stat lines.

7/18, 20 points, 19 assists, 2 turnovers
2/8, 7 points, 5 assists, 6 turnovers

Bad nights happen, is what it is, frustrating nonetheless.

Kolek had one thumb. Newell is awesome without question, but people that think Kolek suddenly forgot how to play after about the 3 minute mark of the Vermont game...I don't know what to say.

[NickelDimer]

You think we would've beat K State?

If we played like we're capable of? Yeah we could beat them. Would've been a toss up game

[MuggsyB]

Is anyone else having trouble with the TBS feed?

[jesmu84]

Kolek had one thumb. Newell is awesome without question, but people that think Kolek suddenly forgot how to play after about the 3 minute mark of the Vermont game...I don't know what to say.

Kolek said the thumb was fine

[Lennys Tap]

If we played like we're capable of? Yeah we could beat them. Would've been a toss up game

We would have been 4 point favorites.

[MuggsyB]

I'm sorry.  I mean trouble with the CBS feed.

[Uncle Rico]

I'm sorry.  I mean trouble with the CBS feed.

It happened to me Saturday.  Missed the first half of Kansas-Arkansas

[Dish]

Kolek had one thumb. Newell is awesome without question, but people that think Kolek suddenly forgot how to play after about the 3 minute mark of the Vermont game...I don't know what to say.

I mean, he did say the thumb was fine. Kolek had a poor tournament, sometimes things happen. If you play your worst games in March, you go home. It's ok to be frustrated by an outlier performance by him.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Kolek said the thumb was fine

1) Evidence says otherwise
2) Would you expect a guy like Kolek to say anything else?

[Warriors, Come Out and Playeeyay]

Sean Jones should be watching tape of Nowell every morning, day and night this summer.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

I mean, he did say the thumb was fine. Kolek had a poor tournament, sometimes things happen. If you play your worst games in March, you go home. It's ok to be frustrated by an outlier performance by him.

1) There is video of him from the practice the day before showing him shaking the hand/favoring his thumb
2) After his drive when he further aggravated it against Vermont he had to go the locker room to get it looked at and taped
3) He was completely ineffective thereafter in both the Vermont and MSU games

So I guess draw your own conclusion, but Kolek isn't the kind of guy to make excuses. He could have had the hand amputated and wouldn't have used it as excuse IMO.

[MuggsyB]

The 🦉 🦉 🦉 better wake up.

[Dish]

1) There is video of him from the practice the day before showing him shaking the hand/favoring his thumb
2) After his drive when he further aggravated it against Vermont he had to go the locker room to get it looked at and taped
3) He was completely ineffective thereafter in both the Vermont and MSU games

So I guess draw your own conclusion, but Kolek isn't the kind of guy to make excuses. He could have had the hand amputated and wouldn't have used it as excuse IMO.

Agreed, his thumb definitely bothered him. But nickle/dime fouls and throwing the ball into the front court needlessly, with no numbers, for live ball turnovers, also should be mutually exclusive from his thumb.

We all probably agree it sucks MU didn't get a chance tonight. Is what it is.

[Scoop Snoop]

I'm sorry.  I mean trouble with the CBS feed.

Yes. It's been a problem in every game. Fortunately, it is bad only for a moment or two.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Agreed, his thumb definitely bothered him. But nickle/dime fouls and throwing the ball into the front court needlessly, with no numbers, for live ball turnovers, also should be mutually exclusive from his thumb.

We all probably agree it sucks MU didn't get a chance tonight. Is what it is.

Oh yeah, his fouls were dumb, dumb, dumb. I do think frustration with his inability to play his normal game was a huge contributor to those as well. If he had been able to throttle back and manage the game within his reduced capabilities it would have been a lot better for MU, but he failed in that aspect.

[Ellenson Guerrero]

This is a bad look for Izzo: https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1639076383409274880?s=46&t=HLoNtkTVfvSoDEzJafqc2g

[TSmith34, Inc.]

This is a bad look for Izzo: https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1639076383409274880?s=46&t=HLoNtkTVfvSoDEzJafqc2g

Yeah, unnatural carnal knowledge that guy

[Uncle Rico]

Kind of wish Shaka hadn't run off Aidoo

[We R Final Four]

1) Evidence says otherwise
2) Would you expect a guy like Kolek to say anything else?

Scoopers know the extent of the impact of his thumb better than Tyler....and if Tyler says it wasn't a problem....scoopers know it was ....
If Tyler says hes ok? f 'em

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Scoopers know the extent of the impact of his thumb better than Tyler....and if Tyler says it wasn't a problem....scoopers know it was ....
If Tyler says hes ok? f 'em

The actual evidence says otherwise. But, as noted previously, we aren't going to convince one another.

[MU82]

All you have to do is listen to Izzo for 10 seconds in the postgame, and if you can't see why some are happy he lost ... come on.

As for the letterman ...

He shot really well in helping Sparty stay in the game. But over the last 23 minutes, he had as many fouls as points (3). And over the last 12 minutes, he bricked the only three 3-pointers he took and choked on the front end of a 1-and-1. He also was a statue on defense. A fitting ending.

In 23 seasons from 1997-98 through 2019-20, Izzo had a .732 winning percentage overall, .714 in conference, finished in first place 10 times, finished in the top 3 of the conference 17 times, and made 8 Final Fours.

Purely coincidentally, in 3 seasons since 2020-21, Izzo had a .602 winning percentage overall, .525 in conference, finished 8th, 7th and 4th, and never sniffed a Final Four.

[MuggsyB]

All you have to do is listen to Izzo for 10 seconds in the postgame, and if you can't see why some are happy he lost ... come on.

As for the letterman ...

He shot really well in helping Sparty stay in the game. But over the last 23 minutes, he had as many fouls as points (3). And over the last 12 minutes, he bricked the only three 3-pointers he took and choked on the front end of a 1-and-1. He also was a statue on defense. A fitting ending.

In 23 seasons from 1997-98 through 2019-20, Izzo had a .732 winning percentage overall, .714 in conference, finished in first place 10 times, finished in the top 3 of the conference 17 times, and made 8 Final Fours.

Purely coincidentally, in 3 seasons since 2020-21, Izzo had a .602 winning percentage overall, .525 in conference, finished 8th, 7th and 4th, and never sniffed a Final Four.

I 100% agree with your analysis.