MBB - Weber - ESPN2

[Bocephus]

Carter Ash on SVP show.

https://fb.watch/qCSegMssSm/?mibextid=KD2nqW

[tetoncat]

ESPN2 pre-game: Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones
ESPN2 post-game: Hey, these MSU guys are pretty good too!

What a game, keep it going guys!

I thought they gave Ford a lot of credit pregame and early when he took game over. Then they pivoted to Olmstead and his story. I thought they were good.

[MSU01]

ESPN2 pre-game: Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones
ESPN2 post-game: Hey, these MSU guys are pretty good too!

What a game, keep it going guys!

I thought they gave Ford a lot of credit pregame and early when he took game over. Then they pivoted to Olmstead and his story. I thought they were good.

Maybe there was a longer pre-game segment I didn't see, but when the broadcast began they talked about Dillon Jones only and then it went straight to tip-off. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing, as a potential NBA player on the floor is probably the main reason (ok, also sports wagering) why a non-Big Sky fan would have chosen to watch this game. I just thought it was pretty cool that by the end of the game they had to give MSU credit for playing one of its best games of the season at the exact right time.

[84CatGrad]

What a great weekend for Olmsted. Maybe he'll be an x-factor in the tourney. I don't like that we have to turnaround and play Weber again.

[catatac]

ESPN2 pre-game: Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones
ESPN2 post-game: Hey, these MSU guys are pretty good too!

What a game, keep it going guys!

I thought they gave Ford a lot of credit pregame and early when he took game over. Then they pivoted to Olmstead and his story. I thought they were good.

Maybe there was a longer pre-game segment I didn't see, but when the broadcast began they talked about Dillon Jones only and then it went straight to tip-off. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing, as a potential NBA player on the floor is probably the main reason (ok, also sports wagering) why a non-Big Sky fan would have chosen to watch this game. I just thought it was pretty cool that by the end of the game they had to give MSU credit for playing one of its best games of the season at the exact right time.

Not trying to be a downer here but wasn't this game meaningless in terms of the Cats being #5 no matter what? Don't get me wrong, I know it's important to play well and it looks like we're hopefully peaking at the right time and didn't just blow our wad... but I don't think the game meant anything. Playing well in the tourney is the only thing that matters.

[aucat]

@Prodigal Cat I have been wondering about that too. Maybe these guys weren’t ready yet. It does seem like many of the guys — Turner, Miller, Olmsted — really have developed on our team this year. Maybe they all needed time for it to click. I don’t know, just speculating.

Olmsted usually looked completely lost out there when he got into games early this season. I think what you're seeing is a combination of great coaching and a player with a great attitude leading to significant improvement over the course of the season. It's exciting to watch unfold!

MSU01 I believe you hit the nail on the head here. I say that because I have the utmost respect for Coach Logie and he would have obviously played him earlier if he thought he could perform to the level he needed to. Nevertheless, I plan to attend Cat Chat tonight and I look forward to the coach's comments regarding this.

[bobcatskier]

The call of the night….the ESPN2 color guy after John O hits the 3 pointer:

“ Ther’re gonna build a statue for this guy”

Freakin’ Awesome win! See everyone in Boise

[Desert_Bobcat]

ESPN2 pre-game: Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones
ESPN2 post-game: Hey, these MSU guys are pretty good too!

What a game, keep it going guys!

I thought they gave Ford a lot of credit pregame and early when he took game over. Then they pivoted to Olmstead and his story. I thought they were good.

Maybe there was a longer pre-game segment I didn't see, but when the broadcast began they talked about Dillon Jones only and then it went straight to tip-off. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing, as a potential NBA player on the floor is probably the main reason (ok, also sports wagering) why a non-Big Sky fan would have chosen to watch this game. I just thought it was pretty cool that by the end of the game they had to give MSU credit for playing one of its best games of the season at the exact right time.

Not trying to be a downer here but wasn't this game meaningless in terms of the Cats being #5 no matter what? Don't get me wrong, I know it's important to play well and it looks like we're hopefully peaking at the right time and didn't just blow our wad... but I don't think the game meant anything. Playing well in the tourney is the only thing that matters.

Meaningless in terms of standing, sure. Not meaningless in terms of morale and momentum. Cats got mopped by Weber in Ogden and I’d argue should have won in Cheney. The last thing you want going into the tournament is losing 2 straight. This was a statement game saying, “don’t forget about us.” Remember, Weber had everything to play for in this game. They were looking to fit into the #2 seed and needed to win to do so.
Cats wanted this game more than Weber. Weber arguably needed this game more than MSU because by all metrics, the regular season was a huge disappointment for them. It’ll be really interesting to see what Weber team shows up next Monday. The one who beat top 25 ranked St Mary’s or the one who laid eggs against Idaho St, Utah Valley, Portland St, among others.

[MSU01]

ESPN2 pre-game: Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones
ESPN2 post-game: Hey, these MSU guys are pretty good too!

What a game, keep it going guys!

I thought they gave Ford a lot of credit pregame and early when he took game over. Then they pivoted to Olmstead and his story. I thought they were good.

Maybe there was a longer pre-game segment I didn't see, but when the broadcast began they talked about Dillon Jones only and then it went straight to tip-off. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing, as a potential NBA player on the floor is probably the main reason (ok, also sports wagering) why a non-Big Sky fan would have chosen to watch this game. I just thought it was pretty cool that by the end of the game they had to give MSU credit for playing one of its best games of the season at the exact right time.

Not trying to be a downer here but wasn't this game meaningless in terms of the Cats being #5 no matter what? Don't get me wrong, I know it's important to play well and it looks like we're hopefully peaking at the right time and didn't just blow our wad... but I don't think the game meant anything. Playing well in the tourney is the only thing that matters.

It was meaningless for MSU's seeding purposes, but it did have a major effect on their confidence as well as in terms of who they play next Monday. I'd be willing to bet that while they'd never say it publicly, the MSU coaches and players feel a lot more confident playing a team they just beat than they would have about playing the Griz for a third time, who they were swept by fairly easily.

It would be interesting to see if there's any correlation between performance in the last few regular season games and performance in the conference tournament. EWU last year went undefeated but lost its last two regular season games to ISU and MSU, then immediately got bounced in the tournament by the #9 seed. The MSU women lost their last game at home to EWU which was a chance to win the regular season title outright, and then they also got bounced by the #7 seed.

[Camo_Cat]

ESPN2 pre-game: Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones
ESPN2 post-game: Hey, these MSU guys are pretty good too!

What a game, keep it going guys!

I thought they gave Ford a lot of credit pregame and early when he took game over. Then they pivoted to Olmstead and his story. I thought they were good.

Maybe there was a longer pre-game segment I didn't see, but when the broadcast began they talked about Dillon Jones only and then it went straight to tip-off. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing, as a potential NBA player on the floor is probably the main reason (ok, also sports wagering) why a non-Big Sky fan would have chosen to watch this game. I just thought it was pretty cool that by the end of the game they had to give MSU credit for playing one of its best games of the season at the exact right time.

Not trying to be a downer here but wasn't this game meaningless in terms of the Cats being #5 no matter what? Don't get me wrong, I know it's important to play well and it looks like we're hopefully peaking at the right time and didn't just blow our wad... but I don't think the game meant anything. Playing well in the tourney is the only thing that matters.

Meaningless in terms of standing, sure. Not meaningless in terms of morale and momentum. Cats got mopped by Weber in Ogden and I’d argue should have won in Cheney. The last thing you want going into the tournament is losing 2 straight. This was a statement game saying, “don’t forget about us.” Remember, Weber had everything to play for in this game. They were looking to fit into the #2 seed and needed to win to do so.
Cats wanted this game more than Weber. Weber arguably needed this game more than MSU because by all metrics, the regular season was a huge disappointment for them. It’ll be really interesting to see what Weber team shows up next Monday. The one who beat top 25 ranked St Mary’s or the one who laid eggs against Idaho St, Utah Valley, Portland St, among others.

Not to mention that we picked up an upset ON national TV in front of a great crowd. Anything that helps in terms of exposure for the program and potential recruiting is far from meaningless.

[CelticCat]

Weber had everything to play for, if they had won they would have been the #2 seed due to tiebreakers over UNC and UM. Which means they'd be on the opposite side of the bracket as EWU. Now they have to turn back around and beat a team that just beat them, and then most likely the best team in the league just to get to the championship.

Not sure why anyone would say this was meaningless for the Cats. Sure it doesn't affect seeding but we beat a team who really wanted the win, that counts for something. We seem to have figured something out these last two games, between Olmstead coming on and Goracke returning to his early season form, scoring back to back double digit games for the first time since 2/1 and 2/3. Not to mention we showed resolve and made some big time plays on ESPN2. We looked like the typical high seed team that can catch fire and win a March Madness game.

Perhaps most importantly is this game cemented a mindset for the Cats - they are playing for each other and having fun. There were times in the year where they looked lost, never frustrated necessarily but things just weren't always clicking and they just look run down in the 2nd half. They've caught a second wind and just look like they are playing with some swagger and having fun, and that makes for a very dangerous tournament team. And the Cats would be the kind of team everyone loves to root for if we can somehow make it to the dance because we have some guys you just can't help but root for.

[DMMDCats]

We looked like the typical high seed team that can catch fire and win a March Madness game.

Perhaps most importantly is this game cemented a mindset for the Cats - they are playing for each other and having fun.

Great observations, I concur.

[MinnesotaBobcat]

ESPN2 pre-game: Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones Dillon Jones
ESPN2 post-game: Hey, these MSU guys are pretty good too!

What a game, keep it going guys!

I thought they gave Ford a lot of credit pregame and early when he took game over. Then they pivoted to Olmstead and his story. I thought they were good.

Maybe there was a longer pre-game segment I didn't see, but when the broadcast began they talked about Dillon Jones only and then it went straight to tip-off. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing, as a potential NBA player on the floor is probably the main reason (ok, also sports wagering) why a non-Big Sky fan would have chosen to watch this game. I just thought it was pretty cool that by the end of the game they had to give MSU credit for playing one of its best games of the season at the exact right time.

Not trying to be a downer here but wasn't this game meaningless in terms of the Cats being #5 no matter what? Don't get me wrong, I know it's important to play well and it looks like we're hopefully peaking at the right time and didn't just blow our wad... but I don't think the game meant anything. Playing well in the tourney is the only thing that matters.

It was significant for several reasons. I think the biggest thing is it put the Grizzlies on the other side of the bracket. Bobcats just don’t match up with them very well this year. The Cats beat every other team in the conference, so they should be feeling really good coming into Boise. They are clearly playing the best basketball of the season, and that momentum is huge going into the tournament.

Also, that was a nice win on National tv. If there were any potential portal kids watching maybe it will get them to look into MSU. It’s amazing how much better the broadcast is on ESPN 2.

Finally, fans are a lot more engaged going into the tournament. Will certainly help raise the enthusiasm level going forward. I think most of us have been pleasantly surprised that the Cats didn’t collapse after losing the coaching staff and some very good players. I’m really looking forward to next week!

[tetoncat]

22 assists on 29 FG. 8 FT attempts by Weber after Ewu got 37. Win rebounding.

[TwistedTailCat]

I'm thinking back to the Sac St. game a couple weeks ago, and I did the autograph/poster line after the game. To several of the players I said "thanks for the fun season" and they all expressed gratitude for the fan support, and one (I forget who) said "we're going to turn it around". That stuck with me - this team isn't done.

[BelgradeBobcat]

Watching the replay now. The color commentor was Ben Braun who coached Eastern Michigan and then Cal for many years. He referred to it a couple of times-bringing his team (EMU) to Bozeman many years ago and it didn't go well for him. I think it was the 94-95 season when Kwesi Coleman lit it up and we blew out EMU. It might have been during one of our holiday tournaments. The Cats were red hot in that non-conference season, but cooled off a bit in conference. It was the season before Sprinkle's heroics won us the Big Sky tourney in Bozeman.

[mongoo99]

That EMU team coached by Ben Braun that played in Bozeman featured 5-foot-5 Earl Boykin who once scored 32 points for the Denver Nuggets.

[kennethnoisewater]

Watching the replay now. The color commentor was Ben Braun who coached Eastern Michigan and then Cal for many years. He referred to it a couple of times-bringing his team (EMU) to Bozeman many years ago and it didn't go well for him. I think it was the 94-95 season when Kwesi Coleman lit it up and we blew out EMU. It might have been during one of our holiday tournaments. The Cats were red hot in that non-conference season, but cooled off a bit in conference. It was the season before Sprinkle's heroics won us the Big Sky tourney in Bozeman.

I had to look it up because they'd mentioned that Braun also beat Duke. That was the following season, which was EMU's best regular season ever, and Braun's last at EMU. They won the MAAC, got a 9 seed in the tourney, and beat Duke in the first round. He did lead EMU to the Sweet 16 as a 12 seed in 1991, one of my favorite NCAA tournaments ever.

[aucat]

Watching the replay now. The color commentor was Ben Braun who coached Eastern Michigan and then Cal for many years. He referred to it a couple of times-bringing his team (EMU) to Bozeman many years ago and it didn't go well for him. I think it was the 94-95 season when Kwesi Coleman lit it up and we blew out EMU. It might have been during one of our holiday tournaments. The Cats were red hot in that non-conference season, but cooled off a bit in conference. It was the season before Sprinkle's heroics won us the Big Sky tourney in Bozeman.

I used to really enjoy our "holiday Tournaments." I remember one back in the 90s when the Cats were not having a good year, yet even with students out of school, the arena was packed for a December game with Mississippi State. It was a barn burner and the Cats prevailed.

By the way I had to chuckle when Braun was talking about the price he paid for his "educational visit" to Bozeman, because he mentioned Yosemite National Park. It's funny how many people get Yellowstone confused with Yosemite.

[grizzh8r]

Watching the replay now. The color commentor was Ben Braun who coached Eastern Michigan and then Cal for many years. He referred to it a couple of times-bringing his team (EMU) to Bozeman many years ago and it didn't go well for him. I think it was the 94-95 season when Kwesi Coleman lit it up and we blew out EMU. It might have been during one of our holiday tournaments. The Cats were red hot in that non-conference season, but cooled off a bit in conference. It was the season before Sprinkle's heroics won us the Big Sky tourney in Bozeman.

I used to really enjoy our "holiday Tournaments." I remember one back in the 90s when the Cats were not having a good year, yet even with students out of school, the arena was packed for a December game with Mississippi State. It was a barn burner and the Cats prevailed.

By the way I had to chuckle when Braun was talking about the price he paid for his "educational visit" to Bozeman, because he mentioned Yosemite National Park. It's funny how many people get Yellowstone confused with Yosemite.

Yep, I was also at that Mississippi State game. Was in
1999 and a ton of fun!

Almost a quarter century ago...

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/sc ... edule.html

Here's the roster from that team, brings back some memories! Of course, that was at the tail end of the MSU football doldrums, so MSU Men's Basketball was THE EVENT to be at in a much different Bozeman (at that time). That, and the CNFR. But I think that ended a couple of years before. Was a simpler time...

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/sc ... /2000.html