The Bobcat Nation

I can't believe there hasn't been any discussion on this game last Saturday, but considering the state of affairs in men's hoops I shouldn't be surprised. Anyway for what it's worth, I thought I would bring it up.

Saturday was the first time I got to see this year's version of the Cats in person. I personally thought it would be a fantastic crowd, since you got free admission just by showing your football playoff ticket. Man, was I wrong! The box score said attendance was 2,242 -- absolutely NO FREAKIN' WAY!!! I'm guessing we barely had half of that in the fieldhouse. My first thought was, yeah - we've not had a good product on the court in years, but it's not a wonder. What player in their right mind would want to come to Bozeman and play in front of a pathetic crowd like that? That's out of the way -- now for the game itself.

This may be the worst shooting team I have ever seen on any level. We shot 34% on the day, and that was saying something. Most of those missed shots were U-G-L-Y! I'm talking guys firing up air-balls from 15 feet, missed lay-ups, balls barely making iron. And offensively, we don't do anything. Guys passing the ball off and then standing there. Guys setting screens and then standing there. Nobody moves to the hoop, we just do a lot of standing around. And of course, as has been the case for years, we have absolutely no inside game. No post players to get the ball down low to; no one to get a big rebound. If we are off from the perimeter it's gonna be a long day. For the most part, the offense consisted of Blount, Stewart, and Bigelow. Danny Robinson shows promise, but he's very young.

Defense is a whole other can of worms. We gave up so many easy baskets and unguarded shots it wasn't even funny. It was so quiet in the fieldhouse at times that you could hear Bobcat players yelling at each other when they would give up an easy basket or have to hack some guy trying to make a stop.

San Jose was a very beatable team. Was not impressed with them at all, and it was surprising how close the game was considering how poorly we played. This was a game we could have won. I understand we are young, with only 3 seniors on the team, but we are really lacking leadership, both on the floor and off. They don't play well as a team. I hate to sound like such a Debbie Downer on this program, but from what I saw Saturday we are still a very, very long way from getting this thing turned around. Yes, the Big Sky is down this year, but I still think it's gonna be a struggle to get to the conference tourney this season.

Think positive. Something good will come as a direct result of this year.

Don't know what to say but I get the feeling that the players and coaches are not on the same page....after this many years of futility we need a change

In the last two games vs. Pepperdine and San Jose State, MSU had a long first half lapses and got way behind. San Jose looked like they were having a dunk contest for a while. Then MSU fought back, getting even with Pepperdine, and within 5 or so against San Jose, before falling apart at the very end. In a previous game, MSU played Air Force even on the road in the first half but got blown out in the second half. They're having a hard time putting a complete game together.

I won't bother to look, but is seems pretty rare for a Huse coached team to break the 40% field goal percentage barrier. That's been a theme for years. We get guys in here with good reputations for shooting the ball, but they don't shoot so well for the Bobcats-from the field or the line. Our opponents, on the other hand, don't seem to have any trouble shooting the ball in the Fieldhouse

This team is quicker and more athletic than past editions. That might translate into some wins in the conference...maybe.

Old Skool Cat wrote: My first thought was, yeah - we've not had a good product on the court in years, but it's not a wonder. What player in their right mind would want to come to Bozeman and play in front of a pathetic crowd like that? That's out of the way -- now for the game itself.

this is essentially the exact conversations that were taking place about the football team 8+ years ago. the simple fact that in ALL sports anywhere in the country...if the product on the field/court suck....the fans won't bother coming. i don't care how amazing you think your fanbase is, in the end winning is everything. i am a die-hard hoops fan and it is just too difficult to go to games like this under huse. it's been just terrible. and it goes beyond just the team and their play. as a father of three kids, going out for a night of hoops in the winter can often be quite a chore. my wife and daughter couldn't care less but they go because it is something to do as a family. you know how hard it is to convince a person who already doesn't care that it's a great idea to pack up the car on a freezing winter night and go watch our bobcats get handled time and time again?

as i said countless times, winning is everything. when this team starts winning and being competitive it will be worth our time going. and i'm not even talking about wins and losses. i don't mind watching the cats lose in any sport if the effort is there and i feel the players and coaches are improving. do you really think that's happening with huse and his teams? i don't. cats are terrible and seem to be getting worse every year. and at this point, i'd rather freeze my ass off in sub-zero weather watching ash and his guys compete than sit in the warm confines of the brick and watch yet another embarrassment. it's just too hard to watch.

Old Skool Cat wrote:This may be the worst shooting team I have ever seen on any level. We shot 34% on the day, and that was saying something. Most of those missed shots were U-G-L-Y! I'm talking guys firing up air-balls from 15 feet, missed lay-ups, balls barely making iron. And offensively, we don't do anything. Guys passing the ball off and then standing there. Guys setting screens and then standing there. Nobody moves to the hoop, we just do a lot of standing around. And of course, as has been the case for years, we have absolutely no inside game. No post players to get the ball down low to; no one to get a big rebound. If we are off from the perimeter it's gonna be a long day. For the most part, the offense consisted of Blount, Stewart, and Bigelow. Danny Robinson shows promise, but he's very young.

I've only been able to watch one of the Cat games this year (against Oregon State) and...yeah it wasn't a very impressive showing shooting that game either (21-70, 30%). I'm looking forward to being able to catch more Cat games on Bigsky TV once conference starts... hopefully the shooting woes will not be as bad once conference starts.

I was going through the NCAA's site seeing how other Big Sky teams are fairing statistically this year (I was bored), and did notice that the Cats are...well...downright awful for shooting percentage. 38.5% on the year, which ranks them 315 out of 345 teams. It's even worse defensively unfortunately, allowing 50.3% on average for opposing teams, which ranks them at 341 out of 345 teams. If anyone wants to see how the Cats rank (or any other Big Sky team) in whatever stat right now, I put together a quick list here:

http://www.griz.net/stats-2012-12-03/

Once Big Sky play starts those numbers should start to get better for the Cats, as should your record. I do think you guys have a good chance of ending up in the tournament this year. The Big Sky is really awful right now, and no teams have really impressed anyone. Sure Sac is 5-2, but their wins aren't exactly over good programs. In fact I think only Weber has a "good" win so far this year (against Dayton).

If it's any consolation, the Cats shot like complete ****** before conference last season too, then seemed to do much better once conference started. Of course there were still some sub 40% (and some low 30%) games, but it got better. The Cats shot 42.5% from the field last year.

Really hoping whoever takes over the Bobcat basketball team after Huse is done leaving his mark will get things turned around...would love to see both the Griz and the Cats at the top of the Big Sky every year.

LIke in Missoula. Time for new leadership.