Bobcats vs Bears- MBB

[luvMtFootball]

I thought that was a terrible second half of basketball by the Bobcats. There was no need for a shot clock, one/two passes and the ball was put up! Absolutely no patience vs. a zone, Howard is the leading scorer and takes a shot 17:22 and at round the 12 minute mark and those are the last two shots he takes in the game (not counting the late tip in, that was on his own with no help from his teammates). That was just bad shelfish basketball! At times this year they move the ball so well and then like the second half today they look like they all dislike one another. I really think at times they are more worried about their points instead of the score!

[autocat]

If this team is going to play a perimeter style offense, then get the right players for the system! Where is the inside (post) game? Very frustrating to watch!

[BelgradeBobcat]

On the second go-around the other teams know our stuff. Happens every year. Maybe by tournament time they'll forget about us again and we'll win a game-

Seriously, all of Huse's teams have collapsed in the second half. Do something different-even if it's wrong!

[GoBears]

I bet your stud defensive lineman #48 (Fletcher i think) is crying in his beer tonight. Before the UNC/MSU football game this year he mentioned UNC shouldn't ever beat the Bobcats in anything.

Good game though Bobcats. I like your team.

[GOKATS]

I beat your stud defensive lineman #48 (Fletcher i think) is crying in his beer tonight. Before the UNC/MSU football game this year he mentioned UNC shouldn't ever beat the Bobcats in anything.

Good game though Bobcats. I like your team.

Thanks, you're better than some of our piss & moaners.

[TomCat88]

I beat your stud defensive lineman #48 (Fletcher i think) is crying in his beer tonight. Before the UNC/MSU football game this year he mentioned UNC shouldn't ever beat the Bobcats in anything.

Good game though Bobcats. I like your team.

Thanks, you're better than some of our piss & moaners.

Yes, it's not like MSU is loaded with talent. MSU put in a good effort against a superior team today. The UNCO starters were 26 for 28 from the line today. 29 of 33 as a team. MSU was just 11 of 18. I know probably 8-9 of those FTs came with MSU fouling to get the ball back, but UNCO usually takes care of business on the line and they did today. They were 21 for 30 against UM a couple nights ago, which is good, too.

I'd really like to see Anderson become a (don't laugh now) more high energy player. He showed flashes today. He's the keystone to the team. The missing piece of the puzzle. Or any cliche you can come up with. If he could provide 25 minutes (he had 17 today and scored 10 pts, but only had 2 boards) of quality play, MSU would be a serious threat.

The same can be said of Austin Brown and Cam Henderson. Both good players, but seem tentative. They combined for 21 minutes, but only took two shots and made one -- a 3 by Brown. Piepoli seems to do his job and asserts himself, but has been on a cold streak of late.

The starters are all good, but they play too many minutes and don't have the right makeup be seriously effective.

[longhorn_22]

I bet your stud defensive lineman #48 (Fletcher i think) is crying in his beer tonight. Before the UNC/MSU football game this year he mentioned UNC shouldn't ever beat the Bobcats in anything.

Good game though Bobcats. I like your team.

And he's right. They shouldn't. Shi* happens, though, and still no one likes your school.

[GoBears]

I bet your stud defensive lineman #48 (Fletcher i think) is crying in his beer tonight. Before the UNC/MSU football game this year he mentioned UNC shouldn't ever beat the Bobcats in anything.

Good game though Bobcats. I like your team.

And he's right. They shouldn't. Shi* happens, though, and still no one likes your school.

And yet we compete with you in every sport, year in and year out. So, what does that say about MSU?

[grizzh8r]

I bet your stud defensive lineman #48 (Fletcher i think) is crying in his beer tonight. Before the UNC/MSU football game this year he mentioned UNC shouldn't ever beat the Bobcats in anything.

Good game though Bobcats. I like your team.

Congrats, you just upgraded yourself to Tool, First Class. Get a life, man.

Now, onto the game. I only caught the last 10 minutes or so on the radio as I was driving back to Billings. The Cats were up 52-48 at that point, then they just fell apart. Again, it was the zone that was the problem, and the problem is not enough inventive ball/player movement. They wait until the last 10 seconds, which ends up with Navarre driving for a contested shot that he misses or gets stuffed in his face, or settling for a contested 3 at the buzzer. I watched UVA absolutely rip UNC tonight, and it was against a 2-3 zone. You should have seen some of the passes against that UNC zone.

Same old mid-season swoon by the Cats, and damn does it get frustrating. They better win out at home, cause I don't see MSU beating either PSU or EWU on the road to finish out the season. Probably won't beat UM either.

[longhorn_22]

I bet your stud defensive lineman #48 (Fletcher i think) is crying in his beer tonight. Before the UNC/MSU football game this year he mentioned UNC shouldn't ever beat the Bobcats in anything.

Good game though Bobcats. I like your team.

And he's right. They shouldn't. Shi* happens, though, and still no one likes your school.

And yet we compete with you in every sport, year in and year out. So, what does that say about MSU?

I'd hardly call your football team competing. Lol. And yeah, you're still a major tool. Never saw your face after the football game. Big surprise there.

[whitetrashgriz]

I bet your stud defensive lineman #48 (Fletcher i think) is crying in his beer tonight. Before the UNC/MSU football game this year he mentioned UNC shouldn't ever beat the Bobcats in anything.

Good game though Bobcats. I like your team.

Congrats, you just upgraded yourself to Tool, First Class. Get a life, man.

Now, onto the game. I only caught the last 10 minutes or so on the radio as I was driving back to Billings. The Cats were up 52-48 at that point, then they just fell apart. Again, it was the zone that was the problem, and the problem is not enough inventive ball/player movement. They wait until the last 10 seconds, which ends up with Navarre driving for a contested shot that he misses or gets stuffed in his face, or settling for a contested 3 at the buzzer. I watched UVA absolutely rip UNC tonight, and it was against a 2-3 zone. You should have seen some of the passes against that UNC zone.

Same old mid-season swoon by the Cats, and damn does it get frustrating. They better win out at home, cause I don't see MSU beating either PSU or EWU on the road to finish out the season. Probably won't beat UM either.

i actually don't blame gobears for this one. everyone in the league has been bashing them since they joined the conference. telling them how they don't belong. and because they were new and inexperienced, all those people were right. they were outmatched, and they weren't good enough. but open up your eyes guys...times have changed. they already beat us in football. and their hoops teams is one of the best in the league. they're not new anymore. they belong, and it's probably time people start giving them credit. it's like the senior who picks on the freshman for the entire year. then 10 years later, when both guys are in their 20's, the "senior" keeps treating the "freshman" like trash. he forgets it's not high school anymore. times change. unc belongs. and the more we say they don't, the more embarassing it is when they beat us!

[longhorn_22]

I bet your stud defensive lineman #48 (Fletcher i think) is crying in his beer tonight. Before the UNC/MSU football game this year he mentioned UNC shouldn't ever beat the Bobcats in anything.

Good game though Bobcats. I like your team.

Congrats, you just upgraded yourself to Tool, First Class. Get a life, man.

Now, onto the game. I only caught the last 10 minutes or so on the radio as I was driving back to Billings. The Cats were up 52-48 at that point, then they just fell apart. Again, it was the zone that was the problem, and the problem is not enough inventive ball/player movement. They wait until the last 10 seconds, which ends up with Navarre driving for a contested shot that he misses or gets stuffed in his face, or settling for a contested 3 at the buzzer. I watched UVA absolutely rip UNC tonight, and it was against a 2-3 zone. You should have seen some of the passes against that UNC zone.

Same old mid-season swoon by the Cats, and damn does it get frustrating. They better win out at home, cause I don't see MSU beating either PSU or EWU on the road to finish out the season. Probably won't beat UM either.

i actually don't blame gobears for this one. everyone in the league has been bashing them since they joined the conference. telling them how they don't belong. and because they were new and inexperienced, all those people were right. they were outmatched, and they weren't good enough. but open up your eyes guys...times have changed. they already beat us in football. and their hoops teams is one of the best in the league. they're not new anymore. they belong, and it's probably time people start giving them credit. it's like the senior who picks on the freshman for the entire year. then 10 years later, when both guys are in their 20's, the "senior" keeps treating the "freshman" like trash. he forgets it's not high school anymore. times change. unc belongs. and the more we say they don't, the more embarassing it is when they beat us!

I do. I respect their basketball team, but he is a first class moron who does nothing but talk shi* on here. Wait til football season again and we'll see how they can really show us how they compete in the BSC. He puts a damper on that school. If not for him, I might respect more than the bball team.

[GoBears]

Nice post whitetrashgriz. Thanks for the respect.

[whitetrashgriz]

I bet your stud defensive lineman #48 (Fletcher i think) is crying in his beer tonight. Before the UNC/MSU football game this year he mentioned UNC shouldn't ever beat the Bobcats in anything.

Good game though Bobcats. I like your team.

Congrats, you just upgraded yourself to Tool, First Class. Get a life, man.

Now, onto the game. I only caught the last 10 minutes or so on the radio as I was driving back to Billings. The Cats were up 52-48 at that point, then they just fell apart. Again, it was the zone that was the problem, and the problem is not enough inventive ball/player movement. They wait until the last 10 seconds, which ends up with Navarre driving for a contested shot that he misses or gets stuffed in his face, or settling for a contested 3 at the buzzer. I watched UVA absolutely rip UNC tonight, and it was against a 2-3 zone. You should have seen some of the passes against that UNC zone.

Same old mid-season swoon by the Cats, and damn does it get frustrating. They better win out at home, cause I don't see MSU beating either PSU or EWU on the road to finish out the season. Probably won't beat UM either.

i actually don't blame gobears for this one. everyone in the league has been bashing them since they joined the conference. telling them how they don't belong. and because they were new and inexperienced, all those people were right. they were outmatched, and they weren't good enough. but open up your eyes guys...times have changed. they already beat us in football. and their hoops teams is one of the best in the league. they're not new anymore. they belong, and it's probably time people start giving them credit. it's like the senior who picks on the freshman for the entire year. then 10 years later, when both guys are in their 20's, the "senior" keeps treating the "freshman" like trash. he forgets it's not high school anymore. times change. unc belongs. and the more we say they don't, the more embarassing it is when they beat us!

I do. I respect their basketball team, but he is a first class moron who does nothing but talk shi* on here. Wait til football season again and we'll see how they can really show us how they compete in the BSC. He puts a damper on that school. If not for him, I might respect more than the bball team.

i can understand that. i have no idea the beef that you guys have. i was speaking more in general terms. people keep talking about unc the same way they did the month they moved to the big sky. they are getting better in every sport, and i think that their basketball program in particular is one that is going to continue to get better every year.

[twentythreeOh4]

I bet your stud defensive lineman #48 (Fletcher i think) is crying in his beer tonight. Before the UNC/MSU football game this year he mentioned UNC shouldn't ever beat the Bobcats in anything.

Good game though Bobcats. I like your team.

And he's right. They shouldn't. Shi* happens, though, and still no one likes your school.

In 2006 MSU finished 15-15. Four years later MSU is 11-10. In 2006 N. Colorado was 5-24 now they are 18-5. I'd say a lot more Shi* has been happening for N. Colorado, while MSU is going nowhere fast.

[longhorn_22]

I bet your stud defensive lineman #48 (Fletcher i think) is crying in his beer tonight. Before the UNC/MSU football game this year he mentioned UNC shouldn't ever beat the Bobcats in anything.

Good game though Bobcats. I like your team.

Congrats, you just upgraded yourself to Tool, First Class. Get a life, man.

Now, onto the game. I only caught the last 10 minutes or so on the radio as I was driving back to Billings. The Cats were up 52-48 at that point, then they just fell apart. Again, it was the zone that was the problem, and the problem is not enough inventive ball/player movement. They wait until the last 10 seconds, which ends up with Navarre driving for a contested shot that he misses or gets stuffed in his face, or settling for a contested 3 at the buzzer. I watched UVA absolutely rip UNC tonight, and it was against a 2-3 zone. You should have seen some of the passes against that UNC zone.

Same old mid-season swoon by the Cats, and damn does it get frustrating. They better win out at home, cause I don't see MSU beating either PSU or EWU on the road to finish out the season. Probably won't beat UM either.

i actually don't blame gobears for this one. everyone in the league has been bashing them since they joined the conference. telling them how they don't belong. and because they were new and inexperienced, all those people were right. they were outmatched, and they weren't good enough. but open up your eyes guys...times have changed. they already beat us in football. and their hoops teams is one of the best in the league. they're not new anymore. they belong, and it's probably time people start giving them credit. it's like the senior who picks on the freshman for the entire year. then 10 years later, when both guys are in their 20's, the "senior" keeps treating the "freshman" like trash. he forgets it's not high school anymore. times change. unc belongs. and the more we say they don't, the more embarassing it is when they beat us!

I do. I respect their basketball team, but he is a first class moron who does nothing but talk shi* on here. Wait til football season again and we'll see how they can really show us how they compete in the BSC. He puts a damper on that school. If not for him, I might respect more than the bball team.

i can understand that. i have no idea the beef that you guys have. i was speaking more in general terms. people keep talking about unc the same way they did the month they moved to the big sky. they are getting better in every sport, and i think that their basketball program in particular is one that is going to continue to get better every year.

I completely agree.

[grizzh8r]

I bet your stud defensive lineman #48 (Fletcher i think) is crying in his beer tonight. Before the UNC/MSU football game this year he mentioned UNC shouldn't ever beat the Bobcats in anything.

Good game though Bobcats. I like your team.

Congrats, you just upgraded yourself to Tool, First Class. Get a life, man.

Now, onto the game. I only caught the last 10 minutes or so on the radio as I was driving back to Billings. The Cats were up 52-48 at that point, then they just fell apart. Again, it was the zone that was the problem, and the problem is not enough inventive ball/player movement. They wait until the last 10 seconds, which ends up with Navarre driving for a contested shot that he misses or gets stuffed in his face, or settling for a contested 3 at the buzzer. I watched UVA absolutely rip UNC tonight, and it was against a 2-3 zone. You should have seen some of the passes against that UNC zone.

Same old mid-season swoon by the Cats, and damn does it get frustrating. They better win out at home, cause I don't see MSU beating either PSU or EWU on the road to finish out the season. Probably won't beat UM either.

i actually don't blame gobears for this one. everyone in the league has been bashing them since they joined the conference. telling them how they don't belong. and because they were new and inexperienced, all those people were right. they were outmatched, and they weren't good enough. but open up your eyes guys...times have changed. they already beat us in football. and their hoops teams is one of the best in the league. they're not new anymore. they belong, and it's probably time people start giving them credit. it's like the senior who picks on the freshman for the entire year. then 10 years later, when both guys are in their 20's, the "senior" keeps treating the "freshman" like trash. he forgets it's not high school anymore. times change. unc belongs. and the more we say they don't, the more embarassing it is when they beat us!

I do. I respect their basketball team, but he is a first class moron who does nothing but talk shi* on here. Wait til football season again and we'll see how they can really show us how they compete in the BSC. He puts a damper on that school. If not for him, I might respect more than the bball team.

Quoted For Truth. UNC athletics is much improved, and are a better fit for this conference than either CSUS or PSU. You can search my posts and see that I really thought UNC would make the leap last season in FB and be a real factor in the BSC race. I was wrong, but they are improving. MBB on the other hand is there right now. 3 points from beating OU in Norman? When have the Cats last been in that spot (a chance to knock off a perrenial power in a BCS conference, on the road in any sport, not incuding the 2006 FB win over CU)? Probably not in my lifetime, and certainly not this past decade.

However, GoBears is a troll, that much we know for certain. I'm half-tempted to put him on my ignore list, which means he will be associated with the lowest of the low (all Grizidiots - a wall of shame of sorts).

[John K]

I beat your stud defensive lineman #48 (Fletcher i think) is crying in his beer tonight. Before the UNC/MSU football game this year he mentioned UNC shouldn't ever beat the Bobcats in anything.

Good game though Bobcats. I like your team.

Thanks, you're better than some of our piss & moaners.

Yes, it's not like MSU is loaded with talent. MSU put in a good effort against a superior team today. The UNCO starters were 26 for 28 from the line today. 29 of 33 as a team. MSU was just 11 of 18. I know probably 8-9 of those FTs came with MSU fouling to get the ball back, but UNCO usually takes care of business on the line and they did today. They were 21 for 30 against UM a couple nights ago, which is good, too.

I'd really like to see Anderson become a (don't laugh now) more high energy player. He showed flashes today. He's the keystone to the team. The missing piece of the puzzle. Or any cliche you can come up with. If he could provide 25 minutes (he had 17 today and scored 10 pts, but only had 2 boards) of quality play, MSU would be a serious threat.

The same can be said of Austin Brown and Cam Henderson. Both good players, but seem tentative. They combined for 21 minutes, but only took two shots and made one -- a 3 by Brown. Piepoli seems to do his job and asserts himself, but has been on a cold streak of late.

The starters are all good, but they play too many minutes and don't have the right makeup be seriously effective.

First of all. let me say that I always respect your opinion, so please don't misinterpret what I am about to say. But the thought that came immediately to mind when I read your post, was if we don't really have all that much talent currently, then when are we going to assemble more talent? This is Huse's fourth year, and if he hasn't put together the talent to build a legitimate BSC title contender by now, can we reasonably expect that he ever will? Or is our future likely to look very similar to the past 20 years under Durham and Huse? We had a nice little 3-4 year run in the mid to late 90's, but other than that we have been no better than an average program since the golden era of Starner, Domako, the brothers Ferch, et al.

Personally, this team confounds me more than any MBB team in recent memory. I have not seen any games in person, but have watched all four that have been on TV, and sometimes they look so good that I find myself thinking they just might be the best team in the BSC. At other times however, they look so bad that I wonder how they have beaten anyone. For me, this makes it really hard to judge precisely how much talent we really do have. Inconsistency seems to be about the only consistent trait of the MBB program under Huse so far.

[TomCat88]

First of all. let me say that I always respect your opinion, so please don't misinterpret what I am about to say. But the thought that came immediately to mind when I read your post, was if we don't really have all that much talent currently, then when are we going to assemble more talent? This is Huse's fourth year, and if he hasn't put together the talent to build a legitimate BSC title contender by now, can we reasonably expect that he ever will? Or is our future likely to look very similar to the past 20 years under Durham and Huse?

Geez don't put me on the spot or anything. Haha. I'm far from having the expertise to answer your questions, but I'll give it a stab anyway.

I think we have six players with enough talent, but those six players don't fill all the needs you have to fill to be a good all-around team. MSU needs another high-energy guy under the basket swallowing up rebounds. The Cats won the rebounding battle Sunday, but there was a key stretch where we couldn't get a rebound. The other problem was breaking their zone and I think we have the players to do that, but they don't execute very well.

To answer your first question, we'll have more talent when players with the talent decide to take our recruiters advice and come to MSU....how's that for a crummy answer? I'm told by more than one person very close to the situation that recruiting to MSU for basketball is very difficult. What would make it easier? I think you need to tell kids MSU has the facilities/support to enable players to get degrees and don't tell them MSU is real tough school academically. My guess is they probably do that, if not, they should. I believe you want to be as open to the entire population of basketball players out there as you can possibly be. Scaring them off with so-called tough academics and not enticing them with reasons they'll be able to attain a degree would be a mistake. Most players, especially those that don't excel in the class room or are the first person in their family to attend college, aren't looking for a tough academic school to attend. If a coach ever came to my house and told me, "Hey, I'm not gonna lie to you. This is a tough school academically. We don't just hand out diplomas...." I'd be thinking about the previous recruiters who said, "Hey, we've got a great academic support system in our athletic department and have graduated a high percentage of the players that have come to school here. We may not get you in the NBA, but we will do a lot to help you get a degree..." My point is that the more restrictive you make your school sound, the smaller the talent pool is. I haven't talked to Brad too much, but every other coach I've ever talked to at MSU has belabored the point that MSU is a tough school academically. Leave bragging up academics to the the professors and administrators. Or just lay that on the recruits that are honor students. I think the coaches should evaluate the recruit and determine whether or not they have the makeup (maturity, desire...not necessarily grades) to get through school, which is what I get the feeling the football coaches are doing. (I hope no one thinks I'm saying MSU should lower its academic standards, because what I'm saying is MSU should continue to look for ways to increase its academic support for athletes. I'm well aware that a support system is already in place).

Brad's a sharp guy and a good coach. I think he can figure out a way to bring a title contender to MSU. I think he's learned a lot since he's been here and once he learns something he'll use it. I wouldn't want to be on the opposite side of his learning curve.

No, I don't think the future will look like the past 20 years. If I did, I wouldn't be posting on the basketball board.

[John K]

Thanks Tom, for a very insightful and obviously well thought out answer, and I hope that you are right. Thanks again.