Cats vs Grambling

[MinnesotaBobcat]

Watching Nevada blow a 17 point lead with about 7 minutes to go makes me feel a bit better about last night. Just seems like so many teams tighten up and get away from what got them the lead when a few shots fall for the other team. I guess it’s what makes the tournament fun!

[MSU01]

Watching Nevada blow a 17 point lead with about 7 minutes to go makes me feel a bit better about last night. Just seems like so many teams tighten up and get away from what got them the lead when a few shots fall for the other team. I guess it’s what makes the tournament fun!

Basketball is a game of runs, always has been and always will be! MSU was only playing last night because they came back from 12 down against Weber and 11 down against UM at the same point in the game that they led Grambling by 14 last night.

[RICO CAT]

Not super knowledgeable about basketball but it amazes me how quickly a lead can evaporate. I feel bad they lost but still proud of them ! Wanted the win for them. They are still conference champions and got the experience of playing a March Madness game.

[kcatz]

Watching Nevada blow a 17 point lead with about 7 minutes to go makes me feel a bit better about last night. Just seems like so many teams tighten up and get away from what got them the lead when a few shots fall for the other team. I guess it’s what makes the tournament fun!

Ironic or Wiccan voodoo ??

1. We played at Dayton's home court. They lost to Dayton the team
2. MSU's ties to Nevada (via Choate)

[grizzh8r]

Really surprised that I have yet to see anyone say anything about the Cats last possession in regulation. If Walker hadn't been so hell bent on scoring over that double team of two taller players, he could have passed it to Patterson for a wide open 3 point attempt. Fully realize he had a bad second half from behind the arc, but he was open! Would have been a much better shot than the wild attempt that Walker put up. Wasn't anywhere close to the rim...

[DMMDCats]

Really surprised that I have yet to see anyone say anything about the Cats last possession in regulation. If Walker hadn't been so hell bent on scoring over that double team of two taller players, he could have passed it to Patterson for a wide open 3 point attempt. Fully realize he had a bad second half from behind the arc, but he was open! Would have been a much better shot than the wild attempt that Walker put up. Wasn't anywhere close to the rim...

Goosfraba

[4KornerKat]

Really surprised that I have yet to see anyone say anything about the Cats last possession in regulation. If Walker hadn't been so hell bent on scoring over that double team of two taller players, he could have passed it to Patterson for a wide open 3 point attempt. Fully realize he had a bad second half from behind the arc, but he was open! Would have been a much better shot than the wild attempt that Walker put up. Wasn't anywhere close to the rim...

I actually liked the play to Walker, and the shot. He's been pretty high percentage on those, and good likelihood he gets fouled. If he misses (obviously he did), rebound is close to the basket and Grambling has to take time-out to reset. If he makes it, they still have to go length of the floor. Obviously the threes were falling in the first half, but not as much in the second, and if they got a long rebound going the other way, might have given them a quick layup/foul and changed things.
Neither route was automatic, and obviously the route taken didnt' work, but I didn't mind it.

[Bocephus]

Really surprised that I have yet to see anyone say anything about the Cats last possession in regulation. If Walker hadn't been so hell bent on scoring over that double team of two taller players, he could have passed it to Patterson for a wide open 3 point attempt. Fully realize he had a bad second half from behind the arc, but he was open! Would have been a much better shot than the wild attempt that Walker put up. Wasn't anywhere close to the rim...

I actually liked the play to Walker, and the shot. He's been pretty high percentage on those, and good likelihood he gets fouled. If he misses (obviously he did), rebound is close to the basket and Grambling has to take time-out to reset. If he makes it, they still have to go length of the floor. Obviously the threes were falling in the first half, but not as much in the second, and if they got a long rebound going the other way, might have given them a quick layup/foul and changed things.
Neither route was automatic, and obviously the route taken didnt' work, but I didn't mind it.

Hindsight is 20/20 and Grambling did a great job on the double team.

[tetoncat]

Really surprised that I have yet to see anyone say anything about the Cats last possession in regulation. If Walker hadn't been so hell bent on scoring over that double team of two taller players, he could have passed it to Patterson for a wide open 3 point attempt. Fully realize he had a bad second half from behind the arc, but he was open! Would have been a much better shot than the wild attempt that Walker put up. Wasn't anywhere close to the rim...

I actually liked the play to Walker, and the shot. He's been pretty high percentage on those, and good likelihood he gets fouled. If he misses (obviously he did), rebound is close to the basket and Grambling has to take time-out to reset. If he makes it, they still have to go length of the floor. Obviously the threes were falling in the first half, but not as much in the second, and if they got a long rebound going the other way, might have given them a quick layup/foul and changed things.
Neither route was automatic, and obviously the route taken didnt' work, but I didn't mind it.

Hindsight is 20/20 and Grambling did a great job on the double team.

More of a triple team. Biggest area he can improve in. Sometimes you have to kick out and reset back into post or get the open look outside. That play didn't have enough time for that but in general it will improve his overall game.

[grizzh8r]

Really surprised that I have yet to see anyone say anything about the Cats last possession in regulation. If Walker hadn't been so hell bent on scoring over that double team of two taller players, he could have passed it to Patterson for a wide open 3 point attempt. Fully realize he had a bad second half from behind the arc, but he was open! Would have been a much better shot than the wild attempt that Walker put up. Wasn't anywhere close to the rim...

I actually liked the play to Walker, and the shot. He's been pretty high percentage on those, and good likelihood he gets fouled. If he misses (obviously he did), rebound is close to the basket and Grambling has to take time-out to reset. If he makes it, they still have to go length of the floor. Obviously the threes were falling in the first half, but not as much in the second, and if they got a long rebound going the other way, might have given them a quick layup/foul and changed things.
Neither route was automatic, and obviously the route taken didnt' work, but I didn't mind it.

Hindsight is 20/20 and Grambling did a great job on the double team.

More of a triple team. Biggest area he can improve in. Sometimes you have to kick out and reset back into post or get the open look outside. That play didn't have enough time for that but in general it will improve his overall game.

Yes! This was my point. And I completely disagree that there wasn't enough time for a kick out. Not enough time for another post entry, but plenty of time for a less contested shot, by arguably the best pure shooter on the team. Let's just put it this way... Had Big John been in the same situation, that would have been a pass. For B Walk to take the next step to becoming a better PF, he's going to have to learn when to pass the ball to the open man. He's got tunnel vision at this point, hopefully Logie and crew can correct this deficiency in the off-season.

[MSU01]

I'm not sure if the kickout pass to Patterson was quite as open as it may have seemed at first. Watching the replay a few times it appeared to me that Walker made a move to pass, but #12 for Grambling put his left hand out to potentially block the passing lane. At that point Walker makes the move to the basket. It was a pretty good look in the end, just didn't go in and the defenders did a nice job of not fouling. That's really all you can ask for in a situation like that.

[catatac]

We lost the exact same way we've been winning in March. Ironic.

From a comeback standpoint yes, but a lot of what happened was Ford getting third foul and sitting and we committed turnovers (he had a couple when back in but damage was done), then getting 4th and Grambling attacked him time after time. It wasn't that Grambling started drawing a bunch of shots. First half we went up 9 back to tied back to up 11. So second half similar. Smaller run they came back we just didn't respond as well. Still had last shot to win.

Assuming you're talking end of regulation, and Grambling had the last shot to win but they missed it. Maybe that's what you were saying.

[BLACKnBLUEnGOLD]

Had Big John been in the same situation, that would have been a pass.

Well yes, but Walker has a better post game than Olmsted

[Desert_Bobcat]

Had Big John been in the same situation, that would have been a pass.

Well yes, but Walker has a better post game than Olmsted

And if Walker didn’t go 0-3 from the stripe, Cats are probably playing Purdue today. We could go round and round here. What if they hit 1 more 3, if Rob doesn’t pick up 2 soft fouls early, if someone hits 1 more 3, if they don’t give up 5 O-boards in the last 5 minutes and OT, if they don’t give up 23 points off 12 turnovers, if Walker had made the layup.

Regardless of what happened or how it happened Wednesday, that shouldn’t take anything from what this team has accomplished this season. By all marks this season was an incredible success. Shoot, getting the 5 seed in the conference tournament after being picked to finish 7th should be talked about more. What Coach Logie, and more importantly the players who choose to stay, have done this season is a positive sign for things to come.

[WalkOn79]

Not super knowledgeable about basketball but it amazes me how quickly a lead can evaporate. I feel bad they lost but still proud of them ! Wanted the win for them. They are still conference champions and got the experience of playing a March Madness game.

Get to hang another banner

[MSU01]

Not super knowledgeable about basketball but it amazes me how quickly a lead can evaporate. I feel bad they lost but still proud of them ! Wanted the win for them. They are still conference champions and got the experience of playing a March Madness game.

Get to hang another banner

Yep, I'll take a disappointing NCAA Tournament loss any day over meekly going out of the conference tournament in the first game every year like MSU was doing for the two decades before Danny Sprinkle showed back up on campus.

[TIrwin24]

Not super knowledgeable about basketball but it amazes me how quickly a lead can evaporate. I feel bad they lost but still proud of them ! Wanted the win for them. They are still conference champions and got the experience of playing a March Madness game.

Get to hang another banner

Yep, I'll take a disappointing NCAA Tournament loss any day over meekly going out of the conference tournament in the first game every year like MSU was doing for the two decades before Danny Sprinkle showed back up on campus.

Amen to that

[lv2hoop]

3 years in a row into the March Madness event -- regardless of the 3 losses, there's no downside for our program. As others have said, there was a LONG dry spell and these past few seasons have done nothing but good things for the MSU basketball brand.

[grizzh8r]

Not super knowledgeable about basketball but it amazes me how quickly a lead can evaporate. I feel bad they lost but still proud of them ! Wanted the win for them. They are still conference champions and got the experience of playing a March Madness game.

Get to hang another banner

Yep, I'll take a disappointing NCAA Tournament loss any day over meekly going out of the conference tournament in the first game every year like MSU was doing for the two decades before Danny Sprinkle showed back up on campus.

Amen to that

Absolutely, this team showed grit this season.

[Helcat72]

Really surprised that I have yet to see anyone say anything about the Cats last possession in regulation. If Walker hadn't been so hell bent on scoring over that double team of two taller players, he could have passed it to Patterson for a wide open 3 point attempt. Fully realize he had a bad second half from behind the arc, but he was open! Would have been a much better shot than the wild attempt that Walker put up. Wasn't anywhere close to the rim...

As I saw it, Goracke took the ball out, threw it in to Walker who turned and did his pivot thing. As he was starting his pivot...Goracke was wide open for the 3 at a 45 degree angle to the basket. He could have thrown a backhanded drop pass right to Goracke in rhythm.

Patterson was in the corner where he missed about 4 shots on the night. Patterson shoots better (for him) from out in the middle where Goracke was...but the other night Goracke was feeling it! I think we're playing Purdue if he could have done that.