Official Tennessee at MSU Basketball Thread

[HoopsDawg]

I think we win today.



-Scooba... Adding info here for ease to find

Game Information
When: Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
Location: Starkville, MS
Arena: Humphrey Coliseum
TV: SECN
PxP: Matt Stewart
Analyst: John Pelphrey
MSU Radio Network:
PxP: Jim Ellis
Analyst: Richard Williams
Sirius/XM: 93/190


Live Stats (http://www.hailstate.com/liveStats/v2/basketball/index.dbml?GAME_STAT_ID=2282966&db_oem_id=16800)

-Mississippi State is 0-3 in the SEC for the second-straight year. The Bulldogs haven’t been 0-4
since the 1992-93 season.
-The Volunteers have won four out of the last five overall in this series and two-straight in Starkville.
-In their last meeting, however, MSU claimed a 71-66 win in Knoxville.
-Craig Sword had 20 points at Arkansas, marking the 18th time in his career he’s scored 20-plus
points. He’s now scored 20-plus points in back-to games for the first time this season and the third
time in his career.
-Gavin Ware has scored in double-digits 15-straight games, the most since Tony Watts did it
28 games in a row in 1992-93.

[starkvegasdawg]

I think we win today.
That's not what she said.

[chef dixon]

Teams continuing to shoot lights out from 3 against us

[whosyourdawgy]

I mean what is it against us? Mother 17ers can't miss from 3 against us. Shit

[HoopsDawg]

I mean what is it against us? Mother 17ers can't miss from 3 against us. Shit

contested shots too. They will cool off.

[CadaverDawg]

Teams continuing to shoot lights out from 3 against us

It's not a fluke like everybody tries to use as an excuse...it's because we have horrible rotation on our Xone and leave every shooter wide open. You should never give up so many uncontested 3's playing a zone defense

[CadaverDawg]

contested shots too. They will cool off.

I disagree. Running at a guy from 10 feet away as he shoots, isn't contested in my book

[ScoobaDawg]

Overslept...damn that felt good to sleep that long and needed.

I'll edit the first post with info instead..

[chef dixon]

No aggression from Malik. He's got to actually try and run the offense instead of getting the ball and standing in place.

[drummerdawg]

Digging all the grey, black, blue and camo shirts***

[ScoobaDawg]

Michael Bonner ‏@MikeBBonner 1m1 minute ago
Ware goes to the bench. MSU back in zone. Johnny Zuppardo is the tallest player on the court for the Bulldogs. 6-5 Fred Thomas at the 4.

[msstate7]

13-0 run.... Will we win a game this year? 88%,shooting by Tennessee

[msstate7]

This is pathetic

[chef dixon]

13-0 run.... Will we win a game this year? 88%,shooting by Tennessee

no

[ScoobaDawg]

Dumb dumb foul ware... thats gonna hurt bad

[maroonmania]

I'm about ready to totally give up on basketball. Every team we play that is beatable goes nuts from the 3 point line and we just get some terrible calls. Anything we do on defense around a shooter today is a foul while on the other end they just let them do whatever with no call.

[maroonmania]

Dumb dumb foul ware... thats gonna hurt bad

Just pure frustration because the refs wouldn't call a foul on guys hammering him.

[MaroonFlounder]

What is it going to take to get an SEC win in basketball damnit!

[ChevChelios]

These phantom fouls are fukn out of hand. I cant watch this shit.

[maroonmania]

Wow, a foul on TN finally.

[djaymsu5]

I mean what is it against us? Mother 17ers can't miss from 3 against us. Shit

Everyone shoots well at the Hump, except us.

[maroonmania]

These refs are freakin' Horrible!! They are the biggest factor in the game so far. How do we get hosed so bad at HOME!

[chef dixon]

Ho-ly shit we are terrible.

[maroonmania]

Newman can't buy a shot.

[maroonmania]

Do we have an offense other than throw it around the perimeter and jacking up a 25 foot 3 pointer?

[HoopsDawg]

Newman can't buy a shot.

Really surprised by Malik's play and I'm his biggest fan. It just isn't happening for him yet.

Punter is killing us. May have to box and 1 on him if we're going to stay in this zone.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

Nothing like getting crowd and players pumped hearing My Heart Will Go On...???? Seriously....worst in game promotional activity than I have ever seen at Mississippi State..we have to make a change in the marketing department.

[ScoobaDawg]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CY3wO3AWEAA-EgC.png:large

[Madisonmd]

goodness, its hard to watch this team play. Our basketball IQ is nonexistent.

[MaxedOutMaroon]

We have 1 true big man in Gavin. All other ones hang around the perimeter. Besides the last few minutes the offense wasn't bad. We are just unlucky with how good teams shoot against us.

[djaymsu5]

Do we have an offense other than throw it around the perimeter and jacking up a 25 foot 3 pointer?

^^^ THIS!!! That is literally what they do everytime they get the ball it's ridiculous! Nobody wants to take charge and I swear we hardly ever drive the lane. I haven't seen hardly any adjustments all season on the offensive side of the ball. Is Howland just going through the motions like the players to just get through this season until he gets his own players? I mean shit lets not make our overall record any worse.

[ScoobaDawg]

Malik is shooting more today.. 9 shots already...

6:23 to end the half without making a FG.... it's amazing the score isn't worse.

[starkvegasdawg]

Do we have an offense other than throw it around the perimeter and jacking up a 25 foot 3 pointer?
Is Stansbury still coaching?

[djaymsu5]

Really surprised by Malik's play and I'm his biggest fan. It just isn't happening for him yet.

Punter is killing us. May have to box and 1 on him if we're going to stay in this zone.

Howland needs to grab Malik and say "this is your team now" go and do what we recruited you to do "SCORE" Q, Malik and Holman need to be playing majority of the game to get ready for next year. Atleast they will have valuable experience and gain more confidence in themselves. Who cares what the seniors think they suck anyways. They have had plenty of time to show what they can do. Let's move on from this shit show!

[Jack Lambert]

Is Stansbury still coaching?

OUr talent level would not be so shitty if he was. Ray was a horrible mistake.

[PendingTransaction]

Howland only knows how to coach 5*s!

[LibraryDawg]

To think, I almost paid $75 to get in to see this travesty.

[Jacksondevildog]

Can anybody explain to me what Fred Thomas brings to the table? The guy is absolutely scared to shoot the basketball.

[Coach34]

Our offense is awful today. 41 points in 30 minutes of play

[RougeDawg]

We look lost trying to rebound on both ends of the court. I barely played any basketball but am still able to see the general direction a missed shot will bounce off the rim/backboard. It's one of the easiest aspects of the game. Viewing the trajectory and speed of the shot and deducing and educated guess where the rebound will end up. Our players seem to always be going the exact opposite direction of there the rebound is made, while the opponents are moving toward the rebound spot a majority of the time. It's not that difficult.

[MaxedOutMaroon]

Crowd is weak. Why people?

[Jacksondevildog]

It is hard to rebound the basketball when our guys start running the other way after someone on our team shoots the ball.

[RougeDawg]

It is hard to rebound the basketball when our guys start running the other way after someone on our team shoots the ball.

That's part of my point. Why do we do that? It's inexcusable at any level of basketball.

[RougeDawg]

Nice little run. Was wondering if they could continue shooting 50%.

[RougeDawg]

To me Malik still looks timid (may be due to injury or cramps this season) but Q plays like he's been there before. Like watching him more than I expected.

[LibraryDawg]

duplicate

[LibraryDawg]

Crowd is weak. Why people?

Because walk up tickets are $25 a piece. My wife and I were two of many that walked out today.

[Coach34]

Q is the best Freshman on our team THIS year

[preachermatt83]

Man that would have been big.

[maroonmania]

Hard to make a comeback when EVERYTHING you do on both ends is a foul per these pathetic refs.

[maroonmania]

Q is the best Freshman on our team THIS year

Agreed. I still haven't seen anything from Malik that explains to me why he was a Top 10 prospect coming out of HS.

[maroonmania]

Why the freak is Ware not back on the press?

[preachermatt83]

This team knows how to choke

[Bully13]

It's official. We suck

[msstate7]

No excuse for this team to be this bad this year. Howland has to shoulder a ton of the blame

[HoopsDawg]

Agreed. I still haven't seen anything from Malik that explains to me why he was a Top 10 prospect coming out of HS.

He won 4 state championships in 4 years. He was a McDonald's All-American. NBA people projected him as a lottery pick. UK and Kansas wanted him bad. These are all reasons why he was a Top 10 prospect. Sometimes you see big men struggle. But I don't have an answer on Malik other than I wish he would attack the basket more. Has he gotten a dunk all year?

[Coach34]

No excuse for this team to be this bad this year. Howland has to shoulder a ton of the blame

no doubt. They would have a better record THIS season if Ray was coaching- but longterm Howland will get it done. Hell, he will at least recruit his way to the Tourney at worst

[ScoobaDawg]

No excuse for this team to be this bad this year. Howland has to shoulder a ton of the blame

You REALLY need to look at THIS and Wake up..
http://www.hailstate.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=90866&SPID=10994&DB_OEM_ID_COUNT_=2&DB_OEM_ID_1_=16800&DB_OEM_ID=16800&DB_OEM_ID_0_=16800&Q_SEASON=2014

We are improving, but you can't fix the shitty players he inherited. We are getting better but its going to be a rough SEC season with a lot of close loses.
Just hope for the best and be happy with ANY SEC wins this season...
Howland hasnt forgotten how to coach.

[msstate7]

He won 4 state championships in 4 years. He was a McDonald's All-American. NBA people projected him as a lottery pick. UK and Kansas wanted him bad. These are all reasons why he was a Top 10 prospect. Sometimes you see big men struggle. But I don't have an answer on Malik other than I wish he would attack the basket more. Has he gotten a dunk all year?

Playing to not get hurt? If so, he's destroying his draft stock

[ScoobaDawg]

no doubt. They would have a better record THIS season if Ray was coaching- but longterm Howland will get it done. Hell, he will at least recruit his way to the Tourney at worst

I strongly disagree... Ray had no offensive plan and is a horrible coach. We wouldn't have won a SEC game yet either.

[Bothrops]

Crowd is weak. Why people?

Crowds are about to dwindle to a couple of thousand for most home games.

[HoopsDawg]

Playing to not get hurt? If so, he's destroying his draft stock

I don't think that's it. The turf toe slowed him down. And the cramps have been another issue. I think the main thing is all of that AAU ball and stuff, he's having to learn how to play within a team concept. One more year of college would do him a world of good.

[HoopsDawg]

I strongly disagree... Ray had no offensive plan and is a horrible coach. We wouldn't have won a SEC game yet either.

I agree with you. Ray might have beaten that Swac team, but that's it. Coach 34 always forgets about us losing Roq. He was a big factor for us last year.

[djaymsu5]

Q is the best Freshman on our team THIS year

Q is the best player on our team this year other than Ware

[Bully13]

With Ray and no Malik we would be no worse than this shit show. These players have the heart and desire of an Italian ww2 soldier.

[Coach34]

Ray would have beaten TT also. Long term we will be fine. The talent level will increase

[msstate7]

I don't think that's it. The turf toe slowed him down. And the cramps have been another issue. I think the main thing is all of that AAU ball and stuff, he's having to learn how to play within a team concept. One more year of college would do him a world of good.

If he doesn't pick it up, he may not have a choice but to come back unless he wants to risk being a 2nd rounder

[Coach34]

With Ray and no Malik we would be no worse than this shit show. These players have the heart and desire of an Italian ww2 soldier.

We would be better this year with no Malik. Thats one of our problems- these guys cant figure out how to play together. Sword being the Alpha and Q complimenting would have made this team better this year. We just have a team thats kinda lost right now

[MarketingBully]

No excuse for this team to be this bad this year. Howland has to shoulder a ton of the blame

This is bullshit. This team has no player leaders. No one looks for their shot unless it's Sword or Ware. At least today, Q looked more aggressive. I don't know what to say about Malik except is he still hurt? He doesn't look anything like the player last year. I think that has to be his injury. We could have used his offense to step up though. With that said, it's hard to win a game when you go down by 11 at halftime. Tennessee finally had a lead that a team couldn't come back from. If we had even been down by 6 or 7 at halftime, we win that game.

[chef dixon]

Q is the best player on our team this year other than Ware

I disagree about Ware. He gets numbers but when you watch him he does as much stupid shit that hurts the team as much as he helps. Quinn I think easily does the most good without doing stuff that makes you want to slam your head against the wall.

[MarketingBully]

We would be better this year with no Malik. Thats one of our problems- these guys cant figure out how to play together. Sword being the Alpha and Q complimenting would have made this team better this year. We just have a team thats kinda lost right now

That is why I will be glad when this senior class leaves. People need to shut the hell up about Ray. Next year our team would have no talent and replaced our seniors with 3 star or lower players that still would have lost. Next year we will have 9 4+ star players. Players like Herard replacing Ware, Kegler replacing Sword, Carter replacing Thomas, and Peters replacing Ready. I mean come on. None of those players are comparable whatsoever. We will be loaded in talent next year. I see us as an NIT team and ultra competitive next year in the SEC.

[MarketingBully]

Ray would have beaten TT also. Long term we will be fine. The talent level will increase

He wouldn't have beaten Texas Tech.

[msstate7]

Take a look at our schedule. We may not win 2 sec games

[RougeDawg]

If he doesn't pick it up, he may not have a choice but to come back unless he wants to risk being a 2nd rounder

DRAFT???? He's not even playing top level SEC basketball at the moment. The draft as of right now is like my chances of the powerball tonight.

[msstate7]

Auburn beats Kentucky at home and we lost to aTm without their best player and Tennessee. We really suck at basketball

[MarketingBully]

Auburn beats Kentucky at home and we lost to aTm without their best player and Tennessee. We really suck at basketball

Just don't pay attention to this team until next year. You say the same things every thread. Why don't you just say at the beginning I can't wait for these seniors to graduate. Pearl is also in his second year and sucked big time last year. It's hard to win in your first year as a head coach.

[msstate7]

Just don't pay attention to this team until next year. You say the same things every thread. Why don't you just say at the beginning I can't wait for these seniors to graduate. Pearl is also in his second year and sucked big time last year. It's hard to win in your first year as a head coach.

Didn't we just get beat by a 1st year coach?

[RougeDawg]

Just don't pay attention to this team until next year. You say the same things every thread. Why don't you just say at the beginning I can't wait for these seniors to graduate. Pearl is also in his second year and sucked big time last year. It's hard to win in your first year as a head coach.

Sure doesn't help when your best player and supposed scorer shoots 20% and doesn't try to the free throw line. Malik's stat line tell us that he's either not being coached, not listening to coaching, or trying to coast into the draft I don't see the latter happening. It's obvious his shot was off today. so what do most players do when they shot isn't hitting? Go to the f*cking hole. Malik wasn't taking it to the hole which is shown by his free throw stats. 0/0

I have Pelicans season tickets so I will use their players for reference. When Eric Gordon or Tyreke Evans are struggling from outside, they just start driving every time they get the ball and manufacture points. It's what scorers do when they are cold from outside. For some reason Malik isn't doing what is needed to win.

[MarketingBully]

Didn't we just get beat by a 1st year coach?

Yeah, but those players have beaten our players 7 of their last 8 times. It takes sometime to dig out of the Ray crater. Last I looked Ray wasn't the last coach at Tennessee.

[MarketingBully]

Sure doesn't help when your best player and supposed scorer shoots 20% and doesn't try to the free throw line. Malik's stat line tell us that he's either not being coached, not listening to coaching, or trying to coast into the draft I don't see the latter happening. It's obvious his shot was off today. so what do most players do when they shot isn't hitting? Go to the f*cking hole. Malik wasn't taking it to the hole which is shown by his free throw stats. 0/0

I have Pelicans season tickets so I will use their players for reference. When Eric Gordon or Tyreke Evans are struggling from outside, they just start driving every time they get the ball and manufacture points. It's what scorers do when they are cold from outside. For some reason Malik isn't doing what is needed to win.

We aren't even getting Malik involved in the offense. There still is a divide on this team (you can tell). Malik was wide open several times and Ready didn't kick it out to him. We are still suffering from this shit. At least this time though, Howland benched Ready when I saw that happen.

[msstate7]

Yeah, but those players have beaten our players 7 of their last 8 times. It takes sometime to dig out of the Ray crater. Last I looked Ray wasn't the last coach at Tennessee.

We beat em last year. We had the #20 recruiting class coming in to their #66

[MarketingBully]

Didn't we just get beat by a 1st year coach?

Btw, Barnes is sucking big time at Tennessee this year. Doesn't mean that he won't be successful once he gets his guys in there. The only first year coaches that are doing well are White at Florida which they aren't that great and Johnson at Alabama who in my opinion is doing the best job of any first year coach. The only thing I can think of there is he has players there that don't have egos that bought in when he got there.

[MarketingBully]

We beat em last year. We had the #20 recruiting class coming in to their #66

We beat them at Tennessee. They beat us in Starkville. That was Ray's only time to beat Tennessee. What's your point?

[msstate7]

We beat them at Tennessee. They beat us in Starkville. That was Ray's only time to beat Tennessee. What's your point?

That there was no excuse to lose this game. Tenn's best rebounder (Moore) didn't even play, yet they beat us on our home court.

[Thompson92]

Apparently Howland spent the whole press conference talking about switching to man-to-man. Definitely sounds like the players want it.

[MarketingBully]

We beat em last year. We had the #20 recruiting class coming in to their #66

I refuse to jump on Howland for this train wreck the seniors caused. I'm giving Howland a pass this year and will applaud once these seniors graduate. We will be on a much different plane next year regarding talent and effort. Next year will look more like a Howland team of the past.

[MarketingBully]

Apparently Howland spent the whole press conference talking about switching to man-to-man. Definitely sounds like the players want it.

Yeah, had we played man to man the entire game we win that game going away as they don't hit those open threes to start it.

[msstate7]

I refuse to jump on Howland for this train wreck the seniors caused. I'm giving Howland a pass this year and will applaud once these seniors graduate. We will be on a much different plane next year regarding talent and effort. Next year will look more like a Howland team of the past.

In no way am I saying I'm unhappy with Howland. I think he was a homerun hire and he's gonna win pretty big here, but he's done a poor job with this team so far imo. I'm beginning to think Howland is great bc of his recruiting more than his pure coaching ability. I'm fine with that... Whatever works

[MarketingBully]

In no way am I saying I'm unhappy with Howland. I think he was a homerun hire and he's gonna win pretty big here, but he's done a poor job with this team so far imo. I'm beginning to think Howland is great bc of his recruiting more than his pure coaching ability. I'm fine with that... Whatever works

He is a great coach period recruiting or otherwise. He inherited seniors who didn't buy in early and have bad habits that you can't break them of after they have been doing them for three years. I'd say his coaching job this year has been a B-. I still think we can get 8 wins in the SEC. We just have to get over the hump and learn how to win.

[Coach34]

Yeah, had we played man to man the entire game we win that game going away as they don't hit those open threes to start it.

Whattttttt?????? They scored 6 straight possessions at the end of the game vs man. And we switched to man in the 1st and they kept hitting 3's.

Our problem was we had 27 points at half and foul trouble

[Thompson92]

He is a great coach period recruiting or otherwise. He inherited seniors who didn't buy in early and have bad habits that you can't break them of after they have been doing them for three years. I'd say his coaching job this year has been a B-. I still think we can get 8 wins in the SEC. We just have to get over the hump and learn how to win.

I agree. If we get the perimeter defense figured out, we can hang with most of the SEC this year. I don't expect this to be a big year, but I think next year we'll see things start to get turned around. It seems like Malik needs to be The Man, and next year he would be.

[RougeDawg]

We aren't even getting Malik involved in the offense. There still is a divide on this team (you can tell). Malik was wide open several times and Ready didn't kick it out to him. We are still suffering from this shit. At least this time though, Howland benched Ready when I saw that happen.

Malik took 15 shots which Was 2nd on team, while missing 12. Ware had most shots with 16 and Q 15, and both players topped the 20 point mark. Those two were also a combined 9/13 from the line. Malik didn't even warrant FT's.

[MarketingBully]

Whattttttt?????? They scored 6 straight possessions at the end of the game vs man. And we switched to man in the 1st and they kept hitting 3's.

Our problem was we had 27 points at half and foul trouble

They scored because we stupidly fouled them to send them to the free throw line down the stretch.

[Goldendawg]

You have to want to play defense. Ready's height makes him a liability on D at all times. These guys as a whole can't play zone or man to man so far this year. Depth is horrible as shown when Ware and Sword had early foul trouble. Sword lowers the shoulder and tries to drive the lane at times on multiple players. They don't play well together at all.

[chef dixon]

Malik's rating was just simply too high coming out of high school, its not a complete coaching problem with him. There were signs of this in some high school games/all-star games where he struggled. Its not his fault and he will become a great player in time. He needs to put on some weight to be able to be more effective getting to the basket to get to the line and open up his jump shot.

That being said, our roster next year should help as well.

[Goldendawg]

I really enjoy watching Q play. This looks like last year's team with Malik not feeling comfortable playing with them at all. What position is Malik projected to play in the Pro's? He doesn't look ready for the point. His shot seems to be off the entire year( injuries still hanging on?). Does the NBA still give 1st round rookies a three year deal based and limited by their draft position? If so, someone will probably sign him for upside and future development. I don't think he comes back next year.

[Coach34]

Malik will score 20 per game next year and be a lottery pick. He's not going anywhere

[MarketingBully]

Malik will score 20 per game next year and be a lottery pick. He's not going anywhere

If Malik stays, that back court is the best in the SEC. You add players on the inside like Herard, Ado, and Kegler, and our starting five could be stacked. The only team in the SEC that will be more talented then us will be Kentucky. Thank goodness we will play overseas to start the year to get chemistry.

[Commercecomet24]

The way we are playing the first half in basketball this year makes me feel like Manny is coaching! Howland is gonna win big once he gets his guys out there.

[maroonmania]

He won 4 state championships in 4 years. He was a McDonald's All-American. NBA people projected him as a lottery pick. UK and Kansas wanted him bad. These are all reasons why he was a Top 10 prospect. Sometimes you see big men struggle. But I don't have an answer on Malik other than I wish he would attack the basket more. Has he gotten a dunk all year?

I appreciate the accolades he racked up in HS, but that's much different than understanding the actual SKILLS he has that would warrant him as a Top 10 HS recruit and a first round NBA draft pick? His shooting, ball handling, defense, athleticism, etc. all seem to be fairly average at the moment from my vantage point for a college player. I am in no way trying to down him because I'm glad he signed with us. Its just that most guys in HS rated as high as he was have more impact in college, even as a freshman, than what we've gotten from Malik so far. I know the injury slowed him down but even since I'm not seeing a guy that can take over a game or be a dominant factor in it.

[shannondawg]

Looked for the recruits before the game, but didn't see them, forgot to look after game started. Did they come to game?

[MCsMGs]

Looked for the recruits before the game, but didn't see them, forgot to look after game started. Did they come to game?

Yeah...Mullen paraded them through at the half, but I didn't see if/where they hung around long.

[shannondawg]

Well I must have been busy watching throw those rubber chickens, cause I didn't leave my seat at halftime. Or unrolling toilet paper.

[msstate7]

Well I must have been busy watching throw those rubber chickens, cause I didn't leave my seat at halftime. Or unrolling toilet paper.

Hey man, our halftime entertainment is second to none. Who could blame you for not being able to look away?***

[tcdog70]

Hard to make a comeback when EVERYTHING you do on both ends is a foul per these pathetic refs.

They knocked Wares goggles off his eyes and no call. Ware and Chicken were hammered several times and no call on the other end phantom calls every other trip.

[MarketingBully]

They knocked Wares goggles off his eyes and no call. Ware and Chicken were hammered several times and no call on the other end phantom calls every other trip.

Yeah, the refs really really sucked. We seem to be the only team that doesn't get the benefit of calls at home. I think that will change next year though when we get bigger crowds in.