A graphical look at our scoring woes in the first 10 minutes of SEC games...

[DeviousDawg]

Our slow starts have gone from a trend to an identity. Here is a look at our points per 10 minute interval in SEC play:


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e36/deviousdawg/MSUscoringper10min_zpssosg8lw6.png


Now, here is a look at our average points per 10 minute intervals in SEC compared to our opponents:


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e36/deviousdawg/MSUvsOpponent10min_zpsy4s0bkxf.png


Thoughts?

[missouridawg]

Howland appears to make good adjustments after the half. Needs to figure out how to game plan for the first half though. Thanks for putting these together.

[MarketingBully]

Our woes since Kentucky have a lot to do with an injured IJ Ready. You realize in two of the losses (Auburn and Alabama) Peters had 12 total turnovers and most all of those turnovers resulted in transition points. IMO, we win both of those games with a healthy Ready. Without Ready, we have no upper classmen. Ready didn't even make the trip to Auburn which IMO was stupid because even his presence on the bench would have helped. When you realize this, you shouldn't feel worried about the turnaround next year. Next year, we will have three upper class men, the core of our team will be sophomores (players make their biggest jump from freshmen to sophomore seasons), and we will have one of the most dynamic players in Nick Weatherspoon on the team next year. Add in Ado in the post and you have a team that at minimum next year will win 25+ games.

Don't get frustrated with this team. We are just too young and inconsistent this year especially with no true point guard since Ready is injured. Weatherspoon will start at PG next year but Peters will get a lot of minutes. They will play really well together. In other words, youth and inexperience are the reasons for what you are looking at. We turn it up when we have to because that is what young teams do. Add in the competition from 1-13 on the floor next year in practice and that will escalate our development as well. Whatever happens the rest of the year, I'm not concerned. Next year will be a do or die season IMO for Howland.

[TheRef]

Can someone please add this to /r/theydidthemath

[missouridawg]

Our woes since Kentucky have a lot to do with an injured IJ Ready. You realize in two of the losses (Auburn and Alabama) Peters had 12 total turnovers and most all of those turnovers resulted in transition points. IMO, we win both of those games with a healthy Ready. Without Ready, we have no upper classmen. Ready didn't even make the trip to Auburn which IMO was stupid because even his presence on the bench would have helped. When you realize this, you shouldn't feel worried about the turnaround next year. Next year, we will have three upper class men, the core of our team will be sophomores (players make their biggest jump from freshmen to sophomore seasons), and we will have one of the most dynamic players in Nick Weatherspoon on the team next year. Add in Ado in the post and you have a team that at minimum next year will win 25+ games.

Don't get frustrated with this team. We are just too young and inconsistent this year especially with no true point guard since Ready is injured. Weatherspoon will start at PG next year but Peters will get a lot of minutes. They will play really well together. In other words, youth and inexperience are the reasons for what you are looking at. We turn it up when we have to because that is what young teams do. Add in the competition from 1-13 on the floor next year in practice and that will escalate our development as well. Whatever happens the rest of the year, I'm not concerned. Next year will be a do or die season IMO for Howland.

I know lil Spoon is going to be great... but I just don't see how anyone is going to come in and move a Peters to the bench out of that role. Peters is fantastic.

[MarketingBully]

I know lil Spoon is going to be great... but I just don't see how anyone is going to come in and move a Peters to the bench out of that role. Peters is fantastic.

He's not a true point guard. Now what you could do is move Peters to the combo guard role at the 2 and move Q to the 3 and go with that lineup with Kegler as a stretch four and Ado at the center. That would be an amazing starting five and would dominate a lot of teams. Peters IMO reminds me so much of Iverson because he is a dynamic scorer. Our best lineup might be Peters at the offguard role and Nick Weatherspoon at the point guard. To me, that will be one of the best backcourts in the country that no one will be talking about.

[preachermatt83]

He's not a true point guard. Now what you could do is move Peters to the combo guard role at the 2 and move Q to the 3 and go with that lineup with Kegler as a stretch four and Ado at the center. That would be an amazing starting five and would dominate a lot of teams. Peters IMO reminds me so much of Iverson because he is a dynamic scorer. Our best lineup might be Peters at the offguard role and Nick Weatherspoon at the point guard. To me, that will be one of the best backcourts in the country that no one will be talking about.
Not disagreeing just a legit question...what makes peters "not a true point guard"

[preachermatt83]

By the way, outstanding post devious.

[DeviousDawg]

Not disagreeing just a legit question...what makes peters "not a true point guard"

Yeah, first time I have seen anyone say this, it's news to me.

Peters and lil spoon will play on the court at the same time a lot, just as IJ and Peters have this year. Peters, is and will always be a point guard, not sure he has the size to play anywhere else. He has the ball handling skills, speed, agility and vision of a point guard.

[maroonmania]

Chart might even be more dramatic if you went in 5 minute intervals. I know we have had multiple games where we didn't score a point in the first 5 minutes. In the TA&M game it was well over 7 minutes before we scored and still won which was pretty amazing.

[WSOPdawg]

He's not a true point guard. Now what you could do is move Peters to the combo guard role at the 2 and move Q to the 3 and go with that lineup with Kegler as a stretch four and Ado at the center. That would be an amazing starting five and would dominate a lot of teams. Peters IMO reminds me so much of Iverson because he is a dynamic scorer. Our best lineup might be Peters at the offguard role and Nick Weatherspoon at the point guard. To me, that will be one of the best backcourts in the country that no one will be talking about.

I can see Sliding Q to the 3 (I see very similar characteristics to Marcus Grant). And if Ado is as advertised, all I can see is WOW if he's able to push Herard to coming off the bench, which would be great for us.

A lot of if's but this team coming together like this definitely brings back memories of our competitiveness and success from 1990-2010. Can't wait!!!

[MarketingBully]

Yeah, first time I have seen anyone say this, it's news to me.

Peters and lil spoon will play on the court at the same time a lot, just as IJ and Peters have this year. Peters, is and will always be a point guard, not sure he has the size to play anywhere else. He has the ball handling skills, speed, agility and vision of a point guard.

Fair enough. He is more of a true combo guard learning the point guard role. He didn't play a lot of point in high school and was asked to be more of a pure scorer. Will he turn into a great point guard? Yes. Will he beat out a kid like Nick Weatherspoon who is a five star point guard and one of the top five point guards coming out of high school next year? Probably not.

[smootness]

Fair enough. He is more of a true combo guard learning the point guard role. He didn't play a lot of point in high school and was asked to be more of a pure scorer. Will he turn into a great point guard? Yes. Will he beat out a kid like Nick Weatherspoon who is a five star point guard and one of the top five point guards coming out of high school next year? Probably not.

He won't have to beat him out. They'll both play together a ton. And they'll both handle the ball a ton. There's too much focus on what position they'll play, when the positions don't really matter that much. Both will play up high and on the wings, and both will bring the ball up the court and initiate the offense. Nick is a scoring guard as well, we won't have a pure facilitator in the sense that either will look to pass 3 times before they shoot, but both can easily take on the facilitator role when needed and will be great at creating offense for others, which Peters already does a ton of.

I think the scoring increases can again be tied back to the fact that we have a really young, inexperienced team. We're not always as focused at the tip as we need to be, and as much as the opposing team. Thus, we get behind, and it takes us a while to get into things and pick up the energy. I think this is another area that will improve with time. The good news is that the only real problem spot for us is the first 10, and we outscore our opponents from then on and in each of the last two 10-minute segments. Once we figure out how to have the right intensity and focus from the tip, we'll take off.

And yes, thank you Devious for taking the time to do this.

[MarketingBully]

The reason for our drought against Auburn had more to do with Howland's sub patterns early in the first half then anything else. I got subbing Stapleton for Holman early on and that didn't have a negative impact; however Howland put in Carter for Kegler and the shit went downhill from there. Kegler got his first foul and poof out he goes for what seemed to be five minutes or so with Carter staying on the floor for those minutes. I think he had Kegler out for Auburn's first 9-0 run. It was downhill from there.