That loss is on Howland

[MoreCowbell]

I ended up going to Oxford for the game. We are a much better team than them, we are very physical and get after it. We should have won by 20 but free throws and Howland not having us prepared to face the zone is what cost us that game. This loss will come back to haunt us. Comepletely killed momentum and should have never happened. I really don?t know what to think about Howland anymore. Head scratching decisions.

[drummerdawg]

One or two of those 3s go down and hit a few free throws and nobody would complain. Howland didn't coach a perfect game but he was kicking their ass for most of it. He had us ready to play. The coach can't make the shots go in. I mean, his job is to put them in a position to have success but then it's up to the players to execute. We had several open shots that just didn't go in. If they did, we'd all be pumping Howland sunshine right now. Im loving our defense right now and that is directly attributed to the coach.

[MoreCowbell]

I agree we came to play and we will be a solid team this year but we lost because he didn?t have us ready to play against a zone. That?s when the game changed and we had zero clue how to attack it. Other than that we played great. It sucks because of that zone we went from what should have been a 15 point win on the road to a 6 point loss to a terrible terrible team.

[Bdawg]

I’m not down on Howland either except for that zone. Also feel like the team plays like Howland coaches. I don’t see the intensity. Maybe it’s just me. Other than that, the players got to put the ball in the hole. Period.

[starkvegasdawg]

I put it on Howland, too. When you?ve shown all season that you can shoot your way out of a wet paper bag, but you refuse to put a boot in an ass when your guys repeatedly jack up threes feet behind the line - that?s on the coach.

[civildawg]

I put it on Howland, too. When you?ve shown all season that you can shoot your way out of a wet paper bag, but you refuse to put a boot in an ass when your guys repeatedly jack up threes feet behind the line - that?s on the coach.

Amen

[Bdawg]

I put it on Howland, too. When you?ve shown all season that you can shoot your way out of a wet paper bag, but you refuse to put a boot in an ass when your guys repeatedly jack up threes feet behind the line - that?s on the coach.

You know I don’t mind our “shooters” taking good open looks. Eventually they have to get out of their funk(and it’s a bad funk). It’s the stupid contested three, early in the shot clock stuff that drives me nuts. Now that stuff would put a player on the bench for me.

[Leeshouldveflanked]

Why do you have Lamar Peters in middle of zone instead of Q or Holman?

[civildawg]

No one knows

[Bdawg]

Why do you have Lamar Peters in middle of zone instead of Q or Holman?

Not a good look there for Howland. Figured Holman would have been the guy for that.

[maroonmania]

I agree we came to play and we will be a solid team this year but we lost because he didn?t have us ready to play against a zone. That?s when the game changed and we had zero clue how to attack it. Other than that we played great. It sucks because of that zone we went from what should have been a 15 point win on the road to a 6 point loss to a terrible terrible team.

Yep, didn't have much of a clue how to attack the 1-3-1. OM erased a 13 point lead and later an 11 point lead by switching to the zone. Floating high perimeter passes was all we knew to do with it.

[TXDawg]

Once they went back to the extended zone in the second half, we were done.

The players looked lost and Howland had no answer.

[msstate7]

To be fair, I do not think howland has a clue on how to run offense vs any defense. He can teach defense and recruit with the best of them though

[mparkerfd20]

Howland will not succeed at MSU. He will leave us having never made the NCAA tournament.

[bluelightstar]

I think everyone needs to calm down. Just about every road team lost today. And this team is young with not enough leadership -- best days are still ahead of this team.

[MarketingBully]

Howland will not succeed at MSU. He will leave us having never made the NCAA tournament.

This is just asinine. Please stop posting about our basketball team. You know nothing and contribute nothing but negative vitriol.

[MarketingBully]

To be fair, I do not think howland has a clue on how to run offense vs any defense. He can teach defense and recruit with the best of them though

Coach Howland is a good coach and elite recruiter. Players have to make plays. The game changed when Ado got in foul trouble and OM was able to penetrate and get to the line. That was exasperated by our 0-13 3pt shooting in the second half and 9-17 freethrow shooting. Shit happens on the road and the calls we got on Tuesday we didn’t get in Oxford. We had 22+ fouls in that game today had 12 on Tuesday. With that said, we were in position to win that game. Just have to make shots when you need to and we didn’t in the second half. Can’t have your best player play like Q did and expect to win on the road. That’s not Coaching. That’s on the players.

[Maroonthirteen]

So for the optimist, what are expectations for this team? NCAA tournament? Nit?

[MarketingBully]

So for the optimist, what are expectations for this team? NCAA tournament? Nit?

This is an NIT team that’s a couple of quality wins away from the tournament. We outplayed Ole Miss for 35 minutes of that game. We didn’t lose to Ole Miss in Starkville and road wins will be at a premium this year. In the grand scheme of things, that loss won’t hurt us. Just gotta keep playing hard and make shooting and freethrow shooting a priority in practice. Next game up is Florida. Things turnaround real quick if we manage to upset them on the road. Have to play better then we did today to win that game though.

[Dawgface]

So for the optimist, what are expectations for this team? NCAA tournament? Nit?

They will be talking about how good we will be next year.

[msstate7]

They will be talking about how good we will be next year.

As disappointed as I am in howland and our team yesterday, I still think we ball out next season.

[Ezsoil]

Well I see the problem on the defensive end....had MSU switched to a zone..that would have stopped the dribble drives that basically decided the game.... That same unwillingness to use a zone is what cost Vic a regular season championship last year.....

[MarketingBully]

Well I see the problem on the defensive end....had MSU switched to a zone..that would have stopped the dribble drives that basically decided the game.... That same unwillingness to use a zone is what cost Vic a regular season championship last year.....

Agreed. It would have also protected Ado from getting his fourth foul. Howland’s reluctance to play a zone has cost him at least five games in his career at MSU.

[msstate7]

Agreed. It would have also protected Ado from getting his fourth foul. Howland’s reluctance to play a zone has cost him at least five games in his career at MSU.

It has bothered me too at times, but we are getting better and better at man bc howland has stuck with it no matter what. I want us to play man exclusively this year even if it does cost us some games bc our window opens next season... we will be hell at man next season bc of howland?s persistence.

[MarketingBully]

It has bothered me too at times, but we are getting better and better at man bc howland has stuck with it no matter what. I want us to play man exclusively this year even if it does cost us some games bc our window opens next season... we will be hell at man next season bc of howland?s persistence.

I get it but we win the game yesterday, we win the game last year against Ole Miss at Starkville, we win at Alabama, we beat South Carolina in Starkville if we play a zone. Imagine our outlook right now if we had won those four games. It would be much different then it is now.