Miss. State vs Alabama (Women's Basketball)

[jdelta02]

Gameday

Miss. State vs Alabama (7:00 pm, Starkville..Humphrey Coliseum)

Aliyah Matharu and Madison Hayes added to the starting lineup

[RocketDawg]

The girls already look a lot more lively than they did last game. And the game just started.

[Santiago]

Jackson not in the starting lineup but coming off bench scoring was interesting.

[Santiago]

Madison Hayes is a special player. Her passing is smooth.

[jdelta02]

Halftime
Miss State 44
Alama 33

Rickea Jackson 9 pts

Jessika Carter has been sitting a good bit of the first half with fouls. Aliyah Matharu has been sitting with fouls as well. Freshman Madison Hayes is playing well. Yemiyah Morris playing well off of the bench.

Alabama with 7 made 3 pointers in the fiest half (7-20...3 pt).

[mparkerfd20]

We made a mistake with our coaching hire. This isn't MSU Women's basketball.

[ZedFedder]

Well...

[R2Dawg]

We made a mistake with our coaching hire. This isn't MSU Women's basketball.

We look so disorganized. Not sure who is going to shoot or who should. Bad chemistry on this team too.

[R2Dawg]

We have lost our will and hustle to win at a high level.

[maroonmania]

This team is going to go from 8-2 to 8-5. You can pretty much mark it down.

[R2Dawg]

Wiggins has played well.

[R2Dawg]

If that happens we go from a top 5-10 team to unranked in half a year. Ouch.

[maroonmania]

Going to give up 80+ points to Bama. No help defense, no rebounding.

[RocketDawg]

We have lost our will and hustle to win at a high level.

It's like a different team came out in the 2nd half. Are they out of shape and can't play an entire game?

[RocketDawg]

This team is going to go from 8-2 to 8-5. You can pretty much mark it down.

and 3-4 in the conference.

[maroonmania]

Down 4 with 2.5 minutes and Jackson just dribbles it to the other team???? We are just not a good women's team and they haven't beaten a good team all year. We are going to lose this by double digits.

[R2Dawg]

We don't deserve to win

[R2Dawg]

Our WBB dominance is over I hate to say it but stick a fork in us.

[Dawg2003]

We made a mistake with our coaching hire. This isn't MSU Women's basketball.

It was MSU women's basketball last year. This is the same team Vic had that was lazy, wouldn't rebound or play defense. Sometimes I wonder if it really wasn't that hard for Vic to leave because this team had a lot of issues last year too. I don't blame Nikki for most of it at this point. She inherited these lazy players.

[RocketDawg]

Our WBB dominance is over I hate to say it but stick a fork in us.

Whats Nikki's buyout? **

[maroonmania]

We are just a middle of the pack SEC team this year and we aren't going to beat many of the better teams in the SEC. We will be lucky to have a winning SEC record.

[CaptainObvious]

I can?t figure if Vic knew after last year that this group was going to be a bunch of ?me? lazy players and got our while the getting was good or if this Coach is just that poor of an offense x & o?s coach.

[drummerdawg]

It was MSU women's basketball last year. This is the same team Vic had that was lazy, wouldn't rebound or play defense. Sometimes I wonder if it really wasn't that hard for Vic to leave because this team had a lot of issues last year too. I don't blame Nikki for most of it at this point. She inherited these lazy players.

Agree with this.

[Bothrops]

We made a mistake with our coaching hire. This isn't MSU Women's basketball.

The gravy days are likely over for this program. Attrition is gonna kill us.

[maroonmania]

I can?t figure if Vic knew after last year that this group was going to be a bunch of ?me? lazy players and got our while the getting was good or if this Coach is just that poor of an offense x & o?s coach.

Queen V and Big T were just very special players. We don't have any players on this team that are at that level. We have a lot of pretty good players but nobody that take a game over when we are playing a good team.

[confucius say]

It was MSU women's basketball last year. This is the same team Vic had that was lazy, wouldn't rebound or play defense. Sometimes I wonder if it really wasn't that hard for Vic to leave because this team had a lot of issues last year too. I don't blame Nikki for most of it at this point. She inherited these lazy players.

If it's the same team Vic had last year, why were we 27-6 last year, 13-3 in sec, and going to be a 2 or 3 seed last year in the tourney vs what is happening this year, where we may not even make the tourney? We suck right now.

[Leeshouldveflanked]

Yep....I can?t believe I was once excited about MSU WBB... those days are gone.

[jdelta02]

Final
Miss. State 78
Alabama. 86

Rickea Jackson 15 pts
Myah Taylor 15 pts, 6 assists ,2 to, 3 stls

Notes....
Miss. State gave up a 11 point halftime lead. 19 piont swing in score (from up 11 to losing by 8) after halftime. Alabama with 11..3 pointers (11-30) in the game. They out rebounded Miss. State 44 to 33, including 16 offensie rebounds to Miss. State's 10. Also, Alabama...getting to the free throw line, converting...17-21 (81%). Miss. State...7-10 (70%)

[R2Dawg]

Queen V and Big T were just very special players. We don't have any players on this team that are at that level. We have a lot of pretty good players but nobody that take a game over when we are playing a good team.

Disagree, talent ain't the problem. Most talented team in MSU history from a plain talent standpoint. Team play, hustle and attitude is a problem though.

[R2Dawg]

Whats Nikki's buyout? **

Don't know but I don't think it matters, she has a Rick Ray contract at least - 5 years.

[Irondawg]

We are not the most talented team from a talent standpoint unless you go 100% by ratings.

Having T was the equivalent of having Shaq and we surrounded her with proper role players.

This roster is still talented but incredibly flawed with how the pieces fit together and much like a lot of recent men’s teams they really lacked natural basketball instincts/smarts

[Pinto]

Nikki played for Pat Summit and is supposedly all about some Pat. Well; Pat would have gone knee deep in some ass before, during, and after this game. Pat is probably wouldn?t won?t her name anywhere near this program.

[Irondawg]

This actually reminds me of Stans downfall - he used to really focus on receuiting a lot of tough hard nosed players with a little offensive talent sprinkled in.

Then he started chasing talent and ignoring traits like toughness and basketball smarts thinking he could coach them up. In the end he took too many of that types and it killed our identity and it killed his career here.

I see a lot out of this roster. A lot of individual talent but no cohesion, toughness, leadership and will to win.

[Cooterpoot]

Good coaches with good talent win games. And this isn't a young team. Sorry defense, poor effort rebounding, out of control offense, no toughness, no coaching.

[KOdawg1]

Save me the excuses.

She inherited a top 15 team that added a McDonald's All-American and returned plenty of talent, and we've regressed in every area. No hustle, no grit, no toughness. That's coaching.

[R2Dawg]

We are not the most talented team from a talent standpoint unless you go 100% by ratings.

Having T was the equivalent of having Shaq and we surrounded her with proper role players.

This roster is still talented but incredibly flawed with how the pieces fit together and much like a lot of recent men’s teams they really lacked natural basketball instincts/smarts

Ratings is all there is and this is most talented in history. 3 McDonalds AA and lots of top 100 players. I don't but much into recruiting ratings. I'll take a lower rated good talent but with good attitude, work ethic, leadership, discipline any day over a 5 star attitude.

Vic had starters playing in a NC game that would be practice squad on this team from a talent standpoint but they had heart, fight and will to win.

We play like victims. Too much pouting, sulking on the floor. I'll stop there but you don't succeed in anything with that mindset. Vic was the opposite. You think it is bad now wait till the Vic influence remnant is gone.

[CaptainObvious]

That Alabama team was just flat better. Last year and this year.

[Coach34]

If you can’t be a top team with 3 McD’s AA players- you’re in trouble. She won’t ever have more talent than she has now. I said the same exact thing about JoVester.

[Irondawg]

Ratings don’t mean talent at this level. I’m watching the games and we don’t have a quickness advantage at spots like we used to. We don’t have a size advantage like we used to and we don’t have an intangible advantage we used to.

Of the teams we’ve played who’s two players would you take Taylor and Mingo Young over? How many pf you’ve seen us play would you take Cooks over? That’s 3/5 of our team.

Right now we have to figure out how to build around jackson, Matharu, Carter and Hayes on offense. We are simply lost on that end now for a variety of reasons but a lot of it is most of those players don’t understand spacing.

I don’t know if I’ve seen a scorer as talented as Jackson have such terrible court awareness. She’s simply lost on the court most of the time and almost all her shots are forced.

On defense we are a nightmare because our guards are too small to fight through screens and our bigs aren’t good defenders. We are asking to get abused in man to man. At this long of pit Morris I’m the middle
of a zone and hope she can rebound and alter shots. That or we’ve got to commit to pressing more and hope to force mistakes

[maroonmania]

Disagree, talent ain't the problem. Most talented team in MSU history from a plain talent standpoint. Team play, hustle and attitude is a problem though.

Talent or no talent I am talking about how a player affects a game. Alabama was getting layup after layup in the second half. Big T would have put that crap into the seats. VV was just a scorer much moreso than anyone on this team right now. When we are depending on Myah Taylor to try and drive the lane and score in crunch time then we just don't have what we need offensively.

[Dawg2003]

To be fair, Cooks' production is not reflective of a McDonald's AA and never was. She never started at Michigan State, and we now see why.

[Dawg2003]

If it's the same team Vic had last year, why were we 27-6 last year, 13-3 in sec, and going to be a 2 or 3 seed last year in the tourney vs what is happening this year, where we may not even make the tourney? We suck right now.

Vic always beat up on a lot of lesser opponents. That was one way he inflated his record. Last year, this team lost to two unranked opponents, and nearly lost to Vandy and Auburn 2x. The team was overrated last year but was ranked in the top 15 due to respect for Vic.

[jdelta02]

Ratings don?t mean talent at this level. I?m watching the games and we don?t have a quickness advantage at spots like we used to. We don?t have a size advantage like we used to and we don?t have an intangible advantage we used to.

Of the teams we?ve played who?s two players would you take Taylor and Mingo Young over? How many pf you?ve seen us play would you take Cooks over? That?s 3/5 of our team.

Right now we have to figure out how to build around jackson, Matharu, Carter and Hayes on offense. We are simply lost on that end now for a variety of reasons but a lot of it is most of those players don?t understand spacing.

I don?t know if I?ve seen a scorer as talented as Jackson have such terrible court awareness. She?s simply lost on the court most of the time and almost all her shots are forced.

On defense we are a nightmare because our guards are too small to fight through screens and our bigs aren?t good defenders. We are asking to get abused in man to man. At this long of pit Morris I?m the middle
of a zone and hope she can rebound and alter shots. That or we?ve got to commit to pressing more and hope to force mistakes

Some good points...
Go with Yemiyah Morris at center along side Jessika Carter/Sidney Cooks at the 4 spot (maximizing size advantage, rebounding, interior defense) and zone when needed...or go guard heavy and press more (4 out and 1 in).

[notsofarawaydawg]

Coach needs to get control or move on to another job. Right now it’s all on her. Coach and do your job or hit the road. We don’t tolerate it in any other program and shouldn’t in WBB. If you can’t harness the talent on this team, you never will at any SEC school.

[Captain Falcon]

Vic always beat up on a lot of lesser opponents. That was one way he inflated his record. Last year, this team lost to two unranked opponents, and nearly lost to Vandy and Auburn 2x. The team was overrated last year but was ranked in the top 15 due to respect for Vic.

I mean they were 27-6, and finished second in the SEC with multiple ranked wins. They were going to be a 2 or 3 seed had the tournament been played. They weren’t as good as our previous three teams and weren’t going to win a national title, but I don’t think I’d say they were overrated. And they pretty clearly got better as the season went on, and were playing their best basketball of the season leading up to the SEC title game against an SC that was just better than them.

I just don’t agree with the spin that this roster actually isn’t all that good. They don’t have a McCowan or a Vivians, but there are plenty of good pieces there. And they’ve now lost three games they should not have lost, with a bunch more difficult games still to play.

[Cooterpoot]

Vic always beat up on a lot of lesser opponents. That was one way he inflated his record. Last year, this team lost to two unranked opponents, and nearly lost to Vandy and Auburn 2x. The team was overrated last year but was ranked in the top 15 due to respect for Vic.

You've lost your damn mind. The team was young and were the 2nd best team in the SEC behind a damn great SC team. Nevermind Vic played for a national championship. Jesus what a bullshit take.

[preachermatt83]

Atleast we #Woke. Thanks Nelle!!

[Homedawg]

Vic always beat up on a lot of lesser opponents. That was one way he inflated his record. Last year, this team lost to two unranked opponents, and nearly lost to Vandy and Auburn 2x. The team was overrated last year but was ranked in the top 15 due to respect for Vic.

Comedy at its highest level. Wtf is nearly lost???

[Irondawg]

Dawg2003 has a half decent point in that other teams really closed the gap last year as we played a lot more close conference games than we had in previous years. Almost all those teams brought in transfers and such and got better.

We basically traded Danberry and Bibby for Hayes so we lost a lot there. Danberry was clutch in a lot of games last year.

Everyone expected Matharu and Jackson and even Mingo to make jumps but it hasn’t happened. How much of that is Nikki I don’t know but are any of those players playing better than they did last year or even showing new skills?

We are underperforming for sure but at lot of SEC teams got a lot better the past 2 years as well.

[confucius say]

Vic always beat up on a lot of lesser opponents. That was one way he inflated his record. Last year, this team lost to two unranked opponents, and nearly lost to Vandy and Auburn 2x. The team was overrated last year but was ranked in the top 15 due to respect for Vic.

It went 13-3 in sec play. This team will struggle to be .500. We are worse in nearly every area this year than we were last year with the same players.

[confucius say]

I mean they were 27-6, and finished second in the SEC with multiple ranked wins. They were going to be a 2 or 3 seed had the tournament been played. They weren’t as good as our previous three teams and weren’t going to win a national title, but I don’t think I’d say they were overrated. And they pretty clearly got better as the season went on, and were playing their best basketball of the season leading up to the SEC title game against an SC that was just better than them.

I just don’t agree with the spin that this roster actually isn’t all that good. They don’t have a McCowan or a Vivians, but there are plenty of good pieces there. And they’ve now lost three games they should not have lost, with a bunch more difficult games still to play.

Jackson as a freshman last year was WAY ahead of VV as a freshman. She is your VV, she has just regressed instead of developed.

[maroonmania]

Jackson as a freshman last year was WAY ahead of VV as a freshman. She is your VV, she has just regressed instead of developed.

This I agree with. And I was actually hoping this year that RJ would be in the league VV was as a JR and SR. But she is not even close and, as you stated, not even playing as well as last year. Biggest difference to me in this year's team is they can't play consistent through a game. They will have a stretch or a quarter when they look like a really good team but then they lose all intensity on defense or just get lost on whatever it is they are trying to accomplish on offense. They can get by with that playing the lower half league teams but they will lose doing that to any of the upper half teams. I look for TA&M and SC to both beat us by double digits.

[ZedFedder]

Some of you are jumping through quite the mental hurdles to justify why a team this talented is this bad. They were 27-6 last year with virtually everyone back. There is no way you can justify this.

Also, its not just losing, but how we lost that makes it worse. To get beat because you don't shoot well or the other team lights it up, thats one thing. To get beat because you are lazy and take poor shots is another. Jessika Carter would not have shot another ball from outside of 15ft from the rim or she's out. You CANNOT be a friend and a coach.

We very well may lose the next two, and I will be interested to hear how some justify being 8-5 with this team.

[ZedFedder]

To add: Can we please stop saying all of this idiotic crap about how Vic wasn't really as good of a coach as we thought, how they were lazy last year, etc...

HE GOT US TO TWO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. The man is one of the best coaches in the country. He didn't inflate anything with inferior opponents. He constantly beat REALLY good teams. My gosh you have to be elementary minded to try to make an assertion that he wasn't that great.

[StarkVegasSteve]

If it's the same team Vic had last year, why were we 27-6 last year, 13-3 in sec, and going to be a 2 or 3 seed last year in the tourney vs what is happening this year, where we may not even make the tourney? We suck right now.

I brought up this problem last year and it seems even prevalent today. We started star chasing about Vic's 3rd or 4th season and last year you were starting to see the results of that. At first he would recruit one big time player and a bunch of grinders and 3 and D players. Once you get away from that and bring in the "AAU All Americans" then there's no turning back. You have to be an AMAZING coach to be able to mold and mesh together all that talent and all those attitudes. Vic is a good enough coach to do that. Penson will have to learn how to do it and do it fast. And being their friend isn't the way to do it. You have to be tough and you have to be a coach. It doesn't mean you hate your players, but when you step between those lines you're coaching to win. That's why Vic was so rare. He knew how to perfectly balance that love for his kids and still being able to be a hardnose coach.

[Irondawg]

Agree and it’s something Nikki seems to be struggling with. Be curious what type of players she recruits.

Some posters are also really undervaluing what Danberry did for that team last year both on offense and defense. We haven’t replaced her production at all and combine that with Rickea really struggling and it’s an issue.

Agree that effort is lacking but we had a lot of defensive problems last year as well. We got beat last night simply because they made about 10 hustle plays in the second half and we had none that I can recall. Right now I’m assigning blame on both players and coaches for that

[ZedFedder]

Agree and it’s something Nikki seems to be struggling with. Be curious what type of players she recruits.

Some posters are also really undervaluing what Danberry did for that team last year both on offense and defense. We haven’t replaced her production at all and combine that with Rickea really struggling and it’s an issue.

Agree that effort is lacking but we had a lot of defensive problems last year as well. We got beat last night simply because they made about 10 hustle plays in the second half and we had none that I can recall. Right now I’m assigning blame on both players and coaches for that

Good post.

[The Federalist Engineer]

To add: Can we please stop saying all of this idiotic crap about how Vic wasn't really as good of a coach as we thought, how they were lazy last year, etc...

HE GOT US TO TWO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. The man is one of the best coaches in the country. He didn't inflate anything with inferior opponents. He constantly beat REALLY good teams. My gosh you have to be elementary minded to try to make an assertion that he wasn't that great.

The "Vic wasn't that good" idea is about as Fringy and Crackpot as you can get as an MSU fan.

He led by 5 points with less than 2 minutes to go in a National Championship game. He only really lost to the elites of the game, like South Carolina.

[Ari Gold]

I guess my pep talk after the OM near disaster had the opposite results..
and there is no “first year” honeymoon. She has been a head coach already and took over a well oiled machine..
Black / white/ man /woman ... doesn’t matter

JC better hope this gets turned around.. that seat of his better be getting hot..

[ZedFedder]

The good thing about basketball versus football is that losses are redeemable if you get on a tear at the end of the year. NMP may figure it out, but I do not like what I see right now.

[basedog]

It's more of lack of team chemistry, players and coaches adjusting to each other, I look for a few players to transfer next year. We have talent but I'm not saying all of the problems are with our HC, she has to grow and learn as well. Not sure we will have another run in WBB like we did during Vic's tenure. To early to say our HC want work out, hopefully recruiting will solve our problems on team chemistry.

[R2Dawg]

Jackson as a freshman last year was WAY ahead of VV as a freshman. She is your VV, she has just regressed instead of developed.

Agree with this. Jackson has regressed in a major way. Question is why? Is it coaching? She seems like a player that if not managed correctly could really go south. Coaching or leading is so much more than X & Os but people management skills. Whatever we are doing now isn't working.

[R2Dawg]

Vic always beat up on a lot of lesser opponents. That was one way he inflated his record. Last year, this team lost to two unranked opponents, and nearly lost to Vandy and Auburn 2x. The team was overrated last year but was ranked in the top 15 due to respect for Vic.

Disagree here. We were good with a less experience last year playing true freshmen. We may have slipped a little but considering the overhaul we had to do from previous year, it was a solid/good year.

[Percho]

It went on the whole game and has all year but manifested itself at one point last night that brought no hope in that game. Bama took a three, missed it, the ball bounced, I repeat, bounced between two of State's players, the Bama shooter steped in front of our girl got the ball went to the basket scored and was fouled. Game over.

Balls have been bouncing before being rebounded all year. No one, zero, moves there feet when ball is going toward the basket.

[BrunswickDawg]

It's more of lack of team chemistry, players and coaches adjusting to each other, I look for a few players to transfer next year. We have talent but I'm not saying all of the problems are with our HC, she has to grow and learn as well. Not sure we will have another run in WBB like we did during Vic's tenure. To early to say our HC want work out, hopefully recruiting will solve our problems on team chemistry.

Coaching transitions suck. When a coach leaves, some step up and like the changes, others don't. I have seen very good players just flat out stop performing and working because they don't like the new coach - even if the new coach is actually better than the old (not saying NMP is better than Vic). It can kill a team through no fault of the coach.

[Irondawg]

It went on the whole game and has all year but manifested itself at one point last night that brought no hope in that game. Bama took a three, missed it, the ball bounced, I repeat, bounced between two of State's players, the Bama shooter steped in front of our girl got the ball went to the basket scored and was fouled. Game over.

Balls have been bouncing before being rebounded all year. No one, zero, moves there feet when ball is going toward the basket.

Yep I remember that play and there were a few others almost as bad. We simply don’t have pride in defense right now for whatever reason

[shoeless joe]

When coaching young athletes, whatever you allow is what you promote. And we are seeing that play itself out on the court. Remember when Vic pulled William in the first title game? The reason he did that is the same reason you didn’t see consistently lazy play from his teams.

It’s obvious when you watch the games. I’m not saying she was a bad hire or the next Jomo but there is definitely reason to be concerned.

[Commercecomet24]

When coaching young athletes, whatever you allow is what you promote. And we are seeing that play itself out on the court. Remember when Vic pulled William in the first title game? The reason he did that is the same reason you didn’t see consistently lazy play from his teams.

It’s obvious when you watch the games. I’m not saying she was a bad hire or the next Jomo but there is definitely reason to be concerned.

Well said. You hit the nail on the head, 100%.