MSU/Alabama basketball

[RocketDawg]

Tolu is back. State down 9-6 early on. Make that 10-6.

[R2Dawg]

Iverson needs to show up today, he sometimes disappears in big games.

[MoreCowbell]

Need this win for momentum

[Saltydog]

Yep and need a good quad 1 win to boost our net and rpi. Arkansas winning today against LSU helps us too.

[RougeDawg]

Playing decent=short thread.

Bama center is camped out in the lane when they are on offense. Did they change the rule to 10 seconds?

[LC Dawg]

It's nice to have Tolu back.

[R2Dawg]

Tolu is a difference maker

[LC Dawg]

I like Garcia. He just seems to make plays when he's in there.

[parabrave]

So far we are playing so much smarter. We are taking it to the basket and drawing fouls instead of poppin 3s left and right. Mol is 6-6 at the FT line.

[PGHBulldogBG]

We are playing well but I?m afraid this team is just a bit much for us. I just hope we keep this effort up all game

[Pancho]

Tolu makes a huuggee difference on both ends.

[Saltydog]

allowing that.....

[Saltydog]

Matthews with two bone head plays in a row.......He and Garcia both in the lineup just limit us so much offensively.......

[parabrave]

I wish Garcia could get more PT.

[RougeDawg]

Getting out rebounded is not a recipe for winning.

[LC Dawg]

Molinar's time on the bench in the 2nd half needs to be very limited.

[msstate7]

Getting out rebounded is not a recipe for winning.

This is frustrating. I'm trying to be calm... serenity now, serenity now

[MoreCowbell]

Does anybody know what the line was for this game?

[msstate7]

Does anybody know what the line was for this game?

State -1.5

[msstate7]

I like this team. If we can keep tolu healthy, I think we're a tourney team with no drama

[MoreCowbell]

I like this team. If we can keep tolu healthy, I think we're a tourney team with no drama

A game like tonight though is one we have to win. Winning on the road is really hard in conference play so a team like Alabama, who is good but not great, at home is a game we have to have.

[NCMSTFAN]

Not a bad 1st half even though we are down. We need to continue playing solid and fight for this win. It's a big game, we need it for our resume, we have to win these types of games at home.

[msstate7]

A game like tonight though is one we have to win. Winning on the road is really hard in conference play so a team like Alabama, who is good but not great, at home is a game we have to have.

Hard to declare a must win against a team that beat Gonzaga and Houston. A win would be great, but they're more talented than us

[R2Dawg]

Not a bad first half but we would be up double digits if we would rebound. Bama going after ball and we are standing there.

Guards have to expect long rebound on the 3 shot. Bama didn't shoot well and we gifted them a half.

We need this Q1 win at home.

[R2Dawg]

Hard to declare a must win against a team that beat Gonzaga and Houston. A win would be great, but they're more talented than us

I don't see more talent on their team at all.

[msstate7]

I don't see more talent on their team at all.

You should pay more attention the second half. They're quicker and much more athletic. We are bigger and stronger imo, so hopefully we beat em up some in the 2nd half

[R2Dawg]

You should pay more attention the second half. They're quicker and much more athletic. We are bigger and stronger imo, so hopefully we beat em up some in the 2nd half

So quicker means they are more talented? You must not know much about basketball.

[R2Dawg]

So we have to be a foot behind 3 line to get a 3?

[msstate7]

So quicker means they are more talented? You must not know much about basketball.

You think us or them have more nba players?

[Saltydog]

Thet completely screwed us on Jeffries 3 point shot. That was no way even remotely close to being a 2......

[msstate7]

So we have to be a foot behind 3 line to get a 3?

We'll get that pt

[msstate7]

Thet completely screwed us on Jeffries 3 point shot. That was no way even remotely close to being a 2......

They'll review it

[Saltydog]

I don't see more talent on their team at all.

They are more talented than we are and they have more quality depth than we do. Plus, they have more length than us.

[R2Dawg]

That block was all ball

[R2Dawg]

They are more talented than we are and they have more quality depth than we do. Plus, they have more length than us.

No on all of that.

[Saltydog]

You should pay more attention the second half. They're quicker and much more athletic. We are bigger and stronger imo, so hopefully we beat em up some in the 2nd half

Plus, they are a way better shooting team than we are.

[RocketDawg]

Just caught up - had to delay game on DVR for a while. We're playing really well. Could use a little better rebounding though.

[msstate7]

There's no doubt that God hates us. That rocket 3 is a prime example

[R2Dawg]

Better on rebounding till that play

[RocketDawg]

I think this is the hardest we've played all year.

[R2Dawg]

Plus, they are a way better shooting team than we are.

They are better shooters but not showing in this game.

[Saltydog]

The inability to shoot the ball is this teams achilles heel. We don't have one shooter on the entire squad. That and them killing us with 2nd and 3rd may costs us this game.

[R2Dawg]

We are playing with more chemistry today than recently. Tolu I think helps that.

[PGHBulldogBG]

They never miss at the free throw line. I think that?s going to be the difference. We won?t win a free throw shooting contest even though it?s better than last year

[R2Dawg]

The inability to shoot the ball is this teams achilles heel. We don't have one shooter on the entire squad. That and them killing us with 2nd and 3rd may costs us this game.

Not true - Iverson and Moore can shoot. We do need a few more though. A 3 point specialist would be nice.

[Saltydog]

No on all of that.

You don't watch much basketball then.

[msstate7]

I don't know how this is gonna turn out, but I think we're a tourney team.

[MoreCowbell]

Hard to declare a must win against a team that beat Gonzaga and Houston. A win would be great, but they're more talented than us

Of course it is not a must win but these are the games we NEED to win

[chef dixon]

I don't know how this is gonna turn out, but I think we're a tourney team.

Not a chance if we don't win games likes this. This is essentially a must win

[RocketDawg]

Our biggest deficit I believe. Might be about to get bigger yet.

[R2Dawg]

If we lose this game, we lost it in first half not rebounding.

[Saltydog]

SHAKEEL MOORE.....WOW......

[LC Dawg]

Damn Moore! That was badass.

[R2Dawg]

We haven't gotten a bounce all night. Every bounce to Bama.

[msstate7]

Alabama shoots FTs like a miss will mean their mother dies

[R2Dawg]

Refs never call block anymore but they chose to call it tonight everytime on us.

[LC Dawg]

That was bullshit on Garcia.

[HoopsDawg]

Poor officiating crew

[RocketDawg]

Getting rebounds now but can't make a shot.

[LC Dawg]

Nice hustle by Moore but he's got to hit that wide open 3.

[R2Dawg]

We got to finish this now.

[RocketDawg]

Ouch. Tolu fouls out. That'll be an impact.

[R2Dawg]

Pathetic call on Tolu

[Maroonthirteen]

Regardless how this turns out, well played game. Great effort by the Bulldogs.

[R2Dawg]

Who hits FT wins

[R2Dawg]

Regardless how this turns out, well played game. Great effort by the Bulldogs.

We have played well

[HoopsDawg]

Really like Garcia.

[HoopsDawg]

Regardless how this turns out, well played game. Great effort by the Bulldogs.

You are correct. Great effort.

[Quaoarsking]

Really like Garcia.

I was just coming here to post this. I have only noticed it the last few games (and maybe that's my bad), but that guy just gets it done.

[R2Dawg]

How many ball have we had on a steal bounce off someone's foot and Bama gets the ball?

[msstate7]

Really like Garcia.

He's becoming a player

[R2Dawg]

I was just coming here to post this. I have only noticed it the last few games (and maybe that's my bad), but that guy just gets it done.

He just makes plays

[msstate7]

I like brooks, but I like brooks 10
Ft from the basket

[HoopsDawg]

He's becoming a player

He's a winner. DJ Jeffries is more talented but this run has been with DJ on the bench.

[msstate7]

He's a winner. DJ Jeffries is more talented but this run has been with DJ on the bench.

Maybe this is just a better matchup for Garcia tonight with bama's 3 guards. Jeffries is a good player

[msstate7]

Bama is a great Ft team

[RocketDawg]

Not missing Tolu being out all that much.

[HoopsDawg]

Maybe this is just a better matchup for Garcia tonight with bama's 3 guards. Jeffries is a good player

Maybe

[R2Dawg]

Maybe this is just a better matchup for Garcia tonight with bama's 3 guards. Jeffries is a good player

DJ is talented and has incredible potential. He has not played anywhere near where he can. If he does, we could make a serious run

[msstate7]

Get Garcia and Matthews out the Game

[HoopsDawg]

Not missing Tolu being out all that much.

Tolu's weakness is his defense.

Howland found the right 5 to close this game. Great job coach.

[R2Dawg]

If we blow an 8 point lead......

[RocketDawg]

That travel killed us. Maybe we can survive though.

[msstate7]

That travel killed us. Maybe we can survive though.

He can make up for it here. Moore, hit this ft

[R2Dawg]

Boy we are trying to lose this game.

[Bdawg]

Where was the foul?

[R2Dawg]

That was not a foul on the shot

[RocketDawg]

He could make two, intentionally miss the third, then make one for the win.

[Bdawg]

Replay looks like a horrible call to me

[PGHBulldogBG]

Boy we are trying to lose this game.

I am never comfortable with us winning unless we are up 12 with a minute left. We generally will lose if we aren?t

[smootness]

Where was the foul?

That big ol slap on his arm?

[smootness]

What are y'all talking about? He clearly hit his arm on the way up.

[HoopsDawg]

Brooks, wth?

[R2Dawg]

Refs must be scared of Bama. They fouled Iverson, he shoots two FT

[HoopsDawg]

What are y'all talking about? He clearly hit his arm on the way up.

If we make both, gotta foul.

[Bdawg]

That big ol slap on his arm?

I must have missed it on replay. Looked like they were standing there

[LC Dawg]

WTF? Oats gets to pick who fouls?

[msstate7]

Big win

[RocketDawg]

Man, that was close. Can't believe we blew that 8 point lead though.

[HoopsDawg]

Big resume win.

[State82]

How 17ing stupid do you have to be to be anywhere near someone on a 3 with a 4 point lead

[MoreCowbell]

Had they made that last shot I would quit life

[LC Dawg]

Great win!

[NCMSTFAN]

That was stressful but we really needed that one!! Probably Howlands biggest win at State

[R2Dawg]

Great win even though refs tried to give it to Bama in the end.

[KOdawg1]

Big time win.

Keep racking them up.

[smootness]

Making Garcia shoot those is a hilarious WTF. It's either a foul against Molinar or it's intentional against Garcia. Only two options.

Oh well, huge win!

[R2Dawg]

Molinar is a together young man, great interveiwer

[R2Dawg]

Making Garcia shoot those is a hilarious WTF. It's either a foul against Molinar or it's intentional against Garcia. Only two options.

Oh well, huge win!

Yeah that was just so Alabama officiating BS. Must be nice to be them. You are never out of a game, refs will hep you out.

[NCMSTFAN]

Molinar is a together young man, great interveiwer

Agreed!!

[LC Dawg]

Making Garcia shoot those is a hilarious WTF. It's either a foul against Molinar or it's intentional against Garcia. Only two options.

Oh well, huge win!
No shit. I'd love to hear that explained.

[msstate7]

Man, that was close. Can't believe we blew that 8 point lead though.

We didn't. We won

[Saltydog]

Well, we tried to give it away or should I say Oats and the refs tried screwing us outta that game. We're damn lucky to win given the way we shit the bed those two minutes. I liked the effort though. Tolu needs to get back in game shape. That's what's hurting him now.

[Vandownbytheriver]

Yeah that was just so Alabama officiating BS. Must be nice to be them. You are never out of a game, refs will hep you out.

Be careful, TUSK is lurking. He will tell you why and how you're wrong.

[NCMSTFAN]

Say what you want about Garcia but he battles. I like what he gives us, it's a reason he was in the game in the final minutes

[Saltydog]

Say what you want about Garcia but he battles. I like what he gives us, it's a reason he was in the game in the final minutes

Yeah but he's a liability on the offensive end. Defenses will sag off of him and he damn sure can't hit free throws.......

[Coach34]

Just win baby!!

[LC Dawg]

Yeah but he's a liability on the offensive end. Defenses will sag off of him and he damn sure can't hit free throws.......
We don't win that game without Garcia. He did more than should be expected of him.

[99jc]

DAMN THIS BOARD IS FULL OF COMPLAINING BASTARDS.

[basedog]

Two good talented teams, great win for us. Winning is the most important thing.

[Snowman79]

Anyone else notice 0 give the crowd the bird when he fouled out?

[Offshore Dawg]

Two good talented teams, great win for us. Winning is the most important thing.

Tonight it is THIS^^^^^

[Tater]

Great win. Didn't watch all of it because of the Raiders getting skull****ed by officiating. But i'll give credit where it's due as someone self admittedly ready for howland to move on. Wins like this will build the goodwill. If it's just that Kermit has his number and we go on a tear otherwise in the SEC then i'm gucci

[NCMSTFAN]

[QUOTE=Saltydog;1404129]Yeah but he's a liability on the offensive end. Defenses will sag off of him and he damn sure can't hit free
.
8 points and 7 rebounds tonight. That's all we need, he is not a liability. If he gives us that we are fine...

[PGHBulldogBG]

Any word on when we might make up that Missouri game? I would rather just not play it because winning it won?t help us and losing it would be a disaster. I see Ole Miss is making up there game with UF in a couple weeks

[chef dixon]

You absolutely have to win these kinds of games in the conference at home if you want any shot at the dance. Especially when you have no great out of conference wins. Great job tonight.

[BrunswickDawg]

Great win. Didn't watch all of it because of the Raiders getting skull****ed by officiating. But i'll give credit where it's due as someone self admittedly ready for howland to move on. Wins like this will build the goodwill. If it's just that Kermit has his number and we go on a tear otherwise in the SEC then i'm gucci

Kermit vs Howland was 3-3 going into the season. Kermit won at home, Howland will likely do the same.

[parabrave]

You absolutely have to win these kinds of games in the conference at home if you want any shot at the dance. Especially when you have no great out of conference wins. Great job tonight.

It was a dam good win. We need to get better at threes 2-16 sucks.

[HoopsDawg]

It was a dam good win. We need to get better at threes 2-16 sucks.

incredible we won with that kind of shooting.

[PGHBulldogBG]

incredible we won with that kind of shooting.

Yea overall we didn?t shoot well, but we defended better and out hustled them in the end. Although that last minute was frustrating

[HoopsDawg]

Yea overall we didn?t shoot well, but we defended better and out hustled them in the end. Although that last minute was frustrating

cam matthews, garcia, and moore are all great "hustle" players. I love their effort.

[StarkVegasSteve]

I thought the turning point for us was down 7 we never flinched. A couple of big scores and then capitalized it with the Moore dunk. Howland teams in the past would have just rolled over in those situations. This team stood up and shoved it right back at Bama.

[Ari Gold]

Kermit vs Howland was 3-3 going into the season. Kermit won at home, Howland will likely do the same.

Shhhhhh. Don’t let facts trump the narrative... before too long some will blame CBH for baseball or football losses

[CadaverDawg]

So us and Kentucky were the only Home teams to win in the league today? Weird day for the home teams, glad we held serve.

[Commercecomet24]

Good win! Kids played hard and were nasty on the offensive boards. Hope we can consistently play this way!

[CaptainObvious]

Yep. Take if 2 different halves on Offensive Boards. They got all the rebounds in the first. We got all the rebounds in the second. But more importantly, taking that 2-16 stat from 3, the team didn?t back down from getting in the paint. In seasons past, that 2-16 would have turned into 5-25. This team is beginning to understand where their bread is buttered.

[msstate7]

Brooks 16 pts 10 reb
Welcome to the sec, mr brooks

Garcia 8 pts 7 reb
Hell of a week, kid

Molinar 24 pts 6 reb 4 assists
Sec POW

[R2Dawg]

I thought the turning point for us was down 7 we never flinched. A couple of big scores and then capitalized it with the Moore dunk. Howland teams in the past would have just rolled over in those situations. This team stood up and shoved it right back at Bama.

True, I thought the same thing. This team has a little moxey and toughness from multiple places and then the calm domination by Molinar. When you shortest guy Moore does that it just sends a message. I love Moore's game.

[basedog]

This team is having fun, it's taken a little while for everyone to feel comfortable with their role. Depth is as good as we have had in a while at Msu. We attacked the paint last night and did a decent job pressuring the ball.

Molinar is so athletic and fun to watch! He had a great interview after the game, well spoken guy!

[Ari Gold]

Mighty quiet thread for a REAL nice victory..

We need to go 2-2 these next 4.. Beat OM at home and get a road win..

[R2Dawg]

Anyone else notice 0 give the crowd the bird when he fouled out?

Yeah I saw that, camera quickly got off him. That was funny.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Mighty quiet thread for a REAL nice victory..
We need to go 2-2 these next 4.. Beat OM at home and get a road win..

These next 4 games could very well define our season.

@Florida
OM
@UK
@TTU

Definitely need to go 2-2 but 3-1 would be amazing and would set us up to have a little cushion on the bubble. 3 prime Q1 opportunities. Play like we did yesterday and there?s no reason we can?t win all 4. Just have to punch back when the other team makes their run.

[msstate7]

We dropped 1 spot in NET to 48th. Ark jumped 31 spots. Bama dropped 1 spot. We do have a Q1 and Q2 win now though

[BayouDawg]

I couldnt watch the game last night but I just finished watching the replay. Great win and hopefully this can get some butts in the seats next Saturday.

[smootness]

These next 4 games could very well define our season.

@Florida
OM
@UK
@TTU

Definitely need to go 2-2 but 3-1 would be amazing and would set us up to have a little cushion on the bubble. 3 prime Q1 opportunities. Play like we did yesterday and there?s no reason we can?t win all 4. Just have to punch back when the other team makes their run.

Win 3 and we would be off the bubble, solidly in.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Win 3 and we would be off the bubble, solidly in.

We're not on the bubble after yesterday. We're comfortably in. Now 3-1 over the next 4 & we start talking about how high a seed we can be.

[smootness]

We're not on the bubble after yesterday. We're comfortably in. Now 3-1 over the next 4 & we start talking about how high a seed we can be.

Sure, but it's still too early for that to mean much. We would be in today, but could easily be right back on the bubble in a week.

[CadaverDawg]

At Kentucky and then At Texas Tech is a brutal week. Especially following a must win rivalry game. Very tough two week stretch. We should all be thrilled with 2-2 if we can make it happen. Can't lose to Ole Miss at home, then find a way to win 1 on the road. Anything more is gravy, and very big gravy at that.

Beat Florida and Ole Miss this week, and all the sudden things get very interesting. Go 3-1 or 4-0 over the next 4 and the Hump will be sold out versus Soukerlina

[msstate7]

3 Q1 win opportunities in the next 4 games.

[Ari Gold]

We're not on the bubble after yesterday. We're comfortably in. Now 3-1 over the next 4 & we start talking about how high a seed we can be.

Correct.. hell 2-2 we are solidly in.. that would a road win over a team that’s at worse a quad 2

[Tater]

Kermit vs Howland was 3-3 going into the season. Kermit won at home, Howland will likely do the same.

Howland has had a much more talented team than Kermit every year. Kermit has his # in that he punches well above his weight against us.

[Tater]

We're not on the bubble after yesterday. We're comfortably in. Now 3-1 over the next 4 & we start talking about how high a seed we can be.

https://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-tournament/bracketology/

Based on this, we're in the 11 seed grouping. I consider the 11s personally as the "bubble". Top 40 in NET is off the bubble. According to that site, 21 wins puts us at 85% in. So 9 wins across our remaining 16 + sec tourney. Looking at the schedule that is doable, we just have to do it.

https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/bracketology/ncaa-bracketology-projecting-2022-march-madness-men-field

On Lunardi's we are the last 4 byes on the bubble.

http://www.bracketmatrix.com/

On this I'm not sure if it's up to date as of today but it's the composite that I follow. Has us as 11 as well but a lot aren't updated. And of those that are i'm not sure if 1/15 is EoD or BoD. Will check it tomorrow to see where we move.

[chef dixon]

We need probably 2 more wins on par with the Bama win and no more than 1 or 2 more WTF losses

[Ifyouonlyknew]

https://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-tournament/bracketology/

Based on this, we're in the 11 seed grouping. I consider the 11s personally as the "bubble". Top 40 in NET is off the bubble. According to that site, 21 wins puts us at 85% in. So 9 wins across our remaining 16 + sec tourney. Looking at the schedule that is doable, we just have to do it.

https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/bracketology/ncaa-bracketology-projecting-2022-march-madness-men-field

On Lunardi's we are the last 4 byes on the bubble.

http://www.bracketmatrix.com/

On this I'm not sure if it's up to date as of today but it's the composite that I follow. Has us as 11 as well but a lot aren't updated. And of those that are i'm not sure if 1/15 is EoD or BoD. Will check it tomorrow to see where we move.

They haven't updated yet. The win puts on the 9 line 10 at worst. We go 3-1 in the next 4 then we're 15-5 with at least 2 more Quad 1 wins. That would put us on the 6-7 line.

[Tater]

Shhhhhh. Don?t let facts trump the narrative... before too long some will blame CBH for baseball or football losses

I see you take a lot of personal defense of Howland which is similar to a lot of Leach-truthers. The difference is that one just finished year 2 and one has only had one season where he at least matched his talent or punched above it (and to howland's credit, regular season wise we punched above that year. postseason we snapped back to reality.)

He's constantly under punching his talent. Which, while yes, he's a great recruiter and has brought great talent to this school, it's just frustrating to be punching so low. With our schedule we should be at worst 15-1 right now. We've had it very very easy. And Alabama was the best team we've played. You could chalk the Louisville loss up to injuries, but the Minnesota / CSU / OM games should have been wins and we lost to a team worse than us. No ifs ands buts. Kermit constantly brings his best against us and we don't bring our best. If we lose the Egg next year then Leach is going to have the same issue there. Regardless of sport, State fans view losing to OM as 4+ losses in weight. Doubly so when they are less talented than us. It kills fan momentum for an already tough sell basketball wise.

(I generally would rather watch my Pelicans more than watching State because the brand of basketball is such a slog and the effort that is displayed isn't a normal State team).

All that to say, a win like this, a win over OM, and a win over UK (the Florida / TT are gravy but ultimately irrelevant to fanbase perception comparatively) and after the UK game, the fanbase will be ALL IN. And it's doable. Top 25 talent. We could very well go 4-0. But win the two important ones and the fans will be in it.

Case in point, getting the kentucky monkey off of our back made the fan base energized last year through the NIT run. Howland has a golden opportunity to do so again. I personally think even just the kentucky win will be huge. But an OM loss would make the week preceding that game to be difficult. But looking at it, 9-10 wins locks us solidly in. Win against OM/UK and make the tourney and he's earned himself two more years.

[Tater]

They haven't updated yet. The win puts on the 9 line 10 at worst. We go 3-1 in the next 4 then we're 15-5 with at least 2 more Quad 1 wins. That would put us on the 6-7 line.

The top one did update. Prior to the game yesterday we were in the next 4 out below minnesota. That's why I called that one out specifically, sorry for omitting that.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

The top one did update. Prior to the game yesterday we were in the next 4 out below minnesota. That's why I called that one out specifically, sorry for omitting that.

No worries. A 3-1 stretch here would put us in a great position. 2-2 & we're still in just not as comfortable.

[msstate7]

The top one did update. Prior to the game yesterday we were in the next 4 out below minnesota. That's why I called that one out specifically, sorry for omitting that.

Looks like that site projects tourney on how they see season playing out. They have us at 19-12. If that's our record, I think they're right. I think we have a shot to be better than that though

[MoreCowbell]

That was a game we lose every other Howland year. Maybe this team is different. I like it.

[Ari Gold]

I see you take a lot of personal defense of Howland which is similar to a lot of Leach-truthers. The difference is that one just finished year 2 and one has only had one season where he at least matched his talent or punched above it (and to howland's credit, regular season wise we punched above that year. postseason we snapped back to reality.)

He's constantly under punching his talent. Which, while yes, he's a great recruiter and has brought great talent to this school, it's just frustrating to be punching so low. With our schedule we should be at worst 15-1 right now. We've had it very very easy. And Alabama was the best team we've played. You could chalk the Louisville loss up to injuries, but the Minnesota / CSU / OM games should have been wins and we lost to a team worse than us. No ifs ands buts. Kermit constantly brings his best against us and we don't bring our best. If we lose the Egg next year then Leach is going to have the same issue there. Regardless of sport, State fans view losing to OM as 4+ losses in weight. Doubly so when they are less talented than us. It kills fan momentum for an already tough sell basketball wise.

(I generally would rather watch my Pelicans more than watching State because the brand of basketball is such a slog and the effort that is displayed isn't a normal State team).

All that to say, a win like this, a win over OM, and a win over UK (the Florida / TT are gravy but ultimately irrelevant to fanbase perception comparatively) and after the UK game, the fanbase will be ALL IN. And it's doable. Top 25 talent. We could very well go 4-0. But win the two important ones and the fans will be in it.

Case in point, getting the kentucky monkey off of our back made the fan base energized last year through the NIT run. Howland has a golden opportunity to do so again. I personally think even just the kentucky win will be huge. But an OM loss would make the week preceding that game to be difficult. But looking at it, 9-10 wins locks us solidly in. Win against OM/UK and make the tourney and he's earned himself two more years.

I stopped reading after the 3rd “punching” reference .

[Tater]

I stopped reading after the 3rd “punching” reference .

Bragging about your own bad reading ability is a weird flex but ok

[Ifyouonlyknew]

We're 12-4 (3-1) with our 2nd best player having played 6 games & our best bench scorer not being healthy all year. Yes we've had 1 really frustrating loss (OM) & 1 game where we gave away a chance at big win (Colorado St). People want to act like we've been bad or under achieved all year are just incorrect.

[basedog]

We're 12-4 (3-1) with our 2nd best player having played 6 games & our best bench scorer not being healthy all year. Yes we've had 1 really frustrating loss (OM) & 1 game where we gave away a chance at big win (Colorado St). People want to act like we've been bad or under achieved all year are just incorrect.

I agree, we beat a good team last night.

[Ari Gold]

We're 12-4 (3-1) with our 2nd best player having played 6 games & our best bench scorer not being healthy all year. Yes we've had 1 really frustrating loss (OM) & 1 game where we gave away a chance at big win (Colorado St). People want to act like we've been bad or under achieved all year are just incorrect.

I have said it for years , we Have some of the dumbest fans when it comes to hoops.

[Ari Gold]

Bragging about your own bad reading ability is a weird flex but ok


I gave reading your long post a punchers chance but I just lost interest.

[HoopsDawg]

I have said it for years , we Have some of the dumbest fans when it comes to hoops.

Our hoops fan base IQ is very low.

[HoopsDawg]

We're 12-4 (3-1) with our 2nd best player having played 6 games & our best bench scorer not being healthy all year. Yes we've had 1 really frustrating loss (OM) & 1 game where we gave away a chance at big win (Colorado St). People want to act like we've been bad or under achieved all year are just incorrect.

1 nitpick, I think Brooks is better than Tolu. Tolu isn't a very good defender.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

1 nitpick, I think Brooks is better than Tolu. Tolu isn't a very good defender.

In the P&R no doubt Garrison is a better defender. Around the rim give me Tolu. Bigger Centers would feast on Garrison in this league. Brooks from OM just dominated Bc he was just so much bigger. I think they actually compliment each other well on both ends. I do need Garrison to get his stroke from 3 back.

[Rawdawg]

Our hoops fan base IQ is very low.

It?s because most fans don?t understand the analytics and metrics of basketball and how that effects your seeding. Most fans see 4 stars and assume that because we have 4 stars we should win every game. They dont realize that in college basketball the home team wins 72% of the time. So when we lose at Ole Miss the world melts but in reality its just hard to win on the road especially in conference. They also don?t realize that losing on the road doesn?t hurt you one bit in seeding which is all that matters.

[Ari Gold]

Our hoops fan base IQ is very low.

Very correct..

[msstate7]

Florida isn't a good rebounding or 3-pt shooting team. On the road, but seems like a decent matchup for us

[R2Dawg]

Florida isn't a good rebounding or 3-pt shooting team. On the road, but seems like a decent matchup for us

I'm curious to see how we handle their big man. He ain't as good as guy at Aub but will be interesting.

[Tater]

I gave reading your long post a punchers chance but I just lost interest.

So you're bragging about having such little concentration that you can't read a couple paragraphs? You can't say you lost interest because you responded anyways and that took interest on your part.... It's a dumb brag and a bad putdown. Poor execution.

[Tater]

Very correct..

He repeated the same thing you said and you just said very correct to him.

What redundancy lmao. I think you might actually have some cognitive misfires you should get checked out by a doctor. Or are you of the opinion that therapy is for the weak?

[RougeDawg]

Looking back the OM game may be an outlier. If we continue to ply well with Tolu back, maybe that was the main reason for the head scratchers when he was out. We looked really bad at times. We should have the talent to compete with a key guy out. Can one person really make that much of a difference, mainly in the effort category? The last two games look that way. Hopefully it continues.

[Ari Gold]

He repeated the same thing you said and you just said very correct to him.

What redundancy lmao. I think you might actually have some cognitive misfires you should get checked out by a doctor. Or are you of the opinion that therapy is for the weak?

I will give it a punchers chance.

[NCMSTFAN]

1 nitpick, I think Brooks is better than Tolu. Tolu isn't a very good defender.
I initially thought the same thing until seeing Brooks disappear alot this season. He did have a good game against Bama though. If he can finish the season playing anywhere close to how he played his Junior year at UNC we will be a tough out with those two in the paint.

[MoreCowbell]

These next 4 games could very well define our season.

@Florida
OM
@UK
@TTU

Definitely need to go 2-2 but 3-1 would be amazing and would set us up to have a little cushion on the bubble. 3 prime Q1 opportunities. Play like we did yesterday and there?s no reason we can?t win all 4. Just have to punch back when the other team makes their run.

Need to win OM and TT

[MoreCowbell]

We dropped 1 spot in NET to 48th. Ark jumped 31 spots. Bama dropped 1 spot. We do have a Q1 and Q2 win now though

How does a Q1 win drop us what the hell

[msstate7]

How does a Q1 win drop us what the hell

Man, I have no idea. We got a Q1 and Q2 win Saturday with ark moving up. Nevertheless, it's in our hands now... if we keep winning, we'll make it

[MoreCowbell]

We're 12-4 (3-1) with our 2nd best player having played 6 games & our best bench scorer not being healthy all year. Yes we've had 1 really frustrating loss (OM) & 1 game where we gave away a chance at big win (Colorado St). People want to act like we've been bad or under achieved all year are just incorrect.

This year? No, we have been respectable so far. We have under achieved under Howland though if you go by talent. That is why I and a lot of fans have taken a wait and see approach. The Alabama game is the type of game we usually lose under Howland but with that win I have bought in. This team might be different than his prior teams hopefully.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

This year? No, we have been respectable so far. We have under achieved under Howland though if you go by talent. That is why I and a lot of fans have taken a wait and see approach. The Alabama game is the type of game we usually lose under Howland but with that win I have bought in. This team might be different than his prior teams hopefully.

This team has nothing to do with the past though. They're being punished for something they didn't do. The fact our fans have required this program to win at a certain level before they support is crazy to me. Then it only takes 1 loss for fans to just say oh well we don't care again just doesn't sit well with me. That horse has been beaten to death though so I'll move along.

[AROB44]

The fact our fans have required this program to win at a certain level before they support is crazy to me. Then it only takes 1 loss for fans to just say oh well we don't care again just doesn't sit well with me.

Amen!!!

[NCMSTFAN]

The fact our fans have required this program to win at a certain level before they support is crazy to me. Then it only takes 1 loss for fans to just say oh well we don't care again just doesn't sit well with me.

Amen!!!

Thank you for saying this! I've said it multiple times on multiple threads about all of our sports. I genuinely don't understand how people call themselves fans... but when we are losing its "I'm not supporting this team anymore" "If they start winning the fans will come back" mentality. That's not what being a fan means.. You love and support your team through ups and downs no matter what.

[smootness]

The end of Stans' tenure soured much of our fanbase on the program and began the 'Ugh, these guys don't care' thought. Then the Rick Ray years convinced them there was no need to care about the team anymore.

It will take more than making a Tourney every once in a while to bring them all the way back.

[Ari Gold]

This team has nothing to do with the past though. They're being punished for something they didn't do. The fact our fans have required this program to win at a certain level before they support is crazy to me. Then it only takes 1 loss for fans to just say oh well we don't care again just doesn't sit well with me. That horse has been beaten to death though so I'll move along.

Excellent post..

[Ari Gold]

The end of Stans' tenure soured much of our fanbase on the program and began the 'Ugh, these guys don't care' thought. Then the Rick Ray years convinced them there was no need to care about the team anymore.

It will take more than making a Tourney every once in a while to bring them all the way back.


Which again makes these people the dumbest of all of our fans..

[LC Dawg]

The end of Stans' tenure soured much of our fanbase on the program and began the 'Ugh, these guys don't care' thought. Then the Rick Ray years convinced them there was no need to care about the team anymore.

It will take more than making a Tourney every once in a while to bring them all the way back.
In addition to souring existing fans the end of Stansbury and the Ray era produced a lot of alumni who don't give a damn about basketball. My daughter attended State from 2012-2017 and probably attended 2 basketball games. Those students during those years became alumni who don't care about basketball.
I graduated in 1993 and I was probably a bigger fan of our basketball program than football.

[Quaoarsking]

How does a Q1 win drop us what the hell

Everybody else moves up and down around us. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

[smootness]

Which again makes these people the dumbest of all of our fans..

Maybe, but it's pretty easy to see how it happened. It's not like our basketball program has produced much to be excited about over the last 10+ years.

[CadaverDawg]

Maybe, but it's pretty easy to see how it happened. It's not like our basketball program has produced much to be excited about over the last 10+ years.

Yeah, I don't get the shock. When we suck in football attendance drops...were there not bigger crowds during Vic's tenure than there are now on the Women's side?

I mean, I get it, in a perfect world we pack out every stadium regardless of how shitty the product is because "that's what fans are supposed to do"....but that isn't reality. We were far more exciting to watch, even when we lost, during the Stans years, and we had bigger crowds. It's entertainment at the end of the day, and even when we win, the Howland teams aren't that fun to watch. Is what it is.

Again, not saying it's ideal...but to say I'm surprised would be a lie. Winning helps, putting an exciting brand of basketball on the court helps a ton too though.

Another example...I hated watching Cohen's teams play bc the small ball was atrocious. I ended up watching a ton bc we started winning and I love college baseball, but there was nothing exciting about watching that style of play.

[yjnkdawg]

Thank you for saying this! I've said it multiple times on multiple threads about all of our sports. I genuinely don't understand how people call themselves fans... but when we are losing its "I'm not supporting this team anymore" "If they start winning the fans will come back" mentality. That's not what being a fan means.. You love and support your team through ups and downs no matter what.

He was quoting what IYOK posted and I agree too.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Maybe, but it's pretty easy to see how it happened. It's not like our basketball program has produced much to be excited about over the last 10+ years.

Howland has won enough to get more support than he's gotten. I think you can agree with that.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Yeah, I don't get the shock. When we suck in football attendance drops...were there not bigger crowds during Vic's tenure than there are now on the Women's side?

I mean, I get it, in a perfect world we pack out every stadium regardless of how shitty the product is because "that's what fans are supposed to do"....but that isn't reality. We were far more exciting to watch, even when we lost, during the Stans years, and we had bigger crowds. It's entertainment at the end of the day, and even when we win, the Howland teams aren't that fun to watch. Is what it is.

Again, not saying it's ideal...but to say I'm surprised would be a lie. Winning helps, putting an exciting brand of basketball on the court helps a ton too though.

Another example...I hated watching Cohen's teams play bc the small ball was atrocious. I ended up watching a ton bc we started winning and I love college baseball, but there was nothing exciting about watching that style of play.

That's just it. No one is asking for sold out crowds. 3-4K crowds for SEC games are embarrassing. If we could consistently have 6-8k fans for SEC games it would be huge. That's all I'm asking for. This team has won enough for that.

[BeardoMSU]

YI hated watching Cohen's teams play bc the small ball was atrocious. I ended up watching a ton bc we started winning and I love college baseball, but there was nothing exciting about watching that style of play.

I can't remember who it was that posted some comparative stats for our teams over the years (probably Todd; if it was someone else, I apologize), but seeing that the 2013 team only had like 32 or so HRs (with Hunter getting 16 of them) compared to the 70+ we hit this year, with 5 guys in the order with double digits, was definitely eye opening, and certainly more fun, lol.

Dingers are fun, but even last year it never felt like they were our bread and butter.

[CadaverDawg]

That's just it. No one is asking for sold out crowds. 3-4K crowds for SEC games are embarrassing. If we could consistently have 6-8k fans for SEC games it would be huge. That's all I'm asking for. This team has won enough for that.

True, and I think we'll see a big crowd Saturday and going forward hopefully. Unfortunately we dont have another Saturday home game for like a month after Saturday.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

True, and I think we'll see a big crowd Saturday and going forward hopefully. Unfortunately we dont have another Saturday home game for like a month after Saturday.

I hope you're right. I'll say this & leave it alone. If things this season hold like they should, this would be the 4th time in the last 5 seasons that we'd finish top half of the SEC. This program deserves more support. Again not sellouts but 6-8k consistently for SEC games isn't an unreasonable expectation.

[Tater]

I hope you're right. I'll say this & leave it alone. If things this season hold like they should, this would be the 4th time in the last 5 seasons that we'd finish top half of the SEC. This program deserves more support. Again not sellouts but 6-8k consistently for SEC games isn't an unreasonable expectation.

Marketing sucks. Product is uninspiring and bland basketball. Success is non-existent, our last Tourney win was 14 years ago. There was a better show in town for a while. Covid kinda still is a thing whether we want it to be or not. The seating arrangement is ass for both Students and long time ticket holders who were alienated with the reseating.

Yea you've got your 5k or so die-hards that make every game that's feasible, but you're average poster here isn't reality. You've got dumbasses like Ari calling people stupid for not supporting this when he clearly hasn't spoken to anyone other than a mirror since march 2020.

How the hell do you sell going to a basketball game to someone who doesn't go right now? Why make the drive, fight awful traffic, pay for parking, watch an uninspiring product, most likely get disappointed, fight awful traffic back... all the while in the middle of a pandemic. Because of a sense of duty to the school? That may work on you, me, or your average forum poster. But it doesn't work on the average joe. What incentive are we giving kids to come?

You can say I'm complaining and nitpicking and spoiled, but I'm telling you people who point these things out aren't speaking about things that stop them. I'm telling you what stops my fellow alumni, what stops students now. The Griss got packed out for volleyball when those girls kicked it up a notch. The Hump got packed out when those girls kicked it into overdrive. The mens team just isn't doing anything to inspire the sidewalk fan.

Part of the problem is the marketing of everything but baseball needs an overhaul. I'm about to the point myself where I'm gonna just bang on Cohen's door to let me help set up a school program to revolutionize State's digital content and vastly improve social media presence. I do similar shit for a living and have almost built up enough of a nest egg to take on a passion job at a big pay cut to fix this mess.

But really, I'm curious how you people think you can attract someone to going to these games that currently has 0 interest other than "school duty." I'll hang up and listen.

[NCMSTFAN]

Marketing sucks. Product is uninspiring and bland basketball. Success is non-existent, our last Tourney win was 14 years ago. There was a better show in town for a while. Covid kinda still is a thing whether we want it to be or not. The seating arrangement is ass for both Students and long time ticket holders who were alienated with the reseating.

Yea you've got your 5k or so die-hards that make every game that's feasible, but you're average poster here isn't reality. You've got dumbasses like Ari calling people stupid for not supporting this when he clearly hasn't spoken to anyone other than a mirror since march 2020.

How the hell do you sell going to a basketball game to someone who doesn't go right now? Why make the drive, fight awful traffic, pay for parking, watch an uninspiring product, most likely get disappointed, fight awful traffic back... all the while in the middle of a pandemic. Because of a sense of duty to the school? That may work on you, me, or your average forum poster. But it doesn't work on the average joe. What incentive are we giving kids to come?

You can say I'm complaining and nitpicking and spoiled, but I'm telling you people who point these things out aren't speaking about things that stop them. I'm telling you what stops my fellow alumni, what stops students now. The Griss got packed out for volleyball when those girls kicked it up a notch. The Hump got packed out when those girls kicked it into overdrive. The mens team just isn't doing anything to inspire the sidewalk fan.

Part of the problem is the marketing of everything but baseball needs an overhaul. I'm about to the point myself where I'm gonna just bang on Cohen's door to let me help set up a school program to revolutionize State's digital content and vastly improve social media presence. I do similar shit for a living and have almost built up enough of a nest egg to take on a passion job at a big pay cut to fix this mess.

But really, I'm curious how you people think you can attract someone to going to these games that currently has 0 interest other than "school duty." I'll hang up and listen.

I'll admit, I'm one of the ones complaining about the low attendance but your post makes alot of sense. I don't have the answers either, but I know crowd sizes and fan support also affects recruiting

[Tater]

I'll admit, I'm one of the ones complaining about the low attendance but your post makes alot of sense. I don't have the answers either, but I know crowd sizes and fan support also affects recruiting

Yep. And anyone can point out a problem like several here have done. But we pay big bucks for problem solvers and project managers who can engineer solutions. (By we, I mean America, not State. State still hasn't done the first step. Identify that there's a problem.)

[Quaoarsking]

I'm about to the point myself where I'm gonna just bang on Cohen's door to let me help set up a school program to revolutionize State's digital content and vastly improve social media presence. I do similar shit for a living and have almost built up enough of a nest egg to take on a passion job at a big pay cut to fix this mess.

By all means do it. We need some drastic improvement in this area, so if this is your area of expertise, go for it.

[MoreCowbell]

Yeah, I don't get the shock. When we suck in football attendance drops...were there not bigger crowds during Vic's tenure than there are now on the Women's side?

I mean, I get it, in a perfect world we pack out every stadium regardless of how shitty the product is because "that's what fans are supposed to do"....but that isn't reality. We were far more exciting to watch, even when we lost, during the Stans years, and we had bigger crowds. It's entertainment at the end of the day, and even when we win, the Howland teams aren't that fun to watch. Is what it is.

Again, not saying it's ideal...but to say I'm surprised would be a lie. Winning helps, putting an exciting brand of basketball on the court helps a ton too though.

Another example...I hated watching Cohen's teams play bc the small ball was atrocious. I ended up watching a ton bc we started winning and I love college baseball, but there was nothing exciting about watching that style of play.

This

[MoreCowbell]

By all means do it. We need some drastic improvement in this area, so if this is your area of expertise, go for it.

Stricklin excelled at this type of stuff. It is severely lacking under Cohen

[Tater]

Stricklin excelled at this type of stuff. It is severely lacking under Cohen

And there's no excuse for it. You've got graphic design, communications, etc. majors all on campus. Outsource it to student projects / interns and set up goals for it.

Cohen is a peter principle worker drone that still hasn't learned the project management and soft skills to delegate tasks and move them to people best suited for them. Should he be running the twitter accounts or have sign off? **** no. Get someone who's in tune with the 20-35 demo for twitter, the 30-50 demo for facebook, the 15-25 demo for tik tok and go to town.

How there isn't constant buildup for our baseball team and our first National Title Defense is a ****in joke. You want the causal conversation to be about you. You want the free air time because your account got in a joke off. And you can just tap on to a giant pool of college students that would love to put this on their resume.