Too funny- the Bruce Pearl groupies and the Stands Lovers

[quickstrike2]

I really dont know what to make of all of this in basketball. I hear one day Ray is done- then I hear from some higher ups Keenum and Strick are locking themselves in and saying 2 more years. This is the most divided Ive seen our people in all my years. Basketball has turned into an ugly battleground

2 more year commitment would be so flipping stupid. I can see another year if the team builds on this 2 game stretch, but no way I could see saying give him 2 years. Its all performance based now, win or get going, there is no excuses and no rebuilding talk. I would really have to question our administrations ability and motives toward basketball if we handed him 2.

[MetEdDawg]

This has turned into one of the more odd situations I've seen with us. In the most recent years, we all knew it was pretty much time for Polk and Croom to go. Most of us knew it was time for Stansbury to go if we were willing to deal with the rebuilding process.

But this situation is so strange. We were all 100% on board two weeks ago for Ray to be gone. Then he beats Stallings at home and Pearl on the road and now all of a sudden this ship might be turned around. But to what degree no one knows because there is still a lot of ball left to be played. Even so, being all in for 2 more years at this junction makes less than zero sense to me and I can't believe the President and AD of a major university like ours would think that based on where we are currently at.

Here's what I will say. We should all want Rick Ray to succeed. It means MSU is succeeding and we have to make that our #1 priority and evaluate the situation appropriately based on that fact. If Ray turns this around and get us to 7 conference wins, he has to stay and ride this group of kids out that he started with. I was all in on Ray when he got here, then after non conference play I was all in on it's time to make a change. Now we've turned it around a little bit and we are in wait and see mode.

Best thing we can do is show up to the games, support Ray and the team, and do whatever it is we can to put ourselves on the right track. We need people to show up, we need people to get behind the team, and we just need to watch what unfolds over the next two months. But we need to be all in until it's apparent that a change needs to be made and we aren't at that point currently.

[CadaverDawg]

Bruce pearl is in year 1 of a major rebuild. Rick ray is in year 3 with a core of juniors that should know the system backwards and forwards. If we champion tonight as Rick ray > bruce pearl, then we deserve to have Rick Ray for the next 20 years. Pearl won't be struggling to finish .500 overall in year 3 at auburn.

Exactly.

Overreaction thread.

[CadaverDawg]

our basketball program is fine. nothing to be concerned about here.***

I'd take Bruce Pearl 8 times a week over what we're putting on the floor right now.

Yep

[msstate7]

The turnaround lately is due to players getting healthy imo. Ready and sword had back surgery like a month before the season, but they seem to be getting right now. Ware missed games. Dunlap is out, but that's not a big deal. Since the injury bug bit us at the beginning of the year, we had to count on Daniels, ndoye, bloodman, and black way too much. Now that we're getting healthy, those guys can be role players instead of guys we depended on.

[Jacksondevildog]

If our administration is staying behind Rick Ray, our boosters need to ante up and get Malik Newman.

I really dont know what to make of all of this in basketball. I hear one day Ray is done- then I hear from some higher ups Keenum and Strick are locking themselves in and saying 2 more years. This is the most divided Ive seen our people in all my years. Basketball has turned into an ugly battleground

[engie]

There is zero chance that Strick and Keenum are actually marrying themselves to Ray right now. It makes for good internet chatter -- but that's about it. They are going to publicly support Ray right up until the day they fire him if it comes to that. The team I've seen the last 3 games and particularly last night is good enough to get Ray another year. The one we've seen otherwise was not.

Still no reason to downplay a win in a building we've never won in before. Our last win in Auburn was in 2008. We'd lost 5 straight there -- several(read most) as heavy favorites.

[msstate7]

If our administration is staying behind Rick Ray, our boosters need to ante up and get Malik Newman.

Amen.

[drunkernhelldawg]

This has turned into one of the more odd situations I've seen with us. In the most recent years, we all knew it was pretty much time for Polk and Croom to go. Most of us knew it was time for Stansbury to go if we were willing to deal with the rebuilding process.

But this situation is so strange. We were all 100% on board two weeks ago for Ray to be gone. Then he beats Stallings at home and Pearl on the road and now all of a sudden this ship might be turned around. But to what degree no one knows because there is still a lot of ball left to be played. Even so, being all in for 2 more years at this junction makes less than zero sense to me and I can't believe the President and AD of a major university like ours would think that based on where we are currently at.

Here's what I will say. We should all want Rick Ray to succeed. It means MSU is succeeding and we have to make that our #1 priority and evaluate the situation appropriately based on that fact. If Ray turns this around and get us to 7 conference wins, he has to stay and ride this group of kids out that he started with. I was all in on Ray when he got here, then after non conference play I was all in on it's time to make a change. Now we've turned it around a little bit and we are in wait and see mode.

Best thing we can do is show up to the games, support Ray and the team, and do whatever it is we can to put ourselves on the right track. We need people to show up, we need people to get behind the team, and we just need to watch what unfolds over the next two months. But we need to be all in until it's apparent that a change needs to be made and we aren't at that point currently.

Well said.

[Coach34]

I'm not saying that I want Ray to stay another season
Im not saying I told you so after last night- I'm simply laughing at the haters.

But I am hearing from people that give a lot more money than I do to the school that Keenum and Strick have promised Ray 5 years and that by God they are going to give it. I can't say that it's gospel and we'll see what happens. I'm just passing along what the talk is.

[engie]

Promised 4 -- to promised 5 -- based on?

No chance they've seen enough to up and decide he deserves year 5. Which would mean they'd have to actually go in now and publicly extend him a year, subject to IHL review and public records. Sorry -- doesn't even remotely pass the sniff test. Not at this point in time.

People are talking and everyone has their own agenda -- but this situation is pretty easy to see for what it is when you take a step back.

[maroonmania]

I'm not saying that I want Ray to stay another season
Im not saying I told you so after last night- I'm simply laughing at the haters.

But I am hearing from people that give a lot more money than I do to the school that Keenum and Strick have promised Ray 5 years and that by God they are going to give it. I can't say that it's gospel and we'll see what happens. I'm just passing along what the talk is.

Yea, and LT promised Croom how many years? Apparently Croom thought is was 10.

[Liverpooldawg]

So Coach, now beating AUBURN in basketball is worthy of celebration? You used to go off on Stans when he didn't beat them bad enough. When we lost to them it was the end of the world. I miss those days. Given where we have fallen to that was a nice win but only because of where we are now. Let's not get carried away.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

I like Ray & want Ray to succeed but no final decision on next year has been made let alone 2yrs. Do Stricklin & Keenum want Ray to be successful? No question but these last 2 games haven't earned him 2yrs not even 1yr yet. Contrary to popular belief Stricklin isn't stupid. He's not tying himself down with any statements about Ray's future right now bc nobody knows what this team will do from day to day. Ray has 13-15 more games to figure out what his tenure will be. Stricklin will guage interest for the job all the while hoping Ray gets this thing turned around for good. That's where we are right now.

[Liverpooldawg]

I'm happy that the team got a road win and broke a losing streak.

That said, let's pump the brakes. Sly Croom beat Nick Saban.

Yep.

[MetEdDawg]

So Coach, now beating AUBURN in basketball is worthy of celebration? You used to go off in Stans when he didn't beat them bad enough. When we lost to them was the end of the world. I miss those days. Given where we have fallen to that was a nice win but only because of where we are now. Let's not get carried away.

It's not worthy of celebration, but we lost to worse Barbee Auburn teams with infinitely better Stansbury teams than we have now under Ray. It's not a celebration, but I think there is something to be said in favor of Ray beating a Bruce Pearl led Auburn team as equals on the road while Stansbury lost some road games to Tony Barbee led Auburn teams when we were heavy favorites.

I don't think any of us are saying celebrate and keep Ray 100%. But we are saying that the team is playing better for sure and we need to rally behind that. It's correct that we were upset under Stansbury if he lost to Auburn. But don't let that fool you into saying we should have kept him and we would wish for those days now. I would not wish for those days at all. That situation was toxic and awful and had to be torn down. We can say we wish for days where we had better expectations and better talent, but I wouldn't wish for the state of our program internally back at all and the subsequent underperforming that almost always followed.

[CadaverDawg]

I'm not saying that I want Ray to stay another season
Im not saying I told you so after last night- I'm simply laughing at the haters.

But I am hearing from people that give a lot more money than I do to the school that Keenum and Strick have promised Ray 5 years and that by God they are going to give it. I can't say that it's gospel and we'll see what happens. I'm just passing along what the talk is.

Why would they give a lot of money to the program if they were making idiotic decisions like that?

[PSYCHO(thesis)DEFENSE]

Best thing we can do is show up to the games, support Ray and the team, and do whatever it is we can to put ourselves on the right track. We need people to show up, we need people to get behind the team, and we just need to watch what unfolds over the next two months. But we need to be all in until it's apparent that a change needs to be made and we aren't at that point currently.

THIS is what fans do. Not declare that the season is over before conference play starts, pull all forms of previous support, & stop enjoying wins in fear they might reflect positively on the coaches.

[Liverpooldawg]

It's not worthy of celebration, but we lost to worse Barbee Auburn teams with infinitely better Stansbury teams than we have now under Ray. It's not a celebration, but I think there is something to be said in favor of Ray beating a Bruce Pearl led Auburn team as equals on the road while Stansbury lost some road games to Tony Barbee led Auburn teams when we were heavy favorites.

I don't think any of us are saying celebrate and keep Ray 100%. But we are saying that the team is playing better for sure and we need to rally behind that. It's correct that we were upset under Stansbury if he lost to Auburn. But don't let that fool you into saying we should have kept him and we would wish for those days now. I would not wish for those days at all. That situation was toxic and awful and had to be torn down. We can say we wish for days where we had better expectations and better talent, but I wouldn't wish for the state of our program internally back at all and the subsequent underperforming that almost always followed.

I miss being upset when we lose. I miss being upset when we didn't win by the ammount we thought we should have. I miss being even close to the bubble. I'm not thrilled with thinking anytime we win over anybody we have done something to get excited about. I have nothing against Ray and I really do hope we have turned the corner. Time will tell on that. it is still "interesting" to see how far some folk's standards have fallen.

[MetEdDawg]

I miss being upset when we lose. I miss being upset when we didn't win by the ammount we thought we should have. I miss being even close to the bubble. I'm not thrilled with thinking anytime we win over anybody we have done something to get excited about. I have nothing against Ray and I really do hope we have turned the corner. Time will tell on that. it is still "interesting" to see how far some folk's standards have fallen.

I will give you the bolded for sure. Two wins in a row doesn't excite me yet. But it does make me reevaluate my stance on the him having to go 100%. The next month of games sucks. Very tough schedule because the SEC is up this year in my opinion, but it's a perfect opportunity to see what this team has and if Ray can build on these two games.

And while I do miss the days of being on the bubble and being in tournaments, I don't miss the almosts and should haves and all the missed opportunities and unreached expectations (which I believe were all very reasonable) we very rarely capitalized on. Those last few years of Stansbury were hard to watch. I don't think I've been more mad than being at the Rider game and watching that unfold.