Coach, you can get MSU and 20+ points tonight

[coastdoglover]

But we played better than .500 basketball and we won't get to that point in the league in this regime, Book it.

We were by the end of the Stans era, too.

[MarketingBully01]

Woohoo! 8 point improvement! We need a ****ing shooter!

[Coach34]

But we played better than .500 basketball and we won't get to that point in the league in this regime, Book it.

We'll get 7-8 this year...and probably 10 next year. I cant wait to throw yet another one back in your diaper on this one

[engie]

But we played better than .500 basketball and we won't get to that point in the league in this regime, Book it.

K. According to you, we were going to win what? 6 last year. Strangely, I didn't catch your predictions this year.

[MarketingBully01]

We need Fred Thomas to start playing much better and get some confidence for that to happen. You can rebound all you want but if you can't put the ball through the hole you are in deep shit. Best half followed by the worst half...

[coastdoglover]

Blame it on Stans, he committed Sword, Thomas, Ware, Roquez, and placed Bouchert at East Mississippi. It is all his fault.

[Dawg61]

We need Fred Thomas to start playing much better and get some confidence for that to happen. You can rebound all you want but if you can't put the ball through the hole you are in deep shit. Best half followed by the worst half...

Thomas is a worse ball handler than he is a shooter and we all see how he is as a shooter. Pollard will be a junior next year and so will Thomas. If y'all can call for Milton to move in football I'm calling for Thomas in basketball. Jacoby Davis can join him.

[engie]

Blame it on Stans, he committed Sword, Thomas, Ware, Roquez, and placed Bouchert at East Mississippi. It is all his fault.

I'm almost shocked that you aren't bitching about that devil Cohen and his cussing...

[Dog316]

We were by the end of the Stans era, too.

Yada, yada, yada. Same ole, same ole. If you actually go to the Humo and look up toward the ceiling you may actually be enlightened.

[engie]

Yada, yada, yada. Same ole, same ole. If you actually go to Dudy Noble and look up toward the outfield you may actually be enlightened.

FIFY

[NewTweederEndzoneDance]

But we played better than .500 basketball and we won't get to that point in the league in this regime, Book it.

the sad thing is that you are actually rooting for this.

[smootness]

Yada, yada, yada. Same ole, same ole. If you actually go to the Humo and look up toward the ceiling you may actually be enlightened.

What would I see that would disprove my point? Our NIT banner from 2012 or 2010? Our co-SEC West title from 2010, where we won 9 games? Our early NCAA exits in 2009 and 2008?

I said that by the end of the Stans era, we were far from an upper echelon team, and that is a fact. I loved Stans, probably more than most State fans. But I also wasn't blinded by that. I may have held on longer than I should have because of this, but eventually I want what is best for Mississippi State, and that was to make a change.

[MarketingBully01]

Yep to make a change but just any change wasn't good for Mississippi State. I'm giving Ray the benefit of the doubt for now but if he isn't winning and he doesn't bring a game changer in next season and if this crap happens again where we only get one recruit out of 4 we signed he really should be fired for incompetence. I mean really. When has that ever happened? I can't ever recall it happening since I have paid attention to basketball and that is well over 20 years.

[MarketingBully01]

Engie, I agree with you if he doesn't win or put us in position by next year then we should cut our losses and find someone else.

[engie]

Exactly. This is what pisses me off to no end about people trying to make sweeping judgements on Ray this season. It was ALWAYS going to be a rebuilding year regardless. Has he made some questionable decisions? Absolutely. But the margin of error is simply too great to try to define his overall tenure and ceiling based on what's happening during 2 rebuilding years. In this way, it is EXACTLY like Cohen's first 2 years. Not to say that Ray turns out that well -- just that it's WAY too damn early to be "making up minds" about him. I'm FAR from a "Ray lover" persay -- but I can see alot of ways in which we're an improved team -- and have hopes for him to figure out the rest.

Either way, year 3 will define him. And if the rubber doesn't start meeting the road in a major way, I'll be questioning him bigtime at best -- and at worst want him gone depending on how "close" I feel like we are going into year 4.

To me, the most agitating part is that this year's team is close to being VERY competitive. That was seen last night prior to the foul trouble when we led by 10 at halftime in Rupp compared to trailing by 23 against a much worse UK team last year. This year, they came on and beat us soundly after all our players were in foul trouble -- last year, they were on cruise control the entire second half.

If we had another 5 and a true shooting guard or two, this would be a team that we couldn't yet write off as potential a tourney team. Ray expected to have both of those things THIS year -- but Lewis and Steele obviously had other plans.

[Coach34]

Ray is going to get 4 years

[MarketingBully01]

Yes, we know Coach he will get four years. I saw a lot to get excited about in the first half last night but we really need for Thomas and Borchert to become more consistent outside threats. We actually rebounded better in the second half but we didn't hit any shots and stopped driving to the basket.

The best way this team can win is by creating turnovers and getting easy baskets on the other end, driving to the basket and drawing fouls, and for Borchert and Thomas to become legitimate outside threats. Also, it would help if Sword can hit FTs like he did last night. He could average 20 points a game if his FT% was at 70%. We also need to avoid foul trouble like the plague if we can. If Henderson doesn't play Saturday, I could see us beating Ole Miss by 10+ if we play like the first half in the Kentucky game. If we play like we did in the second half, Auburn could beat us...

[Raytoraid83]

Ray is going to get 4 years

I'm not so sure about this. If next year there are no signs of improvement and still losing conference games by 20+, I don't know how you can keep him. Eventually it comes to putting butts in the seats and being swac champions and beating maryland eastern shore every year isnt going to do it.

[Coach34]

I'm not so sure about this. If next year there are no signs of improvement and still losing conference games by 20+

He will. From what I hear- they dont even count last season as happening because of all the clean-up he had to do + injuries - this year is effectively Ray's 1st season from an Admin viewpoint. And we are improved as well as look like we are coached very well. We just need more players.

[JOHNHEVESYMADE]

He needs to get Pollard. Something that flew under the radar was that Ray signed a one year contract extension last year per an SEC assistant. Stricklin is going to go to ends of the Earth to make this work because ultimately this falls back on him wether it's success or failure. We need talent and signing guys that are barely averaging double digits points and rebounds isn't going to get the job done. Unless Ray learns how to recruit "the SEC way" then I don't see him succeeding.