Bulldog mentality

[Markusquette]

Have you watched him? 

Yeah, he is really that bad.

I missed the LIU game where he's played most of his time thus far.

[HutchwasClutch]

What a shock, a 4 year NAIA player can't play at this level.  There's a reason people he toiled four years at the NAIA level.   

[wadesworld]

I worry about what it says about our program that we're encouraged by a neutral court loss to a Mississippi State team coming off a season that resulted in the firing of their coach. A team picked to finish 10th in their conference.

I can take a moral victory if we lose a 3 point game at Baylor. Heck even at Purdue. Those are winning, good basketball programs. We lost a neutral court game, with 90% of the crowd behind us, to Mississippi State and their first year (at MS State) head coach.

[Daniel]

Kolek had a rough night passing.  MSU was an aggressive team on both ends of the floor.   The concern is the offensive sets are doing what they are supposed to: get us open looks.  We had enough open looks.  We missed the open shots consistently.    When the plan is to be 3 ball crazy and you don't have consistent reliable 3 ball shooters - well that's a problem.

And rebounding.  There were a couple of defensive rebounds in the last 5 minutes where we were lazy and slow to the ball.  The announcers even said it.   That is unacceptable  and Shaka should be on fire about that.    Could cost games.   Does cost games.

The good part is this team fights to the end despite their shortcomings and gets so close.   f a few things can be adjusted, we could be a good team.    But this was a game, when we were up 4 and had the ball - that should have been put away and won by MU.

[wadesworld]

Also I had this complaint last year. But if we're going to be a pick and roll offense, the screener needs to hit someone. Ball handlers are running 3 feet away from the screener and the defender doesn't even have to go under the screen to avoid it (even with our poor shooting).

[DoctorV]

I worry about what it says about our program that we're encouraged by a neutral court loss to a Mississippi State team coming off a season that resulted in the firing of their coach. A team picked to finish 10th in their conference.

I can take a moral victory if we lose a 3 point game at Baylor. Heck even at Purdue. Those are winning, good basketball programs. We lost a neutral court game, with 90% of the crowd behind us, to Mississippi State and their first year (at MS State) head coach.

I watch a lot of college basketball but context is key here.

Why did they fire their coach? Why are they ranked so much higher than Marquette in the first year under a new coach, when Marquette is seemingly a higher level program?

I appreciate your context btw, because it's important to know the whole story

[MU82]

There are legit concerns but also a lot of hyperbole and overreaction here.

However, it does look like Shaka not bringing in another legitimate big might be a big mistake.

It was pretty easy to see that this would happen, too. It was a costly recruiting miscalculation (or whiff) by Shaka.

We play good enough D to hang in there, but it's dispiriting to force a bad shot, not get the board, force another miss, not get the board again, force yet another miss, and again fail to get the rebound.

Most of the stats were as close as one would expect in a one-possession game. Hard to believe given how cold we were, but we actually shot better than they did (41% to 36%) and hit more 3s than they did (8 to 7). And each team had 16 turnovers.

But Miss St had 12 second-chance points to 0 for Marquette ... and that's the game.

Our personnel is not gonna change -- Justin Lewis ain't walkin' back through that door -- so I hope we do some other things to compensate for what will be a season-long problem. Mainly, we need to force more TOs, convert those into easy buckets, and hit more 3s in our half-court offense. Easier said than done.

I'm trying like heck to stay positive, like Wiz is (good post, TAMU). For one thing, I remember how many Scoopers gave up on last year's team in December. And we're only 5 games into this one. But this wasn't a "good loss," and I'm having trouble being encouraged by it.

[jfp61]

Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory twice in the last week. That's what separates NCAA from NIT teams.

Kam needs to stop with the 30-footers. Someone needs to give Oso a breather. Sean is super exciting to watch. End of the day, worst sports day since I don't know.

You had faith in Greg 😂

[DoctorV]

Also I had this complaint last year. But if we're going to be a pick and roll offense, the screener needs to hit someone. Ball handlers are running 3 feet away from the screener and the defender doesn't even have to go under the screen to avoid it (even with our poor shooting).

Yes I've noticed this.

Screener always dips out early without a bump. Ball handler typically unable to shoot a quick 3 doesn't help.

There was a possession in the 2H where, early in the shot clock, Tyler got the ball at the top of the key with a big on him like 3 feet off and he canned one.

That was the best offensive play of that game imo, because the way this team is designed it needs that

[barfolomew]

I worry about what it says about our program that we're encouraged by a neutral court loss to a Mississippi State team coming off a season that resulted in the firing of their coach. A team picked to finish 10th in their conference.

I can take a moral victory if we lose a 3 point game at Baylor. Heck even at Purdue. Those are winning, good basketball programs. We lost a neutral court game, with 90% of the crowd behind us, to Mississippi State and their first year (at MS State) head coach.

Listen, Ted Cruz knows basketball.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

That wide-open 3 at the top of the key we gave up in the first half off the inbounds with 2 seconds left on the shotclock just popped into my head.

Woof.

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

Me watching Kam chuck from 30 feet.



Shaka needs to rein that in somehow.

[jfp61]

That wide-open 3 at the top of the key we gave up in the first half off the inbounds with 2 seconds left on the shotclock just popped into my head.

Woof.

It's almost as if wanted to allow the center who was 4/21 from three over the past two years to take that shot.

[CountryRoads]

It's almost as if wanted to allow the center who was 4/21 from three over the past two years to take that shot.

You are giving them too much credit there. It was like they were completely not ready for the inbound. Even the announcers commented on it.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

It's almost as if wanted to allow the center who was 4/21 from three over the past two years to take that shot.

Yeah, that wasn't what happened.

[Shooter McGavin]

I really enjoyed the game. After 7 years of Wojo defense I enjoy being able to hang in a rock fight.

Mississippi State is a very good defensive team. All Jans teams are. One more of those open threes goes down and we win the game.

The defense was very very good. Mississippi state isn't an all-world offensive team by any stretch but we shut them down for long stretches multiple times. We did an excellent job keeping Tulo Smith from scoring....but the rebounding was the down fall today.

I like when Kolek makes his threes. Wish he could do it without back breaking TOs in the final minutes.

I came away encouraged. We're going to win a lot of games in the Big East this season. I think we can beat Bucky and the Domers too. Unfortunately, BEast underperformance in the non-con is going to give us a very narrow path to dancing.

This is how I feel as well.  I'm not discouraged yet.  I also believe we beat Wisconsin and ND.  Baylor on the other hand could be a disaster.

[Silkk the Shaka]

You're a sad, pathetic little man.

I'm rusty on my scoop lore, that's Chicos right?

[#UnleashSean]

Sean Jones needs to  start - period....

Enough said sir.

[tower912]

Classic scoop.  Freshman scores two baskets, anoint him.   

It was good to finally see what the hype was about.   He played well.

[CTWarrior]

Therein lies the rub.
This seems not to be a team capable of hitting open looks consistently.

And yet our non-shooters have no qualms about firing threes early in the shot clock.  Kam needs to look for the ball at 25 feet, not 30.

Mississippi State tried to hand us that game.  Missed a ton of no-footers and FTs.  But we couldn't take it.  Very frustrating loss.

Defense was very good, but on the offensive end we need more ball movement, less dribbling and more forays into the lane with kickouts.  We're not great 3 point shooters, so we shouldn't rely on them so much.

After 4 games I didn't think all that much of Sean Jones, but wow, he looked great last night.

[#UnleashSean]

Classic scoop.  Freshman scores two baskets, anoint him.

Sir, that's kind of been my shtick.

[MUDPT]

You had faith in Greg 😂

Who's Greg? Are you talking about Gregg?

[Viper]

Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory twice in the last week. That's what separates NCAA from NIT teams.

Kam needs to stop with the 30-footers. Someone needs to give Oso a breather. Sean is super exciting to watch. End of the day, worst sports day since I don't know.

give Oso a breather? I agree. But, who? That player isn't on the roster.

[muwarrior69]

Opponents: So this is the plan. Keep Marquette out of the paint. Let them chuck 3s (bricks). We win.

[muwarrior69]

give Oso a breather? I agree. But, who? That player isn't on the roster.

Well, Shaka better substitute Gold or Itjere for Oso. They are certainly not going to gain experience or contribute by sitting on the bench.