KSU Game Notes and Thread

[Highway26north]

I wasn't keeping track but it seemed to me the perimeter defense by both teams was good and a lot of the 3-pointers weren't open looks. McGuirl got open looks by retreating to 5 or 6 feet behind the arc. Good strategy if you can pull it off. Do we have a stat on the shooting % for within 2 feet of the rim? I bet it's about the same. Maybe the wisdom is why work for a good shot when you're gonna miss it, or get it blocked, anyway? Since our bigs don't seem likely to turn into lumberjacks over the summer, they maybe need to work on more creative alternative moves to deliver a shot at the rim. We miss Gip!
For all his habits, Carti is awfully valuable to this team and I've come to adopt a beggars can't be choosers attitude toward him. It would be nice if there wasn't a reason to sub him out in the last minute, but if there is, so what? He's still a net positive by a long shot on most nights. As Sloan improves it will make Carti better if the two of them can get used to playing off one another more.

[ksustars754]

It sounds comical but after his freshman year, I said Levi Stockard should be gaining weight. You could tell, well I could tell so I hope the coaches could tell, that with his limited height, skill, and athleticism that getting “in better shape” was not going to help. I saw him come back as a sophomore and was disappointed with the direction they went with his training. A big, large (even chunky) body is more effective than what we’ve seen as a sophomore/junior.

Out of the box thought, but I believed it 2 years ago and still do today.

[Wyldkatz]

Good to see this team still fighting every game despite their record. Excellent defensive effort, but the final 5 min. Enjoyable game to watch. Except for the idiotic FSU chant by the fans at the end.

[WIldWIllieCat]

You were bothered by the Chiefs chant but not the horrendous shot selection for the last eight minutes of the first half nor the inability to execute the most basic offense/fundamentals to close out the game?

[ToledoCat#2]

Hey, and win is a win. This team has got to be learning from late game meltdowns. Betcha a buck D. Gord makes his next slam dunk.

[IStillLikeHarv]

The amazing part of this win was that KSU won with only one player shooting 40% or better from the field. McGuirl was the offense, period. Now it does help of course if you hold your opponent 18 points under their season average -- and it took a banked three in desperation time for OU to get above 50 points for the game. OK, defense may not win championships for this team, but it does give them a chance against most opponents.

For all its warts, this is an important win to keep the players from giving up on the season. Yeah, there were some ugly stretches at the end of each half, but it was still an 8-point win even after the banked three and the missed dunk. If you want to go with the glass half-full perspective, this team is actually fairly competitive in spite of still being out-of-sync on offense. You can dream of what would happen if the pieces suddenly fall into place.

The good news is that the next two games should be easy wins for KSU...

[pulitzerdave]

Hey, and win is a win. This team has got to be learning from late game meltdowns. Betcha a buck D. Gord makes his next slam dunk.

What do you think they are learning?

How many late game meltdowns does it take to learn something?

You say a "win is a win", but can this team really feel good about what happened in the end? We almost blew a 16 point lead to a team that was shooting about 27% up until the final 5 minutes. Then we started playing "ole" defense and let them score at will. Then we started clanging free throws that would have cemented the outcome. And the Gordon missed dunk was one for the ages. All alone, ready to bring the house down and he's "long" on the shot. Just lay it in fella, and the game is over! Another bonehead D.Gordon play.

I'm getting tired of the freshman excuses. Tired of the late game turnovers. Tired of the stretches of horrific basketball.

I know, I know, here come the salvos. pdave can't even enjoy a win. That's not it. I just want to see some maturity and smart play when it really matters - at the end when the game is won or lost. I'm trying to understand how we can unravel so quickly when a win is in sight. I'm trying to understand the choking. That's not really the MO of a Bruce Weber team. Why is this team different. Can anyone put a finger on it? Splain it to me Lucy.

[xtrawildcat]

Hey, and win is a win. This team has got to be learning from late game meltdowns. Betcha a buck D. Gord makes his next slam dunk.

What do you think they are learning?

How many late game meltdowns does it take to learn something?

You say a "win is a win", but can this team really feel good about what happened in the end? We almost blew a 16 point lead to a team that was shooting about 27% up until the final 5 minutes. Then we started playing "ole" defense and let them score at will. Then we started clanging free throws that would have cemented the outcome. And the Gordon missed dunk was one for the ages. All alone, ready to bring the house down and he's "long" on the shot. Just lay it in fella, and the game is over! Another bonehead D.Gordon play.

I'm getting tired of the freshman excuses. Tired of the late game turnovers. Tired of the stretches of horrific basketball.

I know, I know, here come the salvos. pdave can't even enjoy a win. That's not it. I just want to see some maturity and smart play when it really matters - at the end when the game is won or lost. I'm trying to understand how we can unravel so quickly when a win is in sight. I'm trying to understand the choking. That's not really the MO of a Bruce Weber team. Why is this team different. Can anyone put a finger on it? Splain it to me Lucy.

You earned a salvo. You must live a grey world not to enjoy a win over a good team.

[pulitzerdave]

ps - if we had closed this one out the right way and held our margin the final 5 minutes I'd be on cloud nine right now and be optimistic about our chances going forward. But dad gummit we just couldn't.

It's a pattern, folks, and not a good one.

[pulitzerdave]

What do you think they are learning?

How many late game meltdowns does it take to learn something?

You say a "win is a win", but can this team really feel good about what happened in the end? We almost blew a 16 point lead to a team that was shooting about 27% up until the final 5 minutes. Then we started playing "ole" defense and let them score at will. Then we started clanging free throws that would have cemented the outcome. And the Gordon missed dunk was one for the ages. All alone, ready to bring the house down and he's "long" on the shot. Just lay it in fella, and the game is over! Another bonehead D.Gordon play.

I'm getting tired of the freshman excuses. Tired of the late game turnovers. Tired of the stretches of horrific basketball.

I know, I know, here come the salvos. pdave can't even enjoy a win. That's not it. I just want to see some maturity and smart play when it really matters - at the end when the game is won or lost. I'm trying to understand how we can unravel so quickly when a win is in sight. I'm trying to understand the choking. That's not really the MO of a Bruce Weber team. Why is this team different. Can anyone put a finger on it? Splain it to me Lucy.

You earned a salvo. You must live a grey world not to enjoy a win over a good team.

My world is bright. Who are you to tell me otherwise. You bank on sports results to measure a person's happiness. You're the one with the grey world.