MSU 23, ISU 27 half

[TomCat88]

How many one dimensional teams have done as well as MSU? Best 1-D team ever. 1-D Dynasty.

[Helcat72]

Colbert carried us (8-16) 21 pts 6 rbds. The second half we get almost nothing from Davis (2-6) 6-9 10 pts. We've gotten an occasional three from Coleman, but, other than shooting...he does nothing. The zone diminished touches by the inside players, but when they did get it underneath they couldn't hit their a$$ with both hands. We shot 38.6% from the field ISU 35.8%. ISU 26-35 from FT line Bobcats 10-18. We lose it at the line again. Coach says we COMPETED! Maybe they should be playing something else besides basketball!

Get the sleds....Gentlemen the slide has begun!

[BelgradeBobcat]

Portland State came from behind to beat our next opponent, Southern Utah 67-64. Southern Utah is 1-16 and 0-8 in the Big Sky. I like the T-Birds chances of finally getting another win next week.

[LongTimeCatFan]

Portland State came from behind to beat our next opponent, Southern Utah 67-64. Southern Utah is 1-16 and 0-8 in the Big Sky. I like the T-Birds chances of finally getting another win next week.

This made me laugh.... Hard

It wouldn't be funny if it wasn't true

[John K]

For those of you who have actually watched most of our games so far, what is the explanation for what seems to be the beginning of our annual collapse (which started even earlier than normal this year)? How can Huse's teams play so well early in the conference season, year after year, and then seemingly someone flips a switch, and everything suddenly falls apart? In reading through the comments from the first five conference games, everyone seemed to think that it might really be different this season, and that we might actually have a chance to be a legitimate contender for the BSC title, but now it seems like we're headed for the "same old...same old". I just don't get it.

[allcat]

For those of you who have actually watched most of our games so far, what is the explanation for what seems to be the beginning of our annual collapse (which started even earlier than normal this year)? How can Huse's teams play so well early in the conference season, year after year, and then seemingly someone flips a switch, and everything suddenly falls apart? In reading through the comments from the first five conference games, everyone seemed to think that it might really be different this season, and that we might actually have a chance to be a legitimate contender for the BSC title, but now it seems like we're headed for the "same old...same old". I just don't get it.

The part not to get is the enthusiasm that we generate early in the season. It's pretty obvious that whatever Huse does to prepare the team is fairly easily figured out by opposing coaches. We always seem to be a one trick pony, that does not adjust when team take away whatever we had working early.

[gtapp]

It is hard to imagine how a team can so consistently have the same issue year to year (winning early and losing late). You would have a difficult time duplicating this every year even if you tried. However, the results have been so consistent for so long that you almost know it is coming!

[[cat_bracket]]

It is hard to imagine how a team can so consistently have the same issue year to year (winning early and losing late). You would have a difficult time duplicating this every year even if you tried. However, the results have been so consistent for so long that you almost know it is coming!

I'm not sure you can call it winning early. It's still early and we're losing. Doesn't each team play 20 conference games a year? We were winning really, really early and are now losing early.

[John K]

It is hard to imagine how a team can so consistently have the same issue year to year (winning early and losing late). You would have a difficult time duplicating this every year even if you tried. However, the results have been so consistent for so long that you almost know it is coming!

I'm not sure you can call it winning early. It's still early and we're losing. Doesn't each team play 20 conference games a year? We were winning really, really early and are now losing early.

Usually "the slide" commences at the beginning of the 2nd half of the conference schedule, but it has started even earlier than normal this season, for whatever reason. The optimists among us (are there any?) might say that will give us more time to right the ship before the tourney. The pessimists among us will say that we may not even make the tourney, since there was still 3/4 of the conference schedule remaining when the wheels fell off this year. If our results for the rest of this season are consistent with what we've done in the 2nd round of BSC play in the previous seasons under Huse, then we're probably looking at going maybe 7-13 or 8-12, which means we'll miss the tourney. Maybe that wouldn't be all that terrible, since we always lose in the first round anyway. Plus, I think the only way PF would ever consider making a change, is if we were to miss the tourney two or three years in a row.

[Helcat72]

I wonder if it is our talent level. Maybe more talented players don't have such a fragile psyche. In the beginning when the slate is clean they have a positive attitude and a lot to look forward to. their effort is rewarded by having several good games (mostly at home) but even a few on the road if they are playing against the same kind of talent (e.g. Portland State.)

However when they first hit a home loss, or a road blowout like they did last year against the Griz and Idaho State and this year against North Dakota and Weber, that confidence is shaken and the talent isn't there to buoy them through it. Individually they start looking for someone else to shoot the ball, or they start trying to carry the team through the swoon themselves. It results in stagnant play, standing around and shooting threes, and if they aren't falling the cloud gets darker and wraps them up in a cloak of desperation. (how'se that for prose!)

When tournament comes around sometimes they see it as a new beginning and start to play better, but all they have to do is run into a team that defends them like ISU did the other night and they are done. What it comes down to is effort is not enough to sustain winning. they give supreme effort most every game. They just know that they are not talented enough to survive a shooting slump. and not confident enough to get out of it.

Weber was beaten rather handily by Northern Colorado earlier this year, but with the talent they have it wasn't any more than a hiccup to their psyche. They know they are talented. They know that when their effort may be lacking...they can rely on pure talent to bring them through a tough game. And when they might stumble by losing, they know that the next time they will have more talent than the other team in the conference and will most likely win. As I see it Northern Colorado is the only team that may have comparable talent this year. UM has in the past, but hasn't got the big people as in the past. UND has a couple talented players but not enough to challenge for the league title. NAU has an up and coming team that might be a year away. They are pretty long and talented.

Just my own analysis.

[allcat]

I wonder if it is our talent level. Maybe more talented players don't have such a fragile psyche. In the beginning when the slate is clean they have a positive attitude and a lot to look forward to. their effort is rewarded by having several good games (mostly at home) but even a few on the road if they are playing against the same kind of talent (e.g. Portland State.)

However when they first hit a home loss, or a road blowout like they did last year against the Griz and Idaho State and this year against North Dakota and Weber, that confidence is shaken and the talent isn't there to buoy them through it. Individually they start looking for someone else to shoot the ball, or they start trying to carry the team through the swoon themselves. It results in stagnant play, standing around and shooting threes, and if they aren't falling the cloud gets darker and wraps them up in a cloak of desperation. (how'se that for prose!)

When tournament comes around sometimes they see it as a new beginning and start to play better, but all they have to do is run into a team that defends them like ISU did the other night and they are done. What it comes down to is effort is not enough to sustain winning. they give supreme effort most every game. They just know that they are not talented enough to survive a shooting slump. and not confident enough to get out of it.

Weber was beaten rather handily by Northern Colorado earlier this year, but with the talent they have it wasn't any more than a hiccup to their psyche. They know they are talented. They know that when their effort may be lacking...they can rely on pure talent to bring them through a tough game. And when they might stumble by losing, they know that the next time they will have more talent than the other team in the conference and will most likely win. As I see it Northern Colorado is the only team that may have comparable talent this year. UM has in the past, but hasn't got the big people as in the past. UND has a couple talented players but not enough to challenge for the league title. NAU has an up and coming team that might be a year away. They are pretty long and talented.

Just my own analysis.

Pschobabble, this is on Huse, always has been.

[John K]

I wonder if it is our talent level. Maybe more talented players don't have such a fragile psyche. In the beginning when the slate is clean they have a positive attitude and a lot to look forward to. their effort is rewarded by having several good games (mostly at home) but even a few on the road if they are playing against the same kind of talent (e.g. Portland State.)

However when they first hit a home loss, or a road blowout like they did last year against the Griz and Idaho State and this year against North Dakota and Weber, that confidence is shaken and the talent isn't there to buoy them through it. Individually they start looking for someone else to shoot the ball, or they start trying to carry the team through the swoon themselves. It results in stagnant play, standing around and shooting threes, and if they aren't falling the cloud gets darker and wraps them up in a cloak of desperation. (how'se that for prose!)

When tournament comes around sometimes they see it as a new beginning and start to play better, but all they have to do is run into a team that defends them like ISU did the other night and they are done. What it comes down to is effort is not enough to sustain winning. they give supreme effort most every game. They just know that they are not talented enough to survive a shooting slump. and not confident enough to get out of it.

Weber was beaten rather handily by Northern Colorado earlier this year, but with the talent they have it wasn't any more than a hiccup to their psyche. They know they are talented. They know that when their effort may be lacking...they can rely on pure talent to bring them through a tough game. And when they might stumble by losing, they know that the next time they will have more talent than the other team in the conference and will most likely win. As I see it Northern Colorado is the only team that may have comparable talent this year. UM has in the past, but hasn't got the big people as in the past. UND has a couple talented players but not enough to challenge for the league title. NAU has an up and coming team that might be a year away. They are pretty long and talented.

Just my own analysis.

So if your analysis is accurate, and I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, is that an indictment of the coaching staff? Is it their job to make sure that a single loss doesn't lead to a psychological collapse, so that one loss doesn't lead to a lost season? You seem to believe that NC is comparable to WSU, and that they are clearly the two best teams this season. How do we go from beating one of those co-favorites by 15, to losing to the other by 29, in the span of a week? That's just mind blowing to me. In your opinion, what are our chances of turning things around, and playing like we did through the first five conference games again? Is the balance of the season more likely to be similar to the those first five games, or the last three? I'm afraid I know the answer, but I'd like to hear the opinions of people who have actually seen some of the games.

On a side note, I presume that the two Cat-Griz games will be televised by Max Media, but have any of our other games been on TV this season? Are any future games scheduled to be televised on either Altitude or Root?

[BelgradeBobcat]

Throughout this long era of terrible basketball the players have changed, and the assistant coaches have changed...what has been the constant?

The stuff UNCU, North Dakota and ISU ran netted them a lot of good open outside looks. UNCU just happen to have an uncharacteristly awful shooting night-so we beat them. But the shots were there.

Our offenses, on the other hand get us nothing but difficult contested jumpers. When the opponent is in the man-to-man we run this completely pointless Harlem Globetrotters style weave at the top of the key for 10 or 15 seconds before going to a big guy who is also typically standing at or near the three point line. Then Davis will try to drive, Egwuonwu will dump it back to a guard (or throw it away), and then a desperation shot is attempted at the end of the shot clock. In years of watching this, I can't figure out what we're trying to do, but opposing coaches sure seem to know how to stop it.

When the opponent is in the zone we kick it around the perimeter until the shot clock gets to 10, then Colbert or Biglow usually try to slash inside and dish it off. This usually results in Davis getting his shot blocked or a foul (where he usually misses the free throws), or Egwuonwu typically misses the three foot hook. Other possessions, Coleman launches a three with a guy in his face. As you might expect, we're seeing a lot of zone.

Another thing I can't figure out is why, with quick guards like Colbert, Biglow, and Dison, don't we full court press more? The ISU announcers said ISU struggled against the griz's pressure. But we let them walk it up all game long. Once in a while we throw up a half court trap, but that's it.

I'd just like to see Huse try something different-even if it's wrong.

[John K]

And what's even worse, is the apathy. When the football team closed the season with three straight losses, Bobcat fans were apoplectic, and BN was overflowing with comments from disappointed and/or irate fans. When the MBB team loses three in a row, there'e only a handful of Bobcat fans who even care enough to comment about it.

[91catAlum]

And what's even worse, is the apathy. When the football team closed the season with three straight losses, Bobcat fans were apoplectic, and BN was overflowing with comments from disappointed and/or irate fans. When the MBB team loses three in a row, there'e only a handful of Bobcat fans who even care enough to comment about it.

I care, I just don't feel like I know enough about basketball to complain intelligently...
But you're right, there's a reason that so few people even notice.

[allcat]

Okay, this is my attempt at a song for Cat bball.
I will be keeping my day job.

I’m floating down the Swoon River, no fish a bitin, Swoon River
February, when bball dreams die in the Worthington. Swoon River
If you have the trotters weave a workin, boredom is a yawnin, Swoon River
Heave up the desperate shot, nobody is a watchin, Swoon River
Golden cats are distant memories, cause ho hum gets Huse extended, Swoon River
This would be to a blues tempo

[ilovethecats]

And what's even worse, is the apathy. When the football team closed the season with three straight losses, Bobcat fans were apoplectic, and BN was overflowing with comments from disappointed and/or irate fans. When the MBB team loses three in a row, there'e only a handful of Bobcat fans who even care enough to comment about it.

that's always been my big issue as well. people treat the hoops team like a little kid with down-syndrome that you don't dare say anything bad about. the kid that is so helpless he could never defend himself and if you dare make a remark you're just a jerk and a bully. but the football team is fair game. they are big and strong and gods on campus. they are grown men and they should understand just how high our expectations are. we can bash them all day long when they underperform because they can deal with it. not our helpless hoops team...

I'm still patiently waiting for our fan base to raise their expectations for our hoops program. it is in the gutter. this isn't me being mean. it's me wanting these kids to have the same expectations that we hold for our football team. they deserve that. they deserve change when something isn't working. they deserve to be accountable and even criticized when they are performing so poorly. not because we are mean but because we want better. I want all these kids to feel the success we felt in the 80's and 90's. to perform well, win games, and see what it's like having fans pack in the brick. they deserve that.

and as long as we have people treating them like helpless little kids, and being ok with crappy play and crapper coaching...nothing will change.

[Colter_Nuanez]

Q&A with MSU head coach Brad Huse
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[Helcat72]

I wonder if it is our talent level. Maybe more talented players don't have such a fragile psyche. In the beginning when the slate is clean they have a positive attitude and a lot to look forward to. their effort is rewarded by having several good games (mostly at home) but even a few on the road if they are playing against the same kind of talent (e.g. Portland State.)

However when they first hit a home loss, or a road blowout like they did last year against the Griz and Idaho State and this year against North Dakota and Weber, that confidence is shaken and the talent isn't there to buoy them through it. Individually they start looking for someone else to shoot the ball, or they start trying to carry the team through the swoon themselves. It results in stagnant play, standing around and shooting threes, and if they aren't falling the cloud gets darker and wraps them up in a cloak of desperation. (how'se that for prose!)

When tournament comes around sometimes they see it as a new beginning and start to play better, but all they have to do is run into a team that defends them like ISU did the other night and they are done. What it comes down to is effort is not enough to sustain winning. they give supreme effort most every game. They just know that they are not talented enough to survive a shooting slump. and not confident enough to get out of it.

Weber was beaten rather handily by Northern Colorado earlier this year, but with the talent they have it wasn't any more than a hiccup to their psyche. They know they are talented. They know that when their effort may be lacking...they can rely on pure talent to bring them through a tough game. And when they might stumble by losing, they know that the next time they will have more talent than the other team in the conference and will most likely win. As I see it Northern Colorado is the only team that may have comparable talent this year. UM has in the past, but hasn't got the big people as in the past. UND has a couple talented players but not enough to challenge for the league title. NAU has an up and coming team that might be a year away. They are pretty long and talented.

Just my own analysis.

So if your analysis is accurate, and I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, is that an indictment of the coaching staff? Is it their job to make sure that a single loss doesn't lead to a psychological collapse, so that one loss doesn't lead to a lost season? You seem to believe that NC is comparable to WSU, and that they are clearly the two best teams this season. How do we go from beating one of those co-favorites by 15, to losing to the other by 29, in the span of a week? That's just mind blowing to me. In your opinion, what are our chances of turning things around, and playing like we did through the first five conference games again? Is the balance of the season more likely to be similar to the those first five games, or the last three? I'm afraid I know the answer, but I'd like to hear the opinions of people who have actually seen some of the games.

On a side note, I presume that the two Cat-Griz games will be televised by Max Media, but have any of our other games been on TV this season? Are any future games scheduled to be televised on either Altitude or Root?

What I’m saying is that we only have one player who is a “first rounder”. The others are either JC’s or players that weren’t highly recruited by a lot of D-1 teams. That player is Colbert. He showed it in Pocatello. A lot of the JC types except Bigelow, who was highly touted in Junior college, have seemingly a sort of a built in inferiority complex. When the going gets tough, they either disappear or they can’t throw it in the ocean! They start to either avoid wanting the ball, or they try to carry the team themselves. (Most of them having never done that before). Bigelow has tried it before…. last year he did it a couple of times and in the Weber game was successful. In later games he was not. This year Huse has asked him to become more of a team player and he has.

We need a couple of players who do not let bad games affect them to get the rest of the team through the slump. Weber has about four of them, (Tresnak, Bolomboy, Berry, and Gittens) UNC has two shooters, Svihovec and Unruh; and two forwards, (Barden and Huskisson) that are seemingly impervious to slumps. NAU has Bewernick, Dixon, Jacobsen Upshur and potentially Yanku who look like the kind of players that might be gamers. Upshur and Jacobsen already are. I think NAU will be a dark horse in the league.

We beat UNC before the slump. We were riding high. We came out hitting shots left and right. They weren’t ready for us to do that. But they re-grouped two night later and beat the Griz. We didn’t shoot well at the free throw line against UND and lost a close game at home. The next time out we got totally swamped by Weber….then we ran into ISU’s zone which didn’t help matters. Now we have to have short memories or we will go through the same old Bobcat slump as in years past. What could help are a couple more players who are impervious to bad games….and as far as I see we have maybe 1 or 2 at the most. so make your own inferences as to what I might think is the answer. (Better players...and I'm not sure that is possible...but if it can be done in Flagstaff I believe it surely can be done here.)

[kcatz]

And what's even worse, is the apathy. When the football team closed the season with three straight losses, Bobcat fans were apoplectic, and BN was overflowing with comments from disappointed and/or irate fans. When the MBB team loses three in a row, there'e only a handful of Bobcat fans who even care enough to comment about it.

We care, but it appears (because of the 3 year contract extension last spring) the administration does not care, so what are we to do?

Here is my observation. I had a chance to witness our basketball team having breakfast together during Christmas vacation. My take away was there is no team comraderie on this team. No one was talking to each other, no one was even acting like they knew the people they were sitting with. As a player finished, he just got up and walked away. No goodbye, no "I am out," no head nod, nothing even remotely close to communication between anyone of this team.

I asked those that were with us, if I just read it all wrong and they all agreed it looked like a bunch of strangers who had been forced to eat at the same table.

How do you play as a team, when you can't even eat a team meal as if you like, let alone know the people you are with?