MBB Final Stretch

[technoCat]

Danny has his work cut out for him for sure but we knew that coming in. This team has a LONG ways to go to be competitive.

One positive I take away is on the defensive end. While not always perfect, the effort almost always seems to be there on that side of the ball. Often times they are in the right spots, though a bit behind getting there. Coaches love that.

Offensively, I have no words. Many times I can't even tell what kind of sets they're attempting to get in. It's stagnant and that's being polite! But this is going to be a process so I won't judge too much this early in the game.

I agree the effort seems to be there on D but unless our philosophy is to double down low and let everyone shoot wide open 3's, then something is sorely lacking in execution. And after the wide open 3's SSU finally missed, we wouldn't box out and give up an easy put back. I don't know if a lack of focus during the games or paying attention at practice but something is going to have to change big time during the off season.

[ilovethecats]

Danny has his work cut out for him for sure but we knew that coming in. This team has a LONG ways to go to be competitive.

One positive I take away is on the defensive end. While not always perfect, the effort almost always seems to be there on that side of the ball. Often times they are in the right spots, though a bit behind getting there. Coaches love that.

Offensively, I have no words. Many times I can't even tell what kind of sets they're attempting to get in. It's stagnant and that's being polite! But this is going to be a process so I won't judge too much this early in the game.

I agree the effort seems to be there on D but unless our philosophy is to double down low and let everyone shoot wide open 3's, then something is sorely lacking in execution. And after the wide open 3's SSU finally missed, we wouldn't box out and give up an easy put back. I don't know if a lack of focus during the games or paying attention at practice but something is going to have to change big time during the off season.

I agree with the overall sentiment but to be fair, that's probably EXACTLY what they were trying to do last night. Sac is dead last in about every shooting category you can think of. It's frustrating that it didn't work, but if I'm playing a team who is last in points scored, last in field goal percentage, and last in three point percentage; I'm doubling down and making them beat me from outside. They just did it.

[CelticCat]

We give up a ton of uncontested 3s per game, yet never seem to be able to generate any of our own. Frankly we just don't have the athletes to really beat anyone off the ball so they just guard us tight up to and beyond the 3 point line. Harry is great but he isn't quick enough to blow by someone on his own without a screen. Rickets must be the lowest scoring starting shooting guard in the conference, he is averaging like 6 points per game.

Last night no one could hold onto the ball, passes went right through hands, it was embarrassing to watch to be honest. I turned it off 10 minutes into the game. Sounds like it only got worse.

Pretty much the only winnable game left on the schedule is at home against SUU. Thudding into the tournament, bounced in the first game. New coach, same story.

All that negativity aside, I thought for a lot of the season the men overachieved and I am still on board with Sprinkle. This team already has the best 1st year coaching record since Stu Starner. I guess you could say it's impressive that Sprinkle already got us to the level we're accustomed to in his first year.

[BozoneCat]

Is our team really just that devoid of true D1 players that we can only win by surprising the other teams?

Pretty much, yes. Particularly shooters.

[Bobcat4Ever]

It didn't take long for opposing coaches to understand and exploit our weaknesses. Poor outside shooting means they can pack the middle and stop our inside game. It won't get much better until we get some outside firepower.

You know I hear this brought up all the time to explain our late season swoons. Are our coaches so far behind everyone else that we can't identify and exploit anyone else's weaknesses? Is our team really just that devoid of true D1 players that we can only win by surprising the other teams?

Yes. We are way short on D-I talent. I watched the game this morning since it overlapped the women’s game, the Hornets literally draped themselves all over Frey, and we had no one left. They effectively defended Belo. The football team was in attendance and in that tiny uncrowded Nest, their hooting and calling and jeering was obviously hard on a team lacking confidence anyway. Frey is the only one that has a complete tool set. Most of the rest are truly role players. It’s going to take time.

[thefrank1]

agreed we need at least four more D1 backcourt players that can shoot. We are unique in the BSC in that regard as everyone else can play multiple backcourt threats simultaneously.

[aucat]

They look horrible again tonight. Man, I just don’t know what happened to this team. They looked so promising at the beginning of the year.

Agree... man, to start the year they actually looked really good, like they could be one of the favorites to win the league.... what the hell happened?

I so agree. I go back to the very beginning of the season regarding the game AT Utah State, ranked #17 in the nation at the time. I watched this game and it was in front of a packed house of absolutely raucous, screaming, hostile fans. We took them right to the end. And get this: Utah State went on to BEAT LSU, then BEAT FLORIDA! Do you realize that of those teams are near the top of the SEC? Utah State has slipped up a couple of times but still have won 23 games to date. And then we went on to several other very outstanding efforts on the road.

So yes, what happened to that team? No matter the sport, you always like to see improvement as the season goes along. I have certainly seen it in the women's game. I saw it with our football team. No yes, what's the deal with this meltdown now? I just don't get it.

[Bobcat4Ever]

I maintain it’s the Harald Frey effect. Those early teams guarded him like any other player. He got lots of points and assists making his teammates look good. Now teams stifle him. One team held him to no points. Thursday night he had no assists. They have figured out how to stop him and not worry about anyone else other than Belo. One or more players are often tied up setting screens for Harald. That keeps our offense from maintaining proper spacing. He is also playing injured.

[BelgradeBobcat]

I maintain it’s the Harald Frey effect. Those early teams guarded him like any other player. He got lots of points and assists making his teammates look good. Now teams stifle him. One team held him to no points. Thursday night he had no assists. They have figured out how to stop him and not worry about anyone else other than Belo. One or more players are often tied up setting screens for Harald. That keeps our offense from maintaining proper spacing. He is also playing injured.

I agree. If Harald is less than 100% he shouldn't play today. We'll probably lose by 40, but the other players need to figure things out on their own. The chance for a first round bye is all but gone-so the remaining regular season just isn't that important anymore. For example, when Oliana Squires was hurt the women's team had a couple of rough outings, but I think it was good for Tori Martell and Darian White. In hindsight probably should have sat Frey for montana and Sac State and quit letting him reinjure that ankle over and over, better to have him healthy for a possible tournament run-no matter how improbable. Whether Harry plays today or not, this one in Flagstaff is gonna be really ugly.

[NorthernPlains]

Offensively, I have no words. Many times I can't even tell what kind of sets they're attempting to get in. It's stagnant and that's being polite! But this is going to be a process so I won't judge too much this early in the game.

About half the time the "set" is Harold Frey seeing if he can dribble to the hoop drawing a foul, or just him pulling up for the outside shot. He has essentially been the offense.

[Colter_Nuanez]

Bobcat men's basketball crashing and burning at the end of the season again. It's like this program is stuck on some sort of groundhog day loop. Doesn't matter who the coach is, doesn't matter who the players are-same thing year after year.

Which brings us around to the conversation we've been having since Brad Huse was fired. From Carlos Taylor to Antonio Biglow to Tyler Hall, Keljin Blevins and Harald Frey, Montana State has had some of the top talent in the Big Sky. But three straight coaches have had the exact same results. I can't tell you how many times we've written "The Bobcats are out to a 4-1 start" or "Montana State is alone in fourth place with (two or three) weeks left to play," only to see Montana State find every way possible to finish sixth or seventh, a game above or below .500, no post season wins. Stuck in spin cycle is right.

I think Sprinkle is a better fit than Fish for Montana State. But this year's problems are much different than the last four years. The last four years, the Bobcats' problems were almost all mental (with the exception of a lack of a true big). This year, it's mostly physical, despite the fact that they have two true bigs. That's part of the problem... Kirby has no role offensively except as a pick and role player. But with Belo, the Bobcats hardly run high pick and rolls anymore, so Kirby can't really do much. And when they are both on the court together, they do nothing but clog the lane for Frey.

This roster has a few players who are talented (Frey, Adamu, Belo, Kirby) but none fit together. The roster construction is brutal and as a result the offense is brutal.

All that said, I really think Montana State is only more talented than Idaho State and MAYBE Idaho among teams in the league. So any team they finish ahead of is an overachievement based on their roster. NAU, Sac State, Southern Utah, Weber State and Portland State - all the other "middle teams" - are more talented than the Bobcats.

[MSU01]

Cats by 9 at the half, 30-21. I'm sure NAU will make a run in the second half, but this is certainly encouraging.

[thefrank1]

Adamo is in street clothes. Hobbs didn't travel. Only 9 active at 7000 feet so its gonna be a tough second half.

[nevadacat]

Doing our best to piss it away down the stretch.

[thefrank1]

63 55 one to go

[thefrank1]

Same score 23 to go

[thefrank1]

63 57 with 10 lef

[thefrank1]

63 57 final

[Common Cat]

We win a much needed game. Win at the Walk-up.

[BelgradeBobcat]

All that said, I really think Montana State is only more talented than Idaho State and MAYBE Idaho among teams in the league. So any team they finish ahead of is an overachievement based on their roster. NAU, Sac State, Southern Utah, Weber State and Portland State - all the other "middle teams" - are more talented than the Bobcats.

Despite the fact that this hopelessly talentless Bobcat team just beat the same team that beat greatest assemblage of basketball talent in the Northern Rockies one game prior-I don't disagree with you. I think (but don't know) that Sprinkle was counting on getting Isaac Bonton in a package deal with Dan Russell, but Wazzu swooped in late and grabbed Bonton, and Sprinkle got Adamu instead. Adamu is a good player for us, but he has no range and is a turnover machine. Also, Sprinkle made a calculated move to give a precious scholarship to Xavier Bishop even though he had to sit out a year. The result of all that-we have one point guard and now he's hurt. Paulo is just about as terrible with turnovers as Adamu and he can't shoot it either. Ladan Ricketts hasn't had a stellar senior year-maybe slowed by injury? So that limits this team greatly. Especially since our true freshmen with the exception of Fernandez are so green and should have been redshirted.

I hope one of these years we can bury this narrative featuring the February swoon. At least this season the team is .500 for a different reason than the last few. I always say-if you're getting the same results, do something different...even if it's wrong.