BET - Nova Game Thread 3-15-19

[muskieman]

I can’t f’ing stand when refs make those calls. At least twice late in the second half booth drove on Naji, Naji played great d and they called the foul when booth initiated the contact shoulder to chest. There was zero contact by najis arms on either play but booth was being aggressive so they just gave it to him.

You should know the aggressive guards get the calls just like 00 did in his day. Q could be that guard but he is unsure of his handel. I agree with XavierBob said: "Not one of our key players had long periods of good play" and the past few games showed it with Paul shooting poorly the other night and tonight lights it up. I said with a few minutes to play he might need to score 30-35 and had they been able to get it to him he might have just carried X.

It’s true. And you’re right. And I still hate it.

I am right there with you. Refs are so inconsistant at times and we are starting to see announcer call them on it recently where in the past they were alwaus agreeing with them(unfortunaly the announcers still have a long way to go)

[Anti-Homer]

Ok, I’m as disappointed/upset, drained like everyone else. This is just one of several games X couldn’t finish this year I’m sure we have out theories and reasons why. To me bottom line we didn’t have enough consistent quality players. Performances were up and down all year. Not one of our key players had long periods of good play. It took too long to get the roster to gel. This is the most disappointing year in a long time, but, over the last month I’ve seen improvement. Not enough mind you but if the core four work hard and dedicate themselves to get back to the NCAA and we get anything from the freshman and probably a grad transfer it can be done. The milk is spilled I’m not going to cry over it. Looking forward to next year.

I usually have no interest in the Not Important Tourney, but am in favor of X playing and winning it for the grad transfers. They deserve to go out on better terms. I can accept losing the right way. I'd like all three to get at least 25 minutes each in every game. I don't care if they play poorly. They've earned the right.

[mumuskie87]

Ok, I’m as disappointed/upset, drained like everyone else. This is just one of several games X couldn’t finish this year I’m sure we have out theories and reasons why. To me bottom line we didn’t have enough consistent quality players. Performances were up and down all year. Not one of our key players had long periods of good play. It took too long to get the roster to gel. This is the most disappointing year in a long time, but, over the last month I’ve seen improvement. Not enough mind you but if the core four work hard and dedicate themselves to get back to the NCAA and we get anything from the freshman and probably a grad transfer it can be done. The milk is spilled I’m not going to cry over it. Looking forward to next year.

To assimilate 3 grad transfers into the team takes longer but agree that team got better down the stretch.
Credit the coaching staff for playing the hand they had in the best way - a team that needed to play inside first and slow the pace of the game.
Down the stretch the team bought into playing defense which Steele said at the beginning of the season was going to be their calling card. The team's defense was significantly improved the 2nd half of BE play.
2 of the Core 4 showed improvement statistically. 2 did not. The 2 that did not either needs to work even harder on improving their shooting over the summer or maybe channel their inner Stanley Burrell to become the best lock down defensive players in the BE. Marshall has showed that he can be that. Would love to see him be the Dennis Rodman of the BE. Just only from a basketball standpoint.

[Anti-Homer]

Great game, and 2nd half run of the season by X. The elephant in the room is something that doesn't need to be said, but selfish, low I.Q. play cost X the game. Steele has been brilliant, but the major hurdle he has to jump over is to hold players accountable, which he clearly did not. Stat sheets and the eye test speak volumes. A complete disgrace, particularly to the three grad transfers, whose play was guided by what was in the best interest of the team all season. I'd rather lose with those guys, than someone who thinks plays hero ball all the time. A complete disgrace.

I hear you and def agree in a sense. I wouldn’t call it disgraceful though that’s a little dramatic. Naji played heroic defense really the last two months and including tonight. In fact he probably sucked on offense partly bc he had to go 100% all the time on d. Q def takes frustrating shots but made some very good passes as well. Def some low IQ plays by both that are frustrating but far from a “disgraceful” effort

yea, but he doesn't hate!

[mumuskie87]

X has a great class coming in, and apparently, Steele isn't finished. It would be hard to find a coach who did a better job in four months of recruiting when Vanilla Ice physically left last spring, though he was mentally gone a year earlier. Love the future of this team, and appreciate the efforts of the team, especially the grad transfers. They deserved better. They were a credit to the university in every way.

Speaking of the grad transfers, it’s reallllly a shame that Hankins isn’t back for another year. I think it took him a while to get up to speed on the D1 game but has a great post up game and seemed like a great leader/locker room guy. He’ll be missed.

They all will be. All had to take lesser roles than they had with their previous teams, yet they never complained, and gave great effort whenever they were called on. I though Welage was underused, but it's a difficult roster to manage, because everyone except Scruggs and Hankins had serious holes in their game. They also were CEREBRAL players, who put the TEAM 1st. I sense a theme here.

Agree on Welage being under-utilized.
He shot 42% on 139 attempts this year.
Marshall shot 27% on 161 attempts and missed 2 games
Goodin shot 28% on 133 attempts. Probably would have had the 2nd most attempts if he had not missed 4 games

[Michigan Musketeer]

Scoring in the paint all game long then (2) ridiculous 3 Pointers by our worst shooters with the clock running down let them back in the game. Still could have won without the lucky bounce on a 3 pointer. The air was out of the ball for us in OT-kind of like the Ohio State came when the Refs no call gave Ohio State a chance. These losses are tougher for me than Blowouts- no moral victories. Hope the Grad Transfers get to play in the NIT

[Anti-Homer]

Ok, I’m as disappointed/upset, drained like everyone else. This is just one of several games X couldn’t finish this year I’m sure we have out theories and reasons why. To me bottom line we didn’t have enough consistent quality players. Performances were up and down all year. Not one of our key players had long periods of good play. It took too long to get the roster to gel. This is the most disappointing year in a long time, but, over the last month I’ve seen improvement. Not enough mind you but if the core four work hard and dedicate themselves to get back to the NCAA and we get anything from the freshman and probably a grad transfer it can be done. The milk is spilled I’m not going to cry over it. Looking forward to next year.

To assimilate 3 grad transfers into the team takes longer but agree that team got better down the stretch.
Credit the coaching staff for playing the hand they had in the best way - a team that needed to play inside first and slow the pace of the game.
Down the stretch the team bought into playing defense which Steele said at the beginning of the season was going to be their calling card. The team's defense was significantly improved the 2nd half of BE play.
2 of the Core 4 showed improvement statistically. 2 did not. The 2 that did not either needs to work even harder on improving their shooting over the summer or maybe channel their inner Stanley Burrell to become the best lock down defensive players in the BE. Marshall has showed that he can be that. Would love to see him be the Dennis Rodman of the BE. Just only from a basketball standpoint.

That's a great analogy. Marshall has shown the ability to be an elite defender. If he would embrace that, he can still make the league. Kawhi Leonard was no offensive superstar in college, but was a lock down defender. He was better than Marshall, but developed his great offensive skillset in the pros. Need to get tapes of him from SD St for Marshall to watch.

[Anti-Homer]

Scoring in the paint all game long then (2) ridiculous 3 Pointers by our worst shooters with the clock running down let them back in the game. Still could have won without the lucky bounce on a 3 pointer. The air was out of the ball for us in OT-kind of like the Ohio State came when the Refs no call gave Ohio State a chance. These losses are tougher for me than Blowouts- no moral victories. Hope the Grad Transfers get to play in the NIT

In fairness to Q most of his threes in the 2nd half were end of the shot clock threes. Marshall's shots seemed to indicate that he thought they changed the shot clock to 10 seconds for the game.

[lionelchalmers0]

Speaking of the grad transfers, it’s reallllly a shame that Hankins isn’t back for another year. I think it took him a while to get up to speed on the D1 game but has a great post up game and seemed like a great leader/locker room guy. He’ll be missed.

They all will be. All had to take lesser roles than they had with their previous teams, yet they never complained, and gave great effort whenever they were called on. I though Welage was underused, but it's a difficult roster to manage, because everyone except Scruggs and Hankins had serious holes in their game. They also were CEREBRAL players, who put the TEAM 1st. I sense a theme here.

Agree on Welage being under-utilized.
He shot 42% on 139 attempts this year.
Marshall shot 27% on 161 attempts and missed 2 games
Goodin shot 28% on 133 attempts. Probably would have had the 2nd most attempts if he had not missed 4 games

I think I’m the only one that disagreed on welage all year. While he’s obviously a great shooter, he was so single faceted in offense and just a horrific defender and rebounder that it would be hard as a coach to keep him out there.

He could only catch and shoot. He couldn’t even come off screens and catch and shot bc he’s slow and forget creating a shot. He was smart with the ball and as the season went on seemed more confident playing st this level. But he’s a complete ball stopper offensively and that’s hard to run and offense through, especially when the defense knows they only need to watch one thing with him.

[muskieman]

one question to everyone out there: when Brian O'Connell called Naji for a charge why didn't he realize that Naji was in the air before the Nova player Gillespie slide in not giving Naji a place to land?