Close games in basketball..

[57stratdawg]

4 out of our last 5 games have been decided by 4 points or less. We're 3-1 in those games (Baylor the only loss). Probably should point out that all 3 wins are at home.

Without this turning into a Stansbury bashing/loving thread, is the fact that we've played several close games a good thing or a bad thing?

 

[maroonmania]

just because its gotten to where we aren't making very many perimeter shots. That's been the primary cause of the close games. When your offense if struggling with scoring its difficult to get much separation from your opponent. The only game lately we've scored in has been the Arkansas game and I'm thinking that was just a byproduct of the pace that game was played at and it didn't matter anyway because they torched our defense.

 

[tenureplan]

Bost has been slumping, Hood has been slumping, and slumping can't even describe Steele's woes. It looks like Bost may be coming out of his slump, and I have full faith in Hood. Bryant needs to put back in the starting lineup because Steele is nothing but a spot up shooter and he hasn't been making any shots.

 

[Tds & Beer]

4 out of our last 5 games have been decided by 4 points or less. We're 3-1 in those games (Baylor the only loss). Probably should point out that all 3 wins are at home.

Without this turning into a Stansbury bashing/loving thread, is the fact that we've played several close games a good thing or a bad thing?

I won't sit here and bash Stans like you said, but I will just give a quick opinion. When you have no identity on offense, no foundation, you tend to play down to your opponents. A lead doesn't mean anything because you can't keep it. People talk about the Stansbury stall. There is no Stansbury stall. He doesn't do that on purpose. The team does it because there's no guidance. Our talent helps us make runs, but we have no offense to fall back on and keep that lead. I'm sorry but that is just 100% the truth. It's not a good thing at all. We are ranked third in the conference right now, but in conference play, we're losing like 208-206, I believe. Unacceptable. But keep winning and I will keep my mouth shut. Ok no i won't. And I hate when people blame stuff like this on someone like Bost slumping. Why do you think he was slumping? Doesn't it probably have something to do with the fact that he has to force shots due to a stagnant offense?

 

[futaba.79]

you tend to play down to your opponents.

Alabama leads the league in most defensive categories but we beat them at the end. Tennessee, playing really hard right now, beat UF and held UK to 65 in a loss. We beat UT in the last minute. Is that how you define "play(ing) down to your opponent?"

 

[RonnyAtmosphere]

..several of your compelling takes concerning MSU basketball, I find it an amazing coincidence the Internet Lars Larson is as big a dumbass as the radio Lars larson.

 

[00Dawg]

It invariably happens when we get a big lead comparative to the time remaining. Stansbury even signals them to slow down. Note that I'm a Stans supporter, acknowledge it happens, and don't like it.
As for the slump, Dee was 0 for 6 from 3 point land against Arkansas. You going to argue our offense was stagnant in that game? He was 3 for his last23 before hitting those 3 against Bama. That's textbook long-range slumping.

 

[57stratdawg]

We're playing better D right now than we have all year. I don't consider UT and Bama great offensive team, but they can score enough to beat you - especially Bama.

Another aspect is that we're making free throws right this year. <span style="font-weight: bold;">In fact we're the best FT shooting team in the SEC so far. </span>We've also allowed the fewest free throws. Those are big stats.

 

[BiscuitEater]

I won't sit here and bash Stans like you said, but I will just give a quick opinion. ... Ok no i won't. And I hate when people blame stuff like this on someone like Bost slumping. Why do you think he was slumping? Doesn't it probably have something to do with the fact that he has to force shots due to a stagnant offense?

simply put, Bost is 'slumping' because he is missing shots. Shucks, he is a 4th year 'all SEC' PG that can create shots. Did you not watch any of the earlier OOC games? They just are not falling like they were earlier in the season. He has less confidence and is shooting less. But, but ...


That HAS to be Stan's fault, right?

 

[JackShephard]

Doesn't it probably have something to do with the fact that he has to force shots due to a stagnant offense?

not at all when he's missing wide open shots, shots in transition he usually makes, and even guarded shots that he's made at a much higher clip in the past. You made a lot of valid points in your post, this just wasn't one of them.

What about the fact that Moultrie seems to"shrink" in some games.Akron, Baylor,Utah State, and Arkansas all come to mind. Some of this is due to our lack of an offense, as you suggested, but some does not. He disappears for stretches sometimes, for no apparent reason. Even on his rebounding, which has nothing to do with our lack of an offense.

 

[drt7891]

Tennessee was very solid defensively, despite their terrible record. Alabama was about what I expected. I don't think in either of these games we played "down to our opponent." The Alabama game was the best execution of a game plan I've seen Men's Basketball carry out in years. We took away EVERYTHING they did well and held their two biggest scorers to less than half of their total points. We stopped transition and stopped penetration into the lane. No one on this board thought Alabama, or even Tennessee was going to be a cakewalk considering how important it was for both of our teams to establish ourselves early in league play.

Utah State may have been the only questionable game in that stretch because we were hung over from Baylor, but to give Utah State credit, they aren't a "bad team."

I'm not concerned, though. I imagine we are going to see several more close games before the end of the season, and as long as we have Bost and Moultrie on the floor, I think we'll be ok.