I may be a bit pessimistic...

[msudogsrule01]

But looking at the rest of our schedule, I don't see a really good shot at a win on it.<div>
</div><div>@ LSU</div><div>@ Auburn</div><div>Kentucky</div><div>@ Alabama</div><div>@ South Carolina</div><div>Arkansas</div><div>
</div><div>You would hope we hold home-court against Arkansas, but after the Georgia debacle, I don't count on anything. We have been pretty woe-ful on the road, but you would hope we could grab 1-2 there. But at best, right now, I see us finishing 2-4 on this stretch, and 8-8 in the conference. I am starting to doubt that gets us in the tournament.</div>

 

[klong17]

I don't see a for sure win. Arkansas best chance at a W just because they struggle so badly on the road... but they may have our number. Next best chance I think would be SCe, then AUB. We could easilylose both of those. I can't believe we we're looking at a possible 5 seed earlier this week, now there is a legit shot for this team to not even make the dance. That's whymostof usknew Sat agaisnt GA was so big, knowing what was ahead of us. </p>

 

[RebelBruiser]

I think 3 wins the rest of the way gets you in, just an opinion on your magic number. If you go 2-4, you'll need at least one win in the SEC tournament. If by some reason you go 2-4 AND lose in the first round of the SEC tournament, I'd think you'd be on the bubble with still an outside shot but a long shot.

I think you'll end up getting it, but I'd bet on somewhere from a 8-12 seed unless you pull some big ones off down the stretch.

Either way, it's a better position to be in than we are. I estimate we need at least 5 wins, possibly 6 including the SEC tournament, and we have 6 games to play plus the conference tournament. With a guaranteed loss at Rupp on the schedule, that doesn't leave much room for error on our end.

You just need to pull some of those road games and not lose the Arkansas home game.

 

[patdog]

I'd say you're more than just a bit pessimistic.</p>

 

[maroonmania]

that the best 2 chances for wins in the remaining SEC schedule are the LAST 2 games on the schedule. That means that given the GA loss I could easily see us going on a 5 game losing streak, we probably won't but I could see it. I've just become really apathetic with this team, apparently like a lot of MSU fans. Its just we've got seemingly great first 5 talent but yet we just aren't playing up to the level we appear to be capable of on most nights. Even on nights we win I am often severely flustered by this team. I mean its not just the loss to GA @home, its the loss to GA coupled with the @home struggles against TN, AL, LSU, and Aub and the blistering losses @OM and @Ark. Our defensive discipline and intensity just isn't there most nights and that is our primary problem and will be even assuming we do make the NCAAs. I just know that when you get in tournament time defense is a premium because in unfamiliar arenas you are often going to have a cold shooting night so you need to be able to count on your defense. This team can't do that. I will be happily shocked if this MSU team goes beyond the second round. Just hard for me to believe that after all those years with Rick's teams having defense and rebounding as its staple that he apparently doesn't demand that from his teams anymore.

 

[DawgatAuburn]

Saturday sucked, and I put 90% of that on Stansbury for reasons I won't rehash in this thread. BUT.....if you look at the schedule as a whole, where did you think we would be after 10 games? I suspect that most people thought we would lose at Vandy and beat UGA at home. So call that a wash. Yes, it sucks to beat Vandy them come home and lose to UGA but it's 1-1 either way (except for the huge RPI hit we took Saturday). Is there any surprise we lost at Florida? No. Arkansas? No. Ole Miss? No. So maybe I thought in early January we could win all of those, but losing them all is not a shock. Now we hit a part of the schedule where we have to get what we expected. Three wins in the next four road games sounds like a big task, but I bet most of us thought we would get that in January. It just looks not like winning at Bama is more likely than Baton Rouge. Auburn and USC are not gimmes, but winnable. Then split the two home games and there's the 10-6 that a lot of people expected, and was my personal bottom line for success/failure this year.

*****
From Jan 3.

at Ark, Tenn: 2-0
Bama, at UM, at Vandy: 2-1
LSU: 1-0
at UF: 0-1
Aub, UM, UGA, at LSU, at AU: 5-0
UK, at Bama: 0-2
at USC, Ark: 2-0

12-4, anything less than 10-6 is failure. If 10-6, it will be 1-2 in the second set and 4-1 in the fifth set.

 

[Coach34]

is that they are capable of playing good basketball as well as playing like dogshit- and everything in between. That's what really makes these final 6 games a real unknown- we are just so inconsistent. This week should answer alot of questions- losing either would really hurt our resume come selection Sunday.

 

[patdog]

This team plays up or down to the level of its competition. Sooner or later that's going to bite you in the *** and that's what happened to us Saturday.

 

[kired]

DawgatAuburn[/b]]anything less than 10-6 is failure

If we finish 4-2 I'll be satisfied. I'm afraid we'll go 3-3 (losing to LSU, Kentucky,plus one upset loss).This team is so unpredictable that anything is possible.

I believe9-7 in the SEC would be thesame record we've had for the last 3three years. Not what I expected coming into this year.

 

[perch0]

This team needs to learn to play hard. When Lewis is in the game no one should shoot a layup. He should never finish a game without four fouls unless the other bigs have wasted theirs.
All need to play hard def and finish with fouls. That is what other teams are doing. Create some turnovers. Refs are letting most teams play.