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I really think we are going to be a surprise SEC basketball team this year

gtowndawg

gtowndawg

Senior
Jan 23, 2007
2,226
604
113
Some of that is gut feeling, but some of it is based on fact:

-We have 5 players that are have played one season of major college basketball. As Coach Ray said the biggest leap any player makes is between first year of playing and second year. We have 5 good, critical players that will be much improved. 4 of them I thought were very good last year. Especially at the end of the year.
-You can apply the same thing to Coach Ray himself. He will improve this year as well. Again, I thought he was a good game coach already last year.
-Players are stronger and more mature (chicken's added 26 pounds since he got to campus last year).
-Depth. It's not ideal, Wendall screwed us there, but it's much better. Yes, Fallou will redshirt but he will practice. Our assistant coaches had to fill in last year for drills. That's crazy. So just practicing with a healthy 10 or 11 will add improvement.
-Not sure what people like Andre Applewhite bring to the table, but for pete's sake, we had to play Baxter Price last year, in the 2nd half, in critical SEC games. God bless Baxter, but that shouldn't happen this year. People like Andre should be able to give good 3 or 4 minute runs here and there.
-Our schedule is more favorable.

I'm not being a homer, I'm looking at this critically and I don't see how we don't win an extra 3 or 4 games compared to last year. It's inconceivable that we don't.

I think we win 18 for sure and beat somebody we are not supposed to beat. I really think we have some good basketball years in front of us.
 
HD6

HD6

Sophomore
Apr 8, 2003
10,019
108
63
If you think we will win 18, then I guarantee you will be surprised.*
 
horshack.sixpack

horshack.sixpack

All-American
Oct 30, 2012
11,360
8,258
113
I like Coach Ray. I like the intensity that his guys played with all last year. I think that he will be a good one for us. I think that he overachieved last year given the circumstances.
 
P

patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
56,801
26,190
113
Yeah. 18 is a stretch. I do think we can win 14-15 this year though.
 
E

engie

Freshman
May 29, 2011
10,756
92
48
Schedule:
DATEOPPONENTRESULT/TIME
Nov 8
8:00 PM ET
Nov 14
8:00 PM ET
Nov 19
8:00 PM ET
Nov 23
9:05 PM ET
Nov 27
2:00 PM ET
Dec 1
1:00 PM ET
Dec 5
7:00 PM ET
Dec 13
8:00 PM ET
Dec 17
8:00 PM ET
Dec 19
9:00 PM ET
Dec 22
8:00 PM ET
Jan 2
8:00 PM ET
Jan 8
8:00 PM ET
Jan 11
4:00 PM ET
Jan 15
8:00 PM ET

<tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">
</tbody>
DATEOPPONENTRESULT/TIME
Jan 18
12:30 PM ET
Jan 22
8:00 PM ET
Jan 25
4:00 PM ET
Jan 30
7:00 PM ET
Feb 1
5:00 PM ET
Feb 5
9:00 PM ET
Feb 8
1:30 PM ET
Feb 12
9:00 PM ET
Feb 15
1:30 PM ET
Feb 19
8:00 PM ET
Feb 22
4:00 PM ET
Feb 26
8:00 PM ET
Mar 1
1:30 PM ET
Mar 5
7:00 PM ET
Mar 8
4:00 PM ET

<tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">
</tbody>

<tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;">
</tbody>


I've got us at 17 here...
 
K

KurtRambis4

Redshirt
Aug 30, 2006
15,926
0
36
I just don't

see more that 13 or so game. We've got no depth. Ray really got put in a bad spot.
 
E

engie

Freshman
May 29, 2011
10,756
92
48
We've got 2 point guards to beat a press with a dribble this year(plus the guy from last year) -- and allow Ray to go 40 minutes of hell on some people. That's worth 4-5 more wins to the season last year in-and-of itself IMO -- before you ever consider individual player improvements -- and the schedule being 2-3 games "better" since we don't go to Maui...
 
DawgatAuburn

DawgatAuburn

All-Conference
Apr 25, 2006
11,007
1,865
113
I'm with you Kurt. About 8-4 in OOC and maybe five in the conference. If we exceed that total, it will likely be the SEC part that does it.
 
S

Sutterkane

Redshirt
Jan 23, 2007
5,100
0
0
I don't get our fanbase assumption that players get better every year.

Everybody seems to think that about our offensive line every year, and yet I feel like our line has been pretty much the same caliber since 2011. Whitley is the same way...everybody thought since he was pretty good early on that he'd develop into the next Troy Polamalu (sp).

When players aren't better the next year, everyone blames the coaches for not developing them. What if they simply peaked their first season?
 
S

SidneyBurger

Redshirt
Oct 18, 2012
197
0
0
We had a couple games last year that we lost in the last minute (Alabama State?), if I remember correctly. Just having a couple of fresh bodies available late in games will help prevent that from happening again this year. I'm expecting sixteen wins.
 
P

Paperdog

Redshirt
Aug 24, 2012
159
0
0
Personally I think we can win 16 or 17 and possibly back into the NIT

Last year's team won 10 games and lost three others games where it blew double-digit leads thanks to having no depth

So if you win those three than last year's trainwreck of a team won 13 games

This will be a much better than people think team in what will once again be a horrible league
 
S

SkullCandy.sixpack

Redshirt
Nov 19, 2012
1,157
0
0
TOTALLY agree. Ray will surprise a lot of fans this year, but not me--I could see the discipline, teamwork and coaching improving the team throughout last season. We will make the NCAA tournament within 2 years, and Ray will get to the Sweet 16 in 3--with whatever team that pays him the big bucks to get him away from us.
 
E

engie

Freshman
May 29, 2011
10,756
92
48
Sutterkane said:
I don't get our fanbase assumption that players get better every year.

Everybody seems to think that about our offensive line every year, and yet I feel like our line has been pretty much the same caliber since 2011. Whitley is the same way...everybody thought since he was pretty good early on that he'd develop into the next Troy Polamalu (sp).

When players aren't better the next year, everyone blames the coaches for not developing them. What if they simply peaked their first season?
Click to expand...

So, you point to a few outliers(in a different sport, no less) to argue an overwhelming majority of players that MSU gets improves from year to year here -- particularly from year 1 to year 2 in basketball?

The entire core of our team was 6 months out of highschool last year. It's not a stretch in any way to assume those players are better and more prepared for the college game this year after a year of weight training and baptism by fire...
 
F

fishwater99

Freshman
Jun 4, 2007
14,073
54
48
patdog said:
Yeah. 18 is a stretch. I do think we can win 14-15 this year though.
Click to expand...

I agree Pat... Anything over 15 is a great year. We have 1 real post player, and no depth there at all.
If Ware gets in foul trouble, game over..
 
S

Sutterkane

Redshirt
Jan 23, 2007
5,100
0
0
Fair enough. Name players in basketball that got significantly better from their Freshmen to Senior years. The only ones I can think of are Charles Rhodes and Jamont Gordon. Jamoney was a turnover machine his freshman year.
 
D

dannyripms

Redshirt
Sep 3, 2013
847
1
18
Yeah I'm with most here. You could tell last year that the team was improving, plus I liked the effort every game. That's the thing that jumped out the most was effort. Under Stan's we got used to seeing lazy folks. I think we win at least 18.
 
horshack.sixpack

horshack.sixpack

All-American
Oct 30, 2012
11,360
8,258
113
Dampier - as soon as he learned he was 6'11" and didn't have to put the ball on the floor in the paint he was awesome and that wasn't until after his first year

D. Jones - I mean we got him as a JUCO transfer, but he passed like 31 hours the summer before MSU and I bet he couldn't have done that as a freshman!***

In all seriousness, I can't think of one who stayed at State and played at least 3 years who wasn't substantially better as a senior than when they started.
 
Seinfeld

Seinfeld

All-American
Nov 30, 2006
11,148
6,968
113
In the final 18 games of last season, we lost 15 times including a 26 pt loss to Ark, a 42 pt loss to Missou, a 41 pt loss to Vandy, and a 30 pt loss to KY. All but the Kentucky game were at the Hump and all four of those opponents were unranked. I'm all for the positive vibe that Ray seems to be bringing to the team and the so called relentless effort, but what in the world did you guys see last year that led you to believe that the team was improving?
 
K

KurtRambis4

Redshirt
Aug 30, 2006
15,926
0
36
Just off the top

of my head, Timmy Bowers, Winsome Frazier, Z, Austin, Barry Stewart, Dee Bost. I could go on, but I won't. If someone honestly believes those right there didn't get any ounce better from day one until they left, then they're kidding themselves and letting their Stansbury hate get in the way.
 
I

Irondawg

Senior
Dec 2, 2007
2,894
553
113
There is no doubt that players make the biggest leap from year 1 to year 2 in all college sports. It's just a huge adjustment from HS level. So all I cared about last year was that we played hard and we did. Colin really improved the 2nd half of last year specifically.

This year we get to see if they players did make a jump to brings them to solid D1 player levels. If Ready and Davis can drastically reduce the TO's we should be able to get to 14-15 wins, but anything more than that is difficult.
 
E

engie

Freshman
May 29, 2011
10,756
92
48
Sutterkane said:
Fair enough. Name players in basketball that got significantly better from their Freshmen to Senior years. The only ones I can think of are Charles Rhodes and Jamont Gordon. Jamoney was a turnover machine his freshman year.
Click to expand...

How many of these players has Rick Ray coached through their senior year(s)?

I damn sure saw them improve as the year went on last year....
 
E

engie

Freshman
May 29, 2011
10,756
92
48
Seinfeld said:
In the final 18 games of last season, we lost 15 times including a 26 pt loss to Ark, a 42 pt loss to Missou, a 41 pt loss to Vandy, and a 30 pt loss to KY. All but the Kentucky game were at the Hump and all four of those opponents were unranked. I'm all for the positive vibe that Ray seems to be bringing to the team and the so called relentless effort, but what in the world did you guys see last year that led you to believe that the team was improving?
Click to expand...

We haven't lost to Arkansas in the Hump in over a decade.

We lost to aTm in OT, LSU at the last minute by 1, @LSU by 12, @Bama by 8, @ Carolina by 7. These are all games that it doesn't take a significant stretch to say we could have won JUST by having a little depth and a point guard that could beat the press.

We weren't far from going 8-10 in that stretch with 6 scholarship players, including a 3rd string PG, 3 TrFR, and 1 5 on roster. We should be better everywhere this year -- with better depth everywhere but the 5(thanks Wendel).
 
M

MadDawg.sixpack

Redshirt
May 22, 2006
3,358
0
0
Thank you for the dose of reality.

Seinfeld said:
In the final 18 games of last season, we lost 15 times including a 26 pt loss to Ark, a 42 pt loss to Missou, a 41 pt loss to Vandy, and a 30 pt loss to KY. All but the Kentucky game were at the Hump and all four of those opponents were unranked. I'm all for the positive vibe that Ray seems to be bringing to the team and the so called relentless effort, but what in the world did you guys see last year that led you to believe that the team was improving?
Click to expand...
 
Philly Dawg

Philly Dawg

All-American
Oct 6, 2012
12,270
6,833
113
I think we'll improve, but must point out that many of our wins were also close games that could easily go the other way this year.
 
Seinfeld

Seinfeld

All-American
Nov 30, 2006
11,148
6,968
113
My mistake, and I agree entirely with yourself and Irondawg that there's no reason to think that we shouldn't see a fair amount of improvement this year. If for no other reasons, the natural year over year improvement of our first year players and the fact that Ray will have a deeper squad this year. That said, I really struggle with comments regarding the clear improvement seen from the team last season. Is there reason for hope? Sure, but I didn't personally see a whole lot of strides made last year
 
Xenomorph

Xenomorph

All-American
Feb 15, 2007
15,352
9,049
113
Take-away message from this thread: The REALLY optimistic fans are predicting..

16-17 wins.

Whooo boy....
 
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