Missouri @ Mississippi St (6) - 2/14/19

[jonson]

What would really make this fun would be if we had some Mizzou fans on here who are as strident as the MSU fans.

I’m just waiting for someone to say this loss was a fluke, and then watch it all break loose.

I think this is spot on. The extraordinary relentlessness with which many Mississippi State fans have defended and explained away is in some ways admirable but also very frustrating. (I of course say this a fan of an Oregon team against whom they "struggled" in a loss that--their fans have tirelessly pointed out--had mostly to do with what Mississippi State didn't do--or the refs--and very little to do with what Oregon did.)

Everyone obviously has a right to say what they think, and fans of different teams will inevitably see things differently, but the sheer number of posts along these lines after the Oregon game and in threads about seedings has likely invited, I believe, more pointed critiques than might otherwise have occurred.

 

[Shades]

Anyone here think that either of these ladies go in the WNBA draft BEFORE Collier?

If honesty is appreciated here, I think they’ll both go before Collier. Prominent 6’7 centers don’t come around that often.

 

[Reypl21]

I don't really care but if Louisville loses to ND twice and ND doesn't lose another game, no way that the Committee is going to seed the Cardinals higher than the Golden Domers.

Maybe ND will be your guys' 2 seed

 

[SimpleDawg]

I think this is spot on. The extraordinary relentlessness with which many Mississippi State fans have defended and explained away is in some ways admirable but also very frustrating. (I of course say this a fan of an Oregon team against whom they "struggled" in a loss that--their fans have tirelessly pointed out--had mostly to do with what Mississippi State didn't do--or the refs--and very little to do with what Oregon did.)

Everyone obviously has a right to say what they think, and fans of different teams will inevitably see things differently, but the sheer number of posts along these lines after the Oregon game and in threads about seedings has likely invited, I believe, more pointed critiques than might otherwise have occurred.

Fair enough. I think your point is valid. But I always criticize ourselves more than analyze the other team. As fans, we tend to evaluate ourselves more in any win or loss. At least in.... Bulldog Nation. No disrespect to Oregon of course... they won and deserved to win, and we stunk it up that night

...

 

[Centerstream]

If honesty is appreciated here, I think they’ll both go before Collier. Prominent 6’7 centers don’t come around that often.

I made a comment on this thread that Pheesa will go before the 2 centers only because during every ESPN game where they discuss the No. 1 selection held by Vegas and Bill Lambier, they make it a point to say that A'ja has stated that she doesn't want to have another "big" playing alongside her. So another option would be to trade the first pick and hopefully get a pick where he can get who A'ja approves of.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Is Laimbeer the kind of coach/GM that kowtows to his players? I would think if he believes drafting a big post is in the team's best interest, that's what he will do.

 

[Shades]

I made a comment on this thread that Pheesa will go before the 2 centers only because during every ESPN game where they discuss the No. 1 selection held by Vegas and Bill Lambier, they make it a point to say that A'ja has stated that she doesn't want to have another "big" playing alongside her. So another option would be to trade the first pick and hopefully get a pick where he can get who A'ja approves of.

She had bigs playing beside her last season: Swords, Bone, and Park. None of them are prominent. This is getting repetitious, but both Wilson and Laimbeer consider her a forward, so I don’t know what to tell you or these experts of yours.

 

[Jmsdawg]

Late commentary but....

Hats off to Missouri. They were great and shot the ball very well. MSU was off in general. Howard acted foolish after her last foul, McCowan was very frustrated as well.

I'm glad they lost to hopefully gain some perspective. There is still a lot of basketball to be played. While this game will hurt our seeding it doesn't change the focus.

Never want to see us lose but if this means we get to play

What would really make this fun would be if we had some Mizzou fans on here who are as strident as the MSU fans.

I’m just waiting for someone to say this loss was a fluke, and then watch it all break loose.

I thought MSST loss to Oregon was a fluke but have changed my mind based upon the loss to Missouri. We have a real problem guarding 3 point line and hitting from the outside. Every close game we have played, Marquette, Oregon, South Carolina, and Missouri, all had a similar pattern. Opponent shot well from outside and clogged the lane. That looks to be a major weakness for MSST. I am concerned we will not match well with either Oregon or UConn should we meet them Tournament time.

 

[Shades]

 

[DefenseBB]

Miss St. was a projected #1 seed and they lost at home to an unranked opponent. What did you expect from this thread? If any of the top teams loses to an unranked team, they are going to get slammed on here. Including and especially UConn if that were to happen.

So I don't understand the complaint. People overreact on the internet? Welcome to your first day online.

People’s perspective is for all teams but their own!
I will say there is bias in the voters on how to treat these games. The voters ARE SWAYED BY THE NAME ON THE FRONT. Massey is not. Unfortunately, the Committee uses less science (RPI? Really?) and more eye test and P5 bias than most would like to happen.
I enjoy the speculation as fellow posters noted “It gets people talking!” Heck, my own son texted me and said “Why isn’t UConn a #1 seed?” And that in itself was shocking! He never pays attention.
Missouri loss notwithstanding, the top 6 teams are significantly better than the next 4/5 teams and are more predictive of doing well in the conference Tournament and getting to the Elite 8 than the rest of the options.
Oregon may lose a game but will win the PAC12,
ND or Louisville will win ACC
Baylor will win Big12
MSU will win the SEC (despite this late SC run)
UConn will win out.
Only possible surprises would be Ore St or if Maryland show spirit to get the l

There have been several “fast” WNBA players that weren’t very good, just like there are some “slow” players that did just fine. With the right team, she’ll be just fine.

Here’s my quibble with that assumption: The WNBA has only 12 Teams with 12 spots per team. With so few teams, there is a lot of talent in that league that means very good players will not make it or if they do, will not play a lot. Europe is a different animal-lots of leagues, lots of teams, inconsistent talent levels so she could thrive. Again just my opinion.

 

[j66kicker]

Anyone here think that either of these ladies go in the WNBA draft BEFORE Collier?

Not who I would pick but, yes, probably both will. Big, strong, well-coached 6’7” aircraft carriers with 4 years of top 10 NCAA experience don’t come along that often.

 

[j66kicker]

The amount of critical analysis generated by opposing fanbases after one really bad game from a 22-2 college team is tiring....

...It was one game. On to TAMU. Tough one. I bet they'll be ready.

It was one game you had no business losing. Not at all like losing to Oregon. Or Baylor or Louisville. Or Stanford or Notre Dame. This was an unranked team - you have to beat them every time. EVERY time.

 

[bballnut90]

Wow just watched the game...really bad loss for Mississippi State. Not their best effort (especially defensively) but gotta give Missouri credit for playing really well on both ends. The backup PG Levy was stellar and Cunningham was great. I'm definitely not a Mizzou fan due to a lot of their antics, but boy do they make a great villain team. They're a dangerous team even though they are quite inconsistent. Sort of like Tennessee squads in recent years who'd beat South Carolina but lose to Alabama.

McCowan missed a lot of chippies, Mizzou swarmed her and got her out of rhythm. Holmes had several uncharacterically bad TOs and Howard committed too many unnecessary fouls. Danberry also looked off her game. Just a bad game overall for MSU. Combine that with a very well played game by Mizzou that led to the upset.

Honestly I think this loss helps MSU in the long run, as they're likely pushed down to #6 with this loss and in theory should avoid the UCONN home atmosphere. Also ups the stakes for the SC rematch next month.

 

[baggerbob]

Anyone here think that either of these ladies go in the WNBA draft BEFORE Collier?

They probably will but shouldn't, coaches fall in love with size. They all feel they can make a big player better.

 

[Shades]

 

[baggerbob]

She had bigs playing beside her last season: Swords, Bone, and Park. None of them are prominent. This is getting repetitious, but both Wilson and Laimbeer consider her a forward, so I don’t know what to tell you or these experts of yours.

None of those players occupied her space in the lane. In college she got better when Coates went down.

 

[donalddoowop]

Also, no assists. This is because she shoots every time she touches the ball. Pretty shots that clang are not as good as ugly shots that go in. So she may have a pretty shot, as mentioned by some, but I'll take makes over pretty.

No, I saw her drive and take some shots inside the three point arc and I saw her make a number of passes. She has a lot to work on but I believe she will eventually come into her own and help MSST.

 

[donalddoowop]

I think this is spot on. The extraordinary relentlessness with which many Mississippi State fans have defended and explained away is in some ways admirable but also very frustrating. (I of course say this a fan of an Oregon team against whom they "struggled" in a loss that--their fans have tirelessly pointed out--had mostly to do with what Mississippi State didn't do--or the refs--and very little to do with what Oregon did.)

Everyone obviously has a right to say what they think, and fans of different teams will inevitably see things differently, but the sheer number of posts along these lines after the Oregon game and in threads about seedings has likely invited, I believe, more pointed critiques than might otherwise have occurred.

I just re watched that game with MSST and Oregon just out played MSST.

 

[GDawg]

This is my first post on this board and I'm a lifelong MSU fan. Been following women's college basketball long before MSU became good at it. So count me as one who is NOT explaining this one away. We got beat. Mizzou played with passion and intensity, shot lights out. We did not. It happens. I've coached HS basketball for more than 20 years. I've seen teams win by 20+ over a team and then 2 weeks later lose to the exact same team by 20+. It's what makes this sport so great. You have to bring it every night. In football, more times than not, the bigger, faster, stronger team wins. Not so in basketball. It's a long season. More vulnerable to injury, illness (flu bug), travel problems, exams in the middle of the season, etc.

I never thought we were Final Four bound. Still don't. Just hoping for a nice run. We easily could lose at A&M, at USCe and in the SEC tourney before Selection day.

 

[bbballfan23]

They probably will but shouldn't, coaches fall in love with size. They all feel they can make a big player better.

Agreed but you can’t teach heart & attitude. They both tend to shut down if things don’t go their way.

 

[Shades]

 

[Vowelguy]

I think it’s cute when opposing fan bases fight with each other here. A bit like watching a cock fight. I just havent figured out which one is Little Jerry.

 

[GoDawgs4]

Credit to Missouri for playing an outstanding game. Two years ago we went to the finale and lost four starters. Last year back to the finale and lost four more starters.
This year’s team loses a valuable starter and back up from last year in Chloe Bibby.
That we have only lost two games is amazing to me. I was worried about this game all week and I knew we would have a let down after the UT game.
Tonight, Missouri took the fight to us, out hustled and out toughed us.
I know it is convenient for some to say that a team that shoots well from three will give us problems. That is true. Missouri was 11-26 last night from three. That will get you a win most nights If you are doing everything thing else well. Holmes/Danberry combined for 10 turnovers in one game. That is probably more than they have in 10 games.
State is team that is not without its flaws. The loss is a concern but I look for us to bounce back and play well at A&M.

 

[JordyG]

They probably will but shouldn't, coaches fall in love with size. They all feel they can make a big player better.

I've said it many times before and it bears repeating. You can't teach size, but some size you just can't teach. Watching McCowan's demeanor throughout the second half was disappointing. It looked to me a combination of frustration and how dare they. Without some kind of outside shot in the Association she's going to feel a lot of frustration.

 

[Carnac]

If honesty is appreciated here, I think they’ll both go before Collier. Prominent 6’7 centers don’t come around that often.

That is very true. Do you think McCowan's stock dropped after her lackluster performance against Missouri?
Her body language towards the end of the game was glaring. I guess it depends on a team's needs when they're on the clock, and if their phone rings in the interim. Since you think they'll both go high, which one goes first? Don't forget, Liz Cambage (6'8") is looking to be traded from Dallas. She could also fill a team's need for a BIG post, and she's an experienced veteran, whereas these two will be rookies. Don't forget, on 17 July 2018, in a game against the NY Liberty, Cambage scored a WNBA record 53 points. So, we'll see.

 

[IWearShoes]

It was one game you had no business losing. Not at all like losing to Oregon. Or Baylor or Louisville. Or Stanford or Notre Dame. This was an unranked team - you have to beat them every time. EVERY time.

You might not have noticed this being a UConn fan, but no other team in the country beats unranked or barely ranked teams every time over multiple seasons. NO other team.

That's a compliment.

 

[Carnac]

This is my first post on this board and I'm a lifelong MSU fan. Been following women's college basketball long before MSU became good at it. So count me as one who is NOT explaining this one away. We got beat. Mizzou played with passion and intensity, shot lights out. We did not. It happens. I've coached HS basketball for more than 20 years. I've seen teams win by 20+ over a team and then 2 weeks later lose to the exact same team by 20+. It's what makes this sport so great. You have to bring it every night. In football, more times than not, the bigger, faster, stronger team wins. Not so in basketball. It's a long season. More vulnerable to injury, illness (flu bug), travel problems, exams in the middle of the season, etc.

I never thought we were Final Four bound. Still don't. Just hoping for a nice run. We easily could lose at A&M, at USCe and in the SEC tourney before Selection day.

Welcome to the yard GDawg!! Nice to have you join us. Thanks for sharing your take. We look forward reading more of your thoughts and observations in the future.

 

[baggerbob]

That is very true. Do you McCowan's think stock drop after her lackluster performance against Missouri? I guess it depends on a team's needs when they're on the clock, and if their phone rings in the interim. Since you think they'll both go high, which one goes first? Don't forget, Liz Cambage is looking to be traded from Dallas. She could also fill a team's need for a BIG post, and she's an experienced veteran, whereas these two will be rookies. We'll see.

Liz is a much better player then either of those 2, can pass, and played at a higher level of competition. The only comparison is 6-8 to 6-7.

 

[Carnac]

Warning!!! Beware of unranked Missouri (19-7/8-4) in the post season. They have all of the makings of a "sleeper" team that can really destroy your bracket. If they can knock off #5 Mississippi State on the road, they can knock off other top seed(s) on a neutral site in March. I wouldn't look past #14 Iowa (20-5/11-3) either.
#3 Oregon (24-1/13-0) has won 17 games in a row, and are already looking like a FF team. They have a "firm" strangle hold on the Pac 12. They should run the table, and be a #1 seed in the Portland Regional.

 

[Boreifs]

Whoa. That is a huge drop from one game, from 2.75 to 2.54.

Loss at home to an unranked team. Not surprising given those variables.