I agree and I'm starting to think with Richman it is.
Printable View
Yep, it would be better if they just stopped caring at all. Then MBB can be like WBB.
The schedule has been very tough but I am not sure I've ever been as frustrated with the current state of MBB at NDSU then I am right now. I hope things change but I am not really ok with getting our doors blown off and being told to be ok with it because we are young or our schedule is tough.
Richman may be a defensive coach but he needs to get the offense turned around, we can't go big chunks of games where everything just stalls and we resort to just chucking threes. Need so much more consistency on that side of the ball, we need some structure to help get us out of those funks.
We're obviously having trouble recruiting guys with size and muscle. Our inside game is almost nothing. But I just described the dilemma of a typical mid-major program. Arizona was unbelievable.
I've been avoiding this thread because I knew it'd be like this but this is just awful, if you hate the team so much stop watching so you can stop complaining about it. I for one actually think our offense looks improved this year on the perimeter we just lack a post presence and our defense has been really solid. We lost by 30 to Arizona, who cares, they will be a top 10 team by time the season is done and they have 2 7 footers that we just didn't have a match for, we competed hard and they played hard until the end and that's all you can ask. As far as shooting 3's goes I'm not sure what you want us to do, they basically had one of their 7 footers standing under the basket the whole game, we'd drive but would get blocked or the shot would get altered and we'd miss, the best option we had was Rocky out there to at least stretch the floor as he can shoot the 3 as well but Ayton is going to be a top 3 pick in the draft, he's a beast, we simply don't have the size and talent to stop him. Evansville was a 10-2 mid major from the Valley that was down 58-18 at halftime against Duke and lost by 64 points. Duke and Arizona are very similar teams so the fact we fought it out and didn't get embarrassed like that is a testament to our guys. We beat Missouri State and lost a tough one to them at home but played close, we played USC tough and had a chance to win that one and lose by 10, we get beat up a bit by a 10-1 SEC team (Miss St) and we lose by 4 to SFA who's only losses are to the same SEC team (Miss St) by 5 points and a 1 point loss at a very good Missouri team, they also beat LSU. If you look down the schedule from the beginning of the year until now about the only game I thought we would win that we didn't was UCSB and I think they are a better team than given credit for considering they are off to a 9-3 start. Yes, there are some frustrations with the way that Dave does things from time to time but with a team playing as many young guys as we are and with even more talented young guys waiting in the wings I'm hopeful that we'll get this thing sorted out by the end of conference play and be playing our best basketball come March, that is the goal. Would it be nice to have won a game against one of these high major opponents, of course it would have but it's not the end of the world when we don't.
I guess I will speak for myself. I am not over concerned by the losses to AZ and USC. I would also agree that the offense is better than the damn weave last year. It just seem sometimes the game plan or the lack of adjustment in a game plan does not happen. Also development of the post position is a bust. D. Miller is not any better than when he came here. Now that could be his ability is capped or the coaches have to provided enough instruction to help him improve. Spencer is coming along but his limited minutes from past years has not helped him. Dang needs more time like Spencer to help his game improve. I have hope in this team when conference play starts we are in the thick of it. Come SL tourney we make our move and win it. Unlike the embarrassing one and done last year. Paul is a stud and I for one will miss him next year. But for now I will enjoy is talents. Players and Coaches need to step up their games. It is a team game.
There are two things in college basketball that happen every year to teams. One is that it is very hard to win on the road, if you can hold serve at home and split on the road you are likely doing well.
The other thing is that all teams will hit that time in games where there is a scoring drought. At that time the good teams have a guy who is consistent down low and they can drop it down and let him go to work or they have a guy that they can give the ball to and say get to the rim and put it in or get fouled. The problem with us is we have neither that we can count on on a consistent basis. You can't shoot your way out of a drought consistently.
I think we have a better chance of a palm tree popping up and flourishing on campus than we have at having that at the post this year, We may have someone step up and say give me the damn ball I am going to score, Paul or Tyson can do it, the question is will they?