LADY RAIDER BB Middle Tennessee (0-1) vs Tulane (2-1), 6:30PM, Wednesday, December 9, 2020

[SpaceRaider]

Venue: Murphy Center (11,520)
Location: Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Tip-Off Time: 6:30 PM
Radio: WGNS 100.5 FM, 101.9 FM; 1450-AM Talent: Dick Palmer (pxp) Duane Hickey (analyst)
Live Stream: CUSA.tv/raidervision
Live Audio: GoBlueRaiders.com
Live Stats: GoBlueRaiders.com

Location: New Orleans, La.
Enrollment: 13,602
Head Coach: Lisa Stockton
27th Season at TU: 524-292 (.628)
30th Season Overall: 587-319 (.648)

 

[MTOleBlue]

Who would have guessed that playing one of our 6'4" posts would make the offense flow and help the team be better?? Baffling why Insell didn't play Kozlova (or anyone else for that matter) on Sunday at the post for more than a few seconds...

 

[MTFNBY5]

Who would have guessed that playing one of our 6'4" posts would make the offense flow and help the team be better?? Baffling why Insell didn't play Kozlova (or anyone else for that matter) on Sunday at the post for more than a few seconds...

Very perceptive OleBlue - let me add that either Kozlova isn't 6'4" or the transfer from Duke for Belmont is 6'5"+. Big discrepancy in their heights evident Sun. afternoon. Somebody fibbing.

 

[MTOleBlue]

Very perceptive OleBlue - let me add that either Kozlova isn't 6'4" or the transfer from Duke for Belmont is 6'5"+. Big discrepancy in their heights evident Sun. afternoon. Somebody fibbing.

I believe Belmont's player is a bit taller than 6'4".

 

[MTOleBlue]

Good 3rd quarter. And what did we do? PLAY ANOTHER POST PLAYER INSTEAD OF 4 (AND A HALF) GUARDS.

 

[MTBig Blue]

It's amazing to me that even with 2 McDonald's All-Americans on this team, we still can't beat Belmont or Tulane. It speaks volumes to how marginal of a coach Insell really is.

 

[SpaceRaider]

Tightly-contested game doesn't fall Lady Raiders' way - Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — A tight contest didn't end Middle Tennessee's way Wednesday.

goblueraiders.com

 

[MTFNBY5]

It's amazing to me that even with 2 McDonald's All-Americans on this team, we still can't beat Belmont or Tulane. It speaks volumes to how marginal of a coach Insell really is.

Wasn't so long ago one would be severely chastised on this board (and especially on the now closed Zone) for criticizing the mulit-HOF coach. I've known of Insell since his early days at Shelbyville. He's always been hard headed and done it his way which was successful when he could recruit through his high school and AAU connections (Yes, he had a lot of players transfer to Shelbyville - was that recruiting?).
Regardless, as you say we have 2 McDonald's AAs on the squad, received early top 25 votes, and now have lost to two unranked teams at home, both of whom have freshmen making much more of an early impact that our heralded newcomers. Insell's early promise of "Great 8s and Final 4s is long gone, now we just hope to make the NCAA. The program has descended into irrelevancy.

 

[MTLynn]

It's amazing to me that even with 2 McDonald's All-Americans on this team, we still can't beat Belmont or Tulane. It speaks volumes to how marginal of a coach Insell really is.

He won far more with less talent when he got here. Did he forget how to coach? I don't think so.

 

[SpaceRaider]

 

[MTBig Blue]

He won far more with less talent when he got here. Did he forget how to coach? I don't think so.

Nope but the game has passed him by possibly. It's happens to some good ones... Bowden, Beamer to name a few.

 

[blueboro007]

This year is a continuing pattern...preseason talk of how great we are and how many great players we have...only to play way below expectations. So, all of these supposedly great players and only 6 are in the box score? Likely time for players to begin leaving the program as this has also become a pattern.

 

[MTFNBY5]

To expand on MTBig Blue and blueboro007s posts. It's obvious to anyone who has followed Insell that he is hard headed and believes in doing it his way. One could say that he is "stuck in his ways". It is also obvious to anyone who has followed basketball on the college level that the game has changed.
When I started watching BkB (I'm a few years ahead of Insell) a team could be good with 5 starters and two serviceable subs - one inside and one for the perimeter. If a team went more than 7 or 8 deep you were in real trouble.
Now because of changes to the game (shot clock, three pt. shot, more movement on offense, etc.) most teams have a much deeper rotation. Starters are worn out at the end of games if they aren't given an occasional blow. You can't "rest on offense" and play hard "D" as was the norm years ago - shot clock won't allow it. Newcomers coming into the program are not happy only getting "mop up" duty at the end of games. Players expect to make contributions or they will look elsewhere. It's true at UK or Duke. It's true at MT for both the men and women. It's true everywhere and if a coach is going against the prevailing style of play he/she better win and win big.
I understand Insell's philosophy of not playing players until they are acclimated to the program. Critics would say you shouldn't recruit them if you're not reasonably sure they are ready to contribute. We have three freshmen who haven't hit the floor. How many did Belmont and Tulane have?
This team will improve. The implication is that the ladies have had less practice than the two previous opponents. No doubt Kozlova will soon be a force inside. We will be better; would we be better with the more current philosophy? Who knows, but the criticism is to be expected.