BASKETBALL Middle Tennessee (13-5, 5-1) @ WKU (14-5, 6-0)(Stadium), 6PM, Saturday, January 20, 2018
- Thread starter SpaceRaider
- Start date
The WKU game was what I would thought it would be. Looked great on TV and I bet the atmosphere was as big time as you can ask for. At the end of the game, I knew the ball was bouncing our way when Nick stuttered with the ball, almost lost it, then hit a three with the shot clock winding down. This was huge win for the program. Kudos to WKU for turning it around and looking like a basketball school.
The altercation with Dixon had me a bit perplexed. More jawing than anything....but glad to see that the rivalry is intense with these guys and don't just look at WKU as another game.
This week is UTXX week...hoping for a sweep but even the wins are gonna hurt our RPI.
The altercation with Dixon had me a bit perplexed. More jawing than anything....but glad to see that the rivalry is intense with these guys and don't just look at WKU as another game.
This week is UTXX week...hoping for a sweep but even the wins are gonna hurt our RPI.
All I can tell you is that in almost every post-game presser this year one of the first stats he references is free throws. Always says his goal is to make more than the other team takes, which means playing good D without sending the other team to the line and attacking the paint on offense to draw fouls. That is exactly what we have done this year, so the evidence is there to support that this is, indeed, the way he is coaching.
It does appear you are in the top quarter this year in FT attempts and opponent FT attempts. He must have learned something in Texas.
And this isn't meant as a rip on WKU. After years of underachieving and choke jobs, I am glad his ass was fired in 2012.
from the Hilltopper Haven:
WKU vs MT Efficiency Breakdow
PACE 61. MO-lasses. Just like the Raiders want it.
WKU 102
MTSU 108
This post will be filled with unpopular stuff. That's ok. First, let me say two things I've stewed about the last 24 hours.
1. I am tired of losing to Belmont.
2. I am more tired of losing to MTSU.
Onto the game.
Anyone who still thinks Kermit Davis doesn't know what he's doing or isn't a good coach is simply wrong. That's not my opinion, it's simply evidence. I won't run through a bunch of MTSU stats that prove this unless you make me.
They are good, have been good, and will be good as long as Kermit is there. MTSU has a clear identity and they live into it season in and season out. Defend. Hustle. Rebound. Pressure. It's not always pretty but it's very effective and they are very good at it. They dictated pace and flow last night and we played on their terms for the most part. They are hard to beat in a molasses-paced, 61-possession game. That is a big reason they won.
Second, we STILL played well enough to win. We had 22 points at half and ripped off 40 against that vaunted MTSU defense in the 2H. We put up better offensive numbers against MTSU than Marshall did in their win over MTSU on Thursday. In fact, our 102 EFF was the 6th highest number any team has hung on MTSU in their 20 games. The teams who did better are a laundry list of NCAA Tourney teams and other solid clubs: Auburn, USC, Miami-FL, Belmont, Vandy, FGCU. As bad as our offense looked at times, and despite our 25% turnover rate (!!!), we STILL put up a number good enough to win on the offensive end. We shot zillions of free throws and made 81%. We made 53% of our 2s. We struggled from 3, but we also held our own on the offensive glass with the best rebounding team in the league. Yes, the 1-9 from 3 was a rough look, but it was the only true blemish aside from the huge amount of turnovers (no question, turnovers were a big factor). With a reasonable amount of turnovers, we win just by being better on offense.
But, there is one primary reason we lost, and it did not have a lot to do with anything WKU did or did not do. To say the main reason was anything other than MTSU F Nick King is to sell that guy incredible short. He has been the CUSA POY frontrunner on KenPom all year and it was on full display last night. He had at least FOUR shot-clock buzzer beaters totaling 10 points. And, he did NOT get those on defensive breakdowns by WKU. After throwing in a few ridiculous one, the last one (a BACKBREAKER) was a long jumper forced by nearly perfect defense by JJ. He shut King off on a drive, nearly poked the ball away, and King hit a long fading jumper with JJ right there. Just as WKU made Belmont hit a million threes, they made King hit multiple, outrageous shots. And, he did. I'm not sure there is a lot more we could do. I know that's unsatisfying, but I think it's true.
So, let's briefly return to turnovers, because that was an area that was terrible and this team generally takes very good care of the ball. Granted, MTSU had something to do with that, but we also had two unforced dribbles off a foot out of bounds and two first-row-of-the-stands throwaways. This is a good game to illustrate how crushing turnovers are.
On possessions we did not turn it over, we scored 1.35 points. On possessions MTSU did not turn it over, the Raiders scored 1.29 points. So, in a turnover-free game for 61 possessions, the game would have been WKU 82, MTSU 79. Just that one stat flips the outcome...just the unforced errors flips the outcome. Turnovers are part of the game, of course. But, after Nick King, this is the next most important factor in the loss.
Fans tend to focus on what we didn't do on offense when searching for answers. In this game, Nick King was the answer. And, turnovers were the answer.
Finally, WHAT an environment in Diddle. It's frustrating and painful to not win in front of that monster crowd, but so much good is happening right now. If everyone will hang in there, this is going to be a fun ride. Josh Anderson and Mou are still getting their sea legs. More than most teams at this stage, we have room to still get quite a bit better.
IDENTITY STATS
1. SHOOTING. Plenty good on 2s. Rough night on 3s, but we only took 9, so not that bad.
2. FREE THROWS. Massive win as we were +15 takes and +11 makes. However, our "FT Defense" bad luck continues as MTSU made 88% from the line. A normal night for them might have allowed us to claw this one out. They were clutch.
3. TURNOVERS. Too many: 25% is a disaster by our standards. +5 margin for MTSU.
Bitter loss, for sure. This CUSA is going to be a lot of fun. The top of the league is really impressive and we have a week to get ready for fellow contender Marshall here in Diddle.
Keep the faith.
WKU vs MT Efficiency Breakdow
PACE 61. MO-lasses. Just like the Raiders want it.
WKU 102
MTSU 108
This post will be filled with unpopular stuff. That's ok. First, let me say two things I've stewed about the last 24 hours.
1. I am tired of losing to Belmont.
2. I am more tired of losing to MTSU.
Onto the game.
Anyone who still thinks Kermit Davis doesn't know what he's doing or isn't a good coach is simply wrong. That's not my opinion, it's simply evidence. I won't run through a bunch of MTSU stats that prove this unless you make me.
Second, we STILL played well enough to win. We had 22 points at half and ripped off 40 against that vaunted MTSU defense in the 2H. We put up better offensive numbers against MTSU than Marshall did in their win over MTSU on Thursday. In fact, our 102 EFF was the 6th highest number any team has hung on MTSU in their 20 games. The teams who did better are a laundry list of NCAA Tourney teams and other solid clubs: Auburn, USC, Miami-FL, Belmont, Vandy, FGCU. As bad as our offense looked at times, and despite our 25% turnover rate (!!!), we STILL put up a number good enough to win on the offensive end. We shot zillions of free throws and made 81%. We made 53% of our 2s. We struggled from 3, but we also held our own on the offensive glass with the best rebounding team in the league. Yes, the 1-9 from 3 was a rough look, but it was the only true blemish aside from the huge amount of turnovers (no question, turnovers were a big factor). With a reasonable amount of turnovers, we win just by being better on offense.
But, there is one primary reason we lost, and it did not have a lot to do with anything WKU did or did not do. To say the main reason was anything other than MTSU F Nick King is to sell that guy incredible short. He has been the CUSA POY frontrunner on KenPom all year and it was on full display last night. He had at least FOUR shot-clock buzzer beaters totaling 10 points. And, he did NOT get those on defensive breakdowns by WKU. After throwing in a few ridiculous one, the last one (a BACKBREAKER) was a long jumper forced by nearly perfect defense by JJ. He shut King off on a drive, nearly poked the ball away, and King hit a long fading jumper with JJ right there. Just as WKU made Belmont hit a million threes, they made King hit multiple, outrageous shots. And, he did. I'm not sure there is a lot more we could do. I know that's unsatisfying, but I think it's true.
So, let's briefly return to turnovers, because that was an area that was terrible and this team generally takes very good care of the ball. Granted, MTSU had something to do with that, but we also had two unforced dribbles off a foot out of bounds and two first-row-of-the-stands throwaways. This is a good game to illustrate how crushing turnovers are.
On possessions we did not turn it over, we scored 1.35 points. On possessions MTSU did not turn it over, the Raiders scored 1.29 points. So, in a turnover-free game for 61 possessions, the game would have been WKU 82, MTSU 79. Just that one stat flips the outcome...just the unforced errors flips the outcome. Turnovers are part of the game, of course. But, after Nick King, this is the next most important factor in the loss.
Fans tend to focus on what we didn't do on offense when searching for answers. In this game, Nick King was the answer. And, turnovers were the answer.
Finally, WHAT an environment in Diddle. It's frustrating and painful to not win in front of that monster crowd, but so much good is happening right now. If everyone will hang in there, this is going to be a fun ride. Josh Anderson and Mou are still getting their sea legs. More than most teams at this stage, we have room to still get quite a bit better.
IDENTITY STATS
1. SHOOTING. Plenty good on 2s. Rough night on 3s, but we only took 9, so not that bad.
2. FREE THROWS. Massive win as we were +15 takes and +11 makes. However, our "FT Defense" bad luck continues as MTSU made 88% from the line. A normal night for them might have allowed us to claw this one out. They were clutch.
3. TURNOVERS. Too many: 25% is a disaster by our standards. +5 margin for MTSU.
Bitter loss, for sure. This CUSA is going to be a lot of fun. The top of the league is really impressive and we have a week to get ready for fellow contender Marshall here in Diddle.
Keep the faith.
from the Hilltopper Haven:
WKU vs MT Efficiency Breakdow
PACE 61. MO-lasses. Just like the Raiders want it.
WKU 102
MTSU 108
This post will be filled with unpopular stuff. That's ok. First, let me say two things I've stewed about the last 24 hours.
1. I am tired of losing to Belmont.
2. I am more tired of losing to MTSU.
Onto the game.
Anyone who still thinks Kermit Davis doesn't know what he's doing or isn't a good coach is simply wrong. That's not my opinion, it's simply evidence. I won't run through a bunch of MTSU stats that prove this unless you make me.They are good, have been good, and will be good as long as Kermit is there. MTSU has a clear identity and they live into it season in and season out. Defend. Hustle. Rebound. Pressure. It's not always pretty but it's very effective and they are very good at it. They dictated pace and flow last night and we played on their terms for the most part. They are hard to beat in a molasses-paced, 61-possession game. That is a big reason they won.
Second, we STILL played well enough to win. We had 22 points at half and ripped off 40 against that vaunted MTSU defense in the 2H. We put up better offensive numbers against MTSU than Marshall did in their win over MTSU on Thursday. In fact, our 102 EFF was the 6th highest number any team has hung on MTSU in their 20 games. The teams who did better are a laundry list of NCAA Tourney teams and other solid clubs: Auburn, USC, Miami-FL, Belmont, Vandy, FGCU. As bad as our offense looked at times, and despite our 25% turnover rate (!!!), we STILL put up a number good enough to win on the offensive end. We shot zillions of free throws and made 81%. We made 53% of our 2s. We struggled from 3, but we also held our own on the offensive glass with the best rebounding team in the league. Yes, the 1-9 from 3 was a rough look, but it was the only true blemish aside from the huge amount of turnovers (no question, turnovers were a big factor). With a reasonable amount of turnovers, we win just by being better on offense.
But, there is one primary reason we lost, and it did not have a lot to do with anything WKU did or did not do. To say the main reason was anything other than MTSU F Nick King is to sell that guy incredible short. He has been the CUSA POY frontrunner on KenPom all year and it was on full display last night. He had at least FOUR shot-clock buzzer beaters totaling 10 points. And, he did NOT get those on defensive breakdowns by WKU. After throwing in a few ridiculous one, the last one (a BACKBREAKER) was a long jumper forced by nearly perfect defense by JJ. He shut King off on a drive, nearly poked the ball away, and King hit a long fading jumper with JJ right there. Just as WKU made Belmont hit a million threes, they made King hit multiple, outrageous shots. And, he did. I'm not sure there is a lot more we could do. I know that's unsatisfying, but I think it's true.
So, let's briefly return to turnovers, because that was an area that was terrible and this team generally takes very good care of the ball. Granted, MTSU had something to do with that, but we also had two unforced dribbles off a foot out of bounds and two first-row-of-the-stands throwaways. This is a good game to illustrate how crushing turnovers are.
On possessions we did not turn it over, we scored 1.35 points. On possessions MTSU did not turn it over, the Raiders scored 1.29 points. So, in a turnover-free game for 61 possessions, the game would have been WKU 82, MTSU 79. Just that one stat flips the outcome...just the unforced errors flips the outcome. Turnovers are part of the game, of course. But, after Nick King, this is the next most important factor in the loss.
Fans tend to focus on what we didn't do on offense when searching for answers. In this game, Nick King was the answer. And, turnovers were the answer.
Finally, WHAT an environment in Diddle. It's frustrating and painful to not win in front of that monster crowd, but so much good is happening right now. If everyone will hang in there, this is going to be a fun ride. Josh Anderson and Mou are still getting their sea legs. More than most teams at this stage, we have room to still get quite a bit better.
IDENTITY STATS
1. SHOOTING. Plenty good on 2s. Rough night on 3s, but we only took 9, so not that bad.
2. FREE THROWS. Massive win as we were +15 takes and +11 makes. However, our "FT Defense" bad luck continues as MTSU made 88% from the line. A normal night for them might have allowed us to claw this one out. They were clutch.
3. TURNOVERS. Too many: 25% is a disaster by our standards. +5 margin for MTSU.
Bitter loss, for sure. This CUSA is going to be a lot of fun. The top of the league is really impressive and we have a week to get ready for fellow contender Marshall here in Diddle.
Keep the faith.
another post of interest from that same HH poster:
Re: Chase for the CUSA Championship
UPDATE AFTER GAMES ENDING SATURDAY, 1/20
WKU, MTSU, and ODU all sit at 6-1. I'd handicap it this way:
1. ODU. They still have the easiest schedule.
2. MTSU. They have Golden Roadies in hand with wins at WKU and at UAB.
3. WKU. In good shape, but lost a big opportunity to put MTSU two games back and keep ODU a game back +tiebreak. Tops still have games at UAB and at MTSU.
UAB and Marshall are still in the mix, but have work to do.
4. Marshall. They are suspect on the road. FOR CERTAIN, they see Sat at WKU as their real chance to creep into this title race. And, it is.
5. UAB. The Blazers are likely as good as anyone in the league and probably better than Marshall, but have had some hard-luck losses. Not the easiest schedule left, either (at MTSU, at ODU, WKU home).
It's a pretty big drop from there.
Some less obvious things to watch coming up.
1. The top four of CUSA are as strong as any league not in the "Power 7" (P5 plus American and MtWest). Yes, the WCC has two stellar teams in Gonzaga and St Mary's and BYU is very good (#50 KenPom), but their #4 is San Diego at #121. CUSA has WKU 47, MTSU 51, ODU 69, and UAB 86. Pretty comparable on the whole, though probably a slight nod to WCC. Nevertheless, only 11 conferences have an overall PLUS rating on the whole. CUSA is #12 and VERY close to going into positive territory overall (CUSA sits at -0.43). We could get to positive ground by season's end.
2. IMPORTANT DYK: Southern Miss is 9-0 at home. Their offense is RIDICULOUSLY good at home. MTSU, ODU, and UAB all have to go there. Guess who doesn't? Yep. WKU. Maybe we can get a smidge of unexpected help from the Golden Eagles.
Always respected WKU's BkB program back to the days when I first became a BR fan in the 60s. One of my favorite memories is being in Freedom Hall, on the front row no less, to see the Jim McDaniels led Toppers face Artis Gilmore's Jacksonville squad. It was the only time I've been witness to a top 10 matchup.
I do appreciate that the Topper fans who have come over here and at the other place have been rational and respectful. Looks like most of the real hostility surrounds FB.
I remember the days when WKU filled arenas all over the OVC. Glad, at least for one night, we could return the favor.
Can't say I am looking forward to the return visit (or a possible 3rd game in the tournament). Don't need too much excitement in my life. Regardless, I just hope Murphy Ctr. is as much an event on March 1st as Diddle was Sat. night.
I do appreciate that the Topper fans who have come over here and at the other place have been rational and respectful. Looks like most of the real hostility surrounds FB.
I remember the days when WKU filled arenas all over the OVC. Glad, at least for one night, we could return the favor.
Can't say I am looking forward to the return visit (or a possible 3rd game in the tournament). Don't need too much excitement in my life. Regardless, I just hope Murphy Ctr. is as much an event on March 1st as Diddle was Sat. night.
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