BASKETBALL Middle Tennessee (6-18, 2-9) vs Rice (11-13, 3-8), 5PM, Saturday, February 7, 2020

[SpaceRaider]

RICE
Location: Houston, Texas
Enrollment: 6,628
Arena: Tudor Fieldhouse (5,208)
Website: riceowls.com
Nickname: Owls Colors: Blue & Gray
Head Coach: Scott Pera
Record at School:20-43 (2 Seasons)Career Record: 20-43 (2 Seasons)
2018-19 Record: 13-19, 8-10 2018-19 Finish: T-11th C-USA 2018-19 Postseason: N/A
Starters R/L: 4/2 Letterwinners R/L: 9/4

Twitter: @RiceBasketball

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Date: February 8, 2020 Time: 5:00 PM CT
Location: Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Arena: Murphy Center (11,520)
Series Record: MT leads 6-4
TV: C-USA TV Talent: N/A
Radio: Blue Raider Network (Game2/WGNS/TuneIn) Talent: Chip Walters (PxP), Kyle Turnham (Analyst)
Twitter: @MT_MBB, #BlueRaiders

 

[SpaceRaider]

espn match up predictor 62.6%

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=401175986

 

[sWiley]

Rice has been hot. Not sure about this one.

 

[sWiley]

MT a short favorite at 1.5 points.......

Laying off this one. I'm a big believer in momentum and betting teams when they're hot and while we have covered 3 in a row, I didn't like what I saw in the North Texas game.

I like Rice +110 on the moneyline as I believe they will win the game but I don't enjoy betting against the men in blue. Rice is hot right now and can play with anyone in the conference as they've demonstrated lately. Bad time for us to draw them. We will have to play some of our best basketball to date to win this one.

Our men are more than welcome to prove me wrong here......Would love to be wrong actually

 

[SpaceRaider]

 

[MTsumner92]

score?

 

[RaiderDawg78]

score?

45-32 bad guys at half

 

[FranklinRaider315]

I listened to the first 5 min. on 92.9 driving home from Green Hills and it was already getting hard for Chip to call.

Sad.

 

[RandallThomason]

58-47 with 11:34 to go

 

[sWiley]

Not even close to proving me wrong. This team and program will never sniff success if it doesn’t learn how to defend.

 

[RaiderDawg78]

If the current scores/standings hold, looks like we Rice x 2, USM, UTEP & UTSA in our final 5 games.

The worst part of that is Rice, UTEP & us were bottom 5 last season as well.

 

[MTOleBlue]

Bad loss...

Officiating was brutal as well... though that's not the reason for the loss.

 

[Blue_H]

It followed the True Blue Print for a MT men's basketball loss. As usual, gIad I didn't waste my time on this predictable loss.

 

[SpaceRaider]

got to within four with about three or four minutes to go, couldn't get stops though...

This 'team' is not making the conference tournament which is just as well. No sense to burn money on expenses to send the team to wherever texas for one more loss...

 

[SpaceRaider]

Bad loss...

Officiating was brutal as well... though that's not the reason for the loss.

Yeah it was really bad, but bad refs half ass it when it's two bad teams and the worst team usually gets the worst of their calls even if it doesn't match what happened on the play...

 

[Raiderclyde]

It followed the True Blue Print for a MT men's basketball loss. As usual, gIad I didn't waste my time on this predictable loss.

College Basketball is not a game of HORSE. Our shot selection and guarding tonight looked more like driveway basketball than a game played at 94x50 feet. Too many uncontested opponent rebounds, open paint shots, coupled by our ill advised shots, often 3s, is a prescription for losses. Once a team gets up by 10,12,14 it’s hard to overcome without tenacity. We don’t have tenacity for very long. We can often get the game to 5 or 6 points, but most teams can hit enough free throws to ice the game. That happened tonight. Our intensity picked up with 1:56 left tonight and wasn’t enough...a steal to cut to 2 possessions at 6 at a 1:30 doesn’t earn the “W”. Coaching decisions throughout the game makes all the difference in the world...and we are not making any progress developing Basketball IQ.

Where do we go from here? It’s not good. It doesn’t look like we can make the C-USA Tournament. Some type of change is really needed for 2020-21. Recruiting? Coaching? Both?

 

[sWiley]

No real shocker here. Rice is a hot team and the better team. I should have loaded up on them. Literally saw this coming a mile away but I hate betting against MT.

We are losing because our roster lacks talent. Our coaches are average at best. We've managed to win a few games because even a blind squirrel finds a nut on occasion. There will be nights when the shots fall for us, but those are rare.

Before McDevitt ever coached a game here, we talked about how important defense is and being able to grind, grind, grind. Defense, rebounding, winning 50/50 balls, etc.....that's how you win consistently and win big. If we are just going to rely on winning games by outscoring our opponents, we will never be anything meaningful. I would assume Nick knows this, but it's sure not being reflected in our play....

 

[RandallThomason]

If the current scores/standings hold, looks like we Rice x 2, USM, UTEP & UTSA in our final 5 games.

The worst part of that is Rice, UTEP & us were bottom 5 last season as well.

only 4 teams will be in the final pod. We get UAB 2X this week and then pod play will start. If the season ended today we would get UTEP two more times and one more game each with Rice and USM.

 

[dukewayne]

Heard Chip say in the opening couple of minutes that Rice was essentially driving unimpeded to the basket, and that was all I needed to hear. It was obvious how the game was going to turn out. I didn't even bother with the game except to check for the final score tonight.

Last week they appeared to play a little better. If they were improving, UNT was a big opportunity to demonstrate some real progress. While they didn't play horribly, they didn't really play well either. That loss and now losing to an improving Rice demonstrated how last week's "improved" play was really only marginal improvement at best.

One of my points, it is Rice that is demonstrating what an improving team looks like. For MT, it's still pretty much same ole same ole.

 

[RaiderDawg78]

only 4 teams will be in the final pod. We get UAB 2X this week and then pod play will start. If the season ended today we would get UTEP two more times and one more game each with Rice and USM.

I stand corrected. You’re right of course-5 are only in the first 2 pods.

 

[blueraiderJT]

No real shocker here. Rice is a hot team and the better team. I should have loaded up on them. Literally saw this coming a mile away but I hate betting against MT.

We are losing because our roster lacks talent. Our coaches are average at best. We've managed to win a few games because even a blind squirrel finds a nut on occasion. There will be nights when the shots fall for us, but those are rare.

Before McDevitt ever coached a game here, we talked about how important defense is and being able to grind, grind, grind. Defense, rebounding, winning 50/50 balls, etc.....that's how you win consistently and win big. If we are just going to rely on winning games by outscoring our opponents, we will never be anything meaningful. I would assume Nick knows this, but it's sure not being reflected in our play....

In order to have defense, you have to know how to coach it. CNM and his staff doesn't. Not here in 2 years anyway. Maybe next year, he'll win more than 6 games. If not, it will safe to assume whoever is remaining here on this board will be ready for a change.

 

[MT01]

No real shocker here. Rice is a hot team and the better team. I should have loaded up on them. Literally saw this coming a mile away but I hate betting against MT.

We are losing because our roster lacks talent. Our coaches are average at best. We've managed to win a few games because even a blind squirrel finds a nut on occasion. There will be nights when the shots fall for us, but those are rare.

Before McDevitt ever coached a game here, we talked about how important defense is and being able to grind, grind, grind. Defense, rebounding, winning 50/50 balls, etc.....that's how you win consistently and win big. If we are just going to rely on winning games by outscoring our opponents, we will never be anything meaningful. I would assume Nick knows this, but it's sure not being reflected in our play....

That is not the primary reason why we are losing.

 

[dukewayne]

To me, one of the the main reasons for the horrible performance is fully represented in the complete lack of any display of a sense of urgency from CNM during this miserable streak of losing and failure. It particularly drives me nuts watching horrible defense contributing to losing while not seeing the coach demand better from his team.

I'm gathering this attitude is present with M&M also.

 

[crposton]

To me, one of the the main reasons for the horrible performance is fully represented in the complete lack of any display of a sense of urgency from CNM during this miserable streak of losing and failure. It particularly drives me nuts watching horrible defense contributing to losing while not seeing the coach demand better from his team.

I'm gathering this attitude is present with M&M also.

Just because he does not yell and scream and throw a fit for the world to see does not mean he does not demand better or have a sense of urgency.

 

[dukewayne]

Another example that so well illustrates a key element of leadership that I'm not seeing with CNM is when MT played Tulane earlier this season. I'm sure at least a few of you watched and remembered this game.

This specific example to which I am referring was the TV interview of Tulane's Coach Hunter after losing their first game and just before they played MT. A reporter asked Coach Hunter if he was worried about going back home from the Myrtle Beach tournament without a win. Coach Hunter forcibly responded that there was a better chance of him walking on water than his team returning home from the tournament without a win. He went on that there was no chance that he was going to walk on water. As such, there was no chance that his team was going to go back home without a win. Not only did his team whoop MT shortly thereafter, they beat Utah the following night.

It was clear from watching his response that he was demonstrating strong leadership. By a force of will Coach Turner led his team to win. He would not allow his team to contemplate going winless.

That was an outstanding example of what I had been hoping to see from CNM. At no time have I ever witnessed CNM demonstrate that type of strong leadership.

I tried to remain patient hoping that CNM would eventually demonstrate that sort of strong leadership. I also considered that perhaps CNM had a different style or approach than the style I would prefer. Over time it's became increasingly clear that the team has not been responding to the style of leadership put forth by CNM. The losses mount, but little else seems to change.

I'm just not seeing anything to give me confidence CNM has that type of leadership, the force of will, to motivate his team to play with a tough attitude in order to consistently succeed at a high level.

 

[dukewayne]

Just because he does not yell and scream and throw a fit for the world to see does not mean he does not demand better or have a sense of urgency.

One does not need to scream or throw a fit in order to demand excellence or demonstrate a sense of urgency. If he is doing it somewhere and somehow, where is the evidence of it in the team's play?

 

[MTLynn]

To me, one of the the main reasons for the horrible performance is fully represented in the complete lack of any display of a sense of urgency from CNM during this miserable streak of losing and failure. It particularly drives me nuts watching horrible defense contributing to losing while not seeing the coach demand better from his team.

If the lack of a sense of urgency from a coach during a game influenced the outcome, then Tom Landry never would have had a winning season....

Preparation and experience and are the important parts to winning.

Kermit had one 15 win season at MT in 06-07. The team was young and the best shooter, Vogelsberg, didn't play as a senior because of injury, IIRC.

This years team is young and they are getting experience. Maybe the team could be better prepared. The upperclassmen have been a disappointment for much of the season but the the freshmen have not. As the freshmen improve, so will the record.

 

[dukewayne]

Well guys, it all is just working out swimmingly for MT right now. CNM, just keep doing more of the same.

 

[dukewayne]

If the lack of a sense of urgency from a coach during a game influenced the outcome, then Tom Landry never would have had a winning season....

Preparation and experience and are the important parts to winning.

Kermit had one 15 win season at MT in 06-07. The team was young and the best shooter, Vogelsberg, didn't play as a senior because of injury, IIRC.

This years team is young and they are getting experience. Maybe the team could be better prepared. The upperclassmen have been a disappointment for much of the season but the the freshmen have not. As the freshmen improve, so will the record.

Because Tom Landry didn't need to as he had already been demanding excellence all along. There is a major difference between winning Super Bowls and putting together one of the worst stretches of losing in program history.

I get the feeling that some are reading words into what I said that aren't there. I am capable of nuance guys even if it doesn't always come across so well online. Even my big example I posted was a statement given to the media pregame.