SWC75
Bored Historian
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
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- We just took on teams averaging 83, 82 and 81 points a game and scored 60, 57 and 52 points and won all three games. Defense doesn’t win games but it keeps you in them until your offense can find a way to win it. Our defense is so good right now that it reminds me of the 2013 team, that was just crushing people on the defensive end until we had one mediocre half vs. Michigan in the national semi-finals and wound up losing by 5. If we got that far this year, it would mean beating our old friends Duke and Kansas. We could do that if we can hit a few more shots.
- From early on in this game I felt we had a chance because it was obvious that this game was being played the way we wanted it played and that Michigan state looked as frustrated on offense as Arizona State and TCU did.
- When everything you could imagine- crazy shots, crazy bounced, crazy calls, etc. were going against us and we were still in it, the feeling grew and grew that somehow we were going to do this. It doesn’t have to make any sense.
- Frank Howard’s year shouldn’t have ended like that and, thanks to his teammates, it didn’t.
- Braydon Bayer got his chance for glory and he played well, blocking a shot and making a steal, getting a tie-up and making sure the defense didn’t suddenly have a hole in it. Matt Park misidentified him as Marek Dolezaj, who is 5 inches taller, a couple of times.
- Matthew Moyer had a similar stretch at the end of the half with a couple of blocks, although the second one led to the crazy bank shot that went in.
- Myles Bridges, their 6-7 225 future NBA star had 11 points and 6 rebounds. He was 4 for 18 from the field. 6-8 205 Oshae Brissett had 15 points, 9 rebounds and was 4 for 10 from the field.
- Tyus Battle struggled mightily in the first half, going 0 for 4 and getting one lonely point. This after a 3 for 12, 7 point game vs. TCU. He finally came on when we really needed him to with 16 points in the second half to lead the team with 17. Hopefully that will lead to a big game vs. Duke, which we will absolutely need.
- Marek Dolezaj had a quiet game compared to the TCU game but contributed 6 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, all of them coming at critical times, (because those were the only times this game had.)
- Bourama Sidibie got us 2 points, (the margin of victory) and 4 rebounds and played good defense. He and Chukwu had four fouls with 10 minutes to go and neither fouled out.
- Michigan State out-rebounded us 30-51 and got off 66 shots to our 24 and we still beat them. We did it by holding them to 25% shooting and getting to the line 15 more times than they did. We made 5 more two point field goals but 7 fewer three point shots. But we made 13 more free throws.
- And two of those were made my Paschal Chuwku who last year was 0 for 9 from the line and who began this year was 1 for 6 in the first six games. He looked hopeless but now he’s actually a guy you want on the line at the end. He made 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute against Arizona State, 6 of 6 against TCU, including 2 for 2 in the final minute, and 1 of 2 here for a total of 10 of his last 12 free throws and 6 of 8 in the final minute of the three NCAA games.
- Michigan State’s field goal shooting: Nick Ward was 4 for 5. That’s terrific. But Jaren Jackson was 0 for 4, Cassius Winston 4 for 12, Myles bridges 4 for 18, Josh Langford 1 for 12. Matt McQuaid, coming off the bench, was 1 for 7. Yup. That one.
- When we beat UNC in 1987 to get to the Final Four, Jim Boeheim was asked why his team won. He said “We just wouldn’t lose.” Sometimes that’s all it takes.
23-13 (9-11) with 1+ to go
LET’S GO ORANGE!
- From early on in this game I felt we had a chance because it was obvious that this game was being played the way we wanted it played and that Michigan state looked as frustrated on offense as Arizona State and TCU did.
- When everything you could imagine- crazy shots, crazy bounced, crazy calls, etc. were going against us and we were still in it, the feeling grew and grew that somehow we were going to do this. It doesn’t have to make any sense.
- Frank Howard’s year shouldn’t have ended like that and, thanks to his teammates, it didn’t.
- Braydon Bayer got his chance for glory and he played well, blocking a shot and making a steal, getting a tie-up and making sure the defense didn’t suddenly have a hole in it. Matt Park misidentified him as Marek Dolezaj, who is 5 inches taller, a couple of times.
- Matthew Moyer had a similar stretch at the end of the half with a couple of blocks, although the second one led to the crazy bank shot that went in.
- Myles Bridges, their 6-7 225 future NBA star had 11 points and 6 rebounds. He was 4 for 18 from the field. 6-8 205 Oshae Brissett had 15 points, 9 rebounds and was 4 for 10 from the field.
- Tyus Battle struggled mightily in the first half, going 0 for 4 and getting one lonely point. This after a 3 for 12, 7 point game vs. TCU. He finally came on when we really needed him to with 16 points in the second half to lead the team with 17. Hopefully that will lead to a big game vs. Duke, which we will absolutely need.
- Marek Dolezaj had a quiet game compared to the TCU game but contributed 6 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, all of them coming at critical times, (because those were the only times this game had.)
- Bourama Sidibie got us 2 points, (the margin of victory) and 4 rebounds and played good defense. He and Chukwu had four fouls with 10 minutes to go and neither fouled out.
- Michigan State out-rebounded us 30-51 and got off 66 shots to our 24 and we still beat them. We did it by holding them to 25% shooting and getting to the line 15 more times than they did. We made 5 more two point field goals but 7 fewer three point shots. But we made 13 more free throws.
- And two of those were made my Paschal Chuwku who last year was 0 for 9 from the line and who began this year was 1 for 6 in the first six games. He looked hopeless but now he’s actually a guy you want on the line at the end. He made 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute against Arizona State, 6 of 6 against TCU, including 2 for 2 in the final minute, and 1 of 2 here for a total of 10 of his last 12 free throws and 6 of 8 in the final minute of the three NCAA games.
- Michigan State’s field goal shooting: Nick Ward was 4 for 5. That’s terrific. But Jaren Jackson was 0 for 4, Cassius Winston 4 for 12, Myles bridges 4 for 18, Josh Langford 1 for 12. Matt McQuaid, coming off the bench, was 1 for 7. Yup. That one.
- When we beat UNC in 1987 to get to the Final Four, Jim Boeheim was asked why his team won. He said “We just wouldn’t lose.” Sometimes that’s all it takes.
23-13 (9-11) with 1+ to go
LET’S GO ORANGE!
