How important is tonight's game to Howland's future?.....

[thekimmer]

One win will not turn things around but I think a loss might largely seal our NCAAT fate and maybe Howland's too.

This team has been a huge disappointment so far and to me it appears to fall mainly on coaching. We have the talent but lack the cohesiveness, fundamentals, and team chemistry. In short we just play pretty awful team basketball.

I hope we do win tonight but I have little faith it will actually happen. If we miss the tourney this season I think its time to move on from BH.

 

[Seinfeld]

I don’t know if the ship has sailed on this year or not, but it’s definitely a big game for us. Very winnable, and Missouri is actually #57 in the NET rankings even though they’re far from being world beaters.

I agree that Howland’s got to find a way to win this one or his team could quickly find themselves on the outside looking in of even the NIT

 

[philduckworth]

It's a must win game for this season. Howland is not going to be fired even though he has done a poor job with this team so far.

 

[RPOdawg]

We won’t make the tournament so I say let’s lose and get him out ASAP. Go tigers

 

[Bulldogg31]

We have a game tonight? Who are we playing?

 

[RPOdawg]

We have a game tonight? Who are we playing?

Sad but true. I had no idea either. Make the change, Cohen

 

[maroonmania]

Highly important. This year is one of the worst coaching jobs I've ever seen in basketball when you look at the personnel on the team compared to the results on the court. Its really bad and my concern is that its going to get much worse when we run out of highly rated legacy guys. Howland's recruiting here at MSU outside of the legacy guys has not been that great. Thought T&L was spot on with today's discussion in that if Perry and Woodard both leave after this year and with Tyson being a SR, next year could be absolutely woeful.

 

[Seinfeld]

Can’t forget Ado too...

At this point, I’d say that next year is going to be a major rebuild one way or another, so it does beg the question as to whether it makes more sense to move on from Howland after this year rather than waste another season. Granted, we’ve gotta see how this year plays out, but if this team does squeak into the NIT or miss it altogether, I think Cohen really has to consider making a change. Next year isn’t going to pretty

 

[msugolf]

I appreciate him getting us out of the Ray dumpster but Howland was always a questionable fit to begin with. His brand of basketball has always been awful to watch, even when he had his final 4 teams. UCLA fans were highly critical of the slow it down, half court style he was running with 5-6 nba players.

He went away from it his last couple of years because of all the criticism and mismanaged the team with "me" personalities who didn't know how to gel as a team.

Looks to me we are following along the same path. Even when we win it's just not good basketball. There's no excitement or sense of future success on the horizon so I think everyone is just waiting around for the inevitable in a year or 2. The thought of going back in the dumpster seems like a program killer.

 

[thekimmer]

Well one thing is for dang sure....

I appreciate him getting us out of the Ray dumpster but Howland was always a questionable fit to begin with. His brand of basketball has always been awful to watch, even when he had his final 4 teams. UCLA fans were highly critical of the slow it down, half court style he was running with 5-6 nba players.

He went away from it his last couple of years because of all the criticism and mismanaged the team with "me" personalities who didn't know how to gel as a team.

Looks to me we are following along the same path. Even when we win it's just not good basketball. There's no excitement or sense of future success on the horizon so I think everyone is just waiting around for the inevitable in a year or 2. The thought of going back in the dumpster seems like a program killer.

Cohen better have his guy signed up before pulling the trigger. We tried the 'retirement' charade with Stans and nobody bought it. We essentially fired the most successful coach we ever had, paid DEARLY for it and the program has yet to come close to recovering especially fan support. One could say the program died March 12, 2012.

 

[philduckworth]

Here are a few stats:

We are 329th in the country in 3 pointers made.
326th in FG attempts
243rd in assists
249th in steals
277th in points.

These numbers are absurd considering we have 2 guys ranked in the Top 40 in NBA draft prospects.

In conference play, Tyson is shooting 18% and 9% from 3. We can not win if he doesn't start playing considerably better or if Howland doesn't bench him and go with Molinar at the PG with Nick at the 2.

 

[maroonmania]

Cohen better have his guy signed up before pulling the trigger. We tried the 'retirement' charade with Stans and nobody bought it. We essentially fired the most successful coach we ever had, paid DEARLY for it and the program has yet to come close to recovering especially fan support. One could say the program died March 12, 2012.

Hopefully we take a chance on an up and coming guy and it works out but we aren't going to get anyone proven to run our basketball program. MSU fans aren't supporting men's basketball right now so its not a real attractive job at the moment. Some of that is the quality of the team but some of it is also the issue with student seating and losing a lot of the local fans that used to loyally come to games before they were ousted from their seats. The only coach out there that we could have gotten with MSU ties that I know of now coaches at Ole Miss. Is there anyone else that has some affiliation with MSU that we could target? Otherwise its probably just rolling the dice on an unknown. We only got Howland because he wanted to get back into coaching so he took what he could find.

 

[DAWG61]

Cause morons still don't know when the SEC plays games Howland should be fired. Ok.

 

[CoastRat.sixpack]

All of these basketball posts refer to all this talent we have, and I just don't see it. We have no true point guard, and without that, the rest hardly matters. It doesn't matter if you have Dampier in the post, if the only way he ever gets the ball is on a rebound off a missed shot. There is no way anyone has watched a game this year, and can realistically place blame on Howland alone, with players standing around flat footed half the time. He may be calling perfect plays, and if he was, I have zero faith this team could execute them. Watch the interaction of our players, they don't even seem like they like each other, or even know each other. Just no fire, and no comradery.

Sorry, but I don't get the hype on Perry. I see a guy with a very low basketball IQ, who consistently tries to do more than he is capable of, resulting in turnovers and/or missed shots. Granted his stat line shows points and rebounds, as it should with the minutes he plays, but if you actually watch games, there is no way you don't cringe a little every time he gets the ball. And he complains after every play, even ones that don't involve him. He whines from tip-off to final buzzer, every game. Admittedly, we would be really hurting without him, but that doesn't make him a first rounder.

Ado has been really good for us this year, and is much improved. Stewart and Molinar are going to be solid, but not quite yet.

I know anyone on here can argue and link everything back to coaching, and that is where the buck stops. But this is basketball, and unlike some sports, the players on the floor have to step up and execute. And that just hasn't been happening. There is only so much a coach can do sometimes.

 

[DAWG61]

Team got too reliant on Peters just breaking someone's ankles and then passing it to them.

 

[Bulldogg31]

I just don’t understand why Howland wants to slow the game down when we’ve got a stable full of racehorses. We ought to be playing an up-tempo, baseline-to-baseline game.

I suppose the reason he wants to play slow is that we are only 6 players deep, but a faster pace could mask some of the shortcomings in Feazell and others’ games.

 

[Wizard.sixpack]

It's a must win game for this season. Howland is not going to be fired even though he has done a poor job with this team so far.

Yea Moorhead was NEVER going to be fired after just two seasons either after going 2-0 against OM and going to 2 bowl games was he?

 

[philduckworth]

I don't understand it either. There is no good reason. I guess he wants to run the weave 10 times a game like my 7th graders.

 

[Dawgtruc]

All of these basketball posts refer to all this talent we have, and I just don't see it.

5* Reggie Perry and Robert Woodard II both projected to go in the draft.

The team will be in bad shape next year.

 

[thekimmer]

Here are a few stats:

We are 329th in the country in 3 pointers made.
326th in FG attempts
243rd in assists
249th in steals
277th in points.

These numbers are absurd considering we have 2 guys ranked in the Top 40 in NBA draft prospects.

In conference play, Tyson is shooting 18% and 9% from 3. We can not win if he doesn't start playing considerably better or if Howland doesn't bench him and go with Molinar at the PG with Nick at the 2.

I did hear that SloMo had been giving Ben some advice on his offensive sets**

 

[mstateglfr]

I just don’t understand why Howland wants to slow the game down when we’ve got a stable full of racehorses. We ought to be playing an up-tempo, baseline-to-baseline game.

I suppose the reason he wants to play slow is that we are only 6 players deep, but a faster pace could mask some of the shortcomings in Feazell and others’ games.

We arent 6 players deep.
And when the players get put and run, it's a coin toss as to whether it ends well or ends in a turnover and fast break for the other team.
Also, it's tough to get out and run when so many other teams press. That kinda kills the chance to run.

Point is- there arent a ton of chances to run and when there are, it's a crapshoot.

 

[thebushman82]

Some mock drafts updated as of today don’t even have Perry in the first round. Some do. Things change I know but Woodard needs to return. Probably wouldn’t hurt Perry either. He gone though and I don’t blame him.

 

[Bulldogg31]

N

We arent 6 players deep.
And when the players get put and run, it's a coin toss as to whether it ends well or ends in a turnover and fast break for the other team.
Also, it's tough to get out and run when so many other teams press. That kinda kills the chance to run.

Point is- there arent a ton of chances to run and when there are, it's a crapshoot.

Are we 5 players deep?

 

[mstateglfr]

N

Are we 5 players deep?

I would say 8, but accept 7 if you want to be a dick about it.
We have 8 players who have played in all the games(they are able) and are averaging 15mpg or more. That, to me, is significant playing time.