2024-25 PSU MBB Thread

[Ludd]

31-20 at the 8 minute mark….MSU starting to pull away.

 

[BobPSU92]

We aren’t very good at basketball.

 

[Ludd]

55-49 with just under 16 minutes to play. Closed up the lead coming out of the second half. Dunn is on fire, has 18.

 

[SleepyLion]

We aren’t very good at basketball.

fify.

 

[Ludd]

We keep closing the lead to four then MSU stretches it back to ten. Frustrating.

 

[Ludd]

Better than I thought it would be, but we had too many turnovers and MSU had too many weapons. Lost 90-85.

 

[bdgan]

Baldwin is playing off the ball and not running the offense. I assume he's avoiding the paint/contact because of his back. Maybe he should sit.

50% of Baldwin + Puff injured isn't a formula for beating MSU on the road.

Better than I thought it would be, but we had too many turnovers and MSU had too many weapons. Lost 90-85.

Some of those turnovers were players like Dillione and Kern forcing things with Baldwin playing off the ball.

I think Kern missed 5 FTs which really hurt.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[yboby]

23 2nd chance points for MSU vs. 6 for PSU. Just like last year getting killed by offensive rebounds.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[Alphabets]

Needed that win like air to breathe.

 

[Erial_Lion]

Got one we REALLY needed that could have slipped away. Konan stepped up, we hit outside shots (especially Dilione), Ace was a bit more like himself, got the turnovers and FTs we needed to supplement our offense, etc. Harper a little hobbled and Bailey gave us some free points when we needed them. Good win…nothing will come easy, but need to keep pulling games like that out.

 

[Erial_Lion]

We appear again in Lunardi's Bracketology, as the 8th team out. Since we're getting into late January, we're starting to get enough data for it to start meaning something. We're sitting at 13-6 (3-5) today. I feel like we need to be 20-11 (10-10) heading into the Big Ten Tournament to be squarely on the cut line. If we're worse, things aren't looking good...better, and we've got a good shot of dancing.

Using Pomeroy's numbers, here is the path to 20-11. For every game we lose above the line, we'd need to pick up a win in a game below the line. And FWIW, Ken projects us to go 19-12 (9-11).

Date - Opponent - Pomeroy % of winning
2/4 - Minnesota - 82%
2/15 - Washington - 81%
2/19 - Nebraska - 62%
2/22 - at Minnesota - 62%
1/30 - Ohio St - 57%
3/1 - Maryland - 50%
2/11 - at USC - 49%
-------------------------------------------------------------
2/26 - at Indiana - 44%
1/24 - at Iowa - 40%
2/8 - at UCLA - 30%
3/8 - at Wisconsin - 23%
1/27 - at Michigan - 19%

As you can see, the next two road games (Iowa and Michigan) both fall below the line...but getting a win in one of them would be huge so that we don't have to run the table on those games above the line (especially if we want to push it to 11-9 in conference to make us feel safer).

 

[LionJim]

Needed that win like air to breathe.

I know the feeling.

 

[Bison13]

We appear again in Lunardi's Bracketology, as the 8th team out. Since we're getting into late January, we're starting to get enough data for it to start meaning something. We're sitting at 13-6 (3-5) today. I feel like we need to be 20-11 (10-10) heading into the Big Ten Tournament to be squarely on the cut line. If we're worse, things aren't looking good...better, and we've got a good shot of dancing.
I’m glad the Iowa game is before the Michigan game. I don’t think there’s any chance they can win at Michigan but Iowa I think they’ve got a shot. If the games were reversed, I think losing to Michigan and then dealing with that going on the road again would be trouble.
Gonna need to see these freshmen step up and give some minutes against Iowa, wearing out some of the guys these past two games with puff out
Using Pomeroy's numbers, here is the path to 20-11. For every game we lose above the line, we'd need to pick up a win in a game below the line. And FWIW, Ken projects us to go 19-12 (9-11).

Date - Opponent - Pomeroy % of winning
2/4 - Minnesota - 82%
2/15 - Washington - 81%
2/19 - Nebraska - 62%
2/22 - at Minnesota - 62%
1/30 - Ohio St - 57%
3/1 - Maryland - 50%
2/11 - at USC - 49%
-------------------------------------------------------------
2/26 - at Indiana - 44%
1/24 - at Iowa - 40%
2/8 - at UCLA - 30%
3/8 - at Wisconsin - 23%
1/27 - at Michigan - 19%

As you can see, the next two road games (Iowa and Michigan) both fall below the line...but getting a win in one of them would be huge so that we don't have to run the table on those games above the line (especially if we want to push it to 11-9 in conference to make us feel safer).

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[Erial_Lion]

Rutgers is the case study in my response to all of the posters throughout the years that talk about how easy it should be to turn around a basketball program, since "all you need is 1 or 2 great players". They've got two guys that are locks to be lottery picks (and potentially the #2 and #3 players taken in the draft), and the bubble they find themselves on is trying to play their way into the top 15 in the conference to make the Big Ten tournament.

Harper has an underwhelming game last night, but he's awesome. And Ace Bailey is unstoppable at the offensive end. But our depth and experience won out against their two stars.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[bdgan]

Important for PSU. The team lost a couple of winnable home games (Indy & Oregon) and now has to claw its way back. After this game they play @ #21 Michigan. Lose this one and they could be 1-6 in their last 7.

Iowa has lost 3 in a row so this is a good chance to pick up a road win.

 

[bdgan]

MBB @ Iowa

Close early. Not much defense.

Iowa big man Freeman is having his way.

 

[bdgan]

Iowa leads by 5 at half. PSU is lucky to be that close. Out rebounded and giving a lot of fast break pts.

PSU hasn't been the same with Johnson out and Baldwin playing hurt.

Kern has some amazingly athletic moves but he also forces things and turns the ball over. Dillione has shown some athleticism. Still they miss Puff's steady hand and things aren't the same with Baldwin playing off the ball.

We'll need Baldwin to fight through his issues and get Konan more involved in the second half in order to with this one.

 

[bdgan]

What a tough loss.

 

[Erial_Lion]

Konan can’t pick up fouls more than 20 feet from the basket…that was a difference maker.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[yboby]

Poor 3-point shooting once again (5 for 22). Hicks had plenty of time to take the ball to the hoop instead of throwing up a difficult shot from the corner.

Baldwin's 3 was wide open but I would have preferred something going to the hoop. Maybe Rhoades should have called a time out to set up something.

 

[bdgan]

Poor 3-point shooting once again (5 for 22). Hicks had plenty of time to take the ball to the hoop instead of throwing up a difficult shot from the corner.

Baldwin's 3 was wide open but I would have preferred something going to the hoop. Maybe Rhoades should have called a time out to set up something.

I don't think Baldwin planned to shoot a 3. It looked to me that he picked up his dribble, and panicked with time running down. I'm confident that a healthy Baldwin would have taken the ball into the paint so he could kick it out or get fouled.

 

[bdgan]

More of same so far vs Michigan. Baldwin plays off the ball and pretty much avoids taking the ball into the paint.

It was a good team until Ace & Puff got hurt. Now not so much.

 

[Ludd]

More of same so far vs Michigan. Baldwin plays off the ball and pretty much avoids taking the ball into the paint.

It was a good team until Ace & Puff got hurt. Now not so much.

Need a shooter or two…can’t run the shot clock down looking for a drive every possession because no one can shoot consistently from outside. And too many turnovers.

 

[Bison13]

Looks like they blew it in the last 90 seconds

 

[Ludd]

Might as well just watch the home games…the away games are pretty much an automatic loss.

 

[psu0408]

Up 72-67 with 1:50 left, only to lose 76-72. Tournament chances non existent at this point.