Gentlemen...

[M-I-Coug]

(and Lady posters....you too)...

Biggest game in over 10 years for anything Washington State. Here's to tonight~!

Super excited, but the reality is....need to be prepared for either outcome, to avoid Z emotional knockdown.

 

[Coug-Vandal]

Interesting article in the Seattle Times this morning about the game. We are significantly bigger underneath than they are although they do have some big guards. They drive a lot but don't rely on the 3 pointer. They are a good defensive team and force a lot of turnovers.

 

[Coug1990]

Interesting article in the Seattle Times this morning about the game. We are significantly bigger underneath than they are although they do have some big guards. They drive a lot but don't rely on the 3 pointer. They are a good defensive team and force a lot of turnovers.

It is playing out this way so far. Cougars have turned the ball over a lot in the first half with 10.

 

[How_did_this_happen?]

It is playing out this way so far. Cougars have turned the ball over a lot in the first half with 10.

We are not sharp tonight.

The announcers are insufferable.

We are making stupid mistakes.

Our defense is poor (especially the zone).

TAMU is not that good.

 

[mikalalas]

We are not sharp tonight.

The announcers are insufferable.

We are making stupid mistakes.

Our defense is poor (especially the zone).

TAMU is not that good.

Agreed up to where you say Tamu is not that good. Tamu FORCED a lot of the Turnovers with GOOD DEFENSE.

TAMU IS GOING TO DESTROY XAVIER

 

[mikalalas]

Done watching WSU getting blown out by 23 to 30 points

 

[How_did_this_happen?]

Agreed up to where you say Tamu is not that good. Tamu FORCED a lot of the Turnovers with GOOD DEFENSE.

TAMU IS GOING TO DESTROY XAVIER

Our zone is really bad. Disappointing to see us get destroyed by a team that isn't that good. We just don't have the energy they do and we are making poor decisions.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

Our zone is really bad. Disappointing to see us get destroyed by a team that isn't that good. We just don't have the energy they do and we are making poor decisions.

At least half of those turnovers were unforced by inexplicable poor ball handling. If they are locking down the dribble drive, pass the damn ball. Flowers and Rogers kept getting stonewalled and then losing the handle, not to mention the bad passes.

Not only that, but apparently Klay decided to impart his NIT performance on Flowers with that text message...

Out hustled and out physicalled is the name of the game tonight.

 

[Glad Cougar]

I don't understand why the Cougs stayed in the zone defense for so long. It was getting sliced and diced in that second half. TAMU scored on every possession after halftime until about the 8 minute mark. It was incredible how many shots in the paint (easy baskets) WSU gave up.

I think Texas A&M is a very good team. Their defense and pressure completely took away just about anything WSU tried to do. I can see why so many felt that the Aggies deserved an NCAA berth.

Glad Cougar

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

I don't understand why the Cougs stayed in the zone defense for so long. It was getting sliced and diced in that second half. TAMU scored on every possession after halftime until about the 8 minute mark. It was incredible how many shots in the paint (easy baskets) WSU gave up.

I think Texas A&M is a very good team. Their defense and pressure completely took away just about anything WSU tried to do. I can see why so many felt that the Aggies deserved an NCAA berth.

Glad Cougar

To be fair, we play in a league where no one actually takes that 8-10' jumper. Tamu not only took those shots, they made every freaking one of them. Brutal.

And I don't want to go there 'cause we got our asses beat fair and square but that travelling call? Dafuq refs?

 

[Flatlandcoug]

Our zone is really bad. Disappointing to see us get destroyed by a team that isn't that good. We just don't have the energy they do and we are making poor decisions.

Most of your comments in this thread are on point....but A&M has a pretty good team. Outside of a tough 8 game losing streak in the middle of the season, they are a team that went 27-4. Their losses in that streak:

Kentucky 26 wins
Arkansas 28 wins
LSU 22 wins
South Carolina 18 wins
Tennessee 27 wins
Missouri 12 wins (breaking a losing streak is tough!)
LSU 22 wins
Auburn 28 wins

One bad loss in the middle of the one of the toughest stretches of basketball that any team faced this year doesn't mean that you have a bad team, particularly given that they ripped off 7 straights wins before losing to Tennessee in the SEC tournament final.

A&M's defense reminded me a bit of the Bennett defenses but with better talent. They foul on every play so even though they get called for a lot of fouls, opposing teams feel that they get away with fouls all the time. Even with that, if we just handled the ball decently and made shots in the first half, we could have had an early lead.....just too bad that we decided to have one of our patented scoring droughts when they couldn't hit anything either.

 

[bogusto]

Most of your comments in this thread are on point....but A&M has a pretty good team. Outside of a tough 8 game losing streak in the middle of the season, they are a team that went 27-4. Their losses in that streak:

Kentucky 26 wins
Arkansas 28 wins
LSU 22 wins
South Carolina 18 wins
Tennessee 27 wins
Missouri 12 wins (breaking a losing streak is tough!)
LSU 22 wins
Auburn 28 wins

One bad loss in the middle of the one of the toughest stretches of basketball that any team faced this year doesn't mean that you have a bad team, particularly given that they ripped off 7 straights wins before losing to Tennessee in the SEC tournament final.

A&M's defense reminded me a bit of the Bennett defenses but with better talent. They foul on every play so even though they get called for a lot of fouls, opposing teams feel that they get away with fouls all the time. Even with that, if we just handled the ball decently and made shots in the first half, we could have had an early lead.....just too bad that we decided to have one of our patented scoring droughts when they couldn't hit anything either.

You foul on every play because it seems to work--the refs refuse to call them all for fear of rebuke. The Sean Miller Arizona defensive methodology to a T. Guess who is in the other final NIT spot.

 

[425cougfan]

Hate to watch it but that strategy of fouling on every play makes sense. Works in other sports, too. UW DBs have adhered to this philosophy at least for a decade. Hold and/or interfere almost all the time. Gets called maybe 1/3 of the time and you give up 10 yards. Get away with it once or twice and you shut down the drive.

 

[kougkurt]

Hate to watch it but that strategy of fouling on every play makes sense. Works in other sports, too. UW DBs have adhered to this philosophy at least for a decade. Hold and/or interfere almost all the time. Gets called maybe 1/3 of the time and you give up 10 yards. Get away with it once or twice and you shut down the drive.

In the very least, you need to be extremely physical at the start, just to see how the game will be officiated