MBK Story: Cougs outlast Texas State in OT, 78-73

[ScottHood]

Took OT but Cougs win. Now head to Hawaii for next 3 games. Oklahoma on 12/22.

Game Story: https://washingtonstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1838258

Box Score: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=104245&a=1

 

[bogusto]

I noticed Izundu was used in crunch time. I see this as a good sign.

 

[YakiCoug]

I noticed Izundu was used in crunch time. I see this as a good sign.

I was impressed by how this team didn't crumble down the stretch. They flirted with it, but fought back. A good win.

 

[mikalalas]

Yeah a lot of people not in the know will look at the score, and think WSU did bad against some bad team.

But the coach of TSU, let Stephen F Austin to a 27 win season. And TSU has a lot of talent, is in the Sun Belt, a good mid major basketball conference. And TSU has been to the NIT, NCAA, in recent years. And TSU'S only 2 losses were to good teams.

Also WSU way out rebounded TSU, and played ok defense. The only thing WSU did bad was unforced errors, turnivers.

So then why did TSU almost win then?

Because they used up every second on clock, slowed down, immediatly went back on defense, after a miss, didn't rebound, block shots, in order to get back on defense, in order to stop WSU from dictating the pace, running, etc.

Rather TSU dictated the place. In other words, TSU tried to Bennet Ball beat WSU, with lesser talent, and almost pulled it off.

Also TSU shot 60% from the field, 3 pt line.

It's hard to win when that happens. And good teams find ways to win, despite that happening.

So WSU won despite that happening, and won a hard fought, close game, vs a team that seemed to almost never ever miss, that tried to Bennet Ball beat them, and that has a great coach, talented team, players.

That will pay dividends down the road when WSU plays similar games vs PAC 12 teams, and in tourney games.

WSU is improving, and is learning how to win extremely close games.

So this win is a good win, not a bad win like some not in the know think.

 

[7ICoug]

Kind of confusing how having 20 awful turnovers and giving up 60% from the three point line and also letting a smaller, quicker, big score at will could be looked at as a good win. Its an okay win but nothing spectacular at all.

TSU lost to UTEP by 15 and to Texas A&M Corpus Chrisi by 8. Neither a power house needless to say. But slightly better than some of our pre-season choices at least they are ranked 206 instead of 300's.

 

[Glad Cougar]

TSU shot 33% from the 3-point area (4-12), not 60%. I didn't see or listen to the game, so I can't characterize how the Cougs played. I am concerned about the turnovers and it appears that if WSU doesn't shoot the ball well this year, (they shot 54% from the field vs. 44% for TSU) they are going to struggle...especially when they start playing tougher teams in the Pac-12. The key is going to be how much more improvement will take place because the easy part of the schedule has been completed. Cougars' RPI is #257, and I really don't know how good they are yet.

Just for the record, TSU has not been to post season play since 1997 and hasn't had a winning season since 2003. Perhaps Mik is confusing them with Stephen F. Austin.

Glad Cougar

 

[StormyCOUG42]

I disagree with the assessment of TSU and the Sunbelt Conference. They (and their conference) are not very good.

Having said that, it was an ugly game HOWEVER it is always encouraging to see a team play good OT basketball.

Here's to hoping for a miracle against Oklahoma.

 

[mikalalas]

1.Chasanow said 60%. And it was Chasanow that said the coach was good, won 27 games in 1 season for Stephen F Austin and said that TSU had gone to post season, in the past.

2. I didn't know it was that far in the past.

3. I guess I can't go by what Chasanow the radio announcer said.

4. Also depends what defines post season. Some only define NIT, NCAA, as postseason, when there is also CBI, CIT, etc.

WSU'S Bennetball, made UCLA, Arizona look as bad as WSU did vs TSU.

Teams like WSU, do not do very well against Bennetball. WSU is semi mistake, unforced error, turnover semi prone against normal teams.

But you put WSU up against a Bennetball defense, or a extremely good stingy defense, and WSU will have have a lot of turnovers.

The way to beat WSU is either to Bennetball them so WSU has to play half court against a extremely stingy half court defense, or to be Arizona, UCLA, that would have the talent to run with WSU force WSU to play half court.

But WSU would do better against the half court defense of a run, and gun talented team, like a Arizona, UCLA, that stops WSU from running, makes WSU play half court, then WSU would do against a good Bennetball team, that plays extremely good, stingy half court defense.

That's why WSU had a lot of turnovers against TSU.

TSU did go thru long, key stretches of the game shooting 60%. About the only way your going to stop hot shooting like that is if you block every shot.

Sometimes lesser teams, live, and die by by hot, cold, streaky shooting.

It is why you see a lesser 12, 13, 14 seeds beat a greater 2,3,4 seeds, because they get hot, and then loose in the next round.

If Duke loses in the 1st round of the NCAA as a 2nd seed to a 15th seed, it's not because Duke played bad defense, it's because the 15th seed almost never missed a shot. The only way Duke would be able to stop that, would be to block every shot.

To say WSU played bad defense, is not giving TSU credit. WSU played good defense. And WSU kicked azz out rebounding TSU.

The only bad things that WSU did was unforced mistakes, errors, turnovers, which they can control.

But keep in mind TSU is awesome at forcing turnovers, which is a lot harder to control.

And the other bad thing was giving up such a high shooting percentage, which can only be controlled by not leaving wide open shots, but even if contest shot, get a hand in face, that is not going to stop a hot shooter.

And WSU didn't give a lot of wide open shots, and played ok, good defense, contested shots, got a hand in face of shooters.

So the only way WSU stop hot shooting, is to block every shot.

So WSU altho it may not seem like it, and altho the score doesn't show it, and some of the stats don't show it, the cougs played a good game.

Sometimes scores, stats, don't always tell the whole story.

WSU vs TSU, was 1 of those times.