Final: Bradley 53 - Missouri State 64

[LittleBrave]

We ARE getting better!
Pretty solid on the defensive end
DSE and WL with nice games.
We took pretty good care of the ball again, rebounded hard, shot FT's well (from what I recall)
The 2 things that killed us was TB's pt. total (1) and we lacked an outside shooter other than DSE.
We competed and kept it close for about 35 min. of the game.
Great intensity all night - just need another outside shooter for next season.

[ph]

That's a good point. If we finish the season with a lot of close losses, that shows progress, and that shows we are not as far away from turning some of those losses into wins.

As I said earlier in the chat, TB has been a no show the last couple of games. Well, we are going to be playing without him next year, so might as well start learning how to play without him. Not a knock on TB, but it seems like Valley opposition has been defending him better the second time around.

And/or taking nearly a year off from physical activity has caught up to him..

The problem is who replaces TB's minutes this year? Next year, it seems Pickett and Egolf will get the minutes, so its not like TB is taking a current players development time.

[tornado]

We ARE getting better!...

depends on what you compare to -- this game was a winnable game, and I didn't see it that way because we did great but because they were not playing well - their starters going just 10-32.

if compared to the loss at ISU then I guess yesterday was better...

but if compared to the win over Indiana State, then I wonder why we went back to a couple things that were NOT working before and went away from a couple things that DID work..

-against Illinois State - Walt came off the bench but he played 29 minutes, more than anyone but DSE, and he took 11 shots, missing all but 3.
We need for the point guard to drive, penetrate, break down defense, and set up other players with his passing - not just shooting as the first option across the timeline.
Against Indiana St. Walt took only 7 shots, and picked up 4 assists
Then against MSU we went back to the pattern we had at ISU with Walt shooting a dozen times - sometimes wildly only a few seconds into the possession, but passing and driving less.

-Jalen started both halves against Indiana State and logged 21 minutes, but vs. MSU he came out of the game quickly and logged just 10 minutes

-just when Charron, Jalen, and AT were giving us some good minutes (AT played 18 min in the win over UNI) now they are not playing as much - and Jake & TB combine for 68 minutes but just 1-17...
When players are playing and shooting poorly then maybe someone else can step up..

[Da Coach]

And/or taking nearly a year off from physical activity has caught up to him.

This is not the problem, it's not his conditioning. Taylor has been limited by the right hand and wrist injury he suffered in the game at SIU Jan. 24 when he was fouled hard by Justin Bocot. He fell hard onto his right hand and it has been bothering him ever since. Note how his scoring has fallen off since then, and in the last 3 games, he has scored just 5, 7, and 1 point.

[LittleBrave]

depends on what you compare to -- this game was a winnable game, and I didn't see it that way because we did great but because they were not playing well - their starters going just 10-32.

When players are playing and shooting poorly then maybe someone else can step up..

T - their inability to score may have been due to our great intensity on the defensive end. I think as a whole, MSU played decent. When Weems went out, they sputtered a bit. They played according to their conference record IMO, which is 9-6. We gave them all they could handle. TB was the difference, as we rely on him for about 25% of our scoring. The rest of the team I thought played well.
Now the game in Peoria, they definitely did not play like a 3rd place team - more like a play-in team.

A few of Walt's shots late last night were bunnies (at least for him, but he just didn't convert). I didn't feel he was shooting too much.
I've gotta' say he looked a lot more under control - even compared to the game vs. Indy-Blue. Still not a great point guard, but getting more experienced.

Yes, I agree that if players are shooting poorly, then others can step up. We needed TB to just get 1 in to establish a rhythm, but it didn't happen. Maybe he shot too much - especially in the 1st half, but he's been our go-to guy for the majority of the season. But no way were we going to win the game without TB's production. The lone exception was our win vs. Indy St. but they are not as good as Missouri St.

[SFP]

I liked our D for most of the game! We were extending their offense up beyond the 3 point line which is a good indicator that we have some guards that know how to press and move their feet. If there is one area we are very good at is the defense of our guards with man2man coverage. That will bode well for next year.

Our O though may take a bit more work. DSE and Walt's 3 point shooting both looked very improved. Now what we are not doing consistently is passing the ball into the paint. JE has to be our best interior passer but his 3 point shot needs a ton of work. We need a stud shooter!

[tornado]

btw- did anyone else see the tweet that suggests TB's shooting hand & wrist were injured?
His wrist was wrapped during the game...
There was a mention of a right wrist injury by TB almost 3 weeks ago - is this the same injury?

[Da Coach]

It is the same injury.