Bradley-MSU postgame thread

[Bravesfan]

This was a tough loss considering how long we kept the lead in the game. Mich. St. just made a few more plays than we did at the end. It was that minor of a difference.

HOWEVER, I hope the players keep their heads held high. They played a top 10 team down the wire. We frustrated them. For those who didn't watch the game on ESPNU, Coach Izzo was irritated as heck. They were backed into a corner for most of the game.

PLEASE keep heart Bradley. This game should show you that you are GOOD.

I agree that this was a great effort by the Braves, and they will have some great wins down the line because of this. I also give props to the ESPNU announcers commending how the Valley teams earn at-large bids even without winning the conference.

I am a bit concerned though that the NCAA committee, whose philosophy changes yearly with whomever runs it, will not recognize the Valley in the same manner that they were dissed last year. That's why I think this game would have been a big one for us to win. On the other hand, I look at Bradley's non-conference schedule from two years ago, and of course they earned an at-large bid, while finishing tied for fifth no less, after knocking off major non-conference powers like Southern Mississippi, Loyola-Chicago, Bowling Green and Chicago St! (Yes, they did beat DePaul on the road, but that would not be considered a huge resume win). But it's so hard to read the committee, and the Valley's current overall composite record is not as good as it's been the last two years, though we still are ranked fifth in the RPI for now. That's why games like this need to be won, though it shouldn't matter that much if the system weren't so flawed.

So pardon me for my rambling. I'm not upset that Bradley lost this game in the same way others may be. It would have been a nice game to win, but from a personal standpoint it was not imperative, and the players have nothing to hang their heads over. They gave a great effort, they should be proud of themselves and they will learn and grow from it. However, from the NCAA Tournament perspective, I am upset that they lost, because even though the Valley has gotten the props they have deserved over the last few years, we have to prove ourselves from scratch every year just to keep pace with the big boys. So hopefully tonight's loss did not damage Bradley's at-large chances from that perspective.

But I do know that tonight's loss did a lot to help Bradley's growth, which will be invaluable come conference time and tournament time. Great job guys! Keep up the great work and you will be rewarded for it!

[Guinness]

How am I a poor winner? I said it was a good game and then complimented your team by saying they would win a lot of conference games this year.

Me stating my observations from the game make me a poor winner?

Saying a fellow fan is kissing our ************ does what....exactly?

[bravesonly]

That's half-correct. Ruffin forced way too many shots in the last 3-4 minutes. The D-Ruff Show took over BU's offensive end and he blew it late. He didn't have one shot that was under control from that point on. And the thought of having one of his teammates shoot? Never entered his mind. It was the D-Ruff Show or nothing. Extremely frustrating knowing we let them off the hook late in the game.

could not agree more, that forced 3 attempt and wild fade-away lay-up no-look hook whatever it was, both occurring with between one and two minutes to go, i felt really just gave the game away for good. he's so quick and good but just has to improve on his decision making, take his time and trust his team mates more sometimes. i dunno, i'm just really frustrated when we had this game and took wild ill-advised shots and passes to turn the ball over and give the game away like that. i felt ruff outplayed neitzel for 37 minutes of this game, with neitzel winning the final 3 minutes, which pretty much mirrored how the game went.

now that i have that off my chest, i thought this was a great game. we made more runs than them i thought, coach les took great time-outs to limit theirs. we played a full 40 minutes of great effort, i thought sam s. provided great minutes off the bench. the freshmen looked great, will looked a little jittery at the beginning (air-balled a three) but settled down and sam m. looked phenominal. wilson also had a great game i thought. this team is set-up for a while, tonight will sting but we need to come away with the confidence from this game that we CAN play with the big boys and next time maybe we can be a little calmer and more confident down the stretch.

GO BRAVES and be proud of yourselves

[CABUFan]

This was a tough loss to take, but it showed we can play with anybody. If you had told me we'd give up 20 offensive rebounds and go only 8-25 from 3 pt range against I'd have thought we'd get killed.

[BU ICEMAN]

Hey Jack, love the enthusiasm, but seriously man, even if you shoot 38%, if you grab as many O-boards as MSU did, it effectively negates that percentage. I wouldn't be surprised if upon the final stat tally of possesions + O-rebs, that MSU doubled us up or was pretty darn close to that. Sure we might've forced some bad shots with our defense, but the possession isn't over until the ball is back in your hands.

Tonight the Freshmen and the JUCO's (save Maniscalco and Wilson) looked like first year players. I imagine you can chalk it up to nerves, timidness, newness, scared, etc., but they definitely didn't contribute to their potential (running storyline of the year so far). Wilson seems to really know his role and plays within himself, I really like the job he did. Maniscalco got a lot of minutes, and did well, no major foul-ups that immediately come to mind, but he showed he still can get a bit flustered on both ends of the floor from time to time. Needs to find something that makes him more of a threat on the offensive end.

Andrew Warren needs to find some consistency. Do we get Good Andrew or Bad Andrew on any given night? Coach Les put him back in at the end of the game and he got himself yanked ASAFP. In his defense, he's only a sophomore, but he does have a year of good experience and quality PT which leads us to our high expectations.

Danny Ruffin seems to always be good for a minimum of 5 "What in the Sam Hell were you thinking?!?!?!?" plays a game. Unfortunately for us, 2 of them came with under two minutes to play, while we were down and needed good possessions. He tossed up a wild, unnecessary 3 and then his patented get stuck down low amongst the trees while in the air with nowhere to go drives. For as talented as he is and nifty as he can be with the ball, I still think he makes way, way too many bad decisions, whether they be a forced shot, forced pass, or reckless drive.

Crouch, well, he was there and put up 13 points, but something was missing. His contribution seemed to be more of a role player than one of our go-to scorers. His contributions are in direct proportion to the success of the team. As Crouch goes, so does this team.

Singh's minutes in the 2nd half were exactly what's expected of him. Nothing super, but knows where to be on the floor and what to do....which leads me into....

Collins. No mins in the 2nd half, and that's his fault, not Coach Les' (well, mostly, I mighta given him a chance in the 2nd half). Whereas Singh knows where to be on both ends of the floor, Collins looks lost and "spaced out" way more than he should. If he realizes he's out of position, he looks as if he has no idea what to do to fix it. Now I see why he's not getting the minutes myself and others thought he should get.

Salley did well tonight, but I'm still expecting more out of him after having all last year and the off-season to learn more and become more skilled. I still think that there's time for him to get his stuff together and become a real contributor night in, night out.


Finally, I'm totally reminded of Dennis Green: "We had 'em.......and we let 'em off the hook!!!!" <PODIUM SLAM>

Ugh, now I gotta go to bed angry......

[AE Braves Fan]

Let's calm down fellas.

Rebounding was obviously horrendous.
Officiating leaned in favor of MSU but was not the reason Bradley lost (see above).
We had a few chances, wipe open looks, to put the game into double digits and couldn't convert.
Ruffin tried to do too much at the end.
Crouch couldn't get many good looks.
Warren/Egolf were not great.
Singh needs to play more (have been saying this all year).
Salley needs to play less (where is the "best player in practice"?).
They overplayed Ruff and JC all game. Backdoor picks/cuts should have freed up our bigs for easy buckets.
Sam M did a decent job on one of the better players in the country. Sam is tough as nails. Although many of DN's misses were good looks.
MSU missed a lot of wide open shots. Haven't seen how many second chance pts they got, but had they not gotten them, I'm guessing they would have shot around 25%.

Good game, just ran out of gas. Need to rebound better. Rebounding shouldn't be a problem against Valley schools. Many of MSU's offensive rebounds came when Bradley had position but MSU's players were just so long that they got their hands on the ball without really fouling (most of the time).

Losing never feels good, and there is no such thing as a good loss. 3 huge games coming up - need to win at least 2.

[MSU_Alum]

Woah, hold on a sec, there tex. Did your team shoot 50 or 60 percent when they lost to Grand Valley State? what about the barely win against MT? I know those are exhibitions, but I think you're acting like you're "too good" to lose to an MVC team, when you're not. You barely beat a lowly Oakland team, and you're only "good wins" at this point have come against a mediocre at best NC State team and Missouri. Yeah, MSU's a good team, but I can't stand it when BCS conference fans act like they're so much better than a mid-major.

MSU had 5 guards under 6'3" on the floor in OT in the GVSU game. Our PG was guarding their center in the post for most of the OT LOL. It's just an exhibition, but yes they are a very good team. I REALLY doubt that game is close in the regular season though.

And I don't think MSU is too good to lose to a mid major. Just look at MSU's history in the early part of every season in the last 3 or 4 years....

I just simply gave my observation of the game. I'm sorry that you don't agree with it but that's life. Izzo is a pretty honest guy and he basically mimicked my thoughts in his post game interview on our radio station.

[MSU_Alum]

Saying a fellow fan is kissing our ************ does what....exactly?

Shows that I call it like I see it? There's a definite line between being a good winner and kissing someone's a##. I'm not going to sit here and tell you things about the game that I didn't see. I will tell you good game and give you some compliments (that your team rightfully deserved) but I won't put them on a pedestal...

[BU ICEMAN]

All right, last post before I go to bed:

Let's all grow up and knock this **************** off.

MSU won. BU lost.

Fans of both sides will disagree because they are both looking through their own warped lenses.

Let's quit acting like 2-year olds and stop the sniping back and forth.

I'd like to read this thread in the morning without feeling like I'm at a day care by reading a bunch of back-and-forth posts between MSUers and BUers.

[lefty]

Let's calm down fellas.

Rebounding was obviously horrendous.
Officiating leaned in favor of MSU but was not the reason Bradley lost (see above).
We had a few chances, wipe open looks, to put the game into double digits and couldn't convert.
Ruffin tried to do too much at the end.
Crouch couldn't get many good looks.
Warren/Egolf were not great.
Singh needs to play more (have been saying this all year).
Salley needs to play less (where is the "best player in practice"?).
They overplayed Ruff and JC all game. Backdoor picks/cuts should have freed up our bigs for easy buckets.
Sam M did a decent job on one of the better players in the country. Sam is tough as nails. Although many of DN's misses were good looks.
MSU missed a lot of wide open shots. Haven't seen how many second chance pts they got, but had they not gotten them, I'm guessing they would have shot around 25%.

Good game, just ran out of gas. Need to rebound better. Rebounding shouldn't be a problem against Valley schools. Many of MSU's offensive rebounds came when Bradley had position but MSU's players were just so long that they got their hands on the ball without really fouling (most of the time).

Losing never feels good, and there is no such thing as a good loss. 3 huge games coming up - need to win at least 2.

I agree with most of this. Not sure what Cole-Scott did or didn't do to play only 2 min.

JC was getting very tired in the first half and I think exerted all his energy defending and just didn't have enough to get open on offense.

Ruff was Ruff...the two possessions were key where he didn't exhibit patience but you have to take that from DR.

To win against these guys we needed more toughness inside.

I think we played D as good as we can...I also think MSU will shoot better most games

[Da Coach]

Story from BUBraves.com--

http://www.bubraves.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=25965&SPID=1498&DB_OEM_ID=3400&ATCLID=1346270

Box score--

http://www.bubraves.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=25965&SPID=1498&DB_OEM_ID=3400&ATCLID=1346261

[houstonbrave]

This one really hurt. We were so close and the crowd was fantastic.

I thought this was Matt's best game of the year. If he can give us that kind of game night in night out we'll be loads better off. Somehow we need to get DC with it on the defensive end of the floor. I think he would have helped on the offensive end of the floor in the second half because it would have been harder for MSU to extend the defense that much-but he just hurt us too much on the defensive end.

I was also a bit disappointed with Andrew. He didn't really show up tonight. We need a lot more consistency.

I know D-Ruff made a few bad plays late but geez he carries us most of the game. Unfortunately I think we will be reminded how special he is next year-I don't see a great replacement yet.

I thought JC played well. He did not force too much(ok one turnaround that was smacked back at him)-he took what he was given. 4 steals, 5 rebounds, 1 TO, 13 points-a pretty good line.

In the end it was the rebounding. I really like Theron but we need a lot more than 3 boards from him.

Good game by Sam Singh and Sam M as well.

Oh, well-I'm rambling-back to Houston at the crack of dawn tomorrow so I better log off.

[JackTalkThai]

I understand that you want to call it good defense. I'd probably do the same thing if I was in your position, but I saw a lot of open looks that they just flat out missed tonight. That's really odd for a team that shoots 50%+ from the field. It was a good game though.

And you're what...the resident @$$hole opposing fan who puffs his chest and thinks his team is better than it really is and incapable of getting shut down on any given night? Bradley played good defense on MSU tonight and we only won because of our outstanding rebounding. How is that so difficult to comprehend?

[Grassman]

I agree that this was a great effort by the Braves, and they will have some great wins down the line because of this. I also give props to the ESPNU announcers commending how the Valley teams earn at-large bids even without winning the conference.

I am a bit concerned though that the NCAA committee, whose philosophy changes yearly with whomever runs it, will not recognize the Valley in the same manner that they were dissed last year. That's why I think this game would have been a big one for us to win. On the other hand, I look at Bradley's non-conference schedule from two years ago, and of course they earned an at-large bid, while finishing tied for fifth no less, after knocking off major non-conference powers like Southern Mississippi, Loyola-Chicago, Bowling Green and Chicago St! (Yes, they did beat DePaul on the road, but that would not be considered a huge resume win). But it's so hard to read the committee, and the Valley's current overall composite record is not as good as it's been the last two years, though we still are ranked fifth in the RPI for now. That's why games like this need to be won, though it shouldn't matter that much if the system weren't so flawed.

So pardon me for my rambling. I'm not upset that Bradley lost this game in the same way others may be. It would have been a nice game to win, but from a personal standpoint it was not imperative, and the players have nothing to hang their heads over. They gave a great effort, they should be proud of themselves and they will learn and grow from it. However, from the NCAA Tournament perspective, I am upset that they lost, because even though the Valley has gotten the props they have deserved over the last few years, we have to prove ourselves from scratch every year just to keep pace with the big boys. So hopefully tonight's loss did not damage Bradley's at-large chances from that perspective.

But I do know that tonight's loss did a lot to help Bradley's growth, which will be invaluable come conference time and tournament time. Great job guys! Keep up the great work and you will be rewarded for it!

Great Job! But in the NCAA's eyes it is a an "L" , as was Vanderbilt an "L"
The Valley is running out of signature win opportunities.
Right now. we are lookin at 1 maybe 2 bids, depending on who wins the league and the tourney.
However should be an interesting Valley Conference. I see, one hell of a lot of parity 1-6.

[mike radigan]

It's late and I just got in so I will say little. Congrats to MSU on their win. One could debate if they won or we lost, but being out rebounded was certainly the deciding factor. Heck MSU had two more offensive boards than we had defensive rebounds.

I do have to comment on the crowd. FANtastic. What can I say. Standing room only meant nothing because the entire crowd stood for 40 minutes. Jim certainly complimented us.

All in all I can't fault the effort and that is all one can ask. Fory minutes of he!!