Does anyone think it is possible for ISU to do badly enough that some will put Muller on the hot seat this early into his tenure?
Since this was one of the only two games last night - and I listened to the whole broadcast .. I will give some thoughts and I am sure the ISU fans will think I am being unfair
to kick them when they're down...but it isn't as if they haven't kicked BU plenty when we've been down......and I am not being unfair - I am being very objective...
Remember - ISU was picked as a strong 2nd but with some voters actually picking them #1 ahead even of Creighton and Wichita..
(btw- when was the last time BU got votes for 1st place?? -- ANSWER - just two years ago in 2010-2011 BU was respected enough in the preseason to get 2 first place votes in JL's final season but then we lost multiple players for games due to injury (Maniscalco, Taylor Brown, Prosser (knee), DSE (foot), Dunson (coming off bad arm fracture)....)
- before that it was '99-'00 when BU finished 10-8 in conference
http://www.mvc-sports.com/mbasketba...creighton-picked-to-win-mvc-basketball-title/
ISU has started the MVC season looking like one of the worst teams thus far...but the real test is coming up now...
Now they host Drake at home - and Drake has been even worse - barely even being able to score against Creighton's starters...
I hate to put the monkey on their backs but....if ISU struggles at home against Drake then get ready for a meltdown....this has to be a must-win game -
and who'd have thunk it - that this early in the race - against a team that can't beat anyone -
we'd be talking "must win" game...but if they don't beat Drake, the Redbirds will be headed to Wichita at 0-5!
But the real question nobody's asking is WHY? What's going on behind the scenes that has caused this? (there are clues)
They have the guy who would be Player of the Year in almost any other year.... a rare ISU NBA-potential guy - Jackie Carmichael
something they haven't had since they had John Wilkins' father some 35 years ago.
Some had ISU picked in their bracketology as an NCAA team...
All but one guy who started games over the past couple years has returned and most of their starters are multi-year starters
In fact they have 5 returnees who are regular starters - who have started more than half the games the past two years. (Carmichael, Wilkins, Cousin, Ekey, Brown)
They have 4 experienced seniors plus 2 4th year guys (redshirt juniors) who account for a big majority of their minutes.
So why aren't they winning?? Coach Muller talked after last night's loss and had some interesting words that sound like code words for some serious issues behind the scenes..
"We have personnel struggling."
Then he said this as a
separate problem...
"We’re having a hard time making shots. That goes to personnel also.”
so if they are "struggling" in a general sense...and also struggling in their on-court performance....
then was he talking about struggling with some undisclosed off-court issues?
Then you have ISU fans talking about John Wilkins being a "team leader" and giving everyone else on the squad "pep talks" and yet Wilkins is regularly MIA
and played only 4 minutes last night??
Then you have Muller benching regulars and starters and going instead with guys like Threloff who can't score and don't run the floor well.
Last night Threloff started instead of Ekey but played like he was lost, was completely unproductive and as soon as he came out and Ekey came in,
then ISU went on a run and Ekey nailed a couple threes, got a block and a dunk. Ekey was one of their best two players on the floor so why was Threloff starting in his place?
Then using Johnny Hill as point guard is odd. Keane has looked good and little used Anthony Cousin has been totally forgotten yet came in and did better.
And one more note - the forgotten Zeke Upshaw, believe it or not, has been their 3rd best scorer in recent games --
a guy Muller hardly even knew was on the team up 'til the last 3 games......Upshaw is shooting about 50% from 3-pt range and averaging more than a point every two minutes of playing time..
...then last night - Muller desperately needed someone who could make a shot (team shooting 23% from the arc), and yet ...
Muller again relegated Upshaw to deep sub role and he got only 6 minutes.
I know he knows his team and he's the coach but his selections are not getting the job done....
Then the guys he does play ...
....there was one issue with starter Johnny Hill picking up a technical for trash talking or taunting when ISU was on a run...
everything was going ISU's way for the stretch and Carmichael had just dunked on a fast break - the momentum was in ISU's favor and Hill
got the "T" but was then rewarded with playing practically the full game...the most playing time of anyone on the Redbirds - more than 50% above his usual playing time.
..ok ISU guys - rebuttal??
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