NCAA Tournament - WSU vs Drake Pre-Game Predictions and Discussions

[pinstripers]

Yeah, Drake can win. Depends how hard we play and how smart we play. (and that is troubling)

[Aargh]

Beating K-State early in the season was not an accomplishment. They are much better now. Their Fr PG is very good, but he wasn't at the beginning of the season.

I have to admit that part of my evaluation of how bad K-State was early, was the fact that Drake beat them.

[ShockingButTrue]

Exection! The irony here is rich.

Just pickin' on ya.

Bingoe!

You better believe it...

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Please do that for me. Take your time.

WSU SOS the last five years in the valley:

140
90
76
95
39

That is an average of 88

Drake SOS this year:

202 (309 in the non-con)

[ShockRef]

Bottom line, this is an experienced, good, athletic (by comparison to other Valley teams) and very well coached team that has won a ton (including at KState) this year. They are plenty good to win and advance, and if they do, this fan will be cheering loudly for the Geese.

Go Shocks!

Doc is correct. This Drake gang is not like the old Geese of past years. They have athletes they usually do not get to come to Des Moines.
Their coach has even signed his son for next year, who was named Iowa HS player of the year.

However, this is the same team that got blasted by Loyola and Valpo - who was bad.
Yes, they beat a bad K-State team, but hardly anyone else outside the Valley or the Summit League.

If the Shocks that zipped up Houston show up, they win by 10-12 points.
If the Ft. Worth Shocks show up, they may leave with a bunch of goose shiiit on their backs.

That is all.

[ShockerFever]

WSU SOS the last five years in the valley:

140
90
76
95
39

That is an average of 88

Drake SOS this year:

202 (309 in the non-con)

Not comparable. Thank you.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Doc is correct. This Drake gang is not like the old Geese of past years. They have athletes they usually do not get to come to Des Moines.
Their coach has even signed his son for next year, who was named Iowa HS player of the year.

However, this is the same team that got blasted by Loyola and Valpo - who was bad.
Yes, they beat a bad K-State team, but hardly anyone else outside the Valley or the Summit League.

If the Shocks that zipped up Houston show up, they win by 10-12 points.
If the Ft. Worth Shocks show up, they may leave with a bunch of goose shiiit on their backs.

That is all.

Also lost to Bradley if memory serves.

[ShockingButTrue]

Also lost to Bradley if memory serves.

Would that be the same Bradley that gave #14 Mizzou a hwole lot tougher game than the Shocks did 2 weeks earlier? In Columbia even. I watched that game (I'm a sports junkie) and thought Bradley looked pretty good.

Drake aslo beat Bradley without Penn and Hemphill.

Look, I'm just hoping the Shockers can play smart and beat a short-handed Drake team, that's all.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Would that be the same Bradley that gave #14 Mizzou a hwole lot tougher game than the Shocks did 2 weeks earlier? In Columbia even. I watched that game (I'm a sports junkie) and thought Bradley looked pretty good.

Drake aslo beat Bradley without Penn and Hemphill.

Look, I'm just hoping the Shockers can play smart and beat a short-handed Drake team, that's all.

Yes, the 10-16 NET 174 Bradley . The 3-12 Bradley in their last 15 games, including a win over Drake in that stretch.

[WichitaStateGuy]

Would that be the same Bradley that gave #14 Mizzou a hwole lot tougher game than the Shocks did 2 weeks earlier? In Columbia even. I watched that game (I'm a sports junkie) and thought Bradley looked pretty good.

Drake aslo beat Bradley without Penn and Hemphill.

Look, I'm just hoping the Shockers can play smart and beat a short-handed Drake team, that's all.

Must mean Bradley was the #15 team in the nation.

[calfan]

Didn't know where to put this so I'll drop it here.

NCAA Tournament 2021: Ranking the N.J. boys basketball alums in The Big Dance

https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2021/03/ncaa-tournament-2021-ranking-the-nj-boys-basketball-alums-in-the-big-dance.html

3-Tyson Etienne, Wichita State

• Guard, 6-2 sophomore
• Dwight-Englewood
• The Englewood native has been one of college basketball’s biggest breakout players this season, earning American Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year. Etienne, who started his high school career at Dwight-Englewood, nearly doubled his scoring this season, going from 9.4 points to 17.0 per game, while finishing second in the conference in 3-pointers with 65. Wichita State may have been one of the last four in the tournament, but if Etienne is hot, the Shockers could have an extended stay in the NCAA Tournament.

[ShockingButTrue]

Must mean Bradley was the #15 team in the nation.

I wouldn't put that much thought into it. It just means the Braves gave Mizzou a tougher game than we did.

Why'd you bring up Bradley anyway?

[WichitaStateGuy]

I wouldn't put that much thought into it. It just means the Braves gave Mizzou a tougher game than we did.

Why'd you bring up Bradley anyway?

Son, if I were you, I’d put a lot more thought into a lot more things.

[WuDrWu]

You had a poor argument going until your reference to Kstate and then it just completely fell apart.

You don't have much of a clue as to the point I was making, but that's not exactly virgin territory for you.

I've said it before, I'll say it again, I've forgotten more about this game than you'll ever know. I've seen Drake several times this year. I'm not overvaluing the win at KState, Kstate was awful when they played. BUT it's still a B12 team on the road and it shows competence at least. The rest of their non-con was miserable, but they get at least a little credit for abusing most of those teams. Are they Gonzaga? Of course not. Are they as good as the Drake team that lost to Western Kentucky in the tournament years ago? I think they are more versatile than that team, but I'm not sure about better.

They are well coached and they play well as a team. Fever is right, because they've played 4 games against decent competition (and lost 2 of them) we don't really know how good they are, and certainly they are better with Penn and Hemphill, but Yesufu is good and the big kid from Seton Hall is more than serviceable, especially against Mo.

This is a game we should win, but we'll have to play better than we did in Ft Worth or hope the Geese are terrible on Thursday.

And anytime you want to get off my nutsack, that would be fantastic.

[WuDrWu]

Didn't know where to put this so I'll drop it here.

NCAA Tournament 2021: Ranking the N.J. boys basketball alums in The Big Dance

https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2021/03/ncaa-tournament-2021-ranking-the-nj-boys-basketball-alums-in-the-big-dance.html

3-Tyson Etienne, Wichita State

• Guard, 6-2 sophomore
• Dwight-Englewood
• The Englewood native has been one of college basketball’s biggest breakout players this season, earning American Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year. Etienne, who started his high school career at Dwight-Englewood, nearly doubled his scoring this season, going from 9.4 points to 17.0 per game, while finishing second in the conference in 3-pointers with 65. Wichita State may have been one of the last four in the tournament, but if Etienne is hot, the Shockers could have an extended stay in the NCAA Tournament.

I don't think we're a tough scout right now, but that doesn't mean we're easy to play.

This team has done an excellent job of staying out of foul trouble (especially early) and not turning the ball over. When it's winning time, they've turned up the heat on the defensive end, and for the most part, very successfully. If they can move the ball and share the ball, and we get good play from Tyson, Alterique and mostly Dex, we'll be tough for every team to beat until we get to Gonzaga. Any deviation from that scenario and every team can beat us. We need to play well and those 3 need to shoot the 3. Good, open, in rhythm 3s, and any and EVERY open 3 for Tyson, as long as he's past half court.