#12 WSU @ #18 UNI - Game Thread

[ShockerFever]

I've been reading a lot of purple spew on multiple boards, acting like the season is over, crowning Tuttle as a National Player of the Year, breaking down match ups in the Valley Tourney as a 1 seed, etc.

February 28th is gonna be somebody's *****. That's for sure. I don't think Cat fans realize that 9-1 hasn't wrapped up ****.

In fact, I think the Cats will lose tonight in Terre Haute... and I hope it happens. I'm tired of the bullshit already.

[WuDrWu]

This. The ONLY remotely good thing about WSU losing that game (and getting popped pretty good in the process) was that it will make the return game VERY interesting. In his blog, Haertl said that some of the journalists up in Cedar Falls were gloating that the torch is being passed. Yeah...we'll see what happens when the crowd support shifts by about 17,000 people...and you have 3G and his crew with memories in their heads from the debacle that was the first game.

Went to KWCH and only saw his blog entry before the game, not after. Link?

I wouldn't give UNI better than a 25% chance at an outright Valley Championship, and that's being extremely generous. There's no torch passing.

They were .500 last year and they lose a ton this year. I looooooooooovvvvvvvvvvveeeeeee comments like that.

I remember when it was GUARANTEED that UNI would finish ahead of WSU for the next four years (it didn't happen once).

I remember when it was GUARANTEED that Evansville would finish ahead of WSU (didn't happen).

Valley ankle biters like to see one outcome and paint a wide brush stroke with it. We'll see.

Please Valley fans, programs and coaches .....please continue to irritate our coach. PLEASE, I'm begging you.

[WuShock16]

Went to KWCH and only saw his blog entry before the game, not after. Link?

http://www.kwch.com/blogs/bruces-for-what-its-worth/for-what-its-worth-ku-and-shocker-pulse-checks/31067408

[WuDrWu]

I've been reading a lot of purple spew on multiple boards, acting like the season is over, crowning Tuttle as a National Player of the Year, breaking down match ups in the Valley Tourney as a 1 seed, etc.

February 28th is gonna be somebody's *****. That's for sure. I don't think Cat fans realize that 9-1 hasn't wrapped up ****.

In fact, I think the Cats will lose tonight in Terre Haute... and I hope it happens. I'm tired of the bullshit already.

UNI fans have every right to be full of themselves after an amazing game. If their team shoots 60% FG 78% 3FG and 75%FT the rest of the way, they will win the Valley and probably will face UK at some point in the tournament, late.

Ain't happening.

I actually think that their success is breeding more success and I don't expect they will lose tonight, but they are far from invincible. Frankly, I'd love for both teams to be 16-1 in 25 days. We'll see who's ready for prime time then and if that's UNI, so be it, they'll have more than earned it. But make no mistake, the likelihood this is a one time deal, is about 99%.

[SHOCKvalue]

Those mumbling about the "passing of the mantle" need a quick refresher course on the difference between a team and a program, to say nothing for the national profile and financial/fan support chasm between WSU and UNI.

[SHOCKvalue]

If one were to DOUBLE what UNI spends annually on their MBB program, you'd still be several hundred thousand dollars short of WSU. Not an exaggeration or molestation of numbers.

This is Kmart having a nice quarterly as compared to Walmart.

[im4wsu]

Can someone change the thread title, #16 WSU @ #14 UNI? So UNI still has not beat a top 15 team.

[Dan]

Big difference between WSU and the rest of the conference is that we have been able to reload every year. UNI has been building up to this year with a stacked senior class, just as Indiana State had been stacking up for last year. We'll see how they finish the year and then carry it over into next year before the torch is passed. Remember, most of us predicted 2-3 conference losses. I don't see UNI running the table and we may very well drop another game as well.

[Aargh]

They made a video, mostly about the WSU game, partly about their all-time program high 14th ranking as of 02/02 poll:

(Earplugs are recommended, unless you have the musical taste of a trailer park resident.)

#NotASuperBowlQuestionMark

I'm a fan of UNI getting their crap together and fielding a solid team, even if it means an L every now and again, but the mentality above is so small-time it is embarrassing.

Give them a break. There are a lot of 18- to 22-year-old pasty, white guys who love that kind of music.

[GoShox]

Wow! Really???



https://twitter.com/joshwood/status/562712804181180417

[Kel Varnsen]

Wow! Really???



https://twitter.com/joshwood/status/562712804181180417

[wu_shizzle]

Wow! Really???



https://twitter.com/joshwood/status/562712804181180417

If that doesn't scream Low Major, I don't know what else you want.

[Ricardo del Rio]

Just some raw data.

UNI's lead margin, after 11:00 minutes of play - 0 points

UNI's lead margin, between the 9:00 mark of first half and half-time - +13 points

UNI's lead margin in the second half - +3 points

What does it all mean? I don't know. It looks like to me that the Shockers had a bad hair day for nine minutes.

I don't think I am going to judge the relative worth of the Shocks based upon 9 minutes of play.

Just sayin'.

No thrust intended.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

They're taking Super Bowl to a whole new level.

But that's OK. On February 28th, we're going to show them how a program accustomed to winning takes care of business by curb stopping them and their cute little Super Bowl-inspired hopes and dreams.

[_kai_]

Just some raw data.

UNI's lead margin, after 11:00 minutes of play - 0 points

UNI's lead margin, between the 9:00 mark of first half and half-time - +13 points

UNI's lead margin in the second half - +3 points

What does it all mean? I don't know. It looks like to me that the Shockers had a bad hair day for nine minutes.

I don't think I am going to judge the relative worth of the Shocks based upon 9 minutes of play.

Just sayin'.

No thrust intended.

Rashard came in and made two or three really bad decisions on a string of possessions. I wonder if that was the start of that 9 minutes of bad play.

If I remember correctly, Rashard had an off ball offensive foul that gave UNI the ball, made a really poor defensive decision on UNI's next posession, then turned the ball over on the exact next offensive possession. I swear it was around that half way mark in the first half. But I felt like it just totally killed our mojo when it happened.