Musings from the 1st Row

[DUShock]

UNI double and triple teamed Fred and to a lesser degree Ron every time they touched the ball. WSU meanwhile, allowed UNI to clear out the middle and let Washpun dribble at the top of the key and go one on one with whoever was guardiing him at the time. It might have been nice to see immediate double teams when he got the ball and make someone else beat us.

UNI telegraphed a lot of the drives when they would go to a semi-4 corner offense brining our guys out and then Washpun does what he does best, drive the lane for a layup, which often resulted in an "and 1". During the game thread, if you go back and read you will see where several posters would say "He is about to drive" and sure enough...

Bottom Line: We were beaten because we failed to adjust offensively and to a lesser extent defensively.

Go Shocks!

[pinstripers]

My only qualm with all being said here, how can anyone here (including Marshall) look Elgin in the eye and say we are too big for this league? WSU cant even win the damn tournament when they have superior athletes and a deeper bench. 3 games in 3 days should be a cake walk for this team. UNI goes 7 deep and relies on the 3 ball, they had no legs, they shot just as crappy as WSU. Still lost because lack of adjustments. Defense was good, but an adjustment 1 trip, might have resulted in a miss instead of a make. Offensively I have no explanation for the lack of adjustments. To allow your team to keep jacking 3s when you are 0-16 is stupid, no matter how good the look is. There were no adjustments from the game in Wichita all the way through the game in St Louis. THAT is what frustrates me. And yet, everyone thinks we are too big for this league.

THIS

[shocka khan]

UNI double and triple teamed Fred and to a lesser degree Ron every time they touched the ball. WSU meanwhile, allowed UNI to clear out the middle and let Washpun dribble at the top of the key and go one on one with whoever was guardiing him at the time. It might have been nice to see immediate double teams when he got the ball and make someone else beat us.

I watched the game between UNI and Evansville on TV yesterday. During the second half, every time Washpun got the ball up high and tried to run the clearout, an Evansville player helped so as to prevent Washpun from having a clear driving path to the basket. It worked pretty well.

And to add to the discussion regarding Marshall, this is the second time this season he has let Jacobsen outwit him in terms of making adjustments during the game. IIRC, in all three of our Valley losses, we coughed up 10 point plus leads, mostly during the second half. That tells me we're starting strong, but not reacting to the other team's adjustments during the game.

Pretty puzzling to me. I know we have the athleticism, so I'm at a loss to understand this. I'm also at a loss to understand why we did not go to a zone when it was obvious Washpun was driving through us and we could not stop him. If you can't double team him, at least go to a zone to make UNI hit the perimeter three.

It was also pretty obvious that Washpun and Jacobsen got the better of both Fred and HCGM in both games. For those of you who were complaining about Jacobsen getting COY votes, there's your answer. Also, and I hate to say this, but Washpun outplaying Fred in 2 out of 3 matchups would have made a strong case for Washpun being POY if the voting were held after the tourney.

Bottom line, I think we're a better team, but for some reason, we just seem to hit these mystifying stretches where we just get stagnant on offense. Some of it's on the players, some of it's on the coach, but either way, I'm tempering my expectations for this season and I am disappointed. I'm hoping we make the tourney, but given our probable seeding, we will have to pull a huge upset just to make the Sweet 16 and I don't think this team has it in them to do that.

[shockmonster]

It appears that a lot of you have more respect for Elgin and the Valley schools than I do. It's us against them almost all the time.

[newshock1234]

I also think Marshall was still pissed at the shot clock fiasco during the loyola game

[shocka khan]

I also think Marshall was still pissed at the shot clock fiasco during the loyola game

If you can't turn anger into positive action, then you need to block it out. If he's carrying around baggage into the next game, it will affect performance. In this instance, that may not be a good thing.

[GreatWhiteBuffalo]

Why can't anyone ever say anything negative without being a hater or KU fukwad? He had his opinion and stated it, that doesn't mean he doesn't like or dislike our final four coach.

So very true. The statement is also valid. That was not a great coaching or execution display...in either game or for most of the last two months. I'm honestly concerned about the state of the program for the first time in a long time.

[pinstripers]

Anybody can make shots when they are up 15. Ya gotta have stones to make shots down four with the clock running out.

[Shock Top]

As soon as the game ended, Elgin walked right in front of me, turned to Watkins and with a HUGE smile on his face just said "Wow!" He was giddy with the outcome and not because he was thinking that 2 MVC teams would get in the tournament.

I guarantee you, if WSU makes another deep run, Dougie will be there to collect that $$$$. If the Shox do leave for greener pastures, I’d love to see how “giddy” he looks a couple years later.

He can be arrogant and stubborn and has presented his behaviors publically on and off the court. I have seen it first hand. At the same time, he is generous with his time and I have seen him humble. At the end of the day, Gregg is just like the rest of us knuckle heads...not perfect.

Gregg is defiantly polarizing, and I can see why other fanbases don’t like him. When he’s your coach it’s awesome. When he is the other guy’s coach it’s not awesome.

I am just glad he is OUR coach.

[Shock Top]

5) I feel like we need to make an adjustment on the sideline. HCGM needs a SUPER ASSERTIVE number two. I saw a lot of little details missed in all of losses that wouldn't have occurred in prior years.

I do agree with you that 3G could use someone like himself on the sideline as a foil, however, and that the absence of Chris Jans from gametime coaching is a handicap to both him and the program that I'd love to see remedied somehow.

I, like many of you, would LOVE to have ACCJ back in the fold. Hopefully, as soon as next season.

[wusphlash]

Sorry but I don't subscribe to the conspiracy theory that the Valley office plots against WSU. Our record in St. Louis is abysmal. Forever. I think that is on us. It was on us when our teams were bad, it's on us now when our teams are good. The fact is that if we play to our capability we come home yesterday with our third championship in a row. Our teams have been too good not to overcome some questionable calls. The fact is we didn't have enough of our team even show up with a "B" game this past weekend. Scoring 60 points a game was all it took. 60.

I hope Gregg Marshall is our coach until the very moment he decides to retire. He is not without faults. I've mentioned it previously but he gets pissed off the minute he crosses the St. Louis city limits. It needs to stop. His public feud with the Valley hierarchy needs to stop. Carrying a sequoia sized chip on his shoulder cannot help anyone, including his team. Coach, the players can sense your feelings, it doesn't help them relax and play.

Here's to a happy Sunday and an opportunity to become the revenant.

[GreatWhiteBuffalo]

and ZB allowed Lohaus to blow right by him for an easy lay up down the stretch not to mention 0-6
himself from the field

The misses were AWFUL misses as well. Airballed a put-back LATE in the game that could have won it. Just sick to death of shitty shooting nights. Happens way too often.

[Shock Top]

The description you gave, including your comments about the interaction between Elgin and Watkins, is an indictment of the weakness and pettiness of the Valley of Even's leadership, such as it is, far more than it is of Marshall; and it's just one more reason to get the hell out of this bush league and escape its limitations as soon as possible.

lol, just lol, at the righteous indignation at HCGM for a brief stare down with Jack Watkins and a back and forth with Doug Elgin. Those two clowns owe what tiny amount of recognition and respect this conference has remaining to HCGM

It appears that a lot of you have more respect for Elgin and the Valley schools than I do. It's us against them almost all the time.

The Valley NEEDS WSU, not the other way around. Dougie was fine with Creighton being top dog, because he didn’t have someone like Gregg calling it like he sees it.

WSU generates more revenue than any other conference team (without football, mind you), and is the only school making any decent amount of profit for their school.

WSU is the only TV draw and the only school with drawing power. Yes, UNI has some nice years, but I guarantee most people outside of the MVC footprint would be quicker to mention WSU than UNI.

If WSU left, the Valley would be hurt catastrophically. Maybe Elgin doesn’t believe that, though he still believe he captured the “Chicago market” when he added Loyola..

[WuShock16]

If WSU left, the Valley would be hurt catastrophically. Maybe Elgin doesn’t believe that, though he still believe he captured the “Chicago market” when he added Loyola..

Yep. The day WSU fans stop coming to Arch Madness (either out of protest or because of a conference change) is the day this tournament goes back to a campus-site tournament or a smaller city. There is no way that tournament can survive at Scottrade without WSU. The only options to keep it in St. Louis would either have to close off the top level of Scottrade or talk with SLU about playing the tournament at Chaifetz.

[1972Shocker]

UNI double and triple teamed Fred and to a lesser degree Ron every time they touched the ball. WSU meanwhile, allowed UNI to clear out the middle and let Washpun dribble at the top of the key and go one on one with whoever was guardiing him at the time. It might have been nice to see immediate double teams when he got the ball and make someone else beat us.

UNI made no secret of the fact coming into the game that they were focused on not letting Fred and Ron beat them. They wanted to force someone else to beat them. Perhaps to some extent Ron and Fred refused to yield and forced things too much outside of Anton and perhaps Shaq the other guys were 3 -21 from the field when 4-21 would have been good enough to win the game. Ron and Fred did not have good games but the supporting cast outside of Anton and Shaq were even worse. You hold a team to 47 points in regulation you should win easily. Unfortunately, this was the 3rd time this has happened in the last month.

The frustrating thing is that after the last loss to UNI the Shocks seem to have righted the ship and were playing very well heading into the Valley Tournament. Why the Shocks were unable to carry that over into the Valley Tournament is hard to say. Hopefully, they can rediscover that going forward.