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OUSKINS
3/5/2009, 12:40 AM
There is no shame in losing to Mizzou. They are a very good team and they've been nasty at home this year. I knew we'd be in for a tough game, especially on senior night, so by no means am I stunned we lost the game.

However, I AM stunned at HOW we lost this game. Our effort tonight was pathetic. The Griffin Brothers didn't necesarily play amazingly well, but they played very hard and kept us in the game. And I thought Patillo had some nice moments as well, but the rest of the team was horrid.

Our guards (and when I say that, I mean AJ, Crocker, and Wille) were AWFUL. Their ball handling, decision-making, and shot selection were downright putrid. To make matters worse, they all also had defensive lapses and some major brain cramps. Willie was especially weak in the "hustle" department.

As a team we looked totally lost out there. MIzzou was focused, energized, and ready to play. We looked lazy, sloppy, and confused. Mizzou didn't even play all that well...but they played so much harder than we did, that it didn't matter. The Tigers totally deserved to win that game and we totally deserved to lose.

So, what does this mean?

In terms of the NCAA Tournament, I don't think it means a ton, but it has
certainly knocked us out of a #1 seed as of this moment. Right now, we're a lock to be a #2 unless we lose to OSU or in the first round of the B12 Tourney. If we win the B12 Tourney, we're probably a #1 seed again.

But I'm not concerned about that right now. I'm concerned about HOW this team is playing right now. It makes no sense to me that we've regressed so much in the past two weeks-- did Blake's injury really mess up our mojo that badly? Did the guys start reading the newspaper headlines? All of a sudden, we've become a one-man team, wheras all year we've been a team that threw daggers out you surrounded by Blake's dominance.

Gotta blame Capel a bit for this malaise, as it is coming at a terrible time.

Having said that, we still have time. If we run the table from now until the
Dance, we should be fine in terms of confidence and momentum. But we need a boost....several players on this team are floundering right now and it's not
like they have a ton of time to figure it out.

DoubleDown
3/5/2009, 08:21 AM
I know I'll get flamed for this, but I've really come full circle on our guards. I thought coming into the season that they would be the weak link of the team (I'll readily admit I've been anti-AJ since Day1). But as the season wore on, I was willingly admitting to everyone I knew as to how wrong I was. But in the last few weaks they, (especially AJ and Crocker) have forced me to go Denny Green and scream "They are who we thought they were"! The decision making on Crocker and AJ's part has been awful at best. And there really seems to be NO fire there whatsoever. And while Warren is still sparkling on offense, last night's performance really highlights his woes on the defensive end of the floor. Fortunately, I think this will force him to come back for another year at OU.

The question is, how far can Blake carry this team into the tournament? Because I am no longer counting on the guards to help him out.

sooner_in_noble
3/5/2009, 08:50 AM
I can almost accept WW's poor shot selection and defensive breakdowns, due to the fact that he is still a freshman. What is unacceptable is having a senior point guard (Johnson) and a junior combo guard (Crocker) continually throw up horrible shots. No wonder Willie takes bad shots on occasion, there is absolutely no senior leadership at the guard position.

I do think Blake can, and will, carry this team into the tournament but Willie needs to really step it up for us to succeed and make it to the final four.

Crimsontothecore
3/5/2009, 09:03 AM
I agree with everything stated so far but I have to say that it's no wonder mizzou is undefeated at home this season. I am amazed at what they get away with on their home court. There's a reason they beat KU in Columbia and then lost by 25 in Lawrence. I realize every team gets favorable officiating on their home court but I swear a foul could be whistled every 3 seconds the way mizzou bodies up and slaps arms in their so called pressure defense. Mark my words, that crap won't be allowed to slide in the NCAA tourney.

primetime43
3/5/2009, 09:03 AM
What's sad is we had to use Blake last night to bring the ball up the court. I really think this gassed him down the stretch. I don't know what is wrong with Willie. He has been playing so timid. I almost wander if he is hurt because he doesn't drive the ball anymore. Its almost all jumpshots. Everyone knows to make a run in the tournament you have to have excellent guard play. The way ours are playing we'll be lucky to make it to the sweet 16.

Sooner04
3/5/2009, 09:39 AM
When our guards play well there really isn't anyone in the country any better than us. When we were winning road games by double-digits and leading games througout it was because our guards, not Blake, were playing at a high level.

When our guards play like they did last night we're average. Still a good team, but not the special team we saw at the beginning of 2009.

Can they get back to that high level? We'll find out a lot on Saturday. O-State's got good guards, and if we loaf around like we did tonight we run a decent shot of getting beat.

badger
3/5/2009, 09:43 AM
Dream season adrift?

The in words of Gordon Ramsey, "Oh, f*** me."

The dream season is NOT adrift. Losses happen and so long as they happen BEFORE the Big 12 and NCAA tourneys, we're not missing out on anything.

Crimsontothecore
3/5/2009, 09:51 AM
There you go looking on the bright side again;)

soonervegas
3/5/2009, 09:52 AM
Like Sooner04 said....Saturday is the litmus test for this team. Play well again and then go take the Big 12 Tourney....all is well. Play OSU to the wire or lose and then get bounced in the semi's of the Big 12....season adrift.

NormanPride
3/5/2009, 10:02 AM
****, you mean we lost on the road to a top-10 team that's a bad matchup for us? Say it ain't so.

Yeah, our guards were putrid. This was a lot like the women's game at A&M this year. There's no way that kind of defense flies anywhere but on their home court. Don't read too much into it, other than what 04 said. Guard play needs to be tons better, and Willie needs to realize he's the leader, of the pack, not AJ or (God forbid) Crocker.

Sooner04
3/5/2009, 10:13 AM
I didn't really see much wrong with Missouri's defense. They got away with some things, but nothing like what eATMe's women are allowed to do on a nightly basis.

I really think Anderson scouted the hell out of that O-State game. His guys were all over AJ's lazy passes to Griffin against the press. They didn't bite us in Stoolwater because O-State allowed Griffin to be the guy to bring it up. Missouri pressured whoever, whenever, and it resulted in our lunch money being swiped on numerous occasions.

I was impressed with Willie's distribution at times, but everyone else was just bad. When AJ plays well, it masks other deficiencies. When he's poor, it's an open book on all our weaknesses. It's like the dominoes all begin to fall.

NP, Missouri is a good team, but our attitude and lack of hustle last night is probably what's causing our fans to worry if we can shake this malaise that plagues us at the moment.

oumartin
3/5/2009, 10:51 AM
oh, I had a huge problem with that officiating while I watched it. HUGE
We all know the big 12 officiating is high school level at best but give me a flippin' break.

The charge on Blake? Nobody in their right mind would have called that.
How about the last charge on Patillo where the guy taking the charge was under the flippin' basket? That is a no no but still he got the call.
Arm grabbing guys you have trapped and bodying up to guys you trap and shoving them?
Look, Mizzou won the game because of other reasons mostly poor play on OU's part and good play on their part but I don't see Mizzou winning more than one game in the NCAA tourney cuz they won't have any bodies left after all the fouls they will commit.

soonerfan28
3/5/2009, 10:58 AM
I agree that they had some bad calls last night but the refs weren't 3/15 from behind the arc. People have doubted OU all season because they were all waiting for the guards to not show up. The doubters look like they have it pretty close with the way we are playing the last couple of weeks.

ouleaf
3/5/2009, 11:33 AM
I really think Anderson scouted the hell out of that O-State game. His guys were all over AJ's lazy passes to Griffin against the press. They didn't bite us in Stoolwater because O-State allowed Griffin to be the guy to bring it up. Missouri pressured whoever, whenever, and it resulted in our lunch money being swiped on numerous occasions.


That's a great point.

I definitely think you have to give Anderson some serious consideration for Coach of the Year honors. I mentioned that bad habit of AJ too after that OSU game and I said if he keeps doing that, teams are gonna get wise and bust us on it and Mizzou did just that.

I have very little confidence in AJ or Crocker's ability to handle the ball anymore. They don't have the quickness to dribble past a defender and if the get trapped(especially AJ) it results in bad decisions. Hell, I'd almost rather have Leary bringing the ball up if AJ's gonna throw up those stupid cross court lobs.

Also, I don't know if Capel has a problem with it, but I'd like to see him run an offense with a few more screens to open up shot opportunities. It seems like we are kind of a one trick pony. Pass it in to Blake down low. Let him set up. If the double team comes he passes it out to a shooter and pray that we can hit the outside shot.

badger
3/5/2009, 11:50 AM
give me a flippin' break.

It's funny that you say that.;)

8timechamps
3/5/2009, 11:56 AM
The saying goes "You'll go as far as your gaurds will take you in the big dance".

I've heard that at least once a year since Clark Kellogg showed up on air.

I think that is a lot like saying "Defense wins championships, Offense sells tickets".

Either way, it's bound to be 50% true.

I know that right now we have problems. The ebb and flow of a college basketball team is an annual fact. One always likes to see thier team peaking right about this time of year. Unfortunatley for us, we are on the polar opposite side.

Saturday will tell us a lot.

3 for 15 (22%) from three point land (for this team) isn't going to get it done.

With the way this team plays offense, and the ability of Blake to attract multiple defenders down low, demand that our gaurd play well. Otherwise, we are an average team...at best.

NormanPride
3/5/2009, 11:59 AM
Crock has a nice mid-range jumper, and I think we should set it up more.

04, I agree that we played terrible. Still, we only lost by 9, on the road, to a good team that is designed to eat our lunch. We won't run in to many of those, and the odds that we'll both shoot THIS poorly AND the refs will let the mugging go are really really slight. Does this team have issues? Sure. Were they exaggerated last night? Definitely.

8timechamps
3/5/2009, 12:05 PM
We won't run in to many of those...

I bet we see it in some form from whomever we play in the first round.

It's the combination of refs and poor shooting that we can't have.

NormanPride
3/5/2009, 12:41 PM
I bet we see it in some form from whomever we play in the first round.

It's the combination of refs and poor shooting that we can't have.

If we see a top 10 team like Mizzou or Louisville or Wake in the first round then I'm going to personally go to wherever the nearest committee member is and shoot them in the kneecap.

Sure, we might run into someone that can press, and might have a good night, but they're not going to be Mizzou, or Louisville, or Wake. Those teams are horrendously bad matchups for us.

8timechamps
3/5/2009, 12:51 PM
If we see a top 10 team like Mizzou or Louisville or Wake in the first round then I'm going to personally go to wherever the nearest committee member is and shoot them in the kneecap.

Sure, we might run into someone that can press, and might have a good night, but they're not going to be Mizzou, or Louisville, or Wake. Those teams are horrendously bad matchups for us.

That's what I meant. Not that we should have any problem with our first round opponent...but, you never know.

King Crimson
3/5/2009, 01:01 PM
That's what I meant. Not that we should have any problem with our first round opponent...but, you never know.

i don't think we'll lose in the first round, but the committee likes to over-think "matchups" to feed the "sports journalists" for "drama"....and look at the Kelvin team that got UW-Milwaukee....that was a basic stick it to ya. pressure team vs. our no point guard team.

there's no reason this team should lose in the first round or second....but, we've got to get our heads screwed on because our "stock" ain't rising.

and we better come to play against the Pokes. it's not like we've ever lost to good not great pokie teams in Norman.

8timechamps
3/5/2009, 01:42 PM
I lost the "if we're a high seed, then the first round is a gimmie" feeling in '92, thanks to Southwest Louisiana. Then again a couple of years later to Manhattan.

King Crimson
3/5/2009, 01:46 PM
I lost the "if we're a high seed, then the first round is a gimmie" feeling in '92, thanks to Southwest Louisiana. Then again a couple of years later to Manhattan.

don't do that. i've been trying to get my "fan swagger" back since the Blake years.

and there you go.

Sooner04
3/5/2009, 02:21 PM
I lost the "if we're a high seed, then the first round is a gimmie" feeling in '92, thanks to Southwest Louisiana. Then again a couple of years later to Manhattan.
'92 was tough. We lost Bryan Sallier against Kansas in the Big 8 semis and it jacked our entire world. We were in San Antonio and I was a wreck for the rest of the trip after that game. All I could think about beforehand was getting a chance at Duke in the Sweet 16. :(

Manhattan. '95. Watched from the middle school band hall in Ardmore. A completely helpless feeling watching the air leave that balloon.

NormanPride
3/5/2009, 02:45 PM
:(:(:(

8timechamps
3/5/2009, 03:19 PM
'92 was tough. We lost Bryan Sallier against Kansas in the Big 8 semis and it jacked our entire world. We were in San Antonio and I was a wreck for the rest of the trip after that game. All I could think about beforehand was getting a chance at Duke in the Sweet 16. :(

Manhattan. '95. Watched from the middle school band hall in Ardmore. A completely helpless feeling watching the air leave that balloon.

I was watching the game at my girlfriend's house in 92. For some reason, I missed the first half. I remember coming in, turing on the TV and watching the second half in horror.

In '95, I was working for Baptist Hospital. I actually worked for a marketing group for the hospital, and we had our offices in the building next to it. The little deli in the basement had a 19" TV showing the game. I went down to watch the game with a coworker that just happened to be from Riverdale, NY. The home of Manhattan college. Lucky for me (and the 30 other people there) he was not a big basketball fan. He could have really gotten under my skin that day, but he didn't.

Like most of the Sooners' surprising football losses, I can tell you where I was and what I was doing for all the big basketball upsets.

badger
3/5/2009, 04:07 PM
i don't think we'll lose in the first round, but the committee likes to over-think "matchups" to feed the "sports journalists" for "drama".

I call BS! USC and Kansas State meeting in the first round last year was PURE COINCIDENCE and had NOTHING to do with the fact that the highest recruited freshmen that were inevitably going to the NBA played for those two squads.

COINCIDENCE! All COINCIDENCE!

:cool: