Men vs Miss State Game Thread

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

 

[auburnatl1 4,896]

Great win. Got to fix rebounding. 2nd game in a row we’ve gotten totally smoked on the boards. 

[TeamZero77 1,784]

49 minutes ago, tgrogan21 said:

SEC CHAMPIONS BABY!!!!! WIN ON SUNDAY AND GET IT OUTRIGHT!!

This team is frustrating as hell because we know how good they can play.

They're putting my ol' ticker through a workout the last 7 games or so. If they get to the Final Four or the Natty, then I'm gonna go ahead and invite the paramedics to my house and they can watch it right along side of me. 😀 WDE

[AUlurker 178]

SEX Champions!

[tigers23 648]

3 minutes ago, AUlurker said:

SEX Champions!

Thinking you probably mean SEC....but maybe not 🤣

[AUlurker 178]

4 minutes ago, tigers23 said:

Thinking you probably mean SEC....but maybe not 🤣

It was one of the viral pictures from a local news station in the 2018 season I believe.

[mcgufcm 4,096]

1 hour ago, TeamZero77 said:

I agree. So many times people look at a PG and if they're averaging big points per game. A PG should never be a top scorer and if they are then his team isn't winning a title. A PG above all things has to get everyone involved and facilitate. He has to be calm under pressure and know when to get the ball to the guy that's hot, when NOT to go to a player that's cold, etc. The PG is the QB in basketball. The best ones like Magic, Stockton, Chauncey Billups, Isiah Thomas, Bobby Hurley (college) never averaged a ton of points but their teams won alot. Then the PG's who want to score first and lead the team in ppg like Iverson, Westbrook and others, never win championships. Hell, most good PG's were bad shooters like Magic, Rajon Rondo, etc. I commented a few days ago that this team is CRAVING a Jared Harper type PG that keeps his head during the biggest moments and seems to always understand who is hot and who is not. Wendell Green is a liability lately and most fans don't trust him with the ball, especially in closing seconds. If fans aren't trusting him then why is Bruce?? If we here on this board can see that Wendell is hurting us late in games and he can't run a halfcourt offense, what is Bruce seeing to keep him out there and putting the ball in his hands late? 

Let's beat South Carolina and finish our home season undefeated. WDE

Jared was our leading scorer and Steph Curry is a PG. Differebt ways to skin the cat. Oh and Billups was a scoring PG. 17/5 for the title team. Second leading scorer behind Rip. 

This team needs scorers and a pick and roll lead guard. Zep isn’t either of those things. Wen’s game is necessary for this team. Kessler’s offense is not consistent (12 points in the last two games), Zep sometimes won’t shoot, Flan isn’t a scorer because his confidence is shot. KD’s aggression is necessary. Wen’s work with the ball is necessary. 

[Viper 3,132]

1 hour ago, Grumps said:

When is the last time that we were projected to be a number one seed in the NCAA tourney in March? Enjoy this! Even with Bruce, you may never get to experience this again.

1999. I remember going into that tourney feeling that we peaked at the end of the regular season. We won two games in the tourney, then got beat easily by 4-seed Ohio St.

With Bruce, this is just the beginning.

[Viper 3,132]

2 hours ago, TeamZero77 said:

Hell, most good PG's were bad shooters like Magic

You literally just dissed the GOAT PG in the history of the sport. Would you care to take a shot at Jordan & Bird while you're on a roll?

Edited March 3, 2022 by Viper

[TeamZero77 1,784]

8 minutes ago, Viper said:

You literally just dissed the GOAT PG in the history of the sport. Would you care to take a shot at Jordan & Bird while you're on a roll?

He is the GOAT PG but he wasn't that good of a shooter.

[Viper 3,132]

1 hour ago, TeamZero77 said:

He is the GOAT PG but he wasn't that good of a shooter.

52% career FG%. Please name another current HOF PG or lock HOF PG who averages 52% FG%.

That PG will also need 84.8% career FT%.

That PG will also need 11.2 career Assists/games.

Throw in 7.2 career Rebounds/game.

That PG will have also needed to miss 4 consecutive seasons immediately after his prime...you know...the same type seasons LeChoke is gobbling up more stats after his prime on a bad team.

Edited March 3, 2022 by Viper

[MaxCohen216 514]

4 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

If you can get the defense/rebounding he brings from elsewhere, like they have in OT, then there's not much reason to have Flan tbh. At least this version of him 

You couldn't bench Zep for defense, you can't bench Wendell, and KD is your best closer out of all of the guards. Just no space for Flanigan tonight unfortunately. I don't envy Pearl having to manage keeping that guy's head up. It's been tough for all of those parties involved 

Yeah, I feel bad for Flan, for his dad, and for Pearl trying to manage the situation.  I think it's clear at this point that Flan is not going to return to last year's form this year.  It's time for Pearl to give up on that and move forward with what's best for the team.  But that does not include giving Cambridge more shots.  No positive scenario moving forward for this team includes giving Cambridge more shots.  He's chipped more rim paint that Shaq and Dennis Rodman combined, with only half the defense.  But half of their defense is pretty good, I guess.  Plus he gives great effort and gets offensive rebounds.

But his misses tonight were eye-opening.

[tigeraddikt 1,601]

4 hours ago, Viper said:

1999. I remember going into that tourney feeling that we peaked at the end of the regular season. We won two games in the tourney, then got beat easily by 4-seed Ohio St.

With Bruce, this is just the beginning.

I respectfully submit that is categorically false. We did not get “beat easily” by OSU in the Sweet 16. It was a close, back-and-forth affair that they happened to seal with Free Throws and a breakaway layup in the final couple of possessions. The name SCOONIE PENN still makes me wanna hurl.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

7 hours ago, 81spacetiger said:

Boy was it ugly down the end of regulation... but we won... at least a share of the SEC regular season tonight.  I am going to drink a brew and be thankful we won and ua lost tonight.

Zep/Fan got 13 points tonight on 4 of 12 shooting.  It doesn't mean we win pretty but we have not lost if we get to 10 from them.  Flan really only had 2 pts and there was some "...what are they doing out there moments..." but several players had them too.

Jabari is playing with more aggression, I love it.

Miss St is somewhere between a bad and good team, but the road version of this team looked immensely better with a contributing Zep. It’s tough bc the shots he gets during these games are generally some catch and shoot ones that mostly seem ran for him…and there’s just not many slotted for him 

That’s why he can give you like 3 straight buckets and then 0 for the rest of the game. I wish he showed the ability to drive consistently bc that’d open so much for him and the offense as a whole, but what can you do. 

[Cardin Drake 1,825]

Miss State was 0 for 13 from the 3 point line.  Fortunately. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

3 hours ago, MaxCohen216 said:

Yeah, I feel bad for Flan, for his dad, and for Pearl trying to manage the situation.  I think it's clear at this point that Flan is not going to return to last year's form this year.  It's time for Pearl to give up on that and move forward with what's best for the team.  But that does not include giving Cambridge more shots.  No positive scenario moving forward for this team includes giving Cambridge more shots.  He's chipped more rim paint that Shaq and Dennis Rodman combined, with only half the defense.  But half of their defense is pretty good, I guess.  Plus he gives great effort and gets offensive rebounds.

But his misses tonight were eye-opening.

Yeah I’ve been one of the most ardent “Cambridge isn’t the solution to Flan” believers. A ~10% shooter over the past couple months who’s going to shoot 90% of his looks (vs passing or driving), blow some open lay-ups, and isn’t better a defender…that’s not a solution 

I would just say survive the small forward minutes and run the KD at the position in closing minutes, in matchups where it works! That’s a good look 

[thewhiz7 273]

7 hours ago, AUlurker said:

SEX Champions!

That's what my wife says.  

[tgrogan21 6,198]

44 minutes ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

Yeah I’ve been one of the most ardent “Cambridge isn’t the solution to Flan” believers. A ~10% shooter over the past couple months who’s going to shoot 90% of his looks (vs passing or driving), blow some open lay-ups, and isn’t better a defender…that’s not a solution 

I would just say survive the small forward minutes and run the KD at the position in closing minutes, in matchups where it works! That’s a good look 

Still a strong believer in Moore getting way more minutes. It's the same with how I felt 2 seasons ago when Jaylin WIlliams was buried on the depth chart and hardly ever played. I kept saying how we need to see more of him and only did when there was an injury and he played his tail off. Give Moore consistent minutes and we'll be a better team for it. Who cares about seniority or who the coaches son is.

[augolf1716 21,109]

9 hours ago, AUwent said:

I just realized we played Mississippi State on 3/2. Heh

Yep 

AU-3

MSU-2

[abw0004 10,110]

Man the stat line the announcers said of Cambridge going 4 for 30 (13%) from the three point line was alarming.  I know Bruce has said he lets his players do their thing but maybe he needs to reel some of them in.

[GTNupe11 2,033]

37 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

Man the stat line the announcers said of Cambridge going 4 for 30 (13%) from the three point line was alarming.  I know Bruce has said he lets his players do their thing but maybe he needs to reel some of them in.

I have never, in his three years here, seen Cambridge pump fake and drive. He should try it at least once. 

[81spacetiger 157]

2 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

Miss St is somewhere between a bad and good team, but the road version of this team looked immensely better with a contributing Zep. It’s tough bc the shots he gets during these games are generally some catch and shoot ones that mostly seem ran for him…and there’s just not many slotted for him 

That’s why he can give you like 3 straight buckets and then 0 for the rest of the game. I wish he showed the ability to drive consistently bc that’d open so much for him and the offense as a whole, but what can you do. 

Lets watch this going forward because I believe the coach introduced a guard change that did pay off last night; Zep got much more playing time and Flan less when you look how much they have played in the past.  Zep has been averaging about 22 min a game - he had 35 last night.  Flan has been averaging about 26 min a game and only had 19.  In that extra time, Zep scored 11 pts.  If he gives us this consistently, I think you will see him playing 30+ minutes each game.

Zep may shoot in bursts but he has shown he can make the 3 - and other shots if he is given a different role.  You always get his ball handling and defensive game.  I wish it would work for Flan but its not working like everyone would want and you can see some of Flans plays are bothering him.

There maybe some other adjustments as we play our last game, SEC tournament and the NCAA big dance.  Zep has shown the ability to score - and we need to better integrate his time/abilities to help take the pressure of our other scoring players.  I am hoping our half court offense improves because we have more scoring threats on the floor.

Another thing I'd like to see is this last second passing the ball to another player leaving them 2-4 sec to set and shoot the ball after they held it for 10 sec...

 

 

[Chaotic_zx 1,044]

When KD comes through in OT to clinch the team a share of the regular season SEC Championship.

 

 

Edited March 3, 2022 by Chaotic_zx

[Mikey 16,578]

Since this is the game thread..... Once again, AU failed to get a decent shot on the last possession of the half or game. We need something besides the PG dribbling at the top of the key until there are three seconds left and then passing to someone for a desperation heave. This is three times in recent games this has happened, twice at game's end. Surely there's a solution?

[tgrogan21 6,198]

59 minutes ago, 81spacetiger said:

Lets watch this going forward because I believe the coach introduced a guard change that did pay off last night

I think we'll see a lot more of this line up going forward and towards the end of the game. Every big Auburn Twitter person has talked about it and about how effective it was. Going forward we'll probably see Zep's minutes increase to 32ish a game because we don't really have any depth behind those 3 guards. We won't be able to always have those 3 on the court at the same time but they definitely need to be at the start of the 2nd half and at the end of the 2nd half because of how bad we start and end games.

Will take a great job from the coaching staff to limit exhaustion but that's our best lineup. Cardwell and Jaylin are also great backups in case we have foul trouble and hopefully if Flan starts coming off the bench he won't be trying to do as much as he's been trying to do. That same starting 5 hasn't worked in over a month, definitely time to switch it up.