GRIZ AT VIKINGS GAME THREAD

[EverettGriz]

Well, to be fair, ewooo IS currently in the top 6 in the bsc in Sagarin. Of course, that was prior to their loss last night. At home. With nodak's win vs weebs, and assuming msu beats sac, ewooo'll likely drop to 8th. Exactly where I put them in the bsc.

 

[info]

The game stats paint a fascinating picture.

Total rebounds were close ... 38 for the good guys, 35 for them. The Griz lost the O-board battle, but won on the D-boards (27-16).
The Griz had way more turnovers than normal (19 vs an average of 13.1), while PSU had only 14 (over their average of 12.3, but not that much).
In case you hadn't noticed (I hadn't) PSU leads the nation in steals, but they had one less than their average against the Griz (11 vs 12.0). The Griz are tied for #26 in steals, but they also were below their average (7 vs 8.4).
To make matters even stranger, PSU almost reached their season average in scoring (89 vs 90.1). That's 20 points more than the Griz have been giving up (normally 69.1 ppg). The Vikes did that even though the Griz D held them to 20.8% on treys (they normally shoot 37.2%) and 42.9% on twos (averaging 45.7%).

So how the Hell did the Griz win? Well, UM scored 15 points more than their season average by hitting 55.1% on twos (normally 45.7%), 45.5% on treys (31.8% for the season), and 70.2% on foul tries (71.8% for the season). So the Griz defense did an okay job, but the difference was their ability to get open and focus to have an outstanding night shooting.

The take-away: The Griz may have to win in different ways ... but they are finding the answers and winning games they might otherwise lose.

UM went in and held on again for a victory which is a characteristic of a good team.

Maybe an important factor was that PSU had two forwards out of this game. Brandon Hollins (starter) and Jamie Orme are two of their best athletes and defenders. Both are important to PSU's press and Brandon Hollins is an important contributor on offense. I wonder how successful your guard would have been driving to the basket if these two forwards were playing and challenging him at the rim.

Odd then that they crushed the cats, forcing like 1,787 turnovers.

How'd it go in lovely cheney yesterday? Also, congrats to your AD.

I never said MSU was a good team. Being your travel partners they played the same weak teams early in the conference schedule, and that biased their conference win/loss ratio.

As for the EAGS they played the vandals without two starters and blew an early lead to a good team. The two best teams in the BSC played in Cheney last night.

As for the AD, he was good but I have no worries as the EAGS will replace him with a quality person that won't have to lick the boots of billionaires.

Golden-shower, you want to focus on the 5.8 million dollar deficit in your athletic department. Your AD left before the shit hit the fan. Sounds like a move to division 2 might be in your future.

 

[NorthEndZoneDan]

sac state is up on the cats by 10 with 9 min left

 

[HookedonGriz]

Sac St up 18 over cats with 4:48 left. Love it

 

[HookedonGriz]

Sac st 85-64 under 1 minute. What a great day

 

[grizzlyjournal]

Sac beats Cats, 87-68

 

[cmtgrizzly]

Sac beats Cats, 87-68

Honestly I am not surprised. Sac st is a fairly tough place to win and I dont think the Cats are that good

 

[EverettGriz]

GREAT day to be a GRIZZLY!!!

 

[JALMOND]

As for the EAGS they played the vandals without two starters and blew an early lead to a good team. The two best teams in the BSC played in Cheney last night.

I must say I do agree with your assessment. Had we had a healthy Orme and Hollins, the game may have turned out differently. That said (and having watched EWU and Idaho last week), I'd have to disagree with your statement. The two best teams in the conference played today in Portland.

 

[mtgrizrule]

As for the EAGS they played the vandals without two starters and blew an early lead to a good team. The two best teams in the BSC played in Cheney last night.

I must say I do agree with your assessment. Had we had a healthy Orme and Hollins, the game may have turned out differently. That said (and having watched EWU and Idaho last week), I'd have to disagree with your statement. The two best teams in the conference played today in Portland.

The conference season is about 1/3 done. A lot can change between now and the end of conference season. Got to admit though, being 2 games up only 6 games in, is encouraging and impressive. I watched the EWU/Idaho game Friday night. Sorry, but EWU isn't among the top 5 teams in the conference so far this season.

As for the GRIZ, I expected them to be in the running for the conference title this season. However, I didn't expect them to be 6-0 to start conference play. I was expecting road splits and a 4-2 record at this stage.

Right now, my top 5 are: Montana, PSU, Montana State, Weber State, Idaho, the rest is a roll of the dice. So far, the GRIZ are the only consistent team in the conference, and still have things to improve on. They deserve credit for taking advantage of their opportunities and being mentally tough to get through 2 difficult road trips, so far. To date, PSU is the only team the GRIZ have played that I can honestly say "I don't want to play, again." Their style of play is so difficult to prepare for and play against. The GRIZ still have a very difficult North Dakota/UNC road trip in terms of miles and challenges. The EWU/Idaho trip is looking to be tough too.

Despite the terrific start, I am trying hard to not get overly excited. Conference play has proven to be difficult throughout the years. I also wonder how long the GRIZ, or any conference team, can keep up the level of play the GRIZ have played so far? The GRIZ still have 12 games to play. Every year, I expect a few slip ups, here and there. At worse, I see the GRIZ going 12-6. At best, 16-2. Realistically, I see the GRIZ at 14-4 for conference play. With that said, I hope DeCuire does challenge the boys to sweep conference play (yes, I know it will be difficult and not likely). That is what it would take to get notice from the NCAA Tournament committee, even then I am sure the NCAA would manage to screw someone in our conference. A few years ago, both the GRIZ and Weber State were good enough to possibly have 2 teams in the dance. However, it didn't happen!!! That is just the way it is in this conference, and it sucks.

If I were coaching against the GRIZ, I absolutely would pack it defensively. I'd challenge the GRIZ to consistently hit the 3. Packing it in minimizes Akoh, offensive rebounding, and minimizes what Oguine and Rorie do best (penetrating). I'd want the GRIZ to shoot 20+ 3's and take my chances. Yes, the GRIZ have improved their 3%, but they still need to prove they can do it when forced to take a lot of 3's. If they can prove to hit the 3 consistently with more attempts, then look out Big Sky!

Nonetheless, great start for the GRIZ, way to go. #gogriz.

 

[NorthEndZoneDan]

great write up as always mtgrizrule. I agree, Portland is definitely the only team I dont want to see again. I will def be at Dahlberg on 2/8 for the rematch. As for the rest of the season, 16-2 isnt that far fetched in looking at the remaining schedule. We've got 7 home and 5 away. I can see a split on the ewoo idaho weekend and another split on the NC ND weekend. A sweep either way for both of those weekends doesnt seem likely. Losing at home isnt likely either. As for coaching against us, pick your poison. Packing it in against Akoh opens things for Oguine and Rorie. Stepping out to defend them puts a knife into the hands Akoh and Fabian. And then you've overlooked the thief Falls. This is a mix of talent we have not seen in a while!

 

[goatcreekgriz]

The game stats paint a fascinating picture.

Total rebounds were close ... 38 for the good guys, 35 for them. The Griz lost the O-board battle, but won on the D-boards (27-16).
The Griz had way more turnovers than normal (19 vs an average of 13.1), while PSU had only 14 (over their average of 12.3, but not that much).
In case you hadn't noticed (I hadn't) PSU leads the nation in steals, but they had one less than their average against the Griz (11 vs 12.0). The Griz are tied for #26 in steals, but they also were below their average (7 vs 8.4).
To make matters even stranger, PSU almost reached their season average in scoring (89 vs 90.1). That's 20 points more than the Griz have been giving up (normally 69.1 ppg). The Vikes did that even though the Griz D held them to 20.8% on treys (they normally shoot 37.2%) and 42.9% on twos (averaging 45.7%).

So how the Hell did the Griz win? Well, UM scored 15 points more than their season average by hitting 55.1% on twos (normally 45.7%), 45.5% on treys (31.8% for the season), and 70.2% on foul tries (71.8% for the season). So the Griz defense did an okay job, but the difference was their ability to get open and focus to have an outstanding night shooting.

The take-away: The Griz may have to win in different ways ... but they are finding the answers and winning games they might otherwise lose.

UM went in and held on again for a victory which is a characteristic of a good team.

Maybe an important factor was that PSU had two forwards out of this game. Brandon Hollins (starter) and Jamie Orme are two of their best athletes and defenders. Both are important to PSU's press and Brandon Hollins is an important contributor on offense. I wonder how successful your guard would have been driving to the basket if these two forwards were playing and challenging him at the rim.

Odd then that they crushed the cats, forcing like 1,787 turnovers.

How'd it go in lovely cheney yesterday? Also, congrats to your AD.

I never said MSU was a good team. Being your travel partners they played the same weak teams early in the conference schedule, and that biased their conference win/loss ratio.

As for the EAGS they played the vandals without two starters and blew an early lead to a good team. The two best teams in the BSC played in Cheney last night.

As for the AD, he was good but I have no worries as the EAGS will replace him with a quality person that won't have to lick the boots of billionaires.

Whatever, dude. EWU can only dream of having a billionaire patron because no one over there cares. Go Cougs.

Griz BB on a roll. Travis is doing a spectacular job.

 

[GoldenEagle]

As for the EAGS they played the vandals without two starters and blew an early lead to a good team. The two best teams in the BSC played in Cheney last night.

I must say I do agree with your assessment. Had we had a healthy Orme and Hollins, the game may have turned out differently. That said (and having watched EWU and Idaho last week), I'd have to disagree with your statement. The two best teams in the conference played today in Portland.

I guess we'll forget about the EAGS win over the vikings when the vikings were at full strength.

 

[mtgrizrule]

As for the EAGS they played the vandals without two starters and blew an early lead to a good team. The two best teams in the BSC played in Cheney last night.

I must say I do agree with your assessment. Had we had a healthy Orme and Hollins, the game may have turned out differently. That said (and having watched EWU and Idaho last week), I'd have to disagree with your statement. The two best teams in the conference played today in Portland.

I guess we'll forget about the EAGS win over the vikings when the vikings were at full strength.

Nobody is forgetting about it. I watch a lot of college basketball. My honest opinion of EWU, like much of the Big Sky, they have yet to find consistency. One week they look great, the next they are questionable, at best. They remind me a lot of the GRIZ the last few years. They are capable of beating the best in the conference, but also capable of struggling with teams, they should not be struggling against. I honestly feel, right now EWU isn't in the Top 5 in the conference. They are in the middle of the pack. Sweeping the 2 road trips the GRIZ have is damn impressive. 2 more difficult road trips (EWU/Idaho and UND/UNC) will be a challenge for the GRIZ. If they can split those games, I will be very encouraged as for the potential in this year's GRIZ.

I'll be more than happy to give EWU credit, or any team credit, upon teams earning that credit. EWU has some tough work ahead of them for me to give them that credit. They certainly don't strike me as being as good as the EWU teams of the last few seasons. There is still a lot of season left. We shall see how everything shakes out.

 

[GoldenEagle]

As for the EAGS they played the vandals without two starters and blew an early lead to a good team. The two best teams in the BSC played in Cheney last night.

I must say I do agree with your assessment. Had we had a healthy Orme and Hollins, the game may have turned out differently. That said (and having watched EWU and Idaho last week), I'd have to disagree with your statement. The two best teams in the conference played today in Portland.

I guess we'll forget about the EAGS win over the vikings when the vikings were at full strength.

Nobody is forgetting about it. I watch a lot of college basketball. My honest opinion of EWU, like much of the Big Sky, they have yet to find consistency. One week they look great, the next they are questionable, at best. They remind me a lot of the GRIZ the last few years. They are capable of beating the best in the conference, but also capable of struggling with teams, they should not be struggling against. I honestly feel, right now EWU isn't in the Top 5 in the conference. They are in the middle of the pack. Sweeping the 2 road trips the GRIZ have is damn impressive. 2 more difficult road trips (EWU/Idaho and UND/UNC) will be a challenge for the GRIZ. If they can split those games, I will be very encouraged as for the potential in this year's GRIZ.

I'll be more than happy to give EWU credit, or any team credit, upon teams earning that credit. EWU has some tough work ahead of them for me to give them that credit. They certainly don't strike me as being as good as the EWU teams of the last few seasons. There is still a lot of season left. We shall see how everything shakes out.

I agree with some of what you posted here. It still is early in the season and the EAGS are playing without two starters. They are inconsistent, and yes I think they can beat anyone in the league. So if they are not top five in the league, who do you put above them?

I will certainly give UM credit and eat crow if they continue to win.

 

[EverettGriz]

As for the EAGS they played the vandals without two starters and blew an early lead to a good team. The two best teams in the BSC played in Cheney last night.

I must say I do agree with your assessment. Had we had a healthy Orme and Hollins, the game may have turned out differently. That said (and having watched EWU and Idaho last week), I'd have to disagree with your statement. The two best teams in the conference played today in Portland.

I guess we'll forget about the EAGS win over the vikings when the vikings were at full strength.

Forget it? Nah. It's difficult to forget, as it's your only good win in conference play. Of course it was at home and not in Portland. Really, ewoooo only has two good wins all year.

 

[mtgrizrule]

I must say I do agree with your assessment. Had we had a healthy Orme and Hollins, the game may have turned out differently. That said (and having watched EWU and Idaho last week), I'd have to disagree with your statement. The two best teams in the conference played today in Portland.

I guess we'll forget about the EAGS win over the vikings when the vikings were at full strength.

Nobody is forgetting about it. I watch a lot of college basketball. My honest opinion of EWU, like much of the Big Sky, they have yet to find consistency. One week they look great, the next they are questionable, at best. They remind me a lot of the GRIZ the last few years. They are capable of beating the best in the conference, but also capable of struggling with teams, they should not be struggling against. I honestly feel, right now EWU isn't in the Top 5 in the conference. They are in the middle of the pack. Sweeping the 2 road trips the GRIZ have is damn impressive. 2 more difficult road trips (EWU/Idaho and UND/UNC) will be a challenge for the GRIZ. If they can split those games, I will be very encouraged as for the potential in this year's GRIZ.

I'll be more than happy to give EWU credit, or any team credit, upon teams earning that credit. EWU has some tough work ahead of them for me to give them that credit. They certainly don't strike me as being as good as the EWU teams of the last few seasons. There is still a lot of season left. We shall see how everything shakes out.

I agree with some of what you posted here. It still is early in the season and the EAGS are playing without two starters. They are inconsistent, and yes I think they can beat anyone in the league. So if they are not top five in the league, who do you put above them?

I will certainly give UM credit and eat crow if they continue to win.

My Top 5 (posted in another thread too): GRIZ, PSU, MSU, WSU, and Idaho. EWU, UNC, and ISU even for the next 3 spots. I'm more sold on recent history with EWU than the others not in the top 5.

 

[cmtgrizzly]

We have some more to prove but 4 straight road wins deserves more respect than anything anyone else in this conference has done including EWU. Is it set in stone that the Griz are the best team in the conference? No, things could change but for now we are the best.

In the end the only thing that matters is winning the conference tourney, although if the Griz get by conference with 0 (very unlikely), 1 (not likely), or two losses (decent chance) the griz maybe still get an at large. I know this sounds ridiculous but our conference has done well against some perennial NCAA tourney teams and maybe this year the Big Sky gets a little more respect than usual.

 

[PeauxRouge]

We have some more to prove but 4 straight road wins deserves more respect than anything anyone else in this conference has done including EWU. Is it set in stone that the Griz are the best team in the conference? No, things could change but for now we are the best.

In the end the only thing that matters is winning the conference tourney, although if the Griz get by conference with 0 (very unlikely), 1 (not likely), or two losses (decent chance) the griz maybe still get an at large. I know this sounds ridiculous but our conference has done well against some perennial NCAA tourney teams and maybe this year the Big Sky gets a little more respect than usual.

The only at large we get if we don't win the coference tourney, even with your scenario, would be NIT at best, but likely CIT or CBI. I'm sorry, I just don't believe it will happen. When was the last time the BSC ever got an at large to the NCAA tourney.

 

[grizband]

We have some more to prove but 4 straight road wins deserves more respect than anything anyone else in this conference has done including EWU. Is it set in stone that the Griz are the best team in the conference? No, things could change but for now we are the best.

In the end the only thing that matters is winning the conference tourney, although if the Griz get by conference with 0 (very unlikely), 1 (not likely), or two losses (decent chance) the griz maybe still get an at large. I know this sounds ridiculous but our conference has done well against some perennial NCAA tourney teams and maybe this year the Big Sky gets a little more respect than usual.

The only at large we get if we don't win the coference tourney, even with your scenario, would be NIT at best, but likely CIT or CBI. I'm sorry, I just don't believe it will happen. When was the last time the BSC ever got an at large to the NCAA tourney.

Griz would almost habe to go undefeated the entire season to earn an at large from the big sky.

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