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PoorManProfit
Spectator
I am the PoorManProfit
Game 13: AT Kansas State University, Saturday, December 29th, 8 PM EST/7 PM CST, ESPN3/Fox Sports KC
- Thread starter Washingtonian
- Start date
I am the PoorManProfit
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PoorManProfit
Spectator
Well, thank you. I take a lot of pride in my work. It does seem that DJ3 and the PoorManProfit are right most of the time which causes many to be uncomfortable.
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PoorManProfit
Spectator
A good loss? Come on man...
THe brand names we are playing against are down this year. This isn’t a good Baylor team, this isn’t a usual cincy team and we got killed by both. Vermont and Georgia southern are both good teams. Both will make tournament. But we have about 4-6 teams we have played so far that might make the tourney. Have we beaten one of them?!?
You are correct but the resident experts on the board swear you have no idea what you’re talking about. Kid was a 2 in high school but absolutely cannot play the 3 in college to them.
Sorry, sir, Mason had a chance to win this game at the end, that doesn’t qualify as “garbage” points.
Bricker
Starter
Stupid bickering aside, it was interesting seeing our guys come back and hang tough against what should be considered a bigger, more atheletic version of themselves in K-State if you consider our strengths and weaknesses (a defense first, sometimes offensively challenged squad).
After all that's happened so far this season, Mason could have easily folded in the second half. Outcome aside, defense looked light years better than what we saw during the first 7 or 8 games. If they can come with that intensity during the conference slate, we'll beat our now-adjusted expectations. Their hearts are still in it even though we aren't in the position they exptected just a couple short months ago. Maturity. It's a beautiful thing.
Also, if we consider the "Otis metric", K-State should have blown us out. Otis was totally shut down (5pts, 2 assts, 2 TOs). But Kier, Greene and Reuter were there to pick up the slack. That certainly wasn't what we would have seen earlier this season. Speaking of Kier, it's been fun watching his balls drag on the floor this year. He had zero confidence in his shot toward the end of last season, yet now he can join the prestigious Mason All-MAN squad: Boyd, Otis, and Kier are all active members. Can't wait to add AJ to this list soon.
At the start of the second half, I assumed the layup turnstile would open for business and Mason would slink off the prarie with a 20-point loss -- best case scenario a 9-12 point loss with garbage baskets at the end against the K-State bench. Despite a certain prognosticator's boasts in this thread, that isn't what happened at all. We had the ball with 2 seconds left and a chance to win against a very tough team in a hostile environment in a different time zone. We were supposed to lose by 15 points. Our season is supposed to be over.
I don't own a boat, so I'll burn through some beers this weekend instead. I'm done bitching about the non-conference failures. As of today, Mason is 0-0. There is no at-large. There is no second-place trophy. It's time to fight into the top four and become the team no one wants to face in the tourney.
Who's with me?
After all that's happened so far this season, Mason could have easily folded in the second half. Outcome aside, defense looked light years better than what we saw during the first 7 or 8 games. If they can come with that intensity during the conference slate, we'll beat our now-adjusted expectations. Their hearts are still in it even though we aren't in the position they exptected just a couple short months ago. Maturity. It's a beautiful thing.
Also, if we consider the "Otis metric", K-State should have blown us out. Otis was totally shut down (5pts, 2 assts, 2 TOs). But Kier, Greene and Reuter were there to pick up the slack. That certainly wasn't what we would have seen earlier this season. Speaking of Kier, it's been fun watching his balls drag on the floor this year. He had zero confidence in his shot toward the end of last season, yet now he can join the prestigious Mason All-MAN squad: Boyd, Otis, and Kier are all active members. Can't wait to add AJ to this list soon.
At the start of the second half, I assumed the layup turnstile would open for business and Mason would slink off the prarie with a 20-point loss -- best case scenario a 9-12 point loss with garbage baskets at the end against the K-State bench. Despite a certain prognosticator's boasts in this thread, that isn't what happened at all. We had the ball with 2 seconds left and a chance to win against a very tough team in a hostile environment in a different time zone. We were supposed to lose by 15 points. Our season is supposed to be over.
I don't own a boat, so I'll burn through some beers this weekend instead. I'm done bitching about the non-conference failures. As of today, Mason is 0-0. There is no at-large. There is no second-place trophy. It's time to fight into the top four and become the team no one wants to face in the tourney.
Who's with me?
Cincy (although some cupcakes), is 11 and 2, Penn is also 10 and 3 with a win against Nova. Baylor is 8 and 4. Those are also more teams that should be in the hunt for the tournament even if they aren’t that good.
I’d also argue the team is much better since Florida with how they are defending and playing all around. Much improved.
Just rewatched the end of the game since my feed had issues last night.
Two key defensive possessions hurt. One where they allowed an offensive rebound and then when they fouled at the end. I think there was a second possession with an offensive rebound too.
Defense stepped it up the last three minutes getting in the passing lanes. I thought we’d try a press or trap, but it’s obvious getting in the passing lane (like they did against JMU and Navy), was going to help more. It led to three steals and fortunately a few baskets including some and 1s.
Also nice to see turnovers be very low against a very good defense. They gave themselves opportunities.
They got a gift with the double dribble at the end and the spot. The play drawn up was good, but everyone knew what was coming. Not much you can do with 1.2 seconds however.
Crazy that the game was that close by the end, but they used defensive energy to turn into offense and got confidence. Put the game in your mind as fuel and use it, because I’m sure there will be at least one more game with this scenario before the end of the year. Proud the team came back and kept fighting, but this one stings a bit.
Two key defensive possessions hurt. One where they allowed an offensive rebound and then when they fouled at the end. I think there was a second possession with an offensive rebound too.
Defense stepped it up the last three minutes getting in the passing lanes. I thought we’d try a press or trap, but it’s obvious getting in the passing lane (like they did against JMU and Navy), was going to help more. It led to three steals and fortunately a few baskets including some and 1s.
Also nice to see turnovers be very low against a very good defense. They gave themselves opportunities.
They got a gift with the double dribble at the end and the spot. The play drawn up was good, but everyone knew what was coming. Not much you can do with 1.2 seconds however.
Crazy that the game was that close by the end, but they used defensive energy to turn into offense and got confidence. Put the game in your mind as fuel and use it, because I’m sure there will be at least one more game with this scenario before the end of the year. Proud the team came back and kept fighting, but this one stings a bit.
Bricker
Starter
Protecting the ball was huge. If they can continue to just do this, we will be much improved.
those are 3 of our 4-6 opponents fighting for tourney along with GA Southern, Kansas St and Vermont....
We have lost to those teams by 1, 9, 16, 9, 5, 1. Granted Otis has only played well in one of those aforementioned games (Baylor).... Still think the situation is less on Otis rather than the gameplan and lineups used by Paulsen. Mar's regression is really befuddling although he is still aggressive on defense which can be appreciated. He plays out of position and that's not his fault.
But none of the teams we have lost to are elite.
Baylor has beaten Oregon and Arizona as their only good wins with losses to Texas Southern and SFA(on a down year)
Cincy has played two good teams this year and lost to them both.. Not their fault Xavier and UCLA are on down years when they have them on the schedule though...
Penn is coming off a 32 point loss to a relatively untested and unknown Toledo team that is now 12-1...
K St is relatively untested and was held to 46 points vs Tulsa recently in a loss. They start to play top 25 teams every week starting Jan 2nd so we will find out soon whether they are good
Vermont is no doubt decent but they lost by 25 to Lipscomb and lost to Paulsens former team Bucknell who seems to have been better than us every year since we hired Paulsen....
Ga Southern just lost to Dayton and Radford (both good teams a bit better than us). not exactly world beaters...
Otherwise we beat who we were supposed to American notwithstanding
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PoorManProfit
Spectator
Not fake news.
I never suggested the schedule was “elite,” but I don’t think calling it “mild” is accurate either. My point is it was a lot tougher than casual college basketball fans would think just by looking at the brand names.
Given the expectations entering the season, I feel pretty confident if Otis’ shot had gone in and we beat Penn, the rest of the schedule unfolds quite differently. Our guys were obviously bummed out after losing the opener and it took a long time to regain their confidence after an 0-3 start that nobody saw coming. Despite the ups and downs, we’re really not that far from entering conference play with 10 wins.
The record is what it is, obviously. But if this team can turn its 20-minute stretches of inspired play into full 40-minute efforts on a more consistent basis, we’re gonna win a bunch of A-10 games and be right there with a chance in Brooklyn.
That puts us in the same boat as every other team in our league because unless somebody gets hot and rips off 15 or 16 conference wins, I don’t see anybody getting an at-large.
The part I bolded is spot on. But with our OOC track record against teams equivalent-slightly better than our A10 foes it would be difficult to to. We have had 5, 10, even 20 min stretches but nothing close to consistent except most of the Navy game. Game planning and strategy has been piss poor most of our games against teams that aren't horrible. That needs to change
I’m not saying that Paulsen is immune to criticism or that game planning and strategy could always improve (because it always can), but I think calling it piss poor is a bit of a stretch. Do they start crappy? Yes. Are there too many lapses? Probably.
But there’s enough progress to point to the last several games, even if not 40 minutes (but 25 or 30) that game planning and adjustments are definitely made, planned for and executed.
Mason is a 6-7 team going into conference play and they are what their record says they are. But they have definitely improved and set themselves up to have a chance to finish well in league play and do well in the conference tournament. I expect them to continue to improve as well.
From a K-State perspective:
https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/kansas-state/article223731370.html
https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/kansas-state/article223731370.html
ephoops
Starter
The last three years, Bucknell's best players were all Paulsen recruits.
Even this year, the two best players on Bucknell were Paulsen recruits.
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