• Hi Guest, want to participate in the discussions, keep track of read/unread posts and more? Create your free account and increase the benefits of your eGriz.com experience today!

Post Game

citygriz

Well-known member
After the game was over, I grabbed a bite to eat with my Carolina friend on the way back to his hotel. Normally we're all laughs, but I wasn't fully up to it, the game playing over in my mind the way your tongue plays over a bad tooth. But as a good friend, he tried to restore my spirits.

"Citay," he said. "Montana is a GOOD team. Very well coached. I am impressed! Your defense is terrific, maybe the best I've seen. Your guards are ACC guards. You could have won that game. You SHOULD have won that game."

Then he paused. Then he smiled. Then the smile became a grin. Then outright laughter.

"Air ball layup!"

Even I had to laugh at that.

Then he delivered the final verdict. "Ya gotta be able to shoot the ball. You have to put the damned ball in the basket. That's what basketball is all about."

Of course, we'd seen this horror show before. Against Penn State, when we collapsed down the stretch. Most especially against Stanford, when we were up midway through the second half and went stone cold to end the game.

I love this team. I love what DeCuire has accomplished at Montana. I love that we stood right up to Michigan, without fear, and played them so tough right out of the gate, in a game that was ours to win. And I most especially love that in basketball, we're playing the best the country has to offer, not some second-rate Pony League division schools like in football.

And yet, if we're ever going to get past the "moral' victories, past the "coulda, woulda, shoulda's, if we're ever going to make the Sweet 16 or start on the Gonzaga path towards mid-major legitimacy, we're gonna have to find a way to score the god-damned basketball. And don't tell me Michigan's vaunted defense was all that great. We simply missed wide-open shots, and around the basket were, well, almost comically inept, the way little kids play basketball during halftime.

Air-ball layups, indeed.

Is it that our kids spend so much energy on defense it affects their shooting on the offensive end? Is that we need, as in football, to hire an offensive coordinator?

As proud as I am of this team, we've got to figure this out. You simply cannot go ten minutes without a score on the national stage in an NCAA tournament, and claim anything but gross ineptitude. Sadly, we've seen this before, so it's not happenstance. And sadly, it's a cloud that completely blots out all the considerable good this team did last night.
 
I concur 100% with your entire post.

There's no two ways about it, you have to get the thing in the hole. An axiom for life in general, perhaps :thumb:

Hopefully they can get that figured out for next season, as the starting line up will not see a lot of change.

Great post!
 
Congratulations to the UM basketball team on a great season. As a Cat fan, I really enjoyed watching the UM team. They were fun to watch. You guys have a great coach who has done a fantastic job at putting together a a very talented team. They took it to Michigan last night and had the opportunity to win that game. Yes, some good shots missed did them in but they did not lose because of a lack of talent. They will be a force again next year in the Big Sky. Again, congratulations!
 
Michigan fan here, congrats on the great season to the Grizzlies. Both teams played tenacious defense, both teams looked out of sync on offense and missed some open shots. Your team should be even better next year, I'll be following them.
 
It’s been a pleasure lurking this week and learning about the Montana Grizzlies.
The game played out exactly like it needed to for an upset to happen. The only problem was the shots didn’t fall.

10-0 out of the gate wasn’t a big surprise. Montana’s nothing-to-lose attitude and hunger for respect, combined with Michigan being told over a 2-week layoff by every media pundit that they’re a potential Final Four team, all showed up right out of the gate.

Really was impressed by the Montana defense. Not just the high trap that Michigan predictably decoded and started dunking on, but Montana’s move to a small ball lineup. That’s the style that has given Michigan trouble. That’s how they lost to Nebraska and Northwestern. Athletic defenders that can stick with shooters and play both sides of a Wagner pick. (Also, big kudos to #20. I thought he’d be the death of Montana and he played great defensively all game. Proved me wrong.)

There were the breaks Montana needed like the officials sending Michigan’s starting backcourt to the bench with fouls before the first media timeout. And the lineup chaos and ever-changing defense had Michigan out of sorts offensively all night. I think Beilein said postgame that they turned it over 5 out of 5 times on fast breaks. That sounds right. Michigan was as sloppy as you’ll ever see. That could be the long layoff, or the irregular rotation. No small part was playing a team who had them out of sorts and out of rhythm.

Same goes for the other end. #0 was excellent. Oguine was trouble, especially with Zavier Simpson stapled to the bench the entire first half. Once they were able to corral him using Matthews, his own foul trouble, and the return of Simpson in the 2nd half, Montana was desperate for scoring options. Taken out of normal rhythm, even rare open looks carried added pressure to deliver. If 2 or 3 shots go down in that dead stretch to keep it tight, who knows where that game goes. (Of course, if Michigan hits 2 or 3 more of their open looks it’s a blowout, but you get the point.)

Montana has now seen the big tourney. They’ve rattled the cage of a 3-seed. I hope next year breaks for the Grizzlies again because they’ll be scary with experience.

Thanks for your hospitality and good luck next year. Go Blue.

(Side note, please email John Beilein if Oguine becomes eligible to grad-transfer.)
 
citay said:
After the game was over, I grabbed a bite to eat with my Carolina friend on the way back to his hotel. Normally we're all laughs, but I wasn't fully up to it, the game playing over in my mind the way your tongue plays over a bad tooth. But as a good friend, he tried to restore my spirits.

"Citay," he said. "Montana is a GOOD team. Very well coached. I am impressed! Your defense is terrific, maybe the best I've seen. Your guards are ACC guards. You could have won that game. You SHOULD have won that game."

Then he paused. Then he smiled. Then the smile became a grin. Then outright laughter.

"Air ball layup!"

Even I had to laugh at that.

Then he delivered the final verdict. "Ya gotta be able to shoot the ball. You have to put the damned ball in the basket. That's what basketball is all about."

Of course, we'd seen this horror show before. Against Penn State, when we collapsed down the stretch. Most especially against Stanford, when we were up midway through the second half and went stone cold to end the game.

I love this team. I love what DeCuire has accomplished at Montana. I love that we stood right up to Michigan, without fear, and played them so tough right out of the gate, in a game that was ours to win. And I most especially love that in basketball, we're playing the best the country has to offer, not some second-rate Pony League division schools like in football.

And yet, if we're ever going to get past the "moral' victories, past the "coulda, woulda, shoulda's, if we're ever going to make the Sweet 16 or start on the Gonzaga path towards mid-major legitimacy, we're gonna have to find a way to score the god-damned basketball. And don't tell me Michigan's vaunted defense was all that great. We simply missed wide-open shots, and around the basket were, well, almost comically inept, the way little kids play basketball during halftime.

Air-ball layups, indeed.

Is it that our kids spend so much energy on defense it affects their shooting on the defensive end? Is that we need, as in football, to hire an offensive coordinator?

As proud as I am of this team, we've got to figure this out. You simply cannot go ten minutes without a score on the national stage in an NCAA tournament, and claim anything but gross ineptitude. Sadly, we've seen this before, so it's not happenstance. And sadly, it's a cloud that completely blots out all the considerable good this team did last night.

what i think they need before big games like that is a replica of citay's famed dumpster. why(bqm) sucsess builds confidence. roll that sucker out on the court at the start of warm-ups, and have the team gain some confidence by shooting the ball into the dumpster at first, instead of the hoop. presumably they make most of the dumpster shots, start feeling good about themselves, then take that positive mojo to the actual hoop.

just a thought.
 
argh! said:
citay said:
After the game was over, I grabbed a bite to eat with my Carolina friend on the way back to his hotel. Normally we're all laughs, but I wasn't fully up to it, the game playing over in my mind the way your tongue plays over a bad tooth. But as a good friend, he tried to restore my spirits.

"Citay," he said. "Montana is a GOOD team. Very well coached. I am impressed! Your defense is terrific, maybe the best I've seen. Your guards are ACC guards. You could have won that game. You SHOULD have won that game."

Then he paused. Then he smiled. Then the smile became a grin. Then outright laughter.

"Air ball layup!"

Even I had to laugh at that.

Then he delivered the final verdict. "Ya gotta be able to shoot the ball. You have to put the damned ball in the basket. That's what basketball is all about."

Of course, we'd seen this horror show before. Against Penn State, when we collapsed down the stretch. Most especially against Stanford, when we were up midway through the second half and went stone cold to end the game.

I love this team. I love what DeCuire has accomplished at Montana. I love that we stood right up to Michigan, without fear, and played them so tough right out of the gate, in a game that was ours to win. And I most especially love that in basketball, we're playing the best the country has to offer, not some second-rate Pony League division schools like in football.

And yet, if we're ever going to get past the "moral' victories, past the "coulda, woulda, shoulda's, if we're ever going to make the Sweet 16 or start on the Gonzaga path towards mid-major legitimacy, we're gonna have to find a way to score the god-damned basketball. And don't tell me Michigan's vaunted defense was all that great. We simply missed wide-open shots, and around the basket were, well, almost comically inept, the way little kids play basketball during halftime.

Air-ball layups, indeed.

Is it that our kids spend so much energy on defense it affects their shooting on the defensive end? Is that we need, as in football, to hire an offensive coordinator?

As proud as I am of this team, we've got to figure this out. You simply cannot go ten minutes without a score on the national stage in an NCAA tournament, and claim anything but gross ineptitude. Sadly, we've seen this before, so it's not happenstance. And sadly, it's a cloud that completely blots out all the considerable good this team did last night.

what i think they need before big games like that is a replica of citay's famed dumpster. why(bqm) confidence builds confidence. roll that sucker out on the court at the start of warm-ups, and have the team gain some confidence by shooting the ball into the dumpster at first, instead of the hoop. presumably they make most of the dumpster shots, start feeling good about themselves, then take that positive mojo to the actual hoop.

just a thought.

We'll give your thought all the attention it deserves.
 
This is the first time in the NCAA tourney where I was actually disappointed in the officiating against the Griz. Not saying we got homered, but I don't feel like we got many favorable calls. The Michigan Flop should be the new dance craze because the officials absolutely loved it, over and over again.

Our bigs couldn't get the ball in the hoop and that put all the pressure outside. Michigan played great D, but we couldn't buy a bucket for 10 minutes in the 2nd which led to certain downfall.

Sayeed needs to develop a consistent jump shot, Timmy needs to become a 3-point sharp shooter, Karl needs to make free throws and play better defense. But next year's team could be special. Love the way Travis coaches.
 
Pepto Bismol said:
...

(Side note, please email John Beilein if Oguine becomes eligible to grad-transfer.)

Sorry, Pepto. Oguine will be a true senior next year, using up his 4 years of eligibility. I was a bit surprised the Griz were able to make Wagner feel uncomfortable most of the night.
 
I watched the ACC tournament and North Carolina went better than 7 minutes without scoring against Miami and were down 14 - 0 at the start of the game. These things happen and one or two games is not how you judge a team offensively. You need the statistics for the year and we shot 47.1% from the field and 34.3% from the 3 point line. These aren't bad numbers.

Do I wish we would not have gone cold for 10 minutes? Absolutely! We did short arm a few close in shots but their length and defense had something to do with that also. I said before the pairings I would rather face an offensive team than a defensive team because our defense has been very consistent lately and I think we would have been able to slow the offensive team down. I also think we could have run our offense against a team like that and been more successful.

I thank the Griz and the coaching staff for the great year we had and I am looking forward to next year and the future of Grizzly basketball.
 
Great post PB. :clap: I agree that my beloved Griz had their opportunity, but could not get the shots to fall in. I can't remember a comparable scoring drought all year, and stopped counting how many reasonably-good and makeable 3-9 foot shots were missed by competent Griz shooters. :cry:

Pepto Bismol said:
It’s been a pleasure lurking this week and learning about the Montana Grizzlies.
The game played out exactly like it needed to for an upset to happen. The only problem was the shots didn’t fall.

10-0 out of the gate wasn’t a big surprise. Montana’s nothing-to-lose attitude and hunger for respect, combined with Michigan being told over a 2-week layoff by every media pundit that they’re a potential Final Four team, all showed up right out of the gate.

Really was impressed by the Montana defense. Not just the high trap that Michigan predictably decoded and started dunking on, but Montana’s move to a small ball lineup. That’s the style that has given Michigan trouble. That’s how they lost to Nebraska and Northwestern. Athletic defenders that can stick with shooters and play both sides of a Wagner pick. (Also, big kudos to #20. I thought he’d be the death of Montana and he played great defensively all game. Proved me wrong.)

There were the breaks Montana needed like the officials sending Michigan’s starting backcourt to the bench with fouls before the first media timeout. And the lineup chaos and ever-changing defense had Michigan out of sorts offensively all night. I think Beilein said postgame that they turned it over 5 out of 5 times on fast breaks. That sounds right. Michigan was as sloppy as you’ll ever see. That could be the long layoff, or the irregular rotation. No small part was playing a team who had them out of sorts and out of rhythm.
 
Not sure what game most of the posters were watching but I thought the second half was the worst example of college basketball I have ever witnessed, purely sad! #15 & #20 couldn't play for a decent high school team and the Griz guards were great in the first half and then played Division 3 ball in the second half. Unless they get some inside players they are not going to progress to the next level. For this team to win the Big Sky so easily, the league must be in bad shape!
 
Not sure what game most of the posters were watching but I thought the second half was the worst example of college basketball I have ever witnessed, purely sad! #15 & #20 couldn't play for a decent high school team and the Griz guards were great in the first half and then played Division 3 ball in the second half. Unless they get some inside players they are not going to progress to the next level. For this team to win the Big Sky so easily, the league must be in bad shape!
 
The ONLY way we take a step towards being a Gonzaga or Wichita State, is if we start paying our Head Coach like those schools do. Zero chance if you keep recycling coaches every 4 years
 
seems to me that the griz would need to develop a deeper bench. a rotation of 7 vs 10 for michigan would partially account for the second half play.
 
Is it that our kids spend so much energy on defense it affects their shooting on the defensive end? Is that we need, as in football, to hire an offensive coordinator?

As proud as I am of this team, we've got to figure this out. You simply cannot go ten minutes without a score on the national stage in an NCAA tournament, and claim anything but gross ineptitude. Sadly, we've seen this before, so it's not happenstance. And sadly, it's a cloud that completely blots out all the considerable good this team did last night.
[/quote]

I'd bet some of it is this, yes. But I feel next season the depth will be at least a legit 8, which is helpful. When they were struggling down the stretch a bit, I harped on the lack of depth and not resting kids as much during blowouts. I think it did finally catch up with them in 2 road losses and a close home win as well as the BSC tourney. This team will be better next year I think, and have more depth. Hope for a good, true PG to help spell Rorie a bit more. Timmy??? Great team and fun to watch. A little heart broken for those guys knowing they had it...they had it! This will drive them to improve over the summer and I hope they put the scare in a whole lotta big boys next year!
 
acehunter65 said:
Not sure what game most of the posters were watching but I thought the second half was the worst example of college basketball I have ever witnessed, purely sad! #15 & #20 couldn't play for a decent high school team and the Griz guards were great in the first half and then played Division 3 ball in the second half. Unless they get some inside players they are not going to progress to the next level. For this team to win the Big Sky so easily, the league must be in bad shape!
You obviously don't watch the games all season. Trashing Akoh and Fab is a pure jackass move. How many games did you attend this year? You don't matter and your opinion doesn't matter.
 
Excellent post Citay. You summarized my feelings of Pride and Appreciation, and you appropriately summarized my frustration with the missed shots (reasonably good and makeable shots).

citay said:
. . . a good friend, he tried to restore my spirits. "Citay," he said. "Montana is a GOOD team. Very well coached. I am impressed! Your defense is terrific, maybe the best I've seen. Your guards are ACC guards. You could have won that game. You SHOULD have won that game."

Then he delivered the final verdict. "Ya gotta be able to shoot the ball. You have to put the damned ball in the basket. That's what basketball is all about." Of course, we'd seen this horror show before. Against Penn State, when we collapsed down the stretch. Most especially against Stanford, when we were up midway through the second half and went stone cold to end the game.

I love this team. I love what DeCuire has accomplished at Montana. I love that we stood right up to Michigan, And yet, if we're ever going to get past the "moral' victories, past the "coulda, woulda, shoulda's, if we're ever going to make the Sweet 16 or start on the Gonzaga path towards mid-major legitimacy, we're gonna have to find a way to score the basketball. And don't tell me Michigan's vaunted defense was all that great. We simply missed wide-open shots, and around the basket were, well, almost comically inept, the way little kids play basketball during halftime. Air-ball layups, indeed.
As proud as I am of this team, we've got to figure this out. You simply cannot go ten minutes without a score on the national stage in an NCAA tournament.

Excellent post Citay. What are the next steps?
What is Travis' wish list ? Please add your suggestions.

The starting guards Oguine & Rorie are great talents and can work on their shooting efficiency and consistency. Akoh might continue working on his game, improving his footwork and fluidity and athleticism, and ability to score against bigger defenders. Akoh should be able to find California-area competition with height & length, to continue working on his game. Find a good Replacement interior defender for Krslovic ? Can Bobby Moorehead continue working on his game, improving his shooting consistency and shooting range to become a dangerous stretch-3. Can Moorehead work on his footwork and add 5-10 pounds of muscle to further develop a post-up scoring option? Can Timmy Falls continue working on his game to become a great combo-guard? Can Dorsey and Bevins and Nicholas and Spoja earn more playing time? Who else can step up to become a dangerous scoring threat? Who can become the rebounding machine? Just my two cents worth .........
 
The Griz played like a team that hasn’t “been there before”. No mystery why that was. They were fine when shots were dropping but when they weren’t then some panic set in and they got rattled and made poor choices. Contrast that with Michigan who even when they got behind continued to play their game and slowly ground it out. I’ll bet as good as he is, even Coach Decuire could rattle off a dozen things that in retrospect he would do differently. That is what experience is all about. Now the team has some and they can build on it. More depth, better shooting, and less “freshman” play and the Griz will make some real noise next year.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
acehunter65 said:
Not sure what game most of the posters were watching but I thought the second half was the worst example of college basketball I have ever witnessed, purely sad! #15 & #20 couldn't play for a decent high school team and the Griz guards were great in the first half and then played Division 3 ball in the second half. Unless they get some inside players they are not going to progress to the next level. For this team to win the Big Sky so easily, the league must be in bad shape!

...24 posts all bashing the griz..get a fcuking life...
...what a dcikhead griz grad you turned out to be...
...fcuk gagzaga..can't wait visit this when they fold ...

... :loser: :butt: :finger: ...
 
Back
Top