Weber misses shots, blows chance at title

[Proud Griz Man]

'Cats miss shots, blow shot at title against Grizzlies
MISSOULA, Mont. — In the pregame build-up, Tuesday’s Big Sky title clash between Weber State and Montana was billed as epic and historic. Now those words can be used to describe the Wildcats’ disappointment at losing the Big Sky Conference crown on the final night of the regular season.

... Weber State closed the gap to five points twice in the second half, but each time, Cherry and the Griz had the answer.

Montana held a 34-24 advantage at the break while limiting WSU to 34.6 percent from the field in the half, including a just 1-of-10 from beyond the arc. “We missed shots early and had we made shots, it would have gotten our confidence up a little,” Weber State coach Randy Rahe said.

“It’s tough. We lost a big game. Our kids, they’ve had a hell of a season. I’m really proud of them. … Our kids just kept fighting (through adversity this season); 14-2 is obviously nothing to be ashamed of and 23-5, that’s the best season in history for a lot of programs. We came up short tonight, we tip our hat to the Griz. They did a great job, played really well. They’ve had a phenomenal season. There’s two really good teams in this league and they were on their home court tonight and they ended up beating us. That’s what it came down to.”

http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/02/28/cats-miss-shots-blow-shot-title-against-grizzlies" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[griz8791]

Now they have a week to think about AJ'ing us in our own place.

 

[becker2117]

Now they have a week to think about AJ'ing us in our own place.

i think that crossed their minds lastnight too, but we didnt let it happen!

 

[garizzalies]

the big question to me, assuming no upsets, is whether Tinks will have the same defensive strategy vs. Weebs next week (i.e., press on made shots and fall back to a zone). It worked wonderfully last night, but the Weebs were off; when on, i don't think that D is gonna cut it, esp if their baseline shots are falling. On the other hand, Weebs seemed to be better on the low block than us, so maybe a zone is best. UM didn't seem to switch it up so maybe Tinks will stick with it ("if it aint broke..."). Weren't we mostly in man D @ Ogden (and that obviously didn't work)?

I thought Rahe would eventually break the zone last night esp after breaking the press in transition (i.e. draw the trap, break thru, go to the key, dish to a big, finish at the hole). I thought Weebs did a horrible job of taking that opportunity. They seemed to break the press but instead of pushing transition, they'd pull it back and let UM settle back into the zone (which UM did well). Weebs will do a better job of this next week.

When Stockton was in, were we in a box-n-1 with him on Lillard? or was the zone still a straight up 1-2-2, with Stockton just being overly aggressive? Seemed like he went beyond his zone.

I'm almost afraid to ask: when was the last time we hosted the BSC tourney and made the big dance?

 

[Umista]

Weebs can shoot the ball. Last night we took some of that away. They are a damn good team. Now if we can smack them again I will be one happy fan.

That had to be one of our greatest wins in my 50 years of watching Griz ball IMO. I will enjoy this win for a season or two!

 

[AZDoc]

I didn't see the game but sounds like Weeebs was off a bit. Different game if they hit some of those obviously. The crowd may have played a part...hopefully it does again in a rematch for the title...

 

[Proud Griz Man]

Weber State University men’s basketball team lost the opportunity to host the Big Sky Conference tournament when it fell to the University of Montana Grizzlies 66-51 on Tuesday night in Montana.
Head Coach Randy Rahe said the Grizzlies outplayed WSU and deserved to come away with the win.
“They played better than us tonight,” Rahe said. “That’s the bottom line. We could not make a shot . . . They played a better game on their home court, and they just flat beat us.”
... Throughout the game, the Wildcats struggled from the field, especially from beyond the arc. With six minutes left in the game, WSU had only converted on two 3-pointers off of 17 attempts.
As UM tried to close out the game, the Wildcats once again made a comeback. With four minutes left, Lillard hit a 3-pointer in the corner to cut the lead to five. Despite the comeback attempt, UM was too strong and closed out the game. Bamforth said that WSU was outplayed by the Grizzlies and hopes to have a better showing next week in the conference tournament. “We give all the credit to Montana for coming out and playing well,” Bamforth said. “We will be back ready to go in a week, and our togetherness will allow us to perform better.”

http://www.wsusignpost.com/2012/02/28/wsu-falls-to-montana/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Unwrittengriz]

the big question to me, assuming no upsets, is whether Tinks will have the same defensive strategy vs. Weebs next week (i.e., press on made shots and fall back to a zone). It worked wonderfully last night, but the Weebs were off; when on, i don't think that D is gonna cut it, esp if their baseline shots are falling. On the other hand, Weebs seemed to be better on the low block than us, so maybe a zone is best. UM didn't seem to switch it up so maybe Tinks will stick with it ("if it aint broke..."). Weren't we mostly in man D @ Ogden (and that obviously didn't work)?

I thought Rahe would eventually break the zone last night esp after breaking the press in transition (i.e. draw the trap, break thru, go to the key, dish to a big, finish at the hole). I thought Weebs did a horrible job of taking that opportunity. They seemed to break the press but instead of pushing transition, they'd pull it back and let UM settle back into the zone (which UM did well). Weebs will do a better job of this next week.

When Stockton was in, were we in a box-n-1 with him on Lillard? or was the zone still a straight up 1-2-2, with Stockton just being overly aggressive? Seemed like he went beyond his zone.

I'm almost afraid to ask: when was the last time we hosted the BSC tourney and made the big dance?

Probably '91-92, that was the last undisputed Big Sky title & the Griz lost to Charlie Ward & Florida St in Boise in the 1st round of the NCAAs.

 

[putter]

The thing I liked was that Weber was not just taking 3's beyond the arc. They were taking shots way beyond the arc - like NBA range. They are a great shooting team but I will give them those threes all night vs on the line.

 

[Hammer]

I didn't see the game but sounds like Weeebs was off a bit. Different game if they hit some of those obviously. The crowd may have played a part...hopefully it does again in a rematch for the title...

I think the smothering Griz D played a huge part on Weber being "off".

 

[mtgrizrule]

I didn't see the game but sounds like Weeebs was off a bit. Different game if they hit some of those obviously. The crowd may have played a part...hopefully it does again in a rematch for the title...

I think the smothering Griz D played a huge part on Weber being "off".

Even when their shots were relatively open, some GRIZ always was running at the shooter. Fortunately, early the GRIZ contested more shots. In the 2nd half, Weber State found more open shots, which they normally hit at a much better clip. AT that point, GRIZ D was in their heads. :thumb:

 

[Growler1]

Don't count on Weber shooting as poorly next time. I think this one will be a very close game. It's difficult to beat a very good team twice in succession.

 

[PlayerRep]

I didn't see the game but sounds like Weeebs was off a bit. Different game if they hit some of those obviously. The crowd may have played a part...hopefully it does again in a rematch for the title...

I think the smothering Griz D played a huge part on Weber being "off".

Me too. Plus, Lillard was tensed up and eventually choking with the NBA scouts, GM, and asst GM there. The crowd was also important as the game went on.

 

[PlayerRep]

Don't count on Weber shooting as poorly next time. I think this one will be a very close game. It's difficult to beat a very good team twice in succession.

True. Weber may shoot better (note, however, that Weber shot very well early in the game).

Also Weber shouldn't count on Selvig getting into foul trouble at 17:15 and 17:22 in the first and second halves. Weber shouldn't count on UM missing early shots and getting off to a slow start.

I think Weber lacks confidence and lost more in this game.

Count on alot of UM players, both role players, starters, and Cherry bringing their A games. Count on the crowd bringing its A game.

 

[mtgrizrule]

I expect Weber State to hit their shots again. Don't forget the GRIZ left 9 to 11 points off the board in the 1st half alone, and a few more in the 2nd half too. The GRIZ missed a lot of gimme/bunny shots too.

I also doubt Weber State will get as many 2nd chance points as they did.

 

[PlayerRep]

I expect Weber State to hit their shots again. Don't forget the GRIZ left 9 to 11 points off the board in the 1st half alone, and a few more in the 2nd half too. The GRIZ missed a lot of gimme/bunny shots too.

I also doubt Weber State will get as many 2nd chance points as they did.

Yes, two more very good points. Part of the reason for allowing so many offensive rebounds for Weber was not having Selvig on the court.

 

[garizzalies]

The thing I liked was that Weber was not just taking 3's beyond the arc. They were taking shots way beyond the arc - like NBA range. They are a great shooting team but I will give them those threes all night vs on the line.

me too. one thing Tink said in his post-game presser, that i really liked, was something to the tune of, just cuz we're in a zone, we're still going to aggressively contest all 3s. the game surprised me and i'm still a little skeptical (not because the griz beat em, but because they did it almost exclusively in a zone). zones seem to work in spurts but eventually a weakness is exposed. i thought Rahe shoulda pushed transition upon breaking the press, but he seemed satisfied pulling it back and working it into a big or a long, contested jumper. hats off to Tink cuz the key to a successful zone is getting all 5 guys to absolutely bust their ass the whole time--not easy.