Montana State

[filbert]

OK, I'm gonna try it again . . .

SDSU should beat Montana State.

Why?

The Bobcats play two games, their own holiday tournament, starting today (Thursday) and tomorrow before taking on SDSU two days later.

Their wins to date:
Wayland Baptist
Northern Colorado
Carroll
Portland
Denver (OT)

We know a little something about beating Denver in OT.

The Bobcats lost to Alaska-Fairbanks in that tournament up there.

The Jackrabbits are due. The Butler loss had to be rock-bottom. Had to be. Just had to be.

There are some games on the schedule this year that the Rabbits "should" lose. This game isn't one of them.

But, shooting has to be better, turnovers have to be held down, and Beran, Berte, and Loney need to effectively rebound.

We'll see . . .

[Jacked_Up]

Re: Montana State

I hope that you are right, Filbert. The Jacks appear to have the raw talent and experience (from games earlier this season) to at least be competitive with Montana State. The transition to D-1 has been painful. But, beginning next season, SDSU should have a good enough players and depth to pull off a surprise here and there.
PS: Maybe I missed this in previous discussions, but where has Jose Frias been the last two or three games?
Go, Jacks!

[SiouxFallsJack]

Re: Montana State

He was suspended for 2 games for violating team rules after the Manhattan game.

[Jacks99]

Re: Montana State

Sounds good to me.

I would be happy with a new start with the new year.

Just looking at the schedule, it looks like most of the really tough games are behind us. To win around half of the remaining games would be a huge plus and provide some momentum going into next year. This would bring some fans back and also get them exited during the offseason.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Montana State

Sounds good to me.

I would be happy with a new start with the new year.  

Just looking at the schedule, it looks like most of the really tough games are behind us.   To win around half of the remaining games would be a huge plus and provide some momentum going into next year.  This would bring some fans back and also get them exited during the offseason.

The real SDSU fans have never left. THose that did were probably very fairweather fans, who understand winning and nothing else.

I personally would never wish the NCC back. The teams that we have seen this year that are D1 have more athleticism and ability that we never saw in the NCC.

Those that have left dont know what they are missing. Granted we are getting you know what handed to us often.
I doubt there is an NCC team that could have gotten within 10 points of Wisconsin Milwaukee or Butler.

I think even though Butler kicked us very hard, I think they are the model team that SDSU needs to emulate.
In time this will happen.

[Jacks99]

Re: Montana State

I didn't mean that the fans are paying attention, just mean that they aren't filling the seats.

While I'm a bigger football fan, I'm still going to drive to a lot more basketball games if they are winning consistently and beating tough teams. But this year I'm going to pick and choose which ones I attend. If that's your definition of a fair weather fan, than I guess over 75% of Jacks fans are fairweather.

[filbert]

Re: Montana State

What they're saying in Bozeman:

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com...orts/02msu.txt

In the aftermath of a feel-bad victory over San Jose State on Friday, contrite Montana State basketball players were rushing to point fingers inward.

"That turnover I had at the end where I threw it deep, that was stupid," senior forward Marvin Moss said.

"I wasn't even making good passes," senior center Al Beye added.

Perhaps just as their coach, Mick Durham, was ready to throw up his hands in surrender, the postgame message had finally sunk in after six weeks.

The Bobcats (6-7) have staggered through their first 13 games, falling short of the lofty expectations of a team picked to win the Big Sky Conference.

They could argue that 11 of 13 were decided in the final five minutes, and that they could easily be 11-2. Then again, they could just as easily be 2-11.

Bottom line: Entering tonight's final pre-conference game, at 7 o'clock against Division I fledgling South Dakota State (3-10), MSU has yet to display either the fire or cohesion of the team that opened Big Sky play with five consecutive victories a year ago.

Regardless of the caliber of competition, which has generally been below the Bobcats, five of six home games have been resolved in the final minute.
. . .

South Dakota State figures to provide an ideal tuneup.

The Jackrabbits are experiencing some growing pains in their second year in Division I, having been thumped by the likes of Nebraska, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Illinois, Marquette and Minnesota.

Yet they should have MSU's attention, considering their overtime victory over Denver, which has split with the 'Cats.

This is a game the Jacks need to win. The Bobcats will be looking ahead to their conference games, after coming in third (getting beat by NDSU) in their own tournament. This is a classic sandwich game situation.

The Jacks need to jump on the Bobcats early and often, especially on defense and rebounding. Get these guys back on their heels. (Of course that's exactly what MSU is saying about the Rabbits, too.)

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Montana State

I didn't mean that the fans are paying attention, just mean that they aren't filling the seats.  

While I'm a bigger football fan, I'm still going to drive to a lot more basketball games if they are winning consistently and beating tough teams.  But this year I'm going to pick and choose which ones I attend.   If that's your definition of a fair weather fan, than I guess over 75% of Jacks fans are fairweather.

When we draw less than three thousand, yup no doubt we do have fairweather fans.  When we draw 2000 in a place of 8000 capacity, that equals 25 percent and the empty 6000 are indeed fairweather fans. We cant call it anything else. So there isnt any disagreement here. Those fairweathered folks can redeem themselves by showing up. Its that simple.

BTW, I have missed a few games myself, so I guess I have a little bit of fairweather in me or is it other committments, not sure. ???

[filbert]

Re: Montana State

Imming on the Internet feed says he thinks we win this one--he's chuckling and talking to the WNAX studio person (not audible on the feed).

Says the team went to Famous Dave's barbecue last night--doesn't think that will slow them down too much.

Re: the men's attendance. Those who go to games this year are the hard-core of Jackrabbit fans.

I'm loath to say that fans who don't want to see 40-point home blowouts are "fair-weather" fans. Some of us cope by going to the games and yelling louder. Some just think it hurts too much to watch. And there are those who'll only come out for a winner. And there are those like me who live 450 miles away and can't convince the wife to go to every game. ;-)

Chew on this: The University of Missouri men's basketball average attendance this year is 6,574 in a shiny new basketball arena that seats 15,601. This for a team that's 6-4.

For SDSU who's 3-10, I think 1,902 per game is really pretty da**ed good.

[filbert]

Re: Montana State

Pre-game Nagy:

Team seems to be in a better mood. Will try to keep the ball in certain guys' hands, reduce turnovers, get better shots.

We way over-scheduled, wasn't fair to our team, won't do it again.

I don't know how much better NDSU is than us, but they probably feel better than they do.

Montana State is a lot like UMKC. They think this will be an easy one for them.

We don't have the depth to continually put pressure on people.

[bub94]

Re: Montana State

I try to make it to as many games as possible.  I know people have other things going on in their lives.  I really can't blame 'fairweather fans' after watching the Butler game.  I had a hard time sitting there for the entire game.  I was waiting for a sign of something good coming out of that game but I was denied.  I'm not giving up on the Jacks.  I enjoy college BB.  The Jacks might not be the best team playing in Frost for the night, but I enjoy watching BB.  I hate NBA 'BB' because that isn't the way the game is supposed to be played.

[Jacks02]

Re: Montana State

Jacks up 3 early!

[filbert]

Re: Montana State

19-13 Jacks, 9 minutes to play 1st half

[bub94]

Re: Montana State

Holy foul trouble batman!! We might run out of players tonight.

[bub94]

Re: Montana State

26-21 Jacks