Cdizzle wrote:WSU Starters: 114 minutes
ISU Starters: 116 minutes
Sure sounds like those jerky WSU starters were in there all game trying to run up the score. At some point, deciding to sit your 2 best players with 13 minutes remaining because they are 4-21 is not really the other coach's problem.
Even with McIntosh, we have a short bench. Our starters have therefore averaged more minutes than yours all year. Last night the Redbird starters played more minutes than the Shocker starters in the first half; the WSU starters played more minutes in the second half. At least that was my perception.
Whatever their motivations, in the second half both coaches probably did what was sensible for their teams. If you're Marshall and you want to maximize your chances for an at-large bid, it makes sense to maximize your winning margin. Before the game, you're 0-4 against the RPI top 100, and this is your last chance during the regular season to play a top-100 team. Winning by as much as possible was sensible, just in case you don't win the conference tournament. Any other team would do the same thing. If you're Muller, delivering a message to your starters arguably makes sense. And more important, if you have a short bench already, the game is lost, and know you're almost certainly out of the at-large-discussion, why take a chance on getting key starters hurt? Hence you see walk-on Javaka Thompson play double-digit minutes, even though he had played only 16 minutes the entire season.