Big Questions

[Redbird Recon]

My big question: Which 3rd grade class is Redbird23 in? Big year if I remember correctly; cursive, long division, state capitals and The Boxcar Children. Get that supply list!

[shoxrox]

My big question: Which 3rd grade class is Redbird23 in? Big year if I remember correctly; cursive, long division, state capitals and The Boxcar Children. Get that supply list!

[rlh04d]

I know the case will be made for their injuries, and that's valid, although any projection of a change in record is subjective,

If indeed WSU comes back and goes 17-1 or something like that, then perhaps you are seeing a program separate itself; but second place , no Tourney title and 14-7 against it's league. HUH? It doesn't weaken WSU's status nationally, to suggest the rest of the Valley is better than it's being given credit for. WSU still showed they could play and beat elite teams on neutral courts. The Valley doesn't have to be weak for WSU to be strong.

We were 16-2 with a regular season championship two seasons ago.

But no, I'm sure the 59 games lost by starters to injury last season had no impact on our record.

Most of us aren't saying the Valley is a bad conference. We're saying the Valley is going to be bad THIS year. With Creighton gone, Evansville losing Colt Ryan, Illinois State replacing their entire roster, UNI very young, Missouri State and SIU coming off terrible years, Loyola new, Bradley a year or two off, Drake awful ... only Indiana State looks to legitimately be a good team this season.

I think it's pretty silly to keep repeating the record from last season while ignoring that we didn't have two starters for the entire in-conference season, especially with some insane argument that losing our starters somehow made us better because Marshall isn't a good enough coach to handle having too many options.

Just like any change in MoSt's record this year is subjective. So another 11-22 record is looking likely for MoSt.

[BEARZ77]

I think it's pretty silly to keep repeating the record from last season while ignoring that we didn't have two starters for the entire in-conference season

"I know the case will be made for their injuries and that's valid"

[rlh04d]

I think it's pretty silly to keep repeating the record from last season while ignoring that we didn't have two starters for the entire in-conference season

"I know the case will be made for their injuries and that's valid"

although any projection of a change in record is subjective

One could equally argue the point that Marshall does a much better job when he has less options

You stated the injury case was "valid" and then IMMEDIATELY countered that with two arguments that state you think it's not valid.

Including the utterly incompetent argument that Marshall is better without his starters.

[Redbird23]

My big question: Which 3rd grade class is Redbird23 in? Big year if I remember correctly; cursive, long division, state capitals and The Boxcar Children. Get that supply list!

[Aargh]

Last year there was a thread "What Would Happen if You Lost Your #1 Player to Injury"

Hall missed about 40% of the conference season. Baker and Wessel missed the entire conference schedule.

Without Baker, Wessel, and 40% of Hall, the Shox were 12-6 in the league. Put Baker and Hall back in the lineup and the Shox were a F4 team.

As long as Valley fans keep pointing out that WSU was 12-6 in the league the same year they were 4-1 in the NCAA's, WSU fans are going to keep playing the injury card. Shox fans don't have a single injury card to play, they've got more than any Valley team I can recall and I'm older than some dirt.

The team that went to the F4 is not the team that played the Valley regular season schedule.

[Born2Shock]

Would Wessel have been worth 5 points against Louisville?

[mvcfan]

Would Wessel have been worth 5 points against Louisville?

I wouldn't want to predict this. However, I will say that Baker played the last 8 games (MVC and NCAA) after during the Third Season after mission 20+ games. He improved his play and the play of every Shocker with each game he played. The Shockers became a very good team during the NCAA Tournament.

[rlh04d]

Would Wessel have been worth 5 points against Louisville?

Impossible to say. Armstead should.have been worth an extra five points.

That 1-10 shooting from him was mind boggling.

Wessel and Baker would have been worth several extra Valley wins, though. They were two of the best perimeter players on the team, and nearly every game we lost in conference was against the zone.