IL State @ MO State

[BirdmanBB]

I wouldn't say conditioning. Our only 2 bigs were in foul trouble. There were quite a few no calls by the refs towards the end that shifted the momentum towards MSU. It looked like Jones got jacked in the face when he tried to go for the put back late. Oh well. As long as the birds keep improving and avoid Thursday it's not the end of the world. I don't see MSU or many teams in the conference for that matter coming into redbird arena and winning if we play like this/continue to improve.

[hot nuts]

Impressive win by the Bears. The focus maybe on the poor play by the Birds down the stretch, but remember the Bears took advantage of the opportunities they were given. As for ISU, they almost pulled off a road game that most neutral observers wouldn't have expected....they are a dangerous team. It's gonna be fun season!

[Bmarq04]

I don't think it's a conditioning issue. These guys run in games non stop. I think it's an issue of too many inexperienced guys not knowing how to close out a D1 game. They played cautious on O and D. That'll get you beat.

And we can't complain about pulling Lofton. He took himself outta the game. How many times have we seen his attitude completely derail him in 13 games we've had. If coach woulda kept him in, I have zero faith that he would have overcome that tech. Until he proves otherwise, that's where he's at in my book.

Biggest thing is that MSU made plays. Knight had 13 pts at the half and none til OT. We got sloppy. Yes there were 3x the # of fouls called on the away team! but up 16, it falls squarely on you to execute. The blame is on the staff and the player. Not just one. And, you can't take anything away from MSU. They needed a near flawless second half and they stepped up to it.

[glm38]

Just got back from the game. It was a good one. That 1st half we were about as bad as we can be. Horrible shooting with multiple airballs. And non existent defense. We were much better in the 2nd half. Thank goodness we got Pickens back this year. He was awesome on the defensive end.

It concerns me how much we've shortened our bench. Thurman is definitely in the doghouse and Mvouika and Addo didn't play much either. Those are guys we are going to need.

Illinois state impressed me. Really good athletes. Lofton is kind of a wild card though. I didn't blame Muller for pulling him at all.

[Aargh]

I don't think it's a conditioning issue. These guys run in games non stop. ...

The running didn't seem to be as effective after 35 minutes of the game and particularly in OT.

Haven't seen a pattern yet that indicates a conditioning issue, but this game created the appearance.

[rlh04d]

f****** Muller benched him for all but 2min in the 2nd half. And played Kaza Keane in overtime, he is a trainwreck. Muller is the reason they lost. He benches Lofton he played good in the 1st and plays 2min in the second, with Keane in his place. Like at Bradley last year with Keane playing instead of Hill the whole 2nd half. He needs to get his head out of his ass as a coach

Who melts down on their team and coach one game into the Valley season in a rebuilding year?

Yeesh.

[Redbird23]

Sorry I was very frustrated after that loss

[Bear4Life]

I was really impressed with ISU's athleticism. They were also making it RAIN from 3-point land. I know they lead the conference in 3-pointers made, but I was not expecting them to come in and nail 43% from deep...I guess the Bears also made 9 3-pointers, but our percentage was more in line with our normal output...

This was seriously a tale of 2 games. The 1st half ISU was fired up, mixing in some high-intensity trapping defenses, while on offense having quick ball movement and drives to the hoop. MSU could not handle the pressure and was letting guys blow past them for layups. 2nd half, ISU seemed to play with less intensity, and Bears got back to playing their style, getting Gulley involved, and playing like they had actually seen a zone before!

All in all, I think the Redbirds are going to improve and be a solid squad/upper-half team this year. They just need to keep the intensity going and keep drilling 3's...Bears are a roller-coaster, but I still feel this is a top 2-4 team in the conference...Heck of a game, glad my team came away with the W.

[Kip Dynamite]

Wow, what a game last night! ISU is definitely talented and I'm not looking forward to making the return trip to Normal. They have some serious athletes on their team who know how to get to the rim and score.

I thought the Bears looked flat in the first half (credit ISU for that), but played pretty sharp in the 2nd half and down the stretch and that was the difference in the game.

As always, its going to be a grind in the Valley week in and week out and protecting the home courts are crucial. Glad we escaped with the win.

[Wufan]

Wow, what a game last night! ISU is definitely talented and I'm not looking forward to making the return trip to Normal. They have some serious athletes on their team who know how to get to the rim and score.

I thought the Bears looked flat in the first half (credit ISU for that), but played pretty sharp in the 2nd half and down the stretch and that was the difference in the game.

As always, its going to be a grind in the Valley week in and week out and protecting the home courts are crucial. Glad we escaped with the win.

The interesting thing about these two teams is that they appear to be at the beginning of a three year process in which they should be improved in 14-15 with a shot at the conference title in 15-16. I believe that WSU will still be the front-runner at that point, but I may be basing that on blind faith from my fandom. Kudos to the Redbirds! Even though they lost a heart-breaker, they appear to be on the verge of overcoming early season obstacles. Also, congrats to MSU, which appears to have put last years season of memory completely in the past.