I think Johnson, Kyser, and Smith just played lights out. JJ with 15 points, Kyser with 9 Rbs and 8 blocks (just wow), and Speedy with 8 steals, 9 assists and just 3 TO's. I don't care what anyone says, IMO Speedy Smith is the best PG in the league. Not a big scorer, but steals and assists are HUGE.
This was a very physical game - reminded me a lot of the games we had when Woolridge was the coach
Give MTSU a lot of credit for our bad shooting in the first half was contested shots with no free looks and the seniors being alittle too pumped
We settled down and got the lead at half - would of been double digits if we make FT's then withstood the charge early in the second half and then let our pressure and defense seal the deal
A lot of our fans worry about 3 pt percentages - I don't
It's defensive pressure forced turnovers and transition baskets or FT's made off of that pressure and those turnovers that makes this team good (would be lethal if Appleby was healthy)
I think that both us and Middle have made a huge statement this year that we belong and are a force to be reckoned with in this league
I think we are now 16-1 or 17-1 when holding the opposing team under 70 pts
(This post was last modified: 02-28-2014 12:22 AM by DwayneW1.)
Kermit said after the game that Tech's energy was off the charts and that we couldn't match it. He was very complimentary of your team. Said Smith is the best PG in the league.
He went on to say he didn't believe Tech could bring that level of energy on the road or in a neutral site venue.
(02-28-2014 08:56 AM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote: Kermit said after the game that Tech's energy was off the charts and that we couldn't match it. He was very complimentary of your team. Said Smith is the best PG in the league.
He went on to say he didn't believe Tech could bring that level of energy on the road or in a neutral site venue.
True or False Tech fans?
Energy is HUGE for us. It's our game... getting after it and forcing turnovers. We are not great shooters and we don't have an inside game on offense. The players KNOW this, so they KNOW they have to bring it on the road and at neutral sites. They usually do.
Tech's problem is with teams who have an inside game and whose guards can control the tempo and methodically run an offense and not let the pressure affect them. UTEP and USM both have a physical inside game and good guard play. We don't match up well with them at any site, imo.
We can bring the energy on the road, see Oklahoma win, but it's honestly a hit or miss. We will see how the team reacts at UAB. If they can bring the energy and make a statement there, then we might start peaking at the right time. After the ECU loss, this team understands now that every win counts.
(02-28-2014 09:08 AM)T_Won1 Wrote: UTEP and USM both have a physical inside game and good guard play. We don't match up well with them at any site, imo.
We match up with anyone on a neutral site if our defense is up to par -
We beat USM at home last year by double digits so we know we can handle them in Ruston
We play those games in Ruston this year and odds are we win - probably by double digits
This time of year and through the conference tournaments teams tend to grind more and get more physical
So shooting percentages will drop and a premium is placed on reducing turnovers and converting at the stripe
(02-28-2014 08:56 AM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote: Kermit said after the game that Tech's energy was off the charts and that we couldn't match it. He was very complimentary of your team. Said Smith is the best PG in the league.
He went on to say he didn't believe Tech could bring that level of energy on the road or in a neutral site venue.
