OK Guys and Gal !! Run and gun is far better than Oxen-ball !!!

I got to watch the second half and overtime. Proud of our guys. Last year Doyle's return really sparked the team. Hopefully a win like this will do the same this year. We are short on size, but we were just as short on size last year too. The talent is there to make some noise. We've underachieved, but it's better to play lower than your potential in December and January than February and March. Go ramblers! Let's get a few more victories before we head to Saint Louis.

I had a dinner engagement, so I missed some of the 2nd half and OT getting ready and in transit. Now I finally have a chance to post some thoughts.

1. This game showed what I mean when I've criticized our motivation and effort in previous games. We wanted this one bad, and we got it. We played hard, we didn't let a run by the opposing team (or being forced to OT) make us doubt ourselves or give up. Too many games this year we've coasted through, just going through the motions. We've got good athletes, we've got some really experienced players, and we've got some young talent. They all need to realize that if we don't want it and work hard for it, the capable athletes on the other teams are going to take it from us. There aren't many gimmes at this level.

2. Montel James' free throws were magnificent. Remember last year when he missed some key free throws in crunch time in a three-point home loss to Illinois State? The young man worked on his free throw shooting over the summer, and he went from shooting in the mid-50s last season to an excellent free throw shooter in the upper 70s. His 18 free throws on 20 attempts today won us this game. That came from HARD WORK to address one of the weaker parts of his game. That's a tough thing to do, and he did it incredibly well. Big kudos to Montel and whoever helped him.

3. I echo the thoughts (in another thread) about Devon Turk and Jeff White. Turk has really worked on his defense, and White has stayed with it after an injury and getting less playing time. I think both players had some problems adjusting to the new rules (shot clock, five seconds, hand checks, charge circle) in the early part of this season, but they were both right on it today. I'm really looking forward to the Feb. 10 game at Bradley, when Jeff makes his last appearance in his hometown, and we get a chance to avenge the loss to Bradley on their own court. They can both be proud of being a big part of the move from the HL to the MVC.

4. The better attendance (about 2000-- a few under) certainly helped a bit. We're undefeated at home when we get 1700 or more.

5. We've got a team good enough to beat Illinois State on Wednesday. We were only two points away in Normal a couple of weeks ago. I think we've learned some things about ourselves since then and we're healthier. Let's see if we can match the great effort put in at their place. We need to get 2000 or more on a Wednesday to help make a difference. Need a big student turnout.

JCT nails it with his effort comments. Yesterday's win was a great one. Now then, we owe Illinois State a beatdown. Let's get to it!

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The passion of Rambler fans is great. A loss brings comment such as "we are terrible" and victories lead to "we can get to 6th place". In all reality we are not terrible but 6th place is going to be hard to do.

3-7 now.
I see us winning vs IL St, Drake, Bradley, MO State, Northern Iowa
losing at: SIU, Wichita St. Evansville
8-10
minus 1 (I see one of my "wins" being losses)

7-11
JCT you said 7-11 is hard to get 6th out of.
8-10 would really up the odds however.

as of today I say: 7-11

The path to 6th place is very narrow.

Getting to 8-10 would probably do it, but there's zero margin for error in trying to win 5 more games.

At 7-11, we need a lot of help. Most likely needing Missouri State to go 1-7 the rest of the way in order to jump them. If we end up tied with them, we'll be at the mercy of the non-con SOS tiebreaker.

As things stand, the home loss to Bradley is an absolute season-killer.

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Going 5-3 in the remaining games is going to be tough. We've got Wichita State and Evansville at home and SIU on the road. Those are your three losses that would be expected and/or understandable. Then you've got (in order of difficulty): Missouri State on the road, Illinois State at home, Northern Iowa at home, Drake on the road, and Bradley on the road.

I'd expect 3-5 a little more than 5-3.

Back in 2003-04, the last time 7-11 got a 6th seed in the tournament, here was the breakdown:

1. Southern Illinois 25-5 (17-1) NCAA #9
2 Northern Iowa 21-10 (12-6) NCAA #14
3 Wichita State 21-11 (12-6) NIT
4 Creighton 20-9 (12-6) NIT
5 Missouri State 19-14 (9-9)
6 Drake 12-16 (7-11)
7 Bradley 15-16 (7-11)
8 Indiana State 9-19 (5-13)
9 Evansville 7-22 (5-13)
10 Illinois State 10-19 (4-14)

If we beat Northern Iowa at home, we'd have the tiebreaker over them....

Thanks JCT. I clearly meant 7-11 not 7-10, thanks for not pointing out my clear error! A Thurs game gives you another W on the schedule likely. A thurs loss makes this a terrible season though.

MO State just got their 6th win.

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Not that it is super relevant, but last year we could have lost our last game to finish 7-11 and we still would have been the 6 seed.

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