Interesting stats from the game:

Both teams shot 50.8%. Loyola was 58.8% from 3 (10/17). NC State was 5/15. Despite the fact that we're playing a smaller line-up, we out-rebounded NC State 35-30. Biggest discrepancy was the turnover ratio. Ramblers with 14 turnovers (NC State had 8 steals!) vs. their 7.

I agree with running a few seconds to get the right guy on the line and to have a chance to get a turnover. Maybe took too much time as nothing was happening.

I think we only had 4 or 5 at halftime, too.

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What might have been !!!!
--If a foul at the end would have been called
--If we had NOT squandered the first half lead
--If the game was played at Gentile

All above did not happen , but still we played NCST to a standstill !!!

I truly believe our team is mature enough to bank this one and go from here--IF we keep this gutsy play with us starting Wednesday , we will be a winning force in the VALLEY-- If we play as we have to date , we will go into the Drake game with just these two losses--SDS will be tough BUT winnable.

OUR TEAM IS A GOOD TEAM ---FINALLY !!!

RUN RAMBLERS !!

Damn is the right sentiment. A win would have been so nice.....and would have been huge for the program. Let's take it as a moral victory and assume it will help us down the road. And let's continue to schedule games against major conference teams!!!

What a great game. After doing the research and the preview, I thought we had a really good chance at winning the game. When the point spread came out at 13, I had some doubt for a while, but I kept going back to NC State's lack of depth and the many strategies we could use to get a W-- getting them into foul trouble (less likely in a game at their place), stopping one of their better players (Abu was the guy I thought would be most dangerous), exploiting a free throw gap (also less likely at their place), and going after their not-so-great three point defense. I thought we'd keep it somewhat close, play behind them around 3-7 points most of the game, and then lose by 8-10 points as UNC surged late at home.

I watched the game over again on replay, because I missed part of the first half. We had a great game plan. We kept Abu off balance so he couldn't get going. He had two fouls in the first half and played only eight minutes. That meant they had to go to a smaller lineup, and helped us with rebounding. Unfortunately, their trio of Smith, Dorn and Henderson were better than I expected-- explosive speed and athleticism. We also made 3-4 more turnovers than you can when expecting to win on the road against an ACC team. Still, we were able to be right there at the end, never quitting.

But the thing that most impressed me was the poise the team showed. Every time NC State looked to run away and get the crowd going, we had an answer. Ben Richardson is such a fantastic competitor-- I think he's ready to have a big breakout season averaging double digits in points, near the league lead in steals, very high three point percentage, playing fantastic defense. Custer and Jackson are really solid and efficiently pile up the numbers without a lot of flash. Cameron Satterwhite looked good, had poise, and needs to play some more minutes against non-con opponents in the next month to be able to help us more come conference time. I'd like to see Kirby and Granic get some more time the next few games to be ready for conference play-- they need to be able to play 10-12 productive minutes. I hope Bruno finds his shot-- he was one of the few Ramblers who looked nervous and shaky.

If you look at NC State, right now they're probably good enough to finish in the top two or three in the MVC. When they get their 5-star 7-foot Turkish center after the first semester ends and their four-star freshman forward back from injury, they'll have a lot more depth and probably be in the top half of the ACC and would likely win the MVC. For us to be able to go head to head with them on the road is a really good sign, even if they are at partial strength.

Ugh. What a game. It's almost easier to complain about a big loss than to lament a close one. Love the fire we saw from Ben Richardson; both him and Clay are big game competitors.

Jackson's looking like a special talent. I was impressed with his ability to box out well and draw over the back penalties. He's just a worker and is smooth inside and out; he's one of the few post players where i expect the friendly roll every time. He's played his best against the best competition; scoring at least 17 against St. Joes, Washington State, and NC State (plus 6 boards against both WSU and NC). Even more impressive he only has 7 fouls on the SEASON. After the game he tweeted "ALMOST isn't good enough..." I love that mentality. In the past I was happy to keep pace with ND for a half...not anymore; this team is good enough to play with the big boys; next up is finishing the job against them. I expect the team to bounce back well Wednesday....that will be key to this team.

Cam Satterwhite continues to impress me as well. He's looking more and more comfortable and I think will be a big piece moving forward and certainly a team leader by his Junior year. Losing Chastain sucks, but it's giving Cam more time to develop in time for conference play; and I think we all agree given the small sample size Chastain should be a talent relatively quickly next season given his recovery goes well.

Bruno needs to have a nice game soon. His confidence shooting just isn't out there right now. Physically he looks the part; hopefully he can break out of the slump soon as I know he's loaded with potential. Would also love to get Vlatko some more minutes this week as well.

In terms of the game Milt should have been called for the foul. But even for him a 1-1 with the game on the line is no guarantee. But I would have loved to see them play into OT. We certainly got screwed on a couple of calls. Clayton got called for a block on what looked like a clear charge and refs don't seem to side with the defender putting their hands straight up like they're supposed to by rule.

A couple nice quotes from the ESPN recap; link below:

"I love my team. The thing I can say most is that in that locker room, they were genuinely upset. They were hurting big-time. They came in here not to come close; they came in here to win. That's a great sign when you're trying to develop culture in a program"- Porter Moser

"Loyola: With their lack of size inside, the Ramblers are going to have trouble defending around the basket just as they did against the Wolfpack. But their spread offense is legit, and they gave N.C. State fits with it. Loyola had clear driving lanes to the basket and open 3-point attempts from all over the court throughout the game."

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket ... =400915271

Like I said earlier--you do NOT win on Tobacco Rd--especially in a close game !!! Ramblers are NOW a factor !!

No more excuses for poor crowds==This team IS GOOD !!

After the game Milton's mom did some venting and questioning Moser's lineup selection (ie late in the game Milt was on the bench more than she thought he should have been) via social media. Did anyone else notice this? Opinions?

Lordy !! One thing we do NOT need is meddlesome parents !! Relax and enjoy !! Moser knows what he is doing !
--I am sorry to vent against someone who is most likely a wonderful Mom !!
--my experience warrants this rant==Some years back I coached both Youth Hockey and Little League BB --For every child you had on your team you had parents who knew best== NOT !!
---My bona fides were in BB, I played second base and could hit--I also knew the rules--most parents did not
--- Hockey was worse--parent wise-- I I was a decent center--not great but decent-- As a Coach Our travelling Pee-wee teams were good but these kids then became bantams (7th and 8th Graders} these kids grew from little guys to bigger and they got better--( The Moms did not. I then moved to FARGO and our two boys received really good HS coaching !! Moms and some Dads were different people but had same bad habits.----NOT all thank Heavens