That’s a close from this years team in a disappointing loss. Came out flat in the 2nd half just like the Tulsa game and it costed us this time. If the end of this season is any indication of next years team I like what we have and am confident. MAAR really came through towards the end, Zak Irvin showed he can be clutch, Duncan showed that he can do a little more then just shoot, Mo showed us he can play, Donnal showed us that he can improve, and we add 4 recruits. Next year we hopefully won’t be complaining about Dakich or Doyle in the game and will have added depth. This season was tough and there were too many questions about the team, but I believe we saw a preview of next years team and it will be a long off season.
I feel like next year’s squad’s ceiling is something like the 2011-12 Michigan team.
I know he he had his moments but donnall is mentally soft. When pressure is on or things go bad he chokes or makes blunders. I’m not sure if we can fix that before he leaves. It’s all confidence with him. I think it’s clear we gotta go all in on wAgner. 30 minutes a game. He brings a lot more to the team
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Agreed but he is the most proven guy we have. He will be key moving on. Weather he plays majority of the minutes or spells minutes for someone like Wagner or hopefully Teske/Davis but what he did this year and the experience he got is valuable.
A Big Ten championship?
After the last 5 games I actually have a much better feeling about next year than I did a couple weeks ago. Wagner has potential, Walton, MAAR and Simpson should form a pretty solid backcourt and hopefully Irvin will have a good and healthy senior year. If Robinson and Chatman get bigger and stronger that would help as well.
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I meant more on a quality level. But I guess they could luck into a Big 10 championship if MSU struggles like that 11-12 team did.
Probably need Xavier to be good enough to demand a starting spot next to Walton and be a creator.
What makes the biggest impact to me is if anyone transfers. The most likely options are D.J. Wilson, Ricky Doyle, Kam Chatman, and Aubrey. Having one will clear the scholarship spot needed but a second will potentially bring back Spike which would be nice. A backcourt of Walton, MAAR, Simpson, and Spike would be nice and X would really be able to learn from vets. Irvin will have a offseason of working out and not sitting and Duncan will hopefully get stronger and faster. Big Mo is the second biggest impact. What his offseason will look like is not clear due to him being from Germany but him getting bigger would do wonders. A lot to watch out for.
From what we’ve seen this year, Mo is clearly a guy who follows the cliche of “hating losing more than he loves winning”. I think he’ll come back much improved. He and Xavier are the big hopes for next year and the future.
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Oh, so that team didn’t earn their championship?
RCMB would love you.
They earned it in the respect that they played just well enough to win it. Like MSU’s win over UM this year in football, and in fact most of MSU’s football wins this year. But, I don’t think it’s unfair to say that they weren’t as good a standard Big Ten Champion and not as good as the teams that they shared it with that year.
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Have to expect there will be some roster attrition. Developing quality depth will be a huge factor. Robinson, MAAR, Walton and Irvin logged way too many minutes and it finally caught up to them. Simpson will be an immediate answer to Walton. The question is where the does the other wing/perimeter depth come into play? Dawkins and Chatman have not proven they can be those guys.
Wtf are you guys smoking? We lost in the first round of the tournament and you guys actually think that means good things for next year? It’s amazing how low the bar is for some fans.
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It’s mind boggling for sure.
The expectation is NOT to make the tournament.
The expectation IS to get passed the first weekend.
I don’t see us meeting these expectations consistently until JB is gone.
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I see the reason the all in cats have some hope. It still needs to be put into practice though. It is clear that Wagner is the best option at the 5 by far and should start moving forward. Will it be put into practice? Who knows? Mo was a +8 in the first 8 minutes he played last night.
Xavier brings some juice, toughness, and perimiter defense to the roster. He should keep Dakich on the pine. Just adding those 2 pieces in a regular rotation should make it a more competitive team. I mean if they can avoid the Doyle/Dakich runs would be a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
Zak had a brutal year for the most part outside of a few nice games and a couple clutch shots. Before I get assaulted with box score stuff, Zak has been terribly inefficient in getting his points, and has been a turnover machine. I am still not convinced Walton is fully healthy or will ever be. The two seniors have to realize this is Maar’s team and let him take control of it.
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Disappointing end to a disappointing season. Looking at last night’s game, Irvin’s 4-for-16 (1-for-9 3pt) outing really stands out, as do Donnal’s continued missed bunnies and the fact that the 3 bigs combined for 5 total rebounds. Kind of amazing Irvin has the green light to hurl so many bricks when his 3pt% on the season is a hair under 30% (compared to MAAR’s 37%).
Kam’s buzzer beater to sneak into the tournament was great for him and for the team but it doesn’t absolve the program and staff of major systemic issues. Defense, athleticism, toughness, speed, lack of reliable shot creators and rebounders – the usual suspects.
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But they stunk it up bad in the tournament .
Dakich is graduating. He will be gone, but he never cost the team a scholarship. Have to think there will be at least one transfer out of Doyle, Wilson, Chatman, Dawkins, or Donnal. Even with Donnal’s unexpected season, the plan for him to find another place to play was clear when they changed his eligibility status on the roster. They’ll need to two of those guys out to get Spike back, which I think would be a good thing for the team but maybe not the development of Simpson.
The biggest thing for the team next year is that they need a consistent creator. Can Walton be that guy? I don’t know. He has disappeared for stretches of games after playing really well for spurts. Have to think Irvin will have a better year and is hopefully completely healthy. Duncan clearly wore down towards the end of the year. You saw it in his body and his play. The hope is this season will give him another spring board for the summer and next year. MAAR had a very solid year and stepped up big time after Caris got hurt. Maybe he can be the creator next year, just would like him to be a better shooter from the perimeter. Mo has a ton of potential is the hope is that he stays in AA for the summer or least part of it to continue to get acclimated to his teammates and the weight room.
I really do think the team could make a run next year. They have some pieces to be special but they need to find a little more.
The key for Mo is going to be staying out of foul trouble. I don’t have the numbers available but from what I’ve seen, he is always picking up quick fouls when he is out there. I do think he’s the best big but to play substantial minutes, he has to improve in that field (especially since JB likes to pull players pretty quickly after early foul trouble).
Dakich will be a senior