I just let go of my feeble heart. Quite the last seven days for Travis Ford’s squad: last-second W against ISU, monster win in Lawrence, flirting with trouble against Baylor only to be rescued by Cobbins2Markel.
My 10 thoughts on the game…
1. Baylor isn’t a great team (maybe not even a good team) but it’s encouraging to know that OSU can get a win when it shoots 14% (!) from three and 36% overall and its two best players go 8-38 (!!!) from the field.
2. I have to hand it to Nash — he’s doesn’t complain about his role as a third banana in the Markel/Marcus show. He hit his midrange Js (4-9 from the field), got a few boards, and kept his mouth shut on defense. Ignoring the fact that his man (A.J. Walton) is about as skilled offensively as Kendrick Perkins, but still. And why didn’t we go to him when Brady Threegoggles Heslip was on him near the end of the game?
3. One thing that’s gone a little overlooked these last few weeks is how effective Ford has been in throwing the 2-3 zone out there. I don’t love it, but who cares what I think. You could throw an eraser at Scott Drew and he’d probably have a frontal lobe spasm. Just because Pierre Jackson went crazy momentarily from long range doesn’t mean it wasn’t a smart play.
Don’t use it all the time, but sparingly, which Ford has.
The zone has absolutely confused the Bears. Nice job by Ford there. #okstate
— CowboysRideForFree (@CowboysRFF) February 7, 2013
4. Fashion update: Markels Jordan 13s were filthy — I think he’s trying to exhaust the first 20 versions before he graduates. Also, I enjoyed Le’Bryan’s subtle USC black shoes/white shoelaces look. That’s a strong move for him. Lastly, what’s brighter — Pierre Jackson’s shoes or Marcus Smart’s future? (had that one queued up for the last 39:30 of the game…)
5. Tweet below says a lot, especially considering how poorly OSU shot tonight. Jackson was in “eff it, Scott Drew’s my coach, I’m pulling from wherever I want” mode for most of the second half. Smart took some poor shots but he just refuses to lose games.
Telling stat came at the point guard position: Pierre Jackson had 11 turnovers, Marcus Smart had zero.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 7, 2013
Also, Smart had the bizarro stat line of the night. 4-21 for 14 points, 8 boards, 7 assists, and 4 steals. As Anthony Slater pointed out, he missed more shots tonight than he’d ever taken before. On account of the 22 scouts in attendance? KU hangover?
6. The refs were awful (blah blah blah blah) — they’re always awful. The color guy did make an interesting point after one of their 25 horrendous calls (both ways btw). He said:
The game has changed…the rules that are made for these officials don’t empower these refs. They’re told that you cannot instruct the players on how to play.
Case in point, this tweet from Morris:
Le’Bryan Nash just asked the referee what he did wrong on the charge. The ref shrugged and said “I don’t know.” I can’t make this up.
— Brendon Morris (@brendon_wm) February 7, 2013
7. This tweet is true. The game really never should have gone to OT. That doesn’t make the win any less awesome, but still.
Ford should be screaming “No more jump shots!” For all of Stillwater to hear. Attack the rim & rebound. Not sure why they quit. #okstate
— Carson Cunningham (@CarsonC5) February 7, 2013
Also, I’ll die on the “2-for-1 at end of games” hill. 45+ seconds left, we have a two point lead, and our solution is to run the clock down to 15 and let Markel yank from 28 feet? No. Get a quick play to try and get up four and even if you miss, you get another possession even if Baylor scores. Haha, I think Carson agrees (on the Markel 28-footer)…
That play call is why Travis Ford can’t have nice things. #okstate
— Carson Cunningham (@CarsonC5) February 7, 2013
8. One of the announcers said this when they panned to Eddie and his “tan” in the first half…
This man right here looks like he’s been on the golf course
Well see, here’s the thing……
9. Video of Ford shaking hands and kissing babies after the game. Say what you want about Ford (and trust me, I know you guys do) but he’s been all in on GIA and this team.
10. Another jewel from one of the announcers tonight (don’t remember which one):
Markel Brown knows he has an advantage over Heslip.
Like saying China knows it has a manpower advantage over St. Croix.
At Texas Saturday.
lost my voice at exactly 0.02 left on the clock in OT. my kids probably need counseling after my living room display. Wow.
KU lost to TCU. Is that real? First time they had lost back-to-back games in 7 years. That’s insane.
We might need to have standings updates, if we are able to beat Texas. All of a sudden, we are only a game out of KU and Kst, and we get both at home. They play each other monday.
When we take it to the basket and go after the boards, we are a really effective team. When we fall in love with the 3, we are hit or miss. It’s just that our coach loves the 3 so much.
As bad as we shot the ball tonight, Kansas shot 29% from the field. They looked awful
When is Ford going to learn that Nash needs the ball down low? I love love love Nash’s stop-turn-around-j, I could watch it for days. I’ll probably practice it like a 9 year old tomorrow on the black top. Qq, is Smart, Cobbins, Nash, Williams and Markel not our best line up? Did we not dominate with that line up? Great game!
We took some horrendous shots last night, but we also missed alot of shots we should make..
I thought we played well for about 8-10 minutes of that game last night, but I give it up to em for finding a way to win. The rest of the season should be a hell of a lot of fun. If we win these next two, Bedlam is going to be insane.
I also think Kyle nailed it about a week ago when he said its scary to think how good this team can be when Nash, Smart, and Brown all play well. They all played like junk offensively for most of the game.
I will say though that Brown hitting 7 3s in Lawrence might not have been the best thing. Seemed like he relied wayyy to much on his jumper last night.
How scared was Nash having the ball in his hand on the last possession at the end of regulation. I literally think he was the last person I want the ball in the hands of in a clutch situation (outside the arc). He couldn’t wait to pass the ball to Brown instead of just driving to the lane when he had the ball above the key. Grr I just feel like his mental toughness is what is missing. But great way to find a win by this team either way. Shot selection was horrendous last night.
1. I haven’t jumped that high since John Lucas hit the 3 to send us to the final 4.
2. I agree about Ford. I still don’t like the guy that much but he’s giving it everything he has w/ this team.
3. Baylor may not be that great but we beat a decent team after the worst shooting performance since…. i can’t remember when. It was like shooting at those oval rims at the fair.
4. If Forte would get his feet under him and shoot a balanced shot he’d make a lot more. How many fall aways or shots did he take while moving left or right? This is one Ford should have noticed and fixed already.
5. Murphy was excellent. Maybe not as good as Cobbins defensively but we actually got some offense from a guy in the paint. I like Cobbins and Murphy on the floor together. I know Jurick starts but Murphy’s future could be bright too.
Overall I’m pumped about what this team is doing. Lets hope we keep it up.
I thought the same thing when he said that about Eddie. I love the guy, but I don’t think that’s a tan. His bilirubin is about 12.