Welcome!

[-Blu]

Haven't seen some of you all year long.  Now, the first night we struggle, we got people setting a career high in posts tonight.  It's really pathetic, just wanted you guys to know that.

With that said let's talk about the game.  First off, I just wanted to say well done Alandise Harris, a lot of people have been giving him a hard time, he comes off an injury, and was really one of the few guys tonight that played consistent and at least kept us with a chance.  Anton Beard is also coming along very well, definitely think he'll be one of the leaders on this team next year.   Portis continues to show growth in his game, this kid is definitely a lottery pick.

Now, my constructive criticism.  I can't sugarcoat anything, our defense was horrible.  We had no intensity, and we looked tired all throughout the game.  We looked like a completely different team defensively, when you compare our SMU game.  But, the thing that really hurt us, is shots that have been falling for us where not there tonight and we didn't make free throws.  Bell had several good looks, and just didn't make them, he's gotta hit those shots for us.  I think my biggest takeaway is Mike has got to give Kingsley more minutes, and I've been one of the guys defending the rationale behind not playing him and Portis together, and I understand why he doesn't do it, but Mike's gotta figure it out, Kingsley is waaaay to good to only be playing 10-15 minutes a game. 

[HogsBalls]

Haters gonna hate. ISU is a good team.

[Danny J]

I agree totally. I would insert Kingsley into the starting lineup and have Harris off the bench.

I will also send out a congrats to Harris. Great game.

[RazorPiggie]

Since you obviously know more about basketball than I, can you please explain why Kingsley only played 8 mins? I was at a HS basketball game and only got to see the final 8 or so minutes.

[Marshfieldhog]

Let's see if we come back and beat Clemson, I will be real disappointed if we lose that game.

[razorbackchamps94]

Haters gonna hate. ISU is a good team.

Agree .. They will win 30 games easy..

[JonClaudeVanHam]

Wondering if we still have players recovering from sickness.

[Atlhogfan1]

Haven't seen some of you all year long.  Now, the first night we struggle, we got people setting a career high in posts tonight.  It's really pathetic, just wanted you guys to know that.

With that said let's talk about the game.  First off, I just wanted to say well done Alandise Harris, a lot of people have been giving him a hard time, he comes off an injury, and was really one of the few guys tonight that played consistent and at least kept us with a chance.  Anton Beard is also coming along very well, definitely think he'll be one of the leaders on this team next year.   Portis continues to show growth in his game, this kid is definitely a lottery pick.

Now, my constructive criticism.  I can't sugarcoat anything, our defense was horrible.  We had no intensity, and we looked tired all throughout the game.  We looked like a completely different team defensively, when you compare our SMU game.  But, the thing that really hurt us, is shots that have been falling for us where not there tonight and we didn't make free throws.  Bell had several good looks, and just didn't make them, he's gotta hit those shots for us.  I think my biggest takeaway is Mike has got to give Kingsley more minutes, and I've been one of the guys defending the rationale behind not playing him and Portis together, and I understand why he doesn't do it, but Mike's gotta figure it out, Kingsley is waaaay to good to only be playing 10-15 minutes a game.

My biggest concerns with this matchup were realized.  ISU hitting 3's from the open looks we give and their excellent FT shooting.  This is why this matchup was very different than that last trip to Rupp. 

Nice effort in the second half and Hogs should still be in a good position to win at Clemson. 

[-Blu]

Since you obviously know more about basketball than I, can you please explain why Kingsley only played 8 mins? I was at a HS basketball game and only got to see the final 8 or so minutes.

No idea Razor, but it's gotta change.  I'm officially on the Kingsley needs more minutes bandwagon.  I understand Mike feels we are faster with our press without 2 "bigs" out there at the same time.  And he also like to keep 1 fresh rim protector out there at all times,  But, he's gotta find a way to make it work.  Kingsley played great in those few minutes he had, it's honestly no excuse for him only playing 8 minutes in a game like this.

[-Blu]

Let's see if we come back and beat Clemson, I will be real disappointed if we lose that game.

Clemson is now a must win for us.  I expect us to come out on fire and this not even be a close game.  We got guys like Portis and Qualls that hate to lose,  Portis says he cries after every loss.   They are going to come out on a mission, we have way too much firepower for Clemson, they are not a very good team at all.  I'd be shocked if we lost to them, even on the road.

[nextlevel]

Since you obviously know more about basketball than I, can you please explain why Kingsley only played 8 mins? I was at a HS basketball game and only got to see the final 8 or so minutes.

ISU has 5 guys who can handle the ball and take their man off the dribble.

Portis isn't great at guarding guys like this, but he makes up for it on  the offensive end.

Williams and Harris are better at guarding these types of players.

Kingsley is better guarding block to block players, ISU has none, other teams on the schedule do.

Its really as simple as that, when Kingsley gets to where he can defend with out fouling or getting beat away from the basket, he will play 20+ every night.

He is better in this area this year than last, but he is still developing.

Portis has improved as well in this regard.

[Hog1751]

Niang certainly lived up to the hype. This is probably the 2nd toughest game on the schedule. I doubt we play many games this year where the other team shoots that well and we force that few turnovers. I'm on the Portis and Kingsley need to be on the floor at the same time bandwagon as well. Thats a real head scratcher to me. Shout out to Harris, I hope he can keep that up for the rest of the year. Saw lots of the same issues we have seen for the last 4 years, but must give ISU props thats a good looking ball team. All told the meltdown is surprisingly mellow on here tonight. As long as this loss doesnt carry over to the next game I wont be too worried.

[Breems]

The Hogs really aren't in a position to consistently beat top 25 teams on the road right now. At that point, the margin is subject to how hot the home team is and how hostile the environment is.

I'm much more intrigued by the Clemson matchup. We're a significantly better team than we have been in years but nowhere near elite. @Clemson will be a much better barometer for consistency, though "consistent" road performance is an illusion outside the elite.