What a sad ending...

[dgmcdowe]

but we got a quality loss (for whatever that's worth) and there' s still a chance for the big time tourney, and a great seed in NIT.

Hueartas is playing to his hype, Malcolm White is tall and beastly, and Warren is a GOD. Gaskins and Polynice are no doubt showing improvement, and AK has shown that he can really excite a freshman class. With experience under their belt, next year is the way to go. It's very unfortunate that these poor kids got placed with such hype, because everyone really knew at the beginning of the season that this team was in its building year. That's why we were picked to finish last!

Give these guys some credit where credit is due. You rarely hear problems about their grades, they aren't stealing clocks from hotels, I see them walking to class more often than I see my own friends. These are good kids and GREAT basketball players. For those like K-dub and Dwayne Curtis, we will miss them, and will have a void to fill, but things are only looking up.

[MtownRebel]

Georgia at 13-16 was a quality loss? Big time tourney?

I'll take whatever he is on.

[dgmcdowe]

I'm on ESPN, who despite the deathly gloom of ya'll is still calling that our regular season might be enough to push into the Big Tourney.

I'm on seeing and talking to the players who worked their ass off for a team that they've come to identify as their own...even though none of the starters are even Mississippians.

I'm on caring about the hotty toddy mentality, instead of putting down a bunch of players that are a S**tload better than me at what they do.

I'm on not ending last in the SEC AGAIN even though that's what has been predicted.

I'm on paying attention to the entire post, claiming that this was a rebuild year, anyways.

Maybe you should be.

[oxpatchreb]

I'm on ESPN, who despite the deathly gloom of ya'll is still calling that our regular season might be enough to push into the Big Tourney.

I'm on seeing and talking to the players who worked their ass off for a team that they've come to identify as their own...even though none of the starters are even Mississippians.

I'm on caring about the hotty toddy mentality, instead of putting down a bunch of players that are a S**tload better than me at what they do.

I'm on not ending last in the SEC AGAIN even though that's what has been predicted.

I'm on paying attention to the entire post, claiming that this was a rebuild year, anyways.

Maybe you should be.

Let me clarify Mtowns statement. His point think) is not about the players caring, or their talent level, or their class participation, or AK being a poor coach, or our team deserving to be verbally bashed until they bleed from the nose.........

His point is that when you're our age (15-20 yrs past your youthful exuberance) and you spend alot of your time analyzing players and coaches, breaking down players strengths and weaknesses, speculating about W/L possibilities, deriving reasonable expectations you tend to get SUPREMELY discouraged when teams don't play up to their potential. You HAVE to admit that had they keep their heads on straight, listened to their coach, and at least ATTEMPT to play some reasonable semblance of defense, we'd have at least 4 more SEC wins and a much, much better confidence level going into the Dance.

We (older guys) are so very tired of almost, just about and wait till next year. We understand that they were picked last in the SEC, but a team that goes 13-0 in OOC doesn't and shouldn't finish last. Just as UK played so horribly in the beginning of the year, but only a person with severely diminished mental capacity would have counted them out of tournament play before SEC games started. We KNEW BETTER than expecting last in the West, we were here last year when they picked us last. We KNOW FOR A FACT that our kids are good enough (with just a freakin' HINT of luck) to be a sweet 16 team this year!!! They just didn't have the mental game to go with their talent. Call it youth, call it inexperience, call it rebuilding. Doesn't change the fact that with a little more effort in certain aspects of the game, we'd be exactly where our talent and our heart would have us, and that's a West title (this was the year, the west was very soft), a run to the finals of the SECT (the way we played UT earlier, possibly a win!!), and at least 3 games deep into the Dance and a National rank to end the year.

I applaud your fire, your passion, your stamina and positive attitude. God knows we need it!!!!!! But don't forget that the only way to build nationally prominent sports programs is to hold those people who run them accountable. That's in essence what we're doing. We're trying to pass the message along that mediocrity (regardless of the state of the program) will NOT be tolerated any longer. We want success and we want it now. I'll give Nutt a couple maybe three years to turn us into West contenders, I'll give AK 2 more years to put us in contention for an outright SEC title, and IMO Bianco is going to have some "splaning to do" if he can't get us to Omaha this year or next.

We all want the same things, and hopefully we all respect and support the kids, but holding coaches, staff, AD's and Presidents accountable is priority one. Otherwise, we'll have to listen to people drone on about next year for the rest of our lives. No thanks.

[dgmcdowe]

PS: Georgia beat Kentucky today, sending them on their way to play MS State.

Just saying. It's looking more and more LIKE a quality loss.

[MtownRebel]

PS: Georgia beat Kentucky today, sending them on their way to play MS State.

Just saying. It's looking more and more LIKE a quality loss.

I hate to keep disagreeing with you but they were the worst team in the tournament! You cannot call a loss to a team with a 13-16 record quality, I just cannot justify that.

[sportsdirector06]

we had a losing record in a conference that is ranked 5th in RPI...it just doesn't look good for the rebels

we had south carolina at home and auburn on the road and they were playing well, but we just didn't have enough to pull those two off...if we had, then it would be a different story

the UGA game was just another example of how this year's team didn't consistently perform well under pressure

[fastbrk4]

I wouldn't say the GA game was really like the others you mentioned. I thought the Rebs played hard and focused down the stretch against GA where they did not against USC, Auburn, etc.

[dgmcdowe]

I wouldn't say the GA game was really like the others you mentioned. I thought the Rebs played hard and focused down the stretch against GA where they did not against USC, Auburn, etc.

Exactly, Fastbrk. With all of the players that caught fire and kept it in the fourth quarter and then into overtime, it just seems like Georgia went into the Tourney with a vengeance and came out playing better than us.

I guess we'll see when they play MS A&M but it's at least wrong to not acknowledge that Ga was no "Presbyterian College" situation.

It's worth noting that in the beginning of the season, pundits called for Georgia to make a good run through the SEC, and expected a top 25 finish.

Edit: 60-64, UGGA

I rest my case. It wasn't a fluke.

[dgmcdowe]

Am I officially initiated here?

UGGAH won the whole kit and kaboodle.

They may not have reached the big dance, but Ole Miss wasn't just fooling around in the tourney, they played the guys out to win.

[OMNOB]

I must say, I was not buying, not even for a second, your "quality loss" song and dance.

Turns out, I was wrong. Good call outta you!

[oxfordrebel]

I must say, I was not buying, not even for a second, your "quality loss" song and dance.

Turns out, I was wrong. Good call outta you!

Me too. Dawgs made me look like a fool...

[done]

Regardless, the way they just let them score with an unchallenged shot with 6 seconds left was not "quality".

[OMNOB]

You might be right, but, the long and short of it is, the Dawgs are now dancing.

As it looks, now, today.....quality loss...

[MtownRebel]

Yep, I look like a fool.