Thanks to All

I would like to thank all who have taken the time out of there day to read of a couple of words from the blog. I started the blog not as a tool to garner internet traffic and advertising, but a place for the MSU basketball fans who just couldn't get enough from the regular MSU internet outlets. In the beginning I put forth an effort to post everyday, but soon after I found out that my wife and I were pregnant with our first child, my time and efforts were shifted a bit. I've had several insiders/00 agents along the way, some that even got alittle more involved than they thought they wanted to be. None of this blog would be possible with the insiders, especially 001. 001 has been my insider from the beginning and the info he has provided if what keep the folks coming back for more. I hope all that read the blog got alittle extra out of it. Faith, if i didn't have my faith were would I be. Even though it was just a daily bible verse, I hope you found some inspiration in it. Last but not least, what this season and MSU basketball means the most of all to me is spending time with my dad. I was blessed to have been raised by two Christan parents and a father who I thought of more of a friend. When kids leave the nest and get married and move away alot of sons lose touch with their fathers. My older brothers are moved away or are to busy to get into sports. My dad and I were able to attend 12 games this season together at the Hump. MSU basketball has given me an opportunity to spend time with my father that once it is gone, its gone. So MSU basketball is such much more to me than cheering for the bulldogs and typing away on the blog. I always be able to look back one day after the Lord has called my father home, and feel no regret that I could have spent more time with my dad or got to know him better.
Again, I want to thank all who have graced these pages and all that have contributed to this blog. Always remember to keep you faith, and the Lord will see you through.
Sincerely,
Arliss

The Game

I can honestly say that if we would have lost the game on Friday it would have overshadowed alot of our accomplishments this season. Now, the dogs have what they want. A chance to knock off the a #1 seed whose only loss is to TN. As long as they leave it all on the court I will deem this season a success. But, that is all I will even allude to in the losing sense. I really think we can take down the tigers. We play down to competition and we play up to competition. The difference will be the 3. As a backcourt if has not been there since we left the Hump. If we make our 3's we can shock the world. If MSU want the national respect back in basketball circles, this it.

Mark 16:6 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.

Mark 16:14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

Great Job State!!!!

Way to brass up!!!! You couldn't ask for more to prove yourself. Let's be the first to take out the number one seed!!! Go Dawgs!!!!

At the Half

You have to feel we can adjust, lets hope. The season could be over soon. If we can make some 3's it will be the difference.

The 8-9 Draw

Well, do you like the match up. I thought it could have been alittle better. KV's article in the CL said that Oregon lives and dies by the three and they have a 6'9" forward who shoots 50+ percent from behind the arc. Their weakness is on the inside. Sounds alot like Quan Prowell and Auburn. If you had to pick a number 1 to face, it would be Memphis. We've got at least 3 players who match their athleticism and 2 others who come close with effort. We let other team dictate the tempo. If we make it to the second, it could be a good match up. I don't feel as bad about our draw as Ark or TN. The east bracket is a killer especially the Ark. vs Indiana match up. Well, whats your thoughts on the our seeding. Go Dawgs!!!

Acts 3:16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.

Will They Have Enough?

Will UG have enough? Well, we'll see. Is Georgia better than when we play them early in the season? Obviously they are, or they wouldn't be playing us tonight. They are very agressive on the inside and didn't shoot the 3 well today. I hope we take care of business tonight. The way it should be tom? ARK vs. MSU on Sunday. Enough said.

3 Strikes and Your Out Bama!

It is hard to beat a team 3 times in a row. I believe our Dogs are focused and and playing their best ball of the year right now. I want to see Jarvis and Jamont get Hendrix in foul trouble. If we can do this and keep Riley in check we should take care of business. Can a team shoot that well for 2 nights in a row, lets hope not. If your stuck at work today and you want to watch the first two games check it out here. Arkansas could go down today, so we might be the only chance left in the west after today. Go Dawgs!!!

Ezekiel 18:9 He follows my decrees and faithfully keeps my laws. That man is righteous; he will surely live, declares the Sovereign LORD.

To Be Worthy Of or Not to Be Worthy Of

This is probably one of the years as a fan base we have a lot of gripe when the Coaches SEC awards came out today. First what we all agree on. Charles and Jamont first teamers and Jarvis defensive player of the year (no brainer). Jarvis getting defensive player of the year was like placing first in a competition with no other contestants. He separated himself nationally in February. I'm really happy for Charles, he stepped up his game the last 2 months and the coaches recognized him for it.

Now, the first gripe. Lets start up with the least of the arguments. Jamont for player of the year. Not too much room for argument, especially after Foster put his superman cape on for our game last Wednesday. If want to look at from a half full perspective, maybe this is a little motivation to come back next year and win the award.

Second, Jarvis not on the first or second team. Did any one player affect a team's game plan more than Jarvis. I guess folks put more emphasis on offense. But not second team, come on. Maybe when Jarvis set the record for triple doubles next year, he will garner the attention he deserves. Interesting note: Jarvis is two years removed from high school. Tyrus Thomas 05-06 season two years removed from HS comparision. Poor man's Tyrus Thomas, I think not the stats dont't lie:
Jarvis SEC stats: PPG 8.8 RPG 7.8 BPG 4.8 6'9" 210 lbs
Tyrus SEC stats: PPG 10.2 RPG 7.8 BPG 2.7 6'9" 215 lbs

And last but not least, Coach of the Year. Most agree on Earl the Pearl, but Billy Bluecat? Oh well Rick just keep doing your job, I personally and the bulldog faithful appreciate he job you've done. Personally, I think Rick has taken his game coaching to a whole other level this season. The records were the same and we get no love, so the other coaches thought Billy Bluecat got the nod over Rick. Well, lets see if we agree with the AP more than the coaches. Agree, disagree, what do your think?

Mark 10:52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Off to Atlanta!!

Well, considering the 5-5 start its safe to say we had a very good season. Like Rick mentioned on the post game, we were two shots away from being 14-2 and regular season champs. Since the league split into east and west divisions, a 12-4 clip was good enough six different times to take the regular season title. Charles played a huge role coming down the stretch and played like we always hoped he would this season. Through all the drama he provided us over the last four years, you'll be hard pressed to find anyone to say anything negative about Charles who had the chance to meet him in person. Charles will always be one of the most fan friendly players we've every had. Thanks you Charles for stepping up to the plate this season. I don't think many people know what Jamont is going to do. Alot depends on the big dance, but my gut says he'll be back.

Now, off to Atlanta! Do we match up better against Bama or UF? I think UF and I think that is the matchup. Jarvis give the gators alot of problems but Hendrix gives Jarvis alot of problems. One thing I've learned following the dogs over the years is the only way to be a fan and not yank all your hair out is to take it game by game. But if we take care of business on Friday, we could see the Rebs again. I would rather see KY, especially with Patterson out, but KY could give our back court fits.

001 said at the game on Sat. that Vandy was a quality loss, if there is such a thing. After Rick's post game comment on the atmosphere at Vandy the toughest atmosphere from here on out (including Atlanta and NCAA's), that makes alot of sense to me. My honest opinion of this team, we are playing our best ball of the year right now and I think Rick has a Sweet 16 team. I think we play on Sunday in Atlanta and I'm hoping for a 5 for 6 seed. I think we get hosed with a 8 or 7 seed. If we do get a 7, I would like to see us in the same bracket as a 2 seed Duke. I originally planned to make the trip to Atlanta, but our first child is the way soon, and we will be limited to watching on TV. I hope all enjoy the weekend to come and the big dance. Personally, the next 3 weeks are the greatest time of the year for sports. If you have any thoughts, predictions, or anything to get off your chest, let it rip! Go Dogs!!!

Matthew 9:22 Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.

LSU Report Card by 001

What a great game this was. Our 2 senior players and senior manager getting a send off from almost 9000 fans. It was also nice to see the crowd give Butch Pierre a standing invitation during the pre-game ceremonies. We started the game well and after Varnado went to the bench with 2 fouls, we sort of lost our composure and that extended into the first several minutes of the second half. Then we went on a run and the game was ours from then onto the finish. This game also gave us the SEC title for blocked shots in a season at 263. The old record was held by Kentucky at 260. We also got to witness Varnado’s first ever 3 point basket. However, it did take the glass and a whole lot of rim to get it to drop.
OFFENSE B
We were 28 of 62 for 45.2% for the game, including 8 of 20 from beyond the arc for 40.0%. Our team allowed LSU to control the game in the first half, but the second half belong to State. We did collect 15 points off of 14 offensive rebounds. We had 36 points in the paint and 10 off of LSU turnovers. But we were at 0 on fast break points. Our bench out scored our opponent 10 to 4. Overall, a pretty solid performance.
DEFENSE B
We have played better defense in previous games. But in this one, it was just good enough to win. The team held LSU to 28 of 72 for 38.9%. Another sub 40% defensive effort for the guys. Apparently Coach’s half time talk inspired our guys. They had been out rebounded in the first half and LSU had taken a 1 point lead in at half time. According to the players, rebounding and defense were preached at half time. We came back out and held LSU to just 32 points in the second half and out rebounded them also. I feel our biggest failure on defense was allowing Marcus Thornton to hit 13 of 27, including 6 of 12 3 pointers for 38 points in this game.
ASSIST TO TURNOVER RATIO C
We lost this category again.. 9 assist to 14 turnovers. Gordon had 4 assist and 5 turnovers and Stewart had 3 assists with 2 turnovers. Going into the SECT, we need to maintain better control of the ball. One thing I admired was a couple of spectacular assists in the game when we really needed them.
REBOUNDING C
LSU out rebounded us 41 to 40 in this game. They held a 23 to 14 edge for the first half. However, in the second half we came back and out rebounded LSU 26 to 18. Kudos to Rhodes on his double-double pulling down 10 rebounds to go along with his 27 points. Had we been a little more aggressive in the first half we could have won this battle.
3 POINT SHOOTING B+
We were 8 of 20 from outside the arc for 40.0% for the game. Gordon was 3 for 37, Hansbrough was 3 for 6, and Stewart was 1 for 6. Stewart just had an off night from the arc or our completed percentage would have been better.
FREE THROW SHOOTING A
Gone was the fiasco of free throw shooting of the Vandy game as our guys knocked down 20 of 24 from the charity stripe for 83.3% for the game. We were 6 for 6 in the first half and 14 of 18 in the second half. This type of shooting needs to carry over into the SECT action.
OFFICIATING B+
Another game in which the officials let the players play. There were a few calls that I disagreed with, but that’s just me. I may have allowed Patrick Evans to color my vision somewhat in this game because he is one of my least favorite officials.
OVERALL B
This actually worked out to be a C++, but I rounded it off to a B. This was a very emotional game for the guys, the crowd and especially for Charles Rhodes. Here at the end of the regular season, I think our guys are stepping up the potential they possess and are finding ways to win games. If this carries forward, we could have a nice run in the SECT and go deeper into the NCAAT than any other Stansbury team ever has. GO DAWGS!!!

Your Thoughts

What are your thoughts about the game on Wednesday (I'm still speechless) and the game against LSU on Saturday. Farewell to Charles and off to Atlanta!

Will They Be Playing Our Tune in Music City?

No doubt about, we our playing some of our best ball now, much like we did toward the end of last season. I think we play better in Nashville than at Bud Walton. I heard Rick say on Dawgs Talk that will try to exploit Ogilvy's weaknesses like running the floor, come off some screens. Foster shoots an amazing 60% at home compared to 40% on the road. Jamont should draw the task. Can we win at Vandy? Yes I think we can. Will we, yes I think we will. What do you think? This could improve our seeding drastically. We'll see, I just hate there is no TV coverage. What do you think? Go Dawgs!!!

UF Report Card by 001

Congrats to the SEC Western Division Champs! And they didn’t need help from anyone to get this honor. They did it on their own. It was a heck of a game. State scored first, lost the lead at the 18:15 mark, tied the game at the 17:53 mark, and went ahead at the 17:28 mark and never looked back. Our offensive game wasn’t nearly as good as it has been, but the defensive game was spot on. Our bench production was identical to Florida ’s bench scoring with eight points. This was also the lowest scoring for Jamont Gordon for the season, and we still found a way to win. Although Jamont only scored 4 points for the game, his play in other areas of the game were excellent. He had 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals and outstanding defensive play.
OFFENSE B
Although Gordon was limited in scoring, the rest of the team took up the slack. All of the other starters were in double figures. Varnado had an excellent game with another double-double scoring 11 points with 11 rebounds to go along with one assist, 7 blocks and 2 steals. Our shooting was somewhat better in the first half than the second half. In the first half, we were 14 of 31 for 45.2% and in the second half, we were 9 of 24 for 37.5%. For the game we were 23 of 55 for 41.8%. This is a lot lower than our previous games. But still good enough for the win, and on the road. We also got 12 points off of 7 offensive rebounds, that’s an excellent mark. Maybe we are previewing a return of the “Road Warriors.”
DEFENSE A-
Anytime you can hold Florida team to 36.1% shooting, you have done a great job on defense. Actually, that is really somewhat higher than it should have been. After Florida called a time out at the 00:35 mark, Coach instructed our guys to slow them down, but not to foul them. Consequently, they got 2 uncontested lay ups in the remainder of the game. Coach Stansbury and staff had a great defensive game plan put together. His switching our defenses from man to zone and so on really kept the Florida offense in somewhat of a disarray. Our guys held their offense in check for most of the game giving up 22 of 61 attempts for 36.1% for the game. They also held Florida ’s 3 point shooting in check allowing only 7 for 25 attempts for 28.0% for the game. Overall, a very good defensive outing.
ASSIST TO TURNOVER RATIO A
We had 13 assists compared to just 8 turnovers in this game. By far the lowest number of turnovers by the Dawgs this year. Gordon led the way with assists at 5. Ravern Johnson had 2 assists off the bench. We need to keep working on this category for the remainder of the season.
REBOUNDING B
We tied with the Gators in this category at 40 each. We collected 23 rebounds in the first half and only 17 in the second half. Had we done just a little better in the second half, we could have won this battle. But a tie is always better than a loss in this area of the game.
3 POINT SHOOTING B
We were not quite up to par in this category for this game as a team. We were 7 of 21 for 33.3% for the game. However. Hansbrough by himself would have graded an A on going for 4 8 for 50.0%. Ravern Johnson was one for one. It’s good to see others stepping up when our mainstays are off.
FREE THROW SHOOTING C
Our free throw shooting dropped off in this game. We only made 15 of 25 for 60.0% from the charity stripe. We have been doing better than this in our last 3 or 4 games. Hopefully, it’ll be back up for our next game which is another road game. Hansbrough and Stewart were good off the line 4 for 4 and 2 for 2.
OFFICIATING A
I felt this was well officiated game. The officials let the guys play and missed very few calls in my opinion. I would love to see this type of officiating for the remainder of this season.
OVERALL B
This was a very good road win for this team. When you beat Florida at their house, you should be congratulated. They play as well at home as any team in the conference. This win give us 2 Eastern Division wins on the road and 2 Eastern Division wins at home against 1 Eastern Division loss at home, with one Eastern Division game on the road at Vanderbilt. I still like the way our team is stepping up to their potential. Memorial gun at Vandy is a hard place to play. I’ve been up there for a number of our games and feel that if we do play to our potential and can hold Shane Foster to less than 5 3 pointers, we can win up there again. Go Dawgs!

MSU 68 UF 59

These dogs take care of business! Great game for Ben. Its nice to see other players step up when Jamont is having a bad game. This team is playing good ball at the right time of the year. I think we have a real chance to play a close game at Vandy. Off to Music City to play alittle string music! Here is a good recap.

Game Day at the Swamp

The thought on every one's mind now is a Co-SEC Championship. Wow that would be great, but depending on other teams to lose with a two road games and a much improved LSU team left at the Hump is a tall task. But, anything is possible. It will be interesting to see how KY can react without Patterson in the lineup against UT. Today's game will be an interesting match up down low. We win today and there is no doubt were in the big dance. If you like me and you already curious about possible locations and ticket prices, take a look at the sites for the first two rounds. Check out some game day articles from the CL and DJ.

2 Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.