PSU MBB on ESPN2 now.

[bison13]

I really like Wheeler. Kid will be a player, a pest on D, doesnt look to do much on O yet, but the press really takes a step up with he, Reaves and Carr. Not a good match for PSU with A&M having the twin towers. Overall not a bad performance against a potential top 4 seed in the tourney.

Iowa lost to SD state or someone today, need to get the win vs them next week.

 

[basic blues]

Their weakness will be when they play teams with multiple bigs like ATM (Sparty). However if they play the way they did tonight the remainder of the year they will win a lot of games. Shot poorly from 3, got killed on the boards, missed a lot of free throws and were still in the game.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

YIKES.....not gonna win many games giving up 98 pts!

 

[Yboby]

He's gotten some really clean looks tonight (as has Lamar, and even Josh), just haven't dropped.

He shoots much better off the dribble than off the pass. Problem is he won't be dribbling much this year.

 

[mjh218]

Same could be said about giving up 87 points. A&M shot a very high percentage. Some of that was lack of defense. Some of t was just hot shooting. Plenty of games left in the season. PSU has the ability to be a top half of the Big 10 team. Perhaps as high as 3

 

[Raffycorn]

Pretty encouraging and impressive game, all considered. Didn't look at all out of place against an A&M team with a future lottery pick that will be solidly in the top-10 at points this year - and put up almost 90 on a night where we didn't shoot particularly well against a defense that's even better than ours. We gave them a better game than West Virginia did - we showed tonight that we can play with anyone out there. If we can be as consistent as we've seen in the early part of the season, we're gonna win a lot more games than we're used to.

 

[mjh218]

Ps Tony Carr is an absolute stud.

 

[Nittany82]

YIKES.....not gonna win many games giving up 98 pts!

Yeah, it’s very difficult to win a game when the other team shoots 60% from the field, 50% from the 3 point line and 90% in FTs.

 

[jim cummings]

Jim Cummings is impressed. With TEXAS A&M. Damn. They’re super athletic.

I am though not disappointed in this loss. Shep needs to sit though. Experience means nothing when you can’t hit water when you’re on the dock. Anyone notice after he hit the 3 at the end the coach on the bench whisper to the one next to him?

Not trying to hate on Shep but it’s like playing with 4.75 players when he’s on the court.

I don’t need to comment on the talent of Stevens and Carr. They are what they are. Watkins is good but he’s not he’s not Robert Williams. Reaves may be the best in the country defending the passing lane as Steve Jones pointed out while I was on my way home.

I enjoy the ups and downs of college basketball. I’m looking forward to this winter to see how it plays out.

 

[AWS1022]

Pretty encouraging and impressive game, all considered. Didn't look at all out of place against an A&M team with a future lottery pick that will be solidly in the top-10 at points this year - and put up almost 90 on a night where we didn't shoot particularly well against a defense that's even better than ours. We gave them a better game than West Virginia did - we showed tonight that we can play with anyone out there. If we can be as consistent as we've seen in the early part of the season, we're gonna win a lot more games than we're used to.

We looked much better than WVU when they played A&M and A&M's big guy didn't even play in that game.

 

[Raffycorn]

Jim Cummings is impressed. With TEXAS A&M. Damn. They’re super athletic.

I am though not disappointed in this loss. Shep needs to sit though. Experience means nothing when you can’t hit water when you’re on the dock. Anyone notice after he hit the 3 at the end the coach on the bench whisper to the one next to him?

Not trying to hate on Shep but it’s like playing with 4.75 players when he’s on the court.

I don’t need to comment on the talent of Stevens and Carr. They are what they are. Watkins is good but he’s not he’s not Robert Williams. Reaves may be the best in the country defending the passing lane as Steve Jones pointed out while I was on my way home.

I enjoy the ups and downs of college basketball. I’m looking forward to this winter to see how it plays out.

All told, Shep's been pretty good the past few games until tonight - he's shooting 35% from deep this year, and that's including his 2-14 start and his 2-7 night tonight, and is playing pretty good defense. He's definitely gotta learn to reign it in when he isn't feeling it, but he's been far from a liability in the early part of the season.

 

[Yboby]

Shot poorly from 3, got killed on the boards, missed a lot of free throws and were still in the game.

Forced 15 turnovers that led to several fast break buckets or foul shots.

 

[jim cummings]

Forced 15 turnovers that led to several fast break buckets or foul shots.

Yes it was most certainly impressive

All told, Shep's been pretty good the past few games until tonight - he's shooting 35% from deep this year, and that's including his 2-14 start and his 2-7 night tonight, and is playing pretty good defense. He's definitely gotta learn to reign it in when he isn't feeling it, but he's been far from a liability in the early part of the season.

I just think he doesn’t perform well when I watch. Listened to First 17 min of the first half on the radio and heard “Sheps First attempt from 3... airball”. Just set a bad tone I suppose.

I like Shep. when he’s on he’s on.. but a win in a game like this would have been monumental. You expect the senior to come through and be clutch. 87 points and losing? How about a hot Shep vs. cold Shep? 4 more buckets from downtown from him and it’s a 1 point win.

Still impresssd though. TAMU looks like a legitimate challenger to Kentucky.

 

[Ranger Dan]

Jim Cummings is impressed. With TEXAS A&M. Damn. They’re super athletic.

I am though not disappointed in this loss. Shep needs to sit though. Experience means nothing when you can’t hit water when you’re on the dock. Anyone notice after he hit the 3 at the end the coach on the bench whisper to the one next to him?

Not trying to hate on Shep but it’s like playing with 4.75 players when he’s on the court.

I don’t need to comment on the talent of Stevens and Carr. They are what they are. Watkins is good but he’s not he’s not Robert Williams. Reaves may be the best in the country defending the passing lane as Steve Jones pointed out while I was on my way home.

I enjoy the ups and downs of college basketball. I’m looking forward to this winter to see how it plays out.

I agree completely about Shep. I really hope that he moves to 6th man or even lower on the pecking order. Give Bostic and Wheeler more PT. I guess Shep could shoot his way out of the funk, but he's never been a real consistent shooter.

Reaves is theif! It was criminal (pun intended) that he wasn't on the Big Ten all defensive team last year. Wheeler is cut from the same cloth and Bostic plays great defense too. Combine that with Watkins' inside presence and Penn State's defense can impact games in the Big Ten this year. The only limitation is when playing teams with multiple big men. We can't really match up with that.

I am very optimistic about Penn State men's basketball this year. I'm not saying tat we'll compete for the championship, but I would be very surprised if we didn't win at least 10 games.

 

[greenmanRD]

This team doesn't have the depth to move Shep Garner to the bench as a 6th man. Nazeer and Jamari show flashes but those guys aren't ready to start.

 

[Ranger Dan]

This team doesn't have the depth to move Shep Garner to the bench as a 6th man. Nazeer and Jamari show flashes but those guys aren't ready to start.

I disagree... get them the experience starting against Oral Roberts and other cupcakes and they will be ready for the big ten. Although Bostic could have been impacted, Wheeler did not seem to be awestruck by TexasAM last night.

 

[Erial_Lion]

Shep is too good of a shooter to have him sitting on a team that badly lacks shooters. I really like our rotations thusfar, think that Pat is doing close to what I'd be doing.

 

[greenmanRD]

I disagree... get them the experience starting against Oral Roberts and other cupcakes and they will be ready for the big ten. Although Bostic could have been impacted, Wheeler did not seem to be awestruck by TexasAM last night.

I don't agree with this at all, and think it'd be rather silly to limit Shep's minutes considering his role on this team. We need shooters on the floor and he's the only one who has been reliable over a full season before.

 

[Ranger Dan]

has been reliable over a full season

The problem is that we don't have anyone who has been proven to be a reliable shooter. Tone Carr, actually, is starting to really look like he can do this. The fact that you suggest that Shep Garner is a "reliable" outside shooter is funny. I'd agree that he has some hot streaks withing games, and has made a lot of three's in his career, but reliable/consistent is not accurate.

 

[Erial_Lion]

The problem is that we don't have anyone who has been proven to be a reliable shooter. Tone Carr, actually, is starting to really look like he can do this. The fact that you suggest that Shep Garner is a "reliable" outside shooter is funny. I'd agree that he has some hot streaks withing games, and has made a lot of three's in his career, but reliable/consistent is not accurate.

Shep has a better career 3-pt % than both Joe Crispin and Talor Battle.

 

[bison13]

Give Shep some slack, playing with that mask on is not easy plus its 6 games in. He's been hot and cold but once classes are over and the team gets a break before the main part of the BIG schedule, he should get on track.

 

[PA_JOE]

His best games are on the small stage when no one is watching. Check the trends, he has a tendency to disappear in the big games. Good kid, solid teammate and PSU student athlete/citizen just not what I’d call a clutch performer.

Give Shep some slack, playing with that mask on is not easy plus its 6 games in. He's been hot and cold but once classes are over and the team gets a break before the main part of the BIG schedule, he should get on track.

 

[johnmpsu]

Give Shep some slack, playing with that mask on is not easy plus its 6 games in. He's been hot and cold but once classes are over and the team gets a break before the main part of the BIG schedule, he should get on track.

He didn't play with the mask against aTm and never got untracked until the last minute of the game. He wore the mask against Pitt and couldn't miss. He is good player but most assuredly inconsistent. Hopefully he gets more consistency because he can really help this team. Sometimes he seems more accurate from 4 miles out. I'm rooting for him.

 

[GregInPitt]

YIKES.....not gonna win many games giving up 98 pts!

His best games are on the small stage when no one is watching. Check the trends, he has a tendency to disappear in the big games. Good kid, solid teammate and PSU student athlete/citizen just not what I’d call a clutch performer.

Yep, it's a bad match-up for PSU playing against 2 good big men. But when the other team scores 98 your team did not play good defense. Shooters get hot much more so against poor defense.

I also believe Garner is not a prime time player. His shooting is undisciplined, in that he jacks up poor shots against better competition. Team leaders must set an example for shot selection to be real leaders on the floor. I'm hoping he becomes the 6th man, with Bostic starting. Carr has really become the leader of this team. We obviously also need a more legit 6/7/8 big to come off the bench and score some. Moore does not seem to have that talent.....