bierce

Did you get good beer?

B.A. Biology. M.A. English Literature J.D. Picked it up somewhere along the way. But the weirdest stuff I've ever read was in the trial transcripts.

Hell of a game by Kaluma. Shedrick played a good game. Kent was a no-show. If he doesn't step up, we will have problems as the year goes on. I commented when he first landed him that his rebounding numbers took a huge jump in 2023-24 and would likely revert to the mean, but we need a lot more from him inside than we have seen the last two games. Pretty good comeback. Still a tough loss, but the comeback suggests this season might still be salvaged. And you don't hire a coach who didn't discipline a player who took the murder weapon to the killer. Unless you are one sick puppy.

You either foul right away or you play defense to the end. You don't foul on the perimeter after letting 20 seconds run off the clock.

So was Miller for taking the murder weapon to Miles. Yet he was kept on the team. Because winning mattered. To Oats, to Crimson Slime, to local prosecutors protecting crimson slime. Auburn player's foot was down. That should be Texas ball.

You have a weird moral abacus there, dude. Sure, winning matters. So does not having your recruited players murder people and you current players take the murder weapon to the former teammate to commit the murder. Damn. The University will vet candidates and hire someone who a) has a very good record, b) has a manageable buyout (Oats doesn't btw), and c) doesn't have s* like this in his history. If this stuff didn't matter, then Beard would still be our coach. And recruiting someone who commits a murder and having one of your current players take the murder weapon to the murderer shortly before the murder is a really, really, really bad look. A much worse look than retaining a coach who was in a domestic dispute with a toxic mess who recanted her claim that he assaulted her. The University of Texas would disband the basketball program before it would hire Nate Oats. Who will we hire instead? I don't know. I haven't put much thought into it at this point, and things will probably change as the season goes on. Meanwhile, we're in a single digit game, and that was a pretty tough call of a flagrant one against Johnson.

Johnson doing frustrated Johnson. At least Terry finally took him out for it. Now will he listen?

Shedrick with the Paul Silas-esque attempt at a reverse layup.

I think Larry is just having an extremely bad game. If anyone can help us become an integrated offense, it's him. He's the only guy we have who we can hope can beat his man on the perimeter, draw defenders, and find the open man.

Not happening. I mentioned him back in the day when we were first looking to replace Smart, but since then Oates defended his star player for taking a firearm to a former teammate who used it to commit murder. This s* actually matters to our administration, and good for it for thinking it matters.

It's not the first time Johnson has gone off the rails. I couldn't believe he was named player of the tournament for that crapfest he had in Brooklyn. Yeah, he made ft down the stretch when we needed them, but we wouldn't have needed him if he hadn't shot 5/19 or whatever it was.

We did have a play in the second half in which someone set a ball screen for Kaluma, and he hit a three. That is about as rudimentary as offense gets. That is also about as complex as our offense has been today. We have had two assists on lobs to players under the basket. And now a third on a pass to Onyema under the basket on a completely broken play. And now a fourth on a perimeter pass to Kaluma for a three. Hardly a play in which someone worked to create an open man, but hey, it was scored as an assist. Auburn has a great team, so I'm not surprised we are losing tonight, but we have no offense to speak of, unless the words being used are highly uncomplimentary. I don't expect Coach Terry will be coming back for 2025-26. I will nevertheless thank him for leaving a job as a head coach elsewhere, taking a demotion to come here, taking over when Beard s* the bed, and getting us to the Elite Eight for the first time in 14 years.

He signed an extension last month to last through 2032. He already had a huge buyout. Can only imagine what it might be now.

It was the Cooley facility that did more than anything to make the Barnes heyday. But I think now it will be more about NIL.

I had hopes of Larry proving to be one, but he has been an absolute disaster this game.

Pope. Taking an off balance three instead of working the clock.

AN ASSIST! And there was almost a whole minute left in the half!

Shedrick has played well in the first half. He didn't finish or get a foul on that one drive to the basket, but he mostly held Broome at bay during their time on the floor together, and his 3 offensive rebounds are why we are in the game right now. We have 0 assists with 3:32 left in the half. Wrap your minds around that. I hated the addition of Frank Haith to the coaching staff on the fear that it was doing nothing more than getting the old gang together. I was somewhat ameliorated by the thought that he is a decent offensive coach. Well, this ain't an offense. This is 5 guys each doing their own thing. I have yet to see anyone working to get a teammate open for an easy shot.

over/under Our first assist will come with 4 minutes left in the first half.

I ragged on the addition of Kaluma, but in an offense that has very few parts working to get other people open, he's one of our most effective players because of his ability to drive and finish.

Absolutely hideous last few minutes by Texas. Shedrick actually did a decent job of controlling Broome before he sat and Kent and Onyema came in. Since then Auburn has scored at will inside. Our offense resulted in stupid turnovers by Larry and Mark dribbling straight into defenders. If this team doesn't ever work to help teammates get open, we'll finish 6-12 in conference and have an early out in the NIT. I'm doubting that it will.

Then had a Hunter moment and walked on the baseline.

Larry showed the ball on the dribble and got stripped.

If Johnson is going to force stuff like that, this will be a long game.

Three offensive rebounds in the first 90 seconds. Maybe they came to ball tonight.