North Texas to NIT Semifinal: Beat Oklahoma State 61-59

A Big Win in Ross Hodge's Last NIT run?

Okay I will be transparent and say that this publication is in a weird spot. It is not quite a “news” outlet but some traffic comes from search engines looking for news on this and that. So there is value there. I mostly write this for people who care, are discerning, and want to do some discussion beyond the Hot Sports Opinion level. HSOs are for twitter/X where they can be fired off quickly and thoughtlessly.

So this is NOT a game recap. It is something like a reaction. I watched the game in two settings, the first was at home with my children, draped in North Texas gear. The second setting was on a car ride to a local indoor soccer venue (I had a game). I watched the entirety of the game, including the WTF ending. I refrained from tweeting and that was good as when NT was up 6-or-7 points at about 57seconds-left mark, I wanted to be snarky and brag a bit. I am very glad I did not as I might have been tempting the basketball gods.

The Game

North Texas controlled this game throughout. OSU’s 6’6” Bryce Thompson has near-elite athleticism, and he used that time and again, but wasn’t a game-changer. Abou Ousmane was a non-factor, and actually bad for the Pokes at times (missed free throws). I like the guy, but I did recognize some old negative things (missed bunnies, lack of aggression, missing in action for large parts of the game). It was nice to not be frustrated by those things in this one.

Mou Sissoko played an unheralded game. He didn’t score, but wasn’t really asked to do much beyond being a defensive presence, be big, and do some big man things — like grab 9 rebounds. Grant Newell had the slashing, put-back, and finishing opportunities. He had another mixed bag of a game where he flew around and made plays … except for putting the ball in the hoop around the rim. He is in a weird funk, and it means he is double-clutching at the rim when there is no one there, and then anticipating challenges when there are none. He did get blocked from behind, but that was largely because he was clutching the ball back instead of going up big and strong. So it goes. It is a mental thing and I’m glad he’s attacking.

Jonathan Massie was doing a lot of attacking as well, and had a huge And-1 bucket to push the lead back out to five points late. He also lost the ball against the press late in the game, but some of that was the refs swallowing the whistle. Overall Massie and Newell need to be athletic wildcards, creating something from nothing and being aggressive with drives and put-backs.

A guy who did that well? Rondel Walker. Nine points including some huge threes. He also had some put-back attempts and some slashes for finishes. He’s an athlete, but won’t create his own shot and needs someone to pull the defense’s attention to get his, but he’s reliable when it matters.

Atin Wright had 15 and Jasper Floyd had 10. Both were a little quite for stretches, but got huge buckets throughout to keep the lead. They had some chances to extend the lead to 8 or 10, but couldn’t find the bucket, or pass, or this or that. They carry the offense for long stretches and did that well — meaning both scoring and handling the ball.

Brenan Lorient and Latrell Jossell had four turnovers each, and Lorient missed four free throws, while Jossell managed just three points. They can and have done better in other games. Lorient’s game is built on his athleticism, but OSU matched that and that means his skill needs to be the differentiator and he doesn’t have that complete of a game just yet. His ball handling was a little loose, and he couldn’t get to his spots as quickly. It also meant he took shots he wasn’t comfortable taking.

Jossell had a similar problem, as the guards for OSU (Dean et al) are quick and like to steal the ball. They got Jossell at the end of the half (Dean did) and turned that into quick points. Steals weren’t all the problem, as the traps and pressure just forced them to get rid of the ball and not be as aggressive.

I thought Oklahoma State would be bothered by the NT pressure and they were. Against SMU and Wichita State, they were able to use their transition to get easy buckets, and found lots of space when driving and kicking. NT is great at closing down space and limiting transition opportunities. They looked frustrated with that. They did manage to get buckets when attacking the rim (Thompson) and get easy steals and scores, but it wasn’t anything sustainable and they couldn’t close the gap. You have to be able to run some offense and they simply don’t have the execution to do that.

A reminder that Memphis and UAB do similar things — pressure the guards, be physical, use aggression — but they were able to get buckets when they needed them against NT, while OSU was not.

The Meaning

Much was made of the venue, but in the end NT going on the road and getting a win is better for the glory of the program. I will definitely be gloating about how North Texas has twice beaten Oklahoma State in Gallagher-Iba in the NIT quarterfinals. Tylor Perry, and now Atin Wright.

The rumors are that Ross Hodge is going to WVU — and it would make sense. Wren Baker was on the NIT committee when Grant McCasland was talking with TTU on that run. Now he’s recruiting Hodge to Morgantown while NT is on this run to Indianapolis. We hang an NIT banner and lose the coach, that seems to be the pattern. Let’s hope that is true and North Texas wins this tournament. It is very winnble, and North Texas has a very good team that is capable of doing so.

Tonight, Wednesday, is the UC-Irvine vs UAB matchup that will be our opponent in Indianapolis next Tuesday, April 1st. MGN is trying to move things around (work, and family arrangements) to make it happen. It is looking like the Final — April 3rd — is the more likely target.

For me, it is a 3.5 hour drive. For you in Denton, it is 13 hours by car. Probably best to see what the airlines are up to.

Some Coaching Carousel Thoughts

North Texas is not the best job in the nation, and until that changes the coach here can always be tempted by another opportunity. I don’t know that West Virginia is a great place to coach basketball, but they do have way more resources than North Texas. Hodge and McCasland before him were working with under-recruited guys and finding tough winners. That only goes so far. You maybe can get to a Final Four with an AAC team (FAU, and Dusty May) but why not do it with better facilities and a nicer pay check (Dusty May in the Sweet 16 with Michigan).

We will have to find the next guy. North Texas’ bench does not have a clear and obvious coach-in-waiting like Hodge was for McCasland. It might be time to close the book on the Defense-Plus-Toughness era for a simple lack of finding a guy who can carry on that legacy. It might help with attendance and attracting people if the basketball was more exciting and you can still win.

Winning is supposed to be the be-all, end-all but as a fan of the Tim Duncan era Spurs, I can tell you that effective basketball doesn’t always get you love and attention. People also like scoring and excitement and entertainment. Maybe that’s a factor in this whole thing, folks.

GMG