Bobcat basketball postseason analysis

The 2022-2023 Bobcat Basketball season has come to a close. Twice, I wrote on the outlook of the season, and now that it’s over, it only seems appropriate to take stock of both the Men’s and Women’s teams and see how far off my predictions were. 

At the beginning of the Men’s season, I predicted that the team would go 27-7. After what was a bit of a slow start coming out of the gate for the Cats, I adjusted my number a bit for a mid-season prediction of 22-12. Both of my guesses turned out to be wrong. They split the difference and ended with a mark of 25-10. While that record only represents a drop in winning percentage compared to last year, it by no means indicates any sort of regression. The strength of the team’s schedule was rated much more highly this year, and a number of their losses came against true powerhouses, like Arizona.

During conference play, the Cats excelled, only dropping three contests against Big Sky opponents. The Cats clinched a second consecutive conference title, taking down Weber State in a two-OT nail-biter and NAU in the championship game. With the Big Sky automatic bid secured, the Cats traveled to Greensboro, North Carolina for their second straight NCAA tournament appearance. 

Speaking on the path that led them to the appearance, senior, star forward Jubrile Belo said, “Great memories. It’s stuff you can’t take away. Both teams [21-22, 22-23] in the beginning of the year had things we had to get better at. I couldn’t even imagine us winning twenty-five games at the beginning of the year. We had a closed scrimmage, and couldn’t work together at all. But it took some time. What I’ve gotten the most out of this, is a recipe for a good team. It all starts with culture. If the guys are together, and they’re unselfish, and everybody has a common goal, and no individual goals, like scoring or getting numbers or anything like that, then it’s always gonna be a good thing.”

While the Cats certainly were a good team, they were overwhelmed in the opening round of March Madness by a strong Kansas State squad. Turnovers and a lack of scoring depth led to the Cats making an early exit. However, it should be noted that, unlike last year’s loss to Texas Tech, the Cats looked more competitive against a three seed opponent. 

Moving forward, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic. Losing the two-way force that is conference MVP Jubrile Belo is a blow, but the roster is still overflowing with talent. 

Raequan Battle, the junior guard from Tulalip, Washington showed off an elite scoring skillset, finishing in the top five for points per game in the conference, as well as top 10 in field goal percentage. Battle put up 27 against a strong Kansas State defense, indicating prowess and tenacity.

Perhaps the only prediction I managed to get right was in regards to Great Osobor. Despite being seventh in minutes played on the team, he was the third-leading scorer and second in both blocks and rebounds. You don’t have to squint too hard to see Osobor following closely in the footsteps of fellow British player Jubrile Belo. 

Four years into the Danny Sprinkle era, it’s safe to say that the time for building a foundation is over. The window for achievement has been open the past couple years, and the Cats have capitalized on it. There is no reason to think that the Cats are going to do anything but continue to get better. 

The MSU Women’s Basketball team, similar to its counterpart, faced tougher opponents in the 22-23 campaign than the previous year’s team. 

I began the year forecasting a 21-13 finish, a number I upped to 22-12 at the mid-season mark. The Cats did not quite dominate in the Big Sky as much as I might’ve hoped, and thus, any future career plans in the field of clairvoyance went out the window for me. 

Naturally, the team was once again led by All-Conference First Team guard Darian White, who made use of her exceptional speed, scoring and defensive abilities to the tune of 14.3 points per game, and a team in 35 steals and 5.6 average rebounds. Kola Bad Bear also turned in a notable performance, playing quite solidly out of the frontcourt being the team's second best player behind White.

With White leading the offensive charge, the Cats had what amounted to a solid regular season showing. 

The same cannot be said of the postseason. The Cats held the number two seed going into the conference tournament, and were slated to face Portland State, a team they had not lost to since 2021. What was expected to be an easy MSU victory turned into a 12-point-loss.

Of course, it’s not the end of the world but it is a big step back from last year. The season wasn’t a failure, by any stretch of the imagination. There were plenty of highs and shining moments, but after the upset, it’s hard not to have a sour taste in your mouth as a Bobcats’ fan. 

Making matters more complicated is the fact that Darian White has recently entered the transfer portal to start her fifth year, effectively bringing her time with MSU to a close. Losing the player who has more or less been the driving force of the squad the past few years poses an interesting challenge to the team. 

Don’t be surprised if the Cats hit the brakes a bit as they restructure. This isn’t reason to panic, and there’s no indication that they won’t be competitive in the Big Sky. However, given the choice of any team to move forward, I’d probably take our Cats. Watching them play reveals a bright competitive fire, one that I think is going to be able to weather any future storms.