In an arena where only three teams have won in five years, in front of 16,000 hostile fans, and without one starter BU got a very tough early test in this 2009-1010 season.
I think generally BU played tough and played well. There was a little dry spell early and BU fell behind, relying on free throws to hang close.
And if I would have liked to see anything better for the Braves, it would be to make the bunnies.....stop missing the easy layups.
But the highlights include keeping Jonathan Tavernari pretty neutralized...
it took 18 shots for Tavernari to make 5, and he never went to the FT line once.
Also, BU stopped a fast breaking and high scoring team, and they had no fast break points and scored well below their 77-78 point average over the past 3 years that they've been sealing NCAA bids and winning their conference.
They are thought to have an even better team this year than their last 3 that were NCAA automatic qualifiers!
Also - 24 bench points on a night when we had a short bench was satisfying...especially the 16 from Chris Roberts and two points in particular!
But, there was one aspect......even in a loss I can enjoy a game and enjoy the effort our guys gave....
but one thing this refereeing crew did just about sent me over the deep edge.
They must have gotten the memo from the Valley and they looked for every single possible high screen violation they could possibly find and whistled them all.
People pay to see the offenses score and the defenses try to stop them, but one play in college basketball frustrates everyone...
The defense doesn't have to do a thing to get the ball back, and the offense is simply doing what offenses all over the world from biddy ball to the NBA do.
They bring their post player up high and set a screen.
Then quite randomly and arbitrarily a ref blows a violation and it happened at least 3 times to each team last night...interrupting play, throwing a monkey wrench into the offenses, and taking the better big men out of the game with fouls!
This is a play that everyone is doing and the teams neither gain much nor lose much advantage on the play. It simply allows for some separation so the players can do their thing.
But the whistles and the stoppages of play are so, so annoying, and you can even see it in the eyes of the refs and you can smell it coming.
Especially early in the game when the refs each want to "set the tone" and "establish control".
The single most solid example and evidence that this call is 99% bogus, is that after the first half, the exact same move never gets called!!
NEVER!!....only in the 1st half or early in the 2nd half!!
well...I guess it's fact of life...but it doesn't have to be....it is so, so annoying to see the kids working their hearts out to play ball, and the kids on both sides getting blown for this ridiculously weak and imaginary violation.
Lastly.....we all knew right from the beginning of the game that Taylor Brown was not going to play. But there was one other BU player who I never saw in the game although one of the box scores say he got in.
We certainly never saw him TV and nobody mentioned any reason why he didn't play.
I don't know the answer, maybe it was just coaches decision, but Milos Knezevic was not a factor.
Given that he's been the first freshman off the bench in the exhibition and was the main guy to back up Taylor Brown - who didn't play last night - I thought it was a bit odd that he didn't get a minute of play.
Yet the broadcasters never noted his absence nor offered any explanation of why he didn't play.
Just a couple comments on other games played last night.....
--Northern Iowa had a tough time with Denver but prevailed, 71-65. The game was tied in the final 7 minutes, and was only a one possession game within the final minute. UN I went heavy minutes with starters and got nothing from their bench...which might be an Achilles heel for them.
Eglseder had 12/12, Kwadzo only 2 assists/4 TO. UNI had a total of only 6 assists for the entire team and outscored Denver at the FT line 22-8.
--Indiana State beat D-II opponent Nebraska-Kearney 87-58, Jake Kelly was 3-6 and had 16. InSU's bench got heavy minutes in this one except for Isaiah Martin. The guy ought to get out of there...the new coach just isn't going to play him. In just 14 minutes, Martin had 3-4, 6 pts, 4 rebs, no turnovers.
--Bradley's Sunday opponent Idaho State lost at Iowa State 88-68. Despite it being a blowout, Idaho State played four guys 25 minutes or more, while Iowa State only played one guy that much. Ex-BU recruit LA Pomlee played just 5 minutes - got one bucket in garbage time.
--Illinois beat SIU-E 96-69. Bill Cole got some decent minutes and produced, 3-6, 7 pts, 3 rebs. Stan Simpson is in over his head and got just 2 minutes. Alex Legion returns to the old Alex Legion and goes 0-3 from 3-pt, and Metamora's Zeke Schneider played 8 min. for SIUE and had 2 pts.
--Kentucky's win over Morehead was not all that impressive considering the hype UK has gotten.
71-56, but UK just 4-19 from 3-pt and outrebounded Morehead 42-21..this should have been a blowout. Kentucky had 24 turnovers...sloppy play.
Josh Harrelson, one of the Billy Gillispie leftovers who should have gone mid-major, played a grand total of 2 minutes.
-- #13 Washington had a scare against Wright state, holding on for a 5 point win 74-69....I wonder if Scott Suggs wishes he'd have stayed in the midwest?
--The single biggest surprise to the standard media was Oregon State's home opener loss. let's face it, the Oregon State coach Craig Robinson, President Obama's brother-in-law, has gotten an undue amount of praise and unwarranted adulation, given he's really never accomplished much yet...
But...just like Obama's sinking approval numbers, Craig Robinson's stature is also going to declinie quickly if his teams play like they did last night!!
Oregon State got blistered at home by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 67-43.
The home team had 25 turnovers, and shot 46% on T's, but TAMU-CC didn't really play a whole lot better, shooting only 21% on 3's and sending OSU to the FT line 28 times.
This, I believe, is a wake up call top the pundits who think Oregon State is going to be a top team and who think the Pac-10 is going to be good this year!
--#14 UConn didn't exactly look convincing against Williams and Mary...struggling to hold a 2nd half lead and winning by only 9.
Ex-BU recruit Darius Smith played 9 minutes and had one basket.
--Loyola looked bad in a 92-54 blowout loss at Kansas State, but they probably took home a decent paycheck.
--#19 Mississippi State lost at home to Rider, and it wasn't close - 88-74!
Is MSU overrated and given their lofty status just because they got a verbal from Renardo Sydney who might not even be eligible?? outside of Jarvis Varnado (22 pt/14 reb) they didn't get much from anyone.
--Ohio beat a lowly D-II, Ohio Valley but ex-BU recruit DJ Cooper had 13 pts, 12 assists, and 7 rebs!
--Central Florida hammers UMass 84-67, several Chicago kids playing for UCF.
Marcus Jordan in his Nike's played 11 minutes and it certainly wasn't the shoes, as he was SCORELESS.
AJ Rompza had 13 pts, 5 asst, and ex-ISU target Nik Garcia was scoreless.
--Liberty loses 76-72 but Eric Gordon's little bro, Evan played 23 minutes and was 1-6.
--Harold McMath's son, Claybrin played 29 minutes for Bryant and had 9/4.
--Arkansas beats Alcorn 130-68, playing starters 32-34 minutes!!
Arkansas had a 71-29 halftime lead...so what's with the running up the score....is Pelphrey trying to get the media off his back?
--Indiana hammered Howard, Matt Roth only 7 minutes played, basically the same as the walk ons. Psst...Matt, it's not going to get any better! He recruited over you.
--Likewise for ex-BU recruit Nick Fruendt...he got a whole minute of playing time in Northwestern's 22 pt blowout of NIU. Pssst...Nick...ditto...
--Chicago State has a couple kids for the All Name Team:
Kabangu Tshinga Kasamba and Pawel Kielbasa.
--Marcus Relphorde 6 pts for Colorado
--WIU got a whupping, 87-35, maybe they should unredshirt Billy.
--despite the brawls and off season incidents, didn't see a lot of the Kansas players' names missing, so I guess no discipline.
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