Game 2: Chicago State
Nov. 16, 2008
The MU Golden Eagles had better have their running shoes on for Monday night's game against Chicago State.
The Cougars enter the Bradley Center fresh off a 112-83 victory over St. Xavier University, an NAIA school from Chicago, and will be looking to run and gun once again.
"We've got to get back in transition. We can't give away easy baskets," said Williams on Sunday. "That's whether we play Chicago State or any other opponent. Chicago State scored 112 points on Friday afternoon, played 13 guys and have 12 returning players on their team. That may be the highest number in Division I. And they start four seniors."
MU's primary challenge will be trying to slow Chicago State's big gun: 5-8 senior guard David Holston, who averaged 23.1 points, 5.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds last season. Holston led the Cougars -- one of four independents in Division I -- in just about every statistical category for an 11-17 team, and against St. Xavier became the school's all-time leading scorer in Division I play with 1,533 points.
"(Holston) is the second-leading returning scorer in the country," Williams said. "He led the country in three-point field goal attempts last year, led the country in three-point makes per game last year at 4.6 per game. They do play fast, but last year 39.6% of their field goal attempts they followed with an offensive rebound, which is a phenomenal statistic.
"So we've got to get back in transitioin, we can only give them one shot per possession. Offensively, I thought we were better on Friday. We've just got to continue to get pieces of the paint, and make sure that we get good ball reversal when that's needed. How we play should not be dependent on our opponent. How we play should trend more toward our style than the other team's."
-- Williams said that as of Sunday he's hoping both Joe Fulce (knee) and Chris Otule (foot) will be ready for the Presbyterian game on Dec. 28.
Fulce had originally been expected to miss 2-4 weeks and Otule at least four.
"I hope both of them can put on a uniform about Presbyterian, and I don't think anything's going to change with that," he said. "They both have bone issues, so biology has to take its course. We'll do everything we can to speed it up, but I'm not ever going to do anything to put any player in a position where you rush them back and then all of a sudden they get hurt again or get hurt worse.
"That's not right for the individual player, and that's not right for our team."
-- As of right now, Williams said it's too early to consider redshirting either Fulce or Otule should either player's recovery stretch past the first of the year.
"No, I haven't considered that," he said. "We would like both of those guys, and honestly we need both of those guys. But we can only use both of those guys if they're healthy. Joe's stress reaction was the day before we scrimmaged Nebraska, and Chris' was the day before we played Houston Baptist, so I don't know that enough time has elapsed for us to be able to make a sound decision.
"But as time goes on, we'll do what's right for them and what's right for our program."
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