MU 74, Chaminade 63
Here are some quick hits from the game today:
-- Sooner or later, the Golden Eagles' inability to step on the neck of an opponent they have up against the ropes is going to come back to bite them in the form of a loss. It's a trend that began in the season opener against IUPUI, and continued against Utah Valley State. MU also had the same problem last season at times.
"We've got to grow up in a hurry," said coach Tom Crean. "I'm glad we're in a tournament that Duke's in because Duke is the ultimate in taking a lead of six or eight and pushing it to 14 or 16 in minutes and possessions. We're not there yet. We've got a long way to go. But we're fortunate to be playing tomorrow in the semifinals, we know again we're going to have a great test."
-- The re-emergence of Ousmane Barro was huge for MU. He finished with five points, nine rebounds and four steals, and in my opinion, was as big a factor in the victory as Jerel McNeal. His hustle, defense and presence inside helped turn the tide in the second half. It wouldn't be surprising to see him back in the starting lineup against Oklahoma State.
"We had a team meeting the other day and I said I have one guy that I have absolutely no concerns that he's going to come and play well, and that was Ousmane," Crean said. "He had a great week of practice. He's gotten back to doing what he does. There were times when we could have gotten him the ball on the break. I'm not worried about Ousmane at all. I think he's going to have a great senior year and I think he'll continue to play well here."
-- David Cubillan provided a huge lift in the first half, scoring all 11 of his points in 10 minutes of work while also helping set the tone defensively.
"We've started David Cubillan in the second half in three of our four games and I think it's given us a good lift. He impacts the game," said Crean. "He's got to get definite credit for what he did today. He scored 11 points in the first half. He didn't score in the second half but he still impacted the game with his ball movement and his ability to defend."
-- Crean wasted no time in yanking Dominic James from the game at the 17-minute mark of the second half after he took an ill-advised jumper. He didn't go back to James until just over 8 minutes remained in the game, passing him over for both Cubillan and Maurice Acker in the meantime. Aside from three steals and a couple of breakaway jams, it was another very quiet game for James.
-- James was not alone in the doghouse; Crean yanked McNeal in the first half for the very same infraction. Although he didn't name names, one of Crean's quotes in the post-game was telling:
"They were daring certain guys to shoot for a reason," Crean said when asked about Chaminade's switching defenses.
Added McNeal: "That was one of the focal points at halftime. Coach just wanted us to get the ball inside, continue to get to the rim, drive. I thinm in the first half we got too jump-shot happy. In the second half we did a lot better job of driving the ball, just trying to find open shots."
-- Crean was unhappy with his team's lack of talking on defense.
"Our communication on the court is so substandard right now it's not even funny," he said. "And until we get it improved and do it for 40 minutes we're in a roll-the-dice game every time we play, we really are."
-- McNeal said the 9:30 a.m. start time was not an issue.
"It was a little bit difficult for us because on Hawaii time we're four hours behind," he said. "But that wasn't an excuse; we've been here a couple days now and we've been practicing every morning at this time since we've been here so that wasn't a problem at all. I felt like our energy and everything was there; I just feel like we didn't make enough plays, we didn't sustain the lead and build on the lead, or just come out and play like we needed to play."
-- MU could have its hands full in the semifinals with 6-foot-6 freshman guard James Anderson of Oklahoma State. He scored 25 points in the Cowboys' opening-round victory over LSU, is averaging 23.3 points in three games this season and appears to be the type of long, lean athlete that the Golden Eagles have struggled defending in recent years.
http://blogs.jsonline.com/muhoops/archive/2007/11/19/mu-74-chaminade-63.aspx
I strongly considered giving Ooze the nod over McNeal for Stud of the Game.. but to me, scoring is our primary concern and McNeal delivered the most on that. I was highly impressed with Ooze leading in steals and in rebounds despite not starting (although he contributed 20 minutes on court).. bout time!
Good.