Recap: Presbyterian
Dec. 28, 2008 6:56 p.m.
How about those 10 assists by Maurice Acker?
I've got to admit, I was shocked when I saw the number in the final box, especially considering Acker played only 16 minutes. The total was a season high for an MU player, and also four more than Acker's previous collegiate high.
"It can't be easy. I've never done it before," said Wesley Matthews when asked about dishing out 10 assists coming off the bench. "I don't pass that much, either."
Throw in another high with four steals, and Acker's performance was one that should, at the very least, earn him a longer leash from coach Buzz Williams.
"I think the next key over the next 20 games or however many it ends up being is we've got to get to the point where, even if it's just 2-3 minutes at a time, two guys off the bench can play with three starters," he said. "So far all year long, except for toward the end of games, we've had to play with four starters and one sub.
"Mo's definitely gotten to the point where he can do that. The issue is when Mo's at the point, he can't play with Cooby, so now it becomes Mo with Jimmy or Mo with potentially Joe or Chris or Pat."
Acker still won't be able to play huge minutes because his diminutive frame makes him an easy target for teams trying to post him up or get him lost in the shuffle of all the bigger bodies, but Williams believes he can still make an impact defensively.
"He's become more of a pest on defense," Williams said. "His size isn't going to change, obviously. That's how God made him. But how Mo can help himself -- and he's been doing this -- is we can't score a basket and just sprint back in transition and Mo picks up their point guard at the top of the key. The possession's over at that point.
"But when we score and Mo picks him up at the free-throw line at our basket, now all of a sudden he's zig-zagging, 6-7 seconds have come off the shot clock, and the point guard, by the time he's ready to initiate the offense, he wants to give it up. If Mo's just standing there at the top of the key, they're going to drive him straight to the basket."
Acker also provided one of the plays of the game late in the first half, when he tracked down an errant pass by a Presbyterian player on the MU end of the floor, lost his footing but kept his dribble -- ala the Harlem Globetrotters -- and then dished to a cutting Jimmy Butler, who scored on a layup.
-- Another great sequence came midway through the second half, courtesy of Hayward.
First, he hit a three from the top of the key. Then he blocked a three-point attempt by a Presbyterian player, grabbed the ball and threw it ahead. He got down the court, then launched another three, which he missed, but somehow was able to dive on the ball after neither team could grab the rebound and call time out, saving a possession for MU.
Then, directly out of the time out, Hayward scored on a layup and was fouled. And, of course, he knocked down the free throw.
-- Chris Otule and Joe Fulce each returned after not playing against NC State.
Otule had four points, five rebounds and a block in 14 minutes while Fulce had two points, two boards and a block in 12 minutes.
Even still, Williams isn't expecting much more out of them for a while.
"I think Chris and Joe are pitiful," he said. "Joe's played 23 minutes, Chris has played 25 minutes, and you would anticipate they would be pitiful, because that should be the numbers that they have after two games.
"They've had three practices and two games; they've missed 41 practices and 10 games. They're trying to do right. They want to do good. They know that you guys are writing about. 'We need some depth, we need some big guys, we need some rebounding.' They're kids; they know what's going on.
"The thing is, though, they haven't had game reps, they haven't had practice reps. That's why they're flopping around -- they're in a mind tease. They don't know what's going on. But I thought they were much better in their minutes today than they were 8-10 days ago when we played Western Carolina."
-- I had a good vantage point on the technical on Dominic James.
The official warned MU for delay of game after James had trouble getting the ball back to the official after a basket. On his way downcourt, James twice tried telling the official that he couldn't get the ball out of his hands before the official blew his whistle and T'd James up.
This occured about 2 1/2 minutes into the game, with the T coming from the least experienced official on the crew.
-- Jerel McNeal looked about as disinterested as could be against Presbyterian.
He went scoreless in 13 first-half minutes -- possibly a first ever for him; I'll try to look that up -- and in his first 20 minutes on the court before knocking down a jumper in the second half. He finished with nine points and six rebounds in 27 minutes.
"He picked up his second foul at 7:50, and like most really good players, that throws them out of whack, out of rhythm," Williams said. "I don't know that he had a slow start. I didn't know he was scoreless to be honest with you."
-- Walk-on Robert Frozena didn't suit up because of the flu.
-- MU's eight turnovers and 10 fouls were season lows...The 23 assists were one short of tying a season high, established against Western Carolina...MU finished with a plus-24 rebounding margin, 44-20...Presbyterian finished with just two offensive rebounds...Dwight Burke went 4 for 4 from the free-throw line, sparking an 81.3% performance by the Golden Eagles (13 for 16).
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