[Rosiak's Blog] Wrapping up IPFW

[ToddRosiakSays]

Wrapping up IPFW



That's Indiana University Purdue University-Fort Wayne for those who don't know. Perhaps those are the same people who didn't know what IUPUI stood for earlier this season.

Here's what coach Tom Crean had to say in his opening statement:

"It wasn't a game in the first half that was a thing of beauty and I think that IPFW had a lot to do with that. They're 2-0 in their league. Dane (Fife), I think Tom Izzo said it best the other day that Dane 'gets it.' We've always known Dane gets it. We recruited him when he was young and have watched him grow. He's an excellent, excellent coach. I know he's young; I didn't always like being referred to as a young coach so I'm not going to refer to him as one. I think he's a really good coach and he will get his team a lot better. They competed, and they played aggressively to the very end, as did we. We had some spots where we weren't as good, we had a couple of 4-minute segments where we weren't as efficient, but for the most part we played really hard. And that was the main focus for tonight, because our intensity did waver a little bit in the second half on Saturday.

"When we watched the film I thought it was really important that these guys see that because we don't want to have anything average about our performance. We're not always going to play great - I don't think anybody is - but we didn't want to have average intensity, and I don't think we did. I think we played really hard and were able to execute the game plan that we put forth in the second half, which was about ball reversal - getting the ball driven after a couple of passes, attacking and getting it into the middle of the floor and making something happen right away. Our rotation was small; we had eight guys playing there for awhile, but we were playing at a fast pace and I think at a really high intensity level. They've worked really hard coming off of exams, and they deserve a day off, then we'll have a couple days to get ready for Coppin State."

Hitting the boards: Despite his Golden Eagles pulling down a season-high 50 rebounds, Crean was displeased with the fact MU managed 13 on the offensive end - just two more than the Mastodons.

"We weren't as good on the offensive glass. The problem with playing small is you can't think small," said Crean. "Tonight was a night I thought Lazar (Hayward) could have had 12 to 14 rebounds; he just wasn't as efficient going to the offensive glass. And we have to be better. Our 5 spot got us four rebounds with Dwight (Burke) and Ousmane (Barro). That's not good enough. It's not close. So we have to have a gang-rebounding mentality."

Tough sledding: Wesley Matthews' final line in the box score was pretty good: 15 points and nine rebounds without a turnover in 26 minutes.

But it belied the struggles he had getting the ball into the basket early on. He missed his first seven shots, with a number of those either being forces or being swatted away by defenders. To his credit he stayed with it, grabbed four offensive rebounds and never quit playing.

But Matthews just hasn't looked comfortable out there all season. Perhaps a breakout game over the next week or so will help get him back into the groove.

"I think he's playing so hard and gets so much done on both ends," said Crean. "There's a guy that, when we watch the tapes we see a lot of really good things that aren't necessarily going to show up on a box score. Tonight I thought he could have been rewarded with more charges, with more foul shots. But he played very efficient basketball. He attacked, played the entire game without a turnover, which I thought was really good. He was good in the first half but I thought he was much better in the second half because his driving angles were better."

Balanced diet: They needed a couple of late David Cubillan three-pointers to do so, but for the ninth time in nine games the Golden Eagles placed at least four players in double figures in scoring. Dominic James had 17 points, Matthews 15, Hayward 14 and Cubillan 11.

"That's the way we're going to be," Crean said. "If we can look at this team at the end of the year and see a lot of balance in our scoring, we'll be a very good basketball team. We've got different guys that have put up 20-plus in their career; some are starting, some are coming off the bench. Dan (Fitzgerald's) injured. But with the balance and versatility on our team right now that may not be what's needed every night. I'd like some more balance in the rebounding. I'd really like to see somebody jump up and start averaging 8, 8.5, 7.5 (rebounds). I'd like to see that kind of balance."

Out of the doghouse: Lawrence Blackledge helped himself against IPFW not only by being productive when he was on the court - four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 10 minutes - but also by trying to make the most of each opportunity.

Crean, who said he regretted not playing the senior forward more against Sacramento State, indicated he was pleased with the strides he's made this season.

"I gave him the option of going back in with a minute to go," said Crean. "I never want to put a senior that's played good, solid minutes in that game in that situation. But he wanted to play, and I loved to see that. He's making progress, and I think he's going to be a factor for us in the Big East."

Looking ahead: MU hosts Coppin State on Friday, a team that hasn't visited the Bradley Center since 2004. Here's what Crean offered up on the Eagles:

"They've played some interesting games. It went down to the wire with Ohio State. It did not go down to the wire with Xavier and Kent State. There's been some games where they've really been in it, some games where they haven't. I think it's going to be really important - it always is with Coppin State - to establish the tempo and the pace of the game. We'll learn early on how they want to play. Sometimes they're going to come in and cut and jump into the pace, sometimes they're going to play slower.

"That's a game where we're going to want to make a it a little more chaotic defensively. They'll probably get a few baskets out of it, but we don't want to sit in a half-court game for the entire 40 minutes. We're going to try to turn the pace up. They've got some good players. I think this is one of their better-shooting teams. They're a team that gets to the NCAA tournament more often than not, he's an excellent coach and I'm glad we're getting another chance to play them before Christmas."


http://blogs.jsonline.com/muhoops/archive/2007/12/18/wrapping-up-ipfw.aspx