Wrapping up Savannah StateClearly the biggest thing to come out of this one was the return of Dan Fitzgerald and David Cubillan from injury.
Aside from one shaky stretch in the second half, Fitzgerald looked like he hadn't missed any time. He shot the ball with confidence, rebounded decently and even tied a collegiate high with four steals.
I don't think his presence can be overstated enough. Sure, he might not be the most physical guy in the lane or on the boards, but opponents must respect him on the other end whenever he's on the court. That spacing is huge for guys like Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews, who do their best work driving and slashing.
Cubillan, who looks further away from 100 percent than Fitzgerald, is also a key component. Clearly his shooting, like Fitzgerald's, is top-notch. But the energy, toughness and tenacity he brings can't ever be underestimated, either. His teammates seem to feed off him when he's playing at his best, and the Golden Eagles are going to need all he can provide and more beginning Thursday with Providence.
"That's just another plus, with Dan coming back and with 'Cooby' also," said Lazar Hayward. "It just gives us more threats and makes it harder to play a team like us. I think if we all just go out there, play hard and do what we're capable of, we'll be all right."
Speaking of Providence: MU split with the Friars last season, but who can forget the drubbing they laid on the Golden Eagles in the teams' opener at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence?
The guy who did the most damage down low, Herbert Hill, is now in the NBA, but Geoff McDermott - who has to be the best passing big man in college hoops - returns, as does Randall Henke, who put up 23 and 15 against MU two seasons ago before redshirting.
"I think they can put a lot of points on the board," said coach Tom Crean. "They had 101 points against Florida State. They're playing quicker, they're shooting the ball extremely well. Geoff McDermott is one of the hardest matchups in all of college basketball because of how skilled he is at the 4 position. They're a deep team. Deep and talented."
On the perimeter, the Friars have one of the league's most underrated players in Weyinmi Efejuku, as well as Manhattan transfer Jeff Xavier. There has been some talk of Providence possibly shutting down point guard Sharaud Curry for the season as he deals with a stress fracture in his foot, but MU will prepare as though he'll play.
When's the last time?: Two things happened against Savannah State you won't see too often:
Wesley Matthews going 1 for 6 from the free-throw line, and walk-ons Tommy Brice and Robert Frozena each scoring two points.
Bet on Matthews improving on his outing, and on neither walk-on playing again for quite some time with Big East play starting. They can't complain, though; they've played in four straight games and Brice in five of the last six. That hadn't happened in my previous five seasons on the beat.
Had freshman Pat Hazel been able to knock down the front end of a 1-and-1 late in the game, every MU player also would have scored in the game. That doesn't happen very often, either.
Still rolling: The Savannah State game was the one I was especially interested in seeing. Certainly not for the Tigers, but to see how the Golden Eagles would respond to an eight-day holiday layoff.
As it turns out they played about as well as could have been expected, beating the Tigers by 40 even with Crean shuffling players in and out at a fast rate for much of the afternoon. Were it not for a rough 10-minute patch in the second half, MU might very well have won by more than 50.
All told, MU has won its last five home games by an average of 35.4 points. That's impressive, no matter the opponent, and a sign the Golden Eagles are maturing and finally learning how to put opponents away by steadily applying pressure.
Down low: Hayward just keeps getting it done. He had 12 points and eight rebounds in just 19 minutes, again turning in the most consistent performance among MU's big men.
Going the other way is Dwight Burke, who had two points and five rebounds in 12 minutes. He was again the last big man off the bench - not counting Hazel - and doesn't appear to be any closer to getting his starting job back up front.
Speaking of which, after going with Lawerence Blackledge against Coppin State last week, Crean gave Ousmane Barro his first start of the season against Savannah State. He responded with two points and five rebounds in 16 minutes.
Pulling no punches: While Michael Flowers' three-pointer and game-saving defensive play gave the Wisconsin Badgers a huge victory against the Texas Longhorns down in Austin, it also indirectly helped MU.
The Golden Eagles, who beat the Badgers earlier this month in Madison, got a boost in the ever-important Ratings Percentage Index when UW won.
"I don't find myself rooting for Wisconsin a lot, but I do now since we've got that win because it only helps the RPI," he said. "That was a big win. I did not see the end of it. That's big. That's a signature win. It's good for the state, and it's good for our RPI."
http://blogs.jsonline.com/muhoops/archive/2007/12/29/wrapping-up-savannah-state.aspx
