Wrapping up South FloridaThe scene after MU's 62-54 victory over South Florida on Tuesday night was interesting.
While his teammates and eventually coach Tom Crean made their way into the press room for post-game interviews, Dominic James was out on Al McGuire Court at the Bradley Center, hoisting up free throws with a manager rebounding while workers tore down the surrounding set-up.
James had just played probably the worst game of his three seasons at MU, scoring three points on 1-for-7 shooting from the field and 1-for-6 shooting from the free-throw line. He was also benched for a good portion of the first half by coach Tom Crean, and again to open the second half as Crean went with Maurice Acker at the point.
When asked about it afterward, Crean didn't mince words.
I'm not focused on any of that, he said. I'm focused on what it takes to win that game, and playing momentum. Sometimes it's just not people's nights, you know? And when you don't have depth there's not a lot you can do about it. When you do, you do something. I thought he did a nice job defensively. But I'm not really worried about all that. We needed to win the game. That's the focus.
Jerel McNeal also opened the second half on the bench next to James, and while that might have had something to do with his three first-half fouls, it probably also had something to do with the fact he was again out of sorts offensively. He was 2 for 6 in 14 first-half minutes, and scored just four points.
It wasn't his finest hour with us," said Crean of McNeal. We're not a good team when the ball stops. We're a good team when the ball moves. Energy is so crucial. When you get in a game the assistant's job is make sure that this guy is ready to go and that guy is ready to go, and my job is to read momentum.
Whatever I can do to help us win. Take the games as personal as I possibly can from the coaching point of view. Sometimes you're going to win, sometimes you're not. Bottom line is we just needed to go tonight with what was working.
-- MU was out-rebounded for the seventh consecutive game, the first time that's ever happened in Crean's nine-year tenure at MU.
South Florida, behind 15 boards by Kentrell Gransberry, won the battle, 39-32.
Well, we didn't win it, did we? So I wouldn't assess it real high, Crean said when asked about the final margin. But we're battling. We'll just move forward.
-- Speaking of Gransberry, MU did a decent job on the 6-foot-9, 270-pounder. He scored 15 points but took just six shots, and eventually fouled out in the game's closing minutes.
He's so hard to guard, Crean said. "He caught us a couple times when we got in front. The first and purest form of post defense is your ball pressure, and it's not good when they throw it over the top and lob it in towards the basket. You can't get caught standing behind. What he does so well is post the middle of the lane. He's good on the blocks and wants to turn baseline and things like that, but when he gets in the middle it's almost like you've got to play it like a high-low and pinch inside.
They did an excellent job at times of spacing us out because they knew we were going to rotate down to the post.
-- Crean is now 8-0 all-time against South Florida.
-- Lawrence Trend Blackledge returned to the lineup after a one-game hiatus and had two blocked shots and a rebound in seven minutes.
-- Crean started Dwight Burke at center, and he and Ousmane Barro combined for seven points and eight rebounds in 37 minutes. Not great numbers, but certainly better than the last few games. Dan Fitzgerald, who'd started the previous two games at center, came off the bench and again struggled, scoring just two points and grabbing one board in 10 minutes.
-- Crean offered up an early look at Cincinnati (9-11, 4-4), which hosts the Golden Eagles at 11 a.m. Saturday.
It's another game with a 20-points-a-game guy in Deonta Vaughn. He can score in a lot of different ways, he said. "They'll play small lineups, they'll play big lineups - they're just finding a way. And they're very, very tough. I haven't seen as much of them as I will 24 hours from now, but they're a very, very tough-minded team when I've watched them. Very tough-minded. And it'll be very hard to win in there. We've got to have the right mental approach going in.
Can't wait. Wish it was tomorrow, to be honest with you.
http://blogs.jsonline.com/muhoops/archive/2008/01/30/wrapping-up-south-florida.aspx
