Wrapping up PittsburghAn interesting day, to say the least.
First, Trevor Mbakwe chooses not to redshirt, then MU goes out and whips up on a pretty good Pittsburgh team on national TV.
As far as the Mbakwe situation, I asked the freshman forward to break down the timeline and decision-making process after the game. Here's what he said:
"I knew I was going to come back, but we didn't predict it until the St. John's game next week," said Mbakwe. "This was earlier than we decided. I had worked out with the physical therapist and the doctor on Wednesday, Thursday I practiced with the team for the first time and then Thursday night (the doctor) told me he'd clear me to play, that everything was good and he didn't have a problem with me playing."
From there, he informed coach Tom Crean of his decision to play despite having already missed two-thirds of the season.
"Me and Coach had always talked about me coming back, so coach knew about it," he said. "He was happy. He knew the importance of the decision, me possibly losing a year, but he didn't give me a time table.
"Middle of February was when we were always thinking about me coming back, and if it got any later than that there wouldn't have been any point in me coming back so late in the season. But he was happy, I was happy, my family was happy, the team was happy."
Said Crean: "The only thing that I was against was if this got to March. I think Trevor understood that as well. He is ahead of schedule. He has healed very well. This was something that he wanted; it was a carrot out in front of him for a long time and I co-signed it. We're proud to have him and I think he's going to impact our team."
Mbakwe got his first taste of Al McGuire Court with 3 minutes 34 seconds remaining in the first half. He entered wearing a bulky knee brace and to a nice ovation, and wound up playing two minutes. All told he played eight minutes, missing the only shot he attempted, and didn't grab a rebound.
He didn't look totally comfortable out there, needing to be lined up a few times, but proved to be a willing screen setter.
"It felt great. The atmosphere, when the crowd started cheering when I came in I got the little butterflies," he said. "A big game, I was just happy to be back and no better time than versus Pittsburgh on national TV, the only game on. It was a great moment."
As far as expectations, Mbakwe said his are pretty simple at this point.
"I got the first-game jitters out of the way, so hopefully I'll be able to put some stats up next game and not just a bunch of zeroes all the way across," he said with a laugh. "Just play good and get in the rotation."
-- I spoke to a Big East official on Friday who said the league office reviewed the play from Tuesday's game where Seton Hall guard Jamar Nutter elbowed Dominic James in the throat.
That play, which wound up netting Nutter a flagrant foul and ejection, will not result in Nutter receiving any more discipline in the form of a suspension because the situation did not result from or in a fight.
The official also said Nutter's prior flagrant on James in the teams' first meeting was also factored in when discussing the Pirates guard's case, but that there was really no precedent for a suspension.
Nutter, and presumably Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez, were addressed regarding the matter privately by the league following the review.
-- Plenty was made afterward of Ousmane Barro's 14 points and 12 rebounds against Pittsburgh, and rightfully so.
But what really struck me was the defense he played on Panthers widebody DeJuan Blair. Barro rendered the productive freshman - and the Big East's third-leading rebounder - almost an afterthought with six points and five rebounds in 23 minutes.
It continued a string of strong defensive performances by Barro that began at Notre Dame last Saturday, when he fought Luke Harangody for much of the game, and then another at Seton Hall in which he fared well against the Pirates' three-headed monster.
-- With Barro playing so well and Mbakwe back, someone's minutes are going to have to take a hit. Apparently that someone is Dwight Burke, who played just three minutes against Pittsburgh after getting just two at Seton Hall.
-- After playing just two minutes at Seton Hall himself, Maurice Acker responded with a solid five-minute stint against Pittsburgh. He had a couple impressive strips that led to fast breaks - important for the 5-7 sophomore because defense is his biggest challenge at this point - to go along with four points.
-- Wesley Matthews played just 17 minutes. Part of that was David Cubillan's 13-point outing in 23 minutes, but it's the fewest Matthews has seen the court since he played only nine minutes in a loss at Villanova his freshman year.
-- Sophomore foward Lazar Hayward picked up a couple of early fouls and never really got back into the groove. He finished with just five points and three rebounds in 20 minutes.
-- Usual MU killer Ronald Ramon was a non-factor this time, going 1 for 7 from the floor and finishing with just four points despite playing 39 minutes.
Combine that was Levance Fields' 1 for 7 performance (although he gets a break because it was his first game back from foot surgery) and that's 2 for 14 out of two guys that have had field days in the past against the Golden Eagles.
http://blogs.jsonline.com/muhoops/archive/2008/02/16/wrapping-up-pittsburgh.aspx
