SMU 71, TCU 65 = Good lookin' score
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 9:31 amWent to the game and from what I watched against Alabama St. and Wednesday against the arch rivals was vastly different. I guess I missed the note that the team got to work out in Crum for the first time on Tuesday. Cool.
It's always great when you beat your Rival.
Some observations:
1. Derrick Roberts played the best game I've seen from him in 2 years. His leadership was huge, especially with calling the TO on the floor with about 54 seconds to play and of course, the 14-footer with 19 seconds. You could see he played with confidence.
2. Papa Dia continues to grow. Moves around the basket will get better. And he can hit that 12-14 footer. As he matures, he will be a tough matchup.
3. Killen was big with drives to the lanes with those layups. But his ballhandling is still yikes. Still, you can't argue with 6 assists, 1 turnover.
4. Alex Malone is instant offense, but his defense is going to be an issue this year.
5. Great turnout by the students. They were loud and sounded respectful. And a good turnout for us. I don't know if 3,219 is accurate. But it was between 2,500-3,000. When Moody gets loud, it's a difficult place to play in for opponents.
6. I understand why Ritter starts. He sets a tone as an enforcer. You don't need him to score, but his toughness is an important element on the floor. That's what we need. Now, if he can stop getting suspended. I wasn't a fan of Doherty doing that, but this game showed me why. 6 points. Whoa.
7. I think the win in San Antonio really kickstarted this team and why they were able to respond Wednesday. They battled back.
8. Mike Walker. Well, what can I say. Shooting wasn't great (0-6) but I still don't expect him to be a regular point scorer. Floor game was pretty solid. And his two points (2 FTS with 18 seconds to play) were the biggest two of the night.
9. I didn't like how we milked the clock with a 10-point lead with 4-5 minutes to play. The concept is good but I thought the ball was too far away from the goal when we were trying to start something, and we usually came up with nothing. Two shot clock violations. Not very good looks. I think if you start your play with 10 instead of 6, you give yourself a better chance at a put back. The only play I remember working was the pick-and-roll to Ritter.
10. Bamba Fall better in the second half. Still needs to be tougher. I think that will always be an issue with him.
11. Heck, we got the State Farm DFW Trophy out of it. Now, get to .500 Sunday against Houston Baptist and take care of Finals and be eligible for the spring semester.
Again, the Ws and Ls are not the big thing for me. But this group does look better and once they learn to play together, they will be interesting. I think that's another year or two down the road.
Nice to beat the Frogs!!
It's always great when you beat your Rival.
Some observations:
1. Derrick Roberts played the best game I've seen from him in 2 years. His leadership was huge, especially with calling the TO on the floor with about 54 seconds to play and of course, the 14-footer with 19 seconds. You could see he played with confidence.
2. Papa Dia continues to grow. Moves around the basket will get better. And he can hit that 12-14 footer. As he matures, he will be a tough matchup.
3. Killen was big with drives to the lanes with those layups. But his ballhandling is still yikes. Still, you can't argue with 6 assists, 1 turnover.
4. Alex Malone is instant offense, but his defense is going to be an issue this year.
5. Great turnout by the students. They were loud and sounded respectful. And a good turnout for us. I don't know if 3,219 is accurate. But it was between 2,500-3,000. When Moody gets loud, it's a difficult place to play in for opponents.
6. I understand why Ritter starts. He sets a tone as an enforcer. You don't need him to score, but his toughness is an important element on the floor. That's what we need. Now, if he can stop getting suspended. I wasn't a fan of Doherty doing that, but this game showed me why. 6 points. Whoa.
7. I think the win in San Antonio really kickstarted this team and why they were able to respond Wednesday. They battled back.
8. Mike Walker. Well, what can I say. Shooting wasn't great (0-6) but I still don't expect him to be a regular point scorer. Floor game was pretty solid. And his two points (2 FTS with 18 seconds to play) were the biggest two of the night.
9. I didn't like how we milked the clock with a 10-point lead with 4-5 minutes to play. The concept is good but I thought the ball was too far away from the goal when we were trying to start something, and we usually came up with nothing. Two shot clock violations. Not very good looks. I think if you start your play with 10 instead of 6, you give yourself a better chance at a put back. The only play I remember working was the pick-and-roll to Ritter.
10. Bamba Fall better in the second half. Still needs to be tougher. I think that will always be an issue with him.
11. Heck, we got the State Farm DFW Trophy out of it. Now, get to .500 Sunday against Houston Baptist and take care of Finals and be eligible for the spring semester.
Again, the Ws and Ls are not the big thing for me. But this group does look better and once they learn to play together, they will be interesting. I think that's another year or two down the road.
Nice to beat the Frogs!!