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Rice manhandled SMU inside. It was ugly how many times they dunked on us. And when we played that sorry 1-3-1 zone they went off from 3 like everybody does against us. Hopkins was the only guy who really brought anything today, although Pearson continues to show me something. The next coach has to find an interior presence somehow.

As for the nightcap, Lincoln vs. Seagoville was a great game. It was rough and a little sloppy, but Lincoln won it on a put back in OT. LaMarcus Aldridge was great, but his team didnt feed him the ball enough. Byron Eaton showed some serious range, hitting some 26 to 27 foot bombs, no joke. He also went to the hoop strong.

Turn out the lights at Moody for another season.

I agree with you that Pearson is a player on the rise. He had a sweet 3 seconds after he entered the game, and he had a great rebound-slam. I also liked the fact that he defended hard and planted a couple of Owls in the ground with stiff screens. He is a very strong young man.

I'm not as bothered by the dunks as you were. True, you hate to see them, in part because they boost the other team's confidence. However, two points are two points, whether you squeeze in a weak layup or rip the rim out of the backboard. What I liked was that Harris had 4 easy dunks .... and other than that, he didn't score a single point. Our defense held one of the best players in the league -- if not THE BEST player -- to 8 points. And while the dunks might have been a bit emphatic, you have to weigh that against the fact that we actually defended on the perimeter. When the teams met in Houston, Gillespie lit us up from the three-point line. Not tonight -- 5 points tonight, 1 three-pointer. Dunks look good on SportsCenter, but I'll give you a dunk every time down the floor if you'll give me a three-pointer every time down. Remember Boise State? They were playing H-O-R-S-E from the three-point line a couple of weeks ago.

The guys got out and defended on the perimeter tonight, and because of it, we stayed in the game to the end.

It only got away from SMU towards the end...as you said b/c of inside play. Rice also had some nice inside-out 3 pointers. I turned to my friend and said "they are going to lose" with about 3 minutes left....you can just sense it. The defense got very weak and Rice had a lot of open lanes. I liked the fact that Rice had 2 or 3 times down the floor with shot clock violations...unheard of in Dement's tenure.

Rice was the better team w/ some nice players. I think they might give the top teams some problems if they are on their game. Almond has a really pretty stroke... that kid is talented. Harris is a heavy load.

Rack is worthless, despite what you guys say...after Castro/Simpson leave, what does SMU have inside??

This is a little off the subject. However, before I tuned to another chanel (early) I noticed the Dement kid is still with the team. That must not be easy on him. And I know all the stuff I'll get back about a great free education, etc. However, it still must be tough on a young guy to have to stay with it after your Dad is told to hit the road. In fact, I expect the entire year has been tough on him. He deserves some credit for still being there.

He sure does, as does Mrs. Dement, who's been at the UTEP and Rice games, supporting her son (and teammates), despite the dismissal of her husband. She's to be commended, also.

I was wondering at yesterday's game: if the situation makes it such that Michael Dement decides he doesn't want to play next year (transfers, just finishes his degree without playing .... whatever), that means yesterday would have been his last home game. (Don't misread this: I hope he returns.) But if that's the case, do you think his dad snuck into the building to watch? This has to be a really tough month on the Dement family, and I wish them all well.

Last I heard Michael Dement was a walk-on. No so-called "free" ride there.

Actually, before the game, all I could think about was "would Mike Dement Sr. come to Michael Dement Jr's senior ceremony?"

actually, Dement Jr's "free ride" comes from the fact his father was an employee. Don't employees' children get free tuition? Given that Dement had another year in his contract, I assume Dement Jr will get free tuition next year, too.

The question is whether Dad moves on to another job and Jr follows. As long as SMU is paying both Dad's salary and Jr's tuition, there may not be a lot of motivation to leave right away.

I tell you what - he doesn't get to play much, but I hope that kid sticks around, stays on the team next year and we get a chance to clap for him next year. And if his parents are there, I hope they get the applause they deserve for raising a son who seems to be a fine young man.