Had a blast at the game. My unsolicited observations:
1. Dusty coached his ass off. Mixing up defenses, catching them off guard. Kept his players focused defensively when they couldn’t buy a bucket in the 2nd half. That stretch of defense kept them close enough to strike when the offense caught up.
He also changed their approach when they were struggling. The team was falling in love with the 3, and they weren’t especially great looks. Out of a TV time out they made a very conscious effort to attack, and it worked.
2. Wolf is a unicorn with his ball handling ability at that size. But damn does he miss a lot of layups. I also found it curious that he was in the game at the end. He’s easily one of our worst FT shooters. Put Cheddar in his spot who is a significantly better FT shooter and is poised enough to handle pressure long enough to draw a foul.
3. The move to Jones in the starting lineup was a solid decision. He just makes plays. Everyone will remember the put back dunk (which was amazing), but he also got the tie up that gave us possession late with a 3 pt lead. He handled the role as secondary ball handler well enough when Tre was off the court.
4. I said it in a game thread a few weeks back and caught some flack for it - but Vlad is definitely a guy that exaggerates contact on the floor. And I love the fouls he has drawn as a result. This is not a knock on him, but he’s definitely got that part down.
5. Crisler was so awesome. I went to PSU a few weeks ago and it was quiet as hell until the last 2-3 min. This game was wild and the crowd was LOUD from the jump. It was a true home advantage, just wish we saw it more. The guys fed off the energy and the crowd got involved at every chance.
6. I don’t get to watch this team as often as some of you, so I’m not as deeply in tune. Wish I could, but this season it’s been truly odd how often random conflicts occur during UM games. But my takeaway is this team fought as hard as any game this season and showed some real resiliency and focus. That carries very well into March.
1. Dusty coached his ass off. Mixing up defenses, catching them off guard. Kept his players focused defensively when they couldn’t buy a bucket in the 2nd half. That stretch of defense kept them close enough to strike when the offense caught up.
He also changed their approach when they were struggling. The team was falling in love with the 3, and they weren’t especially great looks. Out of a TV time out they made a very conscious effort to attack, and it worked.
2. Wolf is a unicorn with his ball handling ability at that size. But damn does he miss a lot of layups. I also found it curious that he was in the game at the end. He’s easily one of our worst FT shooters. Put Cheddar in his spot who is a significantly better FT shooter and is poised enough to handle pressure long enough to draw a foul.
3. The move to Jones in the starting lineup was a solid decision. He just makes plays. Everyone will remember the put back dunk (which was amazing), but he also got the tie up that gave us possession late with a 3 pt lead. He handled the role as secondary ball handler well enough when Tre was off the court.
4. I said it in a game thread a few weeks back and caught some flack for it - but Vlad is definitely a guy that exaggerates contact on the floor. And I love the fouls he has drawn as a result. This is not a knock on him, but he’s definitely got that part down.
5. Crisler was so awesome. I went to PSU a few weeks ago and it was quiet as hell until the last 2-3 min. This game was wild and the crowd was LOUD from the jump. It was a true home advantage, just wish we saw it more. The guys fed off the energy and the crowd got involved at every chance.
6. I don’t get to watch this team as often as some of you, so I’m not as deeply in tune. Wish I could, but this season it’s been truly odd how often random conflicts occur during UM games. But my takeaway is this team fought as hard as any game this season and showed some real resiliency and focus. That carries very well into March.
