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Agonizing Loss

citygriz

Well-known member
On the road. Not against the smallish, inexperienced Pitt, but against a big, athletic Big Ten squad shooting for the Big Dance. Down one heading to crunch time, ole 'mo on our side. Time out. Big fish on the line. This would be the trophy victory, not the "small" one a poster derisively snorted here about Pitt. But then....
...we self-destruct. Two travelling violations. Two missed threes. Both ends of a two-shot foul, missed. Lesson learned: The kinds of mistakes you can make in the first half and recover from, you cannot make in crunch time. Two dagger three's from them, game over. Sadly, the final score does not reflect how close this game really was.
No matter. I am extremely high on this team. As were the announcers on the Big Ten Network. As (probably) are an increasing number of A.D.'s with fat checkbooks from Power Five conferences. In the NBA today, the catch word is "culture." Do players pass the ball, play defense, and work together with a bigger sense of teamwork and for the greater good of the team? Montana does. Their defensive schemes and intensity are a thing of beauty. Rorie and Oguine are emerging as a top-flight backcourt, even against teams in the ACC and Big Ten. This team hustles, scraps, claws back. I love 'em. So much fun to watch.
Some random observations.
--This was the type of game where we really missed Dorsey. His size, athleticism and shooting ability might have tipped this game our way, certainly would have evened up the odds against a bigger team.
--Moorehead: Sort of disappeared on offense. I say this because I think he and Rorie are our most consistent threats from deep. Several times I thought Moorehead had a chance to let fly, but didn't. Reminiscent of last year, when he seemed hesitant. I wish he'd be a bit more aggressive in looking for his shot.
--Timmy Falls. The minute I saw him play, I said, "This kid has game." Yet I wish we were in a position to give him a redshirt year to bulk up. Last night he travelled once in crunch time, and got away with another travel. The college game will slow down for him, but it hasn't yet. Not at the level of a Penn State.
--Ditto Karl Nicholas. But given our lack of size on the front line, we definitely need him. With the experience he'll get this pre-season, he should be pretty good by conference. He will eventually be an impact player for us, but it takes time. This is not high school ball.
--Shooting. Nuff said. On the entire team, I only have confidence in one player to make free throws in crunch time--Rorie. I don't know how you improve shooting, except, like golf, to find a stroke, then perfect it through repetition. If Nikko Bevans is an answer, it's clear they're going to work him in slowly. Meantime, we're doomed to give up a lot of points on free throws and three's. This is the major thing to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
 
There were a couple of times Timmy had a 3 and didn't shoot. One led to a travel, and the other a missed 3 from someone else I believe. Take it son! He will get the confidence to do so as the year goes, and I think he will end up being our most consistent threat from deep.
 
I'd add that I believe Sayeed Pridgett is very close to another plateau. The game is slowing down for him. He's got the ability to score in the mid-to-high paint area and when that happens, it'll open things up even more for Montana's offensive attack.
 
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