Nice to close the season with a win! Let's all hug the win! BC is a team that we could have blown away...but we didn't. Our team still mystifies me--they show signs of being a really good team, and then they have stretches where they just fall apart. Yes, every team has that, but when this team "goes bad," they really have a tough time breaking out of it. Kudos to the team and coaches for pulling this win out. I hope this will propel them to a few wins in the tournament and some hope for next year.
Here are some random thoughts:
-USHER! Talk about going out with a bang. 30 points? 8 rebounds? 5 assists? WOW! He was everywhere and driving to the basket with both authority and control. Makes me wonder what our season would have looked like if he were offensive option #1.
-BC has some decent big men, but Howard kinda disappeared in this one. 2 points and 3 rebounds is not going to cut it. He has been so much better lately about cutting to the rim after he passes it, but it just wasn't there today. Personally, I think we should run more plays to establish him in the post. Or, run the pick and roll with him. He's gotten so much better around the basket. We need those easy ones.
-Mile Kelly might have been the difference in the game. With no Tristen to go off on 3-pointers, we needed somebody else to make up the difference and beat BC. As shown by
@lv20gt above, Kelly's shot has gotten much better throughout the year. I loved his aggressiveness on offense and defense. He can slash and he can shoot. He and Deebo and JMoore make a solid core to grow with.
-We have a knack at turning double-digit leads into deficits.
The bonehead TOs and the lapses in defensive intensity kill us. I don't know how to make it happen, but if we could play with defensive intensity for 40 minutes, we would win A LOT of games. (I guess every team could say that, but our defensive potential even without a rim protector is really high because of our amoeba zones)
So proud of the seniors and all they have given to the program. Thankful they could go out with a win. Go Jackets!