Ricky's Minions ThoughtZ™

[RichZ]

1. Samson started off hot, and ended up leading us in scoring. Bet no one saw that coming.
2. Not sure what Karaban was thinking on Ledlum's 2nd foul shot at 16:18. He was in the lane with both feet before the ball left the shooter's hand.
3. Got ugly when the emotion and energy started to fade around 13 minute mark. 8 point lead turned to 1 in a hurry.
4. There was a ST John's possession late in the first half, where Samson went WAY out -- almost to half court -- to harrass the guy with the ball, and it cost Karaban a foul when he had to race in to try cover the guy Samson should have been covering under the hoop. Needs to play smarter. Especially now that he's 'the man' for the next month or so. But other than that one faux pas, he did play an excellent game, and held his own against a solid, skilled center.
5. Great start to second half.
6. Spencer's three at 14:14 felt like a turning point, but the momentum fell off pretty quickly.
7. Pitino looked sickly to me. Eyes were tearing, face was pale, except for the red nose.
8. I know we need Spencer in there for his shooting, but please don't let him bring the ball across mid court against pressure.
9. 6:14 how was that blocking? Diarra was set before the offensive player left his feet, and it was clearly a charge.
10. We won despite some iffy FT shooting at the end.
11. 15 dimes to 9 was an important part of the game. Offensively, they played a lot more one-on-one and we played more team ball.
12. Somehow we ended up winning the battle of the boards 37 to 34 without our starting big, and with Johnson only getting 4 boards, but Castle and Newton had 16 boards between them.
13. No question in my mind, Samson Johnson deserves to be POG. He was thrust into the fire, and for the most part, didn't get burned.

 

[Palatine]

Somehow we ended up winning the battle of the boards 37 to 34 without our starting big, and with Johnson only getting 4 boards, but Castle and Newton had 16 boards between them.

This. Our ability to keep a very good offensive rebounding St John's off the glass was a great sign. It's nice to have a 6-6 guard next to a 6-5 guard. They were willing to get their noses dirty and it was one of the key reasons we won.

 

[HooperScooper]

Pitino looked sickly to me. Eyes were tearing, face was pale, except for the red nose.

He's looked like that for years now. He looks like a vampire.

 

[ColchVEGAS]

He's looked like that for years now. He looks like a vampire.

I think he is a vampire. He actually looks younger this year, which is most likely due to the new hair dye color, but do not rule out human blood.

 

[NJHusky]

1. 6:14 how was that blocking? Diarra was set before the offensive player left his feet, and it was clearly a charge.

Exactly. He clearly had position. And then Karaban gets a foul shortly after for just holding his position.

Aren’t we allowed to play D?

I wonder if for these borderline tourney teams there is an officiating bias (sub or conscious). Beating us would be the best win for any of those teams and it helps their resume