Just a good, oldfashioned BE defensive battle. No easy looks from outside. If you were going to the basket inside you'ld better duck your head. Only unchallenged dunks and layups on breakaways. Games like this remind me why I don't like the Nba.
- Rutgers defense was very strong. Ours too. We held them to 12 second half points in the first 17 minutes until they got uncorked from three during desperation time. Still held them to only 25 second half points. You'll win a lot of games that way.
- Many of our guns had sub par games - MalikII, Prez, Hilton - but as Hollywood said in the postgame; "we were very fortunate to win".
- Speaking of Hollywood and the postgame; We all know his reputation as a recruiter and not an x's and o's guy but he was sounding like a doctorate holding basketball professor as he was explaining the intracacies of plays, setups, options and various defenses to the media. They should have given him a white board and a pointer.
- MalikIII provided a much needed spark in his minutes. The guy next to me kept saying "What's he doing in the game", "he can't shoot", "he stinks" etc., etc. but he kept making plays and we extended the lead out with him in there. Even the naysayer sitting to my left had to acknowledge his spark.
- My favorite plays were the #1 top ten sportscenter play and Hilton getting fouled while driving and just tossing it up, as your tought to do, without even seeing the basket and having it drop for the oldfashioned 3 point play.
- Our FT shooting seemed worse than it was. We shot 65%. Same as Rutgers but Ed Hardy's 4 for 8 made it feel like worse. How he could go 4 for 8 from the line with that wonderful stroke remains a mystery.
- The JB2 broken thumb was obviously Ok as he finished several times with the left hand including the game winner. Perhaps he'll supplant D-buckets as the new end of game 1st option?
- The student sections behind both baskets were great. We're starting to look like a real college basketball program at home games. What was the jungle getting into it with the RU bench about during that second half timeout when they came out with the A-hole chant?
- I would like to extend a Hardy "Thank you" to the zebras, without whose home cooking this much needed victory would not have been possible. 23 fouls on them only 11 on us. 31 foul shots for us only 14 for them. Several fouls called on RU in the second half looked like they were for breathing on our players. If I was Rutgers, I'd be furious.
- Felt like there were about 20 second half timeouts and stoppages sucking the excitement out of what turned out to be yet another exciting finish and all in all a pretty good basketball game. .
Can't wait for the Ucan't game. GO ST. JOHNS!