February 21, 2008...4:06 am
Commentary Unedited: Are the Coyote men Domebabies 2.0?
This is the full version of the Men’s Basketball Commentary that I wrote for the 2/20 issue of The Volante. I decided to put this up on the sports blog because it is a little more fleshed out than the one that ran. Some of my full points were cut due to space restraints in the paper. I have no problem with what was cut, but I think the full one deserves to be out there for anyone who wishes to read it.
I hope you all enjoy it.
Drew Quandt | Online Editor
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Four-And-Four in the North Central Conference. The USD men’s basketball team has four losses in the NCC. I can remember when people were talking about whether or not this team would have four losses all season.
Then came a week that I’m sure Boots & Co. would love to forget. I’ll bet they’re overjoyed that their next opponent is coming to the Dome.
So I guess the question all of you readers are waiting for me to answer is this: are these the Dome Babies version 2.0?
Hold on a minute; don’t write them off just yet. This isn’t like the Coyote football team earlier this year. They had a myriad of problems throughout the year, both in the Dome and far away from it. No, the Coyote men have not been an average team playing fantastic opponents, they’ve been a fantastic team playing down to their average opponents’ levels. This is a fluke, not a trend.
I still know that this men’s basketball team is a national title contender. Why? USD was the better team in all 3 of last week’s road losses. The Coyotes had the edge in the departments of talent, depth and experience. The problem for USD is they hit a slump at the worst possible time.
Against Nebraska-Omaha, the Mavericks scored 40 points in the paint. Please, don’t think about this next statement too much: UNO put up more than half of their points in the paint against Tyler Cain and Steve Smith. Cain alone averages 4.5 blocked shots per game. Smith is nearly a seven-footer with a solid defensive game. Nebraska-Omaha went on to win by double digits. Try and tell me with a straight face that USD’s opponents will score half of their points in the paint for the rest of the season. That just won’t happen again.
Then, the Coyotes traveled to MSU-Mankato to take on another Maverick team. Those Mavericks, who were dominated in the DakotaDome just under two weeks prior, came out at home and decided to control the pace and be physical with the Coyotes. There was no question that USD had a chance to win, even in the final seconds. However, the Mankato crowd was completely into the game and, despite USD’s best efforts, they just couldn’t get past a good team in a tough place to play. Everyone here saw how Mankato performed away from their home court. Their performance at home was fueled by revenge. MSU-Mankato won’t have a full tank for the next match-up.
Staying in Minnesota, the Coyotes took on St. Cloud State, and Eric Hall played the game of his life. Too bad the rest of the team didn’t help him out. Hall can be in the twenties every game, but if other players on the team aren’t putting up their regular numbers (Grimsley, Cain and Begeman) forget about a victory anywhere outside of the dome. Do you think USD will have another game where Grimsley is in single-digits for points, Begeman is not hitting anything from behind the arc, and Cain isn’t blocking shots and stealing the ball? Not likely.
Let’s get everything sorted out right now: The USD Coyote men’s team is still a national title contender, who hit their worst slump of the season over the course of a week. That week just happened to be their most difficult road stretch of games all season. This team has way too much experience and talent to fall out of the playoffs, or to continue playing this poorly.
Stop with the gloom and doom. USD won’t host the regional or conference tournaments, but the Coyotes will be a contender and still have a great opportunity to win one or both.
In other words: Don’t put them in the crib just yet.
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