At the under-12 timeout, I had a strange feeling of Deja-Vu. Not because the people behind me were once again pissed at my propensity to stand up during the game -- seriously, who do I think I am, a fan? -- but because the game looked, superficially, a lot like the Hawaii game. The Jays come out firing, grab a big lead, only to relinquish it as a sharpshooter knocks down open three's all over the court. And just like in Hawaii, once the opponent got the lead, it grew until the Jays were buried.
Blake Ahearn, who has to be about 35 by now (how long HAS that guy been at Missouri State? Hell, he had to have used up his eligibility when they were still named SMS. I think Steve Alford signed him before he left for Iowa.) was torching the Jays much-maligned perimeter defense. Ahearn is a guy who, when open, never, ever misses. He doesn't create his own shot, he can't get open looks for his teammates, but my God, can he knock down an open look. He never even draws iron. All net. So you cannot lose him on defense...yet time after time, I'd look out on the court, and he'd be standing all by himself on the wing, six feet from the nearest defender. Eventually, he'd get the pass and a Jays defender would come flying in after the shot was released. It was frustrating to watch.
He had 21 points at the 12 minute mark. At the end of the game, he still had 21 points. A box-and-one face guard technique kept him from even catching the ball, much less shooting it, over the final twelve minutes. Despite this, the lead grew to 70-59, and as ESPN2's national TV audience went to commercial, the game was for all intents and purposes, over. Creighton was about to drop to 6-5 on the season, 0-1 in the Valley, and their season was in big, big trouble.
Coming out of the timeout, a clip from Rocky II played on the video board. Specifically, Adrian on her deathbed, imploring Rocky to "win", followed by Mickey saying in his gravelling Mickey voice, "Win!", followed by the training montage. You remember the training montage from Rocky II -- the one where Rocky swings an axe at random rusty twelve-inch pipes at the junkyard? You bet. That's good stuff. And that's the synopsis of this game -- the Jays didn't give up, they came back...and they won.
Win.
Down by 11, the old man who tried to keep me down with jabs about standing up, along with his family, left. This guy was clearly bad luck, because as soon as his no-fun group left, the Jays started to come back. Tolliver began the final four with a ferocious blocked shot that told ESPN2's audience it was time for a comeback.
Nate Funk and Tolliver scored 13 points in the next 3 minutes as part of a 16-1 run that not only brought them back, but gave them the lead. Dane Watts' three with 58 seconds left put the Jays up 72-71
Up 72-71, Missouri State had the ball, and Nathan Bilyeu drove to the hole, only to find Tolliver in his way. He altered the shot, and Tolliver muscled down a MAN rebound. There's regular rebounds, and then there's MAN rebounds. Going up amidst two opponents, elbows flying, and grabbing a tough rebound to seal a game? That's a MAN rebound.
Tolliver hit one of two free throws, missing the second. The much-bashed Pierce Hibma tipped the ball out to Funk, keeping Missouri State from having the ball with a chance to tie. Funk was fouled, hit both shots, and then a Missouri State 3 cut it to a 75-74 lead, but it was too late, and the Jays held on for a 3-point win.
A 77-74 win that was one of the most stirring comeback's I've ever seen in person, and a national TV audience was witness to it. Good stuff.
***
I'm not sure why the Qwest Center sounds so quiet on TV. Watching tape of the ESPN2 broadcast, the place sounded like a morgue, even in the last four minutes when it was absolute bonkers in person. Meanwhile, places like Koch Arena in Wichita and SIU Arena in Carbondale drown out the announcers.
It has to be an acoustic thing, because some arenas just do not come across well on TV. Williams Arena in Minneapolis is insane in person, but on TV it sounds like a funeral parlor. Meanwhile, Assembly Hall in Champaign is just as loud on TV as it is in person.
NBA arenas which are built similar the Qwest Center, suffer from this same phenomenon. Have you ever seen an NBA game on TV and thought, man, the crowd is quiet there? I think the TV mics just don't pick up the true ambiance of arenas that big.
This isn't to say the Qwest Center is crazy loud every game. Its not. More times than not, its quieter than it should be. But Saturday, when it was as loud as its ever been (and I've been to all but 3 CU games in its history, so I know), and it still comes across quiet on TV? Yeah, that's strange.
Dave Revsine and Doug Gottlieb, calling the game for ESPN2, commented on the noise numerous times. At the 2:30 mark in the second half, this exchange took place:
Revsine: "Boy, it is really loud in here right now!"
Gottlieb: "Impressive!"
Why that doesn't come across on TV, I don't know.
***
A game of runs. The Jays had a 15-2 run in the first half. Missouri State had a 14-0 run in the second half. Crazy.
***
Time for the Heee-Haw Player Of The Game. And today, it would be easy to give it to Nate Funk OR Anthony Tolliver. I can't decide between them, so I pick 'em both.
Nate Funk had 23 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists against just 1 turnover, 7-13 from the field and 7-8 on free throws in 37 minutes.
Anthony Tolliver had 20 points, 6 boards, 10-13 on free throws in 35 minutes. Yeah, how do you decide that? You don't.
So congrats to you both. I raise a special New Years Stein of Heee-Haw to you!
You bet.
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