2006-07 Game Recaps: December 2006 Archives

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.

Mele kalikisucka.

Mr. Lojeski, you have ruined my Christmas. I hope that you are happy with yourself. Your 33 points on 12-15 shooting (5-6 from beyond the arc) were like somebody taking a dump under my tree.

Bah humbug.

"Hate is a strong word, but I really, really, really don't like you."

-Plain White T's, 'Hate (I Really Don't Like You)

I'd like to dedicate that song from the Plain White T's to Tom Penders, the head coach of the Houston Cougars. I don't hate the guy, but I really, really, really don't like him. And the same thing for his players. All of them.

This started last February when, during the media's frenzy to figure out how the Missouri Valley had cheated the system, Penders opened up to the Washington Post. Among his thoughts:

Reports of Nate Funk's demise have been greatly exaggerated. He'd been 20-64 from the field in the last five games, and just 3-26 from behind the arc. And he had just two points -- on two free-throws -- in the first half of last night's first-round contest in Hawaii. But in the second half, holy baloney, he lit it up. 20 points on 8-11 shooting, including 4-5 from behind the arc. His last shot was from Korver range, 30 feet out as the shot clock was set to expire.

Its amazing what good shooting does for a team. Creighton suddenly plays well, and beats Valparaiso by 25. They played with intensity of both ends of the floor, disrupting and contesting almost every Valpo shot attempt while knocking down open looks on their own end. At the final horn, Creighton had shot over 50% from the field for the first time all year.

The 13-2 to start the second half was the best stretch of play they've put together all year. Valpo didn't know what hit them -- and before the under-16 timeout, a 7 point halftime lead had swelled to 18. From there, Valpo made a run or two, but was never closer than 13 the rest of the way and ultimately fell 68-43.

Discouraging.

That's just about the only word I can think of to describe what transpired out in Fresno on Saturday night. Discouraging. The energy, the effort, all of the progress showed the previous weekend against Xavier, gone. What's the deal, guys?

Late west coast games are supposed to be awesome. I'm a night owl and I pine for the days when my Minnesota Twins played in the AL West and had a chunk of their schedule in the Pacific time zone, with games starting at 9pm. That one lone west coast road trip they now make every year is cause for celebration, as I actually get to see games live (otherwise I have to TiVo them and watch on delay -- when you're out livin' life, 7pm starts are just damn inconvenient).

I remember one time a couple of years ago, I got home from the bar just after 1am, turned on the TV, and they were still playing in extra innings. That's what I'm talking about! While I ate my Taco Bell, I sat at the peninsula in my kitchen and watched live baseball. Good stuff.

There's nothing like bad calls to get a crowd riled up. Exhibit A: Saturday night's game against 24th ranked Xavier. At tipoff, the crowd wasn't all that different from other games this year. But three terrible calls, all against Creighton, in the first 150 seconds of the game changed all that.

It was a double-edged sword. Josh Dotzler had two fouls by the 17:30 mark of the half, and sat the bench the rest of the first 20 minutes. One of his fouls was highly questionable and got the crowd incensed. I had barely settled in, and already I had to tell the ref that the only way he would stop blowing is to put his whistle in his pocket. Not the way I like to start a Saturday night, let me tell you.

Barely a minute later, Dotzler was trailing on a fast break, and he absolutely laid out the Xavier shooter. This is the kind of foul that sets the tone for a big game, telling the opponent that you are bringing it tonight. This is also the kind of foul that lands your point guard on the bench for the next 17-1/2 minutes.

But the crowd was crazed. When Isacc Miles was whistled for a questionable foul a minute later, after I'd settled down from telling the referee that his mother is a very ugly woman, my brother announced that if his chicken strips hadn't cost 5-and-a-quarter, he'd have thrown one at the ref. (He wouldn't really have done it, don't worry, but just the thought of wasting quality poultry on such a despicable ref should tell you how bad the call was.)

***

The addition of ESPNU to Cox Cable here in Omaha meant I would not have to go out to a bar to see the Jays/Dayton game -- I could watch it in the comfort of my own home, on the couch, in front of the 52" big screen in my basement. So several of my friends came over, and we gathered to watch the Jays and Dayton on The Ocho, I mean, ESPNU.

This raises an interesting question. If ESPN2 is "The Deuce", is ESPNU "The U"? Or does the University of Miami have dibs on that name? Doesn't it kill you when players who played for the Hurricanes announce their school as "The U"? Do doctors and lawyers who graduate from Miami list "Graduated from The U" on their resumes? I mean, the ever-popular (sic) Gloria Estefan refers to it as The U in their TV ads. I don't remember, but when VH1 did her "Behind The Music", did they say she went to "The U" or "The University of Miami"? I need to know these things.