We were standing at Farrell's after the game on Saturday night, and my buddy Dick was incredulous. He thought Saturday's game was thoroughly unexciting, a blowout without a signature play, a workmanlike effort in front of a subdued crowd.
The thing that pissed me off was that I couldn't refute any of those statements. Or, perhaps, after a couple of Busch Lights at a pregame tailgate party, two more PBR's at the game, and a Bud Light or two at Farrell's, my ability to concisely rationalize a coherent answer to such perplexing inquiries was, um, not happening. But today is a different story.
Thoroughly unexciting? No signature play? Subdued crowd? Well, a game against an undermanned team from the worst conference in America is not exactly a recipe for a lively atmosphere, no matter whether you're in Durham, East Lansing, Chapel Hill or Omaha. Throw in the fact that every time the Jays got a sustained rally going, a silly foul or mysterious whistle stopped the action, and its tough for the crowd to get any momentum going. Not that I wasn't trying, mind you...just making an observation. For what its worth.
Anyway, in a game like that, there's certain things a team need to accomplish, regardless of what it looks like.
First and foremost, you need to get the W. Obviously. CHECK.
Secondly, you need to play as many people as possible, and throw a bunch of different rotations at the wall to see what sticks. Eleven players had at least 10 minutes of action, three other players got minutes, and the coaches got to see those players on the court against live competition. CHECK.
Third, ensure that regardless of your substitution patterns and games of rotation roulette, the final score is what it ought to be. There's a lot of people who were not at the game that will hear the score in passing, and their only impression of the game will be the score. If you screw around too much and win by, say, seven or eight, the perception won't be kind. Win by 20 or 30, and the casual fans will be impressed. CHECK.
Fourth, escape with no injuries. CHECK.
And fifth, get the fans some free pizza. Admit it, when DA put The Nickel into the game with 3 minutes left, you wondered if it was going to happen. But The Nickel did not disappoint, and scored not just one basket but TWO! Incidentally, how cool was it that after his first bucket, the first guy off the bench to congratulate him was none other than P'Allen Stinnett? His Ren-and-Stimpy "Dance of Joy" even brought a smile to DA's face. From where I sit, Stinnett seems to combine the team-first qualities DA has always looked to recruit, with the type of sheer athleticism and skills he's never been able to successfully bring to Creighton, which is a terrifyingly awesome combination. Oh yeah, CHECK. Free pizza for everyone.
As for signature plays, what about Dane Watts' monstrous dunk mid-way through the second half? He damn near pried the rim loose from the backboard, and at one point was hanging sideways as he attempted to keep from falling on a MVSU defender. Seriously, I thought Daryl "Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins was in the game. That's your signature play, even if you take it purely at face value.
Dig a little deeper, and its even more indicative of the performance put forth by the entire team. MVSU was playing without Larry Cox, their tallest player and also their only real post presence, and Creighton wisely worked the ball inside early and often. The Jays outscored the Delta Devils 46-14 in the paint, out-rebounded them 40-20, and held MVSU to just 34% shooting. Dane Watts scored a career-high 26 points, completely dominating the post players MVSU threw at him.
No signature play? I beg to differ. That dunk summed up why Creighton won by 30, put an exclamation point on the night, AND came in the midst of a 28-7 run to close the game.
Polyfro Player of the Game:
You know what, sometimes I like to be weird and give my highest award to a non-obvious candidate (see: Chad Millard last week). But sometimes, a player is just so undeniably worthy of the award that even a moron like me can't screw it up.
Dane Watts scored a career-high 26 points, pulled down 9 rebounds, shot 6-8 from the free throw line (always a struggle for the big fella), 10-12 from the field, and tacked on 2 assists for good measure. Those are player of the game type numbers, and even a moron who drinks plastic 20 oz. bottles of Hy-Vee brand Mountain Dew in honor of the best player after every game can't fail to see it.
You bet.
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