Sitting at the bar after the game, someone who hadn't been there asked me how the Jays had done. I replied that they'd won, but when asked how they won, I struggled for an answer. After hemming and hawing for a couple of moments, ultimately I replied that I didn't know.
"What do you mean you don't know?", my buddy asked, confused. I answered, "The Jays got outrebounded by 12, they shot poorly, they were losing by double digits most of the game, and every borderline call went against them. But somehow they won, and I can't explain it right now."
Think about those things, and it does seem absurd to be talking about a Jays win, doesn't it? New Mexico spent the first half pushing Creighton around, and by all rights should have been blowing them out. The Jays were outrebounded 26-13, shot just 7-24 (29%) while allowing the Lobos to shoot 16-33 (48%), turned the ball over 8 times, and were outscored on second-chance points 15-0.
"What do you mean you don't know?", my buddy asked, confused. I answered, "The Jays got outrebounded by 12, they shot poorly, they were losing by double digits most of the game, and every borderline call went against them. But somehow they won, and I can't explain it right now."
Think about those things, and it does seem absurd to be talking about a Jays win, doesn't it? New Mexico spent the first half pushing Creighton around, and by all rights should have been blowing them out. The Jays were outrebounded 26-13, shot just 7-24 (29%) while allowing the Lobos to shoot 16-33 (48%), turned the ball over 8 times, and were outscored on second-chance points 15-0.
At halftime as I enjoyed some free popcorn from the Jaybacker area, my
buddy Herculanum shook his head and commented that it didn't feel like
we were watching a 10-point game, and that boded well for the Jays. It
was a salient point; to get outplayed that completely and only be down
10 meant the game was closer than it appeared. For New Mexico, to
outplay someone by that margin and only be up 10 had to give them
pause. I mean, lets be honest, they should have been up by 25 points.
The only drama in the second half should have been whether I opted for
Mini Donuts or Dippin' Dots. But it wasn't looking that way.
In the second half, the usual benchmarks for a big comeback didn't happen. Generally, you'd like to cut the lead in half by the first timeout to serve notice that the game was competitive again. Four minutes in, the Jays were en route to doing just that, when a blown alley oop from Justin Carter to P'Allen Stinnett led to a circus shot and cut the deficit to six. Lobos coach Steve Alford called timeout to settle down, but despite his best efforts, two missed shots later the Jays were running again. Unfortunately, freshman point guard Antoine Young got going too fast, dribbled into traffic and lost the ball. New Mexico came down and drained a three, pushed the lead back out to nine, and at the first media timeout the Jays had only shaved one point off the halftime deficit.
Over the next six minutes, things turned really ugly and it looked like the initial run to open the half would be it. When Nate Garth hit a three at the 10:17 mark, it was 59-43 New Mexico, and you could hear the air leave the building. I slammed what was left of my halftime beer in disgust, hoping for the best but fearing the worst.
In the eight seconds it took me to do that, the game changed. At 10:09, Stinnett completed a three-point play to make it 59-46. At 9:51, Booker Woodfox hit two free throws to make it 59-48. At 9:18, Justin Carter nailed a jumper to make it 59-50. At 8:44, Woodfox drained a three to make it 59-53, and a panicked Alford called for timeout. In 90 seconds, the 16-point lead had all but evaporated with a quick 10-0 run.
That gasp of energy was sapped by the timeout, however, and over the next six minutes the Lobos were able to keep the Jays at arms-length. The Jays never got closer than six and trailed by as many as 10 as late as the 4:34 mark.
What transpired in the last four minutes was legendary, and is what led to my confusion in answering the question of how they'd won the game. It turns out that the answer was surprisingly easy. With 3:39 to play, Dairese Gary hit a layup to put the Lobos up 72-63. They wouldn't score again until there were just 10 seconds left and the result was all but decided.
A 19-3 run spanning the final 3:30 of the game turned a nine-point deficit into a seven point win. Selective accounting allows one to say they finished the game on a 17-0 run, which sounds more impressive, as they flipped a 72-63 deficit into an 80-72 lead with 18 seconds to play. The teams then traded scores on their final possession to make up the final margin.
The flurry of activity in that span made it all the more unbelievable, including an electric two minutes that decided the contest. Woodfox began the comeback with a HUGE three from the corner, and Altman immediately called timeout. After a quick breather, the defense came up with a stop to give the Jays the ball coming out of the final media timeout.
Woodfox rebounded a missed three by Carter, and his putback made it a 72-68 game. Stinnett came up with a steal at midcourt on the ensuing possession, and dropped in a layup to make it 72-70 with 2:21 to go. At the other end, Dairese Gary tried to drive inside, but Woodfox drew a charge, and our old friend Steve Alford flashed a look on his face that told the story: yet another one was getting away from him in Omaha. Indeed, just moments later, Stinnett drained a three from the corner, and the Jays had the lead 73-72. He would hit another three after a defensive stop, and suddenly it was 76-72.
From there, it was a free throw contest, and the Jays never missed. In all the excitement, I failed to realize what was happening personal stat-wise, and was absolutely dumbfounded to glance up at the scoreboard to see Stinnett with 30 points and Woodfox with 26. Why was I dumbfounded? Usually when someone scores 30, you know it. They're hot all day. Not so today, as Stinnett dropped 21 in the second half and Woodfox 23, after being basically invisible offensively in the first half. For both players, those were career highs, and obviously, came as a shock to me. Then again, I'm an idiot about 60% of the time, so keep that in mind.
Rebounding, or lack thereof, is perceived by many as the turd in the punchbowl after this game. The prevailing wisdom seems to be that you can't count on an amazing stretch of offense to bail you out after getting pushed around for 35 minutes every night, particularly in the conference and especially on the road. I'm of the opinion, however, that stats are deceiving when we look at rebounding in this game, though, and I'm not sure they tell us much of anything.
In the first half, the Lobos outboarded the Jays 26-13, and outscored them on second-chance points 15-0. In the second half, the Jays actually outrebounded New Mexico 15-13. And the Lobos had ZERO second-chance points after halftime.
See what I mean? Which is the real Creighton? The team that got pushed around and doubled up on the boards, or the team that outrebounded the Lobos in the second half? Its too early to make that call. Lets see where they're at after 10 games. If we're still wondering at that point, we'll have our answer: inconsistency. Otherwise, we'll know one way or the other, and can adjust our opinions accordingly.
You bet.
Today's Polyfro Player of the Game is brought to you by Crystal Gravy. Crystal Gravy: Stop hiding your meats under opaque gravies and let your eyes enjoy what your stomach always has. Mmmm, Crystal Gravy...delicious!
You know what, a case could be made for both Booker Woodfox and/or P'Allen Stinnett. Woodfox hit clutch shots, drew the immensely big charge late in the game, and played solid defense down the stretch. Stinnett hit the three to put them ahead AND the three that pushed the lead out of reach, while scoring 21 second half points on 8-10 shooting.
I'm going to go with Stinnett today, because stupidly I didn't give it to him last year after he keyed the come-from-behind win over DePaul in the season opener, and I regretted it all year. He deserves it. You bet.
In the second half, the usual benchmarks for a big comeback didn't happen. Generally, you'd like to cut the lead in half by the first timeout to serve notice that the game was competitive again. Four minutes in, the Jays were en route to doing just that, when a blown alley oop from Justin Carter to P'Allen Stinnett led to a circus shot and cut the deficit to six. Lobos coach Steve Alford called timeout to settle down, but despite his best efforts, two missed shots later the Jays were running again. Unfortunately, freshman point guard Antoine Young got going too fast, dribbled into traffic and lost the ball. New Mexico came down and drained a three, pushed the lead back out to nine, and at the first media timeout the Jays had only shaved one point off the halftime deficit.
Over the next six minutes, things turned really ugly and it looked like the initial run to open the half would be it. When Nate Garth hit a three at the 10:17 mark, it was 59-43 New Mexico, and you could hear the air leave the building. I slammed what was left of my halftime beer in disgust, hoping for the best but fearing the worst.
In the eight seconds it took me to do that, the game changed. At 10:09, Stinnett completed a three-point play to make it 59-46. At 9:51, Booker Woodfox hit two free throws to make it 59-48. At 9:18, Justin Carter nailed a jumper to make it 59-50. At 8:44, Woodfox drained a three to make it 59-53, and a panicked Alford called for timeout. In 90 seconds, the 16-point lead had all but evaporated with a quick 10-0 run.
That gasp of energy was sapped by the timeout, however, and over the next six minutes the Lobos were able to keep the Jays at arms-length. The Jays never got closer than six and trailed by as many as 10 as late as the 4:34 mark.
What transpired in the last four minutes was legendary, and is what led to my confusion in answering the question of how they'd won the game. It turns out that the answer was surprisingly easy. With 3:39 to play, Dairese Gary hit a layup to put the Lobos up 72-63. They wouldn't score again until there were just 10 seconds left and the result was all but decided.
A 19-3 run spanning the final 3:30 of the game turned a nine-point deficit into a seven point win. Selective accounting allows one to say they finished the game on a 17-0 run, which sounds more impressive, as they flipped a 72-63 deficit into an 80-72 lead with 18 seconds to play. The teams then traded scores on their final possession to make up the final margin.
The flurry of activity in that span made it all the more unbelievable, including an electric two minutes that decided the contest. Woodfox began the comeback with a HUGE three from the corner, and Altman immediately called timeout. After a quick breather, the defense came up with a stop to give the Jays the ball coming out of the final media timeout.
Woodfox rebounded a missed three by Carter, and his putback made it a 72-68 game. Stinnett came up with a steal at midcourt on the ensuing possession, and dropped in a layup to make it 72-70 with 2:21 to go. At the other end, Dairese Gary tried to drive inside, but Woodfox drew a charge, and our old friend Steve Alford flashed a look on his face that told the story: yet another one was getting away from him in Omaha. Indeed, just moments later, Stinnett drained a three from the corner, and the Jays had the lead 73-72. He would hit another three after a defensive stop, and suddenly it was 76-72.
From there, it was a free throw contest, and the Jays never missed. In all the excitement, I failed to realize what was happening personal stat-wise, and was absolutely dumbfounded to glance up at the scoreboard to see Stinnett with 30 points and Woodfox with 26. Why was I dumbfounded? Usually when someone scores 30, you know it. They're hot all day. Not so today, as Stinnett dropped 21 in the second half and Woodfox 23, after being basically invisible offensively in the first half. For both players, those were career highs, and obviously, came as a shock to me. Then again, I'm an idiot about 60% of the time, so keep that in mind.
Rebounding, or lack thereof, is perceived by many as the turd in the punchbowl after this game. The prevailing wisdom seems to be that you can't count on an amazing stretch of offense to bail you out after getting pushed around for 35 minutes every night, particularly in the conference and especially on the road. I'm of the opinion, however, that stats are deceiving when we look at rebounding in this game, though, and I'm not sure they tell us much of anything.
In the first half, the Lobos outboarded the Jays 26-13, and outscored them on second-chance points 15-0. In the second half, the Jays actually outrebounded New Mexico 15-13. And the Lobos had ZERO second-chance points after halftime.
See what I mean? Which is the real Creighton? The team that got pushed around and doubled up on the boards, or the team that outrebounded the Lobos in the second half? Its too early to make that call. Lets see where they're at after 10 games. If we're still wondering at that point, we'll have our answer: inconsistency. Otherwise, we'll know one way or the other, and can adjust our opinions accordingly.
You bet.
*****
Today's Polyfro Player of the Game is brought to you by Crystal Gravy. Crystal Gravy: Stop hiding your meats under opaque gravies and let your eyes enjoy what your stomach always has. Mmmm, Crystal Gravy...delicious!
You know what, a case could be made for both Booker Woodfox and/or P'Allen Stinnett. Woodfox hit clutch shots, drew the immensely big charge late in the game, and played solid defense down the stretch. Stinnett hit the three to put them ahead AND the three that pushed the lead out of reach, while scoring 21 second half points on 8-10 shooting.
I'm going to go with Stinnett today, because stupidly I didn't give it to him last year after he keyed the come-from-behind win over DePaul in the season opener, and I regretted it all year. He deserves it. You bet.
