Luis, Red Storm head overseas with momentum and process that could produce Top 10 ranking

RJ Luis (12) has been focal point in St. John’s 4-0 start. Red Storm goes overseas this week for Baha Mar Hoops Championship. (Photo by Vincent Dusovic/St. John’s Athletics)

Rick Pitino’s second-year teams have, statistically, been markedly improved from those of his first year at the helm of his respective program. Four games into St. John’s second season under the aegis of the Hall of Famer, that trend appears to be sustained.

With double-digit victories in each of its first quartet of contests, the Red Storm has parlayed the results into a national ranking entering this week’s Baha Mar Hoops Championship in The Bahamas, and should St. John’s get past Baylor and either Tennessee or Virginia before closing the weekend with a separate game against Georgia, a number inside the Top 10 is not entirely out of the realm of possibility.

“They’re big and they’re strong,” Pitino’s son, Richard—the head coach at New Mexico—said Sunday after his Lobos found out the hard way in a 14-point loss to the Johnnies inside Madison Square Garden. “They’re bigger than a lot of teams, and they’re really, really good. That’s a team that’s gonna sit in the Top 20 all year, that’s a team that’s gonna be right there for the Big East title.”

A major part of the early impressions can be attributed to RJ Luis, the junior forward who transferred in from UMass last year and still averaged 11 points per game while battling injuries. With a full season of Pitino’s vaunted individual player development sessions under his belt, the Miami native has looked like St. John’s most valuable player through the first two weeks of the young campaign, averaging nearly 18 points and eight rebounds per contest as he is closer to full health than any other point during his tenure in Queens.

“I feel great, all glory to God,” Luis proclaimed. “I feel great, I’m no longer in pain. We needed a little challenge like that heading into The Bahamas, and I was just trying to play hard on both sides of the floor. I feel like, with my abilities, I’m able to do that. It’s helpful when my teammates are cutting…it’s easy to find them. I feel like I’m a playmaker, so I’m able to create for myself and others.”

Following the St. John’s win Sunday, Richard Pitino conceded that Luis was a “legit NBA prospect” and that New Mexico’s inability to contain him was more due to the explosive wing “just being a really good player.” Luis took the compliment to heart, but highlighted his improvement and commitment to being a two-way player as the primary impetus behind his resurgence.

“It feels good to take that high praise, but you just gotta keep working hard,” he said. “I’m thankful that I’m healthy, I put in a lot of work with my craft and now I’m stepping up as one of the best defenders, me and Aaron (Scott). I’m gonna guard the best player, I’m a playmaker, I’m a scorer, really just playing both sides of the ball. I feel like there’s nothing really stopping me right now.”

Heading into the matchup with Baylor (Thursday, 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network), Luis may be the flag-bearer for the Red Storm, but several of his other teammates have made improvements. This includes Kadary Richmond, whose beginning to the season may not be gaudy in terms of statistics, but has pleased Pitino as the Seton Hall transfer continues to acclimate himself to a new style of play and new set of demands.

“We’re the second-fastest team in terms of pace, so this is new to Kadary,” the coach reiterated. “I think he has so much more in his game, so much more. He is a great talent, an unbelievable talent, and as he just gets his body to play at this pace for the entire game, he’s gonna have more assists, more points.”

“We adjusted his style—and with Deivon (Smith), it’s easy for him to adjust to this style—but once he gets used to playing like this and Kadary gets used to it, it’s only gonna benefit them. They just have to learn to use each other a little bit more. Certain guys are not even close to their potential, and it’s interesting because it’s the older guys that are not close to their potential, which is interesting.”

And as the players adjust, so too does the man in charge of preparing them for life after college and life after basketball. Pitino admitted last year’s team may have been thrown into the fire too soon, but insists that this season—with four holdovers from last year on the roster—has provided a much more palatable return, with an equally high upside that seems to be ascending with each passing day.

“I’m still learning and growing as a coach,” Pitino said. “I think when you stop learning, it’s time to retire. You have to learn a whole new brand of basketball with all new players, the portal, the NIL. It’s a new game. Some people want to get out because it’s new, I’ve just adjusted. We weren’t ready defensively last year. I probably should have played a little more zone because of our deficiencies, but I wanted to build a defensive culture by playing man. We were ready (Sunday), our man defense is still going to a lot better as players get in better shape.”

“I think I know the team really well. I think we’re a good, solid basketball team, but I think we have greatness potential. We’re just solid now, we’re a good, solid team, but when you have all new players, you’re not supposed to be great in November. We just want to keep getting better defensively. I wouldn’t trade any of these guys, I think they’re going to get a lot better as the season goes along.”

Disappointed, but short: GWU narrowly misses upset at Charlotte

By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)

CHARLOTTE — Gardner-Webb found itself down 7-0 at the first media timeout against Charlotte, but fought back to lead at various points in the game.

It wasn’t until the contest’s final seconds that the 49ers were able to shake away from the pesky Bulldogs, as GWU narrowly missed an upset Tuesday, falling at Halton Arena, 60-54.

“It’s one of those situations where you have all kinds of emotions,” head coach Jeremy Luther said after the game. “On the one hand, you are frustrated because you had so many near-misses and chances to win the game, but on the other hand, you are super proud of the team for the way they played defensively and kept fighting to the very end. I know it sounds weird to say but I am disappointed in the result, but proud of the effort.”

Charlotte got off to a fast start, as Robert Braswell IV completed an old-fashioned three-point play to take a 7-0 lead at the first media stoppage. Shahar Lazar broke the skid with a deep three, but a 5-0 run from the home team kept Charlotte in front, 12-3. The turnover bug kept biting GWU and kept the offense from getting in rhythm until Anthony Selden hit a floater to cut the deficit to 12-5.

Lazar hit another triple and Buddy Simmons scored on a putback as GWU cut its deficit to 14-12 with 7:55 left in the first half. Selden then tied the game at 14, but Braswell hit back-to back threes to put Charlotte in front, 20-14. Simmons answered with a three and by the time Selden scored on a putback, GWU had its first lead of the contest. Lazar hit a pair of free throws as the lead increased to 23-20 with 3:43 left before the half.

Selden hit a pair of free throws out of the break, but Charlotte answered with a quick 5-0 run to tie the game at 25. Colin Hawkins gave the Runnin’ Bulldogs the lead again with a floater, but it was Charlotte who took a 28-27 cushion into the locker room.

Jamaine Mann scored the first four points for Gardner-Webb out of the break and by the time Simmons canned a midrange jumper, the Runnin’ Bulldogs led, 35-32. Charlotte was 6-for-6 from the free throw line to start the half to stay within one.  Hawkins hit a pair of free throws, but Charlotte’s Nic Graves hit a three. A Mann scoop shot kept the visitors in front, 41-39, with 11:36 left in the game.

Kylan Blackmon sparked a 5-0 Charlotte run with a deep three, but Isaiah Richards scored on a hook shot  and Brendan Mykalcio hit a foul shot to tie the game with 7:47 left. The game continued to swing back and forth, but Charlotte began to take advantage of its size, scoring six in a row in the paint to regain the initiative with 4:57 to play, building a 52-48 edge.

Simmons connected on a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 52-50 entering the final media stoppage. GWU cut the deficit to a single point on numerous occasions, but Charlotte led by two, 56-54, with a minute remaining. Simmons tried a potential go-ahead three, but it rimmed out and Charlotte was able to take the win after Jaehshon Thomas delivered a dagger of a three-point play for the 49ers in the final seconds to account for the final margin.

ALL ABOUT THAT PACE: The game was one of contrasting styles, and Charlotte forced GWU to play at the 49ers’ pace for the majority of the contest.

“We knew they liked to play slow coming in,” Luther said of Charlotte. “They like to use most of the shot clock on every possession. We like to play fast. Unfortunately, they were able to play at their pace for much of the game. We adapted to it and we were able to keep it close. We just did not make enough shots at the end. We had good shots all night. They just would not fall.”

SHORT ON BIGS: GWU played the game without Ademide Badmus, who had an injury during warm-ups. GWU turned to Race Herr to fill the void and while Herr played well defensively, he lacked the scoring punch of Badmus. When Mann fouled out with 3:42 left in the contest, it further limited GWU’s effectiveness in the paint. According to Luther, Badmus is expected to be ready to go when the team plays in Mexico over the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

SOUTH OF THE BORDER: GWU will travel to Cancun, Mexico, where the Runnin’ Bulldogs will face Southeast Louisiana and either Bethune Cookman or North Dakota on November 26 and 27, respectively.

“It will be a fun trip for sure,” Luther said with a smile. The guys deserve it, and we will play some good teams. It will be a challenge, but both are winnable games.”

 

UP NEXT: GWU will take that aforementioned trip to Mexico, while Charlotte will stay home to host LIU on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

USC Upstate handles Southern Wesleyan for second win of season

Mister Dean scored 21 as USC Upstate exploded in second half to defeat Southern Wesleyan. (Photo by Sasa Groome/USC Upstate Athletics)

By Justin Mathis (@J_Math23)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After a sluggish first half in Tuesday’s non-conference tilt against Southern Wesleyan, USC Upstate needed a jolt.

 

Enter Mister Dean.

 

On a fast break early in the second half, Dean caught a pass from Brit Harris, made one dribble, and took off from near the free throw line for an electrifying dunk over a defender, which drew the Spartan bench and faithful to their feet at the Hodge Center. That proved to be a big spark—and Tuesday's top play on the SportsCenter countdown—as Upstate cruised to a 95-63 victory over the Warriors.

 

In the first half, Southern Wesleyan capitalized on some Upstate miscues, using 10 points off turnovers to build a two-possession lead with just over six minutes left in the frame. However, Upstate continued to battle, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

 

A Breylin Garcia jumper and back-to-back threes from Dean and Karmani Gregory put the Spartans ahead, 34-31, with 3:15 left in the half. Following a lead change, a personal 6-0 run by Gregory, along with a Harris three to beat the horn, created a 43-39 Upstate lead at the interval.

 

“If you don’t guard, you can’t win,” said Upstate head coach Marty Richter. “Our guys don’t understand that (yet) because they don’t understand college basketball really well. This would have turned into a nail-biter if we didn’t start guarding in the second half.”

 

The Spartans used a 10-2 run out of the break to build an eight-point lead just over two minutes into the second stanza, which featured a Gregory-to-Harris connection on an inbound pass. Over the next 10-plus minutes, Upstate emphatically imposed its will.

 

Adkins drained a triple, Isaiah Skinner buried a jumper, and Dean went coast-to-coast for a throwdown, while Chico Johnson swished a triple on consecutive trips up the floor, all part of a staggering 31-7 run for Upstate.

 

“With eight minutes left, they were 5-of-22 (shooting in the half),” recalled Richter. “We have to train them on how to defend. If we can defend, we can get down that floor so fast and get some layups. I was really proud of them for how they started the game and how they flipped the switch to come out in the second half.” 

 

Nic Book also added a basket and two free throws of his own, while Andrew McConnell buried a triple as part of a 7-1 burst to close the game for the Spartans.

 

Five Spartans finished in double-figures, led by Dean with a game-high 21 points and career-high nine rebounds. Gregory tallied 15 points and three assists, while Harris notched 12 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Adkins and Johnson also tallied 12 points apiece. 

 

“(Karmani) is so quick,” Richter stated. “He can change direction with the best of them and can make really good decisions once he gets into the change-of-direction downhill. His upside at lead guard is really good. (Dean) sparks runs because he will make a dynamic dunk, rebound, or do something on the offensive end. He brings energy with how he scores the basketball. He can score in bunches like he did tonight and does a good job of that within the system.”

 

As a team, Upstate was 32-for-64 from the floor and outscored SWU 44-26 in the paint, 21-5 in second chance points, and 16-6 on fast breaks.

 

“If we defend like the way we did in the second half, we are going to have an opportunity to win (Friday and Saturday). In the other road games we played, we didn’t defend. We traded baskets and were right there with all of them at different times in the games, but we can’t just trade baskets.”

 

The Spartans (2-4) will hit the road for a four-game trip, beginning with a multi-team event this weekend against East Tennessee State Friday and Queens University Saturday. After that, Upstate will travel to Iowa (November 26 and Coastal Carolina (November 30).

Despite loss to Princeton, Merrimack still poses a problem for non-conference and MAAC opponents alike

Merrimack and Princeton contest opening tip Sunday as Warriors fell to Tigers despite first-half lead. (Photo by Ray Curren/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Ray Curren (@currenrr)

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — Joe Gallo doesn’t mind being called crazy, especially when it pertains to his defense.

As Merrimack’s zone confounded Princeton and the Warriors built a 14-point lead midway through the first half Sunday afternoon, there weren’t too many people at Lawler Arena calling him anything but a genius.

Alas, Princeton is not the heavy Ivy League favorite for nothing, and the Tigers stormed back for a 68-57 victory. But in an age where you can count the Division I teams playing exclusively zone on one hand (two hands tops, you certainly wouldn’t need your toes), Gallo isn’t changing any time soon.

“Nobody zones Princeton, they think you’re crazy,” Gallo said. “We had to dig back like three years to find any 2-3 zone possessions against them. Why would anyone zone a team that’s as good at shooting threes as Princeton is? But those are the teams we usually do a great job against.”

The proof is in the analytics, of course. Merrimack led the NEC in defensive efficiency in three of its five seasons there (as you likely know, the Warriors have moved to the MAAC) and finished second once as well. The last two seasons weren’t even close, the Warriors led the league by .066 and .075 points per possession, respectively. Although last season ended with a heartbreaking loss to Wagner in the NEC championship game, Merrimack was 79th in defensive efficiency nationally, fifth in forcing turnovers, and 10th in shooting percentage. 

Will a step up to the MAAC make things tougher? Maybe, but the MAAC probably won’t throw any shooting teams like Princeton at them.

“We’ve played some teams over the years that we could break down a little, but then overwhelm them with a late closeout, they rush it and they miss it,” Gallo said. “This was if you slide one foot the wrong way, they were going to hit a shot. (Princeton) wins our league, to be perfectly honest with you. They’re a Top 75 team in college basketball, and we weren’t too far off. It wasn’t like we couldn’t play with these guys.”

Gallo’s zone has fairly simple rotations, but they are unorthodox. Merrimack essentially leaves the high post open and then matches up everywhere else, trusting its center (mostly junior Bryan Etumnu with a little of senior David Murray) to take the high poster 1-on-1. If the high poster shoots it, it’s a long two-point jumper. Many of the Warriors’ steals are passes coming out of the high post or on late help when that person gets indecisive on drives.

“We told our guys let’s make (Princeton star) Caden Pierce get 50 if they were going to play him at the high post,” Gallo said. “When we did that, we were effective. I give them credit, they adjusted in the second half, they dribbled it out of the high post and they can all shoot it.”

Any pass with air under it is also ripe to get picked off, and Merrimack does a fantastic job contesting shots. The Achilles heel is rebounding, as it is with many zones. Even last season, the Warriors were 351st nationally on the defensive glass (65.5 percent), but the overall data says the risks are worth it.

While Merrimack’s defense gets most of the attention, its offense has held it back from being even stronger since the move to Division I, never finishing above 325th in offensive efficiency, which was last season. The Warriors finished fourth in the NEC in that category in 2023-24, highest in program history.

Merrimack shoots lots of threes, and looks great when it makes them, as it did in the first half against Princeton when Matt Becht and freshman Tye Dorset each hit a pair of threes and the Warriors led, 29-15. But the team hit only two more threes the rest of the way and finished 7-for-30 from behind the arc after going 1-for-19 in a lopsided loss to a very good VCU squad earlier in the week.

“I thought we had some pretty good looks,” Gallo said. “We even passed up some good looks. I went back and watched our 1-for-19 against VCU, me and Budd (Clark) watched it yesterday, two of them got blocked and we took five or six bad ones. I don’t remember saying, ‘I can’t believe we took those shots.’”

It was a surprise to some that Budd Clark was not among the mid-major players that took their talents to a bigger school after an outstanding freshman year (teammate Jordan Derkack did, he is at Rutgers, who just happens to be Merrimack’s next opponent Wednesday night). Clark led all scorers with 24 points, and is amazing at getting his shot off against really good defenders. He worked really hard on his outside game after shooting 6-for-41 (14.6 percent) from behind the arc last season, but was 0-for-3 Sunday.

Merrimack took 38 threes (making 10) and just 19 twos in the 54-47 loss to Wagner last March. But just like on the defensive end, Gallo isn’t apologetic for what the Warriors do.

“We can try to get Budd into the paint a little more, but really that’s what the game has become, that’s what our personnel is,” Gallo said. “Get (Franklin Pierce transfer Sean) Trumper a little in the post, but if they’re out there thinking too much, we just have to let them fly if they’re open and shoot them with confidence. It would be different if I was watching in practice and we couldn’t shoot at all.”

A vicious non-conference slate still awaits, with visits to Rutgers, Butler, UMass Lowell, Troy, Stanford, and Saint Mary’s to come. Merrimack was picked sixth in the MAAC preseason poll, but currently sits second in KenPom, largely on an eye-opening dismantling of Vermont in its opener. Despite what the record will say when conference play starts in earnest, it would not be a shock to see Merrimack go deep in the MAAC Tournament in its first trip to Atlantic City.

“What we can’t do is look at the overall record this time of year,” Gallo said. “Maybe they just don’t update our record on the website because I’m just looking at, ‘Did we get better today?’ We have to understand if we lose three in a row to some really good teams, it’s not the end of the world. We have to keep things in perspective. We don’t have many 50-50 games on our schedule until league play.”

And the Gallo trademark zone is coming to a MAAC arena near you. Your team may think it’s ready, but it’s probably not.

Winthrop places five in double figures, fights off NC Central in Rock Hill Classic

 

Winthrop forward Kelton Talford logged a double-double in the Eagles' Sunday victory. (Photo:  Winthrop University Athletics)

Follow @sportsmatters

ROCK HILL, S.C. – “We felt like we let one slip away.”

Winthrop forward Kelton Talford’s comment Sunday about Saturday afternoon’s loss to Georgia Southern explained some things. It explained the edge with which his Eagles played Sunday. It explained the double-double Talford logged Sunday – the 14^th of his career. It also likely explained the urgency Winthrop showed in closing out the Rock Hill Classic.

Talford’s 22 points and 10 boards led five Eagles in double figures, helping Winthrop to a hard-fought, 77-75 victory over North Carolina Central at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center Sunday afternoon.

“The guys stuck with it,” Winthrop coach Mark Prosser said. “It was a game of runs. They’re good. They’re well-coached. For us to have the resiliency to go down five – again – and stay with it to come back and have a chance to come back and win that game … we feel good about that.”

NC Central (1-5) knocked home the game’s first two shots and started a see-saw first half. After a Diontae Johnson three and Po’Boigh King bucket made it 5-0, Winthrop (4-2) countered with a 12-2 run that compelled a timeout from LeVelle Moton. K.J. Doucet scored six of the 12 points in the run. Central then answered with a 12-0 run of its own over the next two-and-a-half minutes to take a 19-12 advantage.

After another stoppage, Winthrop launched the next salvo. The Eagles tore off a 12-0 run to jump ahead 24-19 – only for NC Central to respond with an 11-0 run of its own to retake a 30-24 lead. Winthrop then punched back with a 12-3 burst to seize a 36-33 margin. NC Central responded with a Keishon Porter three to take a 40-39 halftime lead.

Neither side held a lead greater than a single possession until the 8:37 mark of the second half. After a Jaqai Murray three gave Central a three-point lead, Timmy Adedire hit a pair of free throws to put the visiting Eagles ahead by five with 8:15 remaining. Central’s lead expanded as far as six following the second of two Johnson free throws with 5:10 to play.

The final run on a day full of them belonged to Winthrop. Nick Johnson tallied back-to-back buckets to slice that six-point lead to just two. Kasen Harrison then crashed the paint for an equalizer layup at the 3:18 mark. Talford essentially put the game away one minute later, putting home a bucket in traffic to give Winthrop a 73-71 lead, then knocking down two free throws another minute later.

“We’re taught that if you’re a glass guy, go to the glass,” Talford said. “Doucet went, tipped it first and couldn’t get it to fall, then Paul Jones followed it up and couldn’t get it to fall, so it was just my turn to go up there. I just so happened to get the foul call and go to the line and knock down free throws.”

Porter then converted a layup with 55 seconds left to bring Central within two and draw the Winthrop faithful to the edge of their seats. Nick Johnson would send those fans home happy just a half-minute later. Harrison again crashed the lane and sprayed to Johnson in the right corner. Johnson stuck a jumper to put Winthrop ahead, 77-73. The Eagles clamped down on defense on the final possession, forcing an errant, last-second three-pointer that was tipped home as time had almost entirely elapsed.

“There’s nothing negative you can say about Nick Johnson,” Talford said. “He’s one of the hardest working players I know. He’s ready for the big moments. He’s going to do all the small things that you may not see. He’s so selfless when it comes to that.”

“Man, did he make a big shot over there in the corner,” Prosser said. “It was an unbelievable find by Kasen Harrison, who played an exemplary floor game.”

Talford’s 22 paced all Eagle scorers. Johnson added 17, hitting 5-of-7 from the floor and 5-of-8 from the stripe. Harrison booked 13, with Doucet adding 10. Freshman guard Paul Jones III notched 11 in his first start, drawing praise from his coach.

“I walked in here today for shootaround and Paul Jones was out here on this court in a full sweat,” Prosser said. “When you have that much of a care level, when you know what your potential is and maybe you don’t feel like – he shoots the basketball at an extraordinarily high level. He didn’t feel like he was shooting well, so he was in the gym. If things aren’t going well, he’s willing to do something about it.  It would have been easy to stay in bed, but he was here, to his credit. It’s the dudes that invest and work that good things happen to. Those are the types of kids you hang banners with.”

Winthrop shot 48.1 percent (25-for-54), hitting 6-of-21 (28.6 percent) from distance. The Eagles made 19-of-26 tries (73.1 percent) from the charity stripe.

King led NC Central with 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting. King drained five triples on the day. Johnson added 15 in hitting 6-of-12 tries, while Floyd Rideau added 10 in reserve duty. Central hit 44.8 percent of its tries (26-for-58), sinking 11 threes in 22 tries in the process. The Eagles hit 12-of-15 from the line in the contest.

Both teams are off until Friday. NC Central will take on Georgia State at the GSU Convocation Center in Atlanta in a 7:00 start that will be streamed over ESPN+. Winthrop will visit the Yum! Center in Louisville to take on the Cardinals. That game will also tip at 7:00, with coverage over ACCNX.

WINTHROP 77, NC CENTRAL 75

NC CENTRAL (1-5)

Porter 2-5 0-0 5, Johnson 6-12 2-2 15, Adedire 2-7 4-4 9, Smith 0-3 0-0 0, King 6-13 1-2 18, Smart 0-1 2-2 2, Parson 2-6 0-0 4, Rideau 3-4 2-3 10, Murray 5-7 1-2 12. Totals 26-58 12-15 75.

WINTHROP (4-2)

Jones 3-8 2-3 11, Talford 8-13 6-8 22, Harrison 5-8 2-3 13, Doucet 3-6 4-4 10, Baker 0-5 0-0 0, Wilson 0-1 0-0 0, Jolly 0-0 0-0 0, Diallo 0-1 0-0 0, Johnson 5-7 5-8 17, Van Bibber 0-2 0-0 0, Kamarad 1-2 0-0 2, Hamilton 0-0 0-0 0, Duncomb 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 26-54 19-26 77.

Halftime:  NC Central 40-39. 3-Point goals:  NC Central 11-22 (Porter 1-1, Johnson 1-4, Adedire 1-3, Smith 0-1, King 5-8, Parson 0-1, Rideau 2-3, Murray 1-1), Winthrop 6-21 (Jones 3-7, Harrison 1-2, Doucet 0-1, Baker 0-3, Wilson 0-1, Diallo 0-1, Johnson 2-3, Van Bibber 0-2, Kamarad 0-1). Fouled out:  NA  Rebounds:  Winthrop 37 (Talford 10), NC Central 27 (Murray 6). Total fouls:  NC Central 22, Winthrop 17. Technicals:  Parson (NCCU), Doucet (WU), Moton (NCCU), Talford (WU).

Points off turnovers:  NC Central 23, Winthrop 15.  Points in the paint:  Winthrop 38, NC Central 24.  Second-chance points:  Winthrop 17, NC Central 7.  Fast-break points:  Winthrop 11, NC Central 4.  Bench points:  NC Central 28, Winthrop 21.

 

Sacred Heart shows signs of life, upside in decisive win over UNH

By Ray Curren (@currenrr)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — From the outside, it might have been a big surprise that Sacred Heart was leaving the Northeast Conference, where it had resided and seemed to fit in quite well since moving to Division I in 1999.

But if you had been to the campus in the last few years, let’s just say there’s some money going into things, most notably new buildings everywhere, including a new $70 million hockey arena that opened last year.

And so into the MAAC Sacred Heart goes, whether its men’s basketball program is ready or not. While they won’t get a new arena, the antiquated Pitt Center has undergone a massive renovation, and (much like the Hynes Center) will be largely unrecognizable from its old self when it reopens Thursday as the Pioneers take on, ironically, old NEC pal Central Connecticut.

While Sacred Heart was picked dead last in the MAAC preseason poll and began the year 0-4, it showed plenty of life Saturday night in the second of three games at the Brown College Hill Classic, rolling past New Hampshire, 80-63, despite playing without injured starters Anquan Hill and Tanner Thomas.

Head coach Anthony Latina was also not in attendance due to a family emergency, so longtime assistant Kyle Steinway—who has been with the program for a decade—took the reins and the team recognized him by chanting his name as the final buzzer sounded.

“Obviously we’ve been struggling,” Steinway said. “We challenged them (Friday) night after the game. We had a long film session. I thought the effort was a losing effort from too many guys, so we challenged them to raise it up. They answered, and we need to do that every night.”

One look at the data shows where the Pioneers (1-4) will need to improve to be competitive in the MAAC, and it’s on the defensive end. Sacred Heart has not finished higher than 227th nationally in defensive efficiency during Latina’s tenure (he’s now in his 12th season), and it’s perhaps the biggest reason Sacred Heart has never gone to the NCAA Tournament.

Last season was a prime example. The Pioneers led the NEC in offense by a wide margin and even being sixth on defense, were able to go 12-6, but lost in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament to eventual winner Wagner.

Steinway and his staff are obviously aware of the issue, and after what they thought was another flat defensive effort in an 82-75 loss to Holy Cross, which put up 1.32 points per possession Friday night, worked hard overnight to make adjustments. 

The result was an energetic (even in an empty gym) defense that held an opponent under 80 for the first time all season. Per KenPom, New Hampshire has one of the worst offenses in the country (355th currently), but it’s a start, with another tough test against host Brown to finish the College Hill Classic on Sunday.

“The biggest thing that is different about this year is I think we have a team that can defend,” Steinway said. “We’ve always had super talented guards and offensive guys, but there are pros and cons there, we’ve had smaller guards. We haven’t always had the personnel to be a great defensive team, but I can say we are going to be a good defensive team. We have athleticism, length, we can do this.”

As always at this level these days, there are plenty of new faces for Sacred Heart, but—also as always—the Pioneers should be able to score. Hill was the 2021-22 NEC Rookie of the Year at FDU before transferring to St. Bonaventure. Two separate injuries have kept him out, but he is 8-for-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from three in limited action. Hofstra transfer Griffin Barrouk is a pure shooter who hit a couple of big long-range bombs Saturday night. And three returners (other than Thomas who has been injured) that should play a huge role are: Siena castoff Aidan Carpenter (who leads the team in minutes), Bryce Johnson (who spent last season at Northeastern before returning), and Raymond Espinal-Guzman (who is from Rhode Island). All three of those players come with the aforementioned size the Pioneers have often lacked.

They also got some big minutes Saturday from freshman guard Nyle Ralph-Beyer, who played just 10 minutes in their first three games.

“When we had that meeting yesterday, we said everything is on the table, the lineup, everything,” Steinway said. “We’ll play anyone if they can get the job done. We even had a couple guys we didn’t get to today that I feel comfortable with.”

But the biggest key may be at the point guard position, which has been turned over to true freshman Mekhi Conner, who dominated Connecticut high school basketball and the staff has very high hopes for, especially on the defensive end. Saturday, Conner had four steals as the Pioneers forced 14 turnovers and dominated on the glass, 44-22, getting 17 offensive rebounds.

One game does not a season make, and the MAAC (although won last season by Saint Peter’s, which finished 305th in offensive efficiency) is sure to pose problems that Sacred Heart did not see in the NEC. But they think they can do a lot better than last.

Georgia Southern fends off late Winthrop flurry in Rock Hill Classic

 

Adante' Holiman led Georgia Southern with 23 points in Saturday's Eagle victory. (Photo:  Georgia Southern Athletics)

Follow @sportsmatters

ROCK HILL, S.C. – There are few more frustrating words in the dictionary than “almost”. For Winthrop, though, it was the word of the day Saturday in the Rock Hill Classic.

Not even 24 hours after the Eagles scored a wild comeback victory on a Bryce Baker corner three, Winthrop found itself in a spot to pull out another. Lightning would not strike twice, though, leaving Winthrop one bucket shy in an 89-87 Georgia Southern victory at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center.

“(This was) really disappointing,” Winthrop coach Mark Prosser said. “We were poor in assist-to-turnover ratio yesterday and awful today. We didn’t shoot the ball well yesterday and didn’t shoot well again today. You can’t continue to play with fire and hope that you can get a random bounce here and there. That’s just not reality in Division I basketball. We put ourselves in that situation.”

Winthrop (3-2) enjoyed a strong defensive sequence to start the game. The Eagles held Georgia Southern without a bucket for the first five minutes of the contest, though they could only claim a 6-0 lead through that sequence. Georgia Southern (4-1) used an 11-4 run over the next 2:20 to take an 11-10 advantage. The rest of the first half proved to be a back-and-forth affair that saw neither side claim a lead larger than five points. Georgia Southern took one of those five-point advantages to the interval, holding a 39-34 halftime lead.

The predatory bird battle gained steam in the second 20. Georgia Southern scored nine of the first 13 points of the second half, stretching its lead to 10. Winthrop continued to battle and make shots, but struggled to draw closer than eight points. The homestanding Eagles used a 9-4 surge capped by a K.J. Doucet three to snip the Georgia Southern lead to five. Doucet was assessed a technical, however, for making a gesture toward the Georgia Southern bench.

“Every play matters,” Prosser said. “We talk about it all the time. You lose the game by two in a game where you get a technical foul and you give them two points. Every play matters.”

The Georgia Southern lead again swelled to 13 with six minutes remaining before Winthrop went on a somewhat glacial burst in which it scored 12 of the next 17 to narrow the Georgia Southern margin to six with 2:15 remaining. As Winthrop ratcheted the pressure, star guard Kasen Harrison guided the Eagle comeback. Harrison was responsible for 11 of 14 Winthrop points in a late stretch that helped fuel the frenetic pace.

“He’s an elite paint toucher,” Prosser said of Harrison. “He’s unselfish to a fault. He’s just such a team-first kid. He was really good today and very good defensively. Especially at the defensive end of the floor, we need more to join him.”

The agonizing drain of Georgia Southern’s lead continued. Following two Harrison free throws, Winthrop forward Yoro Diallo pilfered an inbounds pass and threw home a dunk, cutting the Georgia Southern lead to just three. Nate Brafford hit two free throws for Georgia Southern with 40 seconds to play, followed by two Doucet free throws for Winthrop that again reduced the lead to just three.

Harrison would then convert a layup that would bring Winthrop within a point. After Adante’ Holiman made a free throw, there was a contested play under the Winthrop basket that looked as if it would give the Eagles back the ball with 1.7 seconds remaining. After review, the initial call on the floor awarding the ball to Winthrop was reversed. Georgia Southern then ran off the remaining time.

“Nope,” Prosser said when asked after the game whether or not he received an explanation for the long review delay and reversal. “My understanding is that, if it’s not obvious, you don’t change the call on the court. If you spent 45 minutes over there looking at it, then apparently, it’s not that obvious. At the end of the day, you have no recourse. They just make a decision, and there’s literally nothing you can do.”

“We need more complete efforts,” Prosser continued. “You can’t win games with five assists and 20 turnovers. You can’t. You can’t win games going 3-for-16 from the three-point line. You can’t. We’ve either got to step up and make plays, or we’re going to have to change how we play. We need some dudes to start ringing the bell when the opportunity presents itself.”

Holiman led Georgia Southern’s scorers with 23 points on a 5-for-12 effort from the floor and 10-for-11 from the line. Three Eagles joined Holiman in doubles, led by Nakavieon White’s 15 on 6-for-11 from the deck. Dontae Horne added 11, while Eren Banks contributed 10. The visiting Eagles shot 44.1 percent (30-for-68) from the field and 71.4 percent (20-for-28) from the line. Georgia Southern made just 30 percent (9-for-30) from distance. The Eagles recorded 46 bench points and 42 points in the paint.

Harrison paced Winthrop’s offensive effort with 24 on 6-of-8 shooting and 12-for-13 from the stripe. Doucet and Kelton Talford each added 18, both key components of the Eagles’ 42 paint points. Doucet tallied a double-double with 10 boards, while Talford added six. Winthrop shot 47.1 percent (24-for-51) from the floor, including 61.5 percent (16-for-26) in the second half. The Eagles shot just 18.8 percent (3-for-16) from beyond the arc. Winthrop tied its all-time record for free throws attempted in a game with 49, a mark it last equaled against Methodist University in November of 1986. Winthrop made 36 of its tries (73.5 percent) from the line.

Winthrop and Georgia Southern both return to action Sunday afternoon in the finale of the Rock Hill Classic. Georgia Southern opens play at noon against William & Mary, while Winthrop battles NC Central after the conclusion of the first game. Both games will be streamed via ESPN+.

GEORGIA SOUTHERN 89, WINTHROP 87

GEORGIA SOUTHERN (4-1)

Douglas 3-10 1-2 8, Brown III 3-7 1-2 8, White 6-11 2-2 15, Banks 4-7 0-0 10, Brown 1-4 0-0 2, Horne 3-10 4-6 11, Holiman 5-12 10-11 23, Smith 1-1 2, Brafford 0-1 2-4 2, Parker 4-5 0-1 8. Totals 30-68 20-28 89.

WINTHROP (3-2)

Talford 5-9 8-9 18, Harrison 6-8 12-13 24, Doucet 6-11 4-9 18, Kamarad 0-1 0-0 0, Baker 2-6 0-2 5, Jolly 1-2 0-0 2, Jones 2-5 2-2 6, Diallo 1-2 1-2 3, Johnson 1-6 4-6 6, Hamilton 0-0 2-2 2, Duncomb 0-1 3-4 3. Totals 24-51 36-49 87.

Halftime:  Georgia Southern 39-34. 3-Point goals:  Georgia Southern 9-30 (Douglas 1-4, Brown III 1-4, White 1-4, Banks 2-3, Horne 1-5, Holiman 3-9, Brafford 0-1), Winthrop 3-16 (Talford 0-1, Doucet 2-4, Kamarad 0-1, Baker 1-5, Jolly 0-1, Jones 0-2, Johnson 0-2). Fouled out:  White (GASO), Banks (GASO), Brown (GASO), Parker (GASO), Talford (WU)  Rebounds:  Winthrop 41 (Doucet 10), Georgia Southern 38 (Brown III 8). Total fouls:  Georgia Southern 34, Winthrop 21. Technicals:  Doucet (WU).

Points off turnovers:  Georgia Southern 23, Winthrop 16.  Points in the paint:  Georgia Southern 42, Winthrop 42. Second-chance points:  Georgia Southern 8, Winthrop 4.  Fast-break points:  Winthrop 24, Georgia Southern 4.  Bench points:  Georgia Southern 46, Winthrop 22.

 

Sha Sounds Off: Wagner

On Seton Hall’s defensive effort:

“I think we’ve been playing defense solid all year. I thought we just kind of focused in, not breaking down at the last minute. Our defense has been solid all year, our offense has to kind of catch up.”

On his message after Wednesday’s loss to Hofstra:

“Keep working. Gotta keep working, can’t put our heads down, can’t listen to the noise, gotta keep believing in the people in our program and our locker room on our team, and just keep chipping away. I told them it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. I’m still super positive with this team because our best basketball is still way ahead of us. That’s about it.”

On Yacine Toumi and David Tubek:

“I thought he came in early—we’ve been working the past couple days—but I thought he came in early and rushed his first possession, and after that, he kind of took what the defense gave him. It was good. I tell these guys all the time, we don’t really have a starting five, so for Scotty and Yacine to come in and play like that with Gus, and also having Manny back, it was a boost for us. I just wanted to give him some minutes before we go down to Charleston. He’s only had three or four practices, but he’s gonna be really, really good for us. I thought DT was good, he was solid for us today. I gotta keep restoring confidence in him. Listen, we’ve got a long way to go. I’ve been honest with you guys from day one with this team. Our best basketball’s ahead of us, and we’re gonna continue to keep fighting and clawing and battling.”

On momentum, plus Zion Harmon and Garwey Dual:

“To answer the first question, it’s good to get a win. It’s always good to get a win. It’s good for these guys to feel good about themselves a little bit after two tough losses, and then as far as the other two guys, we gotta go with the guys that are here right now. Those two guys are out right now, how long they’re gonna be out, I don’t know. So I gotta continue to keep instilling confidence in Dylan and Chaunce to handle the basketball and make some plays for us. I thought Chaunce was really good for us today, I gotta give Dylan his confidence back. He’s playing with the world on his shoulders. I told him at halftime, ‘I don’t need you to be great, I need you to be solid.’”

On finding a defensive identity:

“Yeah, like I said earlier, J, I think if you look at our last three games, we’re struggling offensively. We’re gonna continue to keep working at that, but I thought we’ve been defending. To keep Hofstra, a good offensive team, to 49 points, to keep them down like that, I thought we’ve been defending. We’ve just gotta continue to keep getting better. A lot of guys are not from this area, right? So they’re reading a lot of stuff and they’re worried about it. I’m like, fellas, let me handle that. You guys just worry about playing basketball and keep believing in each other. Don’t make mistakes, but if you do, let it be aggressive mistakes. Like Dylan’s being real tentative now. Just play, man. Just play basketball, do what you did your whole life. And that’s what I’m telling these guys, just play basketball.”

On Seton Hall’s defensive edge:

“When you come in with a new group, the first thing you gotta do is establish something. And in this culture, it’s our defense, so that’s what I established this summer with them. And then you’ve got a bunch of guys out that are now trying to come back, and you’re trying to figure out a way…okay, I got this guy back, I got this guy back. How can we score now? How can we do this now? Now you’ve got two of your point guards out, and now you’ve gotta figure it out again. And that’s just connecting the dots, man. It’s part of it, but I ain’t worried about it. I’m built for it.”

On Isaiah Coleman:

“He told me something at halftime that I was very disappointed to hear. Never tell me you lost your confidence. You’re too good of a basketball player. You’ve been out for a while, you’re working your way back in. Once the rust goes (away), you’re gonna be fine. He’s overthinking things way too much right now instead of just playing basketball. I think, to be honest with you, I think these three days before we leave are gonna be great for us. We get a chance to practice, we get a chance to get Manny back in, get Isaiah his confidence back. Now I know who’s playing, who’s not playing, now I can work with Dylan and Chaunce at the point guard spot. It’s just things that, as a coach, now I get to say, ‘okay, he’s here, he’s here, he’s here, he’s not,’ instead of showing up at practice and being like, ‘oh, he’s not here today?’ You know what I mean? Those things are kind of frustrating, but now I know what I have, and that’s good.”

On Dual and Harmon:

“To be honest, Jerry, there’s a lot going on with (Garwey). His shoulder’s kind of messed up right now, so he’ll get reevaluated in the next couple days and see what’s what. Zion, he’s got some things going on as well. I don’t know—I don’t see the future because that doesn’t make sense—but I don’t know what’s gonna be entailed the next couple days with these guys, so I gotta focus on Dylan and Chaunce, and get those guys ready for the trip.”

On Scotty Middleton:

“We need him. Scotty is a high-energy guy, he plays with a lot of energy. I gotta get him to slow down a little bit because he’s very passionate, which I love. He’s very passionate, he’s a workaholic. I gotta get him to understand the things he can do to help us, like if he could shoot the ball, make some shots. He could slash, he could rebound, he’s got good size. Once he starts doing that and understanding that, we need him to do that. And I thought today was a good sign for him, so I’m happy for him and I hope it continues.”

On playing at Walsh Gymnasium:

“Yeah, I’m disappointed that we lost one here. Really, really disappointed. This is a really good homecourt advantage for us, but now we’re on to the next, right? Now we’re on to the next. We gotta—I told our guys in the locker room, how you win on Thursday, you gotta win on Monday. You win Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, we’re gonna win Thursday. So I’m looking forward to those three days. As a coach, that’s what I’m looking forward to. The players aren’t, I am.”

Gardner-Webb edges Elon in thriller of a home opener

By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Gardner-Webb used a balanced offense and a strong second half to overcome an 11-point deficit and beat a talented Elon team Friday, 80-79, in the Runnin’ Bulldogs home opener. 

GWU placed four players in double figures and shot over 80 percent from the charity stripe on the way to securing the first home win for first-year head coach Jeremy Luther.

“Man it feels great,” Luther said after the win. “I kind of felt like Jim Valvano out there looking for somebody to hug. Winning any Division I basketball game is tough and Elon is a very good team. They are very well coached and gave (North) Carolina all they wanted.”

Anthony Selden opened the game with a three for Gardner-Webb, but Elon answered with a quick 4-0 run. The teams traded triples as GW’s Pharell Boyogueno hit one from deep, but Elon still led, 13-10, at the first media stoppage. Buddy Simmons tied things out of the break with a deep trey, but a 6-0 run from Elon gave the visitors a 19-13 lead. Isaiah Richards broke the run with an emphatic slam and the teams continued to trade baskets, but the fouls kept mounting for the Runnin’ Bulldogs, as two players garnered three fouls by the midway point of the half.

A pair of Elon free throws gave the Phoenix a 30-19 lead with 7:17 left in the half. The home team started to get to the foul line, hitting five of six. By the time Shahar Lazar hit a pair of threes, GWU had clawed to within 33-32. Elon responded with a 6-0 run of their own, but Selden sank a pair of free throws, as did Simmons. Colin Hawkins converted an old-fashioned 3-point play in the final seconds of the half to pull GWU to within one, 41-40, at the break.

Simmons gave the hosts the lead with a deep three, and by the time he hit another moments later, Gardner-Webb led, 52-51. The lead kept changing hands until Elon went on a quick 5-0 run to lead by five, 60-55, with 13 minutes left. Elon hit a deep three to beat the shot clock, but Simmons hit a triple to end a 9-0 run. Hawkins hit a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 69-65, and followed with a three to draw GWU even closer.

Elon kept the Bulldogs at bay with a pair of threes that beat the shot clock, but a jumper from Richards kept them in striking distance at 73-71 with 5:54 left. Playing with four fouls, Jamaine Mann secured a rebound and putback to tie the game at 73. Selden gave GWU a 78-77 lead with 2:24 left after a 3-point play. The Runnin’ Bulldogs secured a huge offensive rebound, leading 80-79 with 43 seconds remaining, but an offensive foul gave the ball back to Elon with 29.7 seconds on the clock. They called timeout and Richards came up with a block, but Elon retained possession with 9.4 seconds left. GWU then forced a turnover as Elon stepped on the baseline. Since the Phoenix only had four team fouls in the second half, they could not send the Runnin’ Bulldogs to the line, and a long baseball pass sealed the 80-79 win.

WELCOME BACK: Selden and Mann made their returns to Boiling Springs after transferring to other programs and then coming back to the Runnin’  Bulldogs to finish their careers.

“We call them the old men,” Luther said with a laugh. “They are so good and it’s great to have them back. Ant is still adjusting to playing this many minutes again because he did not have as many at Rice. Jamaine has yet to play a full game because he got in foul trouble tonight and against Tennessee. He was ejected against NCCU. We have seen how special he is for the last four months in practice. We can’t wait for him to show what he can do for a full 40 minutes.”

NEVER GIVE UP: GWU has been the comeback kings through the first four games of the season, so the 11-point comeback against Elon is nothing new.

“We were down by 22 to Tennessee and cut it to 11,” Luther said. “We were down by even more than that to Pitt and had a chance to cut it to single digits in the second half. That tells me this team does not quit. They keep fighting to the final whistle and you saw that again tonight.”

PHOENIX RISING: In spite of the loss, Elon left little doubt of how talented it is. The Phoenix placed five players in double figures and led but for all of 5:19 of the contest. Nick Dorn and TK Simpkins shared game-high scoring honors with 17 points apiece.

UP NEXT: GWU will face another challenge when it make the short trip to the Queen City on Tuesday to face Charlotte. Elon goes to the Land of Lincoln on Wednesday to take on Northern Illinois.

Bailey’s long-awaited debut lives up to hype as Rutgers turns back Monmouth

Ace Bailey punctuates debut with second-half dunk against Monmouth. Bailey’s 17 points helped move Rutgers to 3-0. (Photo by Rutgers Athletics)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — One of Rutgers’ two transcendent freshmen already turned heads in the past week with back-to-back 20-point games. Friday was his wingman’s turn.

After missing the Scarlet Knights’ first two contests with a hip injury, Ace Bailey made his official debut on the banks and did not disappoint, scoring 17 points and adding six rebounds as 24th-ranked Rutgers improved to 3-0 on the young season with a 98-81 victory over Monmouth.

Bailey, a potential No. 1 overall pick in next June’s NBA Draft, only needed 27 seconds to get on the scoreboard, doing so on a 3-pointer in the right corner off a pass from Jordan Derkack. Rutgers led wire-to-wire against the visiting Hawks, and it seemed fitting that it was the 6-foot-10 phenom who drew first blood.

“Obviously, we wanted to get him going early,” Derkack said of Bailey and his eventual impact. “We didn’t mean for it to happen like that, but I was just kind of playing out there. Whoever set a flare screen for him, great play. I wound up finding him, and it was a good shot.”

“I wanted him to play,” Monmouth head coach King Rice revealed. “This wasn’t, ‘oh, I want him to play, put it up on the board.’ I love college basketball and this kid is one of the best to do it. It’s amazing that he’s that talented as a young kid, and it’s cool that he’s at Rutgers. I watched him last year when he played against Camden and scored 50, and was like, ‘wow, how is this kid that good at that age?’ I was glad that he played in the game. For a young man to not be playing, and then they run the first play for him and he hits a corner three to start the game, of course that was gonna happen against us today.”

Harper made his presence known as well, adding 20 points for a third straight game reaching that plateau, but the main takeaway was Bailey, who dazzled on a night where Rutgers was short handed, playing without Jeremiah Williams as the senior guard recovers from a shoulder injury.

“Ace is talented, and he helped pass the ball, too,” head coach Steve Pikiell assessed. “We’ve gotta get him in game shape, but I thought he gutted it out for us. He gives us another dimension on the court, and he’ll keep getting better too, like this team. I like this team, and he’s a big part of that.”

The victory did not come without a fight, however, as Monmouth (0-4) got 38 points from sophomore guard Abdi Bashir, who set a school record with ten 3-pointers in one of the better individual performances to date in the young season.

“I was really concerned with (Bashir), and I actually thought we did a decent job on him,” Pikiell said. “Then I looked at the box score. He did a fantastic job. He’s an incredible scorer. I thought we settled in and we shared the ball, we almost had six guys in double figures. (It was) a good team win, and everyone contributed.”

Multiple Rutgers players keyed in on Bashir, one of whom was Derkack, earning praise from the opposing head coach, who compared the hard-nosed junior to himself after the game.

“I love that kid,” said Rice. “He’s so tough and he’s skilled, and he’s a point guard that isn’t gonna shoot a lot of shots, but he’s such a winner. He wins games. There used to be this kid from Binghamton who went to North Carolina and couldn’t shoot, but he led his team to a Final Four. If you’re a point guard and you’re a winner like Jordan is, he can lead his team to a lot of places. I knew he was good on defense, but I didn’t know he was THAT good.”

His own coach was equally complimentary shortly after Rice offered his assessment.

“He does a lot of things for us,” Pikiell echoed, lauding Derkack’s versatility. “He’s a fantastic passer, but traffic rebounds, he can score, he can get it going downhill and he can really defend, too. I thought he did a good job on (Bashir), but Jordan brings a lot to us. He’s a leader, he’s got good toughness, he never misses a day of practice. He watches the most film on the team, too, so we’re really glad to have him back in New Jersey.”

The 98 points amassed by Rutgers Friday is a high water mark in Pikiell’s eight-plus years at the helm, besting the previous peak of 96 markers against FDU in November of 2020. Pikiell attributed the uptick on offense to Monmouth’s faster pace while also highlighting the speedier product turned out by his own unit, but reiterated that more improvement is needed as Rutgers traverses the proverbial playing field.

“We learn lessons in all these games,” he opined. “They’re very important for us. We’re playing at a different pace, and Monmouth plays at a different pace. You’re not gonna score as many points when you play the Wagners of the world, they play at a slower pace. We’re up and down the floor more, so more defensive possessions, more offensive possessions, so your defense can get exploited a little bit more.”

“We’re growing as a group. We gotta improve in every area. You see some good signs of a lot of good things, but you gotta play 40 minutes, too. That’s a huge part of moving forward here once we start playing Big Ten games. Those are 40-minute games.”