Finding ways to win

[randy]

Feb 18, 2003: Arkansas-Pine Bluff (5-20, 3-11) @ #6 Alabama St (25-0, 14-0)

Pregame Notes

• We shot 70% FG during our 1st meeting (92-64 road win)

Tip off

We have allowed ARPB with a number of uncontested baskets inside the paint in the early goings. I reminded the players not to be over confident in this game. We have gone on a 10-2 run since the 1st media timeout
13:10, Up 17-11

SG Joe Lewis already with 16 pts
7:32, Up 27-16

SG Joe Lewis continues to show his offensive prowess, matching the output of the entire ARPB team with 24 pts. Fellow freshman C Marcus Moore also playing well so far, 7 pts, 9 rebs (6 on the offensive glass).


Halftime, Up 46-24
We had a total of 11 offensive rebounds in the 1st half.


Start of 2nd half

Both teams struggling to put up pts early in the 2nd half.
13:19, Up 52-27

More than 12 mins into the 2nd half, and ARPB has scored only 3 pts at the half so far.
7:29, Up 59-27

I remember we were trailing early in the game, 7-9. We have outscored ARPB 67-28 the rest of the way.


Final Score: Arkansas-Pine Bluff - 37, Alabama St - 74
SG Joe Lewis is ranked #11 among the Norton semi-finalists. With performances like today, I won't be surprised if he gets selected an an All-American at the end of the season


Box Scores
[INDENT]Lewis 31, 6, 6, 2 blks, 5-10 3PT (*)
Brown 16, 8, 1
Moore 11, 13, 0
Wise 6, 4, 0
Andrews 5, 3, 0
Scott 2, 3, 2
Walker 2, 1, 0
Victor 1, 2, 4
Hawkins 0, 3, 1
Walls 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 40-31%
REB: +15 (+11 off rebounds)
TO: -8
Pts in paint: +14
2nd chance: +8
Fast break: +6
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 15-0 (W15)
2. Alabama A&M, 11-4 (W3)
3. Mississippi Valley St, 10-5 (W2)
4. Grambling, 8-7 (W1)
5. Jackson St, 7-8 (L1)
6. Texas Southern, 7-8 (L2)
7. Austin Peay, 7-8 (L1)
8. McNeese St, 6-9 (L3)
9. Alcorn St, 6-9 (L1)
10. Northwestern St, 6-9 (W1)
11. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 4-11 (W1)
12. Prairie View, 3-12 (L2)

[randy]

Feb 22, 2003: #6 Alabama St (26-0, 15-0) @ McNeese St (11-15, 6-9)

Pregame Notes

• At the beginning of the season, going for an undefeated regular season was the farthest thing of our mind. But we have a chance to do that today, needing just 1 more win. And we have to do it against our nemesis in the conference tournament the past 2 years.
• MCNST's leading scorer, PG Terry Hoyer (12.4 ppg), is out for the rest of the season with a broken wrist

Tip off

We expected that MCNST will go out playing with a lot of energy, in trying to be the 1st team to beat us. And they are doing just that, playing tough defense, and matching our intensity in rebounding.
13:48, Up 8-5

We're shooting 59% FG, while MCNST is just at 33%. And yet we're up by just 5
7:48, Up 22-17

C Marcus Moore and the rest of our front line scored 10 straight pts in the paint, to give us a 15-pt lead. We maintained a comfortable lead until the end of the 1st half


Halftime, Up 39-23
MCNST had 10 turn overs in the 1st half.


Start of 2nd half

We increased our lead to as high as 31, before our bench warmers finished the game. MCNST just doesn't have the offensive depth to match us, with the loss of their leading scorer. Their last 16 pts were scored during the last 3 minutes, when the game was long decided.


Final Score: Alabama St - 68, McNeese St - 52
Regular season record wouldn't matter during the tournament games. A perfect record is nice, but all teams are back to "0-0" when the postseason starts


Box Scores
[INDENT]Brown 20, 5, 2, 2 stls (*)
Lewis 14, 5, 3, 2 stls
Hawkins 9, 3, 1
Moore 6, 9, 1, 2 blks
Walker 6, 3, 4
Victor 6, 0, 5
Wise 4, 4, 0
Andrews 3, 2, 1
Scott 0, 1, 4
Walls 0, 0, 0
Clark 0, 0, 0
Reuter 0, 0, 0
Perkins 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 49-37%
REB: -2
TO: -6 (MCNST: 17)
Pts in paint: +16
2nd chance: -6
Fast break: +3
[/INDENT]


SWAC Final Standings

1. Alabama St, 16-0 (W16)
2. Alabama A&M, 12-4 (W4)
3. Mississippi Valley St, 10-6 (L1)
4. Grambling, 9-7 (W2)
5. Texas Southern, 8-8 (W1)
6. Austin Peay, 8-8 (W1)
7. Jackson St, 7-9 (L2)
8. McNeese St, 6-10 (L4)
9. Alcorn St, 6-10 (L2)
10. Northwestern St, 6-10 (L1)
11. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 4-12 (L1)
12. Prairie View, 4-12 (W1)

[randy]

Play-In Round

• (12) Prairie View def (5) Texas Southern, 78-67
• (11) Arkansas-Pine Bluff def (6) Austin Peay, 70-53
• (10) Northwestern St def (7) Jackson St, 76-58
• (9) Alcorn St def (8) McNeese St, 70-68

[randy]

Mar 2, 2003: (9) Alcorn St (15-13, 6-10) vs (1) #7 Alabama St (27-0, 16-0)

Pregame Notes

• Beat them twice this season, with a winning margin of 28 (home) and 19 pts (away). ALCST is #2 in SWAC (behind us) in defensive efficiency ratings

Tip off

SG Joe Lewis with 8 pts. ALCST already with 4 turn overs, and shooting just 1-6 FG
13:48, Up 14-4

C Robbie Wise with 7 pts off the bench. ALCST has just connected only their 2nd FG a while ago.
7:39, Up 25-8

We got into some turn over problems ourselves, 7 in the 1st half; ALCST had 10.


Halftime, Up 36-16
SG Joe Lewis leads all scorers with 13 pts. ALCST shot just 23% FG.



Start of 2nd half

SG Joe Lewis and PF David Andrews each scored 5 pts to spearhead our scoring in the 2nd half so far, as we continue to pull away from this game. Although I am a little bit uncomfortable on our turn over rate, which stands at 10.
13:57, Up 46-19

SG Joe Lewis already had a nice double-double before I pulled him out for good midway in the 2nd half. Im planning to play everyone today, including the walk ons. ALCST still has not reached double figures in FGs made, just 7-37 (19%) so far.
7:58, Up 52-22

ALCST finally showed some of their shooting skills late in the game.


Final Score: Alcorn St - 36, Alabama St - 64


Box Scores
[INDENT]Lewis 20, 10, 2, 2 stls, 4-8 3PT (*)
Wise 9, 6, 0
Brown 8, 5, 2
Walker 7, 6, 2
Andrews 5, 3, 1
Clark 5, 0, 0
Moore 4, 4, 3, 2 stls
Hawkins 2, 2, 0
Victor 2, 1, 2
Walls 2, 0, 0
Scott 0, 2, 4
Thompkins 0, 1, 0
Reuter 0, 0, 1
Perkins 0, 0, 0
McCray 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 45-24%
REB: +13
TO: +1
Pts in paint: +20
2nd chance: +3
Fast break: +9
[/INDENT]


SWAC Tournament Results

• (2) Alabama A&M def (10) Northwestern St, 64-61
• (3) Mississippi Valley St def (11) Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 78-65
• (4) Grambling def (12) Prairie View, 71-63

[randy]

Mar 3, 2003: (4) Grambling (16-12, 9-7) vs (1) #7 Alabama St (28-0, 16-0)

Pregame Notes

• We didn't shoot well from the outside during our only meeting this season (75-65 home win). We compensated by forcing a lot of turn overs on GRAM, and scoring on transition.
• GRAM finished #1 SWAC in terms of FG% and 3PT%

Tip off

We need to do a better job in shutting down the paint, as GRAM is easily scoring inside
13:55, Up 11-9

Our 2nd unit with a total of 16 pts already, helping us get a double-digit lead. We went with a taller lineup, and it lessened the amount of inside pts we were giving earlier.
6:56, Up 29-16

We got into penalty, with SG Joe Lewis (10 pts) picking up his 3rd foul in the process. But SG Drew Walker (11 pts) and SF Jason Brown (7 pts) took over the scoring towards the end of the 1st half


Halftime, Up 47-26
Our defense has limited GRAM to 32% FG, including 1-7 3PT



Start of 2nd half

GRAM adding 5 more turn overs early in the 2nd half (total of 14). We're almost in the penalty with 6 team fouls, but we're making sure GRAM does not get any easy shots.
13:08, Up 60-33

Unforgiving defense still being shown by our players against one of the better shooting teams in the conference. Pair that with our good outside shooting today, and this game is virtually over now.
7:36, Up 76-38

Early rest for our key players. GRAM hit 8 straight FGs to pad their shooting %


Final Score: Grambling - 57, Alabama St - 90


Box Scores
[INDENT]Walker 24, 4, 3, 3-8 3PT
Lewis 23, 3, 7, 2 blks, 3-6 3PT (*)
Brown 7, 6, 5, 2 stls
Moore 6, 4, 1, 2 blks
Walls 6, 4, 0
Hawkins 6, 2, 0
Wise 4, 5, 1
Scott 4, 1, 4
Andrews 3, 3, 1
McCray 3, 2, 0
Reuter 2, 0, 1
Perkins 2, 0, 0
Victor 0, 0, 2
Clark 0, 0, 0
Thompkins 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 60-37%
REB: +11
TO: -8 (GRAM: 17)
Pts in paint: +30
2nd chance: +2
Fast break: +17 (21-4)
[/INDENT]


SWAC Tournament Results

• (2) Alabama A&M def (3) Mississippi Valley St, 100-78

[randy]

Mar 4, 2003: (2) Alabama A&M (19-10, 12-4) vs (1) #7 Alabama St (29-0, 16-0)

Pregame Notes

• ALAM averaged 82 ppg in 2 tournament games thus far, while we limited our opponents to just 46 ppg. Something's got to give i this game.

Tip off

ALAM already connecting on 3 triples.
12:47, Up 14-13

Even ALAM's big men can score on medium range jumpers. C Robbie Wise has given us quality minutes, 6 pts, 4 rebs.
7:34, Tied at 22

Af ter score was knotted again at 26, SG Joe Lewis went to work and ALAM not able to keep up. Lewis finished with 18 pts in the 1st half


Halftime, Up 46-36
It also helped that we turned most of ALAM's turn overs into easy baskets, netting us 13 fast break pts. But this game is still a long way to go, as ALAM has the capability to put up pts in a hurry


Start of 2nd half

Scoring has slowed down a little bit, which is more to our liking as we don't want ALAM to heat up
13:37, Up 56-43

We're controlling the game in terms of our defense and rebounding. But our 7 2nd half turn overs (after committing just 2 the entire 1st half) is giving ALAM a window of opportunity.
7:38, Up 67-55

SG Joe Lewis just hit back-to-back 3s, for a game high 29 pts. ALAM still in striking distance, but time is definitely in our favor
3:22, Up 78-64

ALAM missing their next 4 shots plus a turn over, eventually sealing the game for us.


Final Score: Alabama A&M - 70, Alabama St - 81


Box Scores
[INDENT]Lewis 31, 5, 4, 4-7 3PT (*)
Wise 14, 9, 0, 6-8 FG
Brown 9, 7, 1
Moore 6, 2, 1
Victor 5, 4, 6
Scott 5, 1, 1
Andrews 4, 2, 2
Walker 3, 2, 1
Hawkins 2, 2, 1
Clark 2, 2, 1
Walls 0, 1, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 47-43%
REB: +8
TO: -3
Pts in paint: +24
2nd chance: +2
Fast break: +2
[/INDENT]


News

• Good News: SG Joe Lewis named as finalist for the Norton award
• Better News: Lewis and fellow freshman C Marcus Moore decided to stay and not declare early for the draft

[randy]

Our RPI is 10, and ranked #6

We're in the West Regionals (Seattle)

1st round matchup:
(4) #6 Alabama St vs (13) Houston Baptist

Teams in the West Regionals

• (1) #4 Iowa, 2 Nat'l Titles, 5 Final Fours
• (2) #7 St John's, 6 Final Fours
• (3) #13 Arizona, 3 Nat'l Titles, 8 Final Fours
• (4) #6 Alabama St
• (5) #24 California
• (6) Kentucky, 5 Nat'l Titles, 10 Final Fours
• (7) Mississippi
• (8) Pepperdine, 3 Final Fours
• (9) Mississippi St
• (10) Louisville, 4 Nat'l Titles, 6 Final Fours
• (11) Oklahoma, 3 Nat'l Titles, 7 Final Fours
• (12) Charlotte
• (13) Houston Baptist
• (14) Texas-Arlington
• (15) Long Island
• (16) Play In

Other Ranked Teams

East

• (1) #3 Georgia
• (2) #11 LSU
• (3) #9 New Mexico
• (4) #15 Georgia Tech
• (5) #22 Kansas St
• (6) #14 Maine
• (8) #25 Brown

Midwest

• (1) #2 Memphis
• (2) #5 Gonzaga
• (3) #12 Michigan
• (4) #10 Toledo
• (5) #17 Brigham Young
• (6) #18 Southern Illinois

South

• (1) #1 Temple
• (2) #8 Seton Hall
• (3) #16 Arkansas
• (4) #19 Kansas
• (5) #21 Maryland
• (6) #23 Bradley
• (7) #20 Boston

[randy]

Mar 17, 2003: (13) Houston Baptist (20-9, 12-2) vs (4) #6 Alabama St (30-0, 16-0)

Pregame Notes

• Key Players
  
  1. Sr SG Bradley Carberry (15.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 45% 3PT)
  2. Fr C Michael Gregory (10.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 58% FG)
• How they got here
  
  1. Finished 1st Great West; Won Great West Tournament
• Strengths
  
  1. They play a very slow pace (6th slowest nat'l), but shoots the ball well; 46.3% FG, 41.1% 3PT (#10 nat'l)
  2. They also take good care of the ball, only 10.9 turn overs per game (#4 nat'l)
• Weaknesses
  
  1. Just an average rebounding team, at 31 rpg (#5 Great West)
• A deliberate team that shoots the ball well, is always a dangerous match up. We need to pressure their ball handlers, and force turn overs

Tip off

Bad news! SG Joe Lewis suffered an early injury. We don't know the specifics yet, and the extent of the injury. Looks like he won't be able to come back in this game.
13:46, Up 13-7

We have forced 10 turn overs already on HBU, which is part of what we wanted to happen. SF Terrance Walls has stepped up off the bench with 8 pts.
5:44, Up 26-17

Both teams shooting below 40% FG, but we had more possessions because of our 11-0 advantage in turn overs.


Halftime, Up 35-26
We have neutralized HBU's strengths, but our sub par shooting has kept this game still close. Everybody has to keep their focus in the 2nd half, esp on defense.


Start of 2nd half

We started the 2nd half with a 10-0 run, before HBU scored consecutive baskets. SF Jason Brown has taken the leadership role on offense (16 pts, 3 asts) but the other players have contributed as well.
13:09, Up 49-32

Our 2nd unit tried their best to hold HBU, and they were able to main our double-digit lead.
5:55, Up 59-46

C Marcus Moore hits an inside basket, his 1st 2 pts, to give us a 15 pt advantage. But HBU unleashing a 10-0 run, including a couple from downtown. I had to burn a timeout.
3:10, Up 61-56

SF Jason Brown hits a tough shot. That was clutch! But HBU able to answer back. We'll use m2m defense exclusively for the remainder of the game.
2:47, Up 63-58

We turn it over for the 8th time i the 2nd half (after not committing a single turn over during the entire 1st half). HBU able to score on transition.
2:22, Up 63-60

ALST: SF Jason Brown has the ball again. He shoots a jumper. Miss, but there was a whistle. Foul on HBU. Brown hits both FTs. Brown with a game-high 23 pts
2:13, Up 65-60

HBU: Missed a shot
ALST: We set up a 3 for SG Drew Walker. Walker hits the 3!
1:27, Up 68-60

A turn over by HBU. I call a timeout to discuss wasting some clock.
1:10, Up 68-60

HBU had to give up successive fouls to get into penalty. We hit 2 FTs to ice the game, and get this hard-earned win


Final Score: Houston Baptist - 62, Alabama St - 70
HBU got back in the game because they shifted from taking outside shots, to pounding the the ball inside. No easy games in the NCAA tournament.

As for SG Joe Lewis, it turns out he had a broken finger (12%, 41 days), and he is out for the rest of the season. Bad timing, but we have to continue and move on.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Brown 23, 6, 3, 2 stls (*)
Andrews 11, 4, 1, 3-6 3PT
Walls 10, 5, 0
Victor 8, 3, 6, 2-3 3PT
Walker 8, 3, 0
Moore 4, 3, 2, 2 stls
Scott 2, 1, 3
Hawkins 2, 1, 2
Lewis 2, 0, 1
Perkins 0, 0, 0
Wise 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 46-45%
REB: -5
TO: -8 (HBU: 17)
Pts in paint: -6
2nd chance: -10 (0-10)
Fast break: -5
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Mar 19, 2003: (5) #24 California (25-9, 10-8) vs (4) #6 Alabama St (31-0, 16-0)

Pregame Notes

• Key Players
  
  1. So SG Jamaal Jack (16.3 ppg, 4.4. rpg, 38% 3PT)
  2. So PG Ashley Walls (10.3 ppg, 3.4 apg, 37% 3PT)
• How they got here
  
  1. Finished 5th Pac 12; 1st Runner Up Pac 12 Tournament
• Strengths
  
  1. Ranks in the top 10 nat'l in 3PT shots made, almost 9 per game
  2. They are also an underrated defensive team, limiting their opponents to just 38% FG (8th nat'l)
• Weaknesses
  
  1. They shoot only just above 14 FTs per game
• We'll start out the game playing tight m2m defense to contain CAL's shoters.
• Not easy to replace a 20 ppg scorer like SG Joe Lewis, at the middle of a tournament. We will alter our starting lineup:
  1: PG Johnny Victor
  2: SF Jason Brown
  3: PF David Andrews
  4: C Robbie Wise
  5: C Marcus Moore
  Brown, Andrews, and SG Drew Walker will rotate on the wing (2/3) spots, to give us 2 shooters at any time during the game

Tip off

CAL has converted 2 3PTs. But I am more concerned about CAL's 4 offesnive rebounds. We have already maxed out on def rebounding intensity
13:12, Down 9-10

We're doing a better job controlling the defensive glass. We also started hitting our outside shots, led by SF Jason Brown with 9 pts.
7:12, Up 26-23

SG Drew Walker then took over the shooting duties, as he scored the 1st 8 pts of a 12-0 run to get us up by 15 pts. We then went scoreless for more than 4 minutes, allowing CAL to inch closer at the break


Halftime, Up 38-28
We did what we're supposed to do on the defensive end, allowing CAL to shoot just 4-14 3PT (28%). CAL also committed 9 turn overs. If we maintain our effectiveness on defense, and lessen our scoring drought, we should be ok.


Start of 2nd half

PF David Andrews scoring 8 pts early in the 2nd half, but it wasn't enough to offset the hot shooting start of CAL (3-3 3PT in the 2nd half)
13:13, Up 48-43

Both teams trading 3s. SG Drew Walker adding 11 pts in the 2nd half, to up his total to 22 pts. But CAL is full of good offensive players, and they are relentless in keeping this game close, shooting 6-8 3PT in the 2nd half. We are already in the penalty.
7:52, Up 62-58

It;s either CAL can't miss, or the we're getting called for a foul every time. CAL eventually leveled the score at 64, and it has been closely fought match since then.
3:34, Up 70-68

After a miss by SF Jason Brown, CAL able to tie the game. Brown made up for his earlier miss, and scored on a jumper.
2:45, Up 72-70

CAL: We're not allowing good looks on defense. CAL forcing to shoot an NBA-range 3PT shot as their shot clock is winding down, and it went in! CAL is 8-10 3PT in the 2nd half. Timeout.
2:15, Down 72-73

ALST: SF Jason Brown drives. Brown got blocked. CAL recovers
CAL: We also blocked their shot.
ALST: I only have 2 timeouts left. I decided not to use one for this possession. PG Johnny Victor with a bad pass intercepted by CAL. Damn!
CA: Missed a shot but another foul on us. Split FTs. Timeout
0:55, Down 72-74

ALST: SG Drew Walker missed a 3. Walker was 6-9 3PT prior to that shot.
CAL: We get a steal. I decided to call my last timeout
0:31, Down 72-74

CAL has been using 2-3 zone more late in the game. We must free up one of our shooters to have a good look

ALST: PF David Andrews gets a good look. Missed a jumper. C Marcus Moore gets the offensive rebound. We have no timeouts left. Plenty of time, 0:20 remaining. We tried getting it inside the paint. PF David Andrews has no shot. C Marcus Moore gets the ball. He drives. Moore got blocked! CAL recovers, and able to dribble away to avoid an intentional foul.


Final Score: California - 74, Alabama St - 72
What a heartbreaking defeat. Even without SG Joe Lewis, I thought we had a good chance of pulling this one. CAL found their shooting touch in the 2nd half, converting 8 3s to quickly erase the lead we built after the 1st half.

No point in speculating what could have been if SG Joe Lewis is available to play today. We just need to move on, and be a better team next season.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Walker 22, 4, 1, 6-10 3PT
Andrews 18, 3, 1, 2 stls, 5-7 3PT (L)
Brown 13, 5, 1, 2 blks
Moore 6, 3, 0, 2 blks
Hawkins 4, 5, 1
Wise 4, 3, 0, 2 stls
Scott 3, 1, 7 (L)
Victor 2, 1, 9, 2 stls, 4 tos (L)
Walls 0, 3, 0 (L)
(L) - last collegiate game
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 43-44%
REB: -10 (-7 offensive rebounds)
TO: -6
Pts in paint: Even
2nd chance: -6
Fast break: -4
[/INDENT]

[randy]

NCAA

• #5 Gonzaga def #4 Iowa in the NCAA Finals, 94-81, to win their 2nd national championship