Path to the Hall of Fame (v2)

[randy]

Coppin St, Won 90-71

• FG: 59-40%; REB: +9; TO: -5
• POG: SG Cain Ward 29 pts, 7 asts

@Florida A&M, Won 53-51

• FG: 57-43%; REB: +7; TO: -4
• POG: SG Cain Ward 32 pts, 6 rebs

Bethune-Cookman, Won 77-42

• FG: 51-24%; REB: +20; TO: -1
• POG: SG Cain Ward 25 pts, 5 rebs

Howard, Won 74-47

• FG: 50-33%; REB: +2; TO: -9
• POG: C Brandon Braun 18 pts, 9 rebs

MEAC Conference Standings

1. #17 Delaware St, 4-0
2. Bethune-Cookman, 3-1
3. Norfolk, 3-1
4. Florida A&M, 2-2
5. North Carolina A&T, 2-2
6. Morgan St, 2-2
7. MD Eastern Shore, 2-2
8. Belmont, 2-2
9. Howard, 1-3
10. Coppin St, 1-3
11. Lipscomb, 1-3
12. Quinnipiac, 1-3

[randy]

@Lipscomb, Won 70-51

• FG: 52-30%; REB: +10; TO: +2
• POG: C Terrell Collins 19 pts, 7 rebs

Belmont, Won 100-76

• FG: 54-40%; REB: +23; TO: +2
• POG: C Brandon Braun 36 pts, 14 rebs

Quinnipiac, Won 71-51

• FG: 45-38%; REB: +11; TO: -4
• POG: C Brandon Braun 19 pts, 8 rebs

@Norfolk St, Won 85-60

• FG: 52-44%; REB: +9; TO: -2
• POG: C Brandon Braun 26 pts, 4 rebs

MEAC Conference Standings

1. #8 Delaware St, 8-0
2. North Carolina A&T, 6-2
3. Bethune-Cookman, 5-3
4. Florida A&M, 5-3
5. Norfolk, 4-4
6. Howard, 3-5
7. Coppin St, 3-5
8. Lipscomb, 3-5
9. Belmont, 3-5
10. Quinnipiac, 3-5
11. MD Eastern Shore, 3-5
12. Morgan St, 2-6

[randy]

@North Carolina A&T, Won 81-78 OT

• FG: 44-46%; REB: +3; TO: +1
• POG: SG Cain Ward 30 pts

Morgan St, Won 92-85 OT

• FG: 49-52%; REB: +9; TO: -4
• POG: SG Cain Ward 38 pts, 3 stls

@MD Eastern Shore, Won 87-71

• FG: 56-46%; REB: Even; TO: -5
• POG: C Brandon Braun 19 pts, 7 rebs

@Coppin St, Won 79-67

• FG: 48-47%; REB: +6; TO: +1
• POG: C Brandon Braun 22 pts, 8 rebs

MEAC Conference Standings

1. #7 Delaware St, 12-0
2. North Carolina A&T, 8-4
3. Florida A&M, 7-5
4. Norfolk, 7-5
5. Bethune-Cookman, 7-5
6. Morgan St, 5-7
7. Coppin St, 5-7
8. Lipscomb, 5-7
9. Quinnipiac, 5-7
10. Belmont, 4-8
11. Howard, 4-8
12. MD Eastern Shore, 3-9

[randy]

Florida A&M, Won 82-59

• FG: 54-36%; REB: +15; TO: +3
• POG: SG Cain Ward 24 pts, 7 rebs

@Bethune-Cookman, Lost 69-82

• FG: 51-64%; REB: -1; TO: -3

@Howard, Won 87-65

• FG: 60-41%; REB: +7; TO: -6
• POG: SG Cain Ward 31 pts, 3 asts

Lipscomb, Won 87-59

• FG: 56-39%; REB: +2; TO: -8
• POG: C Brandon Braun 29 pts, 9 rebs

MEAC Conference Final Standings

1. #7 Delaware St, 15-1
2. North Carolina A&T, 9-7
3. Morgan St, 9-7
4. Coppin St, 9-7
5. Florida A&M, 8-8
6. Bethune-Cookman, 8-8
7. Belmont, 7-9
8. Norfolk, 7-9
9. Lipscomb, 7-9
10. Quinnipiac, 7-9
11. Howard, 5-11
12. MD Eastern Shore, 5-11

[randy]

Quarter Finals
(9) Lipscomb, Won 83-56

• FG: 54-45%; REB: +11; TO: -5
• POG: SG Cain Ward 18 pts, 5 rebs

Semi-Finals
(5) Florida A&M, Won 84-81

• FG: 57-47%; REB: +16; TO: +9
• POG: C Brandon Braun 22 pts, 16 rebs

Championship
(7) Belmont, Won 75-59

• FG: 42-38%; REB: +20; TO: -3
• POG: C Brandon Braun 29 pts, 16 rebs

[randy]

Rank (Media/Coaches): #7/#7; RPI: #6

We're in the Midwest Regionals (Kansas City)

1st round matchup:
(6) #7 Delaware St vs (11) Xavier

Teams in the Midwest Regionals

• (1) #2 Georgia - 2 National Titles, 8 Final Fours
• (2) #6 Gonzaga - 1 National Title, 5 Final Fours
• (3) #12 Arizona - 3 National Titles, 8 Final Fours
• (4) #18 North Carolina - 3 Final Fours
• (5) #4 UNLV - 3 Final Fours
• (6) #7 Delaware St
• (7) Michigan - 1 Final Four
• (8) Duke - 1 National Title, 4 Final Fours
• (9) Maryland - 4 Final Fours
• (10) Fordham
• (11) Xavier
• (12) Play-In
• (13) Vermont
• (14) Holy Cross
• (15) Texas-San Antonio
• (16) UMKC

Other Ranked Teams

East

• (1) #5 Iowa
• (2) #10 Pittsburgh
• (3) #11 Bradley
• (4) #19 Auburn
• (5) #23 Syracuse
• (6) #24 Indiana

South

• (1) #3 Kansas
• (2) #14 Seton Hall
• (3) #17 St. John's
• (4) #9 Memphis
• (5) #25 LSU
• (6) #16 Southern Illinois
• (8) #22 Denver

West

• (1) #1 Temple
• (2) #15 Georgia Tech
• (3) #13 Stanford
• (4) #20 Virginia
• (5) #8 Arkansas-Little Rock
• (7) #21 Toledo

On Probation

• None

MEAC teams appearing on post-season tournaments

NCAA

• Midwest: (11) Xavier vs (6) #7 Delaware St

NIT

• Midwest: (7) Coppin St vs (2) Alabama-Birmingham

[randy]

Mar 16, 2002: (11) Xavier (20-9, 11-5) vs (6) #7 Delaware St (29-2, 15-1)

Scouting Report

1. Primary defense: M2M
2. Offense focus: Balanced
3. Key players:
   
   • Sr C Ivoree Owens (9.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 54% FG)
   • Sr PG Mike Bergman (12.2 ppg, 3.3 apg)
   • Sr SG Shannon Walls (10.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
4. Strengths:
   
   • Offense: 72.3 ppg (#36), 46.7% FG (#31)
   • Ball Handling: 12.8 topg (#27)
5. Weaknesses:
   
   • Rebounding: 31.0 rpg (#162)
6. How they got here:
   
   • Finished 3rd Atlantic 10; Lost Conference Tournament Quarter Finals

Strategies

1. We need to take advantage of our strength on the boards, and score on 2nd chance pts

Start of 1st half

SG Cain Ward picked up 2 quick fouls. Up 5-4, 15:48. C Brandon Braun also with 2 fouls; not very good news. I got a technical early for complaining. Our offense not the same without Ward and Braun on the floor; we're 21% FG. I have to bring my 2 key players back, before it's too late. Down 9-17, 9:18. XAV taking advantage of our early penalty situation, scoring from the FT line. We're just trying to make this game close. Down 20-28, 3:05. XAV showing good consistency on offense, never having a long scoring drought. Halftime, Down 25-33.

Key stats / Notes (Halftime)

• FG shooting: XAV 46%, DEL 33%
• FT shooting: XAV 8-13, DEL 3-6
• We just need to keep our key players in foul trouble. We'll be using 2-3 zone; it's a big risk as XAV shot 3-7 3PT in the 1st half

Start of 2nd half

Things got worse initially, as we went down by 11. And then, SG Cain Ward and PG Michael Price hit back-to-back 3s to cut our deficit to 5. After a couple of stops, SG Cain Ward drives strong to the hoop and scores on a dunk. Down 36-39, 15:56.

XAV answers back with a jumper. Down 5. C Brandon Braun splits his FTs, and a couple of plays later, SG SG Cain Ward scores on a drive again. Down 2. XAV scored 3 unanswered pts, but was answered immediately by a 3pt shot by Ward (18 pts). Down 42-44, 13:31.

We missed a chance to tie the game after a XAV turn over. XAV scores 2 FTs and a FG, and we go down by 6 again. XAV commits their 7th team foul, as we converted 2 FTs. Down 44-48, 11:34.

After a XAV miss, SG Cain Ward scores on a jumper. Down 2 once again. XAV scores a big 3pt shot. After we miss our shot, XAV with another 3! All of a sudden, we're down 8. I had to call an early timeout. Down 46-54, 9:57.

I told the team that others must step up, and we can't rely on SG Cain Ward to do all our scoring. On the ensuing play, SG Lewis Lapore hits his 1st basket of the game, a 3pt shot. Down 5. After a XAV miss, we took another 3 but missed it. But C Terrell Collins with an offensive rebound. We reset the play, and went to C Brandon Braun on the post. Braun (9 pts) scores. Down 3. We forced XAV to another contested shot, and they missed again. On our offense, Braun drives to the basket, takes a difficult shot, but he managed to put it in! We are knocking on the door once again.
Down 53-54, 8:04.

XAV called for traveling. We go back to C Brandon Braun, and Braun (13 pts) delivers once again! We take the lead after a long while. And we did this while SG Cain Ward is resting on the bench. Up 55-54, 7:38. XAV must be feeling the pressure now, as they continue to miss their shots. We go back to our man of the moment, C Brandon Braun. Braun powers his way inside, and scores again! Up 3. Another miss by XAV, and they are not getting any 2nd chances as C Terrell Collins (10 rebs) has done a good job controlling the boards. Everyone knows who we are going to on offense. We manage to get the ball back to Braun down low, and Braun (17 pts) scores again! We are currently on an 13-0 run, with Braun scoring the last 10 pts. Up 59-54, 6:25.

XAV is not done though, as they finally get a basket, their 6th triple of the game. Up 2. C Brandon Braun gets hacked, and will shoot 2 FTs. I bring back SG Cain Ward to the floor. Braun splits his FTs. Up 3. Another 3pt shot by XAV, and just like that, we are tied once again. Tied at 60, 5:45.

SG Cain Ward gets fouled. 2 FTs. Ward (22 pts) hits both. Up 2. A miss by XAV. On our next play, SG Cain Ward (25 pts) drains his 5th 3pt shot of the game. Up 65-60, 4:18.

XAV gets another 3pt shot to go in; XAV is 8-14 3PT today. Up 2. XAV called for another foul, and PF David Andrews to shoot 2 FTs; Andrews has yet to score today. While Andrews is preparing to shoot his FTs, I made a quick huddle with the rest of the team, and told them that we'll use m2m defense, doubling down on all their 3 perimeter players. Andrews sinks both FTs. Up 67-63, 3:47.

XAV missed a 3. PF David Andrews gets fouled again, and will shoot 2 FTs. Andrews hits both again. Up 6. XAV wisely going to the post now, as they can't get a good look from the perimeter. They score. Up 69-65, 2:45.

Another foul on XAV. PG Michael Price to shoot 2 FTs. Price splits. Up 5. Using a series of screens, XAV effectively freed up their leading scorer in this game, SF Philipp Aggers, and aggers scores on a medium-range jumper. I called a timeout. Up 70-67, 2:03.

SG Cain Ward missed on a running jumper. XAV gets the def rebound. We commit 2 consecutive fouls, but those are only our 6th team foul. XAV inbounds the ball again. SF Brad Collins gets a steal. B Collins with a quick outlet pass to C Terrell Collins, and T Collins slams it down on the break. Up 72-67, 1:05.

We force another XAV turn over because of our double team defense in the perimeter. I call another timeout. Up 72-67, 0:41.

We'll eat up as much time as possible. But XAV fouls intentionally. PG Michael Price hits both FTs. 3 possession game with 0:40 left; very difficult for XAV now.

We get another steal, this time on their back court with our full court press. 2 more FTs for SF Brad Collins, and I can finally breath easily


Final Score: Xavier - 67, Delaware St - 80


Box Scores
[INDENT]Ward 25, 3, 1 (*)
Braun 20, 4, 0, 2 stls
T Collins 10, 10, 0
Price 10, 1, 7, 4 tos
Andrews 4, 4, 1
B Collins 4, 3, 4, 2 stls
Lepore 3, 0, 2
Murphy 2, 2, 0
Costa 2, 1, 2, fouled out
Jefferson 0, 3, 0
Perry 0, 2, 1
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 47-46%
REB: +8
TO: -6
Pts in paint: +18
2nd chance: +6
Fast break: +8
[/INDENT]
Notes

• Game was much closer than the final score indicates. That was a tough 1st round match up for us. A poor start forced us to play catch up until the early part of the 2nd half. The rest of the game were highlighted by several momentum swings for both teams. Our defense, and FT shooting, saved us in the end game.

[randy]

Mar 18, 2002: (6) #7 Delaware St (29-2, 15-1) vs (3) #12 Arizona (23-7, 15-3)

Scouting Report

1. Primary defense: M2M
2. Offense focus: Balanced (fast)
3. Key players:
   
   • Jr C BJ Cooper (10.3 ppg, 12.1 rpg, 2.8 bpg, All-American, 2-time Conf POY, 2-time Conf DPOY, #13 class rank)
   • Jr SG JD Brinkley (13.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.7 spg, All Conf, #19 class rank) - injured (85%)
   • Sr(R) Eric Simmons (9.3 ppg,)
4. Strengths:
   
   • Defense: 59.2 ppg (#10), 37.8% opp FG (#2), 31.3% opp 3PT (#30), 17.6 opp topg (#5), 7.3 spg (#35), 4.7 bpg (#10)
   • Rebounding: 35.3 rpg (#14)
   • Bench: 28.5 ppg, at least 3 players score at least 6 ppg
5. Weaknesses:
   
   • Offense: 41.2% FG (#331), 31.2% 3PT (#293)
   • Will leading scorer SG JD Brinkley play?
6. How they got here:
   
   • Finished 1st Pac 12; Lost Conference Tournament Finals
   • (Round 64) Def Holy Cross, 68-56 (HOLY: 31% FG)

Strategies

1. With or without SG JD Brinkley, Arizona remains a national contender because of their defense and rebounding. Their defense spans the whole spectrum, whether its in the interior (anchored on All-American C BJ Cooper) or pressure on the perimeter. We hope to either make our outside shots, or get Cooper into foul trouble
2. We figure this will be a low scoring affair. Arizona has not shot well from the outside, even when SG JD Brinkley is playing. We'll clog the lane, and challenge them to shoot low percentage shots

Start of 1st half

ARIZ elected to start SG JD Brinkley, but he's clearly not 100%. ARIZ showing to us they are ready to take their outside shots, as they converted 2 3pt shots already; not a good sign for us. Also, we're getting a taste of their defense, as we're 1-7 FG. Down 2-8, 15:09. What we're doing right is we are forcing ARIZ to commit turn overs; they have 6 already. What we don't like happening is ARIZ getting at least a couple of offensive rebound putbacks already. We're getting more patient now with our offense. Tied at 12, 11:45.

Without ARIZ's C BJ Cooper on the floor, C Terrell Collins took advantage as he scored 3 consecutive inside baskets, before ARIZ hit their 4th triple of the game. ARIZ wisely bring Cooper back in. Up 20-18, 7:07. Both teams finding it hard to score. ARIZ's Cooper scored on another off rebound putback, which was answered by our 1st 3pt shot of the game, courtesy of SG Lewis Lepore. Up 23-20, 3:24.

SG Lewis Lepore drains another triple; Lepore has 6 pts off the bench! ARIZ had 2 chances to score, and both missed. On our next play, SG Cain shoots a running jumper, scores, and gets a foul! Ward hits the bonus FT. We're on a 9-0 run. Up 29-20, 2:29. Both teams scored just a FG each to end the half. Halftime, up 31-22.

Key stats / Notes (Halftime)

• Pts in paint: DELST 18, ARIZ 10
• 2nd chance pts: DELST 4, ARIZ 8
• We're beating ARIZ on their own game, as we forced ARIZ to shoot only 26% FG, and we're +5 in rebounds. ARIZ is 4-20 3PT, which is fine with us

Start of 2nd half

SG Cain Ward scored 7 of our 1st 13 pts, as we steadily increase our lead. To make matters worse for ARIZ, their C BJ Copper picked up his 3rd foul and forced to sit in the bench. C Terrell Collins already with a double double, 11 pts, 10 rebs. Up 44-28, 15:22. As we continue to successfully dissect ARIZ's interior defense, they are forced to bring back Cooper. A couple of plays later, we isolated C Brandon Braun on Cooper, and Cooper commits his 4th personal; on to the bench again for Cooper. ARIZ's rebounding has suffered tremendously without Cooper, and this game is turning out to be a blow out. But no time to be complacent. ARIZ already in the penalty. Up 54-31, 10:27.

No signs of a rally for ARIZ, as our players continue to have a field day inside the paint. Their C BJ Cooper (4 fouls) just checked in, but with only 5 mins left and 30 pt lead, it's too late for them now. I will now rest my key players.

Unbelievable win. We go back to the Sweet 16.

Final Score: Delaware St - 78, Arizona - 41


Box Scores
[INDENT]T Collins 22, 18, 0 (*)
Ward 20, 9, 1, 2 stls
Braun 12, 5, 0, 4 tos
Costa 7, 1, 2
Lepore 6, 1, 3
Murphy 4, 3, 0
Jefferson 3, 0, 0
B Collins 2, 8, 3
Andrews 2, 5, 3
Price 0, 4, 5
Perry 0, 0, 2
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 44-26%
REB: +25 (+8 off)
TO: Even
Pts in paint: +30 (44-14)
2nd chance: +13 (25-12)
Fast break: +9
[/INDENT]
Notes

• What a difference one good defensive player can make. With ARIZ's C BJ Cooper limited to just 18 mins due to foul trouble, it has allowed us to take advantage of the paint, and dominated the rebounding battle. There's never a better time for C Terrell Collins to come up with his best game of the season.

[randy]

Mar 18, 2002: (6) #7 Delaware St (31-2, 15-1) vs (2) #7 Gonzaga (29-4, 13-3)

Scouting Report

1. Primary defense: M2M
2. Offense focus: Balanced (fast)
3. Key players:
   
   • Jr C Victor Prince (9.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.7 spg, 2.5 bpg, Conf POY, 2-time Conf DPOY, #35 class rank)
   • Fr PG Ricky McLean (12.3 ppg, 4.1 apg, #6 class rank)
   • So SF Jon Knight (11.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 50% 3PT, #26 class rank)
   • Their other 2 starters also averaging in double figures, plus a 6th man averaging almost 8 ppg
4. Strengths:
   
   • Offense: 75.8 ppg (#6), 16.5 apg (#16), 47.7% FG (#13), 37.4% 3PT (#74)
   • Ball handling: 12.1 topg (#10)
   • Defense: 60.1 opp ppg (#19), 38.5% opp FG (#6), 32.4% opp 3PT (#56), 17.2 opp topg (#16), 7.6 spg (#22), 4.8 bpg (#10)
   • Rebounding: 33.0 rpg (#58)
5. Weaknesses:
   
   • FT shooting: 69.7% (#268)
6. How they got here:
   
   • Finished 1st West Coast; Won Conference Tournament
   • (Round 64) Def Texas-San Antonio, 83-66 (McLean 18 pts, 6 asts; ZAGA: 9-19 3PT, 20-25 FT)
   • (Round 32) Def Fordham 68-61 (Prince 14 pts, 6 stls; ZAGA: 19-25 FT)

Strategies

1. Gonzaga can win in so many ways, either with their balanced offense, or defense anchored on a dominant big man (Prince). And as they have shown in 2 tournament games so far, they have done much damage from the FT line also. We'll take our chances and force Gonzaga to shoot from the outside. Not only hoping that they miss a lot of outside of outside shots, but also try to minimize our fouls and prevent them to score from the FT line.
2. We must dominate the rebounding battle, and hope it will be enough to hack out a win
3. SF Brad Collins is injured (89%, 2 days); not sure if I'll play him a few minutes, but he'll not be starting today. SF Anthony Jefferson will start

Start of 1st half

We found some success challenging ZAGA's interior defense, as our big men scored our 1st 8 pts; more importantly, their C Victor Prince picked up 2 early fouls. ZAGA is 1-6 3PT. Up 11-5, 14:52. ZAGA has hit their last 2 attempts from beyond the arc. Up 14-11, 11:52.

We are also hitting a good clip from the outside, with SG Cain Ward and SG Lewis Lepore both having two triples each, to complement our inside game. ZAGA just 20% FG, and half of their FGAs are from 3pt territory. Up 22-11, 9:23. ZAGA's offense starting to catch fire. ZAGA brought back C Victor Prince (2 fouls), and immediate C Brandon Braun attacked him, and Prince picked up his 3rd foul. We continue to pound the inside, and keep ZAGA at bay. Up 28-21, 5:18. We committed 4 turn overs in the last 3 minutes, and ZAGA continuously breathing on our necks. PG Brandon Costa hits a 3pt shot a second before the end of the 1st half. Halftime, up 39-31.

Key stats / Notes (Halftime)

• Pts in paint: DELST 14, ZAGA 6
• Turn overs: DELST 11, ZAGA 6
• FT shooting: DELST 8-10, ZAGA 2-3
• Both teams converted 5 3pt shots each
• We did a good job so far on 2 key areas that we plan on doing well - win the rebounding battle (+6 rebs) and keep ZAGA off the FT line
• An area of concern is our turn overs. Starting PG Michael Price has done a horrible job playing the point, with 5 turn overs already. I will start PG Brandon Costa in the 2nd half, but Costa has 3 fouls

Start of 2nd half

We had a chance to go up by 12, but PG Brandon Costa missed an easy layup on transition. On the next play, ZAGA scored a 3pt shot, which started a 9-2 run for them. We also committed 3 more turn overs, and Costa picked up his 4th foul. We certainly missed our opportunity to pull away further. Up 43-40, 15:03.

We went back with a 3-gurad lineup, which proved successful earlier in the 1st half. C Brandon Braun has been doing his best to keep us in the lead. ZAGA already with 5 team fouls; if we can get them into penalty, that would be very helpful in the end game. ZAGA's C Victor Prince also picked up his 4th foul, less than a minute after he checked in. Up 50-45, 11:55.

ZAGA has put in a lot of effort on their off rebounding, but they keep missing their shots. We're also missing our shots, even inside the paint because of ZAGA's use of 3-2 zone. Score remain unchanged for more than 5 minutes, until ZAGA drains their 8th 3pt shot of the game. Up 50-48, 6:50. Our 3rd-string PG, Brandon Perry, who has played sparingly in this game suddenly scores a big time 3pt shot also. Up 53-48, 6:20.

ZAGA scores on a jumper. Up 3. SG Cain Ward trying to answer back, drives to the hoop, but got blocked. I was shouting for a foul but play resumes. ZAGA missed. On our next play, SG Lewis Lepore scores on a jumper. Lepore has come up qith quality minutes again, 10 pts off the bench. Up 55-50, 4:39. Teams trading misses, and then ZAGA scored. We're in for a close finish here. Up 55-52, 3:34.

We go to C Terrell Collins on the low post. Collins made a spin move against ZAGA's C Victor Prince, and scores! What a nice move by T Collins (12 pts). Up 57-52, 3:18. ZAGA missed another 3 (8-26 3PT). On our play, SG Cain Ward drives, gets blocked again, no foul called, but C Brandon Braun able to recover the ball. Braun puts up a shot and scores! Braun (21 pts) at the right place at the right time. Up 59-52, 2:42.

ZAGA with another miss, and we have a better job lately of boxing them out and prevent off rebounds. PG Michael Price gets the ball. Price has not had a good game, but he puts up a 3 and it goes in! That is Price's (5 pts) 2nd FG only, but what a time for him to make up. Up 62-52, 2:01. ZAGA takes a 3. Miss. They get the off rebound. ZAGA shoots; miss again, and this time we secure the def board. I call a timeout to make sure we'll close this out. Up 62-52, 1:43.

We'll slow things down on offense, go m2m on our defense, and apply full court pressure to take up additional time.

We turn the ball over. But SG Cain Ward did a good job defending on transition, as we prevented an easy score for ZAGA. We get the ball back, but more importantly chopped off a lot of seconds on the game clock. ZAGA no choice but to foul. We scored a FT, and got a steal on the other end. That should do it, as ZAGA appears to have conceded and not giving up a foul anymore.

On to the Elite 8! Everyone is ecstatic


Final Score: Delaware St - 63, Gonzaga - 54


Box Scores
[INDENT]Braun 22, 5, 0 (*)
T Collins 12, 5, 1
Lepore 10, 3, 2
Ward 8, 9, 3, 2 stls, 5 tos
Price 5, 6, 3, 5 tos
Perry 3, 1, 1
Costa 3, 0, 4
Jefferson 0, 3, 2
Andrews 0, 3, 1
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 45-32%
REB: +6
TO: +9
Pts in paint: +6
2nd chance: -5
Fast break: +4
[/INDENT]
Notes

• Excellent defensive effort. ZAGA shot 8-28 3PT (29%) and that was our game plan all along. Even though we committed 19 turn overs, we only allowed 2 fast break pts for ZAGA. Also, ZAGA wasn't able to go the line that much, getting only 4-7 FT
• Multiple players had their moments on offense, especially towards the end when the game was still undecided. SG Cain Ward struggled on his shooting, but he found ways to contribute on other areas. This win was a complete team effort

[randy]

Mar 25, 2002: (6) #7 Delaware St (32-2, 15-1) vs (5) #4 UNLV (32-5, 15-1)

Scouting Report

1. Primary defense: M2M
2. Offense focus: Outside (slow)
3. Key players:
   
   • Sr SG Jason Morant (19.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, All-American, #22 class rank)
   • Sr PF Terrance Crosbie (11.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 58% FG, Conf POY, #31 class rank)
4. Strengths:
   
   • Defense: 56.1 opp ppg (#3), 41.1% opp FG (#38), 17.3 opp topg (#13), 7.8 spg (#16)
5. Weaknesses:
   
   • 3PT shooting: 34.3% 3PT (#196)
   • Rebounding: 31.4 rpg (#140)
6. How they got here:
   
   • Finished 1st Mountain West; Won Conference Tournament
   • (Round 64) Def Wake Forest, 61-42 (Morant 21 pts; WF 32% FG)
   • (Round 32) Def #18 North Carolina, 66-63 (Morant 23 pts; UNC 40% FG)
   • (Sweet 16) Def #2 Georgia, 75-70 (Morant 29 pts)

Strategies

1. SG Jason Morant has scored more than 1/3 of their pts in 3 tournament games. We will put a bigger defender, and double him, every time he is on the floor.
2. Number of possessions would be key here, as UNLV likes to slow down the pace. Off rebounding and taking care of the ball becomes more important for us

Start of 1st half

Both teams have not shot the ball well to start the game. Up 4-3, 15:34. UNLV's Jason Morant has already hit 3 tough 3pt shots. UNLV has a lot of good individual defenders, making it difficult for us to have open looks. Down 6-9, 11:30. Nothing going right for us; not only we can't solve UNLV's stingy m2m defense, we also committed 7 turn overs already. Down 6-15, 7:48. We got down by as many as 12, but we're glad to be down by single-digit only heading to the 2nd half. Halftime, Down 18-25.

Key stats / Notes (Halftime)

• Rebounds: DELST 12, UNLV 16
• Turn overs: DELST 9, UNLV 3
• We actually did a ok job on defense, as UNLV shot only 32% FG. But UNLV was the team who got more possessions. Our -4 differential in off rebounds and +6 on turn overs are huge. We just need to close the gap on number of possessions, and we're still in this game

Start of 2nd half

5 more turn overs, and we're now staring on a 13 pt deficit. Anybody I tried to play the point, all failed. Despite the number of misses we had, we have grabbed only 1 off rebound. Down 20-33, 15:15. UNLV hit their 8th 3pt shot of the game, and we're down by 16. We made a series of stops, and be able to reduce our deficit a little bit. Down 24-36, 10:37.

This is still a long game, as I told the players during the huddle. Let's continue focusing on making stops, and not worry about our offense; our defense will take care of our offense sooner or later.

We got 3 successive steals; we only got 2 pts out of those stops, but that's better than nothing. Down 10. And then UNLV's center takes a 3 and hits it! Wow, there's almost no way you can guard a big man who can shoot from deep. We score on a drive, but UNLV answered back with their 10th 3pt shot of the game. Theiy are hitting their shots despite our exclusive use of m2m defense in the 2nd half. Down 28-42, 7:36.

But we're not losing hope. SG Lewis Lepore hits his 1st 3pt shot of the game. After a miss by UNLV, PF David Andrews powered himself inside, and scored. Another miss by UNLV. We go to C Brandon Braun, and Braun gets an inside bucket, plus a foul. Braun converts the bonus FT. Down 36-42, 5:54.

Another miss 3 by UNLV. We go back to SG Lewis Lepore who bravely takes another shot from deep, and drains another 3! Down 39-42, 4:57. UNLV converts on a 3pt play opportunity, to stop their scoring drought. Down 39-45, 4:43.

SG Lewis Lepore takes another 3, but he missed it this time. But C Terrell Collins is there for the off rebound. Collins puts up a shot, scores, plus a foul! Colins missed the FT. Down 41-45, 4:24. We get a steal. We miss another 3, but an offensive rebound this time by SG Cain Ward. Ward got fouled on his attempt. 2 FTs. Last media timeout. Ward hits both FTs. Down 43-45, 3:44.

UNLV missed a 3. Our 1st chance to tie or even take a lead. SG Lewis takes a 3. He missed what would have been a go ahead basket. UNLV gets the ball back. UNLV drives, missed again. We get the rebound. I call a timeout. Down 43-45, 2:27.

Crowd is on it's feet. We turn the ball over; our 18th of the game. Anotehr miss by UNLV. We get our 3rd chance to tie the game. SG Cain Ward gets the ball. Ward shoots a jumper and scores! Tied at 45, 1:47. We got called for a foul; our 7th team foul. 1-and-1 for UNLV. They hit both. Timeout. Down 45-47, 1:38.

SG Cain Ward fakes a 3, moves closer, takes a long jumper, and scores again! Ward with 19 pts. Tied at 47, 1:13. UNLV opted to drive, missed, but another foul called on us. 2 FTs. They get both FTs. Timeout. Down 47-49, 0:57.

We went to C Brandon Braun on the low post. Braun makes his move, shoots, miss, got got fouled. 2 FTs. Braun made 2 pressure-packed FTs. Tied at 49, 0:36.

UNLV not calling a timeout. They made a bad pass! I call my last timeout. Tied at 49, 0:25.

No matter what happens, let's try to take the last shot. UNLV called for a foul. 1-and-1 for PG Michael Price. Price hits the important 1st FT. And also the 2nd. Timeout UNLV. Up 51-49, 0:22.

UNLV goes to their leading scorer SG Jason Morant (14 pts). He goes for a jump shot, missed, but the referee said he got clipped on the elbow. I couldn't believe the call, but ref's call always stand. 2 FTs for Morant. This will be his 1st trip to the line. Hits the 1st. Hits the 2nd. I have no mor timeouts left. Tied at 51, 0:16.

UNLV applies full court pressure. SG Lewis Lepore has the ball; UNLV harassing Lepore, and UNLV called for another foul. UNLV's coach is furious on the sidelines. Double bonus situation, so Lepore has 2 FTs. Lepore missed the 1st. Lepore hits the 2nd. Whew! Timeout UNLV. Up 52-51. 0:10.

We'll apply full court defense to take up some clock. Don't foul! UNLV took a while to bring the ball front court. UNLV's leading scorer SG Jason Morant has the ball deep beyond the arc. 0:04 left. Morant facing a double team. Morant made a late decision to pass the ball to SF Ed Robinson. Robinson took a hurried 3. Shot had good line, but a little bit too strong. Time expired!

We did it. We go to the Final Four! My players are all on middle of the court, crying and hugging each other


Final Score: Delaware St - 52, UNLV - 51


Box Scores
[INDENT]Ward 19, 5, 0 (*)
Braun 12, 5, 2, 2 stls
Lepore 7, 1, 1
T Collins 4, 7, 1
Price 4, 2, 4, 5 tos
Andrews 2, 4, 2, 2 stls
Perry 2, 2, 2
Murphy 2, 0, 0
B Collins 0, 4, 0
Costa 0, 1, 0
Jefferson 0, 0, 1
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 44-31%
REB: +3
TO: +5
Pts in paint: +18
2nd chance: +4
Fast break: +14 (14-0)
[/INDENT]
Notes

• We're down by 16 early in the 2nd half, and still by 14 with just more than 7 minutes left in the game. But this is why you play 40 mins the entire game. I am glad the players never gave up, and I made them believe that we can still come back and have a chance to win. A very hard-earned win for us, as UNLV came prepared and controlled the game for most part.