Tom “Whatever It Takes” Bradbury

[PointGuard]

Game #3 vs DePaul Blue Demons (0-1): We held a small lead throughout most of the first half, but were playing soft and thus were unable to shake the Blue Demons. At the half, we held a slim 40-36 edge. The halftime chewing out seemed to work as we scored the first 13 points of the 2nd half. After just 5 minutes of play in the 2nd half, our lead had ballooned to 20. We cruised from there to a solid 86-65 win. Our biggest advantage was our 47-31 domination of the boards. PF Angelo Craft scored 25 and grabbed 11 rebounds. PG Morris Wolfe plunked in 19 points while dishing out 5 assists and hauling down 7 rebounds. SG/PG Isaac Wright added 10. Troy Rosen, DePaul’s center, scored 24 and gobbled up 12 rebounds. (3-0; Ranked 10th in the polls; RPI: 39)

Awards: PF Angelo Craft was named the AAC’s Player of the Week and PG Morris Wolfe was the AAC’s Freshman Player of the Week.

[PointGuard]

Game #4 vs Ohio State Buckeyes (1-2): We caught fire during the middle stages of the first half and pulled away to lead 44-29 at the end of the half. We expanded our lead to 20 points just 3 minutes into the 2nd half. Late in the 2nd half, Ohio State hit a bunch of 3’s to narrow our final winning margin to 84-77. SG/PG Isaac Wright popped in 20 points, fed 4 assists, pulled down 5 rebounds, and had 3 steals and a block. C Kelvin Ross scored 15, SG Roy Field had 12 points, and PG Morris Wolfe scored 11 while dishing out 8 assists. For Ohio State, SG Onochie Yegeni scored 26 points, hitting 8 of 15 threes. (4-0)

Game #5 vs #25 Providence Friars (4-2): Kelvin Ross has taken over as our starting center. We scored the first 11 points. We held the Friars to 23% shooting in the first half. We came away with a 41-27 advantage at the half. We opened a 23 point lead in the 2nd half, but let the Friars fire in some buckets in the final minutes as we finished with an 87-77 victory. SF John Jones led our scoring with 15, but PG Morris Wolfe scored 14 with 7 assists, and C Kelvin Ross and SG/PG Isaac Wright both added 13. SG Jim Bush dropped in 19 points plus pulled down 9 rebounds for Providence. (5-0; Ranked 6th, RPI: 11)

Award: SG/PG Isaac Wright was named the AAC’s Freshman Player of the Week.

[PointGuard]

Game #6 @ #17 Louisville Cardinals (3-2): The Cardinals’ offensive strength resides in their two senior interior men (Damon Clark and Andy Williams) who have had very solid careers and who are both averaging in double figures this season. Playing a talented regional foe on their home court will be our biggest test thus far in the new season. C Kelvin Ross had 2 fouls assessed against him in the first 2 minutes of the game. Jules Grant came in to replace him and picked up 2 fouls in the next 2 minutes. With 9 minutes remaining in the half, five of our interior players each had 2 fouls against them. But we used quickness to force the Cardinals to turn the ball over including 7 steals and turned that into 17 fast break points while hitting 54% of our shots. When the half ended, we were up 43-31. As in our previous games, we built a 20+ point lead only to see our opponents make a final run in the waning minutes. We held on to whip the Cardinals 88-80. We held a 21-11 turnover advantage and we hit 53% of our FG attempts. Offensively we were led by SG Roy Field with 14 points, PG Morris Wolfe with 12 points and 7 assists, SG/PG Isaac Wright with 12 points and 8 assists, and SF/PF Julian Blevins with 10 points. PF Andy Williams scored 20 points with C Damon Clark adding 17 for Louisville. (6-0; Ranked 8th in the polls; RPI: 3)

UCONN is 8-1 and is ranked 6th in the polls with the 6th best RPI in the country.

Award: SG/PG Isaac Wright was named the AAC’s Freshman Player of the Week.

[PointGuard]

Game #7 vs Tennessee Volunteers (5-1): Tennessee has played 5 of their 6 games on the road, but their strength of schedule hasn’t been rigorous. We hit our first 7 FG attempts to take a 17-7 lead just 5 minutes into the game. We cooled off after that and the Vols closed to within 6 at the half, 34-28. We came out in the 2nd half with renewed energy and opened a 19 point lead with 14 minutes to play. We come away with an easy 80-59 win. SG Isaac Wright scored 14 points to go along with 2 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. C Kelvin Ross also popped in 14 points plus he had an assist, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. PG Morris Wolfe hit for 11 points and dished out 6 assists while PF Angelo Craft added 10 points while hauling down 9 boards. (7-0)

Game #8 vs Western Carolina Catamounts (4-2), Las Vegas Winter Jam, 1st round: C Kelvin Ross scored our first 5 points, but then picked up his 2nd foul less than 4 minutes into the game. We systematically destroyed the Catamounts in the first half, continually upping our lead and finishing the first stanza with a 43-17 bulge. We forced Western Carolina to commit 18 turnovers (to our 4) in the half. With 12 minutes left in the game our lead was 31. With our subs on the floor, the lead narrowed but there never was any danger and we advanced to the 2nd round with a 65-49 win. 4 of our starters were in double figures: PF Angelo Craft led with 15 points (plus he devoured 10 rebounds), SG Isaac Wright had 13, SF John Jones scored 12, and PG Morris Wolfe added 10. (8-0)

Injury: SG Georgiy Zolkin sprained his wrist and will miss the rest of the tournament.

Game #9 vs Kent State Golden Flashes (8-2), Las Vegas Winter Jam, 2nd round: C Kelvin Ross again starts quickly scoring 7 points in the first 3 minutes but as in the previous game is assessed his 2nd foul very early, this time just 3 minutes into the game. After just 7 minutes we lead 22-7. We score nearly at will, hitting 69% of our first half shots to take a commanding 54-37 lead at the break. With 12-1/2 minutes to play lead balloons to 30. We finish with a 99-70 romp over Kent State. Leading the way was C Kelvin Ross with 15 points and 9 rebounds. PG Morris Wolfe also scored 15 while handing out 8 assists. SG Isaac Wright scored 11 and C Jules Grant had 10. (9-0; Ranked 2nd in the polls; RPI: 2)

[JMD]

CONTENT REMOVED BY MODERATOR

[PointGuard]

Game #10 vs DePaul Blue Demons (6-3), Las Vegas Winter Jam Championship: The Blue Demons visited and we whomped them 86-65 early this season, but now it’s on a neutral court. Their center, Troy Rosen, scored 24 and grabbed 12 rebounds in our earlier game. Tonight DePaul burned us early with 4 straight 3’s to take a 12-4 lead. Meanwhile we were shooting like we didn’t give a damned if we won the championship or not. But midway through the half we pulled it together and with 7 minutes to play in the half, we took our first lead at 25-24. We continued to shoot well until the buzzer sounded, but DePaul didn’t back down so we held the slimmest of leads 45-44 going into the 2nd half. We gradually began to pull away in the 2nd half and led 65-55 with 11 minutes to play. But the Blue Devils made a late run that cut our lead to 84-80 with 1:49 remaining. John Jones took a pass in the corner, drove the baseline and pulled up to hit a 15 footer while being fouled. He converted the foul shot to complete the 3 point play and give us a 7 point cushion with 1-1/2 minutes left. DePaul really gave us a battle, but we escaped with a 94-84 victory to claim the Championship trophy. PG Troy Cox came off the bench to lead our scoring with 18 points, but PF Angelo Craft tossed in 17, and SG Roy Field added 13 points plus dished out 6 assists. (10-0)

Game #11 @ Kansas State Wildcats (5-3): After falling behind 6-0, SG Roy Field came in to spark a comeback that put us ahead 27-13. By the time halftime arrived we were on top 48-25. We breezed to an 87-59 shellacking of the Wildcats. SG Roy Field scored 20 points while handing off 6 assists and grabbing 5 rebounds. PG Morris Wolfe contributed 14 points along with 7 assists and 5 rebounds. SF John Jones scored 12 and PF Angelo Craft added 11. (11-0; Ranked 2nd in the polls; RPI: 2)

UCONN continues to look like they are going to be extremely tough competition in the AAC. They’re 11-1 and ranked 4th in the polls with the 6th best RPI in the country.

Award: SG Roy Field was named the AAC Freshman Player of the Week.

[PointGuard]

Scoring: PG Morris Wolfe-12.3 ppg, SG Isaac Wright-11.8 ppg, PF Angelo Craft-11.3 ppg.

Rebounding: PF Angelo Craft-5.9 rpg, C Kevin Ross-5.2 ppg

Assists: PG Morris Wolfe-5.5 apg

Team: 83.5 ppg; Opponents-66.6 ppg

Top 5 records in AAC: Memphis 11-0; UCONN 11-1; Temple 7-3; South Florida 6-3; Central Florida 6-3.

[PointGuard]

Game #12 vs Cincinnati Bearcats (3-6, 0-0): We fell behind 15-7 but then scored the next 16 points. By the end of the half we led 43-33. We expanded our lead throughout the 2nd half and finished with a relatively easy 76-59 win. SG Roy Field scored 17 plus had 3 steals and 3 blocks. PG Morris Wolfe dropped in 12 points and fed out 6 assists. PF Angelo Craft finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds. (12-0, 1-0, 1st place tie)

Game #13 @ SMU Mustangs (2-8, 0-1): We took an early lead and held onto it throughout the first half, but SMU pulled to within a single point at the break, 35-34. We held onto a small lead during the 2nd half. With a minute to go in the game, we were up by just 3 points. We pulled out a much too difficult win, 64-59. Offensively we were led by PG Morris Wolfe’s 17 points. SG Isaac Wright added 12. (13-0, 2-0, 1st place tie; Ranked 2nd in the polls; RPI: 2)

Award: PG Morris Wolfe, AAC Freshman Player of the Week.

Game #14 vs South Florida Bulls (7-4, 1-1): Although we started slowly, when we got going we turned on our afterburners which pushed us to a 49-25 bulge at the half. Our dominance continued in the 2nd half and we crushed the Bulls 86-55. PG Morris Wolfe topped our scoring with 20 points. C Kelvin Ross scored 14 while pulling down 7 boards. SF Julian Blevins added 12. (14-0, 3-0, 1st place)

Game #15 @ Tulane Green Wave (4-8, 2-1): We jumped out on top and with 11 minutes to go in the first half, we were on top 20-6. We went to the locker room with a 38-23 lead. Tulane cut our lead to 6 points early in the 2nd half, but then we spurted away and finished with an 82-54 victory. PG Morris Wolfe again took high point honors with 16 points plus he dished out 6 assists. C Jules Grant had a double-double (14 points and 11 rebounds). PF Angelo Craft scored 11 to go along with 7 boards. (15-0, 4-0, 1st place, Ranked 1st in the polls; RPI: 1)

Award: PG Morris Wolfe, AAC Freshman Player of the Week.

Game #16 @ Temple Owls (10-4, 3-1): This is our first big test in the AAC. Earlier this season Temple beat then #1 Duke so they aren’t afraid to take on the big boys. We held a small lead throughout most of the 1st half and ended the first stanza with a 43-36 advantage. We sported a double digit lead soon after starting the 2nd half and held onto it to win 79-65. Our top scorers were: SG Roy Field-15, C Kelvin Ross-14, SG Isaac Wright-11, PG Morris Wolfe-11, and C Jules Grant-11. (16-0, 5-0, 1st place)

Game #17 vs #4 Connecticut Huskies (15-2, 4-1): PG Jabari Younger leads UCONN’s scoring with 15.8 ppg. We scored first and never trailed in the first half, finishing the half with a 44-33 lead. We held the Huskies off in the 2nd half to record a 79-62 victory. PG Morris Wolfe scored 18 points while SF John Jones and PF Angelo Craft both dropped in 12 points. We held Jabari Younger to just 3 points (all free throws). (17-0, 6-0, 1st place, Ranked #2 in the polls (the pollsters love UCLA); RPI: 2)

Award: PG Morris Wolfe, AAC Freshman Player of the Week.

[PointGuard]

Game #18 @ Houston Cougars (6-9, 4-2): The first 5 minutes were close but we then pulled away and by the midpoint of the 1st half we had built a double-digit lead. The half ended with us leading 37-23. We then coasted to a 73-60 victory. SG Isaac Jones topped our scoring with 16 points, PF Angelo Craft picked up 12 points, and SF John Jones added 10. (18-0, 7-0, 1st place)

Game #19 vs Central Florida Knights (12-4, 6-1): Central Florida trails us a just one game in the conference standings. SF Keiron Lewis is their top scorer averaging 14.9 ppg. We jumped out to a 13-2 lead parlayed that into a 48-29 halftime advantage. We don’t let the Knights get any closer and finish with a 89-63 thrashing of Central Florida. SG Roy Field hit for 17 points, SG Isaac Wright knocked in 14, PF Angelo Craft scored 13, C Kelvin Ross tossed in 11, and PG Morris Wolfe added 10. (19-0, 8-0, 1st place; Ranked 1st in the polls; RPI: 2)

Award: SG Isaac Wright, AAC Freshman Player of the Week.

Game #20 @ Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (2-15, 1-7): We gradually built our lead and by the end of the half were up 45-31. In the 2nd half we expanded our lead to 22 points before letting Tulsa close a bit before we won 86-73. We had 5 players scoring in double digits: SF John Jones led with 16, PG Morris Wolfe had 12, PF Angelo Craft had 11, and C Jules Grant and SG Roy Field both scored 10. (20-0, 9-0, 1st place)

Game #21 @ Cincinnati Bearcats (7-11, 4-5): After trailing 5-2, we scored 15 unanswered points. Cincinnati put up a good fight in the first half, but we pulled away at the end to take a 43-35 lead to the locker room. The Bearcats never folded but we were able to keep them from closing and won 88-74. SG Isaac Wright drilled in 24 points. SG Roy Field scored 16. PG Morris Wolfe hit for 10. C Jules Grant hauled down 10 boards. (21-0, 10-0, 1st place; Ranked 1st in the polls; RPI: 2)
Award: SG Isaac Wright, AAC Freshman Player of the Week.

Game #22 vs SMU Mustangs (3-16, 1-9): We escaped the first half with a 35-27 lead but 4 our top 4 guards each got called for 2 fouls. We came out in the 2nd half and scored the first 11 points to put us up by 19 points. We went on to record an 81-56 victory. SG Georgiy Zolkin was our top scorer with 13 points. SF John Jones and SG Isaac Wright both added 12 points. (22-0, 11-0, 1st place)

Game #23 @ South Florida Bulls (11-9, 5-6): We couldn’t shake the Bulls in the first half. When the half ended we held a slim 41-36 lead. The second half was close and with 27 seconds we led 73-72. But we pulled out the win, 77-72. PG Morris Wolfe scored 13 and SG Roy Field hit for 11. (23-0, 12-0, 1st place; Ranked 1st in the polls; RPI: 2)

Award: PG Morris Wolfe, AAC Freshman Player of the Week.

[PointGuard]

Game #24 vs Tulane Green Wave (7-14, 5-7): Late in the half we pulled away and finished the half with a 45-28 lead. We then destroyed Tulane in the 2nd half opening a 38 point lead before finishing with an 89-62 victory. PG Morris Wolfe dropped in 21 points plus dished out 8 assists. SG Isaac Wright added 13, SF John Jones scored 12, C Kelvin Ross put in 11, and PF Angelo Craft scored 10. (24-0, 13-0, 1st place)

Game #25 vs Temple Owls (16-7, 9-4): Neither team could gain an advantage in the first 10 minutes of the 1st half, but then we caught fire and pulled away to lead 47-27 at the half. We continued our dominance in the 2nd half and finished by trimming the Owls 80-56. SG Roy Field and C Kelvin Ross both scored 16 points. (25-0, 14-0, 1st place; Ranked 1st in the polls; RPI: 2)

Game #26 @ #3 Connecticut Huskies (23-3, 12-2): OK, this definitely will be our biggest test thus far this year! Our undefeated record is really on the line for this one. Whereas we beat them on our court earlier this year, the Huskies have won all 8 of their games since. They have 3 players averaging in double figures: PG Jabari Younger with 14.3 ppg, SG Bobby Harris at 12.3 ppg, and SF Byron Thompson with 13.2 ppg and all 3 fire away from outside and hit at a high percentage. And they have some strong perimeter subs as well. Early we fell behind 7-3 but then went on a run to go ahead 17-9. Then UCONN scored 7 straight points to pull within a single point. But at that point we clamped down defensively and shot out to a 34-18 lead with 3 minutes to go in the half. By the end of the half we held a 40-26 lead and had held the Huskies shooting to 36% while forcing them into 12 turnovers. When SF John Jones got into foul trouble, Julian Blevins replaced him and led our scoring with 10 points. Our guards carried us early in the 2nd half and we led by 20 at 57-31 with 13 minutes left in the game. Connecticut fought to come back to finish but we effectively countered their every effort to finish with a big-time 79-57 win. SG Isaac Wright had a huge 2nd half to finish with 28 points and 8 rebounds. PG Morris Wolfe also came on strong in the 2nd half to end with 16 points, 5 assists, and 9 rebounds. PF Angelo Craft scored 11 and SF Julian Blevins had 10. (26-0, 15-0, 1st place)

Game #27 vs Houston Cougars (11-13, 9-6): We scored the first 9 points of the game and never looked back. At the half we were on top 52-26. We continued our dominance in the 2nd half and smashed the Cougars 87-59. PF Angelo Craft led our scoring with 18 points, PG Morris Wolfe scored 15 plus dished out 7 assists and SG Isaac Wright dropped in 14 points. Houston’s center Elton Ruddock scored 20 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. (27-0, 16-0, 1st place; Ranked #1 in the polls; RPI: 2)

Award: SG Isaac Wright, AAC Freshman Player of the Week.

Game #28 @ Central Florida Knights (16-9, 10-6): Central Florida has been streaky this year, but when they get onto one of their win streaks they are super tough. The entire first half was extremely close. At the break we led 30-26. We fell behind by 8 points early in the 2nd half. With 4-1/2 minutes the score was tied at 58-58. Central Florida recaptured the lead but with 17 seconds the game was tied at 65-65. We had control of the ball and played it down to 8 seconds and were just about to call a time out to set up a play, but Angelo Craft got fouled. Craft missed both shots, but Julian Grant muscled the rebound, and worked his way around his defender to slam home a dunk with 3 seconds remaining. Our full court press kept the Knights from getting out of the back court and we escaped to live another day by edging Central Florida 67-65. PG Morris Wolfe scored 13 points and PF Angelo Craft added 10. Central Florida’s SF Keiron Lewis led all scorers with 20 points. (28-0, 17-0, 1st place)

Injury: SG Roy Field took a finger in the eye and sat out the entire 2nd half, but will be ready for our next game.

Game #29 vs Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (4-20, 3-14): We were unable to shake Tulsa for most of the first half, but pulled away in the final 5 minutes to take a 33-23 lead to the locker room. After 5 minutes of play in the 2nd half, we led by 21 points. We steamrolled the Golden Hurricanes 91-56. PG Morris Wolfe scored 16 and handed out 8 assists, while SG’s Isaac Wright and Roy Field both scored 15. SF John Jones scored 11 and C Jules Grant in his final home game scored 10. (29-0, 18-0, 1st place; Ranked 1st in the polls; RPI: 1)