11/13: 70-67. They simply would not give up! We never trailed but they dominated the 2nd half in a comeback attempt that came very close to succeeding.
They took a three point shot in the final seconds that rolled around the edge of the basket twice before falling out. 20 for Drew Leed. Sand, Mill, and Moss all played very well inside. +23 RBs was the difference. 22 TOs was awful, and believe me, it will be the largest issue in tomorrow’s practice!
#4 seed Houston in the 2nd round. They looked good in their opener.
11/15: 63-61. We were down 12 midway through the 2nd half, when we finally started playing well. This was a defensive struggle- we shot 32.8%, they shot 31.6%. The game came down to one shot. Jay Brax, who had played well at PG, took the shot, a 17 footer. He was well defended, but he managed to make it, and we won by 2. No one really stood out for us, but 7 players had between 6 and 13 (Brax). The statistics were close in all categories. We had 13 TOs, which was definitely an improvement, but not good enough.
It is too early to tinker with the lineup, but if Brax plays this way in our next game, he will start afterward.
#16 seed Virginia Tech has upset both the #1 and the #8 seed. We play them in the semifinal game. On paper this should not be difficult but they are playing very well, we are not. The tournament has been rife with upsets. It is #15 vs. #11 in the other game.
11/17: 71-64. We were down 8 with 11:22 to play. We then turned the game around, primarily by making 9 of 11 shots, and stealing the ball three times. 15, 9 for Mill. 17 for Leed, but he is simply taking lots of shots. He isn’t shooting for a good percentage. 15 TOs, but they had 20. We have yet to play the type of ball I thought I would see.
#11 seed Hawaii for the title. Another game that should be a walkover, but again, they’re playing well, we are not.
11/19: 74-60 in a game that we dominated all the way. We led by as many as 28, and we never trailed. 20 for Leed, 15, 6 for PF Tobe Sand, 13, 5 for Mill.
Best of all- 7 TOs.
11/20: We’re #4 in the country. I think that is a bit optimistic, but it’s wonderful for the program.
All 5 recruits signed! We were worried about 2 of them so this is great news!
Jay Brax has earned the starting position at PG. Asaf Hoff has earned the SF spot, but Pat Moss will get equal minutes. Joon and Hart have dropped out of the picture, at least for now. Sand and Mill are playing very well. While Drew Leed is our most prolific scorer he is shooting only 33.9%, 25% on threes.
That needs to improve. But he is a shooter, and missing does not discourage him. I suspect his % will improve.
4 ranked teams before conf. play begins, but all 4 games are here.
12/4: 7-1, #6, RPI #3. #11 UCLA beat us here, too easily.
Wilson becomes the first President to travel to Europe while in office. He’s there for the beginning of the peace conference. Troops are slowly trickling home, but it will take some time to get all of them back.
12/25: 11-1, #7, RPI #3. +10.8 PPG, +6.5 RBs, +4.5 TOs. Leeds has hit his stride. His PPG is up to 21.3, and his shooting % is up to .393 and climbing. Mill is getting 10 RBs per game, and Sand 8.5.
The peace talks continue. Josephus says they are very important. England and France want to be VERY punitive toward Germany. Josephus thinks that’s a terrible idea. He says the Germans must be allowed to be economically stable or another war will result soon.