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[Wayne23]

11/17: Our only road game in the pre-conf. schedule (We do play in a tourney) is at 1-0 Penn ST. We're heavily favored but their PG will test Ed Hite.

Let's see how we play on the road...

11/18: Back and forth. Tied after 10; our D sucks. Down 7 at the half. They shot 50% to our 53.8%, but the refs are killing us, 20 free throws for them, 8 for us. I almost got T'd up late in the half and may have to take a T. Their bench is +7. We're +9 on the boards, but 7 more TOs. We need to play better. Boyd really hasn't found himself yet. Down 2 with 10 left. We're close but haven't taken a lead yet. Late mini-run!

83-81. A real battle, 12 lead changes, 11 ties, never more than a 6 point separation in the last 10 minutes.

22, 10 for Long, who is thriving at SF. 16, 3 for Suli, 14 for Cole, but 5 TOs. Hite was out played by their PG but not by a lot.

+11 RBs but 19 TOs; they had 17. +5.5% shooting but we gave up too many points. The fouls evened out in the 2nd half so I never needed to take that T.

"You need to sleep at home every night. You live in a place you never shared with Dee. There's no reason, and it's not helpful for your recovery."

"Yes but-"

"No buts! Do it. It may be uncomfortable for a couple of nights but you need to have a home."

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I was always more comfortable in my office before Dee came along, and I often slept there, showered there, all of that. I'm just returning to what my life was like before Dee."

"You can't go back. You need a life outside of basketball in or4der to be mentally healthy. That means having a home, a place where you can relax, read, watch video, just be at home."

"Meh."

"You need to listen, Mack. And you definitely need a life away from your job. It's not healthy. Hey, what about a pet? Do you like dogs?"

"Can't stand them."

"Cats?"

"Yeah, we always had cats when I was growing up. But I'm away too much to have a pet."

"That would be an issue, yes, but I'm guessing one of your neighbors, or maybe someone in the Athletic Department who lives not far from you could check in on the cat."

"I think a cat would be lonely being alone so much."

"Then get two."

"I don't think so."

"Think about it."

[Wayne23]

11/21: #20 in the new poll!

We're home to 0-2 Wake Forest, and we're a big favorite. They give up 13.5 a game more than they score.

11/22: We're sluggish. Down 3 after 10; we're standing around a lot. We woke up late in the half and are up 8 going into the locker. Balanced scoring. Only 1 TO to 14. +10 in the paint. Their C can play. Up 19 with 10 to play; we've found our rhythm.

80-59. Boyd finally had the game we're expecting from him, 16 and 10. 15, 0, 6 for Cole.

3 TOs to 22, +22 in the paint, +12 on 2nd chances.

"I've been thinking about you saying you can't stand dogs. That's unusual. What's it about?"

"Ugh. They are so clingy. That's something I really can't stand. Cats are independent."

"So get two cats."

"That again!"

"Yes, that again. You need something to tie you to your new home. Pets would help."

"Maybe down the road. Not yet."

[Wayne23]

11/24: 1-1 Buffalo is here. We're a big favorite again. They can score and they play good D. They lost to #15 Louisville in OT on the road. I'm telling my guys they need to be on the ball for this one.

11/25: We start slow. Down 1 after 10; Suli is the only one scoring. Down 5 at the break. -17% shooting, we're shooting 35.3%. Suli has 120, no one else has more than 5. We need to wake up! Up 5 with 10 left.

78-69. They can play, especially their C.

24, 6 for Suli, 12, 3 for #3 guard Al Muer. They shot 55.8% but only took 52 shots; we took 68. 9 fewer TOs. Hite ate up their PG, causing him to commit 14 TOs.

"Still exercising?"

"Running at least 6 days a week; if the weather's really bad I do it on a treadmill, but mostly it's outdoors."

"No hikes?"

"What do you think..."

"I think you need to go for some hikes."

"I think you're being really insensitive."

"No. I know it hurts, and I do NOT think you should go alone. But on a dry day hike with someone."

"Who?"

"You work in an Athletic facility, surrounded by athletes. I can;t imagine it would be very difficult to find a hiking buddy."

"Not ready yet. Maybe in the Spring."

"'Not yet' is getting to be your go to answer..."

[Wayne23]

11/28: 3-2 ODU is here. We have a big edge on D.

11:29: Early lead. Up 13 after 10. Up 9 at the midpoint. 12 for Suli, 11 for Long. +6 RBs, 3 TOS. +12 in the paint. D could be tighter but then it usually could... Up 22 with 10 to play.

91-67. We owned the 2nd half.

16, 8, 7 for Cole, 17, 5 for Long, 14, 5, 3 for Suli.

+11 RBs, 9 TOs, +12 in the paint.

Should have made the schedule more challenging.

[Wayne23]

12/1: 4-1 Kent ST is here. They shoot 51.6%, 45.6% on threes. We should own the boards and should be able to turn them over.

12/2: Early lead. Up only 1 after 10. Up only 1 at the half. Gave up 42, way too many. 12 for Suli, 10 for Boyd. +8 RBs, +6 in the paint. Up 2 with 10 to play; this is a nail biter!

82-83. We committed a dumb foul very late and they hit both shots. The refs don't usually make that call in the last few seconds but it was a foul. I moaned because that's my job but... The game was close from start to finish.

22-8 for Suli. Their guards won it, 36-12 for the starting guards.

+7 RBs, +12 in the paint. They made 10 threes, we made 2. It always comes down to D and we didn't play enough of it...

I'm not getting a damn cat and I'm not going on any damn hikes. I AM running though. Sleeping at home maybe 2-3 days a week and it's not comfortable. But it makes sense to try.

[Wayne23]

12/5: 5-1 Davidson is here. They play very good D. Their C is a horse!

12/6: Early lead. Up 3 after 10. A run puts us up 12 at the half. Their C is tough; he got Suli in early foul trouble. 10 for Hite. +7 RBs. We held them to 28.6% shooting. Up 12 with 10 to go.

76-64. Great D! Held them to 34%. 16 for Hite, who has a hot hand right now. Good bench play, 30, 21, 3. +19 RBs.

Ruf Long: I guess coach moving me to SF turned out to be a good thing. I was super pissed when he did it but it's working out well. Ya never know, I guess.

[Wayne23]

12/8: 5-3 Georgia is here. We're only favored by 1 1/2. They can do damage outside. We think we have a big edge inside. We'll see.

12/9: Close early. Up only 2 after 10. Up 6 at halftime. 10, 6 for Suli, 8 for Hite. We he3ld the guards to 5 but the #3 guard has 8. They're shooting 36.7% but 4-9 on threes and we're 0-4. +6 from the line. Up 18 with 10 left. Suli has 20 and 10 so far.

77-53. Great D again. 22, 12 for Suli, 12, 4 for Boyd. +20 RBs. We held them to 33.3%, and they didn't hit a three in the 2nd half.

12/11: We're 7-1, NET #9! #4 in the nation in rebounding. Suli is our go to but 8 guys contribute and we hold other teams to 65.7 per game.

We've got a couple of frosh who are playing very well but struggling to get minutes. I keep telling them that they have a great shot at starting next year but I know they may transfer,

The staff is discussing going to all man all the time; that D is easily our best.

Dee died 6 months ago today. The excruciating, unbearable pain has become a near constant ache. The only time it's not there is during our games. There are no words for how much I miss her.

"Someday you'll meet someone."

"Please don't talk about that!"

"Mack, it gets better. What would Dee say to you?"

"I know what she'd say but..."

"Not now, not soon, but someday."

[Wayne23]

12/12: 2-4 Boston U. Is here. This should be a walk in the park. They're our home and home rival, but won't next season. Ali is talking to UMass and Temple.

12/13: Down 1 after 10. Not as easy as expected, at least so far. But my guys are playing poorly, especially on D. Down 1 at the break. Boyd has 3 fouls. They're beating us inside and shooting 62.5%. We have only 5 TOS to 12.

"Guess what? You need to do more than just show up."

Up 10 with 10 to go, but they're playing hard.

72-69. Disgusting. We were a little better in the 2nd half but overall we were pretty awful; easily our worst game of the season. 15, 7 for Suli, 12 for Hite. 8 fewer TOs. We slowed down their inside game considerably in the 2nd half so they went outside. Much better team than i thought, or maybe we just made them look that way.

Ali says she has a deal to do home and home with UMass.

I have tears in my eyes. Sitting at home and I thought of Dee saying that I should calm down, bad games happen.

[Wayne23]

12/15: Headed for the Caribbean Challenge. We're actually here already. What a change from winter in Burlington! I haven't talked about it because it reminds me too much of Dee, but it has been very snowy so far in the North country.

We start vs. 7-1 Texas A & M. They're the #4 seed, we're #5. We're the underdog for the first time all season, I believe. We score 13.5 more than our opponents, they score 12.7 more. They're 2-1 vs Top 25 teams, but all at home. They have an excellent SF and a very good C. They shoot 52.7%, which is scary! We'll go with man from start to finish.

For the first time all season Ruf Long is bitching.

12/16: This will be a real test and will tell us a lot about ourselves.

Early lead. Up 6 after 10. Up 3 at the half. They're tough. Their C has 3 fouls which is a break for us. -8 on bench points. -7 on RBs. 10 fewer TOs. They're shooting 54.5% to 46.4%. Early mini-run! Then a big run! Up 13 with 10 left; they're coming back.

88-71. Great 2nd half, 47-33. 15, 9, 3, 5 steals for Suli, 16, 3, 5, 3 for Cole, 14, 1, 3 for Hite, 12 for #3 guard Muer. 11 TOs to 28! +16 in the paint. 33 free throws to 21; the zebras were ridiculous, 48 whistles! We held them below their shooting average, 46.8%. Good win!

[Wayne23]

12/17: #8 seed Penn ST, 6-2, upset #1 Kansas ST. We beat them at their place by 2 in November so this won't be easy. We should have a really big edge inside. Last time we were +11 on the boards, +8 in the paint. Being sloppy really hurt us, 19 TOs. Their SF lit us up for 22, and their SG had 16.

Game time: Close early. Down 1 after 10; shaping up like the 1st time we played them. We go on a run and lead by 14 at the half. It's a shoot out, 54-40. 11 each for Long and Suli, 8 for Meek, so we're doing it inside, as expected. +16 in the paint, +11 RBs, +9 on 2nd chances.

Cole has 3 fouls but so does their SF, who was huge for them last time and has no points at the half. Up 14 with 10 to go.

104-82, Wow! 21, 8, 4 blocks for Long, 17, 12, 3 blocks for Suli. 13, 2, 6 for Hite. 12 each for Meek and Jack. +18 RBs, +20 in the paint, +12 on 2nd chances. We destroyed them inside.

Meek has a mild concussion. Out for at least a week. Bry Jack will get his minutes.