A little bit that is.
On a night when I should doing my final paper for my Community Development class and/or getting to sleep early so that I can negotiate the commute from Flatbush to downtown Manhattan in the wake of the MTA strike, which has proven to be not so difficult thanks to Command Bus, a couple squads from the MAC — Akron and Northern Illinois — that I’m not quite sure what to make of, were beating the pants off teams from BCS leagues.
It was just about 48 hours ago at this time that I was dismissing the Huskies because they couldn’t score. Wouldn’t you know it, next time out, as if to confirm that I don’t what the fuck I’m talking about, they go out and hang 75 points on a Kansas State team in a 75-70 OT win in DeKalb before what I’m guessing was a pretty frenzied crowd of 5,389.
While the Wildcats may not be the hoops powerhouse that their Big 12 brethren Texas are but the fact is they entered Tuesday’s game with a 7-1 record. So, to lapse into coachspeak for a bit, if every win’s a good win then it follows that a win over a one-loss squad from a power conference is an outstanding win. Credit the Huskies designated 3-point sniper Todd Peterson with making this one happen, as he hit 4-of-7 triples on his way to leading NIU (5-2) with 21 points.
Just as I was dismissing the Huskies in my Week 5 power rankings so too was I dissing the Zips as “needing a run to get the taste of the no-show 85-111 loss to Louisville out of their mouths.†Consider that mission accomplished.
Tuesday’s impressive 83-72 drubbing of Mississippi State in first round of the San Juan Shootout did more than get the taste of the Louisville game out of their mouths, it also laid bare what should be the Zips winning recipe for the rest of the season. After six game of waiting for Romeo Travis to take over, which hasn’t exactly happened, the rest of the Zips went all DIY.
This was probably the Zips most balanced and consistent effort of the season. Dru Joyce, a high school teammate of both King James and Travis, went 5-of-5 on treys and led Akron with 16 points. He had plenty of help, as Nick Dials relentlessly attacked the Bulldogs with dribble drives, hitting 8-of-8 freebies on his to scoring 15 points. Bubba Walther, the maddeningly inconsistent sophomore guard who’s supposed to provide firepower off the bench, also scored 15 points. Chipping in with 12 points was Travis in a more complementary role than he’s played so far this season. Akron will need a similarly balanced attack when they square off with undefeated Clemson in the San Juan Shootout final tomorrow.
And judging by what’s happened so far this season in MAC hoops, there’s, well, no way of knowing whether or not that will happen. Utter unpredictability is what makes MAC hoops so much fun.
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on Dec 21st, 2005 at 2:08 am
Thats life of the mid-major fan. Anticipation, hoping for recognition, and sometimes…sometimes you get it. I understand your your dis-like for the valley but we are in the same game. Congrads on your victories and condolences for your losses. Regardless of what happens between our two conferences, we are getting better (the mids in general)and showing it. Good luck on your paper and keep up the good work on this board. We may have our differences but in the end, the battle is common.
on Dec 21st, 2005 at 12:21 pm
The MVC/MAC Challenge wasn’t. Wichita State takes Miami (OH).
MVC 7
MAC absolutely nothing
letsgobears!