BURN THE HORSE
Wouldn’t you
like to know what was said on the bus trip home from Oxford, Miss., a little
more than a week ago?
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BTH UALR REWIND |
UALR had
just gotten pounded by 40 points by Ole Miss and didn’t really have much time
to get ready for a busy week with four games in seven days. You figure Coach
Steve Shields might have killed them in practice on Saturday. But he didn’t. They
took the day off. He felt that getting fresh legs for this week was far more
important.
Instead they
used the film room and Monday’s walkthrough to teach. The players responded
with solid victories over Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Jacksonville. They flew to
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Thursday but didn’t practice after arriving. Again,
he was looking for fresh legs when they took the court on Saturday.
They were
clearly fresh in Saturday’s 69-56 victory over Southern Methodist in the
semifinals of the Hoop for Hope Classic.
With such a
young team, there’s much to learn early in the season. But figuring out when to push and when to
rest has been an even bigger lesson so far.
BURN NOTICE
After getting
pounded on the boards 21-11 in the first half, including 7-0 in offensive
rebounds, UALR regrouped after halftime. UALR outrebounded SMU 16-13 in the
second half, including 3-2 in offensive rebounds. That difference allowed the
Trojans to take control of the game in the second half.
STAT OF THE GAME
7: UALR had
only seven turnovers on Saturday, by far a season low.
THE GOOD
4: Blocked
shots by UALR sophomore Michael Javes who, more importantly, finished the game
with only three fouls.
THE BAD
0-6: UALR’s
first half free throw shooting. The Trojans were 11 of 13 in the second half.
THE UGLY
2-8:
Combined free throw shooting for Will Neighbour and Michael Javes. Both went 1
for 4.
KEYS REVISITED
Bench it:
Will Neighbour drew two huge fouls on SMU’s Jalen Jones early in the game,
sending him to the bench for the remainder of the first half. Jones eventually
fouled out without scoring. Grade: A-.
Focus
factor: UALR avoided distractions, getting off to a solid start and playing
with great energy throughout. Grade: A+
Win the 3:
James White and Taggart Lockhart combined for 20 points for UALR. SMU’s Jalen Jones
fouled out without scoring a point. Grade: A++++
VEGAS, BABY
UALR was a
4.5-point underdog going in. UALR is now 2-2 as the underdog this season. The
Trojans are now 3-2 vs. the spread.
PREDICTIONS
Everyone
went with SMU making everyone a loser tonight. It’s the first loss of the
season for BTH Predictions leader Real Time RPI.
UP NEXT
No time to
celebrate. UALR takes on South Carolina at 8:30 p.m. tonight in the
championship game of the Hoops for Hope Classic from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Like Saturday night, the game is the third of the day on the court. Expect it
to start closer to 9 p.m.
