Perhaps
there are plenty of good reasons for it. But the bottom line right now is that
UALR is getting very little production out of its guards early in the season.
Take
Saturday’s 86-56 loss at Florida. Forwards Will Neighbour and James White scored
37 of the 56 points. They also grabbed 17 of the 36 rebounds.
Take away a
solid eight-point effort from point guard J.T. Thomas and it gets pretty
dismal. Sophomore Josh Hagins had 6 points in 20 minutes. His backup, sophomore
Kemy Osse, had 1 point in 21 minutes. Senior Leroy Isler and sophomore Stetson
Billings combined to score 2 points at the 3 guard spot.
If UALR is
going to be a Sun Belt Conference contender this year, it has to get something
from its guards.
BURN UNIT
We
appreciate the effort of senior forward Will Neighbour. His shoulder is banged
up and he’s giving the best effort he can. On Saturday that was 21 points and 8
rebounds in 26 minutes.
NUMBERS NEVER LIE
25-2:
Florida held a 25-2 advantage in points off turnovers. The Trojans had 18
turnovers to Florida’s 9 for the game.
REPORT CARD
Rebound:
Florida outrebounded UALR 40-36 for the game and both teams finished with 12
offensive rebounds. UALR even finished with a 15-8 advantage in second-chance
points. Grade: B+.
Bombs Away:
We thought UALR needed to shoot the three-pointer well to stay in this game.
They didn’t. UALR made just 2 of 11
three-pointers, both by Neighbour. Grade: F.
Value the Ball: 18 turnovers was way too many and led to easy transition baskets. Grade: F.
GLASS HALF EMPTY
Through two
games, and 30 minutes of game action, sophomore Kemy Osse doesn’t have a made
field goal.
GLASS HALF FULL
Sophomore
James White had 16 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in 28 minutes.
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS
UALR was a
20-point underdog and Florida ended up easily covering.
CRYSTAL BALL
All four
predictors predicted an easy Florida victory. They all ended up winners.
UP NEXT
UALR
continues to look for its first victory of the season when it travels to Middle
Tennessee on Monday.
