Irish Bounce Back

Nice easy win against a team we should dominate. 82-58, with the result never seriously in doubt. Everyone contributed and several smaller role players showed some promise.

Russell Carter had a tough afternoon, which made the win all the more impressive. We know what Carter does every night, so his 4-13 shooting is definitely just a blip on the radar. Nine points, 5 rebounds, two assists. He did look either bored or sluggish near the end. A couple reasons for this could be his poor play, the easy win, or maybe K-Mac decided to share his stash. However, I do want Russell showing more leadership in a game where most of the younger guys would want to just take it easy.

Colin Falls was very impressive, even with 3-9 shooting. He was able to break through a slump in the middle of the game and regain his touch. Today was the first time that I have seen Colin be able to be effective without shooting lights out. 14 points, four rebounds, five assists, and good on-court leadership.

Tory Jackson was very solid. He will continue to grow as the season goes on, but for now games like this are crucial. He made some shots (5-8), scored 11, and dished out 5 assists to 2 turnovers. Very nice overall performance and will be one to build on for the young man.

Bamm-Bamm's minutes were limited by a nice performance by Luke Zeller, but Harangody still got the job done inside. With a great game by Kurz, his inside presence was not needed as much against a poor rebounding team like South Florida.

Robby was just about perfect today. 21 points, 10 rebounds, 50% shooting, and went toe-to-toe with Kentrell Gransberry despite giving the South Florida center 30 pounds. Kurz also displayed his outside touch with two three pointers.

Zach Hillesland scored nine in 22 minutes. The sophomore also logged 4 assists and three boards. Jonathan Peoples played solidly in the half-court game and picked up a surprising 5 rebounds. His ballhandling skills are better than Jackson under pressure and he provides a good backcourt pairing with Tory for extended minutes. Luke Zeller finally had a good outing off the bench. His seven points and four rebounds marked his best game in a long time. He went one for two from deep and played solid, albeit not spectacular, inside defense with Kurz on the bench. Ryan Ayers showed a little spark. He didn't score much, but did provide three rebounds in rather productive time off the bench. Ayers will not command more playing time, but does need to play like he did today to get Coach Brey to extend the reserves. Joe Harden also made a three in mopup time.

The atmosphere was pretty nice with the students back. They got on Gransberry 's case with his poor foul shooting, chanting his clip from the line or "you're on fire" after a make. Should be electric for Villanova. St. John's provides a chance for a good road win Tuesday and to start a good win streak. Overall, good win against a team we need to beat. Nothing special, but without much input from our best player, the guys should be proud of the effort.