2005-06 Season Off to a Great Start
NEW YORK – For those wondering, college basketball is in a great state right now.
Early season tournaments have been full of great basketball games to watch, from the final rounds of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer to the close calls in the Guardians Classic, right down to Friday’s games at Madison Square Garden in the NIT Season Tip-Off. The games have been exciting, coming down to the wire and with players making hustle plays left and right to win games. Players who have struggled during the game came through when their team needed them to in key stretches. The atmosphere of the game, aided by a good crowd, was that of a big-time game.
In short, we’ve had a look at how great college basketball is, much like we did last March – and this is what the early season tournaments are supposed to bring us.
Drexel and UCLA battled in the opener of Friday night’s doubleheader for third place in the NIT Season Tip-Off. UCLA looks ready to become a regular in the NCAA Tournament again, while Drexel has been a solid mid-major for several years and was the surprise entrant in New York. The teams battled in a well-played game, with the Dragons leading for a good portion of the game and neither team ever leading by a double-digit margin.
The nightcap was a classic between Duke and Memphis, two teams with high expectations this year and for different reasons. The Blue Devils boast a terrific senior duo of J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams, along with a terrific recruiting class that provides depth, while the Tigers might be the most athletic team in the country and have plenty of bodies. As in the first game, neither team ever led by double digits (although the Tigers came close early on), and when the Blue Devils scored six unanswered points to open up a seven-point lead in the final minutes, the Tigers came right back thanks to the play of a freshman who played just four minutes in the first half due to foul trouble.
But when Shawne Williams knocked in two free throws with 57 seconds left, just ten seconds after a driving layup, the game was knotted at 67 before the Blue Devils would win on a tip-in by tournament MVP Shelden Williams (30 points, eight rebounds, three blocks) and a free throw in the final seconds.
Each game had noteworthy elements that made it worth watching. UCLA won the first game on a late free throw by sophomore guard Jordan Farmar, who was 1-10 from the field in the game. For good measure, it was the second of two free throws he made after an airball on the first one.
“I thought it was pretty funny,” Farmar reflected after the game. “I’ve seen it happen before, I never thought it would happen to me. I felt comfortable, I felt good, so when it happened, I just had to laugh about it.”
Drexel had its own case of perseverance with its point guard, junior Bashir Mason. Mason had his struggles offensively, hitting just 4-of-12 from the field. But when the going got tough, he got going, converting a three-point play and then hitting a three-pointer from the top of the key on consecutive possessions.
“He’s the leader of this team, he’s the most experienced guy – he’s been a three-year starter,” said head coach Bruiser Flint. “I’ve always said that if he wanted to, he could be the most valuable player in our conference because he can do it at both ends.”
The Dragons also made it a game without Dominick Mejia, who didn’t start the game because he was late for a film session last night after spending time with his family. Mejia was the star of Wednesday night’s loss to Duke with 25 points.
Drexel got a solid game from players like senior Kenell Sanchez (14 points on 7-12 shooting) and sophomore Frank Elegar (13 points), who controlled the inside often along with junior Chaz Crawford. Sanchez has been a steady player his entire career, while Elegar and Crawford will be keys to what appears to be an improved inside game. It certainly wasn’t lost on UCLA head coach Ben Howland.
“They really exploited us inside – I thought when you look at their big guys inside, they really hurt us, especially Elegar, scoring in there,” said Howland, who added that his team has often practiced with seven or eight scholarship players. “We’re going to have to double-team more than I would like in the post.”
The Bruins got a nice effort from two unexpected frontcourt sources, freshman Luc Richard Mbah a Mo (nine points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes) and sophomore Lorenzo Mata (eight points, eight rebounds in 22 minutes). Additionally, oft-injured Cedric Bozeman took a step towards salvaging his senior season, scoring 10 points on 5-6 shooting and generally looking good.
Freshmen played a key role on both sides in the nightcap. Memphis got production from Chris Douglas-Roberts (nine points on 4-4 shooting) and Antonio Anderson (six assists and a good defensive effort to make up for 2-9 shooting), in addition to Williams’ efforts (15 points and eight rebounds), while Greg Paulus (eight assists and seven rebounds) was a key to the Blue Devils’ victory and Josh McRoberts (12 points on 6-9 shooting) asserted himself more as the game went along after a slow start.
“I thought Paulus’ floor game was a huge factor in us staying in the game initially, and then at different junctures, he just kind of made plays that got us back or gave us a two-possession lead,” said head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “Those two kids, for freshmen, to play like they did tonight, was significant.”
As important as the play of the freshmen was, it was a senior who epitomized the night of competing right to the end. Duke senior Sean Dockery struggled all night long shooting the ball, finishing the night 3-11 from the field. He didn’t make a three-pointer all night, until he got a shot from the left corner with 2:04 left, which went right through the net to give the Blue Devils a 67-64 lead. Much like two guards in the first game (Mason and Farmar), Dockery kept competing right until the end, and made a key play for his team.
“I told Sean, just keep shooting, and he hit the biggest shot of the night,” Krzyzewski said.
The games were exciting, they were well-played, and they contained some elements of old-school basketball. There were players who battled through tough nights, senior leadership, young talents who showed glimpses of what they can be, and games that went right down to the final buzzer before they were decided. Clearly, we can see the state that college basketball is in – an excellent state. We can only hope that this trend continues throughout the season, right into the final games of March.
