I thought we'd lead forever but now I'm not so sure.
The Flying Dutchmen’s bid for a perfect season ended Monday
night, when North Carolina State led wire-to-wire in a 76-64 win. It was the 12th straight loss for the Dutchmen against a BCS- or BCS-level foe*** dating back
to the 2006-07 season, but only the fourth by 12 points or less.
(I felt like we had to count the 2013-14 game against SMU as
a game against a BCS-level foe, since SMU played in the same league as
defending national champion Louisville, which we counted as a BCS-level foe
when it waxed the Dutchmen 97-69 last November, and as eventual national
champion UConn. However, 2012-13 SMU, which played in the flustercuck that
is/was Conference USA, doesn’t count as a BCS-level foe. Carry on.)
Anyway, despite the relatively lopsided final margin it was
a relatively encouraging outing by the Dutchmen, and not just because they
backdoor covered on Ameen Tanksley’s free throw with six seconds left. But who
does that impact, really? I mean you’d have to be a real degenerate to gamble
on Hofstra hoops!
Where was I? Oh yeah. Here’s five thoughts I had while
watching the game in between navigating a nutty two-year-old between dinnertime
and bedtime.
1.) Despite beating the wise guys in Vegas, the loss wasn’t
as close as the final score indicated. The Dutchmen, as they have in most of
their last 12 losses against BCS schools, got off to a slow start that ended
any hopes of an upset. Early nerves did in the Dutchmen, who turned the ball
over on their first three possessions and missed 13 of their first 15 shots in
falling behind 19-5. The Dutchmen outscored North Carolina State the rest of
the way, but the Wolfpack wasted no time quelling any comeback attempts. The first
time the Dutchmen moved within eight with 6:37 left in the first, the Wolfpack doubled
their lead by ending the half on an 18-10. And North Carolina State went on a
17-8 run immediately after the Dutchmen shaved the deficit back to eight with
10:48 remaining.
2.) The Dutchmen held their own underneath with the bigger
Wolfpack, who received 118 minutes Monday out of players 6-foot-5 or taller.
The Dutchmen pulled down 17 of their 47 misses from the field and had almost
twice as many defensive rebounds (29) as the Wolfpack had offensive rebounds
(16). An ability to finish around the basket might have made this game pretty
interesting: The Dutchmen, trailing by 11, missed five straight layups over a
two-possession stretch slightly before the midway point of the second half.
Later, they had two more possessions where they missed a pair of layups.
3.) Freshman forward Rokas Gustys drew his first start with
Moussa Kone battling a knee injury and continued to evoke memories of freshmen
bigs to whom we don’t want to compare him, for various reasons. Gustys pulled
down 12 rebounds in just 21 minutes, which was reminiscent of Halil Kanacevic
recording double-digit rebounds against Kansas and UConn within his first three
games as a freshman. Gustys is the third freshman since the turn of the century
to have at least 10 rebounds in his first two games, and we’re not going to
mention the other two because nothing good could come of that. Let’s just say
he looks as polished and ready for Division I ball as any first-year big we can
remember.
4.) While reigning CAA co-player of the week Brian Bernardi
had a rough game (three points on 1-of-5 shooting from 3-point land, one assist
and four fouls in 29 minutes), Tanksley and Juan’ya Green proved they have a
knack for doing a lot even when they don’t appear to have their best games.
Green scored a team-high 19 points despite shooting just 6-of-18 from the
field, including 3-of-11 from inside the 3-point arc. Yet he also pulled down
eight rebounds and had four assists while playing all 40 minutes. Again:
Stokes-esque (the good one). Tanksley played just 24 minutes thanks to early
foul trouble but had 13 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and three turnovers,
all of which he committed in the first three minutes. They have been as good as
advertised thus far.
5.) Interesting notes about the three returnees: Kone missed
his first game in three-plus seasons with the Dutchmen. Despite coming off the
bench, Dion Nesmith played 31 minutes, second-most on the team, and scored 13
points. He also led the Dutchmen with four turnovers. Jamall Robinson, whose
role seems most impacted and/or reduced, scored seven points in 19 minutes. He
was held to seven points or less just 12 times in 32 games last season and
never played less than 21 minutes in a contest.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. North Carolina State, 11/17)
3: Juan’ya Green
2: Ameen Tanksley
1: Rokas Gustys
SEASON STANDINGS
5: Juan’ya Green
3: Brian Bernardi
2: Ameen Tanksley
1: Rokas Gustys
1: Andre Walker
Email Jerry at defiantlydutch@yahoo.com
or follow Defiantly Dutch at http://twitter.com/defiantlydutch.
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