Saturday, December 4, 2010

Dawgs Win!

Great game! Sure we had that dry spell coming out of the locker room in the second half, but UAB is no slouch. They picked up the defensive pressure and we didn't respond. Besides, when teams shoot over 40 percent on threes, you have to tip your hat to them. Play D, yes, but give them their props as a really good team.

This game gives a glimpse of what the team could be. Brantley scoring from deep. Price active under the boards. Thompkins getting a double-double or right at it (20 and 9 against UAB). Gerald Robinson cutting to the basket.

With that said, I definitely agree with Coach Fox. With Robinson eligible last year, the Dawgs probably would have won several of the close games. Could have even scratched and clawed our way to a 20-win season.

Robinson showed what he can do last night. He has too many turnovers, but just like the St. Louis game, he came through in the clutch. I loved his scoop basket with the left hand. That was an 11 on the scale of difficulty. And when we needed a basket, Robinson created something. Cut to the hoop, made a jump stop, glided to his right and kissed if off the window.

Travis Leslie had an off game. Hit just 2 of 9 from the field and one of his makes was a dunk. They were challenging him to shoot the ball. I think his shot could be adjusted just a bit to move his release point slightly to the right. His shooting motion would be more fluid and he would find his jumper truer out to 17 feet or so. And I would still like him to take the ball into the paint and show the ball. Get guys off their feet. He's a good enough free throw shooter and strong enough to get the "and-one."

Anyway, Georgia has some promise. Good to see contributions from the bench. Dustin Ware needs to keep shooting it. Not take tons of shots, but if he has the ball at the end of the clock, he needs to take the jumper or go toward the basket with an eye toward scoring. If he penetrates just to the free throw line and then dishes, his teammates don't and won't have time to get up a good shot.

We're 5 and 2. We really need to beat Tech. That would make me really happy with this portion of the season.

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