This is the 21st time we've broken down a game this season, and the Blue Devils never cease to give us something new to discuss. This time, they tried like crazy to blow a 24-point lead, but managed to hold on for what could be a huge win.
The Blue Devils were very good early and made some big plays late. Wagner also deserves a ton of credit for the way it battled back. Dan Hurley is going to be a force to deal with in this league. Very soon.
So what'd we learn today? Two things. First, Central must get better at dealing with pressure defense. It reminded me of the 05 NEC Tournament all over again. Central nearly got pressed into a loss.
The second was that Central can be pretty tough. The Devils didn't wilt. They got outplayed, sure, but they never checked out mentally. Ken Horton made big plays late, and Robby Ptacek managed to get to the line, where he is like robot specially programmed to make free throws.
Let's go man-to-man
Shemik Thompson: A wild day. He teetered on the verge of a triple-double for a while, and struggled at times late as the Blue Devils turned it over ad nauseum down the stretch. Still, any time your lead guard has 11 rebounds and seven assists, you can't complain too much.
Joe Efese: I don't think Howie Dickenman fully agrees with my assessment that Efese is getting his groove back, but he's starting to come around at least.
Chris Baskerville: I'm going out of order from the box for a reason. Dickenman was right that Efese and Baskerville combined to give Central a great attack from the post. Central's two centers combined for 17 points and 14 boards. A heck of a day.
Devan Bailey: Made free throws and helped Central survive the Seahawks' press. Only two turnovers, but had two steals to help make up for it. Still, he'll have to help Central break some more presses before the year is over.
Robby Ptacek: Probably the single biggest reason CCSU won this one. Fantastic with his shot early and the only player who could dribble through the press and get to the line late. Once there, he made all 10 he tried. He really saved the day.
Ken Horton: You know you're a great player when you go for 13, 6 and 4 and the beat writer gives you grief about a bad day. But you know what I did like about his performance? In the final minute, when he was needed most, he made two great plays. Tough players step up when needed most.
Vince Rosario: Starting to make shots and starting to earn a couple of more minutes.
Terrell Allen: Needs to get some more consistency.
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