Howie Dickenman said this performance was even better than the UNH game, and it's hard to argue. There were more people involved tonight and the Blue Devils looked crisper. Now you'll say they didn't do it against good teams, but good teams are supposed to pound bad ones at home, and that's what Central has done the last two games.
More importantly, the Blue Devils will be feeling confident heading into the UMass game.
To review the earlier post about Justin Alexander and the 37 earlier posts about Ken Horton: Alexander was ill and Horton had a cramp. He expects to be fine for UMass.
Let's play man-to-man.
De'Angelo Speech: Had probably his worst game, picking up five turnovers and not doing much else useful, but he's been so good that we'll cut him some slack tonight. Still, he can't play like that too often and keep his starting job.
Joe Efese: Started for Markeys Deans, according to Dickenman, so Central could win the tip. Dickenman said Efese had been 7 for 7 on tips in the morning shootaround, so he gave him the start. Efese won the tip, but I don't know that I buy the story completely. I think Dickenman was just covering for Deans a little bit. The senior has been struggling of late after a wonderful start to the year. Efese was certainly aggressive, getting five fouls in 14 minutes, but did some of the things that had everyone so high on him before the year. The two blocks were a great sign.
Devan Bailey: Played great defense on Patrick Sullivan and made two of his three shots. A missed free throw and two turnovers in 31 minutes aren't much to complain about.
Robby Ptacek: Fantastic. Aggressive. 18 points and eight boards. Missed a couple more shots than you'd like, but gave a really nice showing. Wouldn't take the bait either when I asked him afterwords if his slump earlier in the year was because of the toe/ankle issues.
Ken Horton: If he could have made a three this would have been one of those historic showings. Instead he had to "settle" for 17, with seven boards, four assists and four steals. Even if one of those steals seemed more like a tackle from my view on the other side of the court, it was a great two-way game for Horton. His ability to make that big-to-big pass changes the whole offense, especially against smaller teams.
Markeys Deans: His one minute played lends credence to my theory that Efese's return to the starting lineup was about more than the opening tip. He will be heard from again before the year is over.
Vince Rosario: Stuck a three and had a steal in seven minutes. Pretty much exactly what he's supposed to do.
Shemik Thompson: Back in the facemask, Thompson was solid. Six boards, five assists, six points, only 2 TOs. A picture of poise.
Mark Laporte: The crowd would have exploded if he'd stuck his shot.
Chris Baskerville: His best game in who knows how long. 21 minutes, 3-for-4 from the floor, seven points, four boards. Terrific energy. Probably earned more time Monday night.
Terrell Allen: Four points, four boards and a block in 13 minutes? Wow. Did everything Speech usually does. This is probably the deepest CCSU team I can remember in my nearly seven years on the beat.
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