Taj79

It was a good game until VCU opened the second half on a 24 to 8 run or something. Then it was all over but the final score. Golden was decent, Cayo tried but Gilyard was neutralized and Sherrod was terrible. Plus with no bench,Richmond could not stop the VCU onslaught. VCU still comes after you in waves. Over on MASN, Rhodey had a rather easy time with Mason at Mason, going up 18 in the first half and then winning by 14. Jeff Dowtin looked first team all-conference. Cox will be hard pressed to replace him next year. Antwan Walker continues to string decent games together. And Fatts Russell and Tyrese Martin more than offset a below average game from Langevine. Jermaine harris continues to be the biggest four-star enigma I have ever seen. I don't know where this bespeckled AJ Wilson suddenly got game but he did his best Obi Toppin impression to date. Guy was a geeky stringbean last year and now is having games like last night 23. Plus 9 rebounds and two blocks. I can see this guy ignoring Jimmy Bell and leaving Jimmy to concentrate on his block totals, doubling down on Hasahn. Mason is the one team getting nothing from what I think is a pretty decent lineup, even without Kier. Today, we open -5.5. Dayton is at Duquesne +7.5; the Bonnies -4.5 are at Fordham, Umass -7.5 is at the Joeys and Davidson -4 is in Foggy Bottom.

Personnel: La Salle is 1 and 6 in league play, having dropped their last five in a row. They have only beaten Fordham at Rose Hill by 6. La Salle goes 8 deep with all eight getting nearly 20 minutes per game. Only Deas is averaging double digit ppg and seven of those eight guys are listed as guards. Freshman Ayinde Hikim is a Collins clone at 5'11"and 165. Leads team in assists. I have seen Saul Phiri, David Beatty and Deas all go off on a given night for 20+. It depends. Crosswell is thier only big with Kimbrough hurt. Freshman Brandon Stone is 6'11" but has average only 8 mpg in the last five games. Croswell is shooting at nearly 60% from the floor but only takes twos and is averaging about three shots per game. Not a volume guy. Phiri is 6'4"; Deas is 6'6" and Christian Ray is listed at 6'6" as well. Deas is a senior and there have been a few games this year where he was afflicted with senioritis or something ---- playing well outside the team game with Howard yanking him at times. He got only 12 minutes against VCU. Spencer, Phiri and Beatty all launch threes. Ditto Deas. All are near 100 attempts on the season. Howard is trying to instill a HAVOC-like, pressing defense and this can lead to a lot of easy baskets onthe offensive end as well as a lot of cherry picking with kick backs to open threes on their offensive end. Neither team should beat us in Philly but both have 'trap' games written all over them. La Salle has played a rather weak OOC schedule but they did win the Gulf Coast Showcase in November beating Murray State, Wright State and South Alabama in three consecutive nights. La Salle is a bona fide PIG candidate for Brooklyn.

Here's a trend ---- in the past two games, French has scored 6 and 5 points against Davidson and Fordham respectively. Five games in to the conference season and the book is out ..... pack it in, limit French, protect the boards and force SLU to shoot from some distance. By now, you know my thoughts on Davidson's front line. Still, the result was what it was and Davidson followed McKillop's game strategy to a tee. Then Fordham, with no discernible front line, accomplished the same. The major difference was no one really put a body on Goodwin allowing him five offensive rebounds. And Tay Weaver stepped up. We shall see. Near the end of the Fordham GDT, I noted La Salle, under Ashley Howard, likes to press full court all game. Howard has been given credit for getting his team to buy into that principal and has been lauded for improving their defensive results from last year to this. I will be curious to see if, with the book out there now, does he change his principals and alter his defense come Wednesday. He has enough guards in the stable (7) to press and press again. All seven get almost 20 mpg. Saul Phiri and Isaiah Deas havehurt us before. St. Joe's is different; they don't have a true point guard on the roster. Also, no true center. They play five out and none in and every player ismore content to launch a three than bang inside. Taylor Funk is no longer listed on their team roster and they have three guys who have launched 100 threes apiece and another closing in on that total. They have employed zones more than not but from my viewing, they are not collectively in the paint mostof the time and get hurt there. Not only does Ryan Daly lead them in scoring, but rebounding, assists and steals as well. Going to be two interesting and diiferent games in Philly this week.

Well, it was Fordham. Front row seats for the next two in Phiily. Goingto need to do better. La Salle plays pressing man-to-man. St. Joes not so much. Going to be interesting. Need to win these next three.

I don't mind the calls but the change from letting them play to this is one. Then our guys pick up two in a minute each. That's my bigger problem. Portley is just going one on one.

Goodwin needs two rebounds; French 5 points.

Here come the stupid whistles. But if I'm Collins and Goodwin, I adjust and back off. They are 30 feet from the basket.

Hightower in because Hmark says Jacobs not risking shoulder. He just walks it up, tosses TOs and bricks. Oh well ....

Sorry thicks --- you get four TOs per game and you use one or lose it before half. I think you get one added for overtime. He's got one left.

Fordham another time out. one left.

in the usual letdown. don't seem to know what to do with pack zones.

Neubauer using all his time outs to quell the rush.

Seems okay from TV distance.

Jacobs back on bench.

Shoulder injury looked pretty bad at first blush. Straight to locker room for Jacobs. Ten zip under 16.