Bests
Finally, some hot shooting
Zags, Johnnies burn nets.
Unlike the first three games, the final game Thursday opened with some solid shooting. In the first seven minutes, Gonzaga and St. John’s were a combined 11-for-16, including 5-for-5 on 3-pointers.
That’s mine.
During one possession in the second half, Richmond held the ball for 1 minute, 19 seconds. The Spiders had four misses but four offensive rebounds before Cedrick Lindsay put in his follow shot to take a 53-50 lead.
Nice touch.
Vanderbilt’s Festus Ezeli made his first eight shots; his first miss came with 6:43. He had 21 points and missed two shots. David Krause, The Denver Post
Worsts
It hurts to leave college ball
Rough exit.
Louisville senior guard Preston Knowles injured his left foot with 8:51 left in the game and had to sit and watch the loss to Morehead State. He finished with nine points, all 3-pointers, and five turnovers. John Leyba photo, The Denver Post
Distribution.
Of Wofford’s 66 points, 47 came from the trio of Noah Dahlman (22), Jamar Diggs (14) and Cameron Rundles (11).
Forearm shiver.
Gonzaga guard Marquise Carter was called for a charge when he was trying to fend off St. John’s Malik Boothe at the top of the key. Carter’s forearm push midway through the second half sent Booth sliding through the lane and into the base of the basket. David Krause, The Denver Post
Notes
A SIGN OF THE TIMES
Shameless signs removed.
Fans in a suite near the BYU bench had a sign that said, “We Violate the honor code as much as possible.” It was removed soon after by arena staff. The sign was in reference to BYU player Brandon Davies, above, being suspended from the team for violating the honor code for having premarital sex. There was another sign in reference to Davies that also taken down by the Pepsi Center staff. Both were returned to the owners after the game.
BENCH PIT CREW
Timeout: Huddle up in a hurry.
Watching some teams huddle for a timeout is kind of like watching a NASCAR pit crew work during a pit stop. BYU, Richmond and Louisville like to get their players on the court, away from the bench, to talk strategy. As soon has the timeout horn sounds, a flurry of student assistants at the end of the bench go into action. They pull out a set of stools, emblazoned with their school logos, of course, and have them neatly in place before the teams are ready to sit down.
STANDING TALL, LONG
Morehead support.
Anyone with tickets near section 122 on Saturday might have to crane their neck a bit to see the court. During Thursday’s upset win over Louisville, the Morehead State fans seated in and around that section stood — the entire game. Their normal tradition is to stand until the opponent makes its first shot. But Louisville didn’t make its first shot until 6 minutes, 11 seconds into the game, and by then the Eagles’ fans were too excited to sit. They took a break during the timeouts, but otherwise the fans clad in blue and yellow were on their feet the entire game.
By the second half, most of the fans at Pepsi Center were on their feet cheering for the underdog Eagles, who next play Richmond.
David Krause, The Denver Post
Five questions
Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
senior center, who leads the nation
in rebounding:
Q: After whom do you pattern your game?
A: Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic center). I like his aggressiveness. I try sometimes in practice, more than the game, to get the spinoff that he does a lot. I try him, because he’s a great rebounder. Since (Minnesota forward) Kevin Love came on the scene, I’ve been watching him a lot, and wow!
Q: Who inspires you away from the court?
A: My mom (who has lupus). She’s a strong woman. Just her being as strong as she is and passionate about everything I do in life. Just her being there in my life to help me become a man, along with my father, and help me to make my own choices in life, my own path. She has just inspired me to want to be as strong as her.
Q: Part of game have to work on?
A: Stepping out in midrange more, 18 feet, maybe 3-pointers, but stepping out more.
Q: What would you change about college basketball?
A: How they look at certain conferences. That’s about it.
Q: Best shot ever?
A: When we played Austin Peay (last week in the Ohio Valley Conference semifinals). They threw an alley-oop to me. We ran a play called and they screened one of the guys and threw the alley-oop to me. It was pretty exciting.
David Krause, The Denver Post
