JPriz – Rush The Court

Wake Forest’s Jeff Bzdelik: Make Sure to Leave Home Without Him

JPriz — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 17:01:29 +0000

From growing up playing basketball through college to observing many coaches over the last few years, it is my contention that a coach never strays too far from his roots, and you can look to one’s history to get a sense of the present. One coaching profile I read recently was on Alabama football head coach, Nick Saban, who gained his attention to detail from washing cars at his father’s dealership. If the car wasn’t completely streak-free, he had to wash the entire car again.

Jeff Bzdelik Simply Cannot Win Games on the Road (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

The same can [...]

What to Make of Pittsburgh Through Another Weak Non-Conference Schedule

Jason Priziborowski — Sun, 22 Dec 2013 20:01:03 +0000

Pittsburgh is having another solid season, currently sitting at 11-1 after torching visiting Cal Poly by 17 points over the weekend. Here’s the key question, though: Does this record represent a run at an elite season for the Panthers or is this just another instance of strategic scheduling? Many coaches schedule their non-conference slates to challenge and help prepare their teams for the rigors of conference play; while others schedule to win a bunch of games. John Calipari, Roy Williams, and Tom Izzo tend to fall into the latter camp, whereas Jamie Dixon, Jim Boeheim and many others are regularly [...]

Rushed Reaction: #2 Ohio State 73, #7 Gonzaga 66

JPriz — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 22:42:16 +0000

Three key takeaways.

Great teams make big plays. Gonzaga was impressive for 38 minutes. They absolutely battled tooth and nail with one of the best teams in the country in Ohio State, but during the last two minutes they didn’t make the plays they needed to win. Elias Harris missed two crucial free throws. The defense couldn’t stop Jared Sullinger. The offense couldn’t make the big shots. Ohio State delivered when the game was on the line in the tough moments, and that’s why they are a great team, and that’s why Gonzaga will be going home. Stars will be stars, and [...]

Rushed Reaction: #1 Syracuse 75, #8 Kansas State 59

JPriz — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 19:24:22 +0000

Three Key Takeaways.

Don’t leave the bench at home. K-State had challenges with only four players scoring in its win over Southern Miss, and Syracuse exploited their lack of depth by shutting out the Wildcats’ bench 33-0. Nobody stepped up after Jordan Henriquez was forced out of the game with three fouls midway through the second half. K-State needed one more guy. Syracuse, meanwhile, had Dion Waiters lead all scorers with 18, and he came off the bench. Balance is better than a one man show. Syracuse found the answer for Fab Melo today, and that was team defense. The guards up [...]

Rushed Reaction: #2 Ohio State 78, #15 Loyola (MD) 59

JPriz — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 05:44:14 +0000

Three Key Takeaways.

OSU has many weapons, not all of which are loaded. OSU has as many weapons as anyone in the tourney. They have Jared Sullinger, William Buford, Deshaun Thomas, Aaron Craft, and Lenzelle Smith, Jr. They can afford in the early going to not have each of their weapons loaded, but that’s not going to cut it when they get deeper. Buford wasn’t firing on all cylinders today. The box score might suggest otherwise, but half of his points were in garbage time at the end. The same goes with Craft. He wasn’t his usual intense and defense-oriented self [...]

Rushed Reaction: #7 Gonzaga 77, #10 West Virginia 54

JPriz — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 02:08:03 +0000

Three Key Takeaways

Crowds only matter when you give them something to cheer about. West Virginia had the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the Selection Committee’s gift. They were the away team, but had to travel 90 minutes up the highway to Pittsburgh to take on Gonzaga, the “home” team that had to fly over 2,000 miles across the country to be here. West Virginia was flat from the start, and beyond the yellow and blue clothing, they didn’t have anything to cheer about. West Virginia was behind by 10 points right away, and they never got closer. I am actually [...]

Rushed Reaction: #1 Syracuse 72, #16 UNC Asheville 65

JPriz — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:55:28 +0000

Three Key Takeaways.

Syracuse isn’t a Final Four Team…Even though Syracuse won the second half by 11 points and the game, I was not impressed. They didn’t perform like a#1 seed. They didn’t create separation, or go on any sustainable runs. This was really a 3 point ball game throughout. It is clear that the loss of Fab Melo is bigger than Jim Boeheim has made it out to be. He allowed the rest of their defense to free lance. Now that they aren’t able to do that, they really struggled to contain the 3-point shot and to get out on [...]

Rushed Reaction: #8 Kansas State 70, #9 Southern Miss 64

JPriz — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:33:12 +0000

Three Key Takeaways.

Kansas State wins with experience. Kansas State has been here before, and it showed. They didn’t panic when they let Southern Miss back in the game twice. After Jordan Henriquez went to the bench with his fourth foul with more than six minutes left, they slowed it down, got the ball inside, and either scored on close shots or got to the line several possessions in a row. They shot 26-34 from the line, blocked 7 shots, and forced bad shots for Southern Miss at the end. Batman and Robin came up big. Rodney McGruder had 30 points on [...]