 |  |
58 | 81 |
Twenty-three point losses shouldn't sit well with any team. But after Bradley's first loss, nobody should think that the Braves (1-1) are going to have a bad season.
Some stat lines were ugly — 19 offensive rebounds for Florida (2-0); another poor performance from the 3-point line for Bradley (7 of 24, 29 percent). Clearly Bradley isn't going to be ranked anytime soon.
Outside of Michigan State though, Bradley also won't face a more athletic and skilled team all season. This game provided a barometer for the work that needs to be done but the possibility of being able to stay with a really good team for the majority of it.
There's a fire in this Bradley team that was enjoyable to watch. Sure, mistakes were made and can be expected for awhile. What the box score doesn't show is that Bradley held a lead for the majority of the first half. Then, after Florida surged going into halftime, the Braves chopped a 17-point lead to eight in just two minutes.
Some of Coach Jim Les' lineup choices still may make fans shake their heads, but he's improving as an in-game coach. Les understood the need to show Florida different looks on defense, which confused the Gators.
He also has cured the Braves propensity to play terrible on the road. Bradley looked confident and not like a bunch of scared kids walking into the arena of a recent national champion.
Many of the offensive rebounds allowed in the past were due to bad positioning and an apparent lack of desire to grab the ball more than the opponent. Today had a different feel, as Florida used its athleticism to create situations where if it missed a shot, somebody would be ready on the back side to clean up the mess. These sorts of situations will not happen as frequently against Missouri Valley Conference teams.
With all the new players Bradley has this season, this game was perfect to show all of them what it takes to be really great.
Other observations:
* - No individual players were named in the recap as the consequences of this game weren't really about any single performance. That being said, junior guard Dodie Dunson had another solid game (15 points, 3-of-9 from 3-point range) and senior center David Collins (6 points, 3 rebounds) started to show more of his potential against the solid interior core of the Gators. Collins must stay out of foul trouble though in order to be effective.
* - Sophomore guard Sam Maniscalco had another poor shooting game, finally knocking down his first three-pointer of the season. He has only hit one of his first twelve attempts from behind the arc. He needs to slow his game down and stop putting so much pressure on himself — pressing isn't a good thing, especially for your starting point guard.
* - Junior guard Chris Roberts and freshman forward Taylor Brown continue to impress, especially with their athleticism and energy. Roberts had 13 points and 5 rebounds while Brown chipped in six points while only playing 13 minutes.
* - Coach Les picked up his first technical foul of the season on a questionable no-call for goaltending. Though the announcers on ESPNU didn't seem to understand the rule, here's how it's officially defined (http://www.coabb.org/pdf/2008_m_w_basketball_rules.pdf):
Section 34. Goaltending
Art. 1. Goaltending shall have occurred when a player touches the ball during a field-goal try and each of the following conditions is met:
a. The ball is in its downward flight; and
b. The entire ball is above the level of the ring and has the possibility,
while in flight, of entering the basket and is not touching the
cylinder.
This certainly was the case on the play, but the announcers argued in-favor of some new rule about pinning the ball on the glass before it makes contact with the backboard. The problem is, as the rules state, that the ball was on the downward flight and above the rim. Les was justified in his frustration.
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