Sounds like Utah State were tired. Obviously our game against them took a lot out of them. 
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Utah St.-USF score was 54-53, both teams struggled offensively.
First NET rankings were released recently, itās still very early so take them with a grain of salt, scrolling down the list there are several rankings that just donāt make sense and wonāt hold as the season progresses (ie- BYU is currently ranked #3). And because the sample size is still small, rankings will change a lot from game.
WSDU is currently considered Quad 1 so the Broncos NET vaulted from 137 to 118 as a result of the win. Problem is I donāt think WSU is legitimately a Quad 1 team; they are probably mid to low level Pac-12, not likely to be a tourney team and arenāt even a lock for the NIT IMO. Their NET will likely drop, drawing down the significance of our win over them.
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I like the way you think.
Iāve been waiting since 2011 for the Zags to come in to a Bronco game tired!
It looks like the defense showed up for the second straight game, but the offense actually got on the bus with them this time. Contrary to what is being said, I think Utah State missed plenty. 37% from the floor isnāt very good (albeit, USU shot better from 3). It was the 20+ extra possessions given by SCU that made the difference. With SCU a full 20 percentage points better in shooting, the Broncos should have beat Utah State by 20, not lose by 2.
Despite a little scare down the stretch, this game looked more like what Santa Clara would be without awful turnovers. OāNeil took the horrible rebounding last game personally and was sailing in for every defensive board he could. That was nice to see.
I hope that Benjamin can continue to contribute, but this team is much better with him in a secondary role. Whether itās just a funk or the challenge of a higher level of competition, he just isnāt the player that SCU planned on or needs him to be. The missing piece remains the PG position. Keep running Knapper/Hammond to get them the experience. Even if they are equal to Benjamin, they are still much better investments for playing time.
SCU needs to try to go 3-0 now. That should be very achievable, especially with Tilly back.
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A little late to the party with comments and appreciate 92broncās update on our current NET rankings:
Observations:
Excellent FT shooting 17-20, Bal and Bryan down the stretchā¦Fantastic!
Kudos to the benchā¦Bryan, Tongue and Esmingerā¦Huge Lift
Taking better care of the ball
Showed patience when WSU went zone
Concerns:
Tillyās healthā¦Available vs SJSU?
PG playā¦Knapper and Benjamin
Overall: Itās a really good win against a quality opponent, despite WSU soft non conference schedule. They got it done without Tilly, despite some nail biting moments down the stretch. Well done Broncos!! Letās take that momentum into next game vs Spartans.
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I noticed Carlos Stewart didnāt get any minutes either in his last game (LSU). Not sure if injured or also a DNP - CD.
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oof, its ugly for him too. Averaging 3.6 ppg on 29.5% from the floor and 23.8% from 3. To me, this PG spot for Santa Clara is Knapperās to have (only need like 6 and 3 apg with some occasional bigger ones) unless Benjamin shows heās ready, which he hasnāt all year.
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Tyree Bryan has been a nice surprise averaging almost 10 ppg and shooting nearly 45% from beyond the arc. Good, physical defender as well.
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In the NFL, only like 3 guys have cleared concussion protocol in a week this year.
Obviously, weāre not playing in the NFL, but point is that I think typically concussions take longer than a week to come back from. I would not expect Tilly to be ready on Wednesday.
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Looking at the rankings. New Mexico would have been a NICE WIN! (ranked 36th) But Utah def helped. With St Maryās at 64 and San Fran at 70 - some wins there will help us out. Gonzaga is a winnable game if we show up like we did at Utah/Stanford games. Yale is coming in at 112 a bit ahead of us - so we need to take that one too.
The bubble is not as far off as I thought it was - thanks to a tough schedule that hurt but may also help in the long haul. Be nice to close out the month with no more losses and pull some big ones in conference play.
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A win over Utah St would have really helped and the loss to Cal really hurt. Certainly a win over Gonzaga would help. Right now I am more concerned over what team shows up , the one that beat Stanford, Oregon, and WSU or the one that seemed to lie down against Ohio St, Cal, and New Mexico. We will need it play our best and play a complete game to beat SMC and USF and wins there would help out a lot. Hoping for second or third place but worried that 4, 5 or 6 is also possible. Just gotta win the games we are supposed to and a few we are not to get to any post season. GO BRONCOS!!
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