After a hot start things went south in a hurry, and at the half I wasn’t very optimistic. LMU dominated the glass, and there was no stopping Shelton. Fortunately, the offense really stepped up in the second half, an amazing 13/17 from the floor and a much better night at the line. They needed all of that to overcome a huge rebounding deficit— LMU had 16 offensive rebounds and a 22-2 edge in second chance points.
Others have mentioned the play of Tilly and Tongue— I think this was the best game yet for both. Tilly can be a real force if he continues to develop, and it’s nice to see a big man with good touch at the line.
Tonight’s win gives SCU sole possession of third place and in the driver’s seat. A win at Provo might be too much to ask for, but other than that the schedule favors the Broncos.
As I said a few weeks ago, the door was WIDE open for the firm of Tilly & Tongue. Glad they saw it too. If they keep improving at the current rate, there’s tremendous upside there for the Broncos.
Podz put the team on his back tonight with 30 points on 13 FGA’s.
That Leguapepe is a monster on the boards. At the half, I thought our best chance to win was to get him fouled out.
Another gritty comeback win… seems like our style. For the third time in a row, I will say that our next game is the biggest of the year. Please beat byu and put us in the driver seat of 3rd place.
Someone here asked about the over the back. Refs call it ONLY against SCU not for SCU. Cam was literally being held when he tried to go up for boards. No calls.
Refs def have NO LOVE for SCU.
Glad our boys stayed in and toughed it out. A win at BYU will be amazing
I did think Cam got hosed when he had inside position and LMU pulled their normal over the back reach and tap out and a foul was called……on Cam!!! I was taught get position and block out, I guess that is now a foul.
Despite the disparity on the glass, credit where credit is due at the charity stripe as Broncos were 20/24. We needed every one of them to match LMU’s even more impressive 16/17.
Solid game by Podz with some impressive assists including the one to Cam on the alley oop.
Tilly and Tongue…Well done! We don’t win this game without either.
Bediako and Braun…Is it time to bring both off the bench? If anything, Herb needs to send a message to both.
Lastly, Congrats to KJ for appearing in more games than any other Bronco. It’s quite an achievement, but we will need him to be more consistent down the stretch offensively and on the glass.
Seems like Sendek has Bediako and Braun playing like any touch is a foul. When both of them arrived at SCU they were way more aggressive than they seem now. I wish we could see some more of that attacking style they used to display on both sides of the floor (who cares if you foul out trying to make a block or bull rushing the rim). They are both sorely needed and key pieces for where this season goes from here.
Bett, I’ve watched him for 4 years, and I don’t ever recall Bediako being aggressive offensively. He has ALWAYS faded away on his jump hook, rarely looks for contact, never dunks it and hardly ever bangs it off the glass. He’s just not a power player in the post.
And, I’m not convinced every aggressive foul is a good foul. It was sure nice to have some fouls to give at the end of that LMU game.
Post guys PT: I’ll say it again…total PT and who finishes the game (or at least who’s getting most of the late game minutes) is more important than who starts.
There are a lot of examples, particularly at the post positions where the starting post(s) play less than someone off the bench.
It’s not an either-or proposition…we need all 4 to contribute. I don’t see any of the Bediako, Tilly, Braun, or Tongue as 30 mins+ per game guys. Whether it be fatigue, foul trouble, strategic matchup decisions or all of those things, it’s probably best and most realistic if all 4 are playing at least double digits minutes and no single guy plays more than 25-28mins.
Last 5 games, Tilly has played roughly the same amount as Bediako; Bediako went on a nice run vs. USF so he played more as Sendek rode the hot hand but Tilly played more last week in both the USD and LMU games. And Tongue has averaged about 15 mins/game over the last 6, much higher than the token few minutes he played in many games earlier in the season…I’d prefer to see Tongue up around 18mins/game but that’s splitting hairs.
And I’m not sure changing the starting lineup with 4 games left in the regular season is wise as there’s some risk that Bediako or Braun go in the tank or that it creates some tension in the locker room or upsets overall team chemistry. Bediako and Braun aren’t stupid, they see that Tilly and Tongue are eating in to their playing time. I’m sure each wants to perform better, but benching them may or may not motivate them or get them playing better.
My guess is that we see Herb gradually work towards something like roughly 23 minutes each for Braun, Tilly and Tongue and 11-12 minutes for Bediako. But no changes to starting line up for reasons laid out by 92Bronc.
Yes, more than 4 games total left…just meant regular season. Point remains…would make even less sense to change starting lineups in the WCC tourney or NIT.
Holt played 1 min vs. LMU and not at all vs. USD. At this point, it appears he’s mostly spot duty at the 5 if Bediako or Tilly get in foul trouble and the opposing 5 matchups dictates that you need another big body (ie- instead of playing Braun at the 5).
Yes, wait until the offseason for any major starting lineups shake-ups…if we had been juggling and experimenting with frontcourt starters throughout the season then I might feel differently but that’s not the case. Worry about next season, next season.
Early on in his time @ SCU Bediako at least tried to dunk the ball through the defense (although with his back to the basket he struggled even more back then) and in his limited minutes he went hard after every board. He probably averaged a foul a minute, but I was ok with that.
Aggressive fouls are always a good thing, so long as the right guys commit them. A guy like Holt should be getting 5 minutes a night and be expected to foul out in that time… would be a huge benefit to the team. That said, it’s never going to happen with Sendek. He has SCU playing non-contact D and coaches like each guy on the floor has equal talents.
Okay okay we’ve played the “foul just to foul” argument out - as ludicrous as that idea and strategy is - I am mindblown you have doubled down over and over behind it.
I’m not sure he’s arguing “foul just to foul” – I think that there has to be some strategy/purpose to it. But there is something to be said about delivering hard fouls in the paint (provided that they don’t end up as and-1’s) - make opponents think twice about trying to score down low, or at least get them to alter their shots to avoid undesirable hard contact. I think the point is that Sendek doesn’t coach rough play, which could put us at a huge disadvantage with refs who “let 'em play”. Not saying I agree or disagree with the argument, just clarifying.
On the offensive side, I am much more inclined to encourage aggressive play. If a player gets called for a charge, so be it. But the bias when there is contact is usually to the benefit of the player with the ball, I think it is worth the risk most of the time.
The only fouls that I REALLY despise are the faulty picks/screens. DRIVES ME NUTS. Get set and don’t move (or lean) until after the defender runs into or around you, then ROLL.
EDIT: Sorry, have to add that in addition to the bad picks/screens, I hate the fouls on 3-pt shots.
It’s definately not foul just to foul… it’s foul with a purpose. Use fouls to cover up your defincies (espically on D) and also to stop opponents where one is most outmatched in 1 on 1 situations. It also sets a tone as your team being the agressor which is a positive if you want to win.
SMC and LMU are 2 examples this season of teams that foul with purpose on D and it has greatly been to their benefits. (If you watch Leaupepe closely you’ll see the art of fouling… he fouls away from the ball probably 30 times a night). The fact that Podz leads SCU in rebounding speaks for itself. Sendek has SCU’s bigs playing so soft they might as well have their hands tied behind their backs.
I agree that Leguapepe is an outstanding, clever fouler. But he’s also a freak of nature in college basketball. If we want a guy like him we’ll need to start recruiting at NFL combines or San Quentin State Prison.
Holt has a good body on him. I don’t think it would take much to teach him to bump, push, and generally get in the way for SCU’s benefit. It’s not like Leaupepe has much in terms of basketball skill.