Your audio/visual personification of the evening.
Wright State is a good team. Not a great one, but a good team. They could very well put 20 wins on the board for the fourth straight year. They have three talented senior guards and that kind of experience and skill makes them a tough cover for most Horizon League teams. All that being said UC is much, much better than the Raiders. Bigger, Deeper and more athletic is tough to beat. That came to bear most acutely in the first 10 or so minutes of the second half when UC built a 20 point lead. Of course they proceeded to fumble away most of that lead to make it an anxious last few minutes. But a win is a win, and a 6-0 start is nothing to sneeze at, even if the level of competition hasn't been the greatest. More thoughts in bullet point form after the jump.
Player of the Game
- Who else could it be but the insatiable SK? 26 points on 8 of 11 shooting, 5 for 5 from 3, 5 for 6 from the free throw line, 2 boards, 2 steals, 3 assists and no turnovers. Hard to top that.
- Too many minutes again for Yancy Gates, 33 is a bit high. He seems to be at his best when he gets between 25 and 30. Gates was good with 10 and 7, but playing him that much as the season progresses can't be good.
- That's two very good games in a row now for Cashmere Wright, 10 points, 1 steal, 3 assists and no turnovers.
- Rashad Bishop very quietly matched Yancy's stat line last night.
- Justin Jackson continues to develop into the Anderson Varejo of the Bearcats, sans flopping and bad shots. 3 boards, 2 dimes, 2 steals, 1 block and 2 points in 14 minutes of play. Still needs a nickname though, a have a couple in mind but a decision must be made.
- The defense was a far cry from Saturday night. Wright State shot 50 percent from 2 and 3, hard to win many games when you give up those kind of numbers.
- The cries have already started for Sean Kilpatrick to start in place of Dion Dixon. I will not be among the callers on this subject. Dixon has been solid this year, 11 points, with a few assists and boards per game. I would have him continue to start because that second shift when Jackson, SK and/or Larry Davis or Jaquan Parker come into the game they bring a ton of energy that has been difficult for the position to match. If Dixon starts to go into a slump then sure, start SK, as is it is the best option.
Next up the 0-7 Toledo Rockets at Savage Arena, should be fun.