Great win! I said earlier tonight was more of a test of our ability to focus and take care of business than anything. Safe to say we passed. One thing I'm loving about the Paulsen era - we are very, very good at putting away inferior opponents. Aside from the two years with NCAA tournament wins, even Larranaga teams frequently screwed around and played down to their level of competition. That doesn't look like it's going to happen with Paulsen. Other stuff (all with a grain of salt because Longwood sucks):
- Jaire finally had the game we needed from him. 17 points on 10 shots, 3/6 from three, and added 5 steals. Needs to keep that up against better competition if he's gonna keep his starting role.
- Justin Kier had another quiet but productive and efficient game. Does what he's asked, plays within himself, and never makes the wrong play. He's not the kind of guy who becomes the star, but he's the kind of guy you find on every successful team. He's looking more and more like a fantastic find by the staff.
- Boyd was 1-7 from the field, but his ability to get to the line salvaged his night. 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal for the future A-10 player of the year. Dude can FILL UP the box score and scores even when his shot isn't falling.
- Karmari made some freshman plays tonight, but it's clear that he's such a natural scorer with the ball in his hands. On his only bucket he drove into the paint, stopped on a dime, elevated, and hit a twelve-foot jumper. I've had a few beers but I'm gonna be very honest and tell you it reminded me of Cameron Long.
- Defense was very good again tonight. Teams are now shooting 29.1% (59/203) from deep against us during the streak. Otis did a good job fighting through screens but he still goes under almost exclusively. Longwood ran a lot of double screens from the top of the key in the first half, and better shooting teams are going to make him pay for going under so much.
- It was a lot of fun to see Paulsen empty the bench tonight. Glad for Kam, Deandre, Danny, and Myles that they got to see the floor. No one played their way into the rotation (though Deandre looked OK) but those guys are always cheering their butts off on the bench.
Very encouraging to see us handle our business like we needed to. Let's do the same thing against Prairie View next week, who also sucks.