Friday, March 07, 2008

Still something to play for on Senior Day

It's been a miserable two months of basketball, but that doesn't mean that Oates and Blair don't deserve the usual Senior Day fanfare. Please show up and support the guys! (Also send any pictures along. I'd be glad to post them.)

Georgia Tech is an inconsistent team playing their fourth game in eight days. They’re beatable. Here are a few things the guys need to do on Saturday to end the season on a positive note:

To Do's
-- Play a strong second half. We’ve seen leads slip away, close games become blowouts, and very few games where we ran away with things.
-- Improve offensive efficiency. Our D hasn’t been good for years. The problems of this season are rooted the offensive end. There’s been too much of Rice doing it all. We need more easy, efficient baskets -- like the ones Southern made during the failed comeback at Miami. We also need Sanders to be more careful
-- Big effort from Blair. I had high hopes for him, but he’s been passive as the season has slipped away. I hope he finishes his career with a statement game. 6 blocks wouldn't hurt either.
-- One last Oates 3. The much-maligned big man’s career is almost over. I hope he gets a nice basket or two Saturday.


A win on Saturday is important. The 11th place team gets a slightly easier opponent in the ACC Tournament and the 12th place team is not included in next season's ACC-Big Ten challenge. I’ve been pining for a statement game or sign of life for three weeks. Saturday is the last chance.

1 comment:

M&M said...

In talking with a friend from Syracuse I realized how spoiled we have been over the past few years. 3 guys now in the NBA, all holding their own and doing well, and a 4th on his way. This season has been a nightmare, but there has been some potential from the freshman and adding Trapini next year will help on the interior (I hope). I'm not saying we'll be at the top of the league, but I expect some good improvement. It takes a season like this to realize how fortunate we have been, and I see no reason why Al won't be able to find some diamonds in the rough as he has in the past. We may never have the 5 star recruits, but we're going to have fundamentally sound basketball players, who understand the game.