Some low-lights here of last night's beat down. Wolf Pack took the Aztecs' pride, and put it in their back pocket.
Aztecs were tied at 35 at halftime. Right in the game. But looking at the numbers, there were some stats that stood out positively and negatively.
Aztecs out rebounded Nevada, which is always a stat that determines outcomes. So that's a plus. In addition, they shot 44% from three, another plus but percentages tend to even out. The stat that really jumped out at me was 4/5 from the line. That isn't going to get it done. They needed to attack more in the second half.
Key #1 in the preview was to get the ball to the paint. Whether it was through guard penetration or getting Pope and McDaniels touches in the hi/low post. To be fair, the Aztecs did give a lot of touches to both of those guys in the short corner area, but neither of them could muster up good looks consistently. A lot of weak fade-aways and baby hooks falling away from the basket led to missed opportunities. Nevada was the more physical team.
Like previously mentioned, 3pt %'s tend to even out over the course of the game. Just the way it works. After my 25+ years of both playing and coaching the game, that statement rings true at least 95% of the time. Lets take a look at the final statistics:
Aztecs shot 3/13 from 3pt in the second half, dropping their game total to 33% (season average is 34%). They went 2/5 from the free throw line, which was completely unacceptable. Nevada out rebounded by 8 boards in the 2nd half, and shot 12/14 from the line. Ball game. The more physical and aggressive team usually wins.
What really disgusts me, is that the team just quit. They didn't play with pride. There was no Rudy Ruettiger in them. In a close game, look at the effort Pope and Mitchell make at boxing out Jordan Caroline - 26 Pts 11 Reb):
Just pathetic. A crucial rebound that sets the tone for both teams. From this point on it was a bloodbath. You aren't going to beat anyone with that effort, let alone a top 25 team.
All of my ridiculous enthusiasm about finishing the season strong is dead. You're killing me State.
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