** In my estimation, the best way to view this Panther victory today is only in the context of the 40 minutes on the floor, and not seeing it in the bigger picture.
** When doing so, it was easy to enjoy a fun basketball game, and a nice win with several very solid performances from individual players.
** It was even a game where one could say that the Panthers looked fairly well coached, or at least better coached than the opponent.
** I’ll check that by saying that the Panthers didn’t execute particularly well in the first half. But they did walk out of the locker room for the second 20 minutes with a seeming new resolve to commit to some motion on the offensive end. And even if the Panthers don’t hit shots, it’s certainly much easier to watch an offense with players moving instead of standing.
** It was also fun watching Big John play a very solid basketball game following a trio of stinkers.
** One could wonder why NC State didn’t attack John quite as much with the aggressive double team, and because of this he was able to respond much more efficiently than he has of late. His passing might really have been the difference in this game.
** Speaking of coaching, the halo must now be fading from Kevin Keats. He used to be a guy I thought highly of for our job, but not so much now. Hard as it may seem, NC State is notably less talented at the moment than even our Panthers.
** Jamarius still operates a little too much one-on-one for my taste. But he’s proven he can really make plays when needed.
** And for good measure, note that Burton is now averaging 15.7PPG over his last 15 games.
** Another bonus is that we were able snag the victory with Mo only playing 18 minutes. There’s no doubt that he’s become my favorite Panther, but we need him on the court twice as much as he was today. Most of this will be accomplished by playing a little more defense with his feet instead of his hands.
** Ithiel deserves a shout out for playing a solid basketball game without shooting the three well. It was one of the first times that I can recall when I didn’t see him so much as a defensive liability.
** Outside the hardwood, this was certainly the best “atmosphere” we have had at any game at the Pete this year. Not only might have been the biggest crowd of the year, it was almost certainly the loudest if has been for any game this year. This isn’t to say it was loud, but loud enough to factor in at least to a small extent.
** I don’t know if any members of the Oakland Zoo will read this but I hope they do! They certainly have not stopped showing up in strong numbers while bringing plenty of enthusiasm.
** As I mentioned, it’s better to resist going too far past what happened on the court today. But I do want to share a conversation I had with two NC State fans in the elevator of the parking garage before the game. The gist of it was … “yeah, today we get to decide who’s not in last place!”
** Another troubling notion is that it’s becoming harder to enjoy the progress of a players’ development, knowing how it easy it is for a player to transfer. In other words, it’s nice to watch John grow a little today. But will we get to see him grow even further next year?
** And of course, there’s the future of Coach Capel. But at least with a win today, we can put that out of our mind for one night at least.
