** Midway through the first half, on the Pete scoreboard the always great EJ Borghetti narrated a retrospective segment about the famous 2011 Syracuse game when the Panthers started off 19-0, followed by the infamous 17-0 Cuse Counter.
** While watching, I was also reminded of the 2005 Syracuse game where the Panthers went down 24-5, before climbing back to a 5 point halftime deficit, then pulling away for a 7 point victory.
** At the same time, the Panthers, of course, were stuck in their own 22-6 first half deficit. What is it with these two former Big East foes?
** In all of these cases, we are reminded why College Basketball games are 40 minutes. In today’s case, thank goodness!
** Most importantly, the Panthers responded in the second half with their best 20 minutes of basketball in quite some time. Do we have to hark all the way back to the second 20 minutes in Columbus?
** At halftime, I remarked to Panther Lair Commander Peak that how the Panthers came out early in the second half might be one of the most defining moments of Coach Capel’s tenure as the Panther Head Coach.
** When Syracuse called timeout with the score tied at the 13 minute mark, I turned around and said something along the lines of “that will do!”
** From that point on, the Panthers pulled away sufficiently and convincingly, sending the smallish Panther crowd, and even smallerish Oakland Zoo, home happy enough knowing that the road to the NCAA tournament remains treacherous, but open.
** Perhaps you are one who is hesitant to give Capel credit for tonight’s turnaround, and this is certainly understandable. After all, these incredibly poor starts aren’t just a trend but a trait. Somehow, this feels that there is something wrong with his approach.
** What one can say for sure about the Panthers in the second half is that to a man, the whole team played with fire and pride, and battled as hard as we’ve seen since 2024.
** Fortunately, the Cuse was poor enough for the Panthers to get back on track. But let’s also give the credit to the players who deserve it most.
** The players deserve it most because they busted their tails on the defensive end and played as hard as we've seen this season, especially in the paint.
** At the top of my deserve it most list tonight is Guillermo Diaz Graham. GDG brought as much battle to the floor as we’ve ever seen from him as stood toe to toe with his foe who outweighs him by as much as 100 pounds. Maybe more.
** In short, we got to see the 20-20 minute mix at the five spot that some of us have suggested is best for this group.
** Beyond that, this is further evidence to me that GDG is a far better five than a four, as much as I dislike these lessons being learned in the second half of February. But I digress.
** Tonight's other MVP is the gentleman who, regardless of where this season ends up, deserves our deepest respect for giving the Panthers a fine senior season.
** Zack has always brought 110% energy to the game since his first days as a Panther. But his work on his 3 point shot in the off season is evident as he’s once again flirting with 40% from deep.
** We’ve all lamented Jaland’s troubles on the offensive end, but we really need to give him credit for playing much more within himself instead of trying to do too much himself. And after shaking off early struggles, the same can be said for Ish.
** This game gave me the impression that Beebah is a better compliment to Ish and Jaland than what was offered by Damian Dunn since his return.
** Yet, where Mr. Cummings has made his biggest strides lately have been on the defensive end, and over the last few games, he’s been switching and handling ball screens much more effectively.
** It also nice that he’s scored in double figures in his last three.
** In this contest, it was completely appropriate to give Beebah 30 minutes while offering 11 to Amsal. I’m all in favor of giving Amsal longer looks, and there will be games and moments where he will help in greater amounts. But even from early on today, it was clear to me that this contest was not one of those times.
** Previously, I mentioned the “smallerish,” Oakland Zoo. Thankfully, they were joined by none other than Carl Krauser, who I should mention scored 19 points and tossed 9 assists to lead the Panthers back from the 24-5 deficit against the Cuse in 2005.
** From the looks of it, Carl brought enough fan energy himself to make up for a couple hundred of lacking students.
** In Carl’s last three seasons, he led the Panthers to an impressive 5-0 record against the Irish, back in the days of Chris Thomas, Chris Quinn and Torin Francis.
** Maybe Capel should buy a ticket for Carl to sit behind the bench in South Bend in our upcoming contest. He’d be a good reminder that the Panthers will need to play with fire and pride for a whole 40 minutes against the Irish, or they will find themselves facing a Road Closed sign around 4:30 on Saturday.
** While watching, I was also reminded of the 2005 Syracuse game where the Panthers went down 24-5, before climbing back to a 5 point halftime deficit, then pulling away for a 7 point victory.
** At the same time, the Panthers, of course, were stuck in their own 22-6 first half deficit. What is it with these two former Big East foes?
** In all of these cases, we are reminded why College Basketball games are 40 minutes. In today’s case, thank goodness!
** Most importantly, the Panthers responded in the second half with their best 20 minutes of basketball in quite some time. Do we have to hark all the way back to the second 20 minutes in Columbus?
** At halftime, I remarked to Panther Lair Commander Peak that how the Panthers came out early in the second half might be one of the most defining moments of Coach Capel’s tenure as the Panther Head Coach.
** When Syracuse called timeout with the score tied at the 13 minute mark, I turned around and said something along the lines of “that will do!”
** From that point on, the Panthers pulled away sufficiently and convincingly, sending the smallish Panther crowd, and even smallerish Oakland Zoo, home happy enough knowing that the road to the NCAA tournament remains treacherous, but open.
** Perhaps you are one who is hesitant to give Capel credit for tonight’s turnaround, and this is certainly understandable. After all, these incredibly poor starts aren’t just a trend but a trait. Somehow, this feels that there is something wrong with his approach.
** What one can say for sure about the Panthers in the second half is that to a man, the whole team played with fire and pride, and battled as hard as we’ve seen since 2024.
** Fortunately, the Cuse was poor enough for the Panthers to get back on track. But let’s also give the credit to the players who deserve it most.
** The players deserve it most because they busted their tails on the defensive end and played as hard as we've seen this season, especially in the paint.
** At the top of my deserve it most list tonight is Guillermo Diaz Graham. GDG brought as much battle to the floor as we’ve ever seen from him as stood toe to toe with his foe who outweighs him by as much as 100 pounds. Maybe more.
** In short, we got to see the 20-20 minute mix at the five spot that some of us have suggested is best for this group.
** Beyond that, this is further evidence to me that GDG is a far better five than a four, as much as I dislike these lessons being learned in the second half of February. But I digress.
** Tonight's other MVP is the gentleman who, regardless of where this season ends up, deserves our deepest respect for giving the Panthers a fine senior season.
** Zack has always brought 110% energy to the game since his first days as a Panther. But his work on his 3 point shot in the off season is evident as he’s once again flirting with 40% from deep.
** We’ve all lamented Jaland’s troubles on the offensive end, but we really need to give him credit for playing much more within himself instead of trying to do too much himself. And after shaking off early struggles, the same can be said for Ish.
** This game gave me the impression that Beebah is a better compliment to Ish and Jaland than what was offered by Damian Dunn since his return.
** Yet, where Mr. Cummings has made his biggest strides lately have been on the defensive end, and over the last few games, he’s been switching and handling ball screens much more effectively.
** It also nice that he’s scored in double figures in his last three.
** In this contest, it was completely appropriate to give Beebah 30 minutes while offering 11 to Amsal. I’m all in favor of giving Amsal longer looks, and there will be games and moments where he will help in greater amounts. But even from early on today, it was clear to me that this contest was not one of those times.
** Previously, I mentioned the “smallerish,” Oakland Zoo. Thankfully, they were joined by none other than Carl Krauser, who I should mention scored 19 points and tossed 9 assists to lead the Panthers back from the 24-5 deficit against the Cuse in 2005.
** From the looks of it, Carl brought enough fan energy himself to make up for a couple hundred of lacking students.
** In Carl’s last three seasons, he led the Panthers to an impressive 5-0 record against the Irish, back in the days of Chris Thomas, Chris Quinn and Torin Francis.
** Maybe Capel should buy a ticket for Carl to sit behind the bench in South Bend in our upcoming contest. He’d be a good reminder that the Panthers will need to play with fire and pride for a whole 40 minutes against the Irish, or they will find themselves facing a Road Closed sign around 4:30 on Saturday.
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