Notes from Game 3 vs. Tennessee State:

- A nice all around effort by the Zips. Don't concentrate too hard on the margin of victory .. they played better as a team defensively and moved the ball better on offense than Saturday night.

- Dials had a nice night .. was finding his shot in the second half. Clutch shooting when it counted late.

- Free throws were certainly a factor & the game would not have been at issue if they even shoot their usual 70% in the second half. By my rough count, I think we missed something like 7 of 8 down the stretch. So that wasn't a highlight. I think fatigue had to have played a role in this. 3 games in 3 nights this early in the season isn't very commmon & it may have affected their legs a little bit.

- Wood was as effective on Sunday as he was all tournament. He's a beast inside .. good hustle on the glass, and not intimidated by size mismatches. One thing he showed a bit of against TSU was a smooth 10-15 baseline jumper. By my count, I think he went 2 of 3 from "outside" his normal range. I'm certainly not advocating what OU did w/ Hunter his senior season (needed to have 3 point range to be an NBA prospect so he didn't go inside) .. but Wood being able to hit a short range jumper will open up the paint a lot by pulling his man out.

- Conyers seemed more comfortable than the earlier games. The trend is good here. He got his shot working (jumpers) and hit some open J's. Good selections. And solid defense to boot.

- Nate also had a nice outing. Good shooting .. and a nice day on the glass.

- Just as in earlier games, the lack of a true PG hurt the Zips in the second half. I'll comment more in my overall TOW notes .. but this affects much more than just the quality of play at the point. It bleeds into lots of other areas.

Ultimately they got it done & a bunch of guys played. 3 days in three nights after some crazy travel. This will help the team late in the year. They're learning quickly what they need to work on. Now we get a little homestand to see how well they can ajust and move forward.

Great trip .. more TOW notes shortly.

Go Zips!