clarkwgriswold

Frenchy and Joe Dunn had him on after the game and he came across very well. He really seems to "get it" watching him on the bench. He's engaged and interactive with the coaches and other players even occasionally offering a suggestion or guidance.

All in all, I thought the OU kids and coaches were pretty sportsmanlike. I first noticed it when they inadvertently mauled Kostleac in the first half then two or three of them rushed to check on him and help him up. This OU group is tougher to hate than their predecessors, but it may be in large part due to the fact that they are sub .500. I have moved from my traditional spot to a spot on the end overlooking the UA bench as I wanted to watch the bench and coaching staff and I have noticed how involved Kostelac is, even when not in the game. I'm not ready to deem him the next Marshall or Wood, but he's come a long way. Oddly, I am most impressed by his willingness to get on the floor for loose balls.

Liked a lot of what I saw tonight, but the thing I liked most was how the Zips overcame some adversity. Admittedly, some of it was self-inflicted, but overcoming adversity is a sign of a maturing team. Nice job stepping up in the second half by Ivey, on both ends of the floor. Kostelac had a nice game, though he's still a work in progress. I hate to see him on the baseline in the 1-3-1. On to Ball State.

Ugh...and on cue...

Have to run Dartis and Block off of 3 point line this half.

Nice first half. Some lapses in the last 5 minutes, but good overall. Those white and green Celtics knockoff unis get my blood boiling.

I'm going on gut in the land of overall (not East/West) MAC parity. From what I've seen, there are 2 or 3 teams at the top, two or three at the bottom (two of which the Zips have beaten) and a huge mass in the middle including the Zips. They may be the bottom of the middle. Even if they are at the bottom, it's still damn odd to see them not playing each other at the top of the conference.

Ball State was picked to finish second in the West in the MAC pre-season poll. 6-3 junior guard Tayler Persons was named to the West pre-season ALL-MAC team. Persons (14.1 ppg/3.5 apg) and 6-9 junior center Trey Moses (9.1 ppg/7.9 rpg) lead the Cardinals. As some of you may recall, they beat Notre Dame at South Bend.

Sorting through OU's schedule, it's tough to get much of a feel for what to expect. Some decent wins or close losses and some real thumpings on the other end. It is very strange having these teams play each other as middle of the MAC squads. Hopefully, they will soon change (FOR THE ZIPS). This is just the type of game the Zips have to win to maintain a reasonable record in the MAC.

There's just something about OU that makes wins against them that much more special. Not quite to the level of the PCCC Golden Flushes, but the next best thing.

9-9 OU comes into the JAR Tuesday night to renew one of the MAC's biggest rivalries, fresh off of a 72-66 win at EMU. They are 2-4 in the MAC, having beaten NUI and EMU and losing to PCCC, Ball State, Toledo and CMU. They are led by 6-5 senior guard Mike Laster at 15.9 ppg and 6-9 junior forward Doug Taylor at 7.2 rpg. Ellet's A.J. Gareri is playing 6 minutes a game as a freshman for the snobcats.

Scoring pleasantries?

I just did the math for the last 2 Zips home games- NIU and BG. In those two games, the Zips shot a total of 32 free throws. Their opponents shot 76. How is that possible?

All in all, a decent performance against a not very good NIU team. The kids continue grow. Happy to see Utomi starting to get back in the groove. Wasn't happy with Ivey, Parrish and Duvivier's composure at times.

Nice last minute for a Larry, Curly and Moe, the refs.

I haven't seen this many travels called in a game in a while.

Letting them creep back in.

Good half overall. Need to stop or limit any second half run.

Cotton on fire.

This could be the best crowd of the year.

Nice to see Cotton starting.

Nice to see E-man and Sayles, even if in street clothes.

Plenty of bobblehead vouchers at the back door when we showed up 5 minutes ago. Women's game must have really pulled a carry-over crowd!

After a win over the Zips and a Cheribundi Cherry Tart C Boca Raton Bowl victory, what else was there really out there for the young man? It doesn't get better than that!

Don't let him fool you. Back in his day, he posted on cave walls!