Watcher's View:: Ball State Postgame

[Zip Watcher]

Well, what can you say about last night?The Zips never trailed. But they never put them away. Looking at the game flow on the ESPN boxscore illustrates this pretty well. Never tied .. out early & for the most part maintained.Brief thoughts:- I think KD is right. 5 or 6 weeks ago, this team loses this game in regulation. Tonight they stuck it out and defended when it counted.- BAD teams lose games like this at home. The Zips winning this tells me that at least they're progressing slowly away from inexperienced. They're certainly not a bad team now. - I continue to be impressed with KD & staff's commitment to using the bench. It was a question of mine if he had it in him to play more than 7 or 8. I think it will help keep guys motivated, interested & fresh. And just maybe one of the 8-10 guys will step up and help win a game like this.- I thought Conyers contributed nicely in his minutes. He's a funny player. You can almost see him relax if his first shot goes down. After he hit that three .. he was way less hesitant. Some good defense, and timely putbacks and rebounding. Not his best game .. but best in a couple of weeks.- Chris will be this team's MVP this year. He appears to want the ball when it matters, and is willing to be aggressive with it when he gets it. It would be easy for him to recognize he could stretch the D and shoot over guys from 18 feet. But this team needs him inside .. and he gets that.- I think the 4 inside guys are starting to get better at the pass out to the open shooter. Woody was a master of that, and it's what made the team good .. he recognized it .. didn't pass out too quickly .. didn't pass out too late. These guys BM, CM, NC & MB are starting to get it. If they figure it out, and we're rotating 2 passes to an open McNees, Roberts or McClanahan .. this team could be a lot better. It's one thing i'm watching.- Bardo helped. I like getting him the ball 3-5 times on the block for him to try a move. If he can hit 1 or 2 a game .. it's nice. Repetition will get him better. He's got some scoring in him. Had some nice rebounds down the stretch .. the tip out on the offensive glass was a nice one.- Roberts has to be the best walkon in the conference .. and a walkon All-American.- First time in a few weeks that the offense looked out of sync .. credit to Coach Taylor I guess for much of that. The BSU players were athletic, active and disruptive at times. We have to shoot better and execute better against a team like that.- BSU is 2 times better than CMU or WMU .. they should win the West in a walk.Finally .. there's something I like about this team that hasn't been brought up yet (I don't think). I LOVE the fact that when a guy commits a foul near the basket, on a layup or whatever .. he puts the guy on the ground and the ball doesn't get to the rim. This is new this year .. led by Nik and Bardo .. also Humpty. When they foul a guy deep in the paint .. they put the guy down or at least make sure that the ball doesn't get to the rim .. generally. I still have nightmares about a game at the MACC a few years ago where the Zips had a 7-8 point lead midway through the second half .. only to have Preston, Futch & co. give up something like 5 "and 1's" on weak fouls at the end of fast breaks. It was a back breaker. This team seems to get the concept of making the opponent work for their points, and it extends to the open court.I like that. A lot.Go Zips!! B)

[johnnyzip84]

Excellent observations, ZW I agree that Ball St. did some things on D to temporarily (I hope and suspect) derail the improvements we've been seeing in the Zip offensive train. The Cards have been a good defensive team all year, so that's to be expected somewhat. However, I think WMU with Larson back at center might give them a run in the West.And it is a good sign to see the good, hard, clean fouls when necessary. Go Zips!!! Keep the train rolling!!

[bigzipguy]

Johnnyzip84 and ZW:Agree with your posts, but I really believe that C. Mich is going to be the dangerous team in the West. I think they are really getting their game together.

[Dave in Green]

I was concerned at the beginning of the game that the Zips had fallen back into old habits. They were shooting too many from outside and not working the ball inside enough. When they did start going inside, they finally established a lead. But as the game wore on, the Zips looked worn. They just didn't show as much enthusiasm, energy and aggressiveness as Ball State, and the lead was slowly eroded. The confidence I had in the Zips over the past few games also eroded, and I was concerned that they might fold.The good news is that the Zips revived themselves at the end and showed once again that they've learned how to close out a close game. This time it was against a team that, if not a powerhouse, is at least the strongest in the MAC West. This is all good experience as we come closer to the second round of the MAC East and the conference tournament. I'm glad to hear that KD is backing off a little on practice, as this team looks like it could use a little rest.