It was obvious that JU wasn't going to let PJ and Anderson beat them shooting 3 pointers. Man they were all over us. Belmont played some tough defense but not the pressure D JU was playing. I like the way we responded when things weren't going well in the first half. We didn't panic. Coach made some adjustments and we came out in the second half and whupped their arse.
Defense, especially in the second half was key. Hughey didn't score but came in and hustled, was a force on D, and got some rebounds. Hien played a great game except for some ball handling faux pas near the end of the game. 14 rebounds! And hit 2 free throws!
Our depth also was a factor with Johnston and House both scoring big off the bench. This team's identity is going to be many different players having big scoring games. Not necessarily the same ones every night. It was Vanderwal and Anderson against Auburn, PJ and Anderson against Belmont. Johnston didn't play much. Tonight it was Johnston, Hien, PJ, and House. It really helps to have multiple guys that can shoot the ball.
CBR seems like he is going to go with whoever is having the hot hand, and PT will be determined by that and also by the opponent's style of play, and who matches up better with who.
With a couple minutes left in the game Anderson found himself wide open for a 3. He had struggled all night to get open looks. But he didn't take the shot. He passed to a wide open player under the basket, I forget who it was, for a layup. That's one of the differences between this year's team and last years team. And also the defense is better too.
I really like this team!