Quarter-Finals Here We Come!

Norris Cole looks like the dude from House Party

What goes up must come down. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Whatever law of physics you want to reference, one has to admit that the Cleveland State game yesterday was almost the polar opposite of the Dayton game in Charleston. After all, every statistical infrequency will normally be followed by a regression toward the average. Here are some comparisons between the Dayton and CSU games:

• A 39 point outburst by Drew Goudelock on Tuesday? How about just 13 points this afternoon?
• A jam-packed Carolina First Arena that was rocking for the better part of two hours? Compare that to the measly group of just over 2,000 in the Mistake by the Lake
• Two of the nations best scorers go a combined 9-34 in front of a bunch of NBA scouts

It was an ugly game to say the least, but the Cougars toughed out another Ohio opponent and will move on to face the winner of Virginia Tech/Wichita State (currently in OT as I write this).

Going into yesterday's contest, both teams had similar game plans: shut down the other team's best player and let everyone else try and beat you. The Cougars planned on stopping Norris Cole and the Vikings looked to take out Drew. The good news was that both teams accomplished their goal, the bad news was that no one told CSU that the Cougars have other players who can step up. 

Of course it didn't hurt the Cougars that the Vikings shot 1-25 from beyond the arc for the game. In the postgame conference, both coaches touched on this glaring statistic. Bobby Cremins said he wished it was because of our defense, but shots just weren't falling for Cleveland. CSU coach Gary Waters said he has never coached a team that was so flat from deep. 

Donovan Monroe deserves a game ball for the game. His offense came through a little bit with Drew struggling, but he was most effective at shutting down Cole. The one thing about Norris Cole that commentators kept coming back to was his explosiveness in driving to the rim. He has a strong first step and can get to the basket from the arc with a few quick dribbles. Monroe did a fantastic job of adjusting to Cole's first few layups and keeping him away from the paint for the majority of the game. 

Trent and Antwaine also deserve credit for stepping up their games. Against a weak front line, Wiedeman finished with 14 points and 9 rebounds while Wiggins finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds and a tie-breaking three that set off the decisive Cougar scoring run. 

In my humble opinion, the Cougars needed a game (and more important, a victory) like this. The rest of the team needed to be reassured that they can win when Drew is not on. Now we're one step closer to playing at the Garden in NYC. It was a tough way for a great player like Norris Cole to end his career, and I feel for the Cleveland fans. At least they'll always have the Cavs. 

*UPDATE: Wichita State escapes Blacksburg with a victory after a bizarre no call in the final second. This was not the team I wanted to face,