Man can I say that I hate that where we're at as a program is that KVIA is calling beating UCSB in El Paso a "statement win".
I think that they said that mainly because the Gauchos are picked to win the Big West and that's by a large margin. They are good but I was surprised that we are better. I think people that our Miners are getting to where we all wished that they were. Perhaps, and it might be a stretch, that we have a chance of winning the conference.
I saw a little sore spots but they can be fixed. Firstly, their free throw shooting especially by Kalu. He's our version of the Shaq, he can't hit the side of a barn. The others aren't that great either. The other is their layups. I have to admit that by the second half they were getting better. They still have to get better though because there's no reason being so tall and close to the rim that they can't make their layups.
I love their court pressure, it showed in the first few minutes that the Gauchos were not prepared for it and even during the game they were giving them trouble with the close defense postures.
I'm old enough to remember Haskins style of play and even though it's much faster their defense is stoic like the Don. I'm loving this years version of Miner ball and I hope they continue to get better. They certainly have better players than last years for sure.
