I’m with Poppa John, I think the “soft press” made a world of difference. Sure, ND made a couple of easy layups on the deal, but for the most part it made ND uncomfortable and ate into their shot clock.
When the announcers kept remarking about buckets quiet game, they never did notice that he was one of the keys in the “soft press”.
Personally, I thought the substitution pattern for the PG position worked very well. Cat is a great player and will only get better, but giving him the opportunity to watch, rest, and think while WBS was running the show. I also enjoyed seeing Des (hey, he doesn’t have a nickname…no fair) at point for a short period, giving Cat the freedom to roam.
Unfortunately, my Christmas wish of a 2nd 3pt threat wasn’t answered by the fat man. BSW is shooting 43%, but next in line (for the people actually seeing minutes) is Cat at 31% (WBS is shooting a woeful 14%, imagine how much more playing time he might get if he was shooting 40%?)
Can’t say I’m looking forward to watching VA slow the game down to a dirge on Saturday, but I think it’s a winnable game…as long as we don’t go up big.
