Very nicely done WP76. I enjoyed reading this a great deal.
But full disclosure…I enjoy reading anything that is about us punking the heels.
– Try not to laugh too hard at me, but a key sequence to me was the very opening of the game. We’ve all seen various past State teams get completely blitzed and overwhelmed at the tip of games on Cheater Hill – or at the very least the tone of which team would likely win the game was set that early. Not this time, not this team. For the first two minutes of this game, it looked like it could head down a familiar path: Cheats won the tip, hit a jumper. State wouldn’t score until the 17:52 mark, and in those two minutes suffered two missed shots, two blocked shots, and a turnover. What didn’t happen though is the Cheats getting out to a quick 6-0 or 8-0 lead and a collective ‘oh ****’ feeling setting in. Instead, State responded with the poise and composure it would display all night and then go about its ass-kicking business.
I will not laugh at you, sir. With the possible exceptions of the end of the first half and putting a stop (finally) to their 12-0 run, I think the first four minutes were the most important for us.
