RE: 2016 CAAT Championship Game Thread
Post game wrap up:
1. I thought both Hofstra and UNCW showed well with their fan turnout considering the distance. HOWEVER, UNCW fans OWNED that arena. From the opening tip off until the final buzzer the fans were loud and engaged. After each timeout UNCW fans lifted the team up. When the lead of Hofstra grew to start the 2nd. half, the fans stayed up and were loud. I had an older gentleman tugging on my shirt from behind non-stop to sit down, but I ignored him most of the game. With a about 10 minutes left in the game, I finally told him I absolutely would not sit down, and the UNCW fans did not sit down from the 10 minute mark all the way through OT. Not sure how it looked on TV, but that's how this was in the arena.
2. I know there are a lot of Talley fans, and I know I've been hard on him, but he had better step up his game next year or our two new guards will take his PT. We need to push the ball and run at every chance, and he has a natural tendency to slow the ball down and dribble too much. The runs Hofstra made happened when Talley came in and we stopped scoring. If he's going handle the ball he needs to press on offense and drive. You'll notice that he was not in the game at crunch time.
3. We played so well I can almost identify the few times we should have run and slowed it down, or the few times we took bad shots. Just a well played game overall.
4. I thought Hofstra was never going to miss a FT. It kept them in the game.
5. I met Chris Flemmings mother and Marcus Bryan's father, just GREAT people. And I cleared up the story about how Flemmings mother came all the way to UNCW just to meet Keatts and ask him to give Chris a chance. She did come to UNCW, but it wasn't about Keatts. Her visit came before Keatts was announced as our new head coach. Also, Marcus Bryans' father played ball at Radford for 3 years.
6. The arena was intense even before tipoff. The two best teams were getting ready to square off and everyone in the building knew it would be a war...and it was. However, it never felt like Hofstra was going to win the game. Everyone in the stands watched as the Hofstra players got winded, and we all felt it was just a matter of time before we reeled them in.
7. Ingram is just clutch at the end of games. Not that he makes every shot(but he makes a lot), but when he goes to the FT line you just know it's going in. The 3 he hit that sealed it in OT, felt just like the dagger he put through Hofstra's heart in the first game.
If you haven't been able to attend a CAA tournament...go. Great chance to meet the players, other fans, coaches, parents, etc. Winning obviously makes the trip sweet, but the experience is worth the trip.
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