Eastern Michigan Game Date Change

The format is quite a bit different this year if I'm recalling correctly. No byes for #1 and #2 seeds. Straight-up 8-team bracket. 

Bracket Linky

Agreed. You could really argue that the #2 and #3 seeds have the easiest path.

I think this was Spark’s best game of the season so far. He had a double-double and only had “1” foul, just 2 TOs good hustle all night and although he still sucks at FT makes, him hitting one of those last two FTs helped sealed the game.

I was only able to watch the overtime. On the last time out, did I see Lewis shove a player back to the bench?

Held on posting because I went out following the game, save for a few thumbs-up on a few observations. While the game had its ups and downs, I'm not sure what game a few of you watched.

Yes, Bates was really good and clutch when it mattered, but his contributions seemed pretty quiet until he came alive in the second half. He also accounts for 2/3 of the posts in a BSU thread 

Our much-maligned defense forced him into several poor shots, including a couple of airballs and one off the side of the backboard. It's inevitable that we're going to get broken down a few times a game, and that happened, but I also saw a team that responded to physicality (the refs largely swallowed their whistles last night except for a few ticky-tacks) and went strong to the hole and stepped up for blocks and defensive stops.

Per usual, Coleman made several turnovers and took a couple of bad shots (The one nine seconds into the shot clock near the end of regulation with the lead I was sure was going to lose BSU the game). But if he doesn't hit those four 3's to start out the game, we don't get off to the big lead and probably can't catch up at the end. A few of his turnovers were also of the dead-ball variety (traveling and a double-dribble) right after he took an accidental shot to the nards and was visibly hobbled. He should've come out then, but I think Sellers already had two fouls by that point.

Sparks' all-out dive for a loose ball, the Jacobs strip-steal and layin, and the Sellers coast to coast score with a nifty spin move in traffic all turned the momentum at different times and we probably don't make any of those plays a year ago. Definitely a different energy these days.

Worthen was COMPLETELY electric last night. Maybe the atmosphere masks some of the deficiencies y'all found (just as the absolute lack of crowd energy makes a bad game look even worse, like home games for most of the last decade). Maybe it looked different on TV to some of our more far-flung fans. Can't wait for next Saturday and the rest of the home sked!

He still has to prove he can recruit.