The game did not tip off until 12:32 AM Eastern time. So, I did not see much of this game. I saw about half of the first half.
VMI was dominating. They were running and gunning. The Citadel looking like they couldn't keep up. But the beauty of basketball is that you just have to maintain contact.
The Keydets jumped ahead 32-17, but the Bulldogs bounced back and trimmed the lead to 32-29. The lead was 52-46 for VMI at the half. The Bulldogs trailed 100-89 with just about two minutes left, and cut the lead to 102-100 with twelve seconds left. After a VMI free throw, a missed three pointer at the buzzer lead to VMI holding on for a 103-100 win.
The Bulldogs Mike Groselle scored 25 points, and was the only starter in double figures. Ashton Moore still looks like he is going to be a star on this team. He played 32 minutes and scored 12 points. Marshall Harris lead the team with nine assists. Groselle lead the team with twelve rebounds.
What does this mean for The Citadel? Well, it's hard to know how they bounce back from the late night, the tough loss, and the altitude to come out and play Army tonight in the third place game of the All Military Classic. But in the long run, the Bulldogs do not look like the worst team in the SoCon at this point. They look like a downright decent basketball team. They may not win the South, but they may be far more competitive than people orginally thought. This looks like a team capable of pulling some surprises in the SoCon this year. They looked good even early when they were trailing- they just couldn't keep up with VMI's pace. They eventually figured the pace out and really did well by themselves.
That was a great game. I was there. I thought it was about to be a runaway, but those young guys fought back. Then they did it again with obvious tired legs the next night vs Army. The Citadel came out with heavy legs in the 1st half and was down by 20pts in no time at all. They fought back and cut the lead to a manageable 12 pts at the half. They played an inspired 2nd half and was able to pull out an 83-72 win.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good game. The Citadel is impressive and may be able to pull off some upsets in the SoCon this year. I thought they were clearly the worst team in the league heading into the year, but they have impressed me so far.
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