It’s really difficult to read much into a performance against the worst team in Division 1. For example, should the arena-record 28 assists on 32 made baskets be an impressive stat, or should it be an indictment of Houston Baptist’s poor defense? Should the fact that the team actually built on their halftime lead for once and put the Huskies in a sleeper hold at the 8-minute mark be encouraging, or merely a sign of a horrible horrible team not being able to keep up? Should Cavel Witter’s best game in two years be seen as a sign of a player turning his benching into a challenge to improve, or as a fluke against a team unwilling to cut off dribble penetration?
Should we be excited that P’Allen dished out four assists early in the game, continuing his trend of creating opportunities for his teammates, or was that just a one-night show? Should the multitude of hustle plays on defense be seen as a sign of the lightbulb finally coming on, or as merely something that happens against an inferior opponent? Should the first real sustained glimpses of a successful inside-out game be chalked up to executing a game plan, or merely taking advantage of a bad team?
Should the aggressive minutes played by Chad Millard be a sign of things to come, or be taken merely as a sign of a player beating up on a willing opponent? Were the aggressive cuts to the rim and drives to the hoop the result of those plays being available, or the result of the Jays making them happen?
That’s the big, big problem with playing teams like Houston Baptist: figuring out the context of performances and whether they are cause for excitement or not. All of the things in the first three paragraphs happened last night. What’s tough is figuring out whether they’re meaningful or not.
Perhaps the ONLY good thing to come out of playing Savannah State and Houston Baptist in the span of a week is that we can compare how the Jays did against one historically-bad patsy with how they did against an even more historically-bad patsy.
Based purely on watching the game, the Jays LOOKED better against Houston Baptist. They jumped out to a 14-1 lead, similar to the 16-2 lead they jumped out to against Savannah State. In the Savannah State game, they let up, scoring just 11 points the rest of the first half in an ugly display and a 27-15 halftime score. But against Houston Baptist, they (mostly) kept pushing, steadily building a lead while keeping their intensity. Their halftime lead of 44-21 would have been 44-18 if not for a three at the buzzer by the Huskies, and I gave the team a standing O as they ran into the locker room. I did not do that last week.
Statistically, they held Houston Baptist below their season averages for points scored, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free throws. They forced 16 turnovers, and they were ahead on the boards until they eased up with the end of the bench the final eight minutes of the game. Meanwhile against Savannah State, they allowed them to nearly equal their D1-worst points-per-game average in ONE HALF, and they allowed them to exceed their season averages for points scored and field goal percentage.
So while its tough to say whether the Jays really played better or just looked better because of their opponent, it can be said without a doubt that they played much, much, MUCH better against Creampuff #2 than they did against Creampuff #1. And as long as they’re improving from one game to the next, that’s a positive step. In a non-conference slate where the team finished 5-6, positive steps are all we can hope for.
Whether they’re ready or not, this much is for sure: the conference season starts next week, against the defending co-champions, and its at home. I can’t wait.
You bet.