Bracketbusted... Aggies go down at home for a 4th time

The FML game-changer

Well... Jordan Stone's comments after the game basically brought credence to every time I've every criticized this team's lack of intensity this year. I wish they could have just stuck it to me a long time ago and proved me wrong, but it just hasn't happened.

Not to say that it is everybody either, because I feel my man-crushes on Preston Medlin and Ben Clifford are well-documented at this point. That's because I see the kind of intensity in them that will win over any fan who has their heads on straight and their expectations in order.

Tonight was one of those rare games where Medlin went cold and the team needed somebody else to step up and have a big game. What's not rare is the failure of anyone else to actually step up and do so. UCSB basically employed the same defensive strategy that has dominated USU all year; sell out on stopping Medlin and let the rest of a zone defense shut down everybody else.

Even despite the poor shooting, Medlin still scored team-best 14 points, due largely to the fact that he managed a team-best nine free throw attempts. And even with the shooting slump, Medlin still racked up eight assists, which was more than half of the team's total for the game.


As bad as the Aggies were, the Gauchos played spectacular. Both James Nunnally and Orlando Johnson lit it up from everywhere, combining for 46 points and 16 rebounds, while both shooting fantastic from the field. When it all came down to it, UCSB came in and won this game more than the Aggies lost it.

The most troubling thing about this all is that the team still is prone to complacency like Stone indicated in his post game comments. After all they've been through this year, both at home and on the road, one would hope like hell that complacency would never be a problem still. The fact that it is, worries the hell out of me.... and it's bullshit. Get it together.


GRIM PUT THE COMEBACK ATTEMPT TO DEATH

Sadly, this sequence needed it's own section in the report.

With just more than six minutes left in the game, Brockeith Pane hit a free throw to bring the Aggies within four points of the Gauchos after trailing by as much as 16 just minutes earlier. The team was playing with some fire, The Spectrum was rocking and there was very noticeable doubt in the UCSB players.

Then, after a missed 3-pointer by Medlin, Morgan Grim got fouled on the rebound attempt, with the team in the bonus, giving Grim the chance to go to the line and bring USU within two points. But that all went to shit right quick. Instead of being down only two points with an unreal amount of momentum in the team's favor, USU found itself back down by nine points after just a few more seconds of play.

After getting fouled, Grim said something to get a technical foul called on him (which UCSB made both shots on), then he missed the front-end of the 1-and-1 and on the ensuing Gaucho possession, fouled Jamie Serna on a made layup, giving UCSB an and-one attempt that sucked out any momentum for USU.

Sadly, it felt like a microcosm of the entire season.


HOME LOSSES

I hate to play the context card, but maybe that's important to consider through all of these repeated uppercut blows this team keeps getting dealt. So here's a list of the last time each WAC team had suffered a season of four or more losses at home prior to this season...

Fresno State: 2010-11
Hawaii: 2010-11
Idaho: 2010-11
La Tech: 2010-11
Nevada: 2010-11
New Mexico State: 2010-11
San Jose State: 2010-11
Utah State: 1994-95

That's just part of how good USU has had things too. This season needs to go down as an anomaly, and both the team and fans need to forget it when it's over and get back to doing everything that made this program great.


NOTES

• Jordan Stone is really starting to get it. Earlier in the year he was always out of place, couldn't seem to handle the ball, and really just seemed to get exposed after a minute or two on the floor. That is not the case anymore. He's fixed all of that, to the point where he can now be a real asset to this team. I still want to see him redshirt next year, because I believe he's a superstar in the making for his last three years to play if he does (look what a post-freshman year redshirt did for Medlin). I'm very encouraged by his progress.
   
• Ah hell... That game sucked and seeing the team play soft sucks worse. I don't want to say any more on it without talking student section, which is getting its own post.