Growing pains
Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
The Nevada men’s basketball team’s 63-60 loss to to Central Florida on Sunday is probably a sign of things to come.
The Wolf Pack is young and it’s going to drop some games this season as the team gels, but that doesn’t change the Wolf Pack’s potential to make a fifth straight NCAA Tournament run.
First off, the loss wasn’t that bad. The Knights won 20 games in Conference USA last season and they were opening a new building on Sunday.
It was also the first time the whole team played together against a live opponent - starters Marcelus Kemp and Brandon Fields were suspended for the exhibition - and there were some clear chemistry issues that will be resolved as the team logs more minutes together.
All-in-all, the circumstances weren’t good for taking a young team across country to play a solid opponent and it showed.
Kemp struggled, shooting 8 for 22 from the field and 1 of 8 from 3-point range. He still scored a game-high nine points, but it was far from efficient.
Until one of the sophomores or freshman Armon Johnson shows they can take over games, the Wolf Pack is going to struggle whenever Kemp is off.
Despite Kemp’s struggles, the Wolf Pack lost because of sloppy turnovers and offensive rebounds.
The Knights scored several baskets off 19 offensive rebounds.
The Wolf Pack also had 18 turnovers, many on foolish passes or mishandled balls. That’s the biggest problem with a young team. Turnovers prevent you finding a rhythm, and that certainly seemed to be the case on Sunday.
Those were the deciding factors of the game. It will get better the season moves along, but expect some rough play for the next few weeks.
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