Loud and proud
March 21st, 2008, 2:06 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Mark Heller
Both Arizona State coach Herb Sendek and a couple players raved about Thursday night’s crowd of nearly 5,000, an impressive (and pretty accurate count) for a weekday game which started at 9 p.m. and could have been watched on TV instead.
The announced crowd was a few hundred more than Tuesday night. Southern Illinois had a nice pocket of followers behind its bench, but it was drowned out by Sun Devils fans.
It’s the NIT, but Wells Fargo was legitimately loud last night, especially considering the late start and size of the arena.
“Even though there weren’t as many people, it seemed like the U of A game,” guard Jamelle McMillan said. ”I’m sure a game like this, on the road, would almost be death.”
They found plenty to boo, cheer and taunt about Thursday night, and to show appreciation, the Sun Devils circled the court after their victory for a second time this season.
ASU is expecting a little more than 5,000 on Tuesday night for the 6 p.m. tipoff. No word yet on who’s buying 200 tickets for Tuesday’s game, following in the footsteps of athletic director Lisa Love and football coach Dennis Erickson.
My money’s on Tom O’Connor.
ASU fans may loathe O’Connor and his NCAA selection committee, but he’s indirectly ensured the Tempe school’s season lasts longer than Tucson’s.
Florida hosts Creighton Friday night, and the Gators are 8½-point favorites according to scoresandodds.com.
Then again, anyone who watched Belmont-Duke, San Diego, Sienna or Western Kentucky in the NCAA tournament knows how much oddsmakers can matter.
“I think any matchup we play would be a good matchup,” forward Jeff Pendergraph said. “That’s why it’s the NIT. It’s not some little spring rec league where guys get together at random or some friends from work.”
“These guys are serious about what they do. They’re not just going to be here to show up and be on TV. They want to win.”
We’d never dream of getting ahead of ourselves, but should Florida advance to the quarterfinals, the two-time defending national champions are the one title-winning team a Herb Sendek squad hasn’t beaten from 2001-05.
In 2003 and ‘03, Sendek’s North Carolina State team beat eventual-champion North Carolina.
In 2004 and 1999, N.C. State beat Connecticut.
2003: The Wolfpack beat Syracuse.
2002: The Wolfpack beat Maryland.
2001: N.C. State beat Duke.
2000: N.C. State beat Michigan State.
Furthermore, Sendek was an assistant at Providence under Rick Pitino when the Friars went to the Final Four in 1987, led by a point guard named Billy Donovan.
A few years later, Sendek and Donovan were assistants under Pitino at Kentucky.
Quick note on freshman Ty Abbott, who struggled with his shot on Thursday after a solid night Tuesday (though his 4-point play against Southern Illinois was a biggie):
Abbott’s two 3-pointers on Thursday gives him 75 for the season, the fourth-most by a freshman in Pac-10 history. Oregon’s Tajuan Porter nailed 110 from outside two years ago, and USC phenom O.J. Mayo hit 88 threes this season.
Abbott moved past former UCLA standout Jason Kapono.
