Fortunately, got to attend the game with my brother and girlfriend. Question to U of M, Why are the ticket prices so damn high? $11 general admission, $23 for 2nd level seats, $55 for courtside, and no option to purchase sideline 1st level, WTF? No wonder attendance is struggling, those prices are hard to justify the casual fans to attend more games.
As for the game, every loss is a tough one, but even worse to lose when the team played so well. Credit to Weber State, they played terrific too. I doubt I've ever witnessed a team only having 1 turnover for an entire game, let alone with overtime. To add to that, the GRIZ shot over 50% from 3 pt land. I doubt teams lose very often with that kind of shooting and taking care of the ball. Honestly to God, those are the kind of numbers coaches want to see from their offense every game. Travis has to be extremely please with the offensive execution. Hard to believe, the GRIZ lost. However, Weber State also shot well, and only had 4 or 5 turnovers, as well.
I loved how well each team executed their offensive strategies throughout the game, especially the last 5 minutes of regulation, then overtime. The GRIZ quickness at guard and ball handling was amazing. Weber State guards could not stay with Rorie, Wright, and Oguine off the dribble. Meanwhile, the GRIZ guards could not stop Weber State's guards from getting and making 3 after 3. It was fun to watch Rorie, Wright, and Senglin all want the ball down stretch and answer one another with baskets. Senglin has NBA level scoring ability. Rorie is growing into an NBA level talent as well. He is becoming terrific on both ends of the court, and is very athletic. If and when Oguine finds his scoring again and becomes consistent, he has the athleticism to possibly make it too. It is impossible to project Big Sky guards at the next level, but the conference is as talented as ever at guard. I enjoy watching these guards every bit as much as I did Lillard and Stuckey.
Before the season started, I thought the GRIZ would be around 9-7/10-6 in the conference. After weekend 1 of conference play, I feel 11-5 or 12-4 might be more accurate. Keep in mind, Oguine should be rounding into form with consistent offense within the next few weeks. That will be huge for the GRIZ. Speaking of personnel, I was surprised that DeCuire did not have Gfeller on the court much in the closing minutes. I thought Gfeller's shooting was terrific and he was making defensive plays. I felt Gfeller should have been utilized more in the 2nd half. I hope the coaches will see how well Gfeller played when they break down the game. Also, hope they get Wright back to looking to create more for his teammates. I love him looking to score, but he forced a few too many shots when there were open 3's for Dunn, Gfeller, Lopez, and Moorehead. Each of those guys need to be looked for to get them going . Moorehead's shooting has to be somewhat mental now. He is very hesitant to pull the trigger and not looking very confident, unlike last season. He is not in proper position to get off quick shots when they are there. Then again, I am seeing a positive in him looking to build his ball handling, passing, and creativity. He is a surprisingly good ball handler at his size.
I felt the officiating was questionable. However, they were consistent on each side of the ball. I felt neither team had an advantage in the way the game was being called. The GRIZ did leave quite a few opportunities to draw offensive charge calls, on the court. It was frustrating to see the GRIZ get great position in the paint to cut off driving Weber State players, just to see them go for the strip, block shot, or move out of the way. Many of those opportunities were when Weber State went baseline. I also noticed that in the prior home games I attended. Again, something the coaches should be able to easily pick up on game film. Even learning to pick up another 2 charges per game would be huge for this team.
Too bad the GRIZ let another close game slip away, but credit to Weber State. They just would not go away, and Senglin was flat out amazing in the clutch. From a fan and coaching standpoint, I absolutely loved how well each offense executed, the confidence they played with, and the never die attitude. GRIZ and Weber State fans need to be excited for their clubs. Those teams played at a very high level of offense, despite a whistle happy officiating crew.
Both these teams will be contending for the Conference title this season. UND, EWU, and Idaho are also looking pretty good too. Great game, #thankyouGRIZandwildcats