The Court Cocks won another game last night, beating South Florida 69-66. Devan Downey led the way with 17 points, while Dominique Archie put in 15 with 6 rebounds. Augustus Gilchrist led the Bulls with 19. As in the past few games, we struggled early but came out playing well in the second. This game was tight throughout, though.
Here are some thoughts on the game:
- The turnover differential was much better in this game, with the 'Cocks leading 16-9. We also tallied 16 offensive rebounds. The turnovers and offensive boards led to us taking 62 shots to South Florida's 48. The extra attempts allowed us to survive a poor night from the field.
- We shot very well from the charity stripe, at least by our standards, going 21-30 for 70%. We also made our free throws down the stretch, preventing the Bulls from making a comeback.
- The Bulls have some talented players, but depth was a major issue for them. They basically ran a six-man rotation for most of the game, and fatigue caught up to them in the second half. We, on the other hand, are now running nine- and ten-men rotations, which is benefiting us late in games.
- The Bulls are considered a sleeper in the Big East, and if they can manage to have a decent season, this win could end up looking nice on our resume. I'm really glad we're playing some real competition out-of-conference this year.
That wraps this one up. Next is Miami on Sunday for the tournament championship. Go 'Cocks!