I watched Tulane jump out to a 23-9 lead on the Czech Republic today and thought briefly it would cruise to the gold medal of the World University Games despite the history of college teams struggling mightily before winning gold the last two times.
From there, the Czech Republic locked down defensively and Tulane took a series of terrible shots, falling behind by 9 in the third quarter when it picked up a pair of questionable intentional foul calls. But Tulane rallied behind a couple of big 3s by Jaylen Forbes on a day when both teams shot poorly from outside and the Wave's ability to force turnovers. It looked like the Czech team thought it was facing Syracuse's 2-3 zone early because they keep trying to make entry passes to a guy standing at the foul line, which is how teams attack Syracuse. But Tulane's matchup was right there to deflect the ball over and over. The Czechs adjusted and got some wide open looks from outside, but Sion James forced their 23rd turnover with a deflection in the final minute that led to Kevin Cross's go-ahead basket in the lane, and the Czechs missed an open 3 from the corner the next time down the court, allowing James to hit free throws for a 3-point lead. Good defense forced a wild 3 attempt in the final seconds, and Forbes sealedit with a free throw for a 76-72 win as Tulane went on a 5-0 run in the final minute.
Tulane will clobber South Korea in the quarterfinals, but I have no idea what the quality of the top teams is at this event. I'm guessing the Wave will have to play better than it did today to win the gold. Its shooting numbers in the second half were abysmal, and there were not a ton of good looks, either.
Hunter used a seven-man rotation today, with Forbes, James, Cross, Kolby King, Collin Holloway, Gregg Glenn and Tre' Williams logging the significant minutes. No one else scored. King, who put up good numbers in the first two games, went 3 for 9 with only 1 assist but did have a big 3. Forbes hit an incredibly difficult 3 while drawing a foul and another long-range one. James clearly is the team's vocal leader this year and had four steals while struggling offensively. Holloway had some nice drives and went 5 of 6, but the issue will be can he do that against athletic size, which he could not do last season. Glenn can be a rim protector and a finisher inside. He also has a good feel for the game. His four assists were a team high. Cross's go-ahead bucket was the only one he made, but it was a huge one. Williams took a couple of wild shots but had some good moments, too. His elevation in the rotation is the biggest surprise of the tournament to me considering his invisibility last year and his poor stats in previous stops. Clearly, they like what he is providing.
From there, the Czech Republic locked down defensively and Tulane took a series of terrible shots, falling behind by 9 in the third quarter when it picked up a pair of questionable intentional foul calls. But Tulane rallied behind a couple of big 3s by Jaylen Forbes on a day when both teams shot poorly from outside and the Wave's ability to force turnovers. It looked like the Czech team thought it was facing Syracuse's 2-3 zone early because they keep trying to make entry passes to a guy standing at the foul line, which is how teams attack Syracuse. But Tulane's matchup was right there to deflect the ball over and over. The Czechs adjusted and got some wide open looks from outside, but Sion James forced their 23rd turnover with a deflection in the final minute that led to Kevin Cross's go-ahead basket in the lane, and the Czechs missed an open 3 from the corner the next time down the court, allowing James to hit free throws for a 3-point lead. Good defense forced a wild 3 attempt in the final seconds, and Forbes sealedit with a free throw for a 76-72 win as Tulane went on a 5-0 run in the final minute.
Tulane will clobber South Korea in the quarterfinals, but I have no idea what the quality of the top teams is at this event. I'm guessing the Wave will have to play better than it did today to win the gold. Its shooting numbers in the second half were abysmal, and there were not a ton of good looks, either.
Hunter used a seven-man rotation today, with Forbes, James, Cross, Kolby King, Collin Holloway, Gregg Glenn and Tre' Williams logging the significant minutes. No one else scored. King, who put up good numbers in the first two games, went 3 for 9 with only 1 assist but did have a big 3. Forbes hit an incredibly difficult 3 while drawing a foul and another long-range one. James clearly is the team's vocal leader this year and had four steals while struggling offensively. Holloway had some nice drives and went 5 of 6, but the issue will be can he do that against athletic size, which he could not do last season. Glenn can be a rim protector and a finisher inside. He also has a good feel for the game. His four assists were a team high. Cross's go-ahead bucket was the only one he made, but it was a huge one. Williams took a couple of wild shots but had some good moments, too. His elevation in the rotation is the biggest surprise of the tournament to me considering his invisibility last year and his poor stats in previous stops. Clearly, they like what he is providing.