They say that time heals all wounds. Wins aren’t bad either.
The victory put East Carolina in a much better position to make the
Conference USA post season tournament.
To some that may not seem to be a lofty goal, just to make
the tournament. However, you have to crawl before you can walk, and so on.
The Pirates want to show continued growth and improvement with the program.
Making the league’s postseason tournament is high priority.
Saturday night’s win over Southern Miss. wasn’t a thing of
beauty. However, it was a victory and it keeps East Carolina’s postseason
hopes alive.
The Saturday crowd certainly wasn’t the best of the season.
That honor goes to the crowd that watched the Louisville game in person, the
game that was televised nationally on ESPN2.
However, Saturday’s crowd may have been the most important
crowd of the year.
“I was really thankful for the crowd,” said Pirate Coach
Bill Herrion. “The fans could have given up on this team, but I think they
know just how hard the kids have worked. The crowd really sparked us in the
second half against Southern Miss.”
The Pirates have stretches where they just can’t throw it
into the ocean. It’s extremely frustrating to the entire team when the shots
just won’t fall.
“Most of the time it’s not a case of taking bad shots,” said
Herrion. “We work hard, we get a good shot, but we miss a bunch. We’ve just
got to figure out a way to get the ball in the basket. That’s the key to the
rest of the season for us!”
League teams grab national
attention
This past weekend was a good one for Conference USA in
hoops.
Fifteenth-ranked Marquette looks to move up in the rankings
this week, after knocking off No. 14 Wake Forest at home 68-61.
Marquette dominated the lane against the Demon Deacons. My
pick for the C-USA Player of the Year, Dwyane Wade, scored 18 points in the
game, including his 1,000th career point on a breakaway dunk.
My pick for the ACC Player of the Year, Josh Howard, scored
20 points for the Deacs in a losing cause.
Marquette coach Tom Crean enjoyed the matchup, which took on
a postseason aura.
“It was an outstanding atmosphere in the arena,” Crean said.
“The game had a definite March feel.”
Cincinnati pulled a nice upset in its game over 11th-ranked
Oklahoma State on Sunday. The Bearcats beat the Cowboys 61-50.
Louisville won again on Saturday. The Cardinals took their
17th straight victory in downing Houston 81-55. The Cards are the early,
“trendy” pick to make it the Final Four in late March.
I’ve written about this on several occasions, but I think it
is worth mentioning again. The Pirates were dealt a terrible hand when C-USA
put the Pirates in the American Division.
The American Division is loaded. The National Division gives
teams a chance.
Memphis leads the National Division at 5-3. South Florida is
5-4. The Pirates would be battling for the National Division championship
THIS season, even with their problems on the road.
Instead, the Pirates continue to struggle in a division that
features Louisville, Cincinnati and Marquette, not to mention DePaul and
Charlotte.
Things will change drastically next year, when the
conference drops the divisional format. The league's decision makers feel,
and I agree, that going away from the divisional split will help C-USA get
more teams into post season play.
Still, I wouldn’t mind seeing East Carolina get one season
in the National Division, just to see how they would fair!
