Idaho Will Probably Face Meaner Green In Rematch
It’s not the most anticipated sequel of all time: Idaho-North Texas, Part II.
Idaho won an 85-72 eyesore against the Mean Green last Thursday. The quirky scheduling has the same teams tangling Thursday in Denton, Texas. Two nights later UI will rematch with New Mexico State, which lost 70-68 in the Dome on Saturday.
“It’s probably easier for the team that just lost,” UI coach Dave Farrar said. “They’ll have some added incentive.”
North Texas (3-17) is a curious outfit. Its high-risk press forces turnovers, but allows handfuls of easy buckets.
“I don’t think that style of play can be effective in winning championships in any league,” Farrar said. “Occasionally a reach-and-grab team can get things done if the officiating is right.
“Even NCAA championship-caliber teams who have won with uptempo styles, UNLV, Arkansas, have been great defensive teams at their base. But he (UNT coach Vic Trilli) probably doesn’t think you can win with our style. They’ve rated his fall recruiting class 21st best in the nation, so it sounds like he’ll have better players.”
Farrar has additional worries. Two North Texas players were hit with technical fouls in Moscow and chit-chat between the teams exceeded normal quotas.
“North Texas ended up with some poor feelings,” he said. “Playing in a week’s time doesn’t allow for any of that to diminish.”
Ugliness everywhere
Idaho-North Texas wasn’t alone in extending the boundaries of ugly basketball.
On the same night North Carolina was beating Duke, Cal State Fullerton edged UC Irvine 51-48. Another snoozer: Long Beach State 54, UC Santa Barbara 46.
UCSB shot just 28 percent to register its weakest output in 11 years. On their first possession, the Gauchos had a shot-clock violation.
Said Cal State Fullerton coach Bob Hawking: “We were the ugly ducklings but we’ll take it. We did have something in common with North Carolina … we both won.”
Crow-filled tortillas
UCSB fans chucked tortillas on the court during last year’s upset of Pacific on ESPN. The tortillas flew again last week, but the ploy backfired on UCSB.
Pacific won 76-60 - and hit 3 of 4 free throws after UCSB was hit with Ts for littering the court with tortillas.
“My motivation was that tortilla business,” said Pacific center Michael Olowokandi, who scored 31 points.
“It accomplished nothing,” Gauchos coach Jerry Pimm said. “That was silly.”
So was UCSB’s man-to-man defense on the 7-foot-1 Olowokandi, a tactic previously attempted by Idaho and Long Beach State. Olowokandi scored 31 on each.
El basketball
El Nino’s wrath flooded UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center last Friday, forcing postponement of a women’s game with Cal State Fullerton. The game was played Tuesday night.
The court was covered by about 3 inches of water, but the water was quickly pumped out and left no apparent permanent damage.
, DataTimes