Bucknell came into the game riding a 3 game winning streak (7 of last 8) an overall 9-7 record and an RPI ranking of 92. Navy, on the other hand, entered the game with a 5-11 record and an overall RPI ranking of 330. (For those interested, there are 345 total D-1 basketball schools). Now I know that Bucknell has not had much success at Navy in their history (6-13 in the past 19 meeting) to be exact, but surely this was a game they had to win.
I decided to rip of Simmons and provide a running diary throughout the game. So here we go:
5:05pm PDT As always, we have to wait for the previous game to finish. I'm a big fan of the Wyoming football uni's, but I don't know if it carries over to basketball. Ok, the uni's aren't bad, but the court is really hideous.
5:09 Finally, BU-Navy is on my tv. We are 3 1/3 minutes into the game and amazingly the score is 0-0. Ok, its not that amazing - anyone who has ever watched Patriot League hoops knows how terrible the offense is. Paul Westhead would cry if he ever watched game tape. Currently on the court for the Bison are Daryl Shazier, GW Boon, Mike Muscala, Cameron Ayers and Bryson Johnson.
5:15 Beautiful pick 'n roll and easy bucket by YouTube sensation Mike Muscala.
5:17 Just down the road from me, UW is now up 82-62 with 5 minutes left. What was a 1-point game at halftime has now turned into an absolute rout. Sick 'em dawgs, In Annapolis, the Bison take their first lead 11-9 off a third pointer from Daryl Shazier.
5:23 We are a quarter of the way through the game and the score is 13-11. We're on pace for a 52-44 game, folks!
5:24 Whoh, a David Robinson sighting! The Admiral was in the house to celebrate the 25 year anniversary of Navy's elite 8 run. Luckily that came well before the Patriot League was formed, which means I can still be arrogant about the Bison being the only PL team to ever a NCAA Tournament game. And now for the first time tonight, Did I tell you that we beat Kansas??
5:32 Timeout Bison. A 6-0 run by the Midshipmen has Bucknell reeling. Come on guys, this is Navy we're talking about. They suck. I don't care if they have won 4 in a row against us.
5:41 Finally we see some hustle. Four Bison on the floor - red head Joe Willman comes up with it. Really appreciate that.
5:44 Halftime. Bison down 28-27. Bottom line is that Navy worked harder than us for the majority of the half and deserve to be on top. On defense the Bison could not find an answer for JJ Avila, who was just draining his three point attempts. It looked like we finally woke up in the last two minutes, but need to continue playing with some passion and energy. The Patriot League may not be good, but winning on the road is alwsays tough no matter conference you play in. Here are the stats at halftime:
- BU: 39.9% from field, 2-6 three pointers, 16 rebounds, 5 turnovers.
- Navy 39.3% from field, 5-16 three pointers, 16 rebounds, 6 turnover.
- Leading scorers: Navy - JJ Avila with 11 on 4-8 (3-6) shooting. BU - Mike Muscala with 8points.
6:00 Ok, game back on. I'm sorry, but Bucknell's road oranges are the best uni's in the country. I challenge anyone to find me any better.
6:04 Poor Daryl Shazier has male pattern baldness at age 22. I'm sure he would kill for some of Bryson Johnson's hair. Back to the game..Bison up 31-30 with 17 minutes left in the game.
6:14 After the realization that we could actually lose this game, Shazier provides some senior leadership as he hits a three, steals the ball and goes in for a lay-up. Timeout Navy. Bison up by 2.
6:18 This Bison team has the typical lanky-ass white boys that Bucknell always gets (Dan Bowen, Brian Werner, Chris McNaughton) but for the first time in along while, it looks like some of the other guys have the physiques to play in better leagues. Not that physiques equate to wins on the basketball court. I'm just saying.
6:25 Under 10 to go. Bucknell 45, Navy 42. Midshipmen have no answer for Muscala, who I am really really impressed with. The announcers keep on saying that they don't know how he escaped the clutches of the University of Minnesota because they could really use him. Well, I'll tell ha how - people go to Bucknell for the education, not the basketball. This young man is a student first, athlete second.
6:28 Biggest Bison lead of the night, 53-45. I think we might finally be starting to pull away. Shazier and Muscala cannot be stopped right now. On the other side, Navy may have found themselves a nice little player in JJ Avila. Dude is a freshman and is just lighting things up. 17 points on the day.
6:31 Ok, Navy has to have the most boring court in America. I like the look of the Boston Garden hardwood as much as anyone, but at least there was some color on the court. This just looks small time.
6:36 I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but Shazier is simply unstoppable right now. Wow. I am really really impressed with his growth over the years. He has 23 tonight, 1 from tying his career high. If Navy can't stop his penetration they are not going to get it done.
6:37 Uh-oh. JJ Avila fouls out on an illegal screen. The Navy coach was gambling by having him in the game with 4 fouls and 6 minutes left on the clock and it appears to have backfired on him. Besides Jordan Sugars, I'm not sure anyone else has scored for the Midshipmen tonight. They're only down by 7, but they might be done.
6:40 Just to make sure I get it in again, Have I told you that we beat Kansas?
6:41 Yes I realize that no one will have gotten this far...because no one will have even started reading this in the first place.
6:43 First dunk of the game with 3 minutes left! When I was at Bucknell, I didn't see a real dunk until my sophomore year. We just didn't have any athletes. And then...then...Brian Muckle threw one down from the elbow. It still remains the best dunk I have ever seen in person.
6:50 Bucknell 64, Navy 60. 43.3 seconds left. First finger nail biting moment of the night - not because it's nerve racking, but I just haven't learned to stop. Been doing it my whole life.
6:53 Wow. I just learned that Tuesday night's game at American will also be televised on CBS College Sports. That should be one of the two games of the year - I wouldn't have done this running diary had I known I could have done it on Tuesday instead!
6:56 This is really the part of a bball game I can't stand. Foul shooting contests just draw out the game so much...I officially just want the game to be over. 15 seconds left, Bucknell up by 3.
7:00 And that's it. Shazier hits all his free throws down the stretch. Bucknell 71, Navy 64. Not the prettiest or most convincing wins you will see, but a road win nonetheless. As I said earlier, winning on the road is the toughest thing to do in sports. It doesn't matter what level you are competing at. And with the game at American staring us in the eye, a loss would have put us at risk of starting 0-2 in the conference. Now the worst we can do is one game back of the lead after Tuesday. Luckily I don't think that will be a problem. Ray Bucknell!
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