What Happened?
The Broncos rode a rocky first half to a 65-55 win over Nevada. The Broncos were led by the dynamic duo of Javan Buchanan, who scored 19 points and secured 5 rebounds. Tyson wasn’t far behind, scoring 17 points. The Wolfpack were led by Nick Davidson, who scored 18 points. The Broncos snapped their 2 game-losing streak and will look to establish a winning streak against Cal State Fresno on Saturday.
Avert Your Eyes
The first half looked like we were in for a rock fight. Only four players scored for the Broncos, and only two were from the starting five. Before this game, Leon wanted his team to focus on rebounding and defense. The Broncos only allowed one point through the first seven minutes of the game. Unfortunately, the team only scored seven points in that same time-frame. There was no flow and no continuity to the offense. Fans and pundits alike were not impressed with the first half, which saw the Broncos only up four, 28-24. All signs pointed to a rough second half.
Offense Comes To Life?
To start the second half, the Broncos offense exploded with an Andrew Meadow corner three, Cardenas three, then a 7-0 run by Javan Buchanan to stretch the score to 41-31. The Broncos kept the Wolfpack at bay the rest of the night, with the lead getting as large as 16 and as small as nine. The team that came out of the locker room looked completely different. There were paint touches, drive and kick-to-open 3-point shooters, and aggressive post-ups by Javan and Tyson that led to easy buckets. It looked like the offense found something that worked and was a breath of fresh air. It wasn’t perfect, but it improved from the first half.
Get Your Hard Hats And Heart Pills
If this game previews what’s to come, Bronco Nation better buckle up. Leading up to this game, Leon promised changes to the lineup and rotation. His first act in fulfilling that promise was to take Chris Lockett and Omar from the starting lineup and play them for eight minutes total. Omar had 8, Lockett 0. They were replaced by RJ Keane, who had the most unique stat line of the night with zero points, 10 rebounds, and three steals. Emmanuel Ugbo took Omar’s starting role in name only. He also played eight minutes in total. The first three minutes of the first half, the first three minutes of the second half, and a couple of garbage time minutes to close out the night.
Defensively, the team looked much improved from the past games, only allowing Nevada to shoot 33% from behind the arc and 40% from the field. Offensively, though, I’m not convinced this is a sustainable model against the top of the conference. With RJ on the court, he flies around on defense and fights for every loose ball, energizing the crowd. On offense, he’s just waiting to run back on defense. Teams know he isn’t a scoring threat, which leads us to play 4 on 5 on offense. That allows teams to double easier, knowing RJ isn’t going to hurt them. In the words of Pepper Brooks from the movie Dodgeball, “That’s a bold strategy, Cotton; let’s see if it pays off.”
It is awesome to watch Javan excel in the offense. Seeing him post up reminds me of a freshman Tyson. It seems he (Javan) can get whatever shot he wants once he gets on the block. It feels like every night he’ll have a highlight play that will have you jumping off your couch (see below). At least it can be said the future is bright with Javan on the court.
What’s Next?
The Broncos stay at home and welcome Fresno State on Saturday at 2. The team is looking to start a winning streak and build momentum for next week against UNLV. Every game matters, and tonight, the Broncos made their first successful step towards salvaging the season.
I don’t really follow basketball, so I appreciate the updates from the games! Thank you!!
Same here.
Up until age 25, it was a big part of my life. It was probably the only reason I stayed in school, but I don’t enjoy what the game has become. Not saying it’s not good. I’m just saying it’s not as enjoyable as it used to be.
I think the three-pointer and the shot clock have taken away from the game rather than added to it IMHO.
When I was at the Air Force Academy, I attended almost every game (required my first year there, but hey…), and really enjoyed it. However, like you, my interested waned and now, I’m happy reading the highlights. It certainly isn’t the game it used to be.