“At the end of the day, it’s just basketball,” LeBron James once said.
Tulane University men’s basketball lost in an 85-63 blowout to the University of New Orleans on Friday night.
While the game was at Devlin Fieldhouse, UNO’s crowd never stopped. They were noisy, annoying and relentless. It felt like a road game. Every single play that went in UNO’s favor catalyzed a sea of momentum that you could feel. Tulane was also outplayed.
However, it was not because of a lack of effort. Players were diving for loose balls and attacking the rim with authority. Their defensive rebounding looked the best it has all season. Shots just weren’t falling.
In UNO’s case, every bounce went their way. Twice in the first half, heaves at the end of the shot clock somehow found the bottom of the net. Senior Coleton Benson scored 33 points, drained eight three-pointers and seemed invincible while dealing with leg problems from hard falls.
Things happen. Basketball is different from many sports due to its high-volume scoring and fast-paced play. So, when someone has a hot hand, a team can ride that player for as long as they want.
As for Tulane, nobody had the hot hand. There was a lid on the basket.
This is not a reason to panic. The only aspect that I could see being an issue in the long run is that the Green Wave allows a lot of open corner threes. The corner three is the best shot in basketball, and if a team is consistently capitalizing on those opportunities, trouble ensues.
There isn’t much other than that. Get up, dust yourself off, lick your wounds and move on to the next game. Make adjustments as needed. This isn’t conference play yet; it’s the fourth game of the season and the first loss. There is plenty of time to sort things out.
Check ball.