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Well folks it wasn't pretty...but it was effective. No one said you had to look good to be good. Tonight was actually a great game to watch, and catch a lot of Billy Clyde's idiosyncrasies . He told us in the beginning that his defensive philosophy wasn't so much recognizing the opponents offense and adjusting to it; it's making your defense as such, so that their offense can't get set up. The fact that Michael Porter, Ramel Bradley, or Joe Crawford played full court pressure on Cent. Arkansas' ball handler the entire game was a telling example of this defensive philosophy. I can't think of a single possession where the Bears were able to set up in the half-court.

Billy Clyde has also told us he likens basketball situations to football situations. Apparently Billy Clyde has a special teams, a dime package, and nickel packages. He employs situational lineups. Late in the first half he used the scores-table as a revolving door for offensive and defensive lineups. He was constantly running guys in and out to best suit what was going on. This is an interesting concept that we should keep an eye on throughout the season.

We also witnessed tonight the first career double-double of Mark Coury, or as the KSR guys have dubbed, "The Coury Floury" In the two exhibitions and now tonight, Mark has progressed substantially. He played with a confidence tonight that is usually exhibited by a seasoned veteran. If this is any sign of the contributions he can have this year, he will truly be a valuable player for us this season.

All in all I feel that this was a good outing. Early in the first half when we had a walk-on in (Benson, who actually reminded me pleasantly of one Ravi Moss) I had a "Hoosiers" moment. There was a part in the movie when Gene Hackman is talking to the grandmother about how the team is, and he tells her how he is going to "break them down, and build them back up." That is how that first half seemed to me. We had a walk-on come in the game before Joe Crawford and Perry Stevenson. BCG is sending a message, to which Joe responded brilliantly. It may take some time, but be patient with these guys. The breaking down might be a little ugly at times, but that building back up should make for a great run in March. See you tomorrow night.