Entering this weekend’s Washington University men’s basketball games, we were looking forward to a pretty competitive match-up between two top-20 ranked rivals for Friday and a contest between the University Athletic Association conference leader and the team which sits in the conference cellar on Sunday.
Take your pick on which of the two wass supposed to be the more exciting game.
The Bears continued their best start in school history and extended their winning streak to 13 games by way of a 65-48 defeat of No. 20 Rochester on Friday and a 76-72 win on Sunday against Carnegie Mellon. Both games had the Bears gaining big leads early, with Sunday’s affair eventually becoming a little too close at the end.
“I think I was happy with our level of play,” said Mark Edwards, the reigning UAA coach of the year. “Friday night, our defense was excellent. We might of let up a little on Sunday, but we were able to stick with it and pull it out.”
Both contests saw stellar play from center Jarriot Rook. The 6′ 8″ junior posted 19 points and 5 blocks in the win against Rochester and followed that up with a 21-point, career-high 17 rebound, and three-block performance on Sunday.
Efforts such as these are a testament to why the fourth-ranked Bears are now 17-1 on the year and 7-0 in UAA conference games-the only undefeated team remaining after the win over Rochester.
Friday’s game was a showcase of the top two UAA teams in a rematch of sorts from a year ago when Rochester handed the men a loss to snap their streak of 15 wins in their first 16 games. The situation could not have been more familiar, with WU being 15-1 again this year. The game, however, would hold no resemblance to the past.
WU wasted little time in bee-keeping the yellow-jackets, as they jumped out to a 27-7 lead. Things got a little more interesting in the second half however, as Rochester came out with a 19-3 spurt to cut the lead to five at 41-36. The men, seeming to let Rochester hang around just for the sake of making it exciting, quickly regained control and coasted the rest of the way.
In addition to Rook’s performance, junior Chris Jeffries also had a strong game, finishing with 12 points and a career high 16 rebounds.
Sunday’s game was a series of ups and downs as the Bears would jump out to several big leads only to have Carnegie Mellon come back to make it close up until the final seconds. The Tartans came in with a dismal 1-4 UAA record (second-worst in the conference) and a 7-9 mark overall. With the big win on Friday, the men were indeed a candidate for the proverbial ‘letdown.’
“I wasn’t really worried about a letdown,” said Edwards. “I knew the kids would come out and play hard, but at the same time, as soon as we got a big lead it was kind of hard for us to keep our focus.”
While finishing opponents from the start may be a goal the men could improve upon, with each passing game this team has seemed to gain more of the “killer instinct” which is essentially vital to any championship team.
With a virtual rematch against these same teams on the road next weekend, the Bears will look to extend that mentality in order to establish themselves as the one and only powerhouse in the UAA conference. Riding a wave of momentum will be key in succeeding at the NCAA tournament this spring, and the men may be fortunate that they end their seasons with all UAA opponents. Five of the last eight games will be on the road.
The Bears got a reminder on Sunday, and know that they will pay the price of looking too far ahead or getting overconfident. You can almost hear them rehearsing those often-used sports clich‚s of “not counting the chickens before they hatch,” or “taking it one game at a time.” Remaining humble, however, is a definite mark of a winner.
“We’re not going to begin focusing on those future road games yet,” said Edwards. “Our expectations have been confirmed. Our goal is to win the conference, get into the NCAA tournament, and win the championship.”
As a result of their UAA domination, we may be witnessing a men’s team that is fast approaching the championship status of the women.
Indeed, it couldn’t be a better time to follow Washington University basketball.
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