Jack Vance's Coaching Life - CH2K8

[southernmetalhead]

UNC Asheville Bulldogs (9-13, 5-6 Big South) 85 OT

Radford Highlanders (7-15, 3-8 Big South) 80

RADFORD, VA - Radford was unable to get out of sole possession of last place in the Big South despite a valiant effort, falling 85-80 in overtime to the UNC Asheville Bulldogs. It was quite a turnaround by the Highlanders from their previous meeting with UNC Asheville where they lost by 32 points, but nonetheless it was still another defeat for Jack Vance and his club.

The game was tight throughout the 1st half, but a 6-0 run by UNC Asheville when the game was tied 19-19 was able to give the Bulldogs a bit of separation that they would carry into halftime as they led 35-30 at the break. Both teams shot poorly in the 1st half with Radford going 10/30 from the field (33%), while UNC Asheville was slightly better at 12/34 (35%).

Early in the 2nd half Radford would see their freshman front court duo of J.R. Cowen and Adam Nevill both fall into foul trouble. That was not a good sign for the Highlanders, but they persevered and when Bamba Sweetney hit a 3-pointer with 12:13 left in the 2nd, Radford had finally pulled back even at 49-49. Then down 57-56, Radford got back-to-back 3-pointers from Harlan Bright and Thomas Coulter to open up a 5 point lead. The Bulldogs would not go away though, and the score was even 71-71 when Radford saw a Thomas Coulter 3 at the buzzer clang off the rim to send the game into overtime.

In overtime, with the game tied 73-73, UNC Asheville got a 3-pointer from Tommy Broermann and never trailed again, eventually sealing the win with free throws.

Bamba Sweetney led all scorers with 28 points and 8 rebounds while Radford also got 23 points from Thomas Coulter, and Harlan Bright added 13 points and 11 assists. For UNC Asheville, 7'7 beast Theo Bean had 19 points and 26 rebounds, Cantrell Carmichael had 25 points, and Dwight Newby had 11 points.

The Highlanders will now close out their home schedule when they host VMI (11-12, 5-6). The Keydets had a comfortable 88-65 win in their building against Radford, so Coach Vance is hoping his home crowd can provide the same kind of energy to see a final home court win this season.

North Carolina-Asheville Bulldogs at Radford Highlanders
Feb 20, 2008	1ST	2ND	OT	SCORE
North Carolina-Asheville (9-13)	35	36	14	85
Radford (7-15)	30	41	9	80

[southernmetalhead]

VMI Keydets (11-13, 5-7 Big South) 83

Radford Highlanders (8-15, 4-8 Big South) 92

RADFORD, VA - It's not often you see a 7-15 club come from down 23 points at halftime to win, but that is exactly what the Radford Highlanders did as they stormed back from a 51-28 halftime deficit to stun the VMI Keydets 92-83 in the last game of the season at the Dedmon Center.

Coach Vance's team came out flat against VMI and by the 12:16 mark they were down 19-9. VMI pushed the lead to 20 points for the first time with 50 seconds left in the 1st half, and a carried a commanding 51-28 lead into the break as the Keydets were on fire offensively going 18/32 (57%) from the field in the 1st half along with 8/16 (50%) shooting from 3-point range.

VMI had three players in double figures in the 1st half with Vincent Tobias and Tracy Hardy picking up 12 points each while Nic Luber had 11 points. For Radford, only Thomas Coulter was in double digits with 12 points and leading scorer Bamba Sweetney had just 2 points.

It was a new Radford team in the 2nd half however, as the Highlanders came out of the gate on a 13-3 run to start the period. By the 13:31 mark, VMI's lead had been cut to single digits at 56-48. Then, when Alan Gastel hit 3 pointers on back-to-back possessions, Radford had come all the way back to tie the game 61-61 with 9:48 left.

Continuing to roll, Radford hit the peak of their lead at 5:30 when they were up 74-65. VMI had a final push though to make things interesting as it was just a 3 point game at 84-81 with 34.2 seconds left before Highlanders free throws finished off the Keydets.

"We've had a tough year," Coach Vance said after the game. "But this team has never quit, and has shown that there is a lot of things to look forward to with Radford basketball in the future. What a win. I'm so happy right now."

Thomas Coulter finished with 27 points for Radford, and a strong 2nd half by Bamba Sweetney saw him rack up 19 points on the night. J.R. Cowen had 11 points and 8 rebounds, Adam Nevill had 8 points and 11 rebounds, and Alan Gastel had 10 points. For VMI, Tracy Hardy scored 24 points, Vincent Tobias had 16 points and 10 assists, Nic Luber had 15 points, and Lucious Horton had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Radford now closes out Big South play with 2 games on the road against High Point and Liberty, both teams the Highlanders beat at home. A once Mid-Major Top 25 team, High Point has collapsed on a 4 game losing streak and is now just 13-11, 5-7 and 7th in the Big South, one game ahead of Radford. This means the Highlanders still have a chance to not finish in the bottom of the conference if they can put two more wins together.

Virginia Military Institute Keydets at Radford Highlanders
Feb 23, 2008	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Virginia Military Institute (11-13)	51	32	83
Radford (8-15)	28	64	92

[peeegz]

Wow great comeback! 64 points in a half

[southernmetalhead]

Quote: Originally Posted by peeegz

Wow great comeback! 64 points in a half

That was pretty sweet. We had 58 in a half against Campbell when we won 98-50, but to do it after being down 23 was incredible.

[southernmetalhead]

NCAA Hoops Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Feb 24, 2008
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	RECORD
1	1	Kansas	21-4
2	2	North Carolina	23-5
3	4	Memphis	22-3
4	5	Louisville	22-6
5	3	Michigan State	21-5
6	7	Auburn	20-4
7	12	Washington	22-4
8	6	Marquette	21-5
9	11	Florida State	22-6
10	13	Connecticut	20-7
11	15	Texas A&M	19-6
12	9	Georgia	18-5
13	10	Arizona	18-8
14	8	Missouri	20-7
15	16	Xavier	23-5
16	14	George Mason	21-5
17	19	Georgia Tech	16-9
18	18	Saint Joseph's	17-8
19	24	Penn State	18-7
20	17	Syracuse	18-10
21	23	Akron	20-5
22	NR	Gonzaga	17-10
23	25	Mississippi State	18-8
24	22	Tennessee	15-11
25	NR	Duke	14-11

NCAA Hoops Rankings - Mid-Major Top 25 - Updated: Feb 24, 2008
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	RECORD
1	1	George Mason	21-5
2	2	Akron	20-5
3	3	Gonzaga	17-10
4	7	Western Kentucky	18-7
5	5	Rider	21-4
6	4	Butler	21-6
7	8	New Orleans	19-6
8	10	UNC Greensboro	21-5
9	12	Utah State	18-8
10	16	IUPUI	19-6
11	11	James Madison	19-8
12	6	Yale	14-8
13	15	Toledo	17-8
14	14	Drexel	17-11
15	13	Loyola (MD)	20-8
16	19	Fresno State	16-9
17	20	Missouri State	15-12
18	18	Indiana State	16-9
19	NR	Columbia	17-9
20	24	East Tennessee State	17-9
21	NR	Cal State Fullerton	15-8
22	23	Southern Illinois	14-12
23	NR	Old Dominion	17-11
24	9	Wagner	20-7
25	NR	Davidson	15-9

[southernmetalhead]

February 24, 2008 - Projected NCAA Bracket

EAST - Charlotte, NC

1. Kansas (21-4)
16. Arkansas Pine-Bluff (14-9)

8. Western Kentucky (18-7)
9. Kentucky (15-12)

5. Georgia Tech (16-9)
12. Indiana (16-10)

4. George Mason (21-5)
13. Purdue (16-11)

6. Syracuse (18-10)
11. Minnesota (16-9)

3. Arizona (18-8)
14. East Tennessee State (17-9)

7. Akron (20-5)
10. Houston (17-9)

2. Connecticut (20-7)
15. Wagner (20-7)


SOUTH - Houston, TX

1. Memphis (22-3)
16. UT San Antonio (11-9)

8. Utah (17-7)
9. Temple (16-10)

5. Gonzaga (17-10)
12. California (15-10)

4. Texas A&M (19-6)
13. Indiana State (16-9)

6. Rider (21-4)
11. Providence (16-11)

3. Xavier (23-5)
14. Columbia (17-9)

7. Oklahoma State (16-9)
10. Oregon (17-10)

2. Louisville (22-6)
15. Albany (16-10)


MIDWEST - Detroit, MI

1. Washington (22-4)
16. IPFW (15-10)

8. Virginia Tech (16-11)
9. Duke (14-11)

5. Penn State (18-7)
12. Arkansas (15-11)

4. Marquette (21-5)
13. UNC Greensboro (21-5)

6. UNLV (17-8)
11. New Orleans (19-6)

3. Georgia (18-5)
14. Charleston Southern (15-8)

7. Colorado (16-9)
10. Nebraska (14-9)

2. Michigan State (21-5)
15. Navy (18-9)


WEST - Phoenix, AZ

1. North Carolina (23-5)
16. Eastern Illinois (15-10)

8. Tennessee (15-11)
9. Kansas State (13-11)

5. Saint Joseph's (17-8)
12. Iowa State (15-11)

4. Missouri (20-7)
13. Fresno State (16-9)

6. Mississippi State (18-8)
11. South Carolina (14-10)

3. Florida State (22-6)
14. Cal State Fullerton (15-8)

7. Butler (21-6)
10. Dayton (15-10)

2. Auburn (20-4)
15. Montana (16-8)


BUBBLE WATCH

(RPI)
33. Nebraska (14-9)
43. Oregon (17-10)
34. Houston (17-9)
42. Minnesota (16-9)
51. Providence (16-11)
47. South Carolina (14-10)
56. New Orleans (19-6)
45. Iowa State (15-11)
46. Arkansas (15-11)
30. California (15-10)
48. Indiana (16-10)
64. UNC Greensboro (21-5)
44. Purdue (16-11)
41. George Washington (14-8) OUT
67. Yale (14-8) OUT

[southernmetalhead]

Radford Highlanders (8-16, 4-9 Big South) 66

High Point Panthers (14-11, 6-7 Big South) 80

HIGH POINT, NC - Radford went into their game against High Point hoping to extend the Panthers' losing streak to five games. The Highlanders had good reason to believe they could do it as they handled High Point 76-58 at home for their first Big South win one month ago. This time fortune wouldn't go Radford's way though, as after hanging close with High Point for the 1st half, they eventually wore down and fell 80-66.

Early in the 1st half with the game tied 8-8, High Point went on a 8-0 run to get separation from Radford. A Gerard Padilla 3-pointer at the 10:56 mark put the Panthers ahead double-digits 22-11, but Radford would not fold under the pressure of a raucous crowd and fought all the way back to pull within one point at halftime 38-37.

One word to describe that 1st half is physical as there were a ton of fouls and free throw attempts (and misses). Radford went to the line 26 times in the 1st half, making 16 of those attempts (62%). High Point made 16 trips with 9 conversions (56%).

Throughout the 2nd half High Point continued to lead Radford, but it wasn't until the 3:15 mark on a Jeromy Sheridan 3-pointer that the Panthers were finally able to restore their double-digit advantage at 72-60. In the end, High Point shot 27/62 (44%) compared to Radford's 19/54 (35%) en route to a 14 point victory.

Jeromy Sheridan led all scorers with 22 points for High Point while Gerard Padilla had 14 points, 11 rebounds and Christian Pugh had 14 points. Bamba Sweetney had 20 points for Radford and Adam Nevill had 10 points, 8 rebounds, but Thomas Coulter's 9 points and Harlan Bright's 2 points really hurt the Highlanders' cause.

Now Radford closes out a rough regular season with a trip to Liberty (12-17, 6-7). The Highlanders doused the Flames in their previous meeting 60-50. If Coach Vance's team can get the win, they would gain a sweep over their first Big South opponent. That will be something to shoot for with not much else on the line.

Radford Highlanders at High Point Panthers
Feb 27, 2008	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Radford (8-16)	37	29	66
High Point (14-11)	38	42	80

[southernmetalhead]

Radford Highlanders (8-17, 4-10 Big South) 68

Liberty Flames (13-17, 7-7 Big South) 77

LYNCHBURG, VA - Fittingly, the Radford Highlanders' regular season campaign came to a painful end as they blew a 16 point halftime lead to fall to the Liberty Flames by a score of 77-68. This result comes less than a week after Radford pulled from down 23 at the break to beat VMI 92-83.

It was amazing Radford built their halftime lead to begin with as down 16-12, the Highlanders lost Bamba Sweetney to foul trouble at the 13:53 mark. Sweetney had 9 of Radford's first 12 points. Then, up 18-17, Radford lost Adam Nevill to foul trouble as Nevill had 5 points. Now without 14 of their 18 points, Radford somehow got stronger, pushing the lead to a high mark of 39-21 and riding a Harlan Bright buzzer beater 3 to a 43-27 halftime lead.

The Highlanders were on fire from the field in the 1st half shooting 62% on 16/26 FG. Coach Vance's club was also 7/10 (70%) from beyond the arc. Contrastingly, Liberty shot a woeful 8/28 (29%).

The Flames would get on track in the 2nd half however, as at 14:09 a Majak Mascoll 3-pointer cut the Radford lead to single digits at 53-44. Then at the 5:04 mark, Felton Braxton hit a 3-pointer to make it a one score game at 63-61. A Jermery Houston 3-pointer would follow to put Liberty up 64-63, and they rode the momentum to a comeback victory in front of their wild fans.

Radford would finish the game shooting 24/53 (45%) while Liberty jumped to 24/56 (43%). Harold Coggins led the Flames with 21 points, 11 rebounds, Jermery Houston had 19 points, 6 rebounds, Iman Collier had 13 points, 7 rebounds, and Majak Mascoll added 12 points. For Radford, Thomas Coulter had 18 points and Bamba Sweetney scored 16 points.

Radford now heads into the Big South Tournament as the bottom seed and will face No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina (15-9, 11-3). The Chanticleers have won 7 games in a row and beat Radford 102-85 and 79-74 in their two meetings.

Radford Highlanders at Liberty Flames
Mar 1, 2008	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Radford (8-17)	43	25	68
Liberty (13-17)	27	50	77