Before game: Right now my attention is at this close Packers-Vikings game, but I will blog the game once it gets going.
Well that was a gut punch. Thank you for that one Packers defense.
Now it's on to some basketball. A pretty solid matchup against the UW-Whitewater Warhawks and the St. Norbert College Green Knights.
Norbert has won their last three games and have looked like the team that was picked to win the Midwest Conference at the beginning of the season, using a nice balance of inside and outside play to get them there.
Meanwhile, Whitewater has won two games after their lost to UWSP, one to a below-average Edgewood squad and last night against Northwestern (Minn.), in which they struggled in the first half.
They will need to be firing on all cylinders against the Green Knights to grab a convincing win. It should be a good one.
20:00 First Half: Starters for UW-Whitewater: Merg, Young, Knoble, Bryson, Harris. For St. Norbert: Fox, Gries, Schwoerer, Anderson, Thorn. It will be interesting to see how well St. Norbert can control Young's penetration and how physical the game is underneath.
17:55 First Half: Two times down the court, two times into the post for the Green Knights, once to Anderson, once to Thorn. That's how they've done that as of late.
14:38 First Half: Both teams are really being deliberate and trying to get the ball into the paint. Very similar teams playing each other tonight.
12:40 First Half: St. Norbert playing Quardell Young nearly in the paint. Really playing his drive.
10:30 First Half: Whitewater is being a little more chancy on defense, trying to get up the line a little bit and so far St. Norbert is handling it fairly well. Have had a couple of turnovers but also have gotten some good looks off of it, too.
8:45 First Half: Whitewater seems to be in a press defense on dead balls and makes. Trying to speed up St. Norbert a bit.
7:35 First Half: Whitewater calls a timeout. St. Norbert has been very patient on offense and just got a great cut from Andrew Schwoerer to take a 16-14 lead.
6:20 First Half: Whitewater seems a little frustrated by the pack defense of the Green Knights, have seven turnovers. Meanwhile, Green Knights not having a problem with Whitewater full-court press.
5:00 First Half: The Green Knights are getting back in transition early here, not allowing too many opportunities for UW-Whitewater's guards to get to the run in those situations.
4:00 First Half: Brandon Gries hits his second 3 of the night, he has been getting some solid looks in St. Norbert's offense. He's got 8.
3:30 First Half: When Whitewater has gotten it to Luke Knoble, good things have happened. He's got eight as well.
1:55 First Half: St. Norbert is doing a great job of back cutting the Whitewater pressure in the halfcourt. Green Knight timeout, 21-18 St. Norbert.
1:00 First Half: St. Norbert sending three back on the defensive end after every shot, making sure they get back on defense.
Halftime: Big shot by Darnell Harris as time was winding down for the Warhawks. Green Knights go into halftime with a 22-21 lead over UW-Whitewater.
During halftime thoughts: Right now the pace is suiting the Green Knights. They wanted a banging, physical, slow type of game and that's what they've got.
They've done a good job of controlling Young, who really is a catalyst for the Whitewater defense. They've done that by sending three back on defense on the shot and have played him nearly at the paint in the halfcourt.
Whitewater has been successful when they've gotten the ball 10 feet and in. Knoble has been finishing well and leads the Warhawks with 8 points.
Whitewater is going to win this game by getting out in transition and getting to the hole. They need to speed up the game just a tad or St. Norbert could ground them into an upset.
Another stat, both teams shooting around 35 percent. Both playing virtually the same game right now outside of turnovers, where Whitewater has committed 9, versus 6 for Green Knights.
20:00 Second Half: Second half about to start. Lets see if Whitewater can speed up the game.
19:15 Second Half: Seems to have happened already, as Whitewater scores on a fast break after a steal, go up 25-22 after an opening possession jumper.
16:30 Second Half: Very herby-jerky start to the half, both teams trying to find some rhythm offensively.
15:12 Second Half: Warhawks call a timeout. St. Norbert has regained the lead on three scores 28-27.
14:00 Second Half: Quardell Young nails a three-pointer on one end, Schwoerer converts a old fashioned three-point play. This is going to be a good finish.
12:23 Second Half: St. Norbert still playing their pace. They are forcing Whitewater to take a lot of time off of the clock on the offensive end.
11:42 Second Half: It seems to be Quardell Young against St. Norbert right now. He is trying to take over and keep Whitewater around.
10:00 Second Half: Whitewater finally gets the ball to Knoble in the post, his first points of the half. St. Norbert is really just firing on all cylinders on offense right now. Schwoerer leading the way in that category.
9:02 Second Half: Whitewater timeout. St. Norbert just keeps getting points on the offensive end. Good looks, too. They are up 46-39. Danger time if you are the Warhawks. You need a good score coming out of the timeout.
8:30 Second Half: They got one out of the timeout, too. It's Young again, who has really looked for his shot this half. He needs to keep doing that.
7:00 Second Half: K.J. Evans trying to give some help to Young. But St. Norbert is just getting good look after good look on the offensive end. They are really working it around and inside and outside against Whitewater right now.
6:04 Second Half: St. Norbert has handled everything that Whitewater has thrown at them from a defensive standpoint. They've beaten the full court press and they've also done well handling the half court defense of the Warhawks as well.
5:00 Second Half: St. Norbert has also done a good job defensively on the Whitewater pick and roll. They are sinking to the paint very well and have all game.
3:45 Second Half: St. Norbert calls timeout up 55-46. Whitewater had two chances on offense as of late to cut into the lead and has failed. It's danger time for the Warhawks. Have to get a stop and a score right now.
3:12 Second Half: Another empty possession to cut the St. Norbert lead for Whitewater. Two Harris 3-point misses and a Bryson miss. Just can't get their points when they need them. A lot of that has to do with not being able to get into the spots that they need to attack. St. Norbert's defense has been just that good tonight.
1:58 Second Half: Harris finally gets a shot to fall from deep, cuts St. Norbert lead to 57-49. Don't know if there is enough time on the clock for Whitewater to come back, though.
1:46 Second Half: It's all going to come down to free throws right now for the Green Knights. Whitewater has to foul to get back into the game.
1:15 Second Half: St. Norbert has been poised all game long and especially against the press. Just beat it again beautifully and got a layup from Anderson. 61-49 Green Knights.
:58 Second Half: Well, Whitewater gets a steal and then St. Norbert can't inbounds, Warhawks only down nine. Green Knights just need to stay calm like they have all night and they'll be fine.
0:00 Second Half: St. Norbert wins it 66-55. Very impressive win for the Green Knights. This is the team that everyone thought that they would be when they were picked to be No. 1 in the Midwest this year.
They did it with a very efficient offensive attack that beat the Warhawks in every which way, which shows by having four players in double figures (Gries with 17, Schwoerer with 15 and Thorn and Anderson with 10 apiece). Two of those guys are guards and two of those guys are forwards, which just shows how really balanced and floor-balanced the scoring was for St. Norbert.
They also executed their defense to perfection. They packed it in and prevented the drive as much as possible, forcing Whitewater to beat them from deep. That didn't happen (Whitewater shot just 28.6 percent from deep.)
For Whitewater, this is a tough loss to take, especially with sharpshooter Cody Odegaard on the bench with an injury. Without him, it's one less guy teams have to account for on the outside, which makes their drive and kick game that much easier to guard as teams can take one guy and sink him way in.
It's something they are going to have to learn to do if Odegaard is out for any kind of time. They also have to try and find a way to become a little less reliant on the drive/pick and roll game and more on some screens and cuts, because it didn't work against St. Norbert tonight.
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