SJU did a lot of good things against Florida State, but the Seminoles did more good things. The Hawks defense (man or zone) got shredded by FSU, a team that is athletic, skilled and wants to make the extra pass. The Seminoles shot 54.5 percent and had 21 assists on 30 field goals.
FSU is renowned for its defense and made it difficult for the Hawks to run offense, especially down the stretch. SJU shot just 42.6 percent and had nine assists on 23 field goals.
Given that the Hawks were in foul trouble much of the game, shot 4-for-21 from the arc and 16-for-26 from the foul line, but were just a few plays away from having a chance to win suggests this really is a team that is going to be hard to beat most games.
St. Joe's best offense was the missed shot as the amazing Ronald Roberts finished his two games at Barclays with 36 points and 27 rebounds. They got bench production from Tay Jones against FSU, back from his three-game suspension. Sophomore point guard Chris Wilson, starting in Jones' place, made big plays at big moments.
Owls beat Owls
Temple (2-0) had four players score between 16 and 18 points, and beat Rice, 77-63, at the Liacouras Center. Temple had just eight turnovers and beat the other Owls on the glass by 14.
Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson had 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting while Khalif Wyatt had 17. Scootie Randall and Anthony Lee combined for 32 points and 25 rebounds. Lee looks like he is the answer in the middle. The biggest Temple mystery after two games is point guard. But it is still very early.
Drexel surives
Freshman Tavon Allen did not play in Drexel's first two games. He played against the Quakers. And he was the difference in the Dragons' 61-59 win.
Drexel (1-2) trailed 49-42 with barely 11 minutes left. Allen scored nine of his team's next 11 points as the Dragons took the lead and held on. Allen got his chance because wing guard Damion Lee missed the game after taking a hard fall Thursday night against Illinois State.
The Quakers (1-3) got another great game from Fran Dougherty (21 points).
'Nova in New York
Villanova (3-1) also played for a tournament championship in New York, the 2K Sports Classic. A night after overcoming an eight-point deficit in 90 seconds before beating Purdue in overtime at Madison Square Garden, the Wildcats were overmatched by Alabama in the title game, losing 77-55. 'Bama shot 56.8 percent while 'Nova shot just 31.9 percent. Nobody wins with that shooting differential.
