OT Victory - Priceless Experience

The win was great. But the experience may have been even more important.

Stansbury has done a great job with his freshmen this season. He has let them play through mistakes (he really had no choice) and has gone completely to a zone to rest their legs and eliminate easy baskets.

But the freshmen have also stepped up, big. Reginald Delk hit big shot after big shot against Santa Clara Saturday and Gordon added a couple big threes as well. Not only that, but those two are helping Edmundson find his game. Taking some defensive pressure away from the senior point guard, Edmundson seems much more comfortable shooting behind the arc the past couple games as well.

With Slater, Stelmach and Richard Delk on the bench with injuries and Sharpe out for academics during this stretch of seven games in fifteen days, the team has managed to only stumble twice. Stelmach returned against Santa Clara and Slater and Sharpe should both be back by this Saturday, with Richard Delk's return this weekend also a possibility.

If the Dogs can get hot and get through December with one loss or less, I still love the team's chances to be playing in the main show in March.

The picture above of Jamont Gordon driving to the basket is courtesy of Jim Lytle of The Associated Press.