Plucked

The Saint Peter's University men's basketball team played pretty good ball in the Metro Atlantic tourney last night, but only for a half. That was the second half, after they had fallen 21 points behind against Marist. The Peacocks' comeback, which closed the gap to 3 points at one juncture, fell short. The final score was 69–57. 

Marist, the Red Foxes, came out ready to play. They did not trail the entire game, and the announcer said they have not trailed at any point in the tournament through three games. For a team with the worst record in the conference, that's something. But they'll have their hands full against top-seeded Iona, coached for the moment by Hall of Fame legend Rick Pitino, in the championship game this evening.

The Peacocks had no offense. They scored 20 points in the first half. They stood around watching each other a lot. They don't move without the ball. Marist, who had lost to the Peacocks four straight times, had seen that movie enough times to know what to do. They used their height advantage to force Saint Peter's to jack up three-pointers, which would not fall.

And so there will be no parade for the boys from Jersey City this year. Indeed, no trip to the Big Dance at all. It's time to regroup and rebuild. The three-quarter-court pressure they applied in the second half was pretty good; they could start from there and work up. They'll also need some bigger guys and a better offensive playbook.

I still love them.