Photo by Joey Yashinsky
The halftime stats were ominous.
The Detroit Titans had 13 turnovers. And just a single assist. It’s hard to win a middle school rec-league game like that -- even harder trying to take down Wright State, one of the most disciplined teams in the Horizon League.
And such was the case as the Titans saw their hometown dream at a conference championship come to an end on Sunday afternoon. Wright State coasted to a 10-point win, 82-72, with the final outcome never really in doubt.
In these tense March basketball affairs, you must do a few things to ensure victory.
You have to take care of the ball. The Titans did not. Carlton Brundidge and Paris Bass were getting their points, but they were also giving away numerous possessions with harmful turnovers.
And it might sound simple, but you also have to knock down some triples. The best teams in this month are often the ones that get hot from downtown and ride the wave through the bracket. The Titans somehow managed a complete goose egg from behind the long line against WSU, a recipe for disaster when you’re a team that has had pretty good success shooting the rock throughout the year.
Lastly, you need your top players to show up and lead the way. Detroit’s Chris Jenkins was one of the most consistent Titans throughout the year, but was a non-factor on offense throughout the tournament. Coach Ray McCallum suggested in the post-game that the grueling defensive assignments Jenkins drew in both contests made it that much more difficult for him to get it going on the other end.
Photo by Joey Yashinsky
But really, UDM just ran into a superior team. Wright State is more experienced, they had a better conference season, and their defensive principles are about as good as it gets.
You wouldn’t know that the Raiders won the game so easily if all you heard was the press conference from coach Billy Donlon following the game. The Wright State boss railed on media, writers, and everything in between for failing to name any of his players to all-conference teams. When he was done with that, he went to work on the tournament format, which forces everyone but the top two seeds to play four games in four days to emerge victorious.
“We made the decision for third place to have to win two games in our league to get to the semifinals to get to play the team that it tied. That’s fair to our seniors who never get another season? How come I haven’t seen that question asked? I get asked all kinds of tough questions as a college coach and rightfully so. I want to know why no one is asking the decision makers about the tournament. I’ll probably get in trouble for this, and I’m OK with it because I’m standing up for my team.”
It was a rant typically reserved for coaches coming from the wrong side of the final score. Wright State will battle Oakland on Monday night for a spot in the championship game. If possible, Greg Kampe might be the second-most animated coach in that game. It's mildly terrifying to imagine what the presser for Donlon would be like should his Raiders drop that game, especially if it is due in part to collective fatigue.
As for the Titans, their season ends in a bit of an anti-climactic fashion. With the tournament being played right in their backyard, and after a fairly clean performance in the opener against Youngstown State, a better scrap was expected by most in this quarterfinal. But when you go 0-fer from three-point land register five total assists for the game, a deflating result will almost always follow.
Carlton Brundidge tallied 18 points, following up his sterling effort in the game prior, but he also coughed up five turnovers and was charged with a strange first-half technical following a made layup. The Raiders were clearly intent on bringing more help to diffuse the Brundidge penetration, and the extra layer of defense is what led to many Titan giveaways.
Paris Bass came alive late and did finish with a game-high 24 points, but he was loose with the rock, and he continues to show frustration openly when subbed out of the game. Bass has two more years left as a collegiate hooper, and they could be explosive seasons if his basketball gifts are harnessed and used productively. His off-court issues that preceded such an important tournament for the UDM program is not a very encouraging sign going forward.
Motor City Madness at Joe Louis Arena is now down to four schools, with Oakland the lone remaining Michigan representative in the bracket. It tips with Wright State at 9:30 p.m. Monday.
