>> Despite their propensity to fight through injuries this year, the absence of All Star Antawn Jamison was evident last night as the Washington Wizards fell in Denver to the red hot Nuggets 127-98. Gilbert Arenas led the Wiz with 25, but the team shot just 39% from the field. Coach Eddie Jordan might want to look at the team’s defense too. The Nuggets shot over 55% and it’s never a good thing when players like DeMarr Johnson and Eduardo Najera are lighting you up.
Despite the loss the Wiz are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. With Cleveland in disarray, Chicago figures to be their chief competition. The Bulls are sitting in 6th place and two games back, but just like the Wiz, they have their own injury issues. When you look at the amount of playing time the Wizards have lost to injuries it’s amazing that they are in the playoff race at all. Kwame Brown has missed 40 games, Etan Thomas 35, Larry Hughes 21, Steve Blake, Anthony Peeler, Juan Dixon, Jarvis Hayes… the list goes on.
>> A capacity crowd of 2,604 in McDonough Gym saw their Hoyas dismantle Cal State Fullerton 74-57 in the second round of the NIT. The Hoyas might want to think about scheduling a few more games at their own campus gym. The men’s basketball team is undefeated there since the Patrick Ewing era. “I like playing here,” Brandon Bowman told the Post. “We make more shots, there’s a better vibe. This is where we practice, this is our real home.”
Bowman shot 77% from the field last night and led all scorers with 19 points. The Hoyas travel to Columbia, SC on Thursday to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks with a trip to the NIT’s Final Four on the line.
>>Tune into ESPN2 (remember when they called it “The Deuce”?) at 8PM tonight as Maryland takes on Davidson in their second round NIT tilt. Some guy named Lefty Driesell coaches Davidson. His name sounds vaguely familiar.
>> We all know what happened to GW over the weekend. Look at it this way, they have all summer to work on their free throw shooting. Still, the future looks bright for the A10 champs.
