In 1986, John Feinstein released A Season on the Brink, a book about the 1985-86 season of the Indiana Hoosiers, in which coach Bob Knight allowed Feinstein unfettered access to his team and staff. In the previous season, the Hoosiers missed the NCAA tournament for the only time in Knight’s final 20 seasons at Indiana and began the season unranked. The season had ups and downs, finishing in the top 20 but losing to Cleveland State in the opening round of the NCAAs. At several points during the season, it appeared that the team could fall apart due to both on and off-court issues. Since no one had previously had such internal access to the off-court happeningsin real time, readers were given a new perspective of a team’s inner workings and how they affected on-court performance. Because of the notoriety of Knight and the book, numerouscopycat books have been written in all sports. Also, the phrase “a season on the brink” has been used whenever it appears that a team could either fall apart or resurrect their season.
After Saturday’s tough loss to St. Bonaventure at the Mohegan Sun Arena, it was heard many times that the Friars’ season is indeed on the brink. A 6-5 non-conference record will make an at-large bid more difficult. The benefit of being in one of the top conferences though, is that the team will have a number of games against some of the best teams in the country and a chance at new life with Bryce Hopkins (hopefully) returning to full-time action. With one win already under their belt and the next three games against the likely top 3 teams in the conference, the Friars have a difficult road but also a major opportunity to reverse their trajectory.
For those who traveled to Mohegan for the game against the Bonnies, rumors were out early that Bryce Hopkins might not be available, might be available but limited, or was going to give it a go. As it turned out, the first rumor was correct, and the Friars were going to play without their big dawg. There was obvious concern but not a lot of panic as the consensus in the crowd was that the Friar would be able to handle the Atlantic 10foe with the players we had available. Unfortunately, for the third time in three tries, the Friars lost to an A-10 opponent. This game was frustrating on many levels. The team got off to another slow start, they missed a number of open shots from three early and seemed to struggle in finding a cohesive court flow. This led to the team being down nine at the half, which grew to a 13-point deficit three minutes into the second period until back-to-back threes by Richard Barron brought them back into the game. The rest of the game was a pattern of the Bonnies stretching the lead followed by the Friars getting close but never pulling even or ahead. Two impressive plays nearly sent the game into overtime. Oswin Erhunmwunse grabbed an offensive rebound and put-back over two Bonnies while being fouled put him on the line down one. After a missed free throw, Wesley Cardet ripped the rebound from between two guys but missed the game-tying shot. It appeared there was a slight bump against Cardet, but it was nowhere near enough to expect a call in that situation. Two final free throws by St. Bonaventure resulted in the 74-70 final score.
There were some people on the way out of the arena blaming Cardet for the loss, which makes absolutely no sense. While it was clearly a makeable shot, his play over the course of the game was a bright spot for the Friars. He hit two three-pointers in four attempts, all five of his free throws, and was solid defensively all game. Additionally, Oswin Erhunmwunseshowed continued improvement and was especially impressive with six points on 3-3 shooting and 6 rebounds (5 offensive) in the second half. Ryan Mela continued to make the case for more minutes with another stat sheet stuffing performance, as he finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and assist, and a steal in 18 minutes. His defense in the second half looked improved as he showed controlled aggression. Finally, I have to once again praise the performance of Corey Floyd. I have made no hiding of the fact that I love watching Corey play and love his defense.I rewatched the game when I got home and again once the following morning. IT confirmed what I thought from being at the game that Floyd was outstanding on defense again. He spent most of his time in the game on the Bonnies leading scorer Chance Moore. Corey was tough on him especially in the second half when he basically didn’t allow Moore to get the ball, never mind score. Unfortunately, with point guard Dasonte Bowen out of the game, Melvin Council Jr. picked up the slack, looking more like a Big East guard than someone who transferred from the Northeast Conference.
On the one hand, it was a disappointing loss in a game we should’ve won. There were missed opportunities, including 10-24 shooting from two point range and early second half foul trouble including a few questionable calls that led to the Bonnies being in the bonus for the final 15 minutes of the game. Thisloss would be less of an issue if it wasn’t our fifth non-conference loss, but we have been in this situation before. The 2019-20 Friars were 7-6 in non-conference play, with losses to a solid Rhode Island squad, mediocre Penn and Charleston squads, and poor Northwestern and Long Beach St. teams. They were also crushed by Florida at the Barclays Center. After starting Big East play at 4-4, they finished 8-2, winning their final six games, with five wins against ranked teams. Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic cancelled the Big East and NCAA Tournaments, denying the teams to earn an elite place in Friar history.
At this point, the Friars have a new chance to earn their place, and that starts Friday with a Fox Network primetime game against St. John’s at the AMP. St. John’s has played well at 8-2 with their losses both in the final seconds or in overtime to likely NCAA tournament teams (Georgia and Baylor) on neutral courts. Rick Pitino has them playing more cohesively than last year. Juniors Zuby Ejiofor and RJ Luis have taken major steps in their games, with veterans Kadary Richmond, Aaron Scott, and Deivon Smith, and sophomores Simeon Wilcher and Brady Dunlap supporting them. They are talented and well-coached, but not invincible if we play to our potential. Following this will be a New Year’s Eve matchup with top ten Marquette and a January 5th matchup at UConn. These three games will play a large role in determining the path of our season. As someone who tries to be consistently positive, I believe we are on the brink of a revitalized 2025. Go Friars.
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