I think that a good defense requires all 5 players on the court working together. If even one guy forgets an assignment or just is not completely focused on his responsibility, than the entire defense breaks down and you end up giving the other team an easy open shot. That complete team defensive concept takes time to develop. I was hoping that, with 4 returning starters, we'd be farther along this year. Some teams overcome that lack of defensive cohesion by just outscoring their opponent. We don't have that type of offensive firepower, so we basically lose (at least to good D1 teams) until we get the defense rolling. It's rolling now!

Bob also said he thought we have a shot at finishing 2nd in the BW if we continue playing like this (Uci has a stranglehold on first). What a remarkable turnaround that would be. Even finishing top 4 would be amazing. Long way to go though.

very Nice team win. When we focus on defense and play within ourselves on offense we are tough. Beat the beach

yeah that’s bob on color. Ags playing well. Need to clean up the turnovers a bit but got to love the defensive energy

thanks PA

I’m sure there are several reasons, not the least of which is a student body that is more academically motivated than when I was there. Plus I know my daughter had several evening classes that kept her from going to all the games.

they are closing segundo dc and serving food at the pavilion. Hopefully kids will stay for the game. I think we’ll need a good crowd

Not that the team needs any extra motivation, but continuing to be behind 2nd place UCI in the mid-major poll should ensure that the Ags play with a chip on their collective shoulders.

Hopefully the market the hell out of this game.

I re-watched the last 3:30 minutes of the game, and boy did this team really execute well at the right time. The defense rotated and double teamed at just the right minute, diving on the ground for loose balls, and Shorts made several plays with his quick hands. And on offense they executed the called plays perfectly, resulting in open looks. Before the Mooney 3, which was more of him just feeling it rather than a set play, we ran several plays that resulted in good looks by John and Gonzalez that just didn't drop. And then there is the magic that is Tj Shorts. If we combine that kind of effort and execution, we will be a very tough opponent the rest of the season.

That Mooney shot was the type that we weren’t getting earlier in the year. Keep on rollin’

Amazing win. It feels like last year. Just figuring out ways to win. Wild big west!

Grubard won his appeal and is heading to wazzu to replace minshue. He’ll probably lead the nation in yards next year.

I'm pretty sure both were on the bench. I agree that John not getting any minutes is odd, and he may still be dealing with injuries. Add it to the list of odd things that's happened this year.

I haven't heard or seen anything that would suggest injuries, although that is always a possibility. I assume that Les is searching for the right lineup combination, and right now Fuller and John don't figure into it. It seems that he really likes the defense of Printup right now, which is probably the reason John is not getting more time. Printup and Goode are playing the 4 position, and Goode is playing some time at the 5, so just no minutes for John. And with Les going small with Gonzo starting, and the emergence of Mooney as a force, Fuller is the odd man out there. The rotation might change based on matchups, but this one seems to be working right now.

Of course, we are 3-4 in conference, and the 3 wins come against the two bottom teams (UCR and CP x2). Hopefully the renewed energy and confidence will show up at UCSB Saturday on ESPNU.

obviously silers minute decrease is at least partially due to the maturity of Mooney’s game. Joe is no longer just a catch and shoot guy. He can create off the dribble, passes well and his defense has really stepped up. Hopefully siler, whether he starts or not, can get his game going.

I’m wondering if part of the reason tj didn’t start was to limit his minutes. He played 25 mins which is a lot less than what he normally does. Squire had 24 mins.

It was a good one to watch especially the first half. Good solid defense and a lot of ball movement on offense. Of course it helps that we were hitting just about everything. Neufeld has really established himself as a legitimate threat down low. And the dual outside threat of Mooney and Gonzalez is very exciting to see. We’ll see this lineup a lot next year.

Very solid win. 23-23 from the line. Amazing

Hopefully we get some sort of explanation