The Futon Report

A roundup of tonight’s college basketball action, in statistical pigeonholing format, if we may:

• Division I teams that played basketball tonight: 50
• Division I teams that scored at least 35 points in at least one half: 32
• Division I teams that scored at least 35 points in both halves: 12
• Division I teams that scored only 35 points for the entire game: one

• D-I teams that scored less than 20 points in one half: 5
• D-I teams that scored less than 20 points in both halves: that same one

Image via WikipediaIf it hasn’t been made redundantly clear, scoring 35 points in a basketball game is only commendable if it’s well before the 40 minutes of regulation time has elapsed, and the level of competition is somewhere between high school JV and Magic Johnson’s Fastbreak. A Division I basketball team playing a winless team on the road? Yeah, not so much. Toledo went down 50-35 to Wright State, giving the WSU Raiders their de facto “best defensive performance ever” for holding an opponent to such a low number. Their previous defensive best was 37 against U. of Detroit last season in the Horizon League Tournament. UT, though, hasn’t scored this few points since, well, also last season (at Old Dominion).

Only one other team couldn’t make it to 40, and that was Ball State against ranked Purdue. Aside: I got a kick out of the AP lede: “Ball State hadn’t faced a suffocating defense like Purdue’s since the Truman administration.” Maybe it’s because I picture Gene Keady holding up a newspaper with the headline “BALL STATE DEFEATS PURDUE.”

Oh, and somehow UT out-rebounded WSU 37-36. This means that they also out-rebounded their own point total. Try sleeping soundly after that aberrant factoid. Justin Anyijong was as dominant as you can be on the boards when your team scores 35, as he grabbed eight rebounds, five of them offensive. Here was the problem though: 1-for-11 from the field. Harf.

Image via WikipediaUT “power” forward Justin Anyijong has the body of a praying mantis. When you’re 6′9″ and 205, you’re going to get knocked around if you’re guarding centers. Despite his 6 points, 7 rebounds, and small handful of hustle plays, it seemed like Anyijong found himself in turnover or near-turnover situations. You might’ve guessed that he lost a bet 8 years ago and as a result had to play college basketball.

Last year he was even worse. One of the funniest Google referrals I had was “will justin anyijong make it to the nba.” If it isn’t clear, Justin Anyijong was the last person I would have picked to make the winning basket in any game, let alone opening night of Savage Arena against the University of Massachusetts.

Yet when Ty Kent’s last-second drive tipped out, Justin was there in rebounding position and … Jesus Christ on a graham cracker he won the game. FOX Toledo has video of the final put-back, which sadly I cannot embed here without feeling really really bad about it.

This was a guy who turned the ball over in the final 30 seconds that lost the lead for UT. This was a guy I was cursing for, well, most of the game. But, hot damn, what a redemption story. There will be a two-month embargo on Justin Anyijong jokes effective immediately.

Photos of the new Savage Arena are forthcoming. They just have to be, like, downloaded and stuff.