no opinion on the game....pass for me, good luck if you play them
Mocs? Pugh more like Copperfield
Alphonso Pugh has lived up to his reputation.
As a preseason all-conference selection, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga forward has guided the Mocs to a 9-7 overall record by averaging 11 points and eight rebounds per game.
He single-handedly gave UTC a win over Mount St. Mary?s on the last day of the San Juan Shootout by dominating the final minutes of regulation and overtime.
But part of his reputation is that Pugh pulls a David Copperfield and disappears into thin air. He?s not consistent. In one game he?ll score 20, then in the next he?ll barely play 20 minutes.
Pugh played 22 minutes in UTC?s 78-69 win over UNC Greensboro on Saturday. He scored one point and grabbed four rebounds ? numbers way below his season average of 12.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game entering the matchup.
UTC coach John Shulman benched the senior for most of the first half and the start of the second half because Pugh failed to box out and allowed the Spartans to grab several offensive rebounds in the opening minutes.
"He didn?t have it," Shulman said. "That?s a shame because we got 12 more conference games left, and I?d think you?d bring it every night."
Instead of relying on Pugh in the post for points, the Mocs offense found points from guards Keddric Mays, Ricky Hood and Casey Long and led by one at halftime.
"I felt good at the half because we were up by one and Alphonso hadn?t played yet," Shulman said. "I thought he would have a really good second half. I was going to motivate him by benching him and do all the coaching things. He still didn?t have a good second half."
Unless the Mocs get another 50-plus points from their guards, UTC will need Pugh?s offensive presence tonight against Elon.
"Chattanooga?s perimeter guys shot the ball exceptionally well," UNCG coach Mike Dement said. "We didn?t really expect that."
The Mocs (9-7, 1-1 SoCon) made 49.1 percent of their field goals against the Spartans with Hood and Long recording career highs in points.
"I was a little worried at half because I thought we were living off fool?s gold making seven 3s," Shulman said. "We had to make some shots and we were fortunate enough to do that."
The Mocs? offense usually relies on Pugh and other post players scoring in the post. On Saturday, UTC post players accounted for only 14 points.
"Last year, if we didn?t bring it inside, we wouldn?t win," Shulman said. "This was a very losable game. This probably should be a loss for us."
The Mocs can move into a tie for first place in the North division with a win tonight over the Phoenix (5-9, 2-0) which won at Clemson last week.
"Clemson looked like an NBA team in San Juan," Shulman said. "They?ll be ready to play."
