March 9, 2004
FRESNO, Calif. - Louisiana Tech isn't exactly heading into the Western Athletic Conference Tournament on a roll.
The Bulldogs, the tournament's No. 7 seed, enter tonight's first-round game against No. 10 San Jose State as losers of three of their last four games and possibly without the services of starting forward Wayne Powell.
Still, that doesn't keep Tech (14-14, 8-10) from harboring thoughts of catching a groove at just the right time and turning the WAC Tournament upside down.
"This is a new season and I think we can beat anybody in this league when we come to play," junior guard Corey Dean said. "We're focused right now, even though we lost to Tulsa (on Saturday). We had the right mindset."
For most of the season, the Bulldogs' mindset has been one of ups and downs, and that trend continued on the final road trip of the season. Last Thursday Tech stunned No. 4 seed Rice 70-58, even without Powell, who injured his left knee early in the game. The Bulldogs followed that win with an 80-70 loss to No. 9 seed Tulsa.
"We're a team that has obviously played very well at times and beat some good people in the league and yet has lost to every other team in the league," Tech coach Keith Richard said. "So, we're really trying to see if we can't play our best that we have played at times, starting (tonight)."
A key statistic in Tech's roller-coaster ride has been its second-half defense. In the Bulldogs' eight WAC wins, they held opponents to 35 percent shooting in the second half. In the 10 losses, opponents are hitting 50 percent from the floor.
"It's been a problem all year," Dean said. "When we win, we hold a team down and shoot a good percentage ourselves. The good thing is that going into the tournament we're going to focus on defense for a full 40 minutes and give it all we have on both ends."
Tech will face a San Jose State team that was 6-22 overall and just 1-17 in league play. However, that lone victory was a 56-53 win over Tech on Feb. 14 in San Jose.
"(San Jose coach) Phil Johnson is one of the best strategists in the league," Richard said. "We have to be able to try and adjust to whatever it is they try to do to us."
In the loss to San Jose, the Spartans did a nice job on Tech center Paul Millsap, the WAC's Freshman of the Year and the nation's leading rebounder.
Millsap had just six points - his second-lowest output of the season - and 10 rebounds.
"We just came out lackadaisical," Millsap said. "You can't take no team lightly in this league. We know we've got to come out and play hard."
After injuring his knee against Rice, Powell was sent back to Ruston to receive treatment and did not go to Tulsa.
The 6-8 junior, who is averaging 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds, is questionable for the San Jose State game. If he plays, he will wear a knee brace.
"He's been an integral part of our team," Richard said. "We won that one night at Rice and it was a great win without him, but over the long haul it will be tough to do without him."
If Powell is unable to go, Richard could replace him with sophomore Jeremy Johnston or opt for a four-guard lineup that features Millsap in the middle and Donell Allick, JueMichael Young, Barry Thompson and Dean on the perimeter.
"If we have to go with four guards, we will have to adjust to that and double-team the posts some more," Dean said. "We're not going to take any setback. We're going into this with our hard hats on and with one goal, and that's to win every night."
FRESNO, Calif. - Louisiana Tech isn't exactly heading into the Western Athletic Conference Tournament on a roll.
The Bulldogs, the tournament's No. 7 seed, enter tonight's first-round game against No. 10 San Jose State as losers of three of their last four games and possibly without the services of starting forward Wayne Powell.
Still, that doesn't keep Tech (14-14, 8-10) from harboring thoughts of catching a groove at just the right time and turning the WAC Tournament upside down.
"This is a new season and I think we can beat anybody in this league when we come to play," junior guard Corey Dean said. "We're focused right now, even though we lost to Tulsa (on Saturday). We had the right mindset."
For most of the season, the Bulldogs' mindset has been one of ups and downs, and that trend continued on the final road trip of the season. Last Thursday Tech stunned No. 4 seed Rice 70-58, even without Powell, who injured his left knee early in the game. The Bulldogs followed that win with an 80-70 loss to No. 9 seed Tulsa.
"We're a team that has obviously played very well at times and beat some good people in the league and yet has lost to every other team in the league," Tech coach Keith Richard said. "So, we're really trying to see if we can't play our best that we have played at times, starting (tonight)."
A key statistic in Tech's roller-coaster ride has been its second-half defense. In the Bulldogs' eight WAC wins, they held opponents to 35 percent shooting in the second half. In the 10 losses, opponents are hitting 50 percent from the floor.
"It's been a problem all year," Dean said. "When we win, we hold a team down and shoot a good percentage ourselves. The good thing is that going into the tournament we're going to focus on defense for a full 40 minutes and give it all we have on both ends."
Tech will face a San Jose State team that was 6-22 overall and just 1-17 in league play. However, that lone victory was a 56-53 win over Tech on Feb. 14 in San Jose.
"(San Jose coach) Phil Johnson is one of the best strategists in the league," Richard said. "We have to be able to try and adjust to whatever it is they try to do to us."
In the loss to San Jose, the Spartans did a nice job on Tech center Paul Millsap, the WAC's Freshman of the Year and the nation's leading rebounder.
Millsap had just six points - his second-lowest output of the season - and 10 rebounds.
"We just came out lackadaisical," Millsap said. "You can't take no team lightly in this league. We know we've got to come out and play hard."
After injuring his knee against Rice, Powell was sent back to Ruston to receive treatment and did not go to Tulsa.
The 6-8 junior, who is averaging 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds, is questionable for the San Jose State game. If he plays, he will wear a knee brace.
"He's been an integral part of our team," Richard said. "We won that one night at Rice and it was a great win without him, but over the long haul it will be tough to do without him."
If Powell is unable to go, Richard could replace him with sophomore Jeremy Johnston or opt for a four-guard lineup that features Millsap in the middle and Donell Allick, JueMichael Young, Barry Thompson and Dean on the perimeter.
"If we have to go with four guards, we will have to adjust to that and double-team the posts some more," Dean said. "We're not going to take any setback. We're going into this with our hard hats on and with one goal, and that's to win every night."
