2008 Woodie Awards
Men battle fatigue after OT road win
Christopher Smith
Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: Sports
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So why, as Samford prepares for the final two regular-season OVC games in school history, is Tillette cutting practice short?
Maybe it’s the 27 games. Maybe it’s the well-documented injuries. Maybe it’s the significance of two games that could leave the Bulldogs out of the postseason tournament or hosting a home game.
For whatever combination of reasons, Tillette wants his players’ charges prepared.
“Really, it’s an attitude this time of year. Everybody’s fatigued; everybody’s beat up,” Tillette said. “Essentially, our focus is valuing this trip and understanding the necessity of being as fresh as we can mentally.”
Normal practice runs two hours, but the team wrapped up 30 minutes early on Monday.
Freshman guard Josh Bedwell’s ankle has regressed, limiting his playing time as the injury problem persists.
Samford is left running its starters ragged. Jim Griffin was the only Bulldog to play double-digit minutes off the bench in Saturday’s 73-70 overtime victory over Louisiana Tech.
“It’s not like they get a rep off even in practice, so you’ve got to shorten it,” Tillette said.
“There’s kind of a middle ground there. It’s a sweet spot. You’ve got to get something accomplished, but you just can’t keep guys out there so long.”
Despite fewer bodies, Samford is a bizarre late-game collapse away from winning five of their last six ballgames.
Tillette speculates fatigue had something to do with the disconcerting 64-58 home loss to Morehead State.
After playing 11 OVC games in the month of January, the Bulldogs haven’t faced a conference foe since their 74-73 win over Eastern Kentucky Feb. 16, which has allowed the team to rejuvenate.
At 13-14, 9-9 in the OVC, wins at Southeast Missouri on Thursday and Eastern Illinois on Saturday would help Tillette avoid his first losing season since 2003-2004.
A win in either contest, or a Jacksonville State victory over Southeast Missouri on Saturday, would guarantee Samford a spot in the OVC Tournament.
Samford faces lengthy bus rides both Thursday and Saturday, driving to Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Charleston, Ill., but has a realistic shot at winning both games. SEMO (12-17, 7-11 OVC) has lost 12 of their last 13 ballgames, and Eastern Illinois (5-22, 4-14) sits in last place in the conference standings.
Samford is 7-7 at home this season and 6-7 on the road.
“We’ve competed well on the road this year. This being a normal year at home, maybe without the transition (to the new facility), maybe we could be playing for first place, but that’s just not the case,” Tillette said. “This is where we find ourselves, so hopefully we’ll continue to play well on the road.”
Tillette expects the games to be competitive with SEMO fighting for its tournament life and Eastern Illinois celebrating its five senior players’ careers.
Samford’s own senior, Travis Peterson, will aim to continue his dominance. Peterson has averaged 19 points a game since failing to score at Murray State Jan. 29. He dished out eight assists and sunk the game-winning 3-point shot against Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
Thursday’s game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., and Saturday’s is set to tip off at 7 p.m.
“The games are going to be difficult; they’re going to be competitive,” Tillette said. “It’s just seeing where we are at the end of these two games and taking it from there.”
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