Our Seniors Are the Silver Lining of This Cloud
10:15 A.M. FRIDAY, FEB. 6, 2009
JUSTIN CANGE

Alright, so two weeks back we seized up the next four game `gauntlet' facing this team and made the all-too-common prognosis that this stretch is "big."

The last four outings did not go as planed, hoped or even close to as expected.

Two losses at home, two thumpings on the road and we now find our team fighting for their NCAA-tourney lives.

Newsflash: There's plenty of basketball left to be played. In fact, half the conference season, to be exact. BU hoops must now take a page from (gasp) BU football (this season at least) and actually IMPROVE as the season goes on.

While the Bears proved that they have plenty of work to do before they can realistically considered "heavyweights" in the Big 12, the conference has become quite top-heavy. Simply put, if they win the games we all think they should, a top four seed in the conference tournament is very achievable. For a league likely to get five or six teams in the big dance, that'll be just fine.

But back to the point, what, exactly, has happened to this team?

Thankfully, `Cuttin In Line' was created for the true savants of college hoops and I will, with pinpoint accuracy, dissect the most pressing flaw of this team.

We need a spark.

There you have it.

Yeah, our team's got quite possibly the best sixth-man in the conference, if not the nation in LaceDarius (as noted by ESPN's Ron Franklin Monday night) coming off the bench, but its obvious we need a little something more.

Am I the only one that's noticed this team is playing with a little less "fire in the belly" than we're accustomed to?

Case in point, Monday night. Kansas had slowly begun extending their lead in the second half. The crowd was becoming restless as the Jayhawks seemed to score each and every field goal from no more than five feet from the hoop. On the other end of the floor, Kevin Rogers answered with a gritty play inside, drew contact and had the chance for a three point play following the media timeout.

Rogers rarely shows much emotion on the court and while I'm usually cool with our players showing composure and a "cool under fire" look about them, this was not the time to mellow.

I guess I was hoping for a Kevin Garnett-like primal scream from Kevin. Ya know, pump up the crowd with a few Hulk Hogan antics. Heck, head over to the bear pit and head-butt a few underclassmen. This, by rule, is par for the course for a team playing at home, on national TV and with its back against the wall.

Following the timeout, Rogers missed the free throw that would have completed the three-point play, KU answered with consecutive baskets and the Ferrell Center faithful seemed to collectively sit back down on their hands.

The team is obviously pressing. They're certainly no happier about the events of the past four games than any of us. They know they're better than this. They know they're capable of beating a younger Texas team, a Missouri team they essentially all beat as juniors last year, and the Kansas team that uncharacteristically came into Waco just barely in the top 25.

Nor does the blame fall on Coach Drew, in my opinion. I was within earshot of our bench Saturday in Columbia. When it was time to give the refs a piece of his mind, Drew did. When it was time to call out a lack of hustle in the huddle, Drew pointed his fingers at the right guys.

In fact, Saturday's game at Mizzou played out a lot like Monday's loss. Baylor hung tough, narrowed the deficit to one field goal multiple times, but just couldn't get over the hump and settle in to a point where we could play comfortably with the lead.

Thankfully, this team has had a few days to flush out the recent losses. I'm sure the team needed the rest just as much as it needed the mental health "timeout" before entering the second half of conference play.

Saturday's game against Tech in Lubbock will, once again, be a great measuring stick of this team's gumption, grit and perseverance. It's time for the seniors, who have been through more than enough trials and tribulations with this program, to once again show some mettle. It's time for them to answer the call, win some games and get back their swagger. Now.

It's no secret that this team goes as Curtis Jerrells goes. He's the heart and soul of this team; it's time for him to prove exactly this.

That's the beauty of a senior-led team. There's nothing these guys haven't seen before...even a four game skid this deep into the season.