The Salukis looked sleepy at times in a lackluster performance, falling behind by 17 points, and they were never able to get all the way back in this game.
The big men did not play well at all. Boyle was limited to 15 minutes due to foul trouble (I'm thinking of copying that phrase to my clipboard so I don't have to re-type it in every post). Booker looked completely lost on offense, which is puzzling considering his level of ability.
Carlton Fay went quiet in the second half, scoring just one field goal, and that came when the contest was already out of reach. Fay could get away with tentative play last season, but this year the Salukis are actually running plays for him, and he has to be willing to shoot the ball at all times.
Speaking of disappearing acts, where was Wesley Clemmons in this game? Ryan Hare could very well take his spot in the starting lineup when the Salukis play St. Louis next Tuesday.
Still, the Saluki put up 70 points behind Ryan Hare's career and team high 16. Outside of Hare, there was not a lot of bright spots in the guard play, either. Western Kentucky basically got whatever kind of shot they wanted, shooting nearly 50% from the field.
Bottom line - the Salukis are way too talented to fall behind by 17 at any point vs. a rebuilding Western Ky squad. Defensive breakdowns are the reason for the loss. Scoring 70 points should be enough to get a win, but that was not the case tonight.
This will probably not be the last tough road loss these young Salukis suffer, but they have to understand that playing a fairly close game against Duke and UCLA doesn't mean you're going to automatically dominate less talented teams.
