Saturday, March 14, 2009

Pacific ends the 'Niners NCAA hopes

Long Beach State fell to Pacific late Friday night in Anaheim 65-60, ending their bid to win the Big West and earn a spot in next week's NCAA Tournament.

It was a bitter departure for a team that exceeded all the expectations of outsiders but within its own confines struggled with consistency and ultimately fell short.

It's easy to say and hard to swallow but the best really is yet to come for LBSU under Dan Monson and with the three T-L-C starters returning there won't be a lot of holes to fill.

They desperately need a big man. A guy that can rebound and block shots. That can clog up the middle and keep other teams from penetrating and finishing. He doesn't need to be a scoring machine, just a threat.

Time will tell if 7'2" Mike Vantrimpont can be that guy but that is the kind of player they need to put them over the top.

All in all it was a big leap in year two.

The jump from six wins to fifteen, from doormat to formidable happened quickly and the next step should be just as swift and just as sweet.

Good luck in the future boys and go Beach!

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