d-mac:
Perhaps York did not play its best game because King's had something to do with that. King's certainly did not play their best game either, and York gets credit for that as well. That is happens when good teams play each other - they make things more difficult and that is why a game like that is never easy.
The one thing nobody is mentioning here is that York made a strategic move in the second half which made a big difference in the game and that was to go with a smaller lineup. Despite York's big advantage in size, King's contolled the paint and thus the tempo of the game.
York's coach, to his credit, made the adjustment and went much smaller in the second half and that additional quickness and athleticsm affected the game right from the first possession of the second half.
King's did get tired. They were a step slower defensively and many shots were banging off the front of the rim. York's increased pace contributed to King's fatigue and all the credit goes to York, especially their coach who made an adjustment which worked well.
I thought York was an excellent team and was VERY impressed in seeng them againt WPI Friday night. They play very well as a team and like King's, are extremely unselfish. It was good to watch two teams play selfless basketball. I think York was a tad deeper on the bench and that factored in as well. King's played their hearts out and left nothing on the floor, its wasn't enough and that is part of the game.
Naismith, I thought Soboleski played very well against York, posting 13 points and eight rebounds with two blocks. He may have had his best game againt Ramapo, but his play against York was one of the reasons the Spartans went small in the second half.