Now, style actually counts. That s progress. At the very least, the current product is entertaining and exciting, even in defeat. Expectations are already higher toward the end of coach Phil Rowe s second year, and that s encouraging news for Wildcat fans. Opposing coaches have been impressed by what they ve seen, including an unorthodox, uptempo style that includes constant pressure and wholesale substitution patterns in which everyone gets quality minutes, even though there is a method to Rowe s perceived madness.
Nobody presses after missed shots.
And few, if any, teams start five players who average 16 points per game combined as UNH has done this season, much to the amusement, but lately chagrin, of the opposition. Rowe developed the new system out of disgust and desperation after a particularly disturbing loss at Harvard in which the Wildcats trailed 51-19 to a decent, but certainly not elite Crimson club. They say you have to hit rock bottom before you start to get better. UNH played Harvard even in the second half, then won two of its next three games. The Wildcats have now won two of their last three.