After dominating during the regular season, the Saginaw Valley men’s basketball team looks to do the same in the GLIAC tournament.
The Cardinals’ 22-6 record was good enough to give them the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage in the tournament.
However, coach Randy Baruth said his team needs to play better than it did down the stretch in order to be successful.
“It was not our goal to simply have a winning season,” Baruth said. “I am not really excited about being the No. 1 seed; a couple days ago (it) was good, but we have to start playing better basketball, that’s for sure.
“Defensively, this year we have been playing very well,” Baruth added. “The three things we need to do to be successful in this tournament are to guard the ball, guard the ball and guard the ball.”
Senior guard Damon Bozeman said the team will have success if it plays as a cohesive unit.
“Just doing the little things our coach has always talked about is what got us to this position,” Bozeman said. “As long as we play together, and play as a family, the sky is the limit for us.”
This year’s team has bought into what Baruth has sold this year, with everyone on the team playing an important part.
“We have a group of guys that believe in one another, and we’ve just so happened to be winning,” said senior guard Sterling Johnson. “Everyone knows their role, and we’ve bought it into coach Baruth’s system since day one, and that has made all the difference.”
Johnson added that Baruth has done a good job of humbling his players, and that the team understands that being the No. 1 seed isn’t good enough.
“Knowing all of the hard work we put in, being the No.1 seed definitely is an achievement,” Johnson said. “But our goal at this point is to win the GLIAC tournament championship, and that is our main focus this week.
“(The team needs) consistency, solid defense and (to be) the tougher team,” he added. “If we do these three things, we will have a great shot at winning the GLIAC tournament championship.”
SVSU will host No. 8 Walsh College in the GLIAC Tournament quarterfinals at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 1.
The Cardinals faced Walsh once this season, defeating the Cavaliers 94-89.
