Common thread

The only common opponent between Mississippi Valley State and UCLA is Washington State, and things don't look too pretty at face value. The Bruins swept the Cougars, and MVSU lost 71-26 on Nov. 24.
But the Delta Devils were playing without two key players in the game. Starting center and leading rebounder Larry Cox was out because of a broken foot, and key reserve Chris Watson wasn't eligible until the second semester.
"That was early in the year, and we were trying to gel together and we didn't have our whole team,'' MVSU's Mike Davis said. "That made a big difference. We didn't have Chris Watson, and that hurt a lot. It means a lot to have all the guys together and on the same page with a common goal. We didn't put out the great effort. This shouldn't be that kind of game to blow us out that bad."