Wild American Gooner

When Sports Are More Than Just Sports


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Davidson Finds a Way to Get by UMass

(Written for The Davidsonian in my capacity as sports editor. I will post everything I write on this blog as well as on Davidsonian.com)

Not playing their best on the road against tough Atlantic 10 competition, Davidson found another gear in the final minutes with their backs against the wall. Down 59-57 with under four to play, The Wildcats used a late run to beat UMass 71-63 in Amherst to improve to 12-3, and 3-1 in the A-10.

A lot didn’t go Davidson’s way tonight. The Wildcats shot only 41.3% from the field in one of its worst offensive performances of the year. They made just 7 of 29 from deep and also committed an uncharacteristic amount of turnovers in the halfcourt. Jack Gibbs ’17 was suffering from strep throat. And the Minutemen had a huge advantage in height, which led to 13 offensive rebounds and a 41-36 rebounding advantage.

Yet despite all that, it was Davidson that left the court looking like a true contender. Coach Bob McKillop elected to go small in the final minutes, with Davidson trailing by a couple points. The lineup had 6′ 7” Peyton Aldridge ’18 at the five and 6’4” Jordan Barham ’16 at the four. The captain trio of guards, Gibbs, Tyler Kalinoski ’15 and Brian Sullivan ’16, rounded out the group. These five went to a 1-3-1 defensively and helped limit UMass, who also struggled shooting all game as well. Whenever UMass got an offensive board, one of the Wildcats was in there to strip it and go the other way. One crucial play came when Kalinoski got a strip and drove the length of the court for an and-1 that gave Davidson a four-point lead with just 3:17 to play.

That lineup also hit the offensive glass hard in the final minutes, and bought extra shots and precious time off the clock with hard-fought boards. Kalinoski had two such rebounds in the final three minutes. UMass didn’t have an answer for this last bit of pressure, and gave up with 28 seconds to play, down only 8 because of Davidson’s free-throw shooting abilities. Rarely do you see a newcomer given that much respect.

Davidson had a balanced scoring attack tonight. Sullivan led the way with 14 points, the lowest amount scored by a Davidson leading scorer in a game this year. But Gibbs, Aldridge and Kalinoski each had 13. Aldridge added nine rebounds and three blocks, while Kalinoski added six assists and five steals.

McKillop will see this game for what it was – a mid-week, on the road, grind-it-out type game. With Gibbs not at his best due to illness, it was always going to be a tough matchup. But McKillop will be tremendously happy to return to Davidson with a victory. Today was the first game since UVA when Davidson’s lack of size hurt, but it was notable that Aldridge stepped up, and others chipped in to help defensively. Davidson continues to show that they are making a serious challenge for an at-large bid this year, and today’s road win is a big step towards that goal.

Up next is another tough road trip on Saturday, this time to Richmond. It will be a match-up of severely contrasting styles of play.


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Wildcats Throttle Saint Louis in Convincing Rout

(Written for The Davidsonian in my capacity as sports editor. I will post everything I write on this blog as well as on Davidsonian.com)

Coming off a tough loss on the road at #20 VCU, Davidson bounced back nicely with a statement 89-54 win over Saint Louis (8-8, 0-3 in A-10) at Belk Arena. The win puts Davidson at 11-3, but more importantly, 2-1 in the Atlantic 10. Davidson led by as many as 38 points late in the second half.

Jordan Barham ’16 (career-high 21 points, 9 rebounds) had the ball in his hands a couple of steps behind the three-point line with 10:30 left in the game. Despite having taken only two threes all year, Barham elected to shoot. As many in the crowd cringed, the ball dropped through the net and Davidson led 66-38. Barham would knock down another triple a few minutes later. It was that type of game for the Wildcats, a game in which little seemed to go wrong.

“When [Barham] comes to play, he’s a huge spark for us,” captain Tyler Kalinoski ’15 said of his fellow guard after the game, “He’s the most athletic guy on the team. He can do so much for us defensively, rebounding wise and offensively, he creates mismatches. When he’s there for forty minutes, our team can sometimes be unstoppable.”

Battling against a Saint Louis defense that likes to limit possessions and force turnovers, Davidson controlled the pace from the opening tip, pushing the ball up the court at every opportunity. Jack Gibbs ’17 and Kalinoski carved through the lane with ease in the half court and found shooters and cutters all over the court. Davidson shot 55.2% overall and 54.5% from deep, besting their mark of 11.2 a game, which ranks second in the nation, with 12 threes today.

Gibbs was relatively quiet on the offensive end in the first half, taking only three shots, but he asserted himself in the second. In addition to his expert passing and vision that continues to lead to open looks for teammates, Gibbs showed off his ability to score off the dribble. Between his floaters and pull-up threes, Gibbs has developed an impressive offensive arsenal. Yet again, Gibbs didn’t turn the ball over despite having it in his hands possession after possession. He finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 0 turnovers.

Kalinoski continued to do a little bit of everything on both ends of the court, finishing with 11 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. With a transition three midway through the first half, Tyler Kalinoski became the 46th member of the 1,000 point club in Davidson basketball history.

The Wildcats were on fire early, leading 15-4 at the first media timeout behind three Brian Sullivan ’16 triples in the opening three and a half minutes. From there, Davidson used a 26-10 run to stretch the lead to 19 with five minutes left in the first half. But Davidson began to cool off late in the half. And the Billikens used an 11-2 run to cut Davidson’s lead to only 14 at the break.

For Sullivan, who’d been shooting the worst percentages of his career this year, the opening stretch of 14 minutes was one to remember. Sullivan made his first six shots overall, including four threes on his way to scoring 18 points in that stretch. He wouldn’t score the rest of the game, but those opening minutes set the tone for Davidson’s rout.

Saint Louis’s Malik Yarbrough, who came into the game leading the Atlantic 10 in points per game during league play at 22.5, was quiet for the start of the game, but asserted himself against Davidson’s inexperienced post players as the game wore on. Yarbrough finished with 18 points on 7-11 shooting in 26 minutes.

The Billikens struggled offensively when the ball wasn’t in Yarbrough’s hands, missing their first seven three-pointers and 16 of 19 overall.  They turned the ball over 9 times, and shot only 13-28 from the free-throw line. For a team that likes to get to the line as much as they do, their abysmal shooting from the charity stripe is almost comical.

The two-time reigning Atlantic 10 regular season champion Billikens lost all five of their starters to graduation this past year and have struggled as a result. They have made the 3rd round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons, but it appears 2014-2015 will be the year that ends the streak.

After three ineffective games since Jake Belford’s season-ending injury, Peyton Aldridge ’18 showed signs in the second half that this slump will be brief. He knocked down a couple of threes and fought down low, helping Davidson to a 40-28 advantage on the boards.

“If you ask in our locker-room [how the players feel about the 11-3 start],” said Coach Bob McKillop, “I think you’ll get the response that we’re right on target with where we need to be.”

Davidson travels north to UMass for a Wednesday night game before heading to Richmond on Saturday evening. The Wildcats return home Tuesday the 20th for Black-Out Belk against Dayton.

For continued Atlantic 10 coverage, follow me on Twitter (@Klaus_Faust).


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Davidson Hangs Tough Against #3 Virginia

(Written for The Davidsonian in my capacity as sports editor. I will post everything I write on this blog as well as on Davidsonian.com)

Davidson men’s basketball (9-2) fell on the road at #3 Virginia 83-72, but the Wildcats made a name for themselves with impressive guard play against the nation’s leading defense. Virginia trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half as Tyler Kalinoski ’14 and Jack Gibbs ’17 excelled for Davidson. But ultimately, it was Virginia’s offensive rebounding that gave them the advantage.

The Wildcats were without Jake Belford ’15 once again today, but after the game it was revealed that he didn’t miss the game with the foot injury that has plagued him this month. Instead, Coach Bob McKillop announced that the forward injured his knee in practice and will likely miss the rest of the season after surgery on a torn meniscus. Jordan Barham ’16 also missed the game due to a concussion.

Without Belford and Barham on the boards, Davidson had to use the inexperienced duo of Peyton Aldridge ’18 and Nathan Ekwu ’18 up front, where they were overmatched by a veteran Virginia core. Virginia, led by double-doubles from Anthony Gill (25 points, 13 rebounds) and Darion Atkins (13 points, 10 rebounds), grabbed 17 offensive rebounds against only 19 defensive rebounds for Davidson. The Cavaliers hit the boards hard, and time after time got second and third chances near the rim.

But for much of the game, the story was Davidson. The Wildcats, led by Gibbs (21 points, 4 assists) and Kalinoski (20 points, 7 rebounds) took a 29-17 lead behind hot shooting and clever offense. Gibbs carved apart the nation’s best defense at times, and continuously got teammates open looks. He shot the ball well from deep and showed off a nifty set of floaters. Gibbs also had only one turnover, despite playing 34 minutes. Gibbs, Kalinoski and their fellow captain Brian Sullivan ’16 combined for 11-19 shooting behind the arc.

Virginia made adjustments offensively in the closing stages of the first half and began attacking the interior of Davidson’s defense, and began inching back into the game. Davidson led 36-32 at halftime, but Virginia took the lead soon after the break as they gained momentum and picked up their intensity. Davidson kept the game close through hot shooting from Sullivan and Gibbs, tying the game at 55 with a corner three, but from there, the Cavaliers pulled away.

Many will say Davidson should be pleased with playing Virginia so close for so many minutes on their home floor, but Coach McKillop will see this game as having both positives and negatives. Davidson can take away that their offense is good enough to compete with anyone nationally, and I mean anyone. Gibbs, Kalinoski and Sullivan are all capable of being first-team all-conference in the A-10.

But today also served as a harsh reality check for life without Belford the rest of the way. Ekwu and Aldridge will have to mature quickly on the defensive end in conference play if Davidson wants to compete for a conference title. Andrew McAuliffe ’17 will need to step up too. He was as good as I’ve ever seen him on the offensive end, showing off some post moves, but he didn’t grab a single rebound in 16 minutes of action.

This team does many things as well as anyone, but they’ll need to figure out how to rebound defensively against bigger teams on the road.

Davidson opens Atlantic 10 play at home against Richmond Saturday night on NBCSN. For a preview of the conference season, check out my conference preview here.


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Atlantic 10 Conference Preview and Predictions

2013-2014 was a banner year for Atlantic 10 basketball. As many A-10 teams made it to the NCAA Tournament as ACC teams. But this year was always going to be a transition year for the conference. Non-conference play is now nearly over, and it has become evident that the conference is down significantly from the highs of a year ago. Teams top to bottom have struggled at various times throughout the year. But from the struggles, solid basketball teams are emerging as conference play is about to begin.

The A-10 won’t get six bids this year, but it can reasonably aim for three or four. There is tremendous parity among the middle eight or nine teams, so this should be a fun year. Here are my predictions for the order of finish in conference play this winter. All statistics are through December 28 and are from Kenpom.com.

14. Fordham (4-6).  Best Wins – None. Worst Losses – home vs. Maryland Eastern Shore, home vs. UMass-Lowell. Player to Watch – Eric Paschall (16.8 ppg) – the freshman scored 31 points in the season opener, but has since cooled down. He is a streaky shooter capable of catching fire. On the negative side, he turns the ball over at alarming rate (3.4 per game).

Fordham does little well on the court. They are subpar on offense and can’t play defense. Their relative inexperience is shown in their 339th national rank in turnovers. They shoot below 30% from three as a team, so they don’t have much chance to beat better teams that way. The one thing they do well is rebound the ball, as Ryan Rhoomes is one of the best offensive rebounders in the conference, although he can’t do anything else with the ball. Fordham will have to improve tremendously if they want to win more than one or two games.

13. Duquesne (4-6). Best Wins – None. Worst Losses – home vs. NJIT, home vs. Maryland Eastern Shore. Player to Watch – Jordan Stevens (12.5 ppg) – Stevens leads the Dukes in points despite playing only 22.4 minutes per game. His best game of the year came at Penn State. If given a bigger role, Stevens has a chance to blossom.

Duquesne has not beat anyone even remotely good in non-conference play, but they have kept a couple of games close against talented teams. They actually play a little defense, and are capable of shooting the three, which is why I put them ahead of Fordham, as they might win some games if they get hot. However, this team might be equally bad. They shoot a miserable 59.6% from the free throw line, good for 341st in the country. And they have no star players capable of leading the charge.

12. Saint Louis (8-4). Best Wins – home vs. Vermont. Worst Losses – home vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, home vs. South Dakota St. Player to Watch – Achraf Yacoubou (9.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg) – the transfer from Villanova is part of a balanced Billikens offense. Yacoubou likes the ball in his hands and has been putting the ball on the floor more this year to get to the basket. He’s no Jordair Jett, but he’s just about the best they’ve got.

The problem with starting five seniors one year is that you’re left with a lot to do the following year. Don’t be fooled by the wins in non-conference play, as Saint Louis has played one of the ten easiest schedules thus far. This team is young and lacks a true scorer. Not one player averages even 11 points per game. They do a tremendous job of getting to the free throw line, but they aren’t a particularly great shooting team from the stripe. Defensively, they’re solid, but where they will struggle is in the half-court offense. For a team used to success, Saint Louis will have a rough go of it this year. Jim Crews has a tough job.

11. St. Bonaventure (7-3). Best Wins – home vs. Buffalo. Worst Losses – home vs. Maryland Eastern Shore. Player to Watch – Youssou Ndoye (11.1 ppg, 11.3 rpg) – the senior center has taken a big leap this year and become a force on the glass. His defensive rebounding rate is 7th best in the nation. He has also begun to put things together on the offensive end, scoring 17 or more in three of his last six games.

This is where the parity begins. The Bonnies are by no means a bad team, as many saw in their run in the conference tournament last year. They might even reach seven or eight victories. But they have some holes that make me believe they’ll struggle at times. For one, while their interior defense is strong, they are dreadful at defending the three. They also rely solely on their starters, which means foul trouble or a single injury could prove problematic. Marcus Posley can score, Ndoye can rebound and defend, so they will be right there in many games. But I’m not sure freshman point guard Jaylen Adams (not to be confused with Jalen Adams, a redshirt freshman) is quite ready for big road tests. He can shoot, but can he make the right decisions in tough situations? (On a side note, Maryland Eastern Shore would do well to play A-10 teams all year.)

10. George Mason (5-6). Best Wins – home vs. Iona. Worst Losses – home vs. Cornell. Player to Watch – Shevon Thompson (12.7 ppg, 11.3 rpg) – the JuCo transfer from Jamaica has produced some massive double-doubles lately, including 29-10 and 24-14 games. He is a rebounding machine, and currently ranks second in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage.

George Mason has played a tough non-conference schedule and taken their licks. After the first week of December and a heartbreaking overtime loss to Northern Iowa, they sat at 2-6. But a recent win streak should give them some confidence going into A-10 play. They aren’t a great shooting team, but they do a good job of getting to the line. Their height, led by Thompson, will give a lot of teams big problems. This team can play. It’s just a question of whether or not they’ll be able to finish games.

9. St. Joseph’s (6-4).  Best Wins – home vs. Temple. Worst Losses – home vs. Fairleigh Dickinson. Player to Watch – DeAndre Bembry (14.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg) – Bembry is almost always on the court, taking a lot of shots. But he hasn’t found his shooting rhythm this year, seeing his percentages drop significantly from a year ago. His last couple games suggest a change in his fortunes might be coming though.

The Hawks are an interesting team. Between Bembry and Isaiah Miles, they certainly have the scoring ability. Their defense will be near the top of the A-10 too. And they’ve pulled out a lot of close games so far. But this team hasn’t shot the ball well at all, shooting only 25.2% from three as a team on the season and 62.3% from the free throw line. They’ve thrown two stinkers in their two biggest games against Gonzaga and Villanova, losing by a combined 80 points in the two games. So where will they land in conference play? I think somewhere in the middle. They’ve got the talent to beat anyone, but they lack the consistency to make a serious run.

8. La Salle (7-5). Best Wins – at Hofstra. Worst Losses – home vs. American. Player to Watch – Jordan Price (18.8 ppg) – the sophomore transfer from Auburn has lit it up, scoring upwards of 25 points four times, including in three straight late December contests. He lives at the free-throw line, and always will take the big shots.

Here’s where the teams really begin to bunch up. La Salle has played a lot of good teams close, and they’ve seen great competition, but they have come up short in every single one of those games. They just don’t have that killer instinct quite yet. However, they do a number of things well. As a team, they defend in the half-court better than almost everyone in the conference. They have some height across the board, and are a solid rebounding team. Price’s ability to score should keep them in many games. Expect them to get a couple of huge wins, but disappoint with more than their fair share of tight losses.

7. Dayton (9-2). Best Wins – neutral vs. Texas A&M, home vs. Georgia Tech. Worst Losses – none. Player to Watch – Jordan Sibert (15.3 ppg) – a major contributor in last year’s Elite 8 run, Sibert has had an up and down season so far. He’s great with the ball in his hands and brings a veteran presence to Dayton’s offense. He was terrific in the victory over Georgia Tech last week.

Were it not for the dismissal of Devon Scott and Jalen Robinson, the Flyers could have been an outside contender for the conference title. But the loss of the two forwards leaves Dayton in a bind, as they now have zero players taller than 6’6″ and a rotation of only seven players. I just don’t see that working out long term. They have a good offense and an even better pressure defense, but the lack of size will bite them in the foot against otherwise inferior teams like George Mason. Their schedule is set up for a great start, so don’t be surprised if Dayton is 5-0 heading into their trip to Davidson, but I don’t think they have the bodies to withstand the recent adversity all the way to March.

6. UMass (6-6). Best Wins – home vs. Northeastern. Worst Losses – home vs. Florida Gulf Coast. Player to Watch – Derrick Gordon (11.5 ppg) – Gordon earned the headlines by becoming the first openly gay college basketball player last spring. Big things were expected from him on the court this season. Gordon has been solid, but unspectacular. He’s been sharp with the ball, but hasn’t shot the ball well. For UMass to find success, Gordon needs to become a bigger part of the offense.

UMass had high expectations coming in to this season, but December has seen things fall apart for the Minutemen. A close loss to rival Harvard sent them into a skid in which they’ve lost five of six. They’re a great team in the half-court offense, but they have very little in the way of outside shooting, which has cost them. Cady Lalanne has been big down low in setting up their interior defense, but he’ll need to improve further on the offensive end in conference play. UMass has a tough January, so it’ll be interesting to see whether they can bounce back from this tough stretch quickly enough to get mentally ready for the conference grind. That being said, they are one of the most talented teams in the league, and have a higher ceiling than most. I can see them finishing anywhere from 3rd to 10th.

5. Richmond (7-6). Best Wins – home vs. William & Mary. Worst Losses – at James Madison. Player to Watch – Kendall Anthony (15.3 ppg) – the diminutive senior has maintained a steady level of production since freshman year. But now, more needs to be asked of Anthony. He’s been streaky from behind the arc so far, which has led to scattered performances. The Spiders need their senior guard to be a consistent scoring presence and a reliable ball handler.

Don’t expect to score more than 60 points against the Spiders this year. They play at a snail’s pace and buckle down on defense from the opening tip. They won’t blow by you or overpower you inside, but they will give you a game. Offensively, they do a good job of not turning the ball over, and they shoot a great percentage inside the arc. They have a lot of length, which could present problems for teams that like to put the ball on the floor. This team doesn’t have as high a ceiling as many across the A-10, but they will be a tough one to beat.

4. Davidson (9-1). Best Wins – home vs. Charlotte. Worst Losses – none. Player to Watch – Tyler Kalinoski (16.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.7 apg) – an outside conference player of the year candidate, Kalinoski is one of the nation’s most efficient guards. He is a lights out shooter, making 41.5% of his threes thus far, and he never turns the ball over. He’s patient on the break, and gets his teammates a lot of space by drawing extra defenders. He also has been a much better player in the second half of games – twice in early December he had 19 or more second half points – and has the clutch gene so many players lack.

Possibly the biggest joke of the A-10 year was the preseason placement of newcomer Davidson as 12th out of 14 teams. In their first year in the conference and without a veteran front court, many expected the Wildcats to struggle. But Bob McKillop’s team has breezed through their non-conference slate with the nation’s best scoring offense. This team does not turn the ball over and is full of players who can shoot from anywhere. Seven different players have scored at least 16 points in a game. Freshman forward Peyton Aldridge is proving to be a terrific addition, and a player not afraid of the big stage, as evidenced by his 25 point performance against UNC. Davidson may come to regret the easy non-conference schedule, as an at-large bid may be in play. Watch out for the Wildcats in March, as this team can not only shoot (17th best three point shooting team in the country), but they play defense and don’t give away any possessions.

3. Rhode Island (7-3). Best Wins – home vs. Nebraska. Worst Losses – none. Player to Watch – E.C. Matthews (17.7 ppg) – Matthews has scored in bunches when he’s caught fire this season. He’s the key to Rhode Island’s offense and a great shooter. The sophomore guard has shot the ball better than he did a year ago both within the arc and outside it, although he has been streaky from three.

Rhode Island will be squarely on the bubble all season. But I believe they will ultimately get in the Big Dance behind a stingy defense that ranks 25th best in the nation. Hassan Martin and Gilvydas Biruta lead a front line that is one of the toughest in the A-10 on both ends. And while Matthews provides the outside threat, his teammates do an excellent job of getting to the foul line. Together, they make for a dynamic group of players. A home game vs. VCU on January 13 will be a fantastic test of the Rams’ defense, so be on the lookout for that score as a way of determining just how far Rhode Island will go.

2. George Washington (9-3). Best Wins – neutral vs. Wichita State, neutral vs. Colorado. Worst Losses – none. Player to Watch – Yuta Watanabe (7.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg) – the freshman role player from Japan might seem a strange choice given his relatively low numbers, but he will be vital to the Colonels long term success. “The Chosen One,” as dubbed by The Japan Times, has the ability to stretch opposing defenses with the three-point shot, something none of his teammates do. He will be the necessary zone-buster in certain games. But Watanabe is also capable of putting the ball on the floor, so don’t be deceived into thinking he’s a one-way threat.

If I had to rank the best team in the conference at this moment, I’d put George Washington at the top. They’re an incredibly solid basketball team. They have a top-15 defense, which gives away very few easy buckets despite its propensity to force turnovers. And offensively, they’re balanced and efficient in the half-court. Kethan Savage and a few others showed in Hawaii that they’re capable of stepping up in the crucial moments, so beware the Colonels in March. With George Washington, you know what you’re going to get – 40 minutes of disciplined, well-coached basketball. But where they might struggle is against equally defensively minded teams that pack the interior.

1. VCU (9-3). Best Wins – home vs. Northern Iowa, neutral vs. Oregon. Worst Losses – at Old Dominion. Player to Watch – Treveon Graham (16.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg) – the senior has taken another step this year, improving his three point stroke and his ball-handling. VCU will go as Graham goes against top quality opposition, as he is one of the players capable of matching up with anyone across the nation.

VCU has played one of the toughest schedules in the country, and after falling to 5-3 with a loss at home to Virginia, there were some questions about whether this team would fail to reach their potential. But since that loss, VCU has won four straight, including grinding out an impressive double-overtime win over Northern Iowa. VCU is one of the nation’s best on both ends. They play fast, and as a result force turnovers on 25.6% of their opponent’s possessions, good for ninth in the country. Offensively, they’re as talented as anyone, and their veteran backcourt doesn’t turn the ball over. This team has not come close to reaching their ceiling, and for that reason I project them to finish ahead of George Washington. They can make a deep run in March.

Over the course of the conference season, I will provide updates and analysis periodically. Follow me on Twitter (@Klaus_Faust) for regular A-10 basketball coverage, and check back for write-ups of Davidson basketball games.


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State of Arsenal Heading Into the Festive Period

It feels like it’s been an awful long time since I’ve written anything about Arsenal. But that definitely hasn’t been because of a lack of things to write about. This season has produced intriguing match after intriguing match. And as Ian Darke would say, more than a million talking points. But by now, so many things have been written about Arsene Wenger or about the defensive frailties that nothing new can really be said. So I’ll steer clear of that for now.

There have been times this season – more than I’d care to admit – when I’ve been completely fed up with the Gunners. I’ve turned off games and I’ve stopped reading my usual slew of British tabloids to stay away from all the terrible aspects of what’s happened this season. I don’t need Michael Owen to tell me that Arsenal don’t look like a Top 4 side. I have eyes.

So considering the way Arsenal invited Liverpool on to score the late tying goal on Sunday, it might come off as odd for me to say this. But I’m really not all that worried about the season anymore. I’d even go so far as to say I’m cautiously optimistic heading into the festive period of games.

That optimism starts with the steady betterment of all of Arsenal’s ailing stars. Olivier Giroud is back and firing. The same goes for Mathieu Debuchy. Theo Walcott might be in the starting eleven on Boxing Day. Aaron Ramsey and Laurent Koscielny shouldn’t be out long. And most importantly, Mesut Özil will be back in training in no time.

There’s no way to get around the fact that Arsenal have been unproportionately hit by injuries this year. While there should have been more cover in certain areas, the simple fact of the matter is that Arsenal will be better off when these players return. Yes, Arsene Wenger messed up by not signing another defender in the summer, but that will soon be in the past.

Come January 1, the transfer market reopens and I think Wenger will be eager to open his checkbook for reinforcements. He more than anybody knows how weak Arsenal’s defensive spine is, and I’m confident he’ll spend. I don’t think he’ll bring in a superstar, but he doesn’t need to right now for Arsenal to succeed.

We’ve seen that we can’t rely on Mikel Arteta to be healthy at this stage in his career, and while Wenger might be slightly naïve in thinking Arteta is a strong enough defensive midfielder, he surely knows Mathieu Flamini must be no more than a squad player at this point in his career. Surely, he’ll buy in this area, as he won’t want to start Flamini for any prolonged period. And I think it’s a safe bet he’ll bring in another defender too.

But it isn’t just outside reinforcements that can be difference maker. I still think there is a lot of untapped potential in this side. I really want to see Lukas Podolski given a start in the next three games to see if he can start firing. Younger players like Joel Campbell and Francis Coquelin really haven’t been given a chance either, and I believe they might be more ready for primetime than Wenger thinks. Remember too that Tomas Rosicky has only played a bit part in this campaign. In recent years, he’s been Wenger’s go-to guy in the second half of the season and I don’t expect that to change.

Over the festive period, with four games crunched between now and early January, Wenger will have to rotate his team. I think that’ll ultimately be a good thing, as it will help other players like these ones find a rhythm. Arsenal can’t afford to drop too many points now, but the fixture list is relatively kind over the next couple weeks. Now is a time to begin making ground on the top four. I think Arsenal’s aim should be 10 points over the next four games, as ambitious as that sounds.

When the injuries piled up in September and October, it was always going to be a struggle to get through December. But we’re almost there. Things may not be perfect by any means, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Finishing in the top four is still realistic. And best of all, Monaco looms in the Champions League. Wouldn’t a trip to the quarterfinals or semifinals bring a nice surge of positivity to the Emirates?

As I’ve discussed with many of my fellow Arsenal fans, it’s been a rough few months to be an Arsenal fan. Aside from the brilliance of Alexis Sanchez and perhaps the emergence of Alex Oxlade-Chamerlain as a reliable midfielder, there hasn’t been much worth writing home about. In fact, I’d like to forget most of it. I really don’t care for watching Cesc Fabregas celebrate with Jose Mourinho, and the image of Bojan Krkic running right through Arsenal’s defense still haunts me in my sleep.

Maybe it’s the Christmas season that’s caused me to lose my recent dose of cynicism. But I’m genuinely looking forward to watching Arsenal play in the coming weeks. To see so many old faces return from injury. To see some new defensive-minded players arrive. To see players like Rosicky being given a chance. I think 2015 will be an exciting time to be a Gooner.

A Merry Christmas to everyone, and let’s celebrate Boxing Day with a victory.