In case you aren't aware, what could be the most entertaining game of the Big Sky season will be going down on Saturday night in Moscow, as Eastern Washington will travel to take on Idaho. Both teams are 2-0, but it will be a fun game even more so because both teams have been great offensively, and both play at a fast, fun to watch pace.
Eastern Washington has scored 1.11 PPP against DI opponents this year, which is 22nd in the nation, and first in the Big Sky. Idaho has scored 1.07 PPP against DI opponents this year, which is 55th in the country and second in the Big Sky.
Idaho games average 69.8 possessions per game, the 27th fastest pace in the country. EWU is not far behind at 68.3 possessions per game, 59th in the nation.
In short, this game's over/under would probably have to be at around the 170 mark before you would think about taking the under. KenPom projects an 86-83 EWU win, which, as you might guess, is a lot of points.
One key to the game could be the health of Drew Brandon, who played only seven minutes last week and has been battling back spasms all year. Idaho has their own excellent PG in senior Mike Scott, so the Eagles really need Brandon's distribution and rebounding ability.
The other key will be how they should the ball from outside... both teams can fill it up from deep, with EWU especially relying on the long ball. The Vandals will need to guard Tyler Harvey closely basically as soon as he crosses midcourt. On the other side, Connor Hill has been on fire the last few weeks for Idaho.
The game is at 8:05 on Saturday, and should be a great one. Besides, what else is there to do on a Saturday night?
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Showing posts with label Mike Scott. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mike Scott. Show all posts
Friday, January 9, 2015
Monday, October 6, 2014
Idaho Outlook
It's time to get ready for the Big Sky season again with some overviews of each team this month, and then eventually we'll get into more detailed looks at everything. Today we'll look at the newcomer in the conference, as Idaho re-joins the Big Sky.
What They Lost: The biggest loss looks to be wing man Stephen Madison, who did a little bit of everything for the Vandals last season. He was the focal point of the offense, with a usage rate of 29.8%, getting to the line frequently while also shooting 33% from downtown. He also grabbed 19.2% of defensive rebounds, and will be tough to replace. Their other big loss will be a name familiar to Big Sky followers - Glen Dean, who began his career at Eastern Washington. Dean was a good ballhandler and distributor for them last season.
Who Returns: Conner Hill is the leading returning scorer, as he averaged 14.2 PPG last year, shooting 41% from downtown on plenty of attempts. He will stretch defenses, as they will need to account for him at all times. Mike Scott will be the lead guard, as the senior posted a 22.4 Assist Rate versus a solid 13.7 TO rate.
One more of note is Sekou Wiggs, who had a nice debut season for Idaho. He was third on the team in scoring and rebounding last year, and drew fouls at a great rate (26th highest in the country). If his jumpshot improves, he can be a star for Idaho with his ability to create shots. Big men Ty Egbert (12 MPG as a freshman) and Bira Seck (a solid rebounder) will be counted on in the frontcourt.
Newcomers: Jordan Scott redshirted last season, but could be in for minutes at forward after averaging 18 and 10 as a senior in high school in Colorado Springs, where his team won back-to-back titles. He looks like a nice piece for them. Nate Sherwood is another guy that could play in the froncourt, after averaging a double-double with three blocks last year . His brother Chad Sherwood is also on the team. I am unsure the competition level, but 6'7'' F Arkadiy Mkrtychyan averaged a healthy 26.4 PPG, 14 RPG, 6 APG, and 4 BPG last year, which are big time numbers no matter what. They also bring in guard Jake Straughan, who is a good all-around athlete who had a decorated college career.
A final guy that should make an impact right away is JUCO forward Nahshon George, who averaged 17 and 13 last year for Shoreline CC in Washington last season. They should have no shortage of talented guys around, it's just a matter of getting them all experience and seeing who is ready to play.
General Outlook: Idaho has the look of a team that will be able to put points on the board, with Hill one of the best shooters in the Big Sky and some talent around him. As with many teams in the Big Sky, the key will be how well they stop other teams from scoring. They allowed 1.12 PPP last year, which is not a good mark. It's tougher to get a full read on their talent (though for what it's worth, they beat Idaho State and Portland State last year, and lost twice to Montana), but I have them battling for a playoff spot.
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What They Lost: The biggest loss looks to be wing man Stephen Madison, who did a little bit of everything for the Vandals last season. He was the focal point of the offense, with a usage rate of 29.8%, getting to the line frequently while also shooting 33% from downtown. He also grabbed 19.2% of defensive rebounds, and will be tough to replace. Their other big loss will be a name familiar to Big Sky followers - Glen Dean, who began his career at Eastern Washington. Dean was a good ballhandler and distributor for them last season.
Who Returns: Conner Hill is the leading returning scorer, as he averaged 14.2 PPG last year, shooting 41% from downtown on plenty of attempts. He will stretch defenses, as they will need to account for him at all times. Mike Scott will be the lead guard, as the senior posted a 22.4 Assist Rate versus a solid 13.7 TO rate.
One more of note is Sekou Wiggs, who had a nice debut season for Idaho. He was third on the team in scoring and rebounding last year, and drew fouls at a great rate (26th highest in the country). If his jumpshot improves, he can be a star for Idaho with his ability to create shots. Big men Ty Egbert (12 MPG as a freshman) and Bira Seck (a solid rebounder) will be counted on in the frontcourt.
Newcomers: Jordan Scott redshirted last season, but could be in for minutes at forward after averaging 18 and 10 as a senior in high school in Colorado Springs, where his team won back-to-back titles. He looks like a nice piece for them. Nate Sherwood is another guy that could play in the froncourt, after averaging a double-double with three blocks last year . His brother Chad Sherwood is also on the team. I am unsure the competition level, but 6'7'' F Arkadiy Mkrtychyan averaged a healthy 26.4 PPG, 14 RPG, 6 APG, and 4 BPG last year, which are big time numbers no matter what. They also bring in guard Jake Straughan, who is a good all-around athlete who had a decorated college career.
A final guy that should make an impact right away is JUCO forward Nahshon George, who averaged 17 and 13 last year for Shoreline CC in Washington last season. They should have no shortage of talented guys around, it's just a matter of getting them all experience and seeing who is ready to play.
General Outlook: Idaho has the look of a team that will be able to put points on the board, with Hill one of the best shooters in the Big Sky and some talent around him. As with many teams in the Big Sky, the key will be how well they stop other teams from scoring. They allowed 1.12 PPP last year, which is not a good mark. It's tougher to get a full read on their talent (though for what it's worth, they beat Idaho State and Portland State last year, and lost twice to Montana), but I have them battling for a playoff spot.
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
Friday, April 11, 2014
Idaho Primer
As you are most likely aware, Idaho will be joining the Big Sky next season. If you are like me, you don't really know all that much about Idaho. They made it to the WAC title game, we know that much, but what else should we know about their team next season?
(Note: I'm just going through their roster. I will be the first to admit I may have something wrong, or there may be something I don't know. This is just meant to be a quick look at what they might look like next season.)
Last season, they finished 16-18, 7-9 in the WAC. Their strength was offense (so they will fit right into the Big Sky!), as they scored 1.05 PPP (154th in the country(, while allowing 1.12 PPP (312th in the country). The previous year, they scored 1.08 PPP (57th), and allowed 1.12 PPP (337th). They play at a relatively high pace - their tempo would have been the third fastest in the Big Sky after Eastern Washington and North Dakota.
Based on minutes played, they lose two of their top six players, including former Big Sky member Glen Dean, and Stephen Madison. Dean averaged 9.0 points and 2.4 assists, while Madison led the team at 20.1 points per game and 7.6 rebounds. So those are big losses, but there still should be some good returning talent on hand.
The leading scorer will likely be guard Connor Hill, who averaged 14.2 PPG this past season. He shot 41% on threes last season, while taking over seven of them per game. He shot 234 threes vs 127 twos, though that ratio is a good thing when you are shooting such a solid percentage. He doesn't grab many rebounds or create shots for others, but he doesn't turn the ball over either.
Getting him the ball will be the job of Mike Scott, who will also be a senior. He is an average scorer, but he had a nice 22.4 Assist Rate vs just a 13.7 TO Rate. He has the chance to be a good lead guard for the Vandals. Another guy that shows promise is guard Sekou Wiggs. As a freshman last season, he was third on the team in scoring, and third in rebounding. He doesn't have much of an outside shot yet, but he is relentless attacking the rim, and was 26th in the country in the rate of fouls that he drew. He shot 66% from the stripe, and if he can boost that up a little bit, he can be a big-time scorer for the Vandals this season.
A couple others guys to touch on is big man Ty Egbert, who was also solid as a freshman. He played 12 minutes a game, but showed flashes of being a good contributor. He shot 59% on his limited attempts (though he was awful at the FT line). Joining him up front could be Bira Seck, an excellent rebounder that snagged 11.1% of offensive rebounds and 19.2% of defensive rebounds.
As I look into the recruiting class for the teams, I will research more on them, but this was a quick look at their roster. Would appreciate any insight from those that are a bit more knowledgeable about the Vandals.
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
(Note: I'm just going through their roster. I will be the first to admit I may have something wrong, or there may be something I don't know. This is just meant to be a quick look at what they might look like next season.)
Last season, they finished 16-18, 7-9 in the WAC. Their strength was offense (so they will fit right into the Big Sky!), as they scored 1.05 PPP (154th in the country(, while allowing 1.12 PPP (312th in the country). The previous year, they scored 1.08 PPP (57th), and allowed 1.12 PPP (337th). They play at a relatively high pace - their tempo would have been the third fastest in the Big Sky after Eastern Washington and North Dakota.
Based on minutes played, they lose two of their top six players, including former Big Sky member Glen Dean, and Stephen Madison. Dean averaged 9.0 points and 2.4 assists, while Madison led the team at 20.1 points per game and 7.6 rebounds. So those are big losses, but there still should be some good returning talent on hand.
The leading scorer will likely be guard Connor Hill, who averaged 14.2 PPG this past season. He shot 41% on threes last season, while taking over seven of them per game. He shot 234 threes vs 127 twos, though that ratio is a good thing when you are shooting such a solid percentage. He doesn't grab many rebounds or create shots for others, but he doesn't turn the ball over either.
Getting him the ball will be the job of Mike Scott, who will also be a senior. He is an average scorer, but he had a nice 22.4 Assist Rate vs just a 13.7 TO Rate. He has the chance to be a good lead guard for the Vandals. Another guy that shows promise is guard Sekou Wiggs. As a freshman last season, he was third on the team in scoring, and third in rebounding. He doesn't have much of an outside shot yet, but he is relentless attacking the rim, and was 26th in the country in the rate of fouls that he drew. He shot 66% from the stripe, and if he can boost that up a little bit, he can be a big-time scorer for the Vandals this season.
A couple others guys to touch on is big man Ty Egbert, who was also solid as a freshman. He played 12 minutes a game, but showed flashes of being a good contributor. He shot 59% on his limited attempts (though he was awful at the FT line). Joining him up front could be Bira Seck, an excellent rebounder that snagged 11.1% of offensive rebounds and 19.2% of defensive rebounds.
As I look into the recruiting class for the teams, I will research more on them, but this was a quick look at their roster. Would appreciate any insight from those that are a bit more knowledgeable about the Vandals.
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
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