For Christmas I am back home visiting family in North Dakota, so there probably won't be any more posts here until next week. However, the good news is that conference play is almost upon us! Thank goodness!
So, hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
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Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Monday, December 22, 2014
Looking at the Bottom Tier
So far this year, we have taken plenty of looks at Eastern Washington and what has made them the favorite, and we have also looked extensively at the middle tier of teams, but today let's took at the four who are presumed to be at the bottom right now.
- Idaho State sits at 3-8, after looking good in a neutral court OT loss to South Dakota State, a road loss to Utah State, and a neutral court loss to Cal State Bakersfield. So far this year they are tenth in the conference in offensive efficiency, but fourth defensively.
Their struggles on offense start with the fact that other than Chris Hansen, they don't have many guys shooting well from the outside. Against DI opponents, they have shot 26% from downtown, which ranks in the bottom 15 nationally. Hansen himself has struggle,d shooting just 29% after hitting 40% of his threes last year. That could be just a random fluke, but it could also be due to the fact that ISU doesn't really have a PG, which allows defense to key in on Hansen.
Jeff Solarin has been excellent again, and Nnamdi Ezenwa has given them good minutes, but they need to find someone other than Hansen that will draw the attention of defenses if they want to compete for a conference tournament spot.
- Montana State also sits at 3-8, and there have been some offensive bright spots in Brian Fish's first season. Junior guard Marcus Colbert has struggled with his shooting, but he is in the top 15 nationally in assist rate while also getting to the line. He is a keeper. Danny Robison has been very solid as well up front, showing a nice outside shot which wasn't there in the past. He is one of the most improved guys in the Big Sky.
To compete for a tournament spot, though, MSU needs to improve on the other end of the floor, where they are ninth in the Big Sky defensively. They haven't been able to force turnovers, but they are sending opponents to the foul line too much, so the aggression is not really paying off. DI teams have an effective FG% of 52.8% against them, which is not a good mark when you're not forcing turnovers. They have had good games on that end, but too many have been like their loss Saturday to Portland, where the Pilots made 23/40 twos and 10/20 threes, while turning it over just 10 times.
The Bobcats are probably a year away from contending for a conference tournament spot, but there are at least some good, positive things happening on the offensive side of the ball.
- North Dakota is 4-6, but two of the wins are against non-DI opponents. One of the best positives has been the play of senior guard Lenny Antwi. He didn't look like much of a Big Sky player his first three years, but he has been shooting the ball very well this year, hitting 12/26 threes. Elsewhere, they have a lot of guys in shooting slumps from the outside.
Estan Tyler made 43% of his triples as a sophomore at UMKC - he is 6/21 this year. Terrel de Rouen made 36% as a freshman at New Mexico State - he is 6/21 this year. Jaron Nash made 34% last year - he is 4/15 this year. Josiah Coleman came in as a guy that looked like he could do some things offensively - he is 3/18 from downtown and an abominable 10/41 FG overall. Some of these things should normalize and give UND a much better offense than they have shown so far.
Defensively, they still can't stop anyone in the paint. DI teams are shooting over 58% on two-point attempts against UND this year, a rank that is near the bottom of the NCAA. They don't really have a rim protector, and their perimeter defenders can't keep teams out of the lane. More than anything else, this will hold them back as we enter Big Sky play.
- Southern Utah is still at two wins, but as we've mentioned there are signs of life from their offense. AJ Hess continues to play great basketball, shooting the ball well while not turning it over. He has become more of a primary option which they desperately needed. SUU is shooting 40% from the outside against DI teams, a great mark and a huge sign that they will win some Big Sky games this year.
Defensively, however, they are a mess. Teams have been killing them from three, though that will hopefully normalize a bit. SUU hasn't forced turnovers, and as has been an issue for them the last few years, they send teams to the foul line way, way too much. They just can't seem to defend without fouling, and this is year three of what must be considered a trend.
Another issue is that Trey Kennedy, a guy that did some nice things as a true freshman playing a too-big role, has regressed this year. His turnovers are up, assists are done, and he doesn't seem to be getting any easy baskets. The Thunderbirds need these young guys to develop, and his sophomore season has not been promising so far.
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- Idaho State sits at 3-8, after looking good in a neutral court OT loss to South Dakota State, a road loss to Utah State, and a neutral court loss to Cal State Bakersfield. So far this year they are tenth in the conference in offensive efficiency, but fourth defensively.
Their struggles on offense start with the fact that other than Chris Hansen, they don't have many guys shooting well from the outside. Against DI opponents, they have shot 26% from downtown, which ranks in the bottom 15 nationally. Hansen himself has struggle,d shooting just 29% after hitting 40% of his threes last year. That could be just a random fluke, but it could also be due to the fact that ISU doesn't really have a PG, which allows defense to key in on Hansen.
Jeff Solarin has been excellent again, and Nnamdi Ezenwa has given them good minutes, but they need to find someone other than Hansen that will draw the attention of defenses if they want to compete for a conference tournament spot.
- Montana State also sits at 3-8, and there have been some offensive bright spots in Brian Fish's first season. Junior guard Marcus Colbert has struggled with his shooting, but he is in the top 15 nationally in assist rate while also getting to the line. He is a keeper. Danny Robison has been very solid as well up front, showing a nice outside shot which wasn't there in the past. He is one of the most improved guys in the Big Sky.
To compete for a tournament spot, though, MSU needs to improve on the other end of the floor, where they are ninth in the Big Sky defensively. They haven't been able to force turnovers, but they are sending opponents to the foul line too much, so the aggression is not really paying off. DI teams have an effective FG% of 52.8% against them, which is not a good mark when you're not forcing turnovers. They have had good games on that end, but too many have been like their loss Saturday to Portland, where the Pilots made 23/40 twos and 10/20 threes, while turning it over just 10 times.
The Bobcats are probably a year away from contending for a conference tournament spot, but there are at least some good, positive things happening on the offensive side of the ball.
- North Dakota is 4-6, but two of the wins are against non-DI opponents. One of the best positives has been the play of senior guard Lenny Antwi. He didn't look like much of a Big Sky player his first three years, but he has been shooting the ball very well this year, hitting 12/26 threes. Elsewhere, they have a lot of guys in shooting slumps from the outside.
Estan Tyler made 43% of his triples as a sophomore at UMKC - he is 6/21 this year. Terrel de Rouen made 36% as a freshman at New Mexico State - he is 6/21 this year. Jaron Nash made 34% last year - he is 4/15 this year. Josiah Coleman came in as a guy that looked like he could do some things offensively - he is 3/18 from downtown and an abominable 10/41 FG overall. Some of these things should normalize and give UND a much better offense than they have shown so far.
Defensively, they still can't stop anyone in the paint. DI teams are shooting over 58% on two-point attempts against UND this year, a rank that is near the bottom of the NCAA. They don't really have a rim protector, and their perimeter defenders can't keep teams out of the lane. More than anything else, this will hold them back as we enter Big Sky play.
- Southern Utah is still at two wins, but as we've mentioned there are signs of life from their offense. AJ Hess continues to play great basketball, shooting the ball well while not turning it over. He has become more of a primary option which they desperately needed. SUU is shooting 40% from the outside against DI teams, a great mark and a huge sign that they will win some Big Sky games this year.
Defensively, however, they are a mess. Teams have been killing them from three, though that will hopefully normalize a bit. SUU hasn't forced turnovers, and as has been an issue for them the last few years, they send teams to the foul line way, way too much. They just can't seem to defend without fouling, and this is year three of what must be considered a trend.
Another issue is that Trey Kennedy, a guy that did some nice things as a true freshman playing a too-big role, has regressed this year. His turnovers are up, assists are done, and he doesn't seem to be getting any easy baskets. The Thunderbirds need these young guys to develop, and his sophomore season has not been promising so far.
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Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Don't Sleep on Northern Arizona
Last year, Northern Arizona went 3-8 during non-conference play, and got very little attention heading into the conference season. I wrote that they might be better than we all thought, and they wound up finishing third in the Big Sky.
This year, they currently sit at 4-6, and while they aren't flying as far under the radar (in part because of their high finish last year), there hasn't been a lot of talk about them,. However, don't be surprised if they are contending for the Big Sky title.
For one, they can defend at a high level. They currently sit second in the Big Sky in defensive efficiency, just slightly behind Weber State. Last season, they finished second during Big Sky play in PPP allowed, so their past history shows they can be one of the best defensive teams in the conference, if not the best. In a league where teams struggle to get stops, that can set them apart.
A season ago, their biggest flaw was that teams shot the three ball very well against them, which is the opposite of what has happened so far this year. Though that is sure to regress to the mean, they have forced turnovers well, and have good defenders on the perimeter and inside.
The offense has struggled this year, but there are signs that might be turning around. Sophomore guard Kris Yanku has re-joined the starting lineup the past two games, and played well. They have a lot of guys that shoot the ball well on the outside, but Yanku is the guy for them that can consistently get into the lane, break down the defense, and set up teammates. He is still growing, and might be their most important player.
NAU is now 4-6 after their win on the road versus St. Mary's, and I wonder if they might be flying under the radar a bit. Regarded as a challenger for the Big Sky before the season, everyone seems to be in the second tier behind Eastern Washington. However, don't be surprised if Northern Arizona is a team that can challenge EWU.
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This year, they currently sit at 4-6, and while they aren't flying as far under the radar (in part because of their high finish last year), there hasn't been a lot of talk about them,. However, don't be surprised if they are contending for the Big Sky title.
For one, they can defend at a high level. They currently sit second in the Big Sky in defensive efficiency, just slightly behind Weber State. Last season, they finished second during Big Sky play in PPP allowed, so their past history shows they can be one of the best defensive teams in the conference, if not the best. In a league where teams struggle to get stops, that can set them apart.
A season ago, their biggest flaw was that teams shot the three ball very well against them, which is the opposite of what has happened so far this year. Though that is sure to regress to the mean, they have forced turnovers well, and have good defenders on the perimeter and inside.
The offense has struggled this year, but there are signs that might be turning around. Sophomore guard Kris Yanku has re-joined the starting lineup the past two games, and played well. They have a lot of guys that shoot the ball well on the outside, but Yanku is the guy for them that can consistently get into the lane, break down the defense, and set up teammates. He is still growing, and might be their most important player.
NAU is now 4-6 after their win on the road versus St. Mary's, and I wonder if they might be flying under the radar a bit. Regarded as a challenger for the Big Sky before the season, everyone seems to be in the second tier behind Eastern Washington. However, don't be surprised if Northern Arizona is a team that can challenge EWU.
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Monday, December 15, 2014
Big Sky Power Rankings - 12/15/14
For the first time this year, let's tackle some power rankings as a quick gauge on where things stand, just a couple weeks away from the beginning of conference play!
1) Eastern Washington (8-2)
I wrote about them Friday, so I won't talk too much more. Impressively, they led Washington for much of the game on Sunday, with their win expectancy reaching almost 75% with a little over five minutes to play. Big man Robert Upshaw had a big day against them, and the big, scoring center is someone who can have success against EWU's relatively thin front line. However, there aren't many of those guys in the Big Sky.
2) Weber State (3-5)
While EWU looks better and better each game, the Wildcats spot as number two in the pecking order appears more and more tenuous. They lost on the road to UT-Arlington, and then dropped a home game to BYU where they were never really in the game. The losses are all to good opponents, but I still worry about their turnovers, and their ability to create easy opportunities. Jeremy Senglin does have five assists in back to back games, which is a good sign.
3) Northern Colorado (4-4)
They are flying under the radar a bit because they haven't beaten anyone, but it looks more and more like they will be the second best offensive team in the conference. They take great care of the ball, and they are loaded with efficient scorers. Dominique Lee was good as a junior last year, but he has been outstanding as a senior. He is third in the nation in defensive rebounding rate, blocking shots, and shooting 66%.
4) Montana (3-6)
Last Wednesday, they scored 99 points against Davidson... and lost by 11. They are a solid team offensively, but they are struggling to get any stops. Travis DeCuire should be thankful to former coach Wayne Tinkle for leaving him big man Martin Breunig, who scored 30 in that game against Davidson, and is the real deal. The problem is that teams are just hitting everything against the Grizzlies... DI opponents shoot 40% from downtown and 54% on twos against them. Unlike past year, they are doing well on the defensive glass, they just aren't getting enough opportunities at it!
5) Idaho (4-5)
They had a couple of tough road losses last week, but are playing pretty well overall. Like others, they can score, but they can't stop anyone.They haven't been able to force turnovers, and they've sent teams to the line far too often . Against South Dakota State, they shot 17/30 inside the arc and 12/18 from behind it, and still lost 87-85. I have talked about Mike Scott on here, but senior Bira Seck is another guy showing up big. He is in the top ten in defensive rebounding rate in the nation, and getting to the line offensively. His emergence has been a big plus.
6) Northern Arizona (3-6)
Similar to Weber State, they can't be judged on the record alone, because every loss has come against a solid opponent, with the exception of maybe UTSA. Their problem is the reverse of most - they can stop people, but they can't score well enough right now. They aren't getting to the line, and they aren't getting enough easy baskets (just 42.4% on twos). It looks like Kris Yanku was inserted into the starting lineup last game, which should help. Last year, he showed good passing ability and the ability to get into the lane, which could help generate easy chance.
7) Portland State (5-3)
They are a big of a roller coaster, with a 26 point road loss to an average UC Riverside being a real head-scratcher. One thing that has hurt them is the play of Gary Winston. Winston has been great throughout his career, but has slumped to career low numbers to begin his senior season. He will get every chance to play out of it (as he should), but they need him to start hitting shots. The new duo of Tiegbe Bamba and Braxton Tucker continues to play well up front.
8) Sacramento State (5-4)
They have the talent level to be much better, but they've been up and down this year, and have lost three of their last four. Defensively, teams are scoring at will on them inside, and they continue to struggle getting any offensive production from the frontcourt. One hope is Erc Stuteville, who played 25 good minutes against Portland, contribuirng 14 efficient points and looking like the player he was at the end of last year. The backcourt of Dylan Garrity and Mikh McKinney is as good as ever,.
9) Idaho State (3-5)
Offensively, they have really struggled shooting from the outside which has hurt what they want to do. Chris Hansen is just 15/45 from downtown, though that should improve with his shooting ability. The problem might be finding someone else that can stretch the defense... Nnamdi Ezenwa has shot well on limited attempts, but nobody other than those guys has made more than three threes so far this year. They don't have enough offensive talent there if they can't hit some shots from the outside.
10) Montana State (3-6)
They have bounced back well from the Kentucky loss, winning three of their last five, including an impressive home win over UT-Arlington (who later beat Weber State). They are pushing the pace, and guys like Marcus Colbert, Mike Dison, and forward Danny Robison has played well in that style. They can't stop anyone, but they are at least playing a more exciting style and building some things for the future. Early on, Brian Fish is building things at MSU.
11) North Dakota (3-6)
It appears that some of the fears are coming true... having lost most of their offensive talent from last year, the new guys haven't been able to step in, and the defense hasn't picked up the slack. Last week against Minnesota and NDSU (two good teams), they lost by an average of 33.5 points. It looks like it will be a long year in Grand Forks.
12) Southern Utah (2-5)
As we've been saying, they could very well still finish last, but they are a much improved club. They are still struggling mightily on the defensive end, but the offense is making a lot of strides. When they don't turn the ball over (which has happened far too often), they are shooting the ball well, and showing some ability to get to the line. They are giving minutes to a lot of guys and seeing what sticks, and so far they are finding some things. Tyler Rawson has looked good, and fellow freshman James McGee has canned 14/25 threes. There are a lot more bright spots this year.
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1) Eastern Washington (8-2)
I wrote about them Friday, so I won't talk too much more. Impressively, they led Washington for much of the game on Sunday, with their win expectancy reaching almost 75% with a little over five minutes to play. Big man Robert Upshaw had a big day against them, and the big, scoring center is someone who can have success against EWU's relatively thin front line. However, there aren't many of those guys in the Big Sky.
2) Weber State (3-5)
While EWU looks better and better each game, the Wildcats spot as number two in the pecking order appears more and more tenuous. They lost on the road to UT-Arlington, and then dropped a home game to BYU where they were never really in the game. The losses are all to good opponents, but I still worry about their turnovers, and their ability to create easy opportunities. Jeremy Senglin does have five assists in back to back games, which is a good sign.
3) Northern Colorado (4-4)
They are flying under the radar a bit because they haven't beaten anyone, but it looks more and more like they will be the second best offensive team in the conference. They take great care of the ball, and they are loaded with efficient scorers. Dominique Lee was good as a junior last year, but he has been outstanding as a senior. He is third in the nation in defensive rebounding rate, blocking shots, and shooting 66%.
4) Montana (3-6)
Last Wednesday, they scored 99 points against Davidson... and lost by 11. They are a solid team offensively, but they are struggling to get any stops. Travis DeCuire should be thankful to former coach Wayne Tinkle for leaving him big man Martin Breunig, who scored 30 in that game against Davidson, and is the real deal. The problem is that teams are just hitting everything against the Grizzlies... DI opponents shoot 40% from downtown and 54% on twos against them. Unlike past year, they are doing well on the defensive glass, they just aren't getting enough opportunities at it!
5) Idaho (4-5)
They had a couple of tough road losses last week, but are playing pretty well overall. Like others, they can score, but they can't stop anyone.They haven't been able to force turnovers, and they've sent teams to the line far too often . Against South Dakota State, they shot 17/30 inside the arc and 12/18 from behind it, and still lost 87-85. I have talked about Mike Scott on here, but senior Bira Seck is another guy showing up big. He is in the top ten in defensive rebounding rate in the nation, and getting to the line offensively. His emergence has been a big plus.
6) Northern Arizona (3-6)
Similar to Weber State, they can't be judged on the record alone, because every loss has come against a solid opponent, with the exception of maybe UTSA. Their problem is the reverse of most - they can stop people, but they can't score well enough right now. They aren't getting to the line, and they aren't getting enough easy baskets (just 42.4% on twos). It looks like Kris Yanku was inserted into the starting lineup last game, which should help. Last year, he showed good passing ability and the ability to get into the lane, which could help generate easy chance.
7) Portland State (5-3)
They are a big of a roller coaster, with a 26 point road loss to an average UC Riverside being a real head-scratcher. One thing that has hurt them is the play of Gary Winston. Winston has been great throughout his career, but has slumped to career low numbers to begin his senior season. He will get every chance to play out of it (as he should), but they need him to start hitting shots. The new duo of Tiegbe Bamba and Braxton Tucker continues to play well up front.
8) Sacramento State (5-4)
They have the talent level to be much better, but they've been up and down this year, and have lost three of their last four. Defensively, teams are scoring at will on them inside, and they continue to struggle getting any offensive production from the frontcourt. One hope is Erc Stuteville, who played 25 good minutes against Portland, contribuirng 14 efficient points and looking like the player he was at the end of last year. The backcourt of Dylan Garrity and Mikh McKinney is as good as ever,.
9) Idaho State (3-5)
Offensively, they have really struggled shooting from the outside which has hurt what they want to do. Chris Hansen is just 15/45 from downtown, though that should improve with his shooting ability. The problem might be finding someone else that can stretch the defense... Nnamdi Ezenwa has shot well on limited attempts, but nobody other than those guys has made more than three threes so far this year. They don't have enough offensive talent there if they can't hit some shots from the outside.
10) Montana State (3-6)
They have bounced back well from the Kentucky loss, winning three of their last five, including an impressive home win over UT-Arlington (who later beat Weber State). They are pushing the pace, and guys like Marcus Colbert, Mike Dison, and forward Danny Robison has played well in that style. They can't stop anyone, but they are at least playing a more exciting style and building some things for the future. Early on, Brian Fish is building things at MSU.
11) North Dakota (3-6)
It appears that some of the fears are coming true... having lost most of their offensive talent from last year, the new guys haven't been able to step in, and the defense hasn't picked up the slack. Last week against Minnesota and NDSU (two good teams), they lost by an average of 33.5 points. It looks like it will be a long year in Grand Forks.
12) Southern Utah (2-5)
As we've been saying, they could very well still finish last, but they are a much improved club. They are still struggling mightily on the defensive end, but the offense is making a lot of strides. When they don't turn the ball over (which has happened far too often), they are shooting the ball well, and showing some ability to get to the line. They are giving minutes to a lot of guys and seeing what sticks, and so far they are finding some things. Tyler Rawson has looked good, and fellow freshman James McGee has canned 14/25 threes. There are a lot more bright spots this year.
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Friday, December 12, 2014
Eastern Washington Continues to Impress
With each passing week, sentiment grows that the Big Sky this year will be going through Cheney, WA. The latest evidence came last night, when Eastern Washington went on the road and beat a good San Francisco team... The Dons had beaten Montana by 19 last week. Earlier this week, EWU went and beat Seattle by 12 in Seattle (Montana beat Seattle by four).
The Eagles are now 8-1, with their lone loss coming on the road in a tight game to SMU (they are 6-3 and widely seen as a likely tournament team). Offensively, EWU has been dynamite, scoring 1.08 PPP against DI opponents, which is 30th in the nation. For comparison, Northern Colorado has been second best, scoring 1.03 PPP, good for 97th in the country.
Also against DI teams, the Eagles are shooting 56.7% on twos, and 40.3% from downtown, giving them a 58.4% effective field goal percentage, top ten in the country. They take care of the ball, and they have a ton of guys that can hurt you.
Venky Jois has become a good free throw shooter almost over night... he was 12/33 from the charity stripe to start the year, but is 23/27 from the line in his last three games. That would take away the biggest weakness of his offensive game, and he is certainly in the short discussion for best big men in the conference.
Tyler Harvey and Drew Brandon continue to excel in the backcourt as guys that do a little bit of everything. Harvey is an elite scorer with unlimited range, while Brandon is a nightly triple-double threat (to wit: he is in the top 12 in both offensive and defensive rebounding rate in the Big Sky, despite being the team's PG!)
Parker Kelly fills his role masterfully, as he is a lethal spot up shooter. Perhaps the best sign for EWU is the emergence of Ognjen Miljkovic in his sophomore year. The big man shoots 46% from downtown, and helps out on the interior with a 5.6% block rate. Against USF, he scored 20 points, hitting 4/7 from behind the arc. Again, he is their four man.
Eastern Washington is far from invincible... defensively, they have been much improved this year but they are not a lockdown D. They have a tough three game road stretch ahead, so it's possible that they could be 8-4 in a week's time, which would dull some of the enthusiasm. But they are an explosive offensive unit with a ton of skilled players and ways to hurt you. When they are on, they can put up 85 on anyone, and so far, it looks like they're going to do exactly that many times over this Big Sky season.
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The Eagles are now 8-1, with their lone loss coming on the road in a tight game to SMU (they are 6-3 and widely seen as a likely tournament team). Offensively, EWU has been dynamite, scoring 1.08 PPP against DI opponents, which is 30th in the nation. For comparison, Northern Colorado has been second best, scoring 1.03 PPP, good for 97th in the country.
Also against DI teams, the Eagles are shooting 56.7% on twos, and 40.3% from downtown, giving them a 58.4% effective field goal percentage, top ten in the country. They take care of the ball, and they have a ton of guys that can hurt you.
Venky Jois has become a good free throw shooter almost over night... he was 12/33 from the charity stripe to start the year, but is 23/27 from the line in his last three games. That would take away the biggest weakness of his offensive game, and he is certainly in the short discussion for best big men in the conference.
Tyler Harvey and Drew Brandon continue to excel in the backcourt as guys that do a little bit of everything. Harvey is an elite scorer with unlimited range, while Brandon is a nightly triple-double threat (to wit: he is in the top 12 in both offensive and defensive rebounding rate in the Big Sky, despite being the team's PG!)
Parker Kelly fills his role masterfully, as he is a lethal spot up shooter. Perhaps the best sign for EWU is the emergence of Ognjen Miljkovic in his sophomore year. The big man shoots 46% from downtown, and helps out on the interior with a 5.6% block rate. Against USF, he scored 20 points, hitting 4/7 from behind the arc. Again, he is their four man.
Eastern Washington is far from invincible... defensively, they have been much improved this year but they are not a lockdown D. They have a tough three game road stretch ahead, so it's possible that they could be 8-4 in a week's time, which would dull some of the enthusiasm. But they are an explosive offensive unit with a ton of skilled players and ways to hurt you. When they are on, they can put up 85 on anyone, and so far, it looks like they're going to do exactly that many times over this Big Sky season.
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Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Taking Stock of the Second Tier
As we enter mid-December, let's take another look at the pecking order of things right now. Up top, there is Eastern Washington, who has established itself as the early favorite for now. It feels similar to Northern Colorado last year... the upstart that looks ready to challenge for the title, so it will be interesting to see how things hold up. After that, I still think Weber State is second right now... despite their flaws and youth, they have so much talent that they'll be in the race.
But my interest today is those teams that sit behind those two, in the three through eight spots, where you could seemingly draw names out of a hat for an order right now. Let's take a look at those teams, not necessarily in any specific order.
- According to KenPom, Montana is actually the second best team in the conference right now, which would be a surprise to the coaches that picked them eighth before the year. They have been beat handily by good Colorado State and San Francisco teams on the road, and other than that have played very good basketball. The latest win was over a perennially good North Dakota State team, and they also took Boise State to OT and Cal to two OTs.
Their strength so far has actually come defensively, as they have done a good job of forcing turnovers, and (somewhat surprisingly) rebounding opponent misses. Martin Breunig has been a monster, shooting over 60%, rebounding on both ends, and blocking shots. The scary part is I don't really think their offense is clicking as well as expected yet - if that clicks and their defense continues to be solid, they will be in the Big Sky race.
- Another entrant into the race is Northern Colorado, who is behind only EWU in the Big Sky in offensive efficiency. Against DI opponents, they have a top 20 turnover percentage, and they are shooting 57% on twos. While that is not sustainable, they are getting quality shots and they have the talent to continue to get them. They have nine guys that play at least 39.5% of the team's minutes, while only one guy plays over 60%, so they are tough to gameplan for because they can hurt you in a lot of ways. They still struggle defensively - and they have sent opponents to the line far too often - but if they can shore that up, they're a contender. Of course, they have struggled in that area the past few years, but they have enough offensive firepower to make some noise.
- Many people thought Portland State and Sacramento State would be right up there (including myself on Sac State), but both have been up and down. PSU has the opening win over USC, but they have been a bit uninspiring other than that, culminating in a 26 point road loss on Saturday to UC Riverside (who, coincedentally, is Sac State's lone inspiring win). The Vikings have struggled in stopping anyone this year - Their 1.07 PPP allowed is 328th in the country... They have to improve that if they want to be a serious contender.
Sac State is 4-3, but they haven't played that many meaningful games. The losses to Gonzaga and UC Irvine are understandable, but an 11 point loss to Abilene Christian could be a warning sign. Part of the optimism there was from the presumed improvement from Eric Stuteville, but he has struggled mightily so far in the post. They have the guards to compete, but so far, the frontcourt is again providing very little.
- Northern Arizona has played a tough slate with some difficult roadtrips, but I am sure internally they hoped to be a little better than 2-6. They have been a solid defensive team, but they've struggled to score, with just 0.95 PPP. They aren't getting to the FT line, and they aren't getting many easy buckets. Everyone benefited from Max Jacobsen last year, and while they have talented guys replacing him, they miss his offense early on. Newcomer Jaleni Neely is taking three-point specialist to a new level... he is a solid 40% from deep, but just 4/24 inside the arc.
- Idaho is another team that has the offensive firepower to compete, it's just a matter of whether or not they will get enough defensive. They have some nice wins over South Dakota State, UC Davis, and Washington State, though mixed in is a confusing home loss to Northern Kentucky. Guard Mike Scott continues to play like a POY candidate, excelling in all areas, while Connor Hill is heating up after a relatively slow start. They are a fun, fast paced team that is going to win a lot of Big Sky games, and their addition makes the conference better. Now, they just need to find a way to stop allowing easy baskets, as opponents are shooting over 55% on two-pointers against them.
How do you see the order of these teams?
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But my interest today is those teams that sit behind those two, in the three through eight spots, where you could seemingly draw names out of a hat for an order right now. Let's take a look at those teams, not necessarily in any specific order.
- According to KenPom, Montana is actually the second best team in the conference right now, which would be a surprise to the coaches that picked them eighth before the year. They have been beat handily by good Colorado State and San Francisco teams on the road, and other than that have played very good basketball. The latest win was over a perennially good North Dakota State team, and they also took Boise State to OT and Cal to two OTs.
Their strength so far has actually come defensively, as they have done a good job of forcing turnovers, and (somewhat surprisingly) rebounding opponent misses. Martin Breunig has been a monster, shooting over 60%, rebounding on both ends, and blocking shots. The scary part is I don't really think their offense is clicking as well as expected yet - if that clicks and their defense continues to be solid, they will be in the Big Sky race.
- Another entrant into the race is Northern Colorado, who is behind only EWU in the Big Sky in offensive efficiency. Against DI opponents, they have a top 20 turnover percentage, and they are shooting 57% on twos. While that is not sustainable, they are getting quality shots and they have the talent to continue to get them. They have nine guys that play at least 39.5% of the team's minutes, while only one guy plays over 60%, so they are tough to gameplan for because they can hurt you in a lot of ways. They still struggle defensively - and they have sent opponents to the line far too often - but if they can shore that up, they're a contender. Of course, they have struggled in that area the past few years, but they have enough offensive firepower to make some noise.
- Many people thought Portland State and Sacramento State would be right up there (including myself on Sac State), but both have been up and down. PSU has the opening win over USC, but they have been a bit uninspiring other than that, culminating in a 26 point road loss on Saturday to UC Riverside (who, coincedentally, is Sac State's lone inspiring win). The Vikings have struggled in stopping anyone this year - Their 1.07 PPP allowed is 328th in the country... They have to improve that if they want to be a serious contender.
Sac State is 4-3, but they haven't played that many meaningful games. The losses to Gonzaga and UC Irvine are understandable, but an 11 point loss to Abilene Christian could be a warning sign. Part of the optimism there was from the presumed improvement from Eric Stuteville, but he has struggled mightily so far in the post. They have the guards to compete, but so far, the frontcourt is again providing very little.
- Northern Arizona has played a tough slate with some difficult roadtrips, but I am sure internally they hoped to be a little better than 2-6. They have been a solid defensive team, but they've struggled to score, with just 0.95 PPP. They aren't getting to the FT line, and they aren't getting many easy buckets. Everyone benefited from Max Jacobsen last year, and while they have talented guys replacing him, they miss his offense early on. Newcomer Jaleni Neely is taking three-point specialist to a new level... he is a solid 40% from deep, but just 4/24 inside the arc.
- Idaho is another team that has the offensive firepower to compete, it's just a matter of whether or not they will get enough defensive. They have some nice wins over South Dakota State, UC Davis, and Washington State, though mixed in is a confusing home loss to Northern Kentucky. Guard Mike Scott continues to play like a POY candidate, excelling in all areas, while Connor Hill is heating up after a relatively slow start. They are a fun, fast paced team that is going to win a lot of Big Sky games, and their addition makes the conference better. Now, they just need to find a way to stop allowing easy baskets, as opponents are shooting over 55% on two-pointers against them.
How do you see the order of these teams?
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Monday, December 8, 2014
[VIDEO] Quinton Hooker Game-Winning Shot
Over the weekend, North Dakota took down Drake 63-62 for a nice road win. With under 10 seconds left, guard Quinton Hooker with a shot that I guess would best be classified as a runner, which gave UND the lead and eventually the win. Take a look for yourself.
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Friday, December 5, 2014
Big Sky Freshmen to Watch
Now that we are close to ten games in for each team, let's take a look at some of the stars of tomorrow in the Big Sky - some of the freshmen who have been getting a good amount of playing time so far. In no particular order, a brief look at some of them...
- Bogdan Bliznyuk (Eastern Washington) - It's not easy getting minutes for a talented EWU team, but Bliznuk is playing about a quarter of the team's minutes. He is scoring about three points per game, but that has come from 7/11 FG overall and 3/3 from behind the arc, meaning he has been efficient. Against DI opponents, he is rebounding 15.9% of his team's available offensive misses, which is great. He will continue to struggle for minutes to the talent talent up front they have, but he looks like he will be a good player.
- Hayden Hunter (Weber State) - Playing decent minutews at PG, Hunter has had his ups and downs. He hasn't shown much of a scoring ability yet, scoring just seven points on the year despite playing double digit minutes in each contest. He looks like a playmaker, with a 24.3 Assist Rate against DI teams, but is turning the ball over way too much (almost twice per game). It will be interesting to watch his development, because WSU may need his ability to create for others this season.
- Fabijan Krslovic (Montana) - The true freshman has been starting and playing pretty good minutes for the Grizzlies. As a combo forward, he has been solid offensively, making 50% of his shots. He has been above average on the offensive glass, but needs to contribute more grabbing defensive rebounds. He has shown a knack for blocking some shots so far, with seven in six games.
- Arkadiy Mrkrtchyan (Idaho) - He started five games so far for the Vandals, but has struggle a bit. If you take out the opener against Eastern Oregon (where he had 18 and 8), he has shot 33% from the floor and struggled rebounding the basketball. He has also struggled a bit with fouls, including fouling out against NIU. He has shown some offensive pop overall, including ability from the outside. I would expect his minutes and production to ebb and flow, but it's always a good sign when a true freshman is playing as many minutes early as he is so far.
- Zach Green (Montana State) - He has struggled with his outside shot, hitting just one of nine threes so far on the year. Outside of their loss to Grand Canyon, he has struggled overall offensively, as he has just two field goals in the other six games. He has shown good ability as an offensive rebounder for a guard, and we will have to see if that holds. The good news for him is that he should continue to see 15+ minutes a game, because MSU will struggle this year, and his development will be important for the future.
- Tyler Rawson (Southern Utah) - Early on in the season, Rawson has probably been the best freshman who is playing minutes, as he gotten 20+ minutes in each game and been very productive with his time. He has made 15/21 two-pointers which is not sustainable, but the good news is that he has also been very good at getting to the line (though struggled once he got there), which is a positive development for his future. He has been out of this world as a defensive rebounder, with a rate that ranks in the top 15 in the country. He is also blocking shots well. Coming off the best game of his young career in the win against UTSA, SUU could have a future building block on its hands.
Anyone else that has caught your eye? I'll try to do this every few weeks during the year, since one of my favorite things about college basketball is seeing player's growth through the year and throughout their career. Hopefully these guys will continue to get minutes, and a few more will emerge as well!
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- Bogdan Bliznyuk (Eastern Washington) - It's not easy getting minutes for a talented EWU team, but Bliznuk is playing about a quarter of the team's minutes. He is scoring about three points per game, but that has come from 7/11 FG overall and 3/3 from behind the arc, meaning he has been efficient. Against DI opponents, he is rebounding 15.9% of his team's available offensive misses, which is great. He will continue to struggle for minutes to the talent talent up front they have, but he looks like he will be a good player.
- Hayden Hunter (Weber State) - Playing decent minutews at PG, Hunter has had his ups and downs. He hasn't shown much of a scoring ability yet, scoring just seven points on the year despite playing double digit minutes in each contest. He looks like a playmaker, with a 24.3 Assist Rate against DI teams, but is turning the ball over way too much (almost twice per game). It will be interesting to watch his development, because WSU may need his ability to create for others this season.
- Fabijan Krslovic (Montana) - The true freshman has been starting and playing pretty good minutes for the Grizzlies. As a combo forward, he has been solid offensively, making 50% of his shots. He has been above average on the offensive glass, but needs to contribute more grabbing defensive rebounds. He has shown a knack for blocking some shots so far, with seven in six games.
- Arkadiy Mrkrtchyan (Idaho) - He started five games so far for the Vandals, but has struggle a bit. If you take out the opener against Eastern Oregon (where he had 18 and 8), he has shot 33% from the floor and struggled rebounding the basketball. He has also struggled a bit with fouls, including fouling out against NIU. He has shown some offensive pop overall, including ability from the outside. I would expect his minutes and production to ebb and flow, but it's always a good sign when a true freshman is playing as many minutes early as he is so far.
- Zach Green (Montana State) - He has struggled with his outside shot, hitting just one of nine threes so far on the year. Outside of their loss to Grand Canyon, he has struggled overall offensively, as he has just two field goals in the other six games. He has shown good ability as an offensive rebounder for a guard, and we will have to see if that holds. The good news for him is that he should continue to see 15+ minutes a game, because MSU will struggle this year, and his development will be important for the future.
- Tyler Rawson (Southern Utah) - Early on in the season, Rawson has probably been the best freshman who is playing minutes, as he gotten 20+ minutes in each game and been very productive with his time. He has made 15/21 two-pointers which is not sustainable, but the good news is that he has also been very good at getting to the line (though struggled once he got there), which is a positive development for his future. He has been out of this world as a defensive rebounder, with a rate that ranks in the top 15 in the country. He is also blocking shots well. Coming off the best game of his young career in the win against UTSA, SUU could have a future building block on its hands.
Anyone else that has caught your eye? I'll try to do this every few weeks during the year, since one of my favorite things about college basketball is seeing player's growth through the year and throughout their career. Hopefully these guys will continue to get minutes, and a few more will emerge as well!
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
Big Sky 2015-16 Recruits
Now that fall signing has happened, it's finally time to get this page up. As always, this is every changing, and possibly will be outdated at times. Please let me know what I am missing, and I will get it fixed!
Rundowns of the early signing period recruits can be found here, here, and here.
Eastern Washington
- Michael Wearne (6'2'' G)
- Jesse Hunt (6'7'' F)
- Rico Nuno (6'7'' JUCO F)
- Ty Gibson (6'3'' G)
Idaho
- Tyler Brimhall (6'4'' G)
- Henry Cornelious (6'5'' F)
Idaho State
- Ali Faruqbey (6'2'' JUCO G)
- Anthony Knight (6'2'' JUCO G)
- Gary Chivichyan (6'5'' G)
Montana
- Michael Oguine (6'1'' G)
- Jared Samuelson (6'7'' F)
- Walter Wright (5'10'' JUCO G)
- Bobby Moorehead (6'6'' F)
Montana State
- Tyler Hall (6'4'' G)
- Sam Neumann (6'6'' F)
- Mandrell Worthy (6'3'' G)
- Quinton Everett (6'2'' JUCO G)
- Nahjee Matlock (5'11'' G)
- Shikei Blake (6'7'' JUCO F)
North Dakota
- Drick Bernstine (6'8'' transfer F)
- Josh Collins (6'6'' F)
- Adam McDermott (6'4'' G)
- Cortez Seales (6'4'' G)
Northern Arizona
- Brady Twombly (6'5'' F)
- Majestic Tejada (6'1'' G)
- Corey Brown (6'8'' F)
- Junior Searcy (6'4'' G)
- Michael Green (5'11'' G)
- Isaiah Thomas (6'8'' F)
Northern Colorado
- Jordan Davis (6'2'' G)
- Miles Seward (6'3'' G)
- Dallas Anglin (6'2'' G) - transfer from Southern Miss
- Chaz Glotta (6'1'' G) - transfer from Southern Illinois
Portland State
- Torrian Epps (6'4'' JUCO G)
- Evan Garrison (5'10'' JUCO G)
Sacramento State
- Jeff Wu (6'2'' G)
- Joshua Patton (6'8'' F)
Southern Utah
- Will Joyce (6'6'' JUCO F)
- Nick Pete (6'8'' F)
- Brayden Holker (6'8'' F)
Weber State
- Emmanuel Nzekwesi (6'7'' F)
- Juwan Williams (6'4'' G)
- Jordan Dallas (6'10'' C)
- Riley Court (6'4'' G)
- McKay Cannon (6'1'' G) - returning from LDS mission
- Dusty Baker (6'5'' JUCO G)
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Rundowns of the early signing period recruits can be found here, here, and here.
Eastern Washington
- Michael Wearne (6'2'' G)
- Jesse Hunt (6'7'' F)
- Rico Nuno (6'7'' JUCO F)
- Ty Gibson (6'3'' G)
Idaho
- Tyler Brimhall (6'4'' G)
- Henry Cornelious (6'5'' F)
Idaho State
- Ali Faruqbey (6'2'' JUCO G)
- Anthony Knight (6'2'' JUCO G)
- Gary Chivichyan (6'5'' G)
Montana
- Michael Oguine (6'1'' G)
- Jared Samuelson (6'7'' F)
- Walter Wright (5'10'' JUCO G)
- Bobby Moorehead (6'6'' F)
Montana State
- Tyler Hall (6'4'' G)
- Sam Neumann (6'6'' F)
- Mandrell Worthy (6'3'' G)
- Quinton Everett (6'2'' JUCO G)
- Nahjee Matlock (5'11'' G)
- Shikei Blake (6'7'' JUCO F)
North Dakota
- Drick Bernstine (6'8'' transfer F)
- Josh Collins (6'6'' F)
- Adam McDermott (6'4'' G)
- Cortez Seales (6'4'' G)
Northern Arizona
- Brady Twombly (6'5'' F)
- Majestic Tejada (6'1'' G)
- Corey Brown (6'8'' F)
- Junior Searcy (6'4'' G)
- Michael Green (5'11'' G)
- Isaiah Thomas (6'8'' F)
Northern Colorado
- Jordan Davis (6'2'' G)
- Miles Seward (6'3'' G)
- Dallas Anglin (6'2'' G) - transfer from Southern Miss
- Chaz Glotta (6'1'' G) - transfer from Southern Illinois
Portland State
- Torrian Epps (6'4'' JUCO G)
- Evan Garrison (5'10'' JUCO G)
Sacramento State
- Jeff Wu (6'2'' G)
- Joshua Patton (6'8'' F)
Southern Utah
- Will Joyce (6'6'' JUCO F)
- Nick Pete (6'8'' F)
- Brayden Holker (6'8'' F)
Weber State
- Emmanuel Nzekwesi (6'7'' F)
- Juwan Williams (6'4'' G)
- Jordan Dallas (6'10'' C)
- Riley Court (6'4'' G)
- McKay Cannon (6'1'' G) - returning from LDS mission
- Dusty Baker (6'5'' JUCO G)
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Recruiting Rundown: Portland State, Sacramento State, Southern Utah, Weber State
For all of October and the first half of November, I was working on previewing the Big Sky, culminating in this long-winded diatribe about the conference. In this, I missed a lot of recruiting news. In a series of three posts over the next week or so, I will go through the teams and the recruits they have signed thus far, in alphabetical order.
Here is part 1 and part 2 of the rundown, so let's finish things up...
Portland State
The Vikings got one recruit as far as I can tell, signing 6'4'' guard Torrian Epps, a junior college guard who should have two seasons of eligibility left. He plays for Central Arizona College, and Coach Geving says he is "an athletic wing who is very good at getting to the basket and running the floor in transition." As a senior in high school, he shot 44% on threes, so he appears to be able to score all over. PSU will be losing their top three guards after this year, so Epps will have the chance to play big minutes right away for the Vikings.
Sacramento State
The Hornets signed two in the early recruiting class, inking 6'2'' guard Jeff Wu along with 6'8'' forward Joshua Patton. Wu is originally from Taiwan, but moved to the USA before his sophomore year of high school. Due to transfer rules, he joined his team midway through last season, but shot 50% from the floor and 40% from downtown. He is in the mold of current guards Dylan Garrity and Mikh McKinney, in that he can do everything a guard needs to do, in terms of being able to shoot well, handle the ball, and pass it. I am sure Coach Katz likes the dual guard approach where both guys are nominal PGs, and Wu should fit that.
In their press release, it was announced that Patton will redshirt next year. He averaged 11 and 9 last season, shooting 62% from the floor and setting a school record for blocks. His brother plays at Fresno State, so he certainly has bloodlines for success. It sounds like he needs to fill out physically (hence the redshirt year), but he is a long, athletic guy with a lot of upside.
Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds signed three guys - two that will be freshman and one JUCO player. The junior college player is forward Will Joyce, a 6'6'' guy for New Mexico Military Institute. As a freshman, he averaged eight points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He looks like a guy that will bring a lot of energy, athleticism, and rebounding prowess for SUU next year.
Nick Pete is a 6'8'' forward from California who averaged 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks per game last year. He is a very good athlete that should be able to affect the game in many ways. Last is Brayden Holker, a 6'8'' forward from Utah who averaged 18.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game a season ago. He was a top ten prospect in the state of Utah, according to ESPN. SUU has done a lot to bolster their frontcourt... despite some struggles, Coach Robinson is bringing in some good players, and it is clear that better days are ahead for the Thunderbird program.
Weber State
The Wildcats have consistently recruited better athletes than the rest of the conference for the past couple years, and their class this year appears to be excellent once again. They signed four guys.
One is 6'7'' forward Emmaneul Nzekwesi, a three-star recruit out of Texas, where the Wildcats have established a nice pipeline. He averaged 19 and 11 next year, and is a powerful player in the post. He has played basketball for just four years, and should have tons of upside for the Wildcats. 6'5'' guard Juwan Williams is also out of Texas, and he averaged 12.7 points and 4.6 rebounds a year ago. He joins guys like Richaud Gittens and Ryan Richardson from last recruiting class to add to what will be a very big, athletic backcourt in future years.
Jordan Dallas is a 6'10'' center from Long Beach who averaged 11 and 4 a season ago. He is a long and athletic player who play on the inside and outside. Rahe noted he needed to add some strength, so he should be a redshirt candidate next season. Last is 6'4'' guard Riley Court from Utah, who put up a nice stat line of 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game a year ago. He will likely serve an LDS mission before he enrolls at Weber State. Weber will also add McKay Cannon, who is returning from his LDS mission next year. He is a 6'1'' guard who had offers from other Big Sky schools when he originally signed.
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Here is part 1 and part 2 of the rundown, so let's finish things up...
Portland State
The Vikings got one recruit as far as I can tell, signing 6'4'' guard Torrian Epps, a junior college guard who should have two seasons of eligibility left. He plays for Central Arizona College, and Coach Geving says he is "an athletic wing who is very good at getting to the basket and running the floor in transition." As a senior in high school, he shot 44% on threes, so he appears to be able to score all over. PSU will be losing their top three guards after this year, so Epps will have the chance to play big minutes right away for the Vikings.
Sacramento State
The Hornets signed two in the early recruiting class, inking 6'2'' guard Jeff Wu along with 6'8'' forward Joshua Patton. Wu is originally from Taiwan, but moved to the USA before his sophomore year of high school. Due to transfer rules, he joined his team midway through last season, but shot 50% from the floor and 40% from downtown. He is in the mold of current guards Dylan Garrity and Mikh McKinney, in that he can do everything a guard needs to do, in terms of being able to shoot well, handle the ball, and pass it. I am sure Coach Katz likes the dual guard approach where both guys are nominal PGs, and Wu should fit that.
In their press release, it was announced that Patton will redshirt next year. He averaged 11 and 9 last season, shooting 62% from the floor and setting a school record for blocks. His brother plays at Fresno State, so he certainly has bloodlines for success. It sounds like he needs to fill out physically (hence the redshirt year), but he is a long, athletic guy with a lot of upside.
Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds signed three guys - two that will be freshman and one JUCO player. The junior college player is forward Will Joyce, a 6'6'' guy for New Mexico Military Institute. As a freshman, he averaged eight points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He looks like a guy that will bring a lot of energy, athleticism, and rebounding prowess for SUU next year.
Nick Pete is a 6'8'' forward from California who averaged 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks per game last year. He is a very good athlete that should be able to affect the game in many ways. Last is Brayden Holker, a 6'8'' forward from Utah who averaged 18.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game a season ago. He was a top ten prospect in the state of Utah, according to ESPN. SUU has done a lot to bolster their frontcourt... despite some struggles, Coach Robinson is bringing in some good players, and it is clear that better days are ahead for the Thunderbird program.
Weber State
The Wildcats have consistently recruited better athletes than the rest of the conference for the past couple years, and their class this year appears to be excellent once again. They signed four guys.
One is 6'7'' forward Emmaneul Nzekwesi, a three-star recruit out of Texas, where the Wildcats have established a nice pipeline. He averaged 19 and 11 next year, and is a powerful player in the post. He has played basketball for just four years, and should have tons of upside for the Wildcats. 6'5'' guard Juwan Williams is also out of Texas, and he averaged 12.7 points and 4.6 rebounds a year ago. He joins guys like Richaud Gittens and Ryan Richardson from last recruiting class to add to what will be a very big, athletic backcourt in future years.
Jordan Dallas is a 6'10'' center from Long Beach who averaged 11 and 4 a season ago. He is a long and athletic player who play on the inside and outside. Rahe noted he needed to add some strength, so he should be a redshirt candidate next season. Last is 6'4'' guard Riley Court from Utah, who put up a nice stat line of 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game a year ago. He will likely serve an LDS mission before he enrolls at Weber State. Weber will also add McKay Cannon, who is returning from his LDS mission next year. He is a 6'1'' guard who had offers from other Big Sky schools when he originally signed.
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Thursday, December 4, 2014
Portland State's Bryce White Fakes Handshake, Steals Ball, Dunks
Missed this from yesterday... at the end of the Portland/Portland State game (which Portland won by 12), PSU's Bryce White faked a handshake, stole the ball, and got a late dunk. Video below.
Thanks to Deadspin for unearthing (that's where I saw it first).
I can understand frustration about losing, especially to a rival, cross-town school... but yikes. Sportsmanship doesn't get a whole lot worse than that.
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Thanks to Deadspin for unearthing (that's where I saw it first).
I can understand frustration about losing, especially to a rival, cross-town school... but yikes. Sportsmanship doesn't get a whole lot worse than that.
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Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Big Sky Notes
NOTE: This was written before all of Wednesday's games, which features an impressive Idaho win over Washington State on the road, a tough NAU loss to UTSA in OT, and a Montana loss in double OT to California.
It's been about a week since I've typed up some notes and observations from Big Sky play, so let's go back and take a look at some of the top storylines and things that have happened lately around the Big Sky.
- Jeremy Senglin for Weber State hit his second game-winner in a week, this time hitting a three with 2.4 seconds left to cap a late comeback win over Oral Roberts. Senglin told Brett Hein he thought the Wildcats were down three rather than two, which helps explain the shot selection. Video and quotes can be found here.
The fact that he may not have known the margin changes this storyline a little bit, but the shot and the possession brought up an interesting look at the process versus the outcome in how we should evaluate things. The shot was good because it went in and gave them the win, but the possession itself was not very good. Down two (again, this is complicated if he really thought it was a three point game), the possession was ugly, filled with a bunch of dribbling on the perimeter and then a long three attempt. He was bailed out in a sense by the shot going in, but overall it wasn't a great look.
The Wildcats are now 3-3 with a neutral court win over Nevada and home win against Oral Roberts, but the fact that they are a young team is still clear. The biggest issues seem to be taking care of the ball, and finding someone other than Joel Bolomboy to rebound the ball, but the talent is still evident. Still, while Senglin has struggled a bit adapting to the full-time ball handling role, Bolomboy has shown more assertiveness offensively (with mixed results), and maybe most importantly, Richaud Gittens looks like a star right now. Their future is very bright.
- Eastern Washington continues to win, as they're number 117 in Ken Pomeroy's rankings and top 60 by the RPI. They have gotten absurd efficiency from their guards (Drew Brandon, Tyler Harvey, and Parker Kelly), while Venky Jois appears to have taken a big step forward. Offensively, they have been excellent. I think teams know how much they like to shoot threes, and that has given them good looks inside the arc, where they have been dynamite.
Their next five games are on the road - Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, Sam Houston State, and California. We should find out during this stretch if their ceiling is that of a team that could be a major threat in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament, or merely as the best team in the Big Sky. Either way, they have established themselves as the early favorites in the Big Sky with their play so far.
- Northern Colorado has been flying under the radar a bit, but they are a good team. While they have again shown some struggles defensively so far, they could be behind only EWU in terms of their offensive prowess. They have been excellent shooting the ball, as well as taking care of it. It could be partly due to the early schedule, but they look deep... only four teams in the country have given more minutes to their bench in DI games. They may not have a star, but they have a lot of good players.
- Sacramento State is 4-1, but I don't know that we've learned much from their games so sfar. One positive development for them is that Nick Hornsby is playing well early on, but that is mostly due to his unsustainable 12/18 FG. They should still be contenders, but there's not much new information on them.
- Kudos deserve to be given to Brian Fish who got the first win of his head coaching career in a 104-81 Montana State win over UT-Arlington. Kudos also to Southern Utah, who snapped a very long road losing streak with this shot from AJ Hess. In case you missed it, here it is again!
AJs 40 ft shot to for first season WIN at the Buzzer 93-92 from Barbara H Hess on Vimeo.
- Martin Breunig has been as good as advertised for Montana, shooting 20/29 on two-point FG against DI opponents, while showing great rebounding ability. Montana has mixed some good performances with puzzling ones, but Breunig still looks like a star.
- On Saturday, Northern Arizona lost a slobber knocker, 40-36, to North Carolina Central. It's not a good loss, but maybe not quite as bad as it sounds. UNCC plays at a snail's pace, and they have been pretty good defensively. At 2-5, the Jacks look like they could be one of the better defensive teams in the conference, but they are struggling a little bit defensively. Still, the 2-5 record basically means nothing, because they've played a very tough slate of opponents so far.
- On the whole, Idaho has been about what we expected - a team that looks like it will score a bunch of points, but not be able to stop anyone on the other end. Their defensive efficiency is #338 in the country... they haven't forced turnovers, and teams are shooting the ball very well against them. Still, there are positives. Mike Scott looks like the breakout senior player for the Vandals, shooting 12/21 from downtown while sporting a cool 26:2 assist to turnover ratio. Perrion Callandret has also started well, and I will have to eat some crow to an Idaho fan who emailed me about him if that continues.
Each week and each game provides some more data points, as the 5-7 games each team has played so far don't give us too much to go on. Things look to be as competitive as they promised to be before the year began. Anything else that you have noticed?
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It's been about a week since I've typed up some notes and observations from Big Sky play, so let's go back and take a look at some of the top storylines and things that have happened lately around the Big Sky.
- Jeremy Senglin for Weber State hit his second game-winner in a week, this time hitting a three with 2.4 seconds left to cap a late comeback win over Oral Roberts. Senglin told Brett Hein he thought the Wildcats were down three rather than two, which helps explain the shot selection. Video and quotes can be found here.
The fact that he may not have known the margin changes this storyline a little bit, but the shot and the possession brought up an interesting look at the process versus the outcome in how we should evaluate things. The shot was good because it went in and gave them the win, but the possession itself was not very good. Down two (again, this is complicated if he really thought it was a three point game), the possession was ugly, filled with a bunch of dribbling on the perimeter and then a long three attempt. He was bailed out in a sense by the shot going in, but overall it wasn't a great look.
The Wildcats are now 3-3 with a neutral court win over Nevada and home win against Oral Roberts, but the fact that they are a young team is still clear. The biggest issues seem to be taking care of the ball, and finding someone other than Joel Bolomboy to rebound the ball, but the talent is still evident. Still, while Senglin has struggled a bit adapting to the full-time ball handling role, Bolomboy has shown more assertiveness offensively (with mixed results), and maybe most importantly, Richaud Gittens looks like a star right now. Their future is very bright.
- Eastern Washington continues to win, as they're number 117 in Ken Pomeroy's rankings and top 60 by the RPI. They have gotten absurd efficiency from their guards (Drew Brandon, Tyler Harvey, and Parker Kelly), while Venky Jois appears to have taken a big step forward. Offensively, they have been excellent. I think teams know how much they like to shoot threes, and that has given them good looks inside the arc, where they have been dynamite.
Their next five games are on the road - Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, Sam Houston State, and California. We should find out during this stretch if their ceiling is that of a team that could be a major threat in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament, or merely as the best team in the Big Sky. Either way, they have established themselves as the early favorites in the Big Sky with their play so far.
- Northern Colorado has been flying under the radar a bit, but they are a good team. While they have again shown some struggles defensively so far, they could be behind only EWU in terms of their offensive prowess. They have been excellent shooting the ball, as well as taking care of it. It could be partly due to the early schedule, but they look deep... only four teams in the country have given more minutes to their bench in DI games. They may not have a star, but they have a lot of good players.
- Sacramento State is 4-1, but I don't know that we've learned much from their games so sfar. One positive development for them is that Nick Hornsby is playing well early on, but that is mostly due to his unsustainable 12/18 FG. They should still be contenders, but there's not much new information on them.
- Kudos deserve to be given to Brian Fish who got the first win of his head coaching career in a 104-81 Montana State win over UT-Arlington. Kudos also to Southern Utah, who snapped a very long road losing streak with this shot from AJ Hess. In case you missed it, here it is again!
AJs 40 ft shot to for first season WIN at the Buzzer 93-92 from Barbara H Hess on Vimeo.
- Martin Breunig has been as good as advertised for Montana, shooting 20/29 on two-point FG against DI opponents, while showing great rebounding ability. Montana has mixed some good performances with puzzling ones, but Breunig still looks like a star.
- On Saturday, Northern Arizona lost a slobber knocker, 40-36, to North Carolina Central. It's not a good loss, but maybe not quite as bad as it sounds. UNCC plays at a snail's pace, and they have been pretty good defensively. At 2-5, the Jacks look like they could be one of the better defensive teams in the conference, but they are struggling a little bit defensively. Still, the 2-5 record basically means nothing, because they've played a very tough slate of opponents so far.
- On the whole, Idaho has been about what we expected - a team that looks like it will score a bunch of points, but not be able to stop anyone on the other end. Their defensive efficiency is #338 in the country... they haven't forced turnovers, and teams are shooting the ball very well against them. Still, there are positives. Mike Scott looks like the breakout senior player for the Vandals, shooting 12/21 from downtown while sporting a cool 26:2 assist to turnover ratio. Perrion Callandret has also started well, and I will have to eat some crow to an Idaho fan who emailed me about him if that continues.
Each week and each game provides some more data points, as the 5-7 games each team has played so far don't give us too much to go on. Things look to be as competitive as they promised to be before the year began. Anything else that you have noticed?
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Recruiting Rundown: Montana State, North Dakota, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado
For all of October and the first half of November, I was working on previewing the Big Sky, culminating in this long-winded diatribe about the conference. In this, I missed a lot of recruiting news. In a series of three posts over the next week or so, I will go through the teams and the recruits they have signed thus far, in alphabetical order.
I started with Eastern Washington, Idaho, Idaho State, and Montana, so let's move on to the next four...
Montana State
I wrote a bit about their signees last month, but Brian Fish was very active in his first recruiting cycle for the Bobcats.
They signed 6'4'' guard Tyler Hall, a guy that can shoot the ball well and who Fish says has very high upside. He shot 35% from deep and seems to still be improving. He reportedly had more than a dozen DI offers. Another signee was 6'6'' forward Sam Neumann from St Paul. He can also fill it up, shooting 38% from three-point range last year and scoring 19 PPG. The other high school guy they signed was 6'3'' guard Mandrell Worthy, who averaged 23 points/6 rebounds/5 assists per game last year. He has done everything for his high school team, including playing four positions.
They also got a verbal commitment from 6'2'' JUCO guard Quinton Everett, He is another guy that shoots it well, and should handle the ball well also. From the recruits, Brian Fish's preference to play fast, and have multiple guuys that can handle the ball well and shoot it from the outside seems clear. So far, things are off to a good start on the recruiting trail.
North Dakota
Brian Jones was very busy in the early signing period, as UND signed four guys. One is a transfer from Denver named Drick Bernstine, a 6'8'' forward. He averaged 2.1 PPG and 2.4 RPG for Denver before transferring after the spring semester last year. He will have three years of eligibility left. Jones said he reminds him of Boris Diaw in that he can do everything on the court, and is very skilled. UND has been very active on the transfer market the past couple years, and they have another nice player in Bernstine.
Continuing their Minneapolis pipeline, they got 6'6'' Josh Collins, who plays for De LaSalle high school, a program that is always good. He is a very good athlete that should be able to guard multiple positions and fill in some different roles. 6'4'' Adam McDermott averaged over 16 PPG last year, and is a very good outside shooter. He is the nephew of Greg McDermott, so you know he has good basketball in his genes. Last is 6'4'' Cortez Seales, a combo guard who averaged 16.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.0 APG last year. He will be a versatile member of the backcourt who can finish at the rim, which should be a good complement to McDermott.
It's an impressive four man group for North Dakota.
Northern Arizona
The Jacks have been one of the best recruiting teams in the conference, and that continues this year. They signed five guys in the early recruiting period. One is 6'5'' forward Brady Twombly, who Murphy says brings "very good size on the wing and he is a proven shooter." He is from California.
In addition to Twombly, NAU got a whopping four guys from Florida. Majestic Tejada is a 6'1'' guard that was their first commit. He looks to be a true PG that looks to get his teammates involved first before looking for his own shot. Corey Brown is a 6'8'' forward who is teammates with Tejada who is an excellent athlete and rebounder, as he averaged nine boards per game. You have to think they were excited about getting guys who were high school and AAU teammates.
Junior Searcy is a 6'4'' guard that is a skilled scorer. He is a combo guard who averaged 22 and 6 last year, with coaches having great things to say about his work ethic. Last is 5'11'' guard Michael Green, and the quotes about him show he is an explosive guard that can play on both ends of the court. The press release calls the group the "Florida Four," and they look like big-time building blocks for an NAU program that is constantly improving.
Northern Colorado
The Bears got two guys in the early signing period, with the first being 6'2'' guard Jordan Davis from Las Vegas. He averaged 17 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds last year. He originally committed to Eastern Washington, but de-committed and re-opened his recruitment. He also had offers from Northern Arizona and Hawaii, and looks like a good get for BJ Hill and staff. He was the primary ballhandler of his high school team last year, and is solid attacking the rim. They also signed 6'3'' guard Miles Seward out of Canada, who averaged 17 PPG last year. He is a good shooter that will help in the backcourt.
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I started with Eastern Washington, Idaho, Idaho State, and Montana, so let's move on to the next four...
Montana State
I wrote a bit about their signees last month, but Brian Fish was very active in his first recruiting cycle for the Bobcats.
They signed 6'4'' guard Tyler Hall, a guy that can shoot the ball well and who Fish says has very high upside. He shot 35% from deep and seems to still be improving. He reportedly had more than a dozen DI offers. Another signee was 6'6'' forward Sam Neumann from St Paul. He can also fill it up, shooting 38% from three-point range last year and scoring 19 PPG. The other high school guy they signed was 6'3'' guard Mandrell Worthy, who averaged 23 points/6 rebounds/5 assists per game last year. He has done everything for his high school team, including playing four positions.
They also got a verbal commitment from 6'2'' JUCO guard Quinton Everett, He is another guy that shoots it well, and should handle the ball well also. From the recruits, Brian Fish's preference to play fast, and have multiple guuys that can handle the ball well and shoot it from the outside seems clear. So far, things are off to a good start on the recruiting trail.
North Dakota
Brian Jones was very busy in the early signing period, as UND signed four guys. One is a transfer from Denver named Drick Bernstine, a 6'8'' forward. He averaged 2.1 PPG and 2.4 RPG for Denver before transferring after the spring semester last year. He will have three years of eligibility left. Jones said he reminds him of Boris Diaw in that he can do everything on the court, and is very skilled. UND has been very active on the transfer market the past couple years, and they have another nice player in Bernstine.
Continuing their Minneapolis pipeline, they got 6'6'' Josh Collins, who plays for De LaSalle high school, a program that is always good. He is a very good athlete that should be able to guard multiple positions and fill in some different roles. 6'4'' Adam McDermott averaged over 16 PPG last year, and is a very good outside shooter. He is the nephew of Greg McDermott, so you know he has good basketball in his genes. Last is 6'4'' Cortez Seales, a combo guard who averaged 16.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.0 APG last year. He will be a versatile member of the backcourt who can finish at the rim, which should be a good complement to McDermott.
It's an impressive four man group for North Dakota.
Northern Arizona
The Jacks have been one of the best recruiting teams in the conference, and that continues this year. They signed five guys in the early recruiting period. One is 6'5'' forward Brady Twombly, who Murphy says brings "very good size on the wing and he is a proven shooter." He is from California.
In addition to Twombly, NAU got a whopping four guys from Florida. Majestic Tejada is a 6'1'' guard that was their first commit. He looks to be a true PG that looks to get his teammates involved first before looking for his own shot. Corey Brown is a 6'8'' forward who is teammates with Tejada who is an excellent athlete and rebounder, as he averaged nine boards per game. You have to think they were excited about getting guys who were high school and AAU teammates.
Junior Searcy is a 6'4'' guard that is a skilled scorer. He is a combo guard who averaged 22 and 6 last year, with coaches having great things to say about his work ethic. Last is 5'11'' guard Michael Green, and the quotes about him show he is an explosive guard that can play on both ends of the court. The press release calls the group the "Florida Four," and they look like big-time building blocks for an NAU program that is constantly improving.
Northern Colorado
The Bears got two guys in the early signing period, with the first being 6'2'' guard Jordan Davis from Las Vegas. He averaged 17 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds last year. He originally committed to Eastern Washington, but de-committed and re-opened his recruitment. He also had offers from Northern Arizona and Hawaii, and looks like a good get for BJ Hill and staff. He was the primary ballhandler of his high school team last year, and is solid attacking the rim. They also signed 6'3'' guard Miles Seward out of Canada, who averaged 17 PPG last year. He is a good shooter that will help in the backcourt.
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Sunday, November 30, 2014
Recruiting Rundown: Eastern Washington, Idaho, Idaho State, Montana
For all of October and the first half of November, I was working on previewing the Big Sky, culminating in this long-winded diatribe about the conference. In this, I missed a lot of recruiting news. In a series of three posts over the next week or so, I will go through the teams and the recruits they have signed thus far, in alphabetical order.
Eastern Washington
The Eagles signed two recruits in the early signing period, both guys that will be freshmen next season. One is guard Michael Wearne from Australia, continuing the Eagles foreign pipeline. Last year, he led his team to an undefeated season while averaging 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists.
Coach Hayford had this to say on him - "By our evaluation and most of the people we talked to in Australia, he is one of the top two point guards in that country. We are excited to sign him because he had other options and received other scholarship offers from universities here in America. We feel very fortunate that he selected us. He's a very athletic, quick guard. He can score off the dribble and he can shoot it off the pass. He can penetrate, and we think he is capable of leading our fast-break offense."
With Drew Brandon graduating, Wearne will team with current redshirt Will Ferris to give them some backcourt options.
The other signee was 6'7'' forward Jesse Hunt out of California. He averaged 17 and 10 last year, and is a skilled forward that can drive to the basket or shoot it from the outside, similar to other EWU bigs. He was also born in Australia, but has lived in the USA for his high school career. He will continue to add more depth and versatile talent in the EWU frontcourt.
Idaho
The Vandals got a commitment from 6'4'' guard Tyler Brimhall, who hails from Logan, UT. A three year player for his high school team, Brimhall averaged 17 PPG last year as a junior. Last week, he scored 32 points on six threes in a win, showing his scoring and shooting prowess. Head coach Don Verlin called him an, "excellent shooter" while also mentioning that he "has really improved his ability to finish at the rim." He will be a shooting guard for the Vandals, and looks like a nice prospect that will score a lot of points at Idaho.
Idaho State
The Bengals have signed a junior college player in 6'2'' guard Ali Faruqbey. He is a sophomore at Arizona Western College who scored 16.3 PPG last year as a freshman. He shot 46% from the floor, and 38.6% from the three-point line. He looks like a great fit for them, as they are in need of offense and shooting. With Chris Hansen being a senior, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Faruqbey step into the starting lineup next year, though that speculation is a little soon. He should at least provide some perimeter scoring for them.
Last May, they also reportedly signed a guard named Anthony Knight, though I am unsure if he qualified or is playing anywhere else.
Montana
In Travis DeCuire's first full recruiting cycle, he has a couple of early commits coming to Montana next year. DeCuire's California roots may have helped in bringing in CA guard Michael Oguine, a 6'1'' guard from Los Angeles. He averaged 12.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG,m 2.8 APG, and 2.4 SPG, and was named a first-team selection by a couple of LA newspapers. He scored 32 points in last year's state semifinal game, and 26 in the championship, which seems to have made an impression on Coach DeCuire. He should be a nice pickup for their backcourt.
Also signed was 6'7'' forward Jared Samuelson, who averaged 18 and 6 last year playing for Billings West. He can hit from outside, ans he made 40% from three-point range last season. He is a three-year starter who can handle and pass the ball. It seems as though DeCuire is continuing to recruit forwards that can play the three or the four, and shoot the ball from the outside. Samuelson fits that mold.
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Eastern Washington
The Eagles signed two recruits in the early signing period, both guys that will be freshmen next season. One is guard Michael Wearne from Australia, continuing the Eagles foreign pipeline. Last year, he led his team to an undefeated season while averaging 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists.
Coach Hayford had this to say on him - "By our evaluation and most of the people we talked to in Australia, he is one of the top two point guards in that country. We are excited to sign him because he had other options and received other scholarship offers from universities here in America. We feel very fortunate that he selected us. He's a very athletic, quick guard. He can score off the dribble and he can shoot it off the pass. He can penetrate, and we think he is capable of leading our fast-break offense."
With Drew Brandon graduating, Wearne will team with current redshirt Will Ferris to give them some backcourt options.
The other signee was 6'7'' forward Jesse Hunt out of California. He averaged 17 and 10 last year, and is a skilled forward that can drive to the basket or shoot it from the outside, similar to other EWU bigs. He was also born in Australia, but has lived in the USA for his high school career. He will continue to add more depth and versatile talent in the EWU frontcourt.
Idaho
The Vandals got a commitment from 6'4'' guard Tyler Brimhall, who hails from Logan, UT. A three year player for his high school team, Brimhall averaged 17 PPG last year as a junior. Last week, he scored 32 points on six threes in a win, showing his scoring and shooting prowess. Head coach Don Verlin called him an, "excellent shooter" while also mentioning that he "has really improved his ability to finish at the rim." He will be a shooting guard for the Vandals, and looks like a nice prospect that will score a lot of points at Idaho.
Idaho State
The Bengals have signed a junior college player in 6'2'' guard Ali Faruqbey. He is a sophomore at Arizona Western College who scored 16.3 PPG last year as a freshman. He shot 46% from the floor, and 38.6% from the three-point line. He looks like a great fit for them, as they are in need of offense and shooting. With Chris Hansen being a senior, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Faruqbey step into the starting lineup next year, though that speculation is a little soon. He should at least provide some perimeter scoring for them.
Last May, they also reportedly signed a guard named Anthony Knight, though I am unsure if he qualified or is playing anywhere else.
Montana
In Travis DeCuire's first full recruiting cycle, he has a couple of early commits coming to Montana next year. DeCuire's California roots may have helped in bringing in CA guard Michael Oguine, a 6'1'' guard from Los Angeles. He averaged 12.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG,m 2.8 APG, and 2.4 SPG, and was named a first-team selection by a couple of LA newspapers. He scored 32 points in last year's state semifinal game, and 26 in the championship, which seems to have made an impression on Coach DeCuire. He should be a nice pickup for their backcourt.
Also signed was 6'7'' forward Jared Samuelson, who averaged 18 and 6 last year playing for Billings West. He can hit from outside, ans he made 40% from three-point range last season. He is a three-year starter who can handle and pass the ball. It seems as though DeCuire is continuing to recruit forwards that can play the three or the four, and shoot the ball from the outside. Samuelson fits that mold.
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AJ Hess hits 40 foot game winner to beat UTSA
Southern Utah has not had a lot of luck the past couple of years, especially on the road, so this was great to see. With 2.5 seconds left, Southern Utah trailed UTSA 92-90, and SUU had to go the length of the court to tie or win. Well, they were able to do that, as junior guard AJ Hess drained a 40 footer off the backboard to get the win.
AJs 40 ft shot to for first season WIN at the Buzzer 93-92 from Barbara H Hess on Vimeo.
Original link to the video is here.
It is the Thunderbirds first win of the season, and first road win since February 7, 2013, two seasons ago.
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AJs 40 ft shot to for first season WIN at the Buzzer 93-92 from Barbara H Hess on Vimeo.
Original link to the video is here.
It is the Thunderbirds first win of the season, and first road win since February 7, 2013, two seasons ago.
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hope that everyone out there has a great holiday!
See you later this weekend when I will hopefully have some more Big Sky writings up. Happy Thanksgiving!
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
See you later this weekend when I will hopefully have some more Big Sky writings up. Happy Thanksgiving!
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
Monday, November 24, 2014
Eastern Washington Shocks Indiana
For a long while, it seems as though the Big Sky has gotten close to some big wins against very good programs. On Monday night, it got one - as Eastern Washington went into Assembly Hall and beat Indiana 88-86. While Portland State's win over USC was big, it doesn't quite have as much cachet as EWU beating Indiana on the road, one of the blue blood programs of the sport.
The Eagles used a late 9-0 run to get the win, and ended Indiana's 43 game home winning streak against non-conference foes.
"We just never stopped believing," coach Jim Hayford said. "We really don't look at the scoreboard till there's three or four minutes left because that can go up and down and we just play through runs. That didn't happen overnight. These guys have developed a lot of confidence, growing up together the last two, three seasons."
Yesterday I wrote that EWU looked like the best team in the Big Sky so far, and they provided an exclamation point to that. They were 3-12 on the road last season, and are a young team that seems to have grown up very quickly.
While several guys contributing, there were three heroes for the Eagles, and they were exactly the guys you would expect. The leading scorer was Drew Brandon, who had 27 points on 10/16 FG, Always the stat sheet stuffer, the senior PG also had eight rebounds, four assists, and five steals. It was a career high for him, and back to back baskets by Brandon started their 9-0 run late.
Tyler Harvey was next in line with 25 points on 9/20 FG, including three treys. His ability to shoot and for the defense to have to account for him at all times opens up lanes for everyone else. One guy that gets more room is big man Venky Jois, who had a great day, finishing with a ridiculous stat line of 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Already one of the best big men in the Big Sky, Jois has taken another step forward as a junior.
Entering this season, Eastern Washington was a team with a ton of talent and offensive potential, but we didn't know if they would make the leap. It's safe to say they have. With Jim Hayford around with a contract extension before the year, a unique ability to recruit and find talent, and a victory that will give it a lot of credibility in the college basketball world, Monday could be the day that Eastern Washington makes the leap and becomes a Big Sky contender with staying power.
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The Eagles used a late 9-0 run to get the win, and ended Indiana's 43 game home winning streak against non-conference foes.
"We just never stopped believing," coach Jim Hayford said. "We really don't look at the scoreboard till there's three or four minutes left because that can go up and down and we just play through runs. That didn't happen overnight. These guys have developed a lot of confidence, growing up together the last two, three seasons."
Yesterday I wrote that EWU looked like the best team in the Big Sky so far, and they provided an exclamation point to that. They were 3-12 on the road last season, and are a young team that seems to have grown up very quickly.
While several guys contributing, there were three heroes for the Eagles, and they were exactly the guys you would expect. The leading scorer was Drew Brandon, who had 27 points on 10/16 FG, Always the stat sheet stuffer, the senior PG also had eight rebounds, four assists, and five steals. It was a career high for him, and back to back baskets by Brandon started their 9-0 run late.
Tyler Harvey was next in line with 25 points on 9/20 FG, including three treys. His ability to shoot and for the defense to have to account for him at all times opens up lanes for everyone else. One guy that gets more room is big man Venky Jois, who had a great day, finishing with a ridiculous stat line of 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Already one of the best big men in the Big Sky, Jois has taken another step forward as a junior.
Entering this season, Eastern Washington was a team with a ton of talent and offensive potential, but we didn't know if they would make the leap. It's safe to say they have. With Jim Hayford around with a contract extension before the year, a unique ability to recruit and find talent, and a victory that will give it a lot of credibility in the college basketball world, Monday could be the day that Eastern Washington makes the leap and becomes a Big Sky contender with staying power.
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Sunday, November 23, 2014
Pre-Thanksgiving Big Sky Notes
This past week has been a busy one at work followed by an unexpected trip for a family matter, so even though I have been following the games and happenings, I haven't had the chance to write about them recently. So this will more or less be a random dump of some Big Sky thoughts.
- If all you knew about the Big Sky was what has happened so far this season, Eastern Washington looks like the best team in the land so far (which KenPom rankings also bear out).
After their opening win against Texas Southern, they crushed Utah Valley (a game they should win, but it was impressive how they won), and then on Saturday they hung in there on the road against #22 SMU. They hung with SMU despite shooting just 11/36 from downtown, and making just 7/15 FT's (in fairness, Veky Jois was 2/7 at the line, and he does not excel there). It is too early to make any definitive conclusions, but their offense looks as good as neutral observers hoped it would be.
- Montana State went on the road to play #1 Kentucky, and the result was even worse than you would expect. The Bobcats went into Rupp Arena and lost 86-28. Some of the more staggering numbers: The Bobcats shot 19.7% for the day, including 10/38 from two, and 2/23 from downtown. They were just 2/2 from the foul line. They turned the ball over 21 times, and scored 0.40 PPP. Joey Frenchwood led the team in scoring... with 7 points.
It was ugly all-around. Kentucky is a great team, and they could have the best chance of going undefeated that anyone has had in college basketball in many, many years. Brian Fish after the game said it was the best team he had scouted in 25 years of coaching. Against a young and rebuilding MSU team, clearly this was as big of a talent mismatch as you'll see between two DI programs. But I all that said, I am sure the Bobcats would like to get the taste of this game out of their mouth as soon as possible.
- Weber State has played a tough schedule, so there is no need to panic about a 1-3 start (indeed, they started 0-3 last season), but there are some discouraging signs below the surface. We knew that they could struggle to handle the ball, and that is exactly what has happened, as they are 340th in the nation in turnover rate. The biggest offender has been PG Jeremy Senglin, who has a staggering 40.1 TO Rate, and 18 TOs against three DI teams. Backup PG, freshman Hayden Hunter, had a 28.3 Assist Rate (good), but a 58.3 TO Rate (very, very bad). These guys are talented, and they will figure some things out... but the early guard play has been disappointing.
- One thing for Weber which has not been disappointing is Joel Bolomboy, who has been putting up huge numbers. While his FG percentages are down so far, he has been getting to the line often, and hitting them. He was 14/15 against Illinois State, and 7/8 against LSU. If he is doing this against non-conference opponents, they have to be excited to see what he will do against Big Sky big men.
- Northern Arizona is also 1-3, but other than a 33 point loss to Xavier (who, to be fair, is an NCAA Tournament team), they have played well. They lost to Toledo, but that looks better after the Rockets went toe to toe on the road with VCU and Oregon. They pounded Fresno State, and then lost 80-74 to Ole Miss on the road. Junior guard Jaleni Neely has been solid for them in the backcourt, and looks to be a nice piece for them. I will be writing more about some Big Sky newcomers hopefully early in the week.
- After a tough opener, Montana bounced back and took Boise State to double OT, and then went on the road to beat Seattle. Stats were not in for the Seattle game at the time of this writing, but Martin Breunig flashed some of his talent in the game against Boise State. Though he again had some foul trouble, he was 7/8 from the floor and had 16 points in 24 minutes, also grabbing nine rebounds. The Grizzlies will be an interesting sleeper.
- Southern Utah is winless, but they have showed some offensive punch so far, and showing that they may be trying to play at a much faster pace. Through three games, they are 29th in the country in pace, as they try and jumpstart an offense that struggled mightily last year. In a close loss to Utah Valley, SUU had 11 different players score. They are trying some things out, and I think they will be better for it in the long run.
- North Dakota lost a nailbiter to South Dakota State on the road, which is a good sign for them. In Estan Tyler's first game for them, he scored 17 points on 6/10 shooting and 5/7 FT. He has the potential to be a very good scorer for them. It's only been three games, but UND has looked a little better than I thought they might, which is encouraging.
- Idaho has been playing very good offensive basketball so far, and one reason for it is Mike Scott, who has stepped into the starting lineup and played three excellent games so far. Thus far, he is 16/27 from the field, and has 14 assists to one turnover. While he can't keep those numbers up, he looks like a real asset for them, and forms a really nice backcourt along with Sekou Wiggs (also off to a good start) and Connor Hill. The Vandals will score a lot of points this year.
I know I couldn't quite touch on everybody... but what else has stuck out early on in this season?
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
- If all you knew about the Big Sky was what has happened so far this season, Eastern Washington looks like the best team in the land so far (which KenPom rankings also bear out).
After their opening win against Texas Southern, they crushed Utah Valley (a game they should win, but it was impressive how they won), and then on Saturday they hung in there on the road against #22 SMU. They hung with SMU despite shooting just 11/36 from downtown, and making just 7/15 FT's (in fairness, Veky Jois was 2/7 at the line, and he does not excel there). It is too early to make any definitive conclusions, but their offense looks as good as neutral observers hoped it would be.
- Montana State went on the road to play #1 Kentucky, and the result was even worse than you would expect. The Bobcats went into Rupp Arena and lost 86-28. Some of the more staggering numbers: The Bobcats shot 19.7% for the day, including 10/38 from two, and 2/23 from downtown. They were just 2/2 from the foul line. They turned the ball over 21 times, and scored 0.40 PPP. Joey Frenchwood led the team in scoring... with 7 points.
It was ugly all-around. Kentucky is a great team, and they could have the best chance of going undefeated that anyone has had in college basketball in many, many years. Brian Fish after the game said it was the best team he had scouted in 25 years of coaching. Against a young and rebuilding MSU team, clearly this was as big of a talent mismatch as you'll see between two DI programs. But I all that said, I am sure the Bobcats would like to get the taste of this game out of their mouth as soon as possible.
- Weber State has played a tough schedule, so there is no need to panic about a 1-3 start (indeed, they started 0-3 last season), but there are some discouraging signs below the surface. We knew that they could struggle to handle the ball, and that is exactly what has happened, as they are 340th in the nation in turnover rate. The biggest offender has been PG Jeremy Senglin, who has a staggering 40.1 TO Rate, and 18 TOs against three DI teams. Backup PG, freshman Hayden Hunter, had a 28.3 Assist Rate (good), but a 58.3 TO Rate (very, very bad). These guys are talented, and they will figure some things out... but the early guard play has been disappointing.
- One thing for Weber which has not been disappointing is Joel Bolomboy, who has been putting up huge numbers. While his FG percentages are down so far, he has been getting to the line often, and hitting them. He was 14/15 against Illinois State, and 7/8 against LSU. If he is doing this against non-conference opponents, they have to be excited to see what he will do against Big Sky big men.
- Northern Arizona is also 1-3, but other than a 33 point loss to Xavier (who, to be fair, is an NCAA Tournament team), they have played well. They lost to Toledo, but that looks better after the Rockets went toe to toe on the road with VCU and Oregon. They pounded Fresno State, and then lost 80-74 to Ole Miss on the road. Junior guard Jaleni Neely has been solid for them in the backcourt, and looks to be a nice piece for them. I will be writing more about some Big Sky newcomers hopefully early in the week.
- After a tough opener, Montana bounced back and took Boise State to double OT, and then went on the road to beat Seattle. Stats were not in for the Seattle game at the time of this writing, but Martin Breunig flashed some of his talent in the game against Boise State. Though he again had some foul trouble, he was 7/8 from the floor and had 16 points in 24 minutes, also grabbing nine rebounds. The Grizzlies will be an interesting sleeper.
- Southern Utah is winless, but they have showed some offensive punch so far, and showing that they may be trying to play at a much faster pace. Through three games, they are 29th in the country in pace, as they try and jumpstart an offense that struggled mightily last year. In a close loss to Utah Valley, SUU had 11 different players score. They are trying some things out, and I think they will be better for it in the long run.
- North Dakota lost a nailbiter to South Dakota State on the road, which is a good sign for them. In Estan Tyler's first game for them, he scored 17 points on 6/10 shooting and 5/7 FT. He has the potential to be a very good scorer for them. It's only been three games, but UND has looked a little better than I thought they might, which is encouraging.
- Idaho has been playing very good offensive basketball so far, and one reason for it is Mike Scott, who has stepped into the starting lineup and played three excellent games so far. Thus far, he is 16/27 from the field, and has 14 assists to one turnover. While he can't keep those numbers up, he looks like a real asset for them, and forms a really nice backcourt along with Sekou Wiggs (also off to a good start) and Connor Hill. The Vandals will score a lot of points this year.
I know I couldn't quite touch on everybody... but what else has stuck out early on in this season?
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Portland State Upsets USC, Other Weekend Notes
Eastern Washington got the Big Sky started with a win over Texas Southern on Friday morning, but there was just one win over another Division I team for the rest of the weekend.
That said, it was a pretty nice win, as Portland State went on the road and beat Pac-12 USC on Saturday night.
The Vikings led by seven at the half and never looked back, winning 76-68. In a turn from recent years, they won this game with defense. USC scored 0.96 PPP, and the Vikings forced 23 turnovers (while committing just four themselves), scoring 31 points off those turnovers. The Trojans shot the ball well (53% for the day), but were undone by the turnovers.
Forward Tiegbe Bamba was even better than advertised for the Vikings, and showed he will be one of the best newcomers in the conference. He scored 19 points - including shooting 3/3 from downtown - while also grabbing six rebounds and getting four steals. Combined with nice days from Braxton Tucker (16 points) and Bryce White (14), the Vikings have the newcomers up front to shore up what was a big weakness last season.
USC isn't going to be competing for a Pac-12 title, but anytime you go on the road and beat a team like that to open the year, it's encouraging. It's too early to make any definitive statements, but the Vikings appear to be real players in the Big Sky race.
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The favorite in the conference, Weber State, did not have such a great opening act.
The Wildcats led by 18 points at halftime, but remarkably turned that into a 72-61 loss, as they simply couldn't stop the bleeding in the seonc half against Utah State. After outscoring the Aggies 47-29 in the first half, the score was 43-14 in the second half.
Utah State played a 1-3-1 zone, and the Wildcats struggled to solve it. They were just 4/23 from the floor during the second half. Jeremy Senglin led the team with 14 points, but he also had eight turnovers compared to one assist. He is going to be their lead ball handler and needs to be able to make plays for others, but this game showed that is still a work in progress.
After the losses the last couple of years, we knew there would be some growing pains for the Wildcats. One of the potential weaknesses I talked about before the year was when Weber State needed a basket, who would be the guy to step up and get it? In the opener, that answer was: nobody.
It's a young season, but it's a rough way to start for Weber State.
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One other game that caught my eye was Northern Colorado going on the road to take on Wyoming. The Bears lost 78-70, but they were within four at the 3:55 mark, and generally played well on the road. Wyoming has been a solid team the past couple of years, but UNC was right there with them.
Offensively, they had no issues, scoring 1.19 PPP, shooting the ball well, and grabbing offensive rebounds. Newcomer Cam Michael scored 21 points to pace them (hitting five threes), while Cody McDavis scored an efficient 17. Offense was not a problem.
The defense, however, did struggle, as the Cowboys scored 1.32 PPP. They somehow shot 18/24 on two-pointers, and 8/18 from beyond the arc.
The Bears overall had a nice showing, one of the better ones of the weekend in the conference. However, they have to learn to be able to get a stop when they need it, and they still aren't there yet.
Anything else stick out over the weekend?
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
That said, it was a pretty nice win, as Portland State went on the road and beat Pac-12 USC on Saturday night.
The Vikings led by seven at the half and never looked back, winning 76-68. In a turn from recent years, they won this game with defense. USC scored 0.96 PPP, and the Vikings forced 23 turnovers (while committing just four themselves), scoring 31 points off those turnovers. The Trojans shot the ball well (53% for the day), but were undone by the turnovers.
Forward Tiegbe Bamba was even better than advertised for the Vikings, and showed he will be one of the best newcomers in the conference. He scored 19 points - including shooting 3/3 from downtown - while also grabbing six rebounds and getting four steals. Combined with nice days from Braxton Tucker (16 points) and Bryce White (14), the Vikings have the newcomers up front to shore up what was a big weakness last season.
USC isn't going to be competing for a Pac-12 title, but anytime you go on the road and beat a team like that to open the year, it's encouraging. It's too early to make any definitive statements, but the Vikings appear to be real players in the Big Sky race.
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The favorite in the conference, Weber State, did not have such a great opening act.
The Wildcats led by 18 points at halftime, but remarkably turned that into a 72-61 loss, as they simply couldn't stop the bleeding in the seonc half against Utah State. After outscoring the Aggies 47-29 in the first half, the score was 43-14 in the second half.
Utah State played a 1-3-1 zone, and the Wildcats struggled to solve it. They were just 4/23 from the floor during the second half. Jeremy Senglin led the team with 14 points, but he also had eight turnovers compared to one assist. He is going to be their lead ball handler and needs to be able to make plays for others, but this game showed that is still a work in progress.
After the losses the last couple of years, we knew there would be some growing pains for the Wildcats. One of the potential weaknesses I talked about before the year was when Weber State needed a basket, who would be the guy to step up and get it? In the opener, that answer was: nobody.
It's a young season, but it's a rough way to start for Weber State.
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One other game that caught my eye was Northern Colorado going on the road to take on Wyoming. The Bears lost 78-70, but they were within four at the 3:55 mark, and generally played well on the road. Wyoming has been a solid team the past couple of years, but UNC was right there with them.
Offensively, they had no issues, scoring 1.19 PPP, shooting the ball well, and grabbing offensive rebounds. Newcomer Cam Michael scored 21 points to pace them (hitting five threes), while Cody McDavis scored an efficient 17. Offense was not a problem.
The defense, however, did struggle, as the Cowboys scored 1.32 PPP. They somehow shot 18/24 on two-pointers, and 8/18 from beyond the arc.
The Bears overall had a nice showing, one of the better ones of the weekend in the conference. However, they have to learn to be able to get a stop when they need it, and they still aren't there yet.
Anything else stick out over the weekend?
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
Friday, November 14, 2014
Eastern Washington Wins the First Game in College Basketball
In the first game of the college basketball season, Eastern Washington got off to a slow start against Texas Southern, trailing 26-18 late in the first half. A quick flurry gave them a 32-30 lead at the break, but it had the look of a close, hard-fought game.
Then the Eagles came out in the second half and broke the game open, leading by as many as 30 points en route to an 86-62 season-opening win.
Eastern Washington turned often to its familiar friend, the three-point shot, draining 15 of them by the end of the game. The leader there was Tyler Harvey, who did not miss a beat from last season, as he hit seven threes in this game, finishing with 21 points. Backcourt mate Drew Brandon had his typical all-around game, finishing with 10 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, and four steals. The backcourt was in midseason form.
The real difference, however, was the play of Venky Jois in the second half. After a nightmare start, where he was 0/6 from the field with three turnovers in the first half, he finished with 22 points on 11/18 FG, also pitching in seven rebounds and three blocks. Jois was relentless in attacking the hoop, and while that got him into trouble early, TSU had no answers for him late.
It was not all roses for the Eagles… much of their early points came in transition on threes, as they struggled in halfcourt offense, turning it over 10 times in the first 20 minutes and struggling to find good shots. But the negatives were clearly far outweighed by the positives in this game, as they flashed the explosive offense that has many thinking they could win the Big Sky.
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
Then the Eagles came out in the second half and broke the game open, leading by as many as 30 points en route to an 86-62 season-opening win.
Eastern Washington turned often to its familiar friend, the three-point shot, draining 15 of them by the end of the game. The leader there was Tyler Harvey, who did not miss a beat from last season, as he hit seven threes in this game, finishing with 21 points. Backcourt mate Drew Brandon had his typical all-around game, finishing with 10 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, and four steals. The backcourt was in midseason form.
The real difference, however, was the play of Venky Jois in the second half. After a nightmare start, where he was 0/6 from the field with three turnovers in the first half, he finished with 22 points on 11/18 FG, also pitching in seven rebounds and three blocks. Jois was relentless in attacking the hoop, and while that got him into trouble early, TSU had no answers for him late.
It was not all roses for the Eagles… much of their early points came in transition on threes, as they struggled in halfcourt offense, turning it over 10 times in the first 20 minutes and struggling to find good shots. But the negatives were clearly far outweighed by the positives in this game, as they flashed the explosive offense that has many thinking they could win the Big Sky.
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
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