This week 4-Point Play looks at four teams that are leading their respective conferences and have some hidden talent in their ranks. They are a combined 64-20 (76% winning percentage) this year and can easily win their conferences and join the 68 teams of March Madness.
Georgia State Panthers
The Panthers started their season off very poorly losing six of their first ten including losses to Vanderbilt, Alabama and Southern Miss. However, following the loss to USM, Georgia State has run through their last 11 straight winning by at least two scores in all but one of them. Georgia State is first in a competitive Sun Belt conference and are threatening to run away with the conference. The Panthers also hold a tiebreaker over the second place Western Kentucky Hilltoppers after a 77-54 road victory. That victory was the Panthers best win so far this year when they shut down the Hilltoppers already stingy offense and completely overran WKU's strong defense.
Although they rely on their top performers R.J. Hunter and Kentucky transfer Ryan Harrow to consistently put up points, the Panthers are an extremely well rounded team. Four players average double figures and a steal a game, two average six rebounds, two average four and a half assists and the team shoots 47% from the field. They score almost 80 points per game while grabbing less than 31 rebounds a game. Their pure shooting ability allows the Panthers to run away in games, scoring 75+ in seven of their last 11 and having been held to under 70 just three times this season.
Player Spotlight: Ryan Harrow, a junior transfer from Kentucky, is one of the top performers on this Panthers team. Harrow is second on the team in PPG and APG along with a 44% field goal percentage and an 81% from the line. Harrow only lacks rebounding and outside shooting ability to be a full five-tool player for the Panthers.
Toughest Game Left: versus Western Kentucky on March 8
Predicted Finish: 25-6 and first place in the Sun Belt
Green Bay Phoenix
In the middle of a 12 game winning streak, Green Bay is unquestionably one of the most impressive teams in the nation. They rank in the top 70 in the country in points, rebounds and assists per game, and top 35 in field goal percentage. Although the Phoenix haven't played the toughest schedule in their conference, they have won all but three of the games on that schedule, and as the saying goes, you can only play the teams on the schedule. The three they lost? A three point loss to then #20 Wisconsin, a 12 point loss in the Great Alaska Shootout to Harvard, and a nine point loss at Eastern Michigan. Their best game was a 66-55 win over Cleveland State in their conference opener.
As I said, Green Bay is some of the cream of the crop across the board. They average 78 points a game along with 38 rebounds and 16 assists. Oh and they shoot close to 48% from the floor. They also have a damn good defense allowing just under 65 points and 26 rebounds a game. They also block like crazy averaging almost seven and a half blocks (second in the nation) and then their quick hands let them steal the ball at least seven times a game. The Phoenix have put up 90+ on five occasions this season while being held under 70 only seven times.
Update: The Phoenix 12 game winning streak was snapped last night in a 75-60 road loss to Valparaiso
Player Spotlight: Alec Brown, a senior forward/ center, is second on the team in points and rebounds. He leads the team with over three blocks a game and shoots 50% from the field. Brown is also a solid outside threat with a 42.6% outside shot average. He nearly doubles the second best blocker on the team with 66 blocks so far this season.
Toughest Game Left: at Cleveland State on February 15
Predicted Finish: 25-4 and first in the Horizon League
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Conference USA leader Southern Miss is an extremely consistent team winning nine of their last 10 and 18 of 21 overall. In the conference, five teams are within one game of first place adding to the pressure on these Golden Eagles to perform consistently in a talented conference. A 69-38 loss at then #6 Louisville is the biggest blemish on their record and is the only game they scored less than 60. Their other losses include a three point heartbreak at Western Kentucky and a four point loss at C-USA foe Tulsa. Their best win was a nine point win over second place Louisiana Tech on January 19. That win followed a 22 point knockout of Rice.
While the Golden Eagles don't put up many points every week, averaging only 72 points a game, their defense stifles other teams allowing less than 63 points a game. This mainly comes from the transition offense they get from their average 8.2 steals a game. The team lacks any consistent threat outside with only one player hitting over 40% from beyond the arc. However, two of their top three scorers average an overall 55% or better field goal percentage.
Player Spotlight: Neil Watson, a senior guard for Southern Miss, is one of only three Golden Eagles averaging double figures. Watson also leads the team in assists (77), APG (3.9), steals (32), and SPG (1.6). He's also only missed five FTs this year and owns a deadly 94% free throw percentage.
Toughest Game Left: at Middle Tennessee on February 15
Predicted Finish: 29-4 and first place in C-USA
Stony Brook Seawolves
The Seawolves lead the America East Conference with co-leader Vermont. The Seawolves handed Vermont their first loss in conference play with a three point victory at home last week, however Stony Brook lost at second place Albany last night in a surprising 77-67 game. Stony Brook has also lost to Indiana, Toledo, St. Francis (NY), LaSalle, VCU and Columbia. Aside from that three point victory over Vermont, the best win for the Seawolves came in their conference opener at Hartford where they dismantled the Hawks in a 23 point rout.
Don't let anyone tell you the Seawolves don't play with heart and guts. They average over 37 rebounds a game, 26 of them off the defensive glass. However, their kryptonite seems to be allowing a team to reach 70 points. Stony Brook is 5-1 when they allow 70+ and that lone win came in a three-overtime 104-102 victory against Detroit. The Seawolves have four players averaging double figures, four averaging at least 4.5 rebounds and five players with at least two assists per game. Their top six players (each averaging over 24 minutes a game) shoot almost 48% from the field and 75% from the stripe.
Player Spotlight: Jameel Warney, a sophomore forward, is the young leader of this Stony Brook team. He averages over 15, 8 rebounds, two assists and a block per game. Warney is deadly accurate owning a 66% shooting percentage from the field. He's also scored 80 more points than the Seawolves second leading scorer. With 26 blocks and 17 steals on the year, Warney is a consistent threat to put on a defensive showcase but is almost always the star offensive power for first place Stony Brook.
Toughest Game Left: at Vermont on February 27
Predicted Finish: 23-7 and first place in the America East
No comments:
Post a Comment