West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[TopperNation]

Let’s get that women’s coaching search going

I thought we started that search months ago! We all know that WL doesn't fire coaches for performance or records.

[Columbuseer]

WLU clinches their 8th consecutive MEC Conference championship 119-103 over wheeling.
#1 in region.
They have won 15 out of the last 16 championships!

[TopperNation]

WL should have locked up the hosting rights for the Atlantic Region.

[Scrub]

WL should have locked up the hosting rights for the Atlantic Region.

I would think so. But it'd be best to avoid an embarrassing loss on Friday night. Take care of business in 1-2 of those MEC Tourney games, and it's a surefire lock.

[TopperNation]

I would think so. But it'd be best to avoid an embarrassing loss on Friday night. Take care of business in 1-2 of those MEC Tourney games, and it's a surefire lock.

Yeah, you might be right. WL wins at least 1 in the MEC tourney and we can start booking hotel reservations lol.

[Columbuseer]

FYI

A Dummy’s Observations on WLU hosting Wheeling 3/1/25

WLU 119 - Wheeling 103

Wheeling University (WU) Game Plan

WU is an athletic team that is about the same size as WLU. Although 9th in MEC, they play with great effort and intensity in this rivalry game, which is almost always a closer game than expected.

The WU strategy seemed to be:

• PASSED – Play a very physical game. They committed 21 fouls, while forcing WLU into 24 fouls. The officials were strictly calling fouls in the press. WLU shot 24-27 free throw attempts in the game (88%). WU shot 28-34 free throws (82%).
• PASSED– In a change from the first game, Wheeling decided to play aggressively and attack the WLU defense in transition, pushing the ball up the court, resulting in 16 fast break points. Use their athletic ability to attack the rim on offense, both in half court and when breaking the press in transition, looking to score or get to the foul line, getting 34 free-throw attempts.
• PASSED (marginally) – Win the rebounding battle. WU barely outrebounded WLU 40-36. The college average is a 72% defensive rebounding rate. WU got 74% of defensive rebounds compared to 68% for WLU.
• PASSED – Keep WLU off the offensive glass. The average offensive rebounding % in D1 college basketball is 28%. WLU had a 26% offensive rebounding percentage compared to an above average 32% for the WU team. However, the advantage was not realized, as WU got only 10 second-chance points compared to 15 for WLU.
• PASSED– Shoot at their average from three. WU shot 44% from three, far above their average of 33.5% and 48.5% FG overall, compared to their season average of 43%.
• PASSED– Defend the 3-point shot from WLU. WLU averaged 32% (22-25) for the game, below their average of 37%.
• PASSED – Pay special attention to Dragas and guard him tightly all over the court.
• FAILED - Take care of the ball and avoid getting sped up in their game. WU had 23 turnovers on 28% of their possessions. Thirteen of their turnovers were WLU steals. Their 23 turnovers resulted in 28 WLU points.
• FAILED – Mitigate the effects of fatigue. WU reduced key players’ minutes from the first game, but they still played only 7 players 11 minutes or more. For example, #01 Ealy played 29 minutes, #5 Smith played 25 minutes (limited by 4 fouls), and #13 Hutchinson 23 minutes. Initially, WU tried to mirror WLU’s subbing pattern, but were subbing only 2 players for WLU’s 3 or 4 players. Due to lack of depth, WU had to play their starters too long without a rest. Key WU players, such as Ealy and Smith, were playing heavy minutes without rest. IMHO, my guess is that playing for more than approximately 5.8 minutes continuously against WLU pressure significantly degrades a player’s skills and judgment over the course of a game.

Comments on the WLU Victory
WLU is at the point, where they can mix and match players according to the competition and situation. With Spadafora banged up:

First Shift of each half: D’Augustino, Woodward, Harper, Autrey and Dragas

However, being a WLU starter has none of the cachet of traditional teams. All nine players played at least 11 minutes, led by D’Augustino and Harper with 30 minutes each. I thought WU had a good game plan to attack the rim in transition. However, it is a double-edged sword, as it accelerates the onset of fatigue, and WU does not have great depth. However, WU was shooting much above their average, which was mitigating the effects of their turnovers. In addition, officials were calling a tight game against the WLU harassment in the backcourt. Despite the tight officiating, WLU maintained the pressure. WU had their last lead 29-27 at the 10:54 mark of the first half. WLU expanded the lead to 8 at 40-32 in the space of 2 minutes. WU made timely goals to cut the lead to 2 with 3 minutes remaining. With a two-point lead with 1:20 remaining, WLU went on a 5-0 run to end the half at 63-57. Although WU wanted to attack the rim, the pace of the game was getting too fast for them.

After intermission, WU closed the gap to 2, at 63-61 at the 17:38 mark. WLU replaced with 3 fresh players and the lead grew in 2 minutes to 73-61. The limited recovery from fatigue at intermission was now just a memory for WU.By the 13:38 mark, the WLU lead was 18. The teams scored with the teams trading goals for the most part, with the greatest lead reaching 24 with 7:50 remaining. At the 2-minute mark, WLU led by 20, when they started managing the clock.

Keys to Victory

• IMHO, the root cause for the victory was the cumulative effect of fatigue from the WLU pressure, which started to become apparent with 10 minutes left in the first half. After the first media time-out in the second half, WLU was getting a step ahead of their man and getting to the rim, scoring quickly and easily. WU was paying the price for playing their starters for too long without a break. WU closed the gap when WLU prudently slowed the pace to shorten the game.
• WLU forced 23 turnovers and 56% were live ball turnovers. The turnovers resulted in 28 WLU points and 1.22 points per WU turnover.
• WLU worked very hard in half-court defense.
• WLU shared the ball exceptionally well
• WLU’s offensive efficiency was an elite 125 points per 100 possessions, above their season average of 122 (the WLU season average was only 114 in the first Wheeling game in January). In comparison, the 90th percentile for D1 teams is 113. WU had a very good 112 points per 100 possessions, which normally would be sufficient to win most games.
• WLU shared the ball very effectively with 26 assists and an assist to turnover ratio of 2.0, which is very good for a point guard, and even more so for a team. WLU had assists on 62% of field goals, which probably underestimates how well they were sharing the ball. Some goals were wide-open drives to the rim for layups and there were some unfortunate turnovers on likely scoring passes, especially in the second half. Else, the assist % would have been higher,

Areas for Improvement for WLU
WLU needs to improve defensive angles and alignment to stay in front of opponents who have the ball.in an open court or in a clear-out 1-on-1 situation. WLU needs to make them change direction and give up the ball.Some of the turnovers were well-intentioned passes that were just not executed correctly by either sender or receiver.

[boatcapt]

Yeah, you might be right. WL wins at least 1 in the MEC tourney and we can start booking hotel reservations lol.

WLUs home court advantage is so strong that I sometimes feel that the NCAA tries to have the Regionals anywhere else except the Hilltop. WLU effectively needs to give them no alternative except to pick WLU as the Regional hosts. One win in the MEC tournament almost seals the deal...two wins makes it a stone cold lead pipe snitch.

[TopperNation]

WLUs home court advantage is so strong that I sometimes feel that the NCAA tries to have the Regionals anywhere else except the Hilltop. WLU effectively needs to give them no alternative except to pick WLU as the Regional hosts. One win in the MEC tournament almost seals the deal...two wins makes it a stone cold lead pipe snitch.

I've actually had that opinion for the past 6 or 7 years now, that WL has so much of a home court advantage that the committee looks for any reason not to have it on the Hilltop. I'm sorry, but this year with the amount of losses that these other teams have (5,6, and 7 losses in some cases) WL is a lock to host the Atlantic Region, I've already booked my stay.

[Columbuseer]

FYI WLU is now #5.

Consistent with their elevated play, WLU had moved up significantly in the 90th percentile and top ten national statistical rankings in the last two weeks.

March 4 2025 #5 West Liberty National Rankings out of 304 D2 teams

Top Ten Ranking
#1 Turnover Margin 8.9 (WLU style teams are #1,2,14, 17, and 27)
#2 Assists per game 21.5 (WLU style teams are #1,2,3,14 and 76)
#2 Assist to Turnover Ratio 2.12 (WLU style teams are #1,2,11, 105, and 159)
#3 Scoring Offense 101,0 (WLU style teams are #1,2,3,7, and 8)
#3 Three Pointers per game 11.9 (WLU style teams are #1,3,85, 89, and 287)
#4 Three Point Attempts per game 32.2 (WLU style teams are #1,4,77,129, and 282)
#4 Scoring Margin 15 (WLU style teams are #1,4,14, 69, and 90)
#5 Winning Percentage 89.3% (WLU style teams are #2,5,23, 54, and 86)
#6 Fast Break Points 20.13 (WLU style teams are #3,4,5,6, and 39)
#6 Turnovers Forced per game 19.52 (WLU style teams are #2,6,9, 16, and 20)
#10 Bench Points per game 35.04 (WLU style teams are #1,10,52,79, and 117)

Ranking Ten Through 30 90th Percentile
#12 Effective FG Percentage 57.0% (WLU style teams are #6,9,12, and 161)
#16 Steals per game 10.3 (WLU style teams are #3,4,10,13, and 29)
#16 Free Throws Made per game 17.1 (WLU style teams are #2,12,16,24, and 41)
#24 Field Goal Percentage 48.87% (WLU style teams are #2,24,37,61, and 119)

Ranking 30 through 60 - 80th Percentile
#31 Turnovers per game 10.6 (WLU style teams are #31,37,171, 235, and 269)
#36 Free Throw Percentage 76.36% (WLU style teams are #22,32,36,120,and 191)
#40 Free Throw Attempts per game 22.4 (WLU style teams are #2,26,31,40, and 57)
#47 Three Point Percentage 37.05 (WLU style teams are #18,46,47, 131, and 258)

Other Rankings
#65 Rebounds Offensive per game 11.7 (WLU style teams are #4,11,18,53, and 65)
#150 Rebounds Defensive per game 24.7 (WLU style teams are 15,69,135, 170 and 262)

[Columbuseer]

Coach Howlett MEC coach of year.
Incredible job with 5 portal players, 2 of which were hurt, and only 2 freshmen able to play.
Harper and D'Augustino 1st team MEC
Woodward 2nd team.

well deserved!

https://hilltoppersports.com/news/20...am-honors.aspx

[boatcapt]

WLU 102 DE 77

Shuler is FAST! Autrey was on FIRE from 3 (7-10) with all of them just absolutely DRAINED!

[Columbuseer]

A Dummy’s Observations on WLU vs DE 3/7/25 - WLU 102 DE 77

Davis & Elkins (DE) Game Plan
DE is an athletic team that also has two players shooting over 40% from three. As a team, DE averages 32.2% from three and 44.6% FG % and 66.3% FT %. DE has 2 players that average double figures and the team averages about 74 points a game. They average about 15 turnovers a game and only 11 assists, so they don’t pass the ball much. They are missing an all MEC player in Sam Rolle IV. They play 11 players at least 14 minutes a game, so they must trust their depth to be competitive.

The DE strategy seemed to be:

• PASSED – This is a common strategy for most of the WLU opponents. Avoid getting into a fast-paced game with WLU and leverage DE’s inside and outside strength and 1v1 game. DE only had 15 fast break points and 11 points off WLU’s 11 turnovers. DE scored 36 points in the paint,15 points from three and 22-32 FreeThrows.
• PASSED– Keep WLU off the offensive glass. The average offensive rebounding % in D1 college basketball is 28%. DE had a good 35% offensive rebounding percentage. WLU had a 27% offensive rebounding percentage.
• PASSED– Win the rebounding battle. The college average is a 72% defensive rebounding rate. WLU was 65% of defensive rebounds compared to a good 75% for DE.
• PASSED– Shoot at their average from three. Opponents must have a good shooting night versus WLU. DE shot 35.7% (5-14) from three, above their average of 32.2%.
• PASSED- Draw fouls and get to the Free-Throw line - DE caused 24 WLU fouls, while DE committed 14 fouls.
• FAILED– Defend the 3-point shot from WLU. WLU made 16-43 threes (37%), which is just above average.
• FAILED – Mitigate the effects of fatigue. DE tried to rest their players. DE played 9 players 11 minutes or more. However, key players played too many minutes - Ponds 36 mins, Silva 29 minutes, and Buckley 26 minutes. However, IMHO DE played their key players too long before resting them. For example, in the first half, their best 3-point shooter (Ponds) played almost 9 minutes before getting just a 2-minute rest. DE did not come out of the locker room for the second half until there was 1 minute before the start of the second half. They did not even warm up. They were tired. It could have been disastrous, but the many foul calls stopped the action frequently in the second half, delaying the onset of a WLU blackout.
• FAILED – Take care of the ball and avoid turnovers. DE had 22 turnovers, of which 13 were steals, resulting in 28 points.

Comments on the WLU Victory

There were far more combinations of players on the court beyond just the traditional two platoons.

First Shift of each half: D’Augustino, Woodward, Harper, Spadafora and Dragas

All ten WLU players played 12 or more minutes with the most minutes recorded by Dragas (28 minutes). It seemed that WLU shortened the shift rotation to between 2 and 2.5 minutes. I think this is an excellent strategy to mitigate the potential effects of 3 games in 3 days. Hopefully, it will pay dividends.

At the beginning of the game WLU was playing with great intensity. However, they may have rushed some 3-point shots, when they should have continued passing to get a better shot, especially in the first half. In the second half, they shared the ball much better and got better open looks.

Keys to Victory

• This game was an illustration of how the WLU style provides a large margin of error, even when they are showing some rust from the layoff.
• Autrey compensated for other’s off nights, making 7-10 threes. On a catch and shoot three, his shot is a work of art. Kisner was 2-3 and Harper was 2-6 from three.
• WLU played great defense, limiting DE to 93 offensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions), compared to 117 for WLU.
• WLU had a good assist to turnover ratio of 1.91, compared to 0.18 for DE (which reflected good WLU defense).
• WLU had an Effective Possession Ratio (EPR) of 1.02, which is very good, while DE was 0.93. The WLU stat was limited by the excellent rebounding by DE. For comparison, the 90th percentile EPR for D1 is .993. [Effective Possession Ratio (EPR = (Possessions + Off. Rebounds - Turnovers) / Possessions)]

Areas for Improvement for WLU

• WLU made some needless, obvious fouls. A good foul shooting team could have made them pay.
• WLU needs to have their feet set on the three-point shot and avoid the temptation to shoot while moving off the dribble. Some of the threes seemed rushed without a clean look (defender is more than 6 feet away when shot is released).

[Columbuseer]

A Dummy’s Observations on WLU vs Concord MEC Semifinals 3/8/25 - WLU 112 Concord 85

Concord (CU) Game Plan
CU is an athletic team that comes into the game hobbled by injuries, including the MEC Player of the Year in Tolbert. IMHO, CU has designed the team to compete with WLU, with many good three-point shooters and a couple of athletic, big shot blockers and rebounders, who rotate playing in the paint. Diop was the MEC defensive Player of the Year. They are coming off a hard-fought victory over WV State the previous night, in which they had several starters log over 30 minutes. CU has 2 players that average double figures and the team averages about 88 points a game. They average about 15 turnovers a game and only 11 assists, so they don’t pass the ball much, relying on their dribble-drive skills. They are an excellent rebounding team, ranking in the top 20 in D2.

The CU strategy appeared to be:

• PASSED– Shoot at their average from three. Opponents must have a good shooting night versus WLU. CUshot 36% (9-24) from three, which is just about their average. They got really hot from three in the second half, which kept the score from getting out of hand earlier.
• PASSED- Draw fouls and get to the Free-Throw line - CU caused 21 WLU fouls, while CU committed 14 fouls.
• FAILED–In the first half, their strategy was to avoid getting into a fast-paced game with WLU and leverage CU’s inside and outside strength and 1v1 game. They executed this strategy with limited success, because WLU’s fast pace was minimizing the effect of their big men. It forced Concord to go with a smaller lineup to try to keep up. CU had only 11 fast break points and 7 points off WLU’s 11 turnovers. CU scored 34 points in the paint, 27 points from three (mostly in the second half) and 16-21 Free Throws. Down by 16 at the half, CU abandoned this strategy in the second half and gave their shooters the green light to shoot deep three-point of shots in transition with no one under to try to score quickly. They did get hot for a while. They were able to go on some runs to reduce the deficit to around 14, but WLU promptly restored it to the 18 to 22 range.
• FAILED– Keep WLU off the offensive glass. The average offensive rebounding % in D1 college basketball is 28%. CU had a subpar 25% offensive rebounding percentage. WLU had an outstanding 40% offensive rebounding percentage. The 90th percentile for D1 is 33%. CU was affected by the pace and seemed to be a step slow after they became fatigued and they had to play quicker players instead of their big men. When they went playground style in the second half, they were often taking deep threes with no one under to rebound. The fatigue was becoming evident.
• FAILED– Win the rebounding battle. The D1 median is 72% defensive rebounding rate. WLU was an outstanding 75% of defensive rebounds compared to a subpar % for CU. 90th percentile in D1 is 75.9%.
• FAILED– Defend the 3-point shot from WLU. WLU made 14-28 threes (50%), which is far above average.
• FAILED – Mitigate the effects of fatigue. CU tried to rest their players, but they have limited depth. Four players over 30 minutes, which does not bode well against the WLU pace of play. In addition, key players played too many minutes without a break.
• FAILED – Take care of the ball and avoid turnovers. CU had 22 turnovers, of which 77% were live ball turnovers (17 steals), resulting in 26 points.

Comments on the WLU Victory
There were far more combinations of players on the court beyond just the traditional two platoons.
First Shift of each half: D’Augustino, Woodward, Harper, Spadafora and Dragas

All ten WLU players played 14 or more minutes, and no one played more than 26 minutes.At the beginning of the game WLU was playing with great intensity. They were using great judgment to draw CU’s Diop to help defense, leaving Harper and Woodward open to receive the easy pass for a layup.

Keys to Victory

• Every WLU player was at least a good three-point shooter tonight. They used much better judgment on shot selection. The barrage of three-point shots were led by Harper (3-3), Tinsley (2-2), Dragas (2-3), Shuler (2-3), Kisner (1-2), with the others making at least 33% of their shots.
• Shuler put incredible pressure, both offensively and defensively on their guards. He recognized when CU had a slower opponent guarding him and fearlessly took the ball to rim for layups.
• WLU played great defense, limiting CU to 101 offensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions), compared to an amazing 132 for WLU. 90th percentile for D1 is 113. CU’s stat was aided by deep threes in transition in the second half.
• WLU had an outstanding assist to turnover ratio of 2.36, compared to an abysmal 0.45 for CU (which reflectedgood WLU defense). 90th percentile for D1 is 1.48
• WLU had an Effective Possession Ratio (EPR) of 1.06, which is outstanding, while CU was 0.85. For comparison, the 90th percentile EPR for D1 is .993. [Effective Possession Ratio (EPR = (Possessions + Off. Rebounds - Turnovers) / Possessions)

Areas for Improvement for WLU

• On occasion, WLU seemed to lose their man in transition in the second half, which enabled CU to hit some wide open deep three-point shots.
• WLU committed some fouls when the opponent was attempting an extremely low percentage shot on the dribble drive.

[Layton]

Man it seems like we’re .500 in this championship game

[Scrub]

Man it seems like we’re .500 in this championship game

Actually under. WLU is now 4-5 in the Championship Game. And very rarely in the history of the MEC has the regular season champ won the tourney.