West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[timbertopper]

Also have been playing all season without two returning All-MEC starters in Smith (last year's leading scorer) and Thomas (Top 10 nationally in 3FGs).

[Scrub]

What in the world happened to the ladies? They were winning like 22-7 last I checked then lost by 20. Idk about Cooper

Shot 60% in the first half. Shot about 17% in the second half. That'll do it.

Reverse was true for Charleston ladies--they shot 60% in the second half.

[Layton]

What in the world happened to the ladies? They were winning like 22-7 last I checked then lost by 20. Idk about Cooper

[Columbuseer]

Fyi ncaa stats west liberty as of dec 4
1st- 3pt attempts per game 36.7
1st - scoring 102.4
1st - assists per game 25.3
1st - Turnover margin 10.3
2nd - 3pt made per game 13.1
2nd - steals per game 13.3
2nd- Assist to turnover ratio 2.16
3rd - scoring margin 29
12th - offensive rebounds per game 14.86
34th - FG % 48.73
48th - rebound margin 6

[Columbuseer]

Fyi ncaa stats west liberty as of Dec 1. WVW game was a team stat stuffer!

1st - steals per game 13.8
1st - assists per game 25
1st (tie with Nova se lol) - Turnover margin 10.3
1st - 3pt attempts per game 37.5
1st - 3pt made per game 13.3
2nd - scoring 102.7
2nd - Assist to turnover ratio 2.03
3rd -scoring margin 27
3rd - turnovers forced per game 22.67

12th - offensive rebounds per game 15.17
44th - FG % 48.43
47th - rebound margin 6

[Layton]

Bad beat if you had Wesleyan +67.5

How in the world are they that bad?

[boatcapt]

I also liked that until the very end they didn't get ragged. While the efficiency did fall off a bit in the second half, they still played with structure and stuck with the system. That helps up and down the roster. When you score 68 points in the first half, the players can regress to old habits in the second half as individual possessions mean little and players are just going through the motions. WLU didn't do that and they should be praised for it.

They got about as much as a top tier team can get playing the conference back marker.

[Columbuseer]

Indeed, WVWC is kinda like our PSU-Altoona game.

That said, last night was an absolutely textbook performance of the system:

Ball never stuck.
Passed up good shots to get great shots.
Threes were dropping.
Press was causing live ball turnovers.
Balanced double-figure scoring from all over the roster.

If you want to know what the system is supposed to look like (when it's run right), last night is the tape to watch.

But in the end, it was WVWC, so they didn't do much to force WLU into uncomfortable situations. It's easy to run your stuff when the team on the other side of the court looked defeated getting off the bus.

Great observations. Thanks.

One of the best passing, most unselfish games I have seen. Some possessions had 9 passes in 30 secs!
42% from 3 on 20-47.
Cmont 5 for 6, Zach 5 for 7, Ben 3 for 5, Steve 2 for 5 from three.
33 assists on 47 made fgs. 20 assists will put you in top 10 in nation
Only 6 turnovers for assist to TO Ratio of 5.5 which is unbelievable, especially when one considers how fast we play. Turnovers mostly happened when we were trying to make the extra pass, which is an acceptable TO.
21 steals in forcing 29 turnovers. 72% live ball turnovers
wlu offensive efficiency of 148 ( 148 points per 100 possessions)
Sampson and Sarson made spectacular blocks above the rim.

No one played over 20 mins. 8 guys scored >= 9 pts.

What is amazing is that they played toward their standard, not down to the level of their opponent. No one was playing for his box score

Wvw has done a roster makeover. Starting 4 freshmen and a soph. They have potential talent. Their youth and inexperience in playing together was a perfect storm for Wlu as they were ineffective on offense against wlu pressure with offensive efficiency of 64.
Imho their offense needs far more off ball screens and passes per possession, as they were easy to guard.

[Scrub]

Indeed, WVWC is kinda like our PSU-Altoona game.

That said, last night was an absolutely textbook performance of the system:

Ball never stuck.
Passed up good shots to get great shots.
Threes were dropping.
Press was causing live ball turnovers.
Balanced double-figure scoring from all over the roster.

If you want to know what the system is supposed to look like (when it's run right), last night is the tape to watch.

But in the end, it was WVWC, so they didn't do much to force WLU into uncomfortable situations. It's easy to run your stuff when the team on the other side of the court looked defeated getting off the bus.

[boatcapt]

Hard to learn much from a team that is so overmatched like Wesleyan was. Buuuutttt...I liked how WLU shot from 3 in the first half and their overall shooting. Didn't shoot a lot of free throws but 8 of 9 is a really good percent. Woodward continues to struggle.

[Columbuseer]

Fyi ncaa stats west liberty as of nov 25

2nd - 3pt attempts per game 35.6
3rd - scoring 99.0
4th - 3pt made per game 12
3rd - assists per game 24.4
6th - steals per game 12.0
8th - Assist to turnover ratio 1.72
10th - Turnover margin 7.8
15th - offensive rebounds per game 15.4
22nd scoring margin 19.0

[boatcapt]

Good point. He missed valuable time due to injury, which has put him behind. But we are getting some brief glimpses of his capabilities. He is a good 3 pt shooter too. I see him getting more and more pt.

Hinds is 1 for 3 from 3 on the season thus far. While that's not good, I'm more concerned with the rest of the bench that is shooting .289 and if you take out 6th man Rasile (11 for 29) the rest of the bench is shooting .183 from 3.

I'm also concerned with some of the minutes that supposed key players are getting. While it is understandable that you need to ride your top performers in the first three games, the last two games have been against weaker opponents where players who need it can play their way back into shape OR players needing to polish parts of their game can get the minutes to do so.

[Columbuseer]

Just need to get Hinds acclimated more we need his size and rebounding

Good point. He missed valuable time due to injury, which has put him behind. But we are getting some brief glimpses of his capabilities. He is a good 3 pt shooter too. I see him getting more and more pt.

[Layton]

Just need to get Hinds acclimated more we need his size and rebounding

[Columbuseer]

Might be our best team since the last Final Four

I agree. The ceiling for this team is very high. Shot 41% from three against ND. For season, wlu team assist to turnover ratio is 1.72, which would be good for a pg, extremely good for an entire roster. We are getting 20+ assists.

Our new players are improving every game. The transfers admit that this style requires a longer adjustment period than the typical style. Infrequently using set plays, WLU requires players to make decisions in real time according to the situation. Players have to very rapidly recognize the situation, assess options, and take action. Big adjustment.

ND uses a wv state strategy. Recruit great 1v1, athletic, playground players who can finish and turn them loose to attack the rim when they break the press. In the half court, spread the court, use a high ball screen and go 1v1. Most of their assists came against the press. Their team defense is suspect if one rotates the ball.

Now wlu has the defensive athletes to slow down this type of team.

On paper, ND has the talent to win a lot of games. However, Imho a good half court man or zone team will give ND problems due to their preference for 1v1 over teamwork.