West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[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.

[Layton]

Might be our best team since the last Final Four

[Columbuseer]

FYI
Hilltopper offensive efficiency is improving, playing at 121 pts per 100 possessions against UPJ. WLU was 109 and 111 in the 1st two games.
UPJ was 108, which will win many half court style games.


As their shooting improves and turnovers decline, i see it improving to the typical (for WLU and maybe NWMSU) 125 range.

[Columbuseer]

A Dummy’s Observations on the Pitt Johnstown – WLU Game

I was really worried about this game. We had trouble for most of the game last year before finally pulling away. They had 7 of 8 players back, an All-American center and they have an outstanding coach. On paper, this could be a tough matchup.

Pitt- Johnstown

• Extremely well coached. No heat check or forced shots. Every shot is a good shot. Good ball movement in the half court.
• Experienced, veteran team, but they only play 7, which is a risk against WLU.
• All American center plus at least 3 outstanding 3-point shooters is a great composition for a strong half court team, as they make you pay if you double team the center.
• I really like their PG Shull. Has a great repertoire of step back and fade away 2-point shots and is very accurate. I only saw last year’s athletic point guard (Mulbah) play once against WLU, but I thought he called his own number and took difficult shots a little too frequently even though he was effective in breaking a press. I think this PG, although a different style, will fill the gap nicely as he was 9 for 14 FG and 1 for 3 from three for 19 points.

Pitt Strategy

• Focus Jakubick on fronting and denying the ball to Butler inside. Kromka will guard Sarson, but serve as backup as needed, should Bryce get the ball. This was very effective for the most part.
• Sag on defense, rather than play Butler up close to deny the 3-point shot.
• When breaking the press, attack and don’t hesitate to take an open corner three in a 3-on 2 advantage in transition.
• Maintain composure against the pressure.

Results
This game illustrated the cumulative mental and physical effect of the WLU pressure, even on experienced, talented, fundamentally sound, and well coached teams. Game was roughly even for the first 13 minutes. Then WLU had a spurt that got them ahead 8-10 points. WLU led 47-38 at the half, even though PJ was shooting 62% from field and 57% from three. WLU shot 47% and 39% from three, but got 12 more shots.
In the second half, WLU jumped on PJ and extended the lead to 15 points in the 1^st 1:40. PJ, being well coached, got the lead down to 7 with 14:30 remaining. However, their 3-point shooting was cratering (25% for second half), which I attribute to fatigue, as they were throwing up bricks from wide open corner looks. In the next 4 minutes, WLU created organized chaos in the PJ offense. They sped PJ up, and it became a classic 90 mph WLU open gym game. PJ was scoring quickly, and WLU was making layups on the other end within seconds. Turnovers were occurring all over the court and the lead ballooned to 14. Even though PJ was scoring, their coach knew that a track meet with WLU would not end well and smartly called a timeout. The lead varied from 12 to 19 points for the rest of the game.
WLU outscored PJ on turnovers 31-13. The key was WLU forced 23 turnovers, of which 17 were steals or live ball turnovers that often result in points. That is 74%, which is incredible, as 40% live ball turnovers is a great stat.
WLU had great ball movement, which resulted in open looks. Two players shot 60% from three, one shot 50%, and two shot 33%. Our 3-point shooting is good, if one excludes the extended slumps of some players due to mechanics issues that are resulting in relatively flat, low rotation (almost knuckleball) shots. I am sure that they will recognize and fix those issues.
Another factor in success against PJ is the quality depth of the team. There is no drop-off in athletic ability between the 1^st and 2^nd platoon. The second platoon is getting more and more comfortable each game. There is no respite for a team that plays just 7 players.
One other observation is how many WLU players can play the point – McKinney, Montague, Cannady, and West all have prior experience and Spadafora is a natural there. Butler is also comfortable playing the point, if needed.

Final Score WLU 93 PJ 76

I think Pitt-Johnstown will win quite a few games against traditional half-court teams.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I'll be interested to hear what smarter basketball minds than mine think about last night's win vs. UPJ. But here are a few starter thoughts:

1. UPJ is clearly a disciplined, well-coached team. That showed early on where WLU was having a bit of trouble forcing the issue and getting the pace to the frenetic level where they like it.

2. But it was interesting to note that by the middle of the 2nd half, UPJ had broken down (mentally, physically, or both?) and played right into WLU's plans and pace got hyper-frenetic at that point (which is when the consistent 9-point lead WLU had been building ballooned into a 17-point lead).

3. UPJ really misses Mulbah. He was a difference maker last year up at their place for sure.

4. I was surprised to see WLU's defense hold Kromka to just 12 points (and single-digit rebounding as well). In the past, WLU has struggled with those talented hybrid bigs, so it was nice to see them frustrate Kromka all night.

5. Granted, Kromka also bothered Butler who was way below his point average as well. He's been doing a lot of his damage in the paint this year (he LOVES that baby hook), but JPK kept him out of there for the most part.

6. But contrary to Boat's note a few comments up (about fearing that WLU would become a one-man engine this year), when Butler was shut down McKinney & Cannady stepped up and went off. Their speed and quick first step was just too much for UPJ's Mulbah-less guard crew. Nice to see some alternate options step up and prove that WLU isn't a Butler-only team in the scoring column.

Mulbah was just a gigantic loss for them. I get it ... he's spending his last year with his feet in the sand and far away from the brutal Johnstown winter.

But, he was so dynamic that it made that whole team so much better. He could drive the hoop so well -- and then either score or dish it to Kromka for an easy layup. He wasn't perfect. You could always count on a couple turnovers a game, but his loss to that team was massive. With him, a lot of their set shooters could kind of hang around on the arc and wait for the ball. Without him, they have to work a lot harder to get those type of shots. He also put an enormous amount of pressure on defenses because he could do so much.

As you said, they are a smart team and fundamentally sound -- trademarks of any Rukavina team. Without Mulbah, though, I don't see them really being a threat to win the West. They got picked 4th in the West and I think that was spot-on. They'll really struggle, depth-wise, with IUP and Mercyhurst, and also Cal (if they ever get healthy).

Cal is going to be a major headache once they get Lucas and Collins back.