West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[boatcapt]

This is not the most talented WL squad, but man this is lining up for my guys to at least reach the finals! I just got my hotel and tickets to the elite 8, now let's just hope that they get a good seeding and good playing time. I'm going to lose my sh..t if Ben starts pressing and it doesn't work and he continues to do it until WL is down 15, I have flashbacks of 2 years ago vs NWMS!!!!

I agree...Not the most talented Topper team but they are peaking at the right time. As the saying goes in tourney play..It's not as important to be the "best" team as it is to be the best team "right now." Seeding is equally important in a tourney. We learned that in the 20-21 Elite 8 when we drew NWMSU. I like how the seeding is breaking for the Toppers this year.

Concerning the "most talented" Topper team, a great case can be made for the 20-21 team that had current D1 players Dalton Bolon, Pat Robinson, current Nova SE leader Will Yoakum, current WLU star Bryce Butler and WAY underrated PG Luke Dyer. Bench that included McKinney, Moore and Rasile, etc wasn't half bad either!!

[TopperNation]

2 West Liberty vs 7 New Haven March 21 3:30 pm

Couldn't ask for a better tip off time and opponent. There is no doubt that playing at 1:00 pm on a Tuesday afternoon after being off for a week hurts teams, I've been to 6 elite 8's and I see it all the time, early start after a long layoff is a recipe for disaster. 3:30 isn't the greatest either but at least you get a chance to warm up and watch another game while preparing for your own. These guys are creatures of habit so WL having some experience being here before could help a little. As far as New Haven they have 5 players that seem to log most of the minutes with 1 or maybe 2 (that's being generous) that may come in for a few minutes per game, this has the makings of WL running them into the ground, which is why New Haven will try and slow it down. West Liberty in recent years has gotten much better playing teams who want to slow it down (see Mercyhurst and IUP), so I'd rather see New Haven pace then Nova pace.

[Columbuseer]

FYI - Season Stat comparison WLU vs New Haven

New Haven has good shooters, who can create their shot off a high ball screen or drive to basket.
Their 7-1 center has good timing for rebounding and shot blocking. He can disrupt interior offense for opponent.
It will be interesting to see if he guards Butler or just provides help defense.

Note: Offensive Rating is independent of whether a team plays fast or slow.

Statistic	West Liberty Season	New Haven Season
FGM	1237	836
FGA	2495	1815
FTA	679	454
Three Point FGM	423	237
three Point FGA	1110	712
OFF REB	433	240
Assists	753	396
Turnovers	390	348
Steals	367	170
Turnovers Forced	651	314
Points	3404	2254
Games Played	34	33
Number of Possessions	2751	2123
Avg. Possessions per Game	81	64
Pts per Possession	1.24	1.06
Offensive Rating - pts/100 possessions	124	106
Shooting Efficiency (FGM +0.5*3ptFGM)/FGA	58.1%	52.6%
Turnover %	14.2%	16.4%
Forced Turnovers per Game	19.1	9.5
Percent Forced Live Ball Turnovers	56.4%	54.1%
Assists % of Possessions	27.4%	18.7%
Assist to Turnover Ratio	1.93	1.14

[Layton]

Been forever since I posted...I've always been lurking...

I know the story about crutch leaving, ben taking over etc, etc...

but what I want to know is--- Does anyone know if Ben and Crutch are true friends? Should be bc of the time spent playing for him and on staff...but I wonder if the fact that some WL fellas transfer to Nova SE, and Ben doesn't like it or considers it tampering? Crutch still recruits Ohio it looks like....I know they are both competitiors, but are they "civil" to each other? I want to know the dyamic if they do play each other....PLease shed some light on it...Really interesting story line if they both make the final....but my guess is they don't...upsets happen...

I’ve always wanted to know why your username is what it is

[IUPalum]

IMHO, the purpose of the press is to create fatigue of all three types - central nervous system, peripheral and cognitive.
It may not result in turnovers and may occur in the second half.
Opponents get a step slow and their shooting % drops off a cliff - witness tonight .

What???

[IUPNation]

You would only hope lol!

You'd crap your pants if he did!

[Columbuseer]

FYI WLU vs IUP Stats

Team	WLU	IUP
FGM	27.00	16.00
FGA	54.00	53.00
FTA	12.00	20.00
Three Point FGM	6.00	5.00
three Point FGA	20.00	18.00
OFF REB	5.00	17.00
Assists	19.00	12.00
Turnovers	7.00	15.00
Points	70.00	53.00
Number of Possessions	61.28	59.80
Points per Possession	1.14	0.89
Offensive Rating: Points/100 possessions	114	89
Shooting Efficiency (FGM +0.5*3ptFGM)/FGA	55.6%	34.9%
Turnover %	11.42%	25.08%
Assists % of Possessions	31.01%	20.07%
Assist to Turnover Ratio	2.71	0.80

Advantage IUP

• Offensive rebounds 17-5
• Free throws attempted 20-12
• Free Throws Made 16-10

Why WLU won:

• Shutdown defense
  • Held IUP to offensive rating of only 89 points per 100 possessions, when they averaged 111 points for the season. Need at least 100 to have a chance to win in most games.
  • Forced Turnovers on 25% of the IUP possessions
  • Held IUP to 0.80 assist to turnover ratio, which indicates forcing more 1 on 1 play
• WLU offensive efficiency
  • Offensive rating of 114 – below average of 124, but still very good for D2
  • Shooting Efficiency – WLU 56% IUP 35%
  • Turnovers on only 11.4% of possessions
  • Points in the paint – WLU 38, IUP 22
  • Fast break points WLU 11, IUP 4
  • Assists on 31% of possessions compared to only 20% for IUP
  • Stellar Assist to turnover ratio of 2.71, well above nation leading average of 1.93

Root Cause:
IMHO, the root cause for the superior stats was the cumulative effect of fatigue from the WLU pressure and pace. This is the typical effect that most opposing teams exhibit from the pressure and pace over the course of the game.

• IUP was a step slow, resulting in open looks at the rim.
• They had to quit double teaming Bryce, because IUP was too slow to close out on shooters.
• No one defender could stop Bryce in the post.
• IUP shooting % dropped due to fatigue.

[Columbuseer]

Been forever since I posted...I've always been lurking...

I know the story about crutch leaving, ben taking over etc, etc...

but what I want to know is--- Does anyone know if Ben and Crutch are true friends? Should be bc of the time spent playing for him and on staff...but I wonder if the fact that some WL fellas transfer to Nova SE, and Ben doesn't like it or considers it tampering? Crutch still recruits Ohio it looks like....I know they are both competitiors, but are they "civil" to each other? I want to know the dyamic if they do play each other....PLease shed some light on it...Really interesting story line if they both make the final....but my guess is they don't...upsets happen...

Imho, I believe they are. Crutch hired Ben as assistant coach just a year or two after he graduated. Ben was primarily responsible for recruiting. Crutch was his mentor. Yoakum had been at wlu 5 years and had graduated and went to nova for covid year. Both Ben and crutch will recruit any location for players that fit their style. He told Ben to just be himself in coaching style.

[Scrub]

Been forever since I posted...I've always been lurking...

I know the story about crutch leaving, ben taking over etc, etc...

but what I want to know is--- Does anyone know if Ben and Crutch are true friends? Should be bc of the time spent playing for him and on staff...but I wonder if the fact that some WL fellas transfer to Nova SE, and Ben doesn't like it or considers it tampering? Crutch still recruits Ohio it looks like....I know they are both competitiors, but are they "civil" to each other? I want to know the dyamic if they do play each other....PLease shed some light on it...Really interesting story line if they both make the final....but my guess is they don't...upsets happen...

I have no knowledge with which to answer your question. But welcome back, ExtraMile! Been a minute since you've been around. Glad to see you back.

[IUP Extra Mile]

Been forever since I posted...I've always been lurking...

I know the story about crutch leaving, ben taking over etc, etc...

but what I want to know is--- Does anyone know if Ben and Crutch are true friends? Should be bc of the time spent playing for him and on staff...but I wonder if the fact that some WL fellas transfer to Nova SE, and Ben doesn't like it or considers it tampering? Crutch still recruits Ohio it looks like....I know they are both competitiors, but are they "civil" to each other? I want to know the dyamic if they do play each other....PLease shed some light on it...Really interesting story line if they both make the final....but my guess is they don't...upsets happen...

[Layton]

nm

[Layton]

2 West Liberty vs 7 New Haven March 21 3:30 pm

[Columbuseer]

You simply can’t stop Butler at this level he is too skilled. Very worried he makes the jump

Always possible I guess. Hopefully, it is apparent that his future is in Europe, for the physical measurables are not a fit for the NBA. IMHO, WLU is a style that fits well with the unselfish nature of Euro ball rather than high ball screen dribble drive in D1 with little passing on many teams.

[Columbuseer]

This is not the most talented WL squad, but man this is lining up for my guys to at least reach the finals! I just got my hotel and tickets to the elite 8, now let's just hope that they get a good seeding and good playing time. I'm going to lose my sh..t if Ben starts pressing and it doesn't work and he continues to do it until WL is down 15, I have flashbacks of 2 years ago vs NWMS!!!!

This team defines unselfishness and synergy (where the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts). No one cares about their stats. Much better passing than the last 3 years.
I think we have 3 shutdown defensive guards who are also great scorers, which they proved tonight.
Many offenses today rely on great offensive guards. Shut them down and it disrupts the offense. WLU plays 5-out, so everyone can play like a guard.

[Columbuseer]

..or decides he wants better scenery and transfers to IUP.

:-)

That would like trading in a 2022 Ferrari to drive a 1980s Semi.