3 Observations
1. BJ Stith has really come into his own. BJ was a 4-star recruit out of high school, and he is starting to show why. Over his last 20 games, he has been in double figures 16 times. I think he might end up as the leading scorer of this team for the season. What most impresses me, however, is that he hasn't been forcing his way to points. If anything, a case could be made that he ought to be looking for more shots, since Caver hasn't found his rhythm yet.
2. That brings me to my 2nd observation. Ahmad's usage rate thus far has been under 20%. I think he needs to be slightly more aggressive looking for his opportunities to score. In particular, I thought he had 2 or 3 open looks from deep in this game that he would have taken, if he was looking to be as aggressive as he was at various points last year.
3. This might be
, but Trey Porter has to stay out of foul trouble. ODU is a much better team with him on the floor. While Brandan played better against JMU than in the first game, I think Trey's development might just be the key to the season. Too many of his fouls have come on the offensive side of the court (offensive fouls or over the back). He is an elite defender with enough offensive game to be an anchor for a conference championship caliber team. But, he does the Monarchs no good on the bench.
Two Questions
1. Can Trey Porter stay out of foul trouble? If the Monarchs hope to beat Temple, they are going to have to be able to keep Porter, and Brandan to some extent, on the floor. I actually like the interior matchup for the Monarchs, if the two primary posts can each play 25+ minutes.
2. In keeping with the theme of the other thread, will Randy Haynes be able to shoot the ball consistently enough to become a bonafide offensive option? Randy plays the game with a high level of aggression. He does it on defense, and he aggressively seeks scoring opportunities on offense. However, to this point in his career, he hasn't shot the ball at a high %. He has clearly improved in his game (his efficiency numbers are better on both ends), but in order for the Monarchs to achieve maximum success, he needs to make shots from behind the arc at a 30+% clip.
One Prediction
1. I pretty much nailed the prediction on the JMU game. And because of that, I might quit while I'm ahead and not make such a specific prediction the rest of the season.
But, for what it's worth, I predict the Monarchs will get 2 wins in South Carolina. It won't be as pretty as some might like it to be, but I think they'll find some success before heading into a portion of the schedule designed for building confidence before the showdown on Broad Street.
Of course, this is just my opinion. I could be wrong.
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MBB Game 2 - @JMU 11/13 7:00
