Video Link:
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/uncw/
Projected Starters (CAA-only stats)
PG Chase Audige (6-4 fr.): 11.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.9 bpg
SG Matt Milon (6-5 r-jr.): 15.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, .406 3-pt %, .917 FT %
G Luke Loewe (6-4 so.): 3.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.0 apg, 3.5 A/TO ratio
PF Justin Pierce (6-7 jr.): 13.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.0 spg, .357 3-pt %
C Nathan Knight (6-10 jr.): 19.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.6 bpg, .596 FG %
Key Bench Players
G L.J. Owens (6-3 fr.): 6.6 ppg, 1.3 rpg, .500 FG %, 20.3 mpg
F Quinn Blair (6-6 fr.): 1.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.6 bpg, 8.0 mpg
Injured - Will Not Play
F Paul Rowley (6-8 r-sr.): 3.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 17.7 mpg
G Thornton Scott (6-5 fr.): 1.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, 14.3 mpg
The Road so far
Record vs. D-I: 6-12
CAA Record: 3-4 (t-5th)
NET: # 208
RPI: # 216
KenPom Overall Efficiency: # 228
KenPom Offensive Efficiency: # 183
KenPom Defensive Efficiency: # 291
Best Win: vs. St. Joe's (8-10)
Worst Loss: vs. Elon
Team Strengths
* Shot-Blocking: W&M easily leads the CAA in blocked shots (5.6 bpg) with the # 2 team, JMU, well behind (3.3 bpg). Nationally, W&M is t-49th in the in the category. Knight is of course the biggest reason for this advantage, but seemingly
everybody on the team can defend the rim. Rowley does it out of the post off the bench, and Audige does it as a big, physical guard. 8 different players on the roster have blocked at least one shot in CAA play.
* Ball Movement/Distribution: As we know, Tony Shaver's offense thrives on ball movement, using elements of the Princeton Offense, where the Center plays high and makes a ton of quality passes to backdoor cutters. This year has been no different, with Knight and Pierce serving as effective big men for the job. In CAA play, the duo have combined for 8.3 assists per contest. As a team, the Tribe easily lead the league in assists (19.1 apg) despite lacking a true point guard. Those duties are essentially shared by Audige and Loewe, with Scott coming off the bench to provide ball-handling minutes as well.
Team Weaknesses
* Free Throw Shooting: The Tribe have lost 5 games by 5 points or less this season, including their latest game, a 76-71 loss to Elon. And a big reason for these close losses is poor free throw shooting. The Tribe rank last in the league in the category (.658), and its not very close. Several key players have struggled, most notably Pierce (.474). Thus, the Seahawks should use this information to their benefit and play aggressive on defense.
* Master of Nothing: This is kind of a cheap "catch-all", because I couldn't pinpoint any other significant areas of weakness. But at the same time, the Tribe are 3-4 in league play. Why? Probably because, while W&M do pretty well at a lot of things, they're not "great" at anything outside of the aforementioned strengths. They're +1.1 in Rebounding Margin (3rd) and -1.14 in Turnover Margin (8th). They're pretty good at shooting the 3 (.361, 4th) and defending it (.337, 3rd). But there's precious few things to hang your hat on with this team. I think they're better than their record says they are, but not by much.