Video:
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/uncw/
Projected Starting 5
PG Kevin Anderson (6-5 So.): 11.0 ppg, 4.2 apg, 4.8 rpg, 1.0 spg
SG Ryan Allen (6-2 So.): 13.7 ppg, 2.0 apg, 2.3 rpg, .422 3-pt %
G Darian Bryant (6-4 r-Sr.): 7.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.8 spg, .448 FG %
PF Matt Veretto (6-7 Fr.): 8.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, .417 3-pt %, .509 FG %
C Eric Carter (6-9 r-Sr.): 17.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 0.9 bpg, .610 FG %
Key Bench Players
SG Ithiel Horton (6-3 Fr.): 13.1 ppg, 1.1 spg, .400 3-pt %, 31.9 mpg
G Ryan Johnson (6-5 r-Sr.): 2.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 13.9 mpg
F Jacob Cushing (6-8 Jr.): 4.5 ppg, 0.9 rpg, .452 3-pt %, 11.5 mpg
C Collin Goss (6-11 r-Jr.): 3.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.5 bpg, 11.1 mpg
The Road so Far
Record vs D-I: 9-6
CAA Record: 3-1 (t-2nd)
NET: # 206
RPI: # 166
KenPom Overall Efficiency: # 241
KenPom Offense: # 159
KenPom Defense: # 321
Best Wins: vs. Louisiana Tech (9-5); @ Northeastern
Worst Loss: vs. Delaware St. (1-12)
Team Strengths
* Perimeter Shooting: The Blue Hens boast a stable of quality shooters on their roster, and as a result, their team 3-pt shooting (.383) ranks # 40 in the nation. Allen, who recently returned from a 2-month foot injury, was re-inserted into the starting lineup and immediately started knocking down jumpers from deep. Horton, whose spot Allen took in the lineup, has attempted a team-leading 90 threes and knocked down 36. Meanwhile, stretch-4's Veretto and Cushing spend most of their time outside of the paint and cause problems for opposing defenses.
* Eric Carter: Carter deserves his own space, as he is averaging a double-double so far this season. With 7 double-doubles on the season, he ranks t-14th in the nation in the category. His opponent, Cacok, has 8, which puts him in a tie for 5th. Carter has also gotten to the line an astounding 115 times this season, placing him t-14th in the nation. This will make for a highly entertaining matchup in the middle on Thursday night.
* Overall Offensive Efficiency: Between their ranking on Ken Pomeroy's site (# 159) and team shooting percentage of .465 (# 108 in the nation), its clear that the Blue Hens maximize their possessions. By looking for easy buckets in the paint or kicking out to open shooters, they're doing what they need to do on offense to keep themselves in a lot of games. This should sustain them as a top 4-6 team in the league all season long.
Team Weaknesses
* Perimeter Defense: On the other side of the coin, Delaware defends the three poorly, ranking # 255 in 3-point % Defense (.353). Opponents are hoisting up more threes (23.5 per game) than the Hens are (21.9). The presence of Carter in the middle probably makes that an easy decision for teams as they try to attack Delaware's biggest weakness.
* Depth: The Blue Hens were very happy to get Allen back, and not just for his skillset. Beyond the starting 5 and 6th man, the Hens fail to impress. The 6-11 Goss, who will be the likely successor to Carter at the Center position next season, needs to make major strides here in his Junior season, and thus far has only had marginal success. Meanwhile, the Hens don't seem to have a trustworthy backup point guard at the moment, and thus have handed Anderson a gaudy 35.4 minutes per contest. Bryant has also averaged 35.2 minutes at the 3rd guard spot, another area weak in depth. Any foul trouble whatsoever, which to Delaware's credit they've mostly avoided this season, and they're in trouble in any individual contest.
* Overall Defensive Efficiency: As Ken Pomeroy's ranking displays (# 321), Delaware has not done a good job at all in overall defense based on the relatively weak schedule they've played thus far. Their 80-65 loss to Navy, 73-71 loss to a terrible Delaware State squad and 91-46 loss to Hofstra are the primary examples of their defense getting exposed against varying levels of competition. The Seahawks are well-equipped to exploit the Blue Hen defense as well, especially when the Hens have to go to the bench and face UNCW's strong second unit.