RMU opens up conference play against mount St. Mary's. Some thoughts, plus NEC predictions....
1) Very intrigued with how Mount St. Mary's attacks RMU's zone. I'd expect to see a lot of Taylor Danaher in the high post with sharp shooter Will Miller in the corner, making the kick out for Danaher easy and creating a lot of one-on-one matchups. RMU will have to be disciplined.
2) I've been banging the drum a lot lately about RMU's shooting percentage at the rim, but with good reason. Converting at just 47.8 percent of your shots at the rim is very, very bad and makes things difficult to win games. However, MSM is having similar struggles, scoring at just a 53.4 percent clip. Something's gotta give, right?
3) With conference play starting, don't be surprised if the bench shortens. Ideally, Toole would probably like to play 11-12 guys, but with not enough people producing and lineups not meshing, it is what it is. Leo Gomis hasn't been able to see the floor with a hamstring injury and backup point guard Jafar Kinsey didn't play at Clemson. Because of this, just nine guys played at Clemson. I think it'll be more of the same.
4) Speaking of Kinsey and point guard play, David Appolon got the start at PG at Clemson with Kavon Stewart coming off the bench. I'm not sure who starts, but when it comes down to crunch time, I think bot Appolon and Stewart are on the floor to handle the press the Mountaineers play.
5) Clemson was another example of a game that RMU was unable to have more than one guy get going on offense. Marcquise Reed had a great day, but neither Lucky Jones or Rodney Pryor could find the bottom of the hoop. This disturbing trend needs to change.
6) Last year, RMU defeated Mount St. Mary's twice in the regular season (both by eight points) before losing in the NEC championship game.
7) At 4-8, this season might be feeling like a struggle. Last year, RMU entered conference play 5-9, four games under .500.
8) One clear advantage I think RMU has? Mount St. Mary's has been a little careless with the ball. RMU has the 23rd best steal percentage in college basketball, and they could force some younger, inexperienced ball handlers into mistakes with the 2-3 zone.
9) If it comes down to it, Mount St. Mary's is shooting just 60.7 percent from the line as a team, a figure that ranks them 35 in college basketball.
10) NEC winners: RMU, SFC, FDU, SFU, LIU
1) Very intrigued with how Mount St. Mary's attacks RMU's zone. I'd expect to see a lot of Taylor Danaher in the high post with sharp shooter Will Miller in the corner, making the kick out for Danaher easy and creating a lot of one-on-one matchups. RMU will have to be disciplined.
2) I've been banging the drum a lot lately about RMU's shooting percentage at the rim, but with good reason. Converting at just 47.8 percent of your shots at the rim is very, very bad and makes things difficult to win games. However, MSM is having similar struggles, scoring at just a 53.4 percent clip. Something's gotta give, right?
3) With conference play starting, don't be surprised if the bench shortens. Ideally, Toole would probably like to play 11-12 guys, but with not enough people producing and lineups not meshing, it is what it is. Leo Gomis hasn't been able to see the floor with a hamstring injury and backup point guard Jafar Kinsey didn't play at Clemson. Because of this, just nine guys played at Clemson. I think it'll be more of the same.
4) Speaking of Kinsey and point guard play, David Appolon got the start at PG at Clemson with Kavon Stewart coming off the bench. I'm not sure who starts, but when it comes down to crunch time, I think bot Appolon and Stewart are on the floor to handle the press the Mountaineers play.
5) Clemson was another example of a game that RMU was unable to have more than one guy get going on offense. Marcquise Reed had a great day, but neither Lucky Jones or Rodney Pryor could find the bottom of the hoop. This disturbing trend needs to change.
6) Last year, RMU defeated Mount St. Mary's twice in the regular season (both by eight points) before losing in the NEC championship game.
7) At 4-8, this season might be feeling like a struggle. Last year, RMU entered conference play 5-9, four games under .500.
8) One clear advantage I think RMU has? Mount St. Mary's has been a little careless with the ball. RMU has the 23rd best steal percentage in college basketball, and they could force some younger, inexperienced ball handlers into mistakes with the 2-3 zone.
9) If it comes down to it, Mount St. Mary's is shooting just 60.7 percent from the line as a team, a figure that ranks them 35 in college basketball.
10) NEC winners: RMU, SFC, FDU, SFU, LIU
