Spread: WEB -11.5
Total: n/a
Moneyline: WEB -725, JACK +575
Tip off: 9:30 PM EST
JACKSONVILLE STATE
Jacksonville State was one of the most consistent teams in the nation last year. Consistently bad, that is. JSU won only 5 games last season and finished 3-15 in Conference games, failing to qualify for the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. They were dreadful offensively, managing less than a point per possession, while giving up 1.06 points per possession in conference play. Both ends ranked them near the bottom of the conference.
Part of their horrid record can be attributed to doing a poor job of executing during crunch time. The Gamecocks went just 2-9 in games decided by 5 or less. Oddly, despite the lack of success, the Gamecocks led the conference in forced turnovers, blocked shots, and threes, giving a silver lining to a season that couldn’t be considered a success in any other way.
They lost their best scorer in Nick Murphy to graduation, not to mention the loss of Jeremy Bynum. Thus far, it has been an amalgam of 4 Gamecocks responsible for picking up the slack and enabling JSU to win 2 of their first 5 games (nearly half of last season’s entire total). Tarvin Gaines, Stephen Hall, Brian Williams, and Mason Leggett combine for 47.6 points per game, well over 2/3rds of the Gamecocks total scoring. Gaines had an absolute monster of a game against Alabama State, as the Gamecocks won by 13. He scored 30 points on 9 of 14 shooting, and hit 10 of 11 from the line, and also grabbed 11 boards. He scored 30 of his 75 season points that night and has not scored more than 15 in any other game for the Gamecocks. He did not play his first two years at JSU and is still eligibility-wise considered a junior.
WEBER STATE
Weber State may not be a juggernaut nationally, but in a conference like the Big Sky, it doesn’t matter. Despite only going 18-14 overall, the Wildcats finished 11-5 in conference play and made it to the CBI tournament where they lost to Oregon 68-59 in the first round. Their offense was stellar, averaging over 1.10 points per possession in conference play, while their defense in conference play was stingy, as well, allowing only 1.02 points per possession.
Damian Lillard gave the Wildcats high hopes going into last season and was considered a first round NBA prospect until he broke his foot. It hasn’t deterred him from tearing it up this year. Through 3 games, he is averaging a team high 23.0 points per game while shooting over 40% from distance and over 90% from the line. He’s paired with 6’2 junior guard Scott Bamforth, who averaged 12.2 points per game last season, and is over 20 this year with 21.0 points per game. In the win over Utah State, Bamforth put up 28 points and connected on 7 of his 9 three point attempts. In fact, he hasn’t missed many threes at all, and is shooting 82.4% (14 of 17) from distance this year.
It’s hard to lose when you have players shooting like that, and indeed the Wildcats are 3-0 so far. Their 87.3 points per game ranks 8th in the nation and they are also 3rd in rebounding with 44.0 boards per game. They haven’t played any teams that could be considered anywhere near good yet, but winning by 8 over UC-Irvine was a decent win, notwithstanding the fact that UC-Irving is now 0-6. In that victory, Lillard and Bamforth combined to go 7 of 14 from distance while also combining for 45 points.
It’s easy for Wildcats fans to get excited after a start like this but they won’t get any real tests until December 7th and December 16th, when they face BYU and #18 ranked California. Not until then will we really have any idea of the Wildcats’ potential this season, but with a healthy Lillard, this team could be very dangerous this season.
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