Quinnipiac Preview

Quick turnaround for bloggers, too.  A bite-sized look ahead at Quinnipiac.

First, its Quinn-AH-pee-ac. And they are the Bobcats.

They are in the MAAC, so this is part of the long-dreamed-of MAC-MAAC showcase.

They are coached by Baker Dunleavy of the Basketball Dunleavys.

They were 16-15 last year and picked to be #4 in the MAAC.  They lost Cameron Young off that team...he was the #12 scorer in the country and was conference player of the year.

This year they are 4-5 and #264.  Their best win is Albany (#224) and they have lost to #297 Farleigh Dickinson and #252 Drexel.

They are poor on defense. allowing 1.05 points per possession.  They are average defending the shot but rarely turn the ball over, making this a decent matchup for BG.  They are below average on the defensive boards, but like a lot of teams that don't force turnovers, they rarely give up FTs.  They defend well against 2FGs but are weak against the 3...also a BG opportunity if their shooting can come back.

On offense, they are good, scoring 1.05 points per possession.  I don't know if BG was horrendous last night against but if they are horrendous today it will be a very long afternoon.  They shoot 48% of the FGAs from 3FG...the 14th highest rate in the land.  They make 36% which is #68.  They also make 2FGs (ranked #87).  They rarely turn the ball over and they shoot 74% from the FT line.

Note that those are raw numbers assembled against one of the 10 worst D1 schedules to date. The only team better than BG they have played is the U (#87).  Kenpom actually adjusts their offensive efficiency to .99 to account for their schedule, which is a pretty big spread.

The guy to watch out for here is Rich Kelly, a pre-season MEAC player.  He's scoring 17 PPG on 46% shooting overall and from 3FG.  That's a very efficient weapon to have in your arsenal.  He also averages 4.5 assists/game.

They have one other double figure scorer, which is Tyrese Williams.  He is scoring 10 PPG on 24% 3FG shooting.  Kevin Marfo, 6'8" leads them with 13 RPG...he's a GW transfer.

So, here's the deal.  If BG comes out playing hard, they have a shot to compete.  If they sulk, they will get beaten.  If BG jumps to a big lead and decides everything is fixed, they will probably end up in the same boat.  It's good...they get a chance to get right back on the horse.  We'll see if they are ready to take advantage of it.

Oh and one last thing...BG has the tougher turnaround, playing at 2 PM after the late game.