Basketball Interlude: Alabama A&M Preview

So, the next team into the Stroh is Alabama A&M.  You probably don't know much about them, I know I didn't.  They are the Bulldogs, the school is located in Normal, Alabama.  They are D1 and they play in the SWAC, the 32nd ranked conference (out of 33) in D1.  Last year, the Bulldogs were 14-16 and they lost 4 starters off that team.  Their RPI was 272 last year, but was over 300 each of the four years before that.

They are picked to be 8th in the SWAC and are 1-4 this year.  Now, they lost @Dayton and @Georgia Tech, but then lost at home to Jacksonville State and @Southeast Missouri State.  BG beat SEMO and SEMO beat these guys by 34.  Their only win was over Oakwood University, a small religious school in Alabama.

Against that schedule, they are among the worst offensive teams in the country, with .85 PPP and only 58 PPG.

They are led by 6'10 J Nicholas West, who scores 12 PPG and adds 6.6 RPG.  He shoots under 50% which is unusual for a big man and probably indicates that he either isn't a good shooter or has to take a poor shot selection due to being the only scorer on the team...or both.

Ladarious Tabb is their 2nd leading scorer and rebounder.  Rakiya Battle is getting about 4 assists per game.

Based solely on the information available, this one should be exactly what it was meant to be, which was a chance to get a win on the schedule.  I would think BG would be highly favored and should win this game easily.