Hello Dunk City....

Welcome to...this city.

So, BG has the Bill Frack game on Saturday.  If you recall, Bill Frank donated a huge gift to the men's basketball program with part of the money going to paying for better opponents to come to the Stroh.  This year, this is that game...Florida Gulf Coast.

They are ranked #102 on their kenpom, which does indeed make them the best team on our home schedule right now, including conference games. (The highest ranked team on the schedule is Old Dominion).

This is an excellent game to play at home.  First, this is a name team due to being the first team to go from being a #15 seed to the sweet sixteen and doing it with a high-flying style, a flashy coach with a supermodel wife, etc.  The coach/supermodel left for USC, but their new coach has them back and they have made the tournament the last two years.

Second, they are still good.  They are 2-0, with a win over a very good Illinois State team that has gone on to beat South Carolina.  The other win was @Siena.

We played them two years ago in Fort Myers and BG actually beat the Eagles 82-77.  We have literally one guy who played in that game (Wiggins) who will play Saturday.  In that game, BG had an un-falconlike 1.17 points per possession to win.

They have some big games coming up on their schedule, as they try to up their ranking with non-conference scheduling.

They play just like always have...around the rim and effectively.  Two-thirds of their shots are inside the arc (top 100 in country) and they make 60.5% of their 2FGS, which is #38.  Being around the basket has allowed them to get 50% of the available offensive rebounds, which is #2 in the nation.  They take good care of the ball and get to the line...this is a very good offensive team that is #71 overall on offense.

They aren't bad on defense.  They are a little worse than average this year, just like they were last year.  They don't force turnovers...and in a related fact are in the top 100 keeping teams off the line.  They are also above average defending the shot and protecting their defensive boards.

Brandon Goodwin is their lead player.  He started at UCF, but now is one of the best mid-major players in the country.  He is scoring 18.5 PPG on 46% shooting with 5 rebounds per game and 5.5 assists. 

Their leading scorer so far is Zach Johnson.  (After our last two football games, let's just say we aren't thrilled to be playing someone named Johnson).  He is scoring 20 PPG on 44% shooting.  They also have Christian Terrell, who is scoring 14.5 PPG on (uh) 68% shooting and 6.5 RPG.  Finally, Dinero Mercurius has been through like 3 schools but now is scoring 12.5 PPG on 45% and 40% from 3FG.  He has 6 of their 13 3FGs.

This is a very solid team that BG is playing.  It is at home.  Hopefully, the known name will bring some additional fans to the Stroh and BG can generate some home court advantage.  Also, teams tend to play UP for an opponent like this.  I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out.  Would be a great win for us to get.