Yote preview

So this is an interesting one.   When BG traveled to South Dakota last year, they were picked 7th in the Summit with 10 new guys on the roster.  (Sound familiar?)  Anyway, BG played them in the opening game at their new arena and played a solid game, leading with 3 minutes left to play before giving up an 11-3 close to the Coyotes to lose by 6.  South Dakota went on the exceed all expectations, winning the Summit and ending up in the NIT.  They were 22-12 in the end and a kenpom of 143.

They are itching to build on that season this year.  They lost two starters--both double figure scorers--but they certainly have to feel better than they did at this time last year.  They are picked to be #2 in the Summit by kenpom.

Last year, they were an average offensive team.  They didn't shoot or rebound especially well, but they were 35th in terms of taking care of the ball and 19th in getting to the free throw line.  They also played at over 70 possessions per game, with was in the top 20% or so of D1 teams.

Defensively, they were decent against the shot and at forcing turnovers (around d1 Average) but were top 100 in keeping teams off the boards and off the line.

They return their leading scorer, Matt Mooney, who scored 18.6 PG on 46% shooting last year as well as being #13 in the country in steals.  He scored only 9 against BG last year but is pre-season All-Summit this year.  Trey Dickerson who scored 10 per game on 40% shooting and led the team in assists is also back as is their leading returning rebounder, Trey-Burch Manning, who had 6.6 per game last year to go with about 9 points.

They beat Mayville State 87-59 in their only game this year...that's an NAIA school.

With BG's good start Friday, this one gets even more interesting.  Looking forward to being in my seats and watching the boys go at it.