CBI Preview

 

So, as it turns out, the BG players did want to keep playing and they have certainly earned that right.  

To start with, I have no idea on Turner's health.  

Above is the bracket with the kenpom rankings for each team next to them.  Suffice it to say that this is a tournament BG could win, if healthy.  For reference, Stetson's 246 would have left them out of the MAC tourney, but ahead of the four teams that didn't make it.  (Between 8th and 9th ranked teams).

There was actually a huge jump in the MAC.  Miami with the lowest kenpom at in the tourney at 150 and Western Michigan was first out at 270.  Every team other than BG and Pepperdine in this tournament would fit in that slot...between Miami and WMU. 

Which is kind of weird.

Stetson has one of the great nicknames in history:  The Hatters!  The social media hub is the Hat Rack.  Their "About" section is "Under the Hat." Stetson is is DeLand, FL, which is a little piece northeast of Orlando.  They have 3,000 undergraduate students, give or take.

They moved to D1 in 1972.  They are mostly known as a baseball school, having appeared in the NCAA Tournament 18 times and were the college home of Jacob DeGrom and Corey Kluber.  (Rathole:  DeGrom was exclusive a shortstop his first two seasons at Stetson and actually refused an assignment to a summer league because they were going to have him pitch).

We are used to a lot of these Florida schools being new, but Stetson was founded in 1883.  It is indeed named after John B. Stetson,  the hat manufacturer. Their alumni include Senator Max Cleland, current Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, six members of Congress, Rich McKay, GM of the Atlanta Falcons and Ted Cassidy, who played Lurch on The Addams Family.

This is Stetson's first D1 post-season appearance and probably one they would not be making under normal circumstances, seeing as they are 11-14.  They played in the DII tourney three times (making the Elite Eight once) and the NAIA tourney five times.

BG has played them three times (52, 73, 77) and never beaten them.  Two of them were part of the Tangerine Bowl Classic, which presumably designed to augment the Tangerine Bowl football game, which was the MAC's sole bowl tie-in for many years.

They play in the Atlantic Sun, which is the 27th ranked conference out of 32.  They were 7th this year.

They play the 246th ranked schedule in D1, out of 350-something.  They played the U, Florida, and Liberty three times, winning one of those--against Liberty. They also played 6 games against teams with Kenpoms above 300, going 3-3.

Keeping their schedule in mind, their offensive efficiency is 1.02 and defensively it is 1.06.  The D1 average is 1.02 points per possession, so they are good on offense and not so good on defense.  (BG was 1.07 and 1.04, so better on both fronts against the #134 schedule.

Stetson plays slow.  They are #224 in tempo and BG is #53.  That will be a key flashpoint.  If BG gets some missed shots, it is game on.

They are also very young--the 3rd youngest team that played games this year.  Their entire roster is freshman and sophomore except for one player.

Stetson is a 3FG focused team.  They try 43% of their FGAs from 3FG (#46) and make 37% (#46).  They are #23 in % of points coming from 3FG.  That equals out to just goodish offense because they make 48% from 2FG, turn the ball over too much and are poor at getting to the line.  They are average on the offensive boards.

On defense, they struggle to defend the shot.  They allow 54% on 2FG and 35% on 3FG, both sub-par.  They also don't force turnovers.  They are good on the defensive boards and at keeping opponents off the line.

They are led by Rob Perry, a SO who scores 14PPG on 40% 2FG shooting and 35% 3FG shooting.  Chase Johnston, a Floridian who transferred from IPFW also scores 14 PPG on 52% and 38% shooting, actually making him the more efficient player.

Christiaan Jones--the only senior on the team--scores 12.9 on 50% and 39% shooting, making him one of the 300 most efficient players in the country.  Mahamadou Diawara, 6'10" from Mali, scores 10 PPG on 57% shooting and leads the team with 6.2 RPG.  Stephen Swenson leads them with 96 assists, one of the 100-best assist rates in the country.

BG hasn't played in the post-season since the Chris Jans year.  That year, BG won its first post-season game in 40 years.  They lost out to Canisius in what turned out to be a bad night for Chris Jans, 6 years ago today.

So, we start again.  Look, no one begins the season hoping to play in the CBI.  On the other hand, you have some guys playing together for the last time and if they're into it so am I.