Know Your Cancun Rival: La Salle
by Bill C. on Nov 24, 2010 12:01 PM CST
in Mizzou Basketball 10-11
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PrintStrictly the basics today.
La Salle: 4-1
| La Salle |
Opp. | |
| Pace (No. of Possessions) |
73.7 |
|
| Points Per Minute |
1.99 |
1.83 |
| Points Per Possession (PPP) |
1.08 |
0.99 |
| Points Per Shot (PPS) |
1.31 |
1.12 |
| 2-PT FG% | 52.7% |
45.9% |
| 3-PT FG% | 36.9% |
25.5% |
| FT% | 62.4% |
63.8% |
| True Shooting % | 55.8% |
47.8% |
| La Salle |
Opp. | |
| Assists/Gm | 15.2 |
12.4 |
| Steals/Gm | 9.4 |
6.2 |
| Turnovers/Gm | 16.2 |
14.2 |
| Ball Control Index (BCI) (Assists + Steals) / TO |
1.52 |
1.31 |
| La Salle |
Opp. | |
| Expected Off. Rebounds/Gm | 12.6 |
15.4 |
| Offensive Rebounds/Gm | 13.6 |
17.0 |
| Difference | +1.0 |
+1.6 |
La Salle plays fast, they rarely pass (213th in A/FGM), they don't shoot 3's, they don't shoot free throws very well, they get their shots blocked a lot (STEEEEEEEEEEEEVE) ... it seems pretty clear to me that they drive-and-dish, drive-and-dish, drive-and-dish, and they crash the boards. On-the-ball defense will be very important; simply by stopping the drive and/or take longer jumpers, you'll be taking them out of their comfort zone.
On defense, they seem to play pretty good on-the-ball defense themselves, limiting opponents to very poor shooting percentages ... and giving up quite a few second-chance opportunities. It's a mixed bag, but this is still possibly the best overall defensive team Mizzou has faced this season despite their own weaknesses. (And since Mizzou only scored 1.0 points per possession against Wyoming, this isn't amazingly encouraging.)
Ken Pomeroy Stats
| La Salle Offense vs MU Defense Ranks |
|||
| La Salle Off. |
MU Defense | Advantage | |
| Efficiency | 111 |
23 |
MU |
| Effective FG% | 167 |
86 |
MU |
| Turnover % | 188 |
8 |
MU Big |
| Off. Reb. % | 87 |
30 |
MU |
| FTA/FGA | 178 |
220 |
La Salle |
| MU Offense vs La Salle Defense Ranks |
|||
| MU Offense | La Salle Def. |
Advantage | |
| Efficiency | 35 |
151 |
MU |
| Effective FG% | 139 |
61 |
La Salle |
| Turnover % | 174 |
271 |
MU |
| Off. Reb. % | 79 |
290 |
MU Big |
| FTA/FGA | 235 |
172 |
La Salle |
Where the Explorers are weakest
As mentioned above, they don't make their lives easy on the defensive side of the ball -- they don't force turnovers and they give up far too many offensive rebounds. On offense, they don't draw a ton of fouls (interesting considering how much it seems they drive), and they probably turn the ball over a bit much ... which is, of course, encouraging.
Where they are best
They crash the boards hard on offense (strange, considering how much they don't on defense), and they force bad shots on defense. They're not going to be cowed by Mizzou's fast pace, but honestly, that might work to Mizzou's advantage -- if they turn the ball over a lot and don't mind going fast, Mizzou might get them going too fast.
La Salle's Season to Date
- Wins (Team Rank is from KenPom.com)
vs #84 Providence (84-73)
#218 Morgan State (79-74)
#238 Columbia (82-71)
#333 Prairie View A&M (88-74) - Losses
at #17 Baylor (64-74)
Like Mizzou, La Salle seems to have played to their level of competition this season. They beat Providence by as much or more than they beat Morgan State and Columbia, and they played Baylor tough. This is a solid Atlantic 10 team, and if they survive the next month (Mizzou, Oklahoma State, Villanova in the next three weeks), they could end up doing pretty well this season.
La Salle Player Stats
| Player | AdjGS*/Gm | GmSc/Min | Line |
| Aaric Murray (6'10, 250, So.) |
23.3 | 0.86 | 27.0 MPG, 19.0 PPG (56.7% FG, 90.0% FT!), 9.0 RPG, 3.4 BPG, 2.0 SPG, 2.4 TOPG |
| Ruben Guillandeaux (6'6, 205, Sr.) |
15.6 | 0.48 | 32.6 MPG, 17.2 PPG (55.6% FG), 3.0 APG, 2.4 RPG, 1.6 TOPG |
| Jerrell Williams (6'8, 215, Sr.) |
9.3 | 0.36 | 25.6 MPG, 12.6 PPG (47.3% FG, 45.8% FT), 9.4 RPG, 1.6 APG, 3.6 TOPG |
| Devon White (6'8, 245, So.) |
9.0 | 0.60 | 15.0 MPG, 7.2 PPG (68.0% FG), 3.6 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 1.2 SPG |
| Earl Pettis (6'5, 215, Jr.) |
7.8 | 0.27 | 29.2 MPG, 8.6 PPG (69.6% 2PT), 4.0 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 3.2 TOPG |
| Sam Mills (6'2, 180, Fr.) |
4.5 | 0.17 | 26.0 MPG, 5.6 PPG (40.0% FG), 3.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.2 TOPG |
| Tyreek Duren (6'0, 180, Fr.) |
4.3 | 0.14 | 30.4 MPG, 5.8 PPG (28.6% FG), 4.6 APG, 1.8 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 3.0 TOPG |
| Steve Weingarten (6'8, 225, Sr.) |
3.4 | 0.31 | 10.8 MPG, 3.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG |
| Cole Stefan (6'3, 185, Fr.) |
-0.8 | -0.17 | 4.3 MPG, 0.0 PPG |
* AdjGS = a take-off of the Game Score metric (definition here) accepted by a lot of basketball stat nerds. It redistributes a team's points based not only on points scored, but also by giving credit for assists, rebounds (offensive & defensive), steals, blocks, turnovers and fouls. It is a stat intended to determine who had the biggest overall impact on the game itself, instead of just how many balls a player put through a basket.
- Like Wyoming, La Salle is very big-man heavy. Aaric Murray is an absolute beast -- he gets to the line a ton (30 FT's to 60 FG's), and he makes his free throws. He stockpiles points left and right, and he's well-rounded to boot -- great rebounder, shotblocker, thief and passer. He does turn the ball over quite a bit, but at 27 minutes per game in a high-pace offense, of course he will.
- This team's weakness appears to be in the backcourt. They drive a lot, but when they can't drive-and-dish, the guards don't seem to shoot very well. Freshmen Tyreek Duren and Sam Mills combine for 55 minutes per game and just 11 points on sub-40% shooting. While there is reason to be concerned about La Salle's big men (Murray is great, but Devon White and Jerrell Williams are also solid), there is reason to be confident about guard play.
Keys to the Game
- Deny, Deny, Deny. This offense rolls through Murray and Williams. The Usage% for both is around 30%, and nobody else on the team is higher than 20%. Nobody outside of the bigs can shoot very well, so the key to this game could come down to how well Mizzou simply prevents Murray and Williams from getting the ball around the basket.
- Crash the Boards. Mizzou has not yet had one of those "Everybody suddenly shoots well at the same time" games, but that's alright if they take advantage of La Salle's problems on the glass. I'm guessing the Explorers like to run a decent amount considering their high pace and vulnerability to offensive rebounds (that sounds a wee bit familiar to this Mizzou fan), and if Mizzou can make them pay for that tendency, they'll be in good shape. Win the Expected Rebounds battle, and you probably win the game.
- Use Your Head. Mizzou turned the ball over 20 times against Wyoming yesterday, and that shouldn't happen. La Salle does not force turnovers, but they do seem to like to run. That means they probably take some chances defensively, and if Mizzou is smart with the ball (I'm looking at you, Pressey Brothers and Mike Dixon), then they should be alright.
Prediction
Honestly, I'm not amazingly confident about this game. Mizzou will need a better overall performance than they have given this year. I think they win, but I don't think they do so in a manner that instills confidence in the fanbase. But on the bright side, it should be a fun one. I say the pace is set around 80 possessions, and Mizzou wins 84-78.
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Trifecta
Denmon
Dixon
Bowers
by searchyourfeelingsyouknowittobetrue on Nov 24, 2010 12:26 PM CST reply actions
Sorry... Wrong again!
Denmon
English
Pressey the Younger
"Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy." --Frank Sinatra
by Other Side of the Pillow on Nov 24, 2010 12:26 PM CST reply actions
my failfecta:
bowers
denmon
dixon
"Football players, like prostitutes, are in the business of ruining their bodies for the pleasure of strangers" -Merle Kessler
OK, I'll try
Randomly chosen Trifecta
English
Bowers
P. Pressey
"Smell the perfume but don't drink it because it might kill you." Erin Andrews recounting advise from Gary Pinkel
What happens if someone wins?
Everyone should have to send her $10.
by tigers and chiefs fan on Nov 24, 2010 12:55 PM CST reply actions
Trifecta
Dixon
Moore
English
"Blaine Gabbert sucks at life, bring in little gabbert, he will do better."
-Girl behind me at a game
NEW APPROACH
Put the 10 man rotation in excel and assign the =RAND() function to each, then sort to get the trifecta. It can’t be any worse than the results of putting conscious effort into it.
Safford
P Pressey
Moore
"I'm a genius, but I'm a misunderstood genius."
"What's misunderstood about you?"
"Nobody thinks I'm a genius."
by Transmogrified Tiger on Nov 24, 2010 1:09 PM CST reply actions
Trifecta
P. Pressey (showing he is a great comeback kind of guy)
Dixon (asserting his role as the Alpha on the team)
Ratliffe (getting 4-5 put backs).
My first entry of the season into the world's most impossible game:
Bowers
English
P. Pressey
"Don’t want to spend my night waiting in line unless it’s for more beer."
--EssBee, on LoneStarBall, Jan. 21, 2010
Trifecta
Safford
bowers
Dixon
"Anderson won't make substitutions. He'll change lines - Tiller, Taylor and English hit the bench while Denmon, Dixon and Paul hop the boards. Welcome to Hockey Night in Columbia. He won't take time outs. He'll take on fuel and tires. Welcome to the Hardwood 400." - Atch
trifecters
Dixon
Bowers
P Pressey
nobody else has this combo… so far. Therefore I will win exclusively.
"I have CDO. It's like OCD, but the letters are in alphabetical order. Like they should be."
Tryfecta, and try, try, try again...
Dixon (all amped up from yesterday)
Bowers (all over the place)
STEEEEEEEVE (yes, well, um…0.7 * BLK…YES)
"black, gold and Oranje"
by blackgoldorange on Nov 24, 2010 2:29 PM CST reply actions
I haven't been able to watch a game since Arkansaw - Fort Smith
Is Kim English still shooting wide open jumpers off-balance?
I would be interested in seeing his field goal percentage of wide open jumpers straight up vs wide open jumpers off balance. It seems to me like he missed a lot of the off balanced ones, but I don’t want to jump to any conclusions…
Trifecta: Dixon, Bowers, Denmon
First attempt this year
Bowers
English
Ratliffe
RockMNation.com (@rockmnation on Twitter)
The 2010 Missouri Football Preview - Available Now!
I'll take my first crack at this as well
Ratliffe
Denmon
Bowers
Chicago White Sox Examiner — Big hat, no cattle
by UribeAuction on Nov 24, 2010 3:24 PM CST via mobile reply actions
With more people playing, somebody is bound to win this thing
English
Bowers
Ratliffe
Try not to take me too seriously
woooooo this is the winner!
Bowers
Denmon
Predator
You don't have to come and confess, we lookin' for you, we gon' find you, we gon' find you. So you can run and tell that, Homeboy.
Trifecta
Bowers
Ratliffe
Dixon
Great moments are born from great opportunity.
Follow me on Twitter @muwxman
My losing submission
Dixon
English
Moore
by shaffe on Nov 24, 2010 4:34 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Trifecta
Denmon
Bowers
Pressey (The elder)
I may be drunk, but you're ugly, and tomorrow morning I'll be sober!
Trifecta
Sutton
Underwood
Mitchell
Elke ware zoon, zo blij van harte / Hemels boven ons zijn blauw / Er is een geest zo diep binnen ons / Oud Missouri dit is voor jou / Wanneer de band het Tijger oorlogslied speelt / En wanneer de strijd over is / We zullen stampen, stampen, stampen, rond de kolommen / Met een kreet voor oud Mizzou!
by Dutch Missourian on Nov 24, 2010 5:08 PM CST reply actions
Trifi
Ricky Rat
Demon Denmon
Richard Dixon
by KCTiger on Nov 24, 2010 5:27 PM CST via mobile reply actions
What time does this game start?
Ratliffe
Safford
Phil Pressey
by tigers and chiefs fan on Nov 24, 2010 5:55 PM CST reply actions
8:30 cst.
"Football players, like prostitutes, are in the business of ruining their bodies for the pleasure of strangers" -Merle Kessler
by threadkiller on Nov 24, 2010 6:21 PM CST up reply actions
My sources told me it would be....
Ratliffe
Bowers
Dixon
Annoying You Since 1986
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