Friday, April 1, 2011

FINAL FOUR BREAKDOWN IV: ASSESSING BACKCOURT MATCHUPS

2011 FINAL FOUR

 Getting into some position match-up assessments
 STARTING 1's

Guard Play varies greatly among these 4 Teams 

4 UKY 6-3 | 187 Fr Brandon Knight 
3 CON 6-1 | 172 Jr Kemba Walker
11 VCU 5-10 | 174 Sr Joey Rodriguez 
8 BTL 6-3 | 221 Jr Sheldon Mack

Guard Play varies greatly among these 4 Teams 
Size plays little role here
VCU's Rodriguez shortest by 3-5"
Yet, as more of a playmaker his length less significant

SCORING in TOURNEY
  1. CONNECTICUT | WALKER 27 PPG
  2. BUTLER | MACK 21 PPG
  3. KENTUCKY | KNIGHT 16 PPG
  4. VA COMMONWEALTH | RODRIGZ 10½ PPG
_________________

2011 Final Four | Point Guards

UConn's Kemba Walker is 2011 Tourney M-O-P
Giving Huskies a definitive, most significant advantage at '1'

UCONN 6-1 | 172 Jr KEMBA WALKER  

Continues sensational NCAA Tourney Play
Walker raised vigorous 24 PPG Regular Season Avg
To 27 PPG in UConn's 4 Gm Tourney Run
Up from Season Avg 24 PPG

Important characteristic of Walker's numbers
Both Regular Season & Postseason
Is his marginal Shooting %'s
  • WALKER SHOOTING 43.8% FG NCAA TOURNEY
  • WALKER Shot nearly identical 43.3% FG Regular Season
Moreover, for all overwhelming acclaim showered upon Walker - carrying UConn thru inspiring 5-Day, 5-Gm Big East Tourney Title Run, & the specific praise for WALKER's Hot Shooting...

Staggering Fact remains:

WALKER MISSED ALL 3-PT GAME SHOTS TAKEN
IN 4 OF UCONN's 5 BIG EAST TOURNEY GMS
  • 0-3
  • 0-2
  • 0-3
  • 0-2
KEMBA WALKER - BIG-EAST TOURNAMENT 2-16 Deep
  • 2-6 Threes vs Syracuse
  • 0-10 Remaining 4 Gms
WALKER NCAA TOURNEY THREE's: 10-29 (34.8%)

Walker parallel 34% Regular Season from Deep

THAT SAID, Walker's accolades are 110% deserved

WHEN LOOKING AT WALKER's POWERFULLY CONSISTENT PRODUCTION

KEMBA FILLS STAT-SHEETS w/MULTIPLE EYE-POPPING POSITIVE NUMBERS

WALKER's REBOUND NUMBERS STAND OUT AMONG FINAL-FOUR PG's:
  • 5 Rebounds/Game
Kemba also produced these numbers in Tourney:
  • Rebounds/Game in Tourney
LASTLY, Kemba Walker's Play at BOTH ENDS speaks volumes  

Walker's already proficient Regular Season 2.0 Assist|Turnover Ratio has moved from great to superb in

Tourney: 2.7 (27 Assists | 10 Turnovers)

Walker: 6 Steals in Tourney
Walker: Under 1 PF/Game in Tourney  
Walker FG: 43.3%

WALKER PRODUCED 2nd MOST PTS 2010-2011 D-I: 931
(Closing in on Jimmer's 970)


WALKER AVG MPG LAST 24 GMS: 39.3 MIN/GM!

This totals 17 Minutes OFF Floor....Last 24 Gms
(OT's clearly inflates the number, yet EYE-Carumba)
Thus, Walker Plays 98.3% of UConn Min (Jan 1 Fwd)

Kemba Walker #1 NCAA Minutes Played: 1466 Minutes

Walker is on pace to log more single season min in 9 yrs


Running out of ways to describe Walker's excellence
________________


UKY 6-3 | 187 Fr BRANDON KNIGHT


Calipari's lightening quick, abundantly talented Freshman Point guard

Brandon Knight is young as he is WILDLY, precariously inconsistent

2011 NCAA TOURNEY:
  • 2 PTS
  • 30 PTS
  • 9 PTS
  • 22 PTS
Nevertheless, Knight nearly matching his 17 PPG season scoring Avg, w/16 PPG NCAA Tourney, got Ky to Houston

KNIGHT SHOOTING POORLY OVERALL: 35.7% FG

Yet, Knight side-by-side w/Kemba's Three rate
(9-26 | 34.6%)

Truthfully, Knight picking his spots

Having Fortitude to Hit Game Winner vs Bucks on a poor shooting day, puts him in a new light in many experts eyes  

DEFENSIVELY, Knight has Good Size & deceptive quickness

KNIGHT BEST 3-PT SHOOTER AMONG F-4 PG's: 38.2%
(4.1% Higher than next closest, Mack)

KNIGHT Expected lowest Ast|T-Ov: 1.3 Reg (1.22 NCAA)
_________________
 
11 VCU 5-10 | 174 Sr JOEY RODRIGUEZ

THROWBACK POINT GUARD
  • Smallest 
  • Lowest Scoring PG (10.54 PPG Reg | 10.2 PPG NCAA)
  • Lowest FG% (35% FG Reg | 33% FG NCAA - 6-18)
Yet, Rodriguez running Rams show as a true decision making, leader-PG

ONLY SR STARTING POINT GUARD in FINAL-FOUR

Rodriguez Scoring Stats are secondary to his
DISTRIBUTION SKILLS

Rodriguez Best PG in Final Four KEY STAT

Asst|T-Over: 3.3 (33-10, thus 3.3 NCAA | 2.2 Reg)

Leadership has been ultimate difference maker for Rams
Joey Rodriguez makes this work for VCU
_________________


8 BTL 6-3 | 221 Jr SHELDON MACK


MACK HAS CARRIED BULLDOGS WHEN NECESSARY
21.25 PPG NCAA | 16 PPG REG

Struggled thru much of 2010-2011 w/absence of old Sidekick, 2009-2010 Bulldog Leading Scorer
6-8 | 204 Gordon Hayward

Mack's Reg Season shooting fell .050 (FG) & .077 (3's)

Nevertheless, Mack bounced back from 0-5 Three Shooting NCAA Opener, to Shoot 10-22 Last 3 Gms from deep
& Up Over his 40.5% Reg FG Shooting to 43% in Tourney

Veteran Savvy really key for Butler
MACK BIG-POINT GUARD SIZE (6-3), yet also 221 Lbs

Will not be surprised to see Butler repeatedly Flash Mack to Mid-Key &/or Posting Up Mack on Rodriguez, whom S Mack Outsizes by 5" & MORE IMPORTANT, Mack nearly 50+ LBS

Mack in midst of 4-18 Three-Ball Stretch

Mack is Vet-Savvy & Great at getting deep looks
We'd be inclined to conclude Mack's 22.2% 3-Point Shooting cannot last
_______________


STARTING 2's

4 UKY 6-4 | 197 Fr Doron Lamb *
3 CON 6-0 | 169 Fr Shabazz Napier 
11 VCU 6-2 | 185 Sr Brandon Rozzell
8 BTL 6-0 | 171 Sr Shawn Vanzant
(*Lamb Started 3 of 4 Tourney Games for Cats)
 SCORING IN TOURNEY


  1. VA COMMONWEALTH | ROZZELL 14 PPG
  2. BUTLER | VANZANT 8 PPG
  3. KENTUCKY | LAMB PPG
  4. CONNECTICUT | NAPIER 5½ PPG
______________

2011 Final Four | Shooting Guards


UKY 6-4 | 197 Fr DORON LAMB


Ky's Lamb is not to be confused w/UConn Fr Jeremy Lamb
Has one of most eye-popping stat numbers in 2011 NCAA Tourney

LAMB: 11-15 FROM DEEP IN NCAA | 73.3%!

No Fluke, either
Ky's Lamb has several Un-Freshman-Like Season Stat Lines
  • 18.25 PPG NCAA | 11.1 PPG Reg
  • 48.3% FG | 49.7% Reg
The Biggie: Lamb shot 63% True FG on Season

DORON LAMB WILL BE A HANDFUL | ROUGH MATCHUP

Lamb's Three Shooting is BIG CONTRIBUTOR
To Ky Status as leading 3% Tm in Final 4 (Ky 40% Season)
____________


UCONN 6-0 | 169 Fr SHABAZZ NAPIER


Yet another Freshman to Man-up on Lamb
Though Napier gives up 4" & 25 Lbs
The defensive minded stopper, Napier
Could be the ideal leak-plug for UConn

Napier is steady as they come here

Playing along side Kemba?
Napier chooses shots wisely; few & none

Nevertheless, Napier 1.66 A|T-Over %

3x more Steals than all other Final-4 Shooting Guards
Great fit for Huskies...esp vs Ky Lamb

Draws Fouls as well as any Off-Guard
Playing into UConn Hands

As Lamb has unaccustomed lofty 2.43 PF/Gm Rate
____________


VCU 6-2 | 185 Sr BRANDON ROZZELL


Rozzell is in a quiet, very productive shooting groove out on Wing for Rams

Rozzell one of the Few SR's in F-4

Doesn't start all gms for VCU, yet Plays 50% of VCU Minutes
& led VCU in fundamental facet of Rams Offense

3-PT SHOOTING
Rozzell Hit 78 Threes for VCU this year (40.4%)
& has exceeded his high-level %'s in Tourney (47.8%)

ROZZELL IS HITTING 3's IN BIG SPOTS, too

VCU has needed Rozzell's Great Consistent Play
12, 16, 10 & 26 HUGE Pts (6-10 Deep) vs G'Town

Rozzell 16 PPG, Last-4 Tourney Gms isn't referenced often, yet Rozzell's Production (5+ Pts Over his 11 PPG Season Avg), is significant part of VCU place in Houston
______________


8 BTL 6-0 | 171 Sr SHAWN VANZANT


Epitome of HC Stevens 'System-Player'

So many seemingly mild numbers
Yet his low-error, hustle numbers are sparkling:

VANZANT 4.6 ASST|T-OVER's in NCAA

Not huge number of 3's in Tourney (or Yr | 81), yet, Vanzant is making em count
(42% Reg | 35.7% NCAA)

Vanzant should get start vs VCU, yet would NOT vs UConn
Butler Starting 6-3 | 6-0 | 6-0 works fine v VCU
(Not so well vs Ky | UConn)
________________

ALL THE BEST, GUYS

No comments:

Post a Comment

COMMENTS | CRITICISMS | QUESTIONS | SUGGESTIONS
Always STRONGLY Encouraged

Followers