#272 R.P.I. Virginia Tech v. #257 R.P.I. Miami of Ohio:
Every single preview I looked all agreed, as they all picked Miami of Ohio (OH), dead last in the Mid-America Conference East Division.
This is not a good men’s hoops program, despite overachieving a bit and nearly tapping .5oo last season.
This is a beatable men’s hoops team, though it must be said, this is a basketball game of pretty much bad on bad. Coach John Cooper has he work cut out for him over in Miami Ohio, same as Buzz does down in Blacksburg, Va.
Miami of Ohio at a glance:
- 298th in FG percentage allowed (46.6%)
- 3o4th in assists per game (9.3 apg)
- 318th in points per game (58.8 ppg)
- 318th in offensive rebounding
- 329th in FT percentage (58.5%)
Miami of Ohio Backcourt: (returning starters=2 of 3)
Miami’s best backcourt player (Quinten Rollins) turned Pro, as in N.F.L. after not having played football in four years Pro!
That’s not a good sign, however, signing VHT (very highly touted) t-freshman Guard Zach McCormick is. Well, other than the fact that he is averaging o.7 ppg I mean.
Or in other words, this Redhawk backcourt is not very good.
That said, leading the way is Will Sullivan. Will is a 6’3” 190 lb. senior year baller who has played in every single game (93) in his Miami career. So one could say that experience and durability are his best attributes. Will however is (surprisingly) leading the way with 14 ppg with 3.5 boards on a sizzling and likewise team leading 67% from downtown. Sullivan has already won awards for Most Loyal and Most Improved in his Miami carrer. Methinks you have to name him M.v.p. if he keeps this long-distance pace up. Not half bad for a final year team captain who’s game formerly revolved around speed. As Will has quite the Track-n-Field dossier. Eric Washington is a 5’9” 171 lb. true Point-G in his third year outta South Carolina. The Presbyterian transfer has a pretty good eye as a distributor goes, as his 6.3 team leading total in assists per game (apg) would suggest; ditto his having placed 15th in assists nationally at Presbyterian a year ago. Eric is third in scoring at nearly 10 ppg, and he floor-burns his way to 4 rebounds per game (rpg) notwithstanding having mid-range to modest range on his J. This from the South Carolina Player of the Year in high school class of 2011. Has been an 87% FT for his career, though all of his shooting marks are down this far, including a mere 16% from beyond the arc. I do believe Eric to be better than he has showed this years, although perhaps not quite so good as was forecast scholastically.
6’3” 182 lb. junior Geovonie McKnight -who could not make a 2 with a pencil last night- is described as somewhere between being “…a play-maker” and “…the go to guy” this year in my preseason mag’s. Geovonie sure industrializes a true ladies-man first name, and he does manufacture a second best 13.3 ppg while being the teams best backcourt defender and leading Miami of Ohio in steals at 1.7 steals per game (spg). That said, his shooting has been off all year although this is a gunner of a lead-G who never met a shot he did not like or would not take. Geovonie and his kinda bad-azz looking fro’-hawk both have some scoring outburst games on their resume’s. Miami would be a better team if all the pre-season rags were suddenly correct re: Geovonie; however, he does attack the basket and he will finish on you if you allow. As this kid gets a fair number of his points from the charity-stripe. And you gotta like aggressiveness like that.
MofO Frontcourt: (starters back=1 of 2, With a C and PF alignment only)
Third year LJ Livingston is a toothpick true-Center at a towering 6’10” in height, and a mere 188 lbs. in weight! No, that’s not a typo, this is a vertical guy with a very narrow body.
L.Jay was one of several transfer or JuCo frontcourters that coach Coopper elected to inject into his rather thin looking post program. LJ (who has no dots or initials to his name), has played at three schools in as many years having gone to Florida Gulf Coast University to start, then to Pensacola State College, now to Miami of Ohio. Typically, it’s not a good sign when you leave F.G.C. after their sweet-16 run. LJ did win the Maryland Class 3A State Championship, blocking a stunning 19 shots in the final two games while doing so! Right now LJ is getting 7.3 ppg, with 4.o boards and 1.8 blocks on 69% shooting. As this is indeed a pretty springy kid who is nimble as can be as a help-defender, even if he has trouble holding his spot. As you have to think Joey might want some of this.
Chris Bryant is another low-post transfer from the College of Central Florida; after having left Florida Atlantic University after his rookie year. Chris fetches you 3.7 boards and 4.7 point from his starting Power-Forward (P/F) position. He does strip the ball well enough and has good hands accordingly. However at 6’8” and only 200 lbs., this Redhawk front-line is simply paper thin. Chris won a couple of high school M.v.p. awards and he did collect 2 trip-A rings for his troubles. This prior to a year at Fishburne Military School, which effectively means Chris has been a member of 5 consecutive different teams. Do you see a pattern here?
Redhawks Bench: (depth=3 to 5)
- Logan McLane: 6’9” 215 lb. t-freshman who is seeing is minutes on the rise after having an all-around high school career. 3 ppg and 1.3 rebounds from the swing-Forward from Carolina. Head, smart player who picks his spots.
- Zach McCormick: 6’2” 158 lb. rookie year One or Point. Prominent Cincy scholastic baller who was primarily a scorer from the Point. Only shooting 12% thus far and needs time to fill out and acclimate; despite looking like Michael Brewer.
- Willie Moore: 6’3” 198 lb. Jr. combo-G who is tatted up to put it mildly. Oregon transfer who had to sit for the fall semester last year; and did start a bit after that. Gets you 4 ppg, and get this … leads the way in rebounding at 5.3 off the pine as a Guard! 40% 3-point shooter although only 50% from the line. Still a good deal down from nearly 10 per game last year at 4 and change right now.
- Kalif Wright: Jr. 6’7” 238 lb. rugged looking Oak Hill Wv. native by way of Kilgore College. Won two 3o4 states, and has a rep’ as a dunking enforcer down-low. BIG time scorer in high school who has never quite blossomed at the next level. 4.7 ppg and 2.o rpg and not much else.
- Jaryd Eustace: EPIC last-name, which is the only reason I included him here. 6’7” 2o1 lb. Brisbane Australia shooting-G. Has plenty of size for a Two, did start a few games last year as a freshman. Was possibly better in Golf down-under.
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Illation, conclusion (s) and OPT digits:
One could dare to opine that each of these squads is looking at a low ceiling this for this year.
In point of fact. One could even dare to say that all they need do is look up down in Cancun to see a rather low hanging old-school flat ceiling which really should muck around with depth-perception and lines-of-sight. This in a converted ballroom turned hosting gymnasium. No really, I’m not making this up, see the enclosed pic of the Cancun Challenge host court.
Virginia Tech and coach Buzz just chased for the entire 40 minutes less the time of the first No.Iowa score last night down in Cancun. Another 18-3 free-throw deficit and this will be a glorified basketball va-Kay for our guys; as it is nice to see them get to visit someplace that typically hosts the “haves” of the world.
Miami of Ohio on the other hand, lead for much of the fist half and had a fair to middling shot a favorite Northwestern. And that’s not half bad for a program that is historically bad even in BIG-M.A.C. terms.
That said, our Hokies are negative, that’s -25 on offensive boards checking in at 341st in offensive rebounding this season and a smelly looking 54% on FT-attempts at 339th bet. This from a team that is a shocking 29th overall from the floor at a very efficacious 29th in shooting for all of D-1. Go fig’?!? A strange game this roundball.
Will Sullivan and Geovonie McKnight had been carrying what little offense Miami of Ohio enjoyed like Atlas on their back’s. However, they just made two, that’s 2 shots combined, as Miami shot a season low from the field and from the FT-line.
So this one sure looks like nearly a coin-toss to me. As this is poor vs. impoverished as offensive coinage goes.
***
That said, Virginia Tech does enjoy the superior coach; and (is somehow) out-shooting Miami of Ohio from the floor by a insane -and I had to read this, twice- an insane looking 16 aggregate percent in the most recent 5-game splits! Go fig’ again, as I could not have seen that one coming. Miami is only 4% better from the FT-line and only 2 boards better in rebounding differential; although still negative or in a glass deficit in their own right.
I hope that Joey is enough to overpower this spindly looking Miami of Ohio front-line and hope their poor backcourt shooting continues in such an oddball ballroom turned hosting gym. I hope, notice I did not say I know.
(52% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=65, Miami of Ohio=58
“LETS GO!”
“Hokies!”
bourbonstreet**
