This will be a very interesting game on Tuesday! Eastern plays more zone defense than anyone in the league, so it will probably come down to how well we execute our zone attack and how we shoot the ball. Hopefully we will not turn the ball over and allow them to play in transition against our defense, and we will hold our own on the boards. Go Cats !
The ball movement which I saw in the two games that I've seen (kents, Beefalo)--bring that and we can contend with a zone.
Keep being hungry. A few mid-season wins are nothing to get to OUr head...we haven't proved a thing yet.
Team ball.
In other words, keep doing what they've been doing? I agree with thoughts in both posts. I feel more confident against a zone because of the shooters this team has, and the ability of Simmons and Campbell to find the creases in the zone.
Statistically speaking:
-For a team that plays a lot of zone, they still allow more PPG than anyone in the league. They also score more than anyone in the league.
-They create a lot of turnovers, so the point above about avoiding that is a big key. In fact, in conference play, they have 4 in the top 15 in steals per game.
-They're a very good foul shooting team, and get to the line more often than anyone in the MAC to this point.
-Other than Raven Lee, they aren't a good 3pt shooting bunch.
-Seems like containing Lee, and their big fella James Thompson, are the keys to holding them down offensively. Thompson has averaged about 19pts/16rebs over they're last three games.
Based on the numbers, they seem like a better team than their record might indicate. They also seem to have gotten better in the same way OUr guys have as the season has gone along.