Trending upward:
Bandja Sy: I wanted to see if Sy could sustain some good play and apparently he has enough to hold onto a starting spot as Christian Kabongo moved to the bench on Saturday against Fresno. In WAC play, Sy is 5-of-7 from 3-point range and 8-of-15 from the field, showing an increased awareness to not jack up the first open look he gets.
Chili Nephawe: I was kind of worried about Nephawe there for a little bit, he didn't look like he belonged on the court at times after starting out well. But he is going to be a good WAC big man. averaging just under 10 points in three league games. one of the under rated things about big men is their ability to knock down free throws. Nephawe is 20-of-23 from the foul line in the last four games.
Tai Wesley: The Utah State senior entered the week first nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 66.7 percent from the floor. Wesley is fifth in the league in scoring at 15.2 per game and third in rebounding with 8.6 per game. In WAC play, Wesley has been even better, scoring 21.3 per game in three games with 9.7 rebounds while shooting 75 percent. I'm sure Wesley's offensive game is providing the bulk of his points, but in WAC games, nearly half of his rebounds have come on the offensive end.
Trending downward:
NMSU rebounding: I thought that the return of Gillenwater and Rahman would help the Aggies pick up in this area, but it hasn't, especially on the defensive end. I would say the Aggies are playing better defensively than they were a year ago, yet they are failing to end the possession with the rebound. They are last in the WAC in Defensive rebounding percentage (.66). They give up 12.4 offensive boards per game.
San Jose State: The Spartans lost a heartbreaker to Boise State in four OTs, but they followed with a loss at home against Idaho. It doesn't get much better for San Jose State as they hit the road for their next three. The Spartans are 0-14 in WAC play on the road dating back to 2009 and the Spartans haven't won in Las Cruces since 1994.
3 comments:
Groves
Sy's improvement is huge for the Ags. He's a mismatch for every team in the WAC and most teams in the country. If he can refrain from turning the ball over, he's going to be a special player when it's all said and done.
Chili is also doing well but the reality is that we're going to need Hamidu come crunch time.
I love that one of Chili's strengths offsets Ham's biggest weakness; Rahman can't be on the floor offensively in the last 2 of a close game.
Sy has started to find his niche. Hopefully that smooth jumper keeps falling and he keeps looking for early O.
Chili should go back to using all of his fouls. Especially if Tai Welsey is scoring 20 pts per game now. It's because he's making space around himself. That's the only way I can figure that Wesley is so good. And I guess it's also why the refs didn't do anything when his nose somehow got broken in the Aggies game. None of our guys would do that. But heck, I'm not saying put Tai at the line but definitely use the fouls on the floor to keep the pass from coming down low to Wesley on that road swing next weekend. I.e., don't be intimidated with the whole town of Logan screaming at you! Dish it out to the Big Blue Aggies.
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