The nightmare 0-6 road trip is over for the men's team and the statistical documentation is appropriately ugly. Here are the numbers that stand out to me:
--ISU's defense has been horrible and the numbers back that up. ISU is giving up 83 ppg, and opponents are shooting 56 percent from two point range. The Bengals have no rim protection -- registering just 7 blocks in 6 games, while opponents have 24. 7-footer Novak Topolavic has yet to record his first block. The Bengals really miss red shirting Kyle Ingram in the post.
--They also miss him on the glass, where ISU is getting outrebounded by a painful 9 boards a game. Topolavic started out as a rebounding machine, but his productivity has come crashing back to the mean of late.
--Idaho State, one of the best free throw shooting teams in the league last year, is getting outscored by 3.5 ppg at the line this year, largely because the Bengals are shooting a woeful 58 percent. Ethan Telfair, who has been suspended for the last 3 games, has made just 11 of 22 FTs in the three games he did play. Geno Luzcando has made just 59 percent of his FTs and Novak is 9 of 19.
--Idaho State's guard line was supposed to be a strength this year, but the Bengal back line has contributed to an awful 60-107 assist to TO margin. Freshman Brandon Boyd, who has started in ET's place at PG, has just 6 assists to 16 TOS. Luzcando, who has an 11-TO game this year, has just 6 assists vs 29 TOS. Those, my friends, are some really bad numbers.
--Put it all together --bad defense, poor rebounding, too many TOS and bad foul shooting, and you have the blueprint for an 0-6 team. Can things get better? Of course. I think there is plenty of talent on this team and Bill Evans has a history of producing teams that play good defense and don't turn the ball over. But the makeup and chemistry on this team is going to challenge him mightily. ISU finally gets a home game against a good Lamar team on Tuesday. They will have had a few days to look at film, practice and, hopefully, get ET back. Here's hoping for big improvement--and most importantly, a win.
--ISU's defense has been horrible and the numbers back that up. ISU is giving up 83 ppg, and opponents are shooting 56 percent from two point range. The Bengals have no rim protection -- registering just 7 blocks in 6 games, while opponents have 24. 7-footer Novak Topolavic has yet to record his first block. The Bengals really miss red shirting Kyle Ingram in the post.
--They also miss him on the glass, where ISU is getting outrebounded by a painful 9 boards a game. Topolavic started out as a rebounding machine, but his productivity has come crashing back to the mean of late.
--Idaho State, one of the best free throw shooting teams in the league last year, is getting outscored by 3.5 ppg at the line this year, largely because the Bengals are shooting a woeful 58 percent. Ethan Telfair, who has been suspended for the last 3 games, has made just 11 of 22 FTs in the three games he did play. Geno Luzcando has made just 59 percent of his FTs and Novak is 9 of 19.
--Idaho State's guard line was supposed to be a strength this year, but the Bengal back line has contributed to an awful 60-107 assist to TO margin. Freshman Brandon Boyd, who has started in ET's place at PG, has just 6 assists to 16 TOS. Luzcando, who has an 11-TO game this year, has just 6 assists vs 29 TOS. Those, my friends, are some really bad numbers.
--Put it all together --bad defense, poor rebounding, too many TOS and bad foul shooting, and you have the blueprint for an 0-6 team. Can things get better? Of course. I think there is plenty of talent on this team and Bill Evans has a history of producing teams that play good defense and don't turn the ball over. But the makeup and chemistry on this team is going to challenge him mightily. ISU finally gets a home game against a good Lamar team on Tuesday. They will have had a few days to look at film, practice and, hopefully, get ET back. Here's hoping for big improvement--and most importantly, a win.
