Game Review, Game 2: Indiana University - Northwest

IUPUI was able to use Tuesday night's game against a tired and depleted IUN team to retool their squad following their disappointing shellacking in Spokane. A new starter and different combinations on the floor helped the Jaguars tune up in preparation for their trip east to Oxford, Ohio as a part of the CBE O'Reilly Auto Parts Classic (Spectacular Bonanza Event Tournament Regional Section Performance Time Thing). 


(Video highlights at the bottom.)


Player of the Game: Alex Young, IUPUI
Alex finally looked to be in his element, taking charge of the offense and putting up some incredible numbers. He had a double-double (17 and 11) in addition to his six assists.

Sixth Man of the Game: TIE Sean Esposito, IUPUI; Stephen Thomas, IUPUI
Stephen looked much more comfortable coming off the bench and mixing with the quicker Greg Rice as opposed with the more methodical John Ashworth. Sean was himself for the first time all season, hitting going 4-of-7 from deep in just twelve minutes.

Stat of the Game: 23-27
Despite IUN's inability to shoot from the floor (18-49 FG, 3-14 3P), they ate just enough Wheaties to shoot tons and tons of freethrows and shoot them well.
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Final Stats

IUPUI		IUN
1-1	Overall Record	0-7
0-0	Conference Record	N/A
83	Points Scored	62
62	Points Allowed	83
33-68 (48.5%)	Fieldgoals (Percent)	18-49 (36.7%)
10-13 (76.9%)	Freethrows (Percent)	23-27 (85.2%)
7-24 (29.2%)	3-Point (Percent)	3-14 (21.4%)
43	Rebounds	29
22	Assists	7
3	Steals	6
3	Blocks	0
11	Turnovers	9
18	Fouls	10

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Et Cetera...

• Stephen coming off the bench seemed to work much better than him starting. He and John might not be the best fit together, mainly because their skill sets are just similar enough to not be complimentary but rather opposing. John has done much better with a bigger over-all lineup on the floor, where Stephen has done better with a smaller lineup.
• We may have seen the last of Anthony Williams for a long time. I anticipated him to be a big factor off the bench with Mitch Patton's poor play and Anthony's seemingly eureka-moment understanding of the offense...But three technical fouls, seven personal fouls, all in two games...in six minutes no less...will likely send him to the end of the bench.
• The bench is stepping up like they have needed to, creating an eight-man rotation that should be fairly carved out by the end of this weekend's tournament. Look for Alex Young, Leroy Nobles, John Ashworth, Christian Siakam, Stephen Thomas, Donovan Gibbs, Greg Rice, and Mitchell Patton. Others will get playing time, but in a "hey get some rest, one of you eight" kind of way.
• Sean Esposito could enter that fray, but that's a big *maybe*. He can hit the three against teams that leave him wide-the-hell-open, but good squads won't do that. 
• 48 points in the paint is a lot for this team, I'd be shocked if they managed to average more than 25. The reason? See: Averaging 23.5 three point attempts per game. Ron has the guys taking tons and tons of outside shots (or they're just doing it anyway) due to the lack of inside size. Even the bigger guys like Mitch and Donovan are taking more mid-ranged shots than layups. 
• Donovan needs to decide what kind of basketball he wants to play. Against Gonzaga, he was absent. One person who was at the game said "He was SCARED." Can't do that in Division-1 ball, dude. Every team is good. Even teams struggling. Anyone can beat you. Being afraid of one team and not another is silly, so just don't be afraid!
• For the record, student attendance and participation is disgusting and pathetic. There shouldn't be six of us making noise and a bunch of people sitting. I think if you get a free ticket, you should have to earn it. Not sit at the top of the bleachers and giggle. Come on, now. It's embarrassing for everyone. 

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Take A Look Back...

Projected Starters
FG (FT, 3P)

Guard: Stephen Thomas (Bench)
STATS: 19 Minutes; 4-7 (1-2, 1-4) 10 Points; 2 Rebounds; 6 Assists; 1 Turnover; 1 Steal; 1 Foul
Guard: John Ashworth
STATS: 25 Minutes; 2-2 (0-0, 0-0) 4 Points; 2 Rebounds; 5 Assists; 1 Turnover; 1 Foul
Forward: Alex Young *DD*
STATS: 28 Minutes; 8-13 (1-2, 0-1) 17 Points; 11 Rebounds; 6 Assists; 2 Turnovers; 1 Block; 2 Steals; 1 Foul
Forward: Leroy Nobles
STATS: 30 Minutes; 6-13 (7-7, 2-6) 21 Points; 7 Rebounds; 3 Assists
Forward: Christian Siakam
STATS: 19 Minutes; 1-4 (0-0, 0-0) 2 points; 7 Rebounds; 1 Turnover; 1 Block; 3 Fouls


Projected Key Subs

Guard: Greg Rice
STATS: 16 Minutes; 0-2 (0-0, 0-2) 0 Points; 4 Rebounds; 2 Assists; 2 Turnovers; 1 Foul
Forward: Donovon Gibbs (Starter)
STATS: 24 Minutes; 5-8 (1-2, 0-0) 11 Points; 2 Rebounds; 1 Turnover; 1 Block

Other Subs

Center: Mitchell Patton
STATS: 10 Minutes; 3-6 (0-0, 0-0) 6 Points
Guard: Sean Esposito
STATS: 12 Minutes; 4-8 (0-0, 4-7) 12 Points; 1 Rebound; 3 Fouls
Guard: Nick Kitkoff
STATS: 6 Minutes; 0-2 (0-0, 0-2) 0 Points; 3 Rebounds; 1 Turnover
Forward: Anthony Williams
STATS: 4 Minutes; 0-1 (0-0, 0-0) 0 Points; 1 Rebound; 4 Fouls (1 Technical)
Guard: Nick DeSchepper
STATS: 6 Minutes; 0-2 (0-0, 0-2) 0 Points


Keys to the Game

1) Get Hot, Stay Hot. (Check)
Okay, it wasn't a 100-point night. But the starters and key subs did a great job while they were on the floor together.
2) Have Fun. (Check)
Two alley-oops? Yeah, I'd say they were having fun.3) Get The Sub's Confidence Up. (Check)
No matter if you want to call Stephen or Donovan a sub, they both played very well. Despite Greg's numbers, he played well, too. New combinations were clicking better than old. I like that idea by Coach Hunter.
4) 55% FG; 80% FT; 40% 3P. (Eh...)
48.5% FG; 76.9% FT; 29.2 3P.


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Video Highlights