Game 21: at Toledo (4-18, 2-6)
The Rockets return home after losing by 28 at Kent during the week, so one would think they will be a very angry bunch. Toledo has only 3 D-1 wins, all at home over UMass, Eastern, and Central. As usual, Toledo has been fairly competitive at home, but they have taken some beatings on the road, even against conference opponents. First year Coach Gene Cross inherited some veteran players, but they have all not responded, looking lost at times at both ends of the floor in trying to execute the gameplan. Recently, Jonathan Amos, one of the Rockets' top playmakers, was suspended for violating team rules, and his status is uncertain for Saturday's game. This team has a lot working against them, but we'll see if they have any pride on Saturday.
Probable Starters
Larry Bastfield, 5'11" 190 Fr. 3 pts, 2 ass. 44% FG, 39% 3PFG, 50% FT. Runs the team well for a freshman. Doesn't really look for his own shot, deferring to Kent and Amos. Has good quickness, can dribble and dish out to the perimeter.
Ridley Johnson, 6'4" 210 Sr. 6 pts, 3 reb. 38% FG, 26% 3PFG, 75% FT. If you let him catch the ball with space and his feet set, might as well count it. He can shoot off the dribble, but his accuracy drops significantly. Still not much of a ballhandler.
Tyrone Kent, 6'5" 210 Sr. 15 pts, 6 reb. 41% FG, 33% 3PFG, 70% FT. A multi-dimensional player, can shoot the deep ball, the 18-foot pullup, the 10-foot pullup in the lane and finish at the basket. Have to keep him out of the lane because he is very strong and will score or get to the foul line.
Justin Anyijong, 6'9" 205 So. 10 pts, 7 reb. 44% FG, 35% 3PFG, 72% FT. Primarily a stand still jump shooter, he can make shots in bunches. He's learning to shoot off the dribble, so it looks a little awkward, sometimes shooting off of one leg, but the ball's going in. Definitely has major ups and is a shot blocking presence, but he's not a physical player underneath and can be pushed around.
Ian Salter, 6'10" 215 Fr. 2 pts, 3 reb. 42% FG, 68% FT. Sets screens, scores off of dumpoffs and rebounds. Not featured offensively.
Off the Bench
Jonathan Amos, 6'4" 220 Sr. 13 pts, 4 reb, 3 ass. 45% FG, 35% 3PFG, 68% FT. Wants to dribble drive and create. Doesn't look to shoot much from the outside, everything is on the drive or pulling up in the lane. Have to make him go east/west and make him go where he doesn't want to. If you can do that, he'll oblige with a turnover or a bad shot.
Mohammed Lo, 6'8" 225 So. 4 pts, 4 reb. 45% FG, 31% FT. Strong in the post, 6'8" is a bit of stretch, but has a wide base that allows him to be physical. Has a power dribble that can take him to the basket from 8 ft. in.
Anthony Byrd, 6'1" 165 Sr. 6 pts, 2 ass. 41% FG, 36% 3PFG, 40% FT. Provides experience off the bench. Has trouble creating his own shot, most of his offense comes from set shots resulting from dribble penetration.
Offensively, it's pretty simple. If Kent and Amos aren't creating for themselves or for others, Toledo has a hard time scoring. Their offense is designed to spread the floor and get Kent and Amos the ball in space with lanes to the basket. The Rockets will set double screens for them, and their bigs will reverse and screen away for them, so communicating with screens will be important. Kent is a tough guard because he can shoot and drive, so we'll have to bump the cutter with him. Amos is a driver, so instead of trailing screens we need to go below screens and force him to be a jump shooter. Johnson, Bastfield, Anyijong, and Byrd hang out in the wings and corners, waiting for kickouts. Because they rely on two wing players to handle the ball a lot, they take a lot of bad shots and they turn the ball over a lot. Toledo is the 6th worst team in Division 1 in turnover percentage. As long as we box out, they won't get any offensive boards because their bigs don't like to battle for position, they want to jump and get the ball.
Defensively, Toledo will show a number of looks. They will mix in a lot of 2-3 zone with their man defense, but in both, they will be physical on the ball. Their perimeter guys will stick their hands in, looking to steal the ball. If you can beat their pressure, you'll have opportunities to score. Their bigs are slow to react to dribble penetration and especially interior passing. You will get looks from the outside on dribble/dish play as their perimeter guys will collapse inside hard. There will be opportunities for 2nd chance points as again, Toledo's bigs aren't very physical and do a poor job finding bodies on the boards.
Toledo is one of the worst offensive teams I've seen, if not the worst. If Amos isn't available again, then they'll be even in deeper trouble. They're in the bottom 50 nationally in offensive efficiency, turn the ball over 18 times a game, in the bottom 25 nationally in getting to the foul line, and when they get there, they're the 10th worst free throw shooting team in America. Worse than that, there are times where it takes them 20-25 seconds to figure out what offensive set they should be running. That's ok in November, but in February? It will be important for us to play our game, not let the game get ugly. Ball movement, pound it into our bigs and only shoot 3s off of inside-out basketball. Defensively, knowing the scouting report will be important. If Ballard is close to being healthy, he'll probably draw the assignment of Kent, which should allow our help-side to stay at home on their shooters. Force them into tough shots, rebound, and run our offense. That's how you beat Toledo.
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