Game 8: vs. UW-Milwaukee (5-4)
The Panthers come to Oxford after winning their first 2 Horizon League games at home over Detroit and Wright St. Milwaukee’s results have followed chalk, beating Loyola Marymount and UC Davis while losing at Iowa St., Marquette, Ball St., and Wisconsin. Coach Rob Jeter is trying to get his team back to the NCAA Tournament, somewhere they haven’t been since 2005. In order to get invited back to the Dance, Coach Jeter will have to get there with a group that doesn’t play like the Panther teams of Bruce Pearl. Instead, the Panthers will ride a half-court style and players who are experiencing Division 1 basketball for the 1st time.
Probable Starters
Avery Smith, 6’3" 175 Sr. 11 pts, 5 reb, 3 ass. 44% FG, 38% 3PFG, 72% FT. Point guard who wants to attack and create shots, though lately he’s done a better job of setting up his teammates. Athletic player who can score in the lane and elevate over smaller players. Only looks to shoot the 3 when he’s left open and can get his shot off.
Deonte Roberts, 6’3" 190 So. 7 pts, 2 ass. 55% FG, 72% FT. Lefty slasher who’s looking to get to the basket. No mid-range game, except for a floater he’ll try from the foul line in. Gets caught penetrating too deep and is turnover-prone.
Tone Boyle, 6’2" 175 Jr. 14 pts, 3 reb. 42% FG, 37% 3PFG, 77% FT. JUCO transfer who can shoot the ball. He can also get into the lane and finish strong. Does a great job of reading screens, can’t leave him.
Tony Meier, 6’8" 210 Fr. 8 pts, 5 reb. 49% FG, 50% 3PFG, 43% FT. A bigger, younger version of Boyle. Has deep range. Does a good job of shot faking and pulling up for the 17-footer. Handles the ball well for a freshman big man. Spends most of his time on the perimeter, not inside.
Anthony Hill, 6’7" 230 So. 9 pts, 5 reb. 47% FG, 61% FT. Athletic player in the post, but not particularly strong. Will try to beat you with quick, finesee moves, not strength. Possesses the baby hook shot and the baseline spot up jumper. Almost always dribbles into position, looking to quick dropstep dribble or the quick baseline spin move.
Off the Bench
Ricky Franklin, 6’1" 200 Sr. 9 pts, 4 reb, 3 ass. 33% FG, 27% 3PFG%, 79% FT. Another slasher who’s looking to drive. Not much of a shooting threat, ok to leave open.
Deion James, 6’2" 190 Sr. 5 pts, 2 reb. 43% FG, 44% 3PFG, 94% FT. Catch and shoot guy who runs off screens well.
James Eayrs, 6’7" 340 Jr. 7 pts, 3 reb. 43% FG, 44% 3PFG, 67% FT. Mini-Sluis, but can pick and pop and drain 3s. Be wary of the dribble handoff between him and Boyle, don’t want to get caught out by his screen. Doesn’t get off the floor well on the boards.
Kaylan Anderson, 6’5" 195 Jr. 2 pts, 50% FG, 82% FT. Another slasher, not a real threat to shoot from the outside.
Milwaukee’s offense is very similar to Western Michigan’s. Spread the floor with 4 guys behind the 3 point line with a post working down low. Everyone passes and either cuts to the basket or screens away. When Boyle or James are in the game, they’ll make an effort to set a double, staggered screen for them. Other than that, they’ll run some high pick and roll and dribble weave to try and free up their guards so they can drive to the basket, but they don’t run any detailed offensive set.
Defensively, Milwaukee will play a softer man-to-man than we’ve seen so far (definitely softer than Northwestern St.). They don’t look to pressure the ball, sagging off to protect themselves inside and against dribble penetration. Also, they don’t get out and challenge the passing lanes, allowing you to start your offense quite easily, so it’s no surprise they only force 12 turnovers a game. They do a good job of rotating inside/out and breaking down to not allow you to shoot well from 3 point range, teams are only shooting 30% from 3 against the Panthers. However, when the shot goes up, they run into trouble. They’re not very big up front, they’re not the strongest frontcourt, they’re not very deep up front, and they don’t do a good job of boxing out.
Against the Panthers, the ball has to go inside. While they defend the 3 well, they still give up 70 points and 44% shooting because of their deficiencies inside. We need to run our offense and not settle for jump shots. When the shot goes up, we need to go after the rebound hard because there will be 2nd chance opportunities. Defensively, again, stop dribble penetration, make them shoot contested jump shots. And there’s no reason why they should get any offensive rebounds. If Milwaukee doesn’t make jump shots, they’ll be in trouble because they normally don’t get many 2nd chance opportunities. Milwaukee doesn’t do anything spectacular or stand out in one particular category. If we play the way we’re capable of playing, we should be successful Thursday night.
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