Confident Furman heads for the Shenandoah Valley and a conference road test against VMI
Furman (8-9, 2-2 SoCon) at VMI (3-14, 0-4 SoCon)
When and Where: Jan. 17, 2024/Lexington, VA, Cameron Hall (5,000), 6 p.m. EST
Coaches: Furman--Bob Richey (147-64, 7th yr)/VMI--Andrew Wilson (10-39/2nd season)
Series: Furman leads 69-37
Last Season: Furman won both meetings 85-62 in Greenville and 94-63 in Lexington
Overview: Furman embarks on its longest conference road trip of the season when it heads for the beautiful Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia, as the Paladins look to do something they haven't done all season--string together three-straight wins.
The Paladins will also be looking to pick up just their second true road win of the season, having gone just 1-6 away from Timmons Arena this season. A win in hostile territory Wednesday night would see the Paladins improve to 3-2 in league action and .500 overall heading into Saturday's monster matchup with Western Carolina, who with a win Tuesday night over Samford, sits atop the league standings. The Paladins will then face Samford next Wednesday, adding even more emphasis to Wednesday night's midweek tilt at VMI.
But first things first, and games on the road, especially in conference play, are never easy. However, Furman's reason for confidence and optimism goes beyond just wins in its last two league outings against East Tennessee State (W, 82-73) and The Citadel (W, 82-68), but more in the psychology that goes behind playing to its identity, as head coach Bob Richey stressed in his bi-weekly press conference ahead of Wednesday night's league clash.
Wednesday night's contest will also mark the first time all season that the Paladins will have the big three to start a game since Dec. 2 at Princeton, as the Paladins started JP Pegues, Marcus Foster, and Alex Williams started the contest against the Tigers before Foster suffered a knee injury just before the half. He has been out ever since, and as a result, the Paladins have gone 4-5 since.
Earlier this season, Foster had back-to-back 30-point efforts in a game for the first time since Karim Souchu accomplished the feat during the 2022-03 season. At the time of his injury, Foster ranked second in the Southern Conference in scoring average.
Richey talked about his team playing to within its identity and roles, detailing that in each of the consecutive wins over both The Citadel and East Tennessee State, which saw the Paladins use the same starting lineup in two wins for the first time this season. In fact, the Paladins have used the same starting lineup for the first time in two wins this season.
One of those additions to the lineup was Ben VanderWal () was able to affect games with his ability to get on the backboards and his activity and movement kept Furman's energy high from the outset of the game, and that was a big reason why the Paladins have been able to get such good starts to open the game with good energy from VanderWal in each of the past couple of games.
The Keydets and Paladins have been two of the best rebounding teams in the SoCon this season, with Furman ranking second in the league in combined team rebounds (39.5 RPG) and the Keydets just behind that at third in the league in combined team rebound average (39.4 RPG). An area that has seen a particular uptick is in offensive rebounding, where Furman currently ranks third in the conference in offensive rebounds (12.6 RPG).
The Paladins' 39.5 RPG per game and 12.1 offensive boards per contest ranks Furman as the best rebounding team in a decade. Entering the midweek clash with the Keydets, the Paladins have grabbed 12 or more offensive rebounds in eight of the last nine games.
Historically, even though Furman has dominated the rivalry over the long haul, it's been a series that has seen some truly great hoops battles over the years. There have been some great clashes over the years, with some of those coming in the Southern Conference Tournament, with the Keydets having posted three different overtime wins in the Southern Conference Tournament against the Paladins, with two of those coming in come-from-behind fashion.
The most recent of those came in the 2020-21 tournament, with VMI handing the Paladins a 91-90 setback in Asheville in the quarterfinals. The Keydets also sent the Paladins packing with overtime setbacks in back-to-back Southern Conference Tournaments in both the 1996 and '97 tournaments, respectively, in the Greensboro Coliseum.
In the 1996 clash at the Greensboro Coliseum, it was Furman's Troy McCoy that hit a short jumper in the lane to tie the game, 77-77, in overtime to force an extra five minutes of basketball. However, in the extra session, the Keydets would end up clipping the Joe Cantafio-led Paladins, 91-89, in the second play-in game of the opening night of the tournament.
A year later, the Paladins and Keydets would engage in another doozy, with the Keydets getting a 33-footer from Maurice Spencer at the buzzer to force overtime, with the game tied 78-78. VMI would once again outscore the Paladins in overtime, 9-7, as VMI handed the Paladins an 87-84 setback in the play-in round of the SoCon Tournament. It would be the final game as head coach for Cantafio, who held the distinction of coaching at both Furman and VMI in his career.
A Look at the Keydets:
Now that head coach Andrew Wilson has had a fully healthy team for the first time since coming to VMI, it has seen the Keydets try and play at a faster pace this season. Even with the faster pace this season, the Keydets still rank ninth overall in the SoCon in scoring offense, averaging 71.0 PPG this season.
VMI is a team that has showed signs of a bright future this season, however, it has been hard for new head coach Andrew Wilson for a couple of reasons in his two seasons at the helm. The Keydets average age of 19.1 years ranks one of the youngest teams in Division I college basketball this season. Only St. Francis (Pa) is the only other team in Division I college basketball to have the same average age for its entire roster.
For one, the Keydets had major health issues last season, which were even more pronounced than the ones the Paladins have encountered this season. However, the major reason for the difficulties for Wilson is the fact that his entire new crop of talent recruited to VMI opted to enter the transfer portal at the end of what was a trying seven-win campaign a year ago.
In fact, already this season VMI's second leading scorer at the time--Korey Cotton--didn't even make it past Christmas before getting out of Lexington, as he opted to transfer to Jacksonville State. Even without Cotton, the Keydets have shown glimpses of what they could be in a year or two if this young team sticks together. For the second-straight season, the Keydets have one of the youngest teams in all of Division I college basketball.
The Keydets are 0-14 against Division I competition this season, which includes a wild 134-96 loss at league co-leader Samford, in a game which the Keydets shot the ball better than 50% from the field and from three-point range in the setback to the Bulldogs. The Keydets turned the ball over 27 times, which led directly to 43 points for the Bulldogs in that game.
The 96 points scored by the Keydets in Saturday's game marked the most points scored this season against Division I foes. Leading the way this season has been Brennan Watkins (15.2 PPG, 2.1 RPG), who has been one of the best shooters in the Southern Conference this season.
Watkins enters the contest for the Keydets have scored six games of 20 or more points this season, which includes a career-high 29-point outing against South Dakota earlier this season. The sharp-shooting guard is shooting an impressive 40% (36-of-90) from long range this season.
He is averaging 2.4 threes made-per-game, which ranks him ninth overall in the SoCon, while his 40% shooting clip from long-range is tied with UNCG's Donovan Atwell for second in the league in shooting percentage from deep.
Watkins is one of four guards in the Catamount offense, and he is joined in that four-guard attack by Taeshaud Jackson II (8.6 PPG, 10.2 RPG), freshman Tyran Cook (12.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG), and senior Devin Butler (6.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG) round out the starting backcourt for the Keydets.
The Paladins will have an especially tough time with Jackson, who was the one player that Wilson recruited that opted to return this season, as he ranks second in the SoCon coming into the contest in rebounding average. Jackson really came to life in conference play in his freshman season of 2022-23, as he logged five double-doubles over the final three weeks of the season. He finished the 2022-23 campaign ranking fourth overall in the SoCon in rebounding average, at 7.2 RPG a year ago.
Jackson is coming off his best performance of the season last time out at Samford, as he finished the contest with 22 points and seven rebounds. In the meeting with the Paladins in Lexington last season, Jackson had one of those aforementioned double-double performances, as he scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in what was a 31-point win for the Paladins.
Cook has been arguably the Keydets' top freshman performer this season. The 6-2 guard out of Milwaukee, WI, has scored season and career highs of 20 points on two occasions this season, having posted 20 points in losses at both South Carolina and Radford this season.
He has 11 double-figure scoring games this season, including having posted seven of those in succession. He's coming off a strong effort in the loss to Samford the last time out, as he connected on 6-of-13 from the field and posted a 3-for-4 effort from beyond the arc.
Cook can also shoot the ball from long range with pretty good acumen, having knocked down 37.9% (22-of-58) from long range this season. He's averaging 15.2 PPG so far in four league games.
Devin Butler is one of the few senior veterans that coach Wilson can look to for leadership for his team. He is mostly known as a three-point threat for the Keydets, and his best performance against a Division I opponent came earlier in Southern Conference play, when the Keydets were in Spartanburg facing off against Wofford.
Against the Terriers, Butler finished the contest by going 7-of-15 from the field, which included a 4-for-5 effort from three-point land. In terms of how he is shooting the ball from long range this season, he's connected on a solid 38.6% (22-of-57) from downtown this season.
Slated to start as the man in the middle for VMI Wednesday night will be 6-9 senior center DJ Nussbaum (6.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG). Nussbaum was solid in that loss at Wofford to open conference play, as he finished just two rebounds shy of his first-career double-double. He has had three double-figure scoring efforts this season for VMI, posting a pair of 14-point scoring efforts in losses at Radford and South Carolina, while having opened the season with a 10-point scoring performance against Richmond.
Off the bench, the Keydets look to freshman forward Stephen Olowoniyi (7.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG) and guard AJ Clark (2.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG). Olowoniyi registered his first-career double-double in the setback at Samford, and finished the contest with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Olowoniyi ranks ninth in the conference in rebounding.
All in all, the Keydets rebound the ball extremely well, while ranking as fifth in the conference in three-point field goal percentage, connecting on 35.0% of its downtown efforts this season.
A Look at the Paladins:
Furman is slated to have all three of its scorers back Wednesday night, and the Paladins look to be as close to having a fully healthy roster as they have had this entire season.
 |
| Furman senior guard Marcus Foster |
The Paladins come in with an offense that has flourished at times through the first 17 outings this season, as the Paladins rank second overall in scoring offense, averaging 81.8 PPG.
Much of the excitement heading into Furman's mid-week clash surrounds the return of Marcus Foster, who according to head coach Bob Richey, will be a part of the starting lineup in his first game back in the lineup this season
As important as an offensive option as Foster is, it's his defense that might be as important to the team dynamic as anything, especially considering he will likely draw some important individual defensive assignments in the immediate future.
Foster will team with JP Pegues (17.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG) and Alex Williams (16.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG) for the first time since the Princeton game, and it will be a chance to see the Paladins' three-headed scoring monster full operational again.
Even without Foster for the past nine games, the Paladins have managed to managed to learn how to navigate what has been a tough schedule without him for the most part, with some ups but seemingly more downs.
As far as how much action will see Wednesday night at VMI remains to be seen. Foster poured in a Myrtle Beach Invitational record 78 points in three games earlier this season. Foster scored 30 points in back-to-back games against Liberty and Coastal Carolina and then followed with 18 in Furman's final game of the tournament against Wyoming.
Foster will team with both Carter Whitt (9.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.1 APG) and JP Pegues in the backcourt. This lineup has beneficial to the Paladins of late, as it gives Furman two ball handlers on the floor at all times. Pegues is coming off his eighth game with 20 or more points this season, and he scored a career-high 29 points in Furman's double-overtime, 117-110 loss at Tulane during the non-conference slate.
Pegues' 5.3 assists-per-game so far this season ranks him third in the SoCon in helpers-per-game, while he also ranks third in the SoCon in assist/turnover ratio (2.5). Pegues also ranks eighth in the SoCon in three-point field goal percentage (33.3%), as well as three-point field goals per game (2.5). Pegues has connected on 35-of-105 from three-point land this season.
Pegues, Alex Williams (33) and PJay Smith Jr. (37) have proven to knock down the vast majority of Furman's long range shots this season, with the trio having combined to knock down 105 of the team's 155 three-point field goals this season.
 |
| Furman sophomore guard Carter Whitt |
Whitt has been an x-factor on the floor for the Paladins as of late, playing more within himself and more under control, allowing the Paladin offense to flow more freely. That has been especially noticeable in each of the past two wins for the Paladins, as he has continued to make progress on both ends of the floor.
In Furman's latest win over East Tennessee State, Whitt registered 14 points, five rebounds, four steals and dished out five assists, earning team defensive player of the game honors after turning in what might have his best defensive performance in his career, as he recorded nine ball deflections.
In what was an 82-68 win over The Citadel last week, Whitt tied a career-high with 10 assists, which he also first established as a career mark in Furman's 31-point win in Lexington last year against VMI.
Whitt has six double-figure scoring performances this season, with a pair of performances with 20 or more points, posting 20 second-half points in a win at Coastal Carolina, while finishing with a career-high 23 points in a loss at UNCG, as the Paladins played without their top three scoring threats to open league play.
Shooting threes hasn't been necessarily a strength for Carter if he's having to create his own opportunity, but he is a solid perimeter shooter when he is stepping into his shot in the flow of the offense. He is shooting just 24.2% (15-of-62) from long-range this season, with that having more to do with poor shot selection than necessarily an indictment of him as a bad shooter. When he is settled and plays within Furman's offense and his feet are set stepping into a shot, he's a solid perimeter threat.
Furman's most reliable three-point threat might be Alex Williams, and in Furman's recent win over The Citadel, the junior from Cincinnati knocked down a career-best seven triples. Williams is coming off back-to-back 20-point performances, posting 20 points in Furman's win over ETSU last time out, while having posted 26 points in Furman's win over The Citadel a week ago. Williams has scored in double figures in nine of the 12 games he has played in this season for the Paladins when healthy.
His 31-point performance in Furman's 100-58 win over Bob Jones earlier this season marks not only a career-high for him, but also a season-high for the Paladins individually this season. Along with Foster's two 30-point efforts this season, Williams 31-point effort against the Bruins gave the Paladins three 30-point scorers this season.
After going just 1-for-11 from three-point land in his first game back from injury against Chattanooga, Williams has connected on 10-of-13 three-pointers in each of the past couple of outings. For the season, Williams is shooting an impressive 39.3% (33-of-84).
Tyrese Hughey (6.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG), who has rebounded the ball especially well of late for the Paladins, rounds out the five projected to start for the Paladins in Lexington Wednesday night. He has also been a key piece on the defensive end of the floor for the Paladins.
No comments:
Post a Comment