Well, in my last post I said it was time for The Citadel to go on a winning streak, and lo and behold the Bulldogs have delivered. It’s a modest three-game stretch, to be sure, but it’s still two games longer than any previous winning streak the team has had this season.
Chuck Driesell is now employing a seven-man rotation. He has elected to play mostly zone on defense, with a 1-2-2 as his primary look, although I guess you could call it a 3-2, or even a 2-3, depending on what the “point” defender does. (In his postgame wrapup with Darren Goldwater after the Western Carolina game, Driesell was amusingly vague about the defense, as if he were concerned a future opponent was listening to the broadcast.)
Bo Holston or Austin Dahn seem to play that point spot the most. They are both athletic and active, fairly long-armed defenders, so that makes sense. My concern with the zone is that it tends to give opponents opportunities to create open three-point shots, but so far The Citadel has watched Samford, Appalachian State, and Western Carolina go a combined 15-70 (21.4%) behind the arc. Donald Sims (of the Mountaineers) and Andy King (of the Birmingham Bulldogs) each went 4-8 from three-land; the rest of their teammates (and Catamounts) shot less than 13% from outside.
One of the things the zone has done, though, is slow the opponents down (well, Appy and WCU — Samford doesn’t need any help to slow things down). I thought the Mountaineers and Catamounts were both lethargic on offense, especially in the first half. To have success against the 1-2-2, you have to be patient, but you can’t be static. The players on those teams didn’t move particularly well without the ball, and the passing was less than crisp.
Sims (who was outstanding) was the only reason Appalachian State was not completely embarrassed in the first half. Western Carolina wasn’t so lucky.
On the other side of the ball, I thought the Bulldogs played to their strengths. There weren’t nearly as many contested shots taken early in the possession; the team usually worked the ball around until A) Mike Groselle got position inside; B) Cameron Wells saw an opening and took it; or C) Zach Urbanus got an open look for a three.
The best example of this was Austin Dahn’s game against Western Carolina. Dahn got to 1000 points in his career at The Citadel in that game, which in my opinion was his best game of the season. He didn’t take a single bad shot, and as a result scored 13 points on only 6 field goal attempts, an outstanding efficiency rate.
Dahn can be an effective offensive player because while he’s capable of making three-pointers, he has what I call a “semi-slash” type of game overall. When he doesn’t take shots out of the offense’s natural rhythm, it can be tough for the opposition to account for him, what with it already having to deal with Wells and his driving ability, Groselle’s inside play, and Urbanus’ three-point shooting acumen.
Speaking of efficient play, Groselle’s breakout season has continued. He was relatively quiet against Samford, but against Appy and WCU he was a combined 16-21 from the field. Oddly, he only attempted three free throws in those two games, but I suspect he’ll start getting to the line more often if he keeps up his current Southern Conference shooting pace (72% FGA). Also, Groselle’s teammates are getting better and better at finding him when he gets the little angles and creases that give him the upper hand in the paint.
Cameron Wells in the three victories: 68 points on 41 FGA (15-16 FT), 13 assists, 5 steals. Alas, he also has 13 turnovers in those three games. Other than that, he’s been the All-SoCon player we all know and appreciate.
The Bulldogs as a team were on their way to their best offensive performance of the season against WCU, but an alarming flood of second-half turnovers took care of that. The Citadel scored 43 points on 33 first-half possessions, but only scored 25 in the second half on 36 possessions, which is what happens when you have 14 second-half turnovers. Luckily the Catamounts’ first-half miseries included scoring just 15 points on 33 possessions.
Against Appalachian State, on the other hand, The Citadel scored 81 points on just 64 possessions, the season’s top offensive effort. This included shooting 62% from the field (Holston was 7-7). Zach Urbanus was 5-8 from three-land in his best shooting performance to date.
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The seven-man rotation does have a downside. Because Cosmo Morabbi is injured and DeVontae Wright is apparently not quite ready yet for significant action, Wells and Urbanus in particular are having to log heavy minutes in the backcourt, which I think partly explains the turnover problems. (It’s also a reason to play zone defense, as it helps keep them out of foul trouble.)
I hope Morabbi is able to come back and help out before the season ends, as an experienced guard is definitely a commodity the Bulldogs could use.
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The Citadel plays Davidson at Belk Arena on Wednesday night before a break in the schedule. Since 1961, the Bulldogs have only won at Davidson twice. Two years ago, The Citadel turned the trick against a Wildcat team missing Stephen Curry, although even with Curry, Davidson arguably may have struggled that night (in a 64-46 Bulldog victory). The game was the tenth of eleven straight wins for The Citadel that season.
Currently, Davidson is reeling, having lost six of its last seven games, including three in a row, but it’s still the same team that beat The Citadel 68-53 in December at McAlister Field House. In that game, the Wildcats held the Bulldogs to 33% from the field, as the Cadets only made 13 of their 44 2-point attempts (The Citadel actually shot 43% from beyond the arc).
The Bulldogs also committed 18 turnovers and had no real answer for Davidson big man Jake Cohen, who scored 21 points (on only 8 FGA) while collecting 12 rebounds and blocking 3 shots. Cohen can also hit the three-pointer (he made two in that game). In other words, he’s a very difficult matchup.
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I think The Citadel is playing much better basketball than it was when it played Davidson. I also suspect Cameron Wells will score more than two points on Wednesday night (he fouled out after 19 minutes in the first game). That being said, it’s a road game, the Wildcats are always well-coached, and Davidson usually seems to play at least one game each year against The Citadel where it shoots lights-out from outside the three-point line.
It should be interesting. That’s a good thing. It’s about time this season got interesting…
Filed under: Basketball, The Citadel | Tagged: Andy King, Appalachian State, Austin Dahn, Belk Arena, Bo Holston, Cameron Wells, Chuck Driesell, Cosmo Morabbi, Darren Goldwater, Davidson, DeVontae Wright, Donald Sims, Jake Cohen, McAlister Field House, Mike Groselle, Samford, Southern Conference, Stephen Curry, The Citadel, Western Carolina, Zach Urbanus |
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