The Billikens will begin the Cancun Challenge at Chaifetz this weekend against Oral Roberts and Bowling Green before traveling to the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in Cancun, Mexico to take on Wisconsin and the winner of West Virginia vs. Old Dominion over Thanksgiving break.
Oral Roberts (2-1, 0-0 Southland)
The Golden Eagles in a nutshell: Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton loves to challenge his team. The Golden Eagles have traveled or will travel to Tulsa (W 74-68), Kansas State (L 71-63), Saint Louis, No. 12 Wisconsin (Nov. 23), No. 14 Wichita State (Dec. 7) and No. 20 Baylor (Dec. 30). While that’s a pretty daunting slate of games, ORU appears to have the pieces in place to win two or three of those games. Four players average at least 30 minutes per game and chip in at least four points per game (ppg), including Obi Emegano and Preseason First Team All-Southland pick Shawn Glover, who are at 23.3 and 18.3 ppg, respectively.
Glover has a knack for picking up points in the paint, but also brings the ability to knock down three-pointers when given open looks. The 6-foot-7, 215 lbs. forward works in tandem with guard Korey Billbury on the glass — the two combine for about 12 rebounds per game.
However, there’s not much depth beyond the top four players — at least it doesn’t appear so. Through three games, ORU’s bench has posted a grand total of 19 points. Sophomore forward Brandon Conley, the first man off the bench, is averaging about three points over the 49 minutes he’s played this season. Of course, that lack of depth has not really been an issue thus far for the Golden Eagles, who’ve had four players finish in double-figures in two of their first three games — the lone exception came against Kansas State when Emegano (24) and Glover (21) single-handedly kept ORU in the game down the stretch.
Player to Watch: Sophomore guard Obi Emegano
Emegano’s stat line through three games: 23.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, .621 FG%, .667 3PT%. He’s also hit 30 of 38 free throw attempts (79%, average: 10-for-12.7) — at Tulsa: 13-14, at Kansas State 12-15. The 6-foot-3, 215 lbs. guard is a physical player who, as his gaudy free throw numbers would suggest, loves to attack the basket and draw contact inside. It should be a lot of fun to watch the battle between Emegano and SLU’s Jordair Jett unfold Thursday night.
Bowling Green (1-1, 0-0 MAC)
The Falcons in a nutshell: the injury bug has bitten BGSU…hard. Starting guard/forward Chauncey Orr (7.5 ppg, 52 apg, 3.7 rpg) is listed as day-to-day with a knee injury, senior forward Craig Sealey may redshirt this season as he recovers from offseason knee surgery and highly-touted recruit Zack Denny has yet to play after suffering a preseason injury. All of those injuries leave the Falcons with just eight scholarship players, which does not bode well for a team that was already picked to finish last in their division in the preseason MAC coaches/media poll.
BGSU relied heavily on Richaun Holmes (10 points), Spencer Parker (11 points) and Jehvon Clarke (17 points) to keep them within striking distance against South Florida, but their 36 percent shooting performance (low-lighted by Clarke’s 6-for-24 and Anthony Henderson’s 4-for-15) ultimately caught up with them in a 75-61 loss. In that game, the Falcons’ five starters covered all but seven of the 20 minutes in the second half.
Heralded as one of the top defenses in the MAC last season, BGSU struggled in its first “real” game of the season against USF, allowing the Bulls to shoot 59 percent from the field. (First “real” game because Bowling Green opened the year with a 102-49 beatdown of division-three Earlham)
Player to Watch: Junior forward Richaun Holmes
Richaun Holmes was a force under the basket on both ends of the floor last season. He set a school record for blocks with 73, while posting 6.5 ppg (fourth on the team) and pulling in five rpg (second). Holmes is off to a strong start this season with 15 boards, five blocks and an average of 11 ppg.
Wisconsin (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Like last year, SLU will be involved in the marquee matchup of its early season tournament. Unlike last year’s CBE Finals vs. Kansas, this matchup is much more balanced and will be played at an actually neutral site (the Sprint Center is essentially Phog Allen-East).
The Badgers in a nutshell: As is usually the case with a Bo Ryan-coached team, the Badgers are defined by their defense. They were amongst the tops in the nation in defensive efficiency last season, holding opponents under the 50-point mark 10 times (SLU accomplished that feat eight times in 2012-13).
Despite limiting opponents to 29.3 percent from behind the arc, there have been some signs of regression with the Wisconsin defense. Through four games, opponents are averaging nearly 70 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field (1.03 points per possession) — that’s pretty average for them.
For the slight backslide on defense, the Badgers have shown signs of improvement on offense. Their balanced offensive attack led by Sam Dekker and Ben Brust (11 ppg) is averaging 79 points per game on 48.7 percent shooting. The duo of Brust and Dekker also offers Wisconsin a perimeter threat, which makes Ryan’s swing offense that much more effective. Guard Traevon Jackson offers the Badgers a true playmaker at guard, with the ability to generate points (11.5), pull in rebounds (4.8) and rack up the assists (4.8). Junior Frank Kamisky currently leads the offense with 17.3 points per game.
It’s a five-man effort when it comes to pulling in rebounds, but Kaminsky is the defensive stopper under the basket. The seven-foot tall, 234 lbs. forward has already blocked seven shots this season with no more than three fouls in any game. Kaminsky is dangerous on both ends of the floor — he scored a school-record 43 points in the win over North Dakota on Nov. 19.
In terms of their unblemished record, three of their four wins have not been gimmes. After coasting past St. John’s, the Badgers had to fight off a late rally by No. 11 Florida (Jackson sealed a 59-53 victory with a floater with 8 seconds left), before rallying themselves on the road against Green Bay (down seven points in the second half, Keifer Sykes scored a career-high 32 points). Most recently, the Badgers topped North Dakota 103-85.
On paper, these are two evenly matched, defensive-oriented teams. SLU may have difficulty with Wisconsin’s size inside (five players taller than 6-foot-8), but the Badgers will have to contend with the Billikens’ stingy perimeter defense (opp. shooting 22.2 percent). It’s also worth noting that SLU’s coaching staff has some familiarity with Bo Ryan and his Badgers, starting with SLU coach Jim Crews, who was an assistant at Indiana while Ryan was still an assistant at Wisconsin during the late-70s and early 80s. More recently, Tanner Bronson went from team manager to walk-on to full-fledged scholarship player for Ryan from 2003-08, while Calbert Cheaney encountered the Badgers twice last season as Indiana’s director of basketball operations.
Player to Watch: Sophomore forward Sam Dekker
Dekker has picked up right where he left off last season, averaging 15 points with over five boards per game. Similar to SLU’s Rob Loe, he’s a big with the ability to step out and knock down three-pointers (44 percent). He’s good at staying out of foul trouble (1.7 per game), but has struggled with turnovers this season (2.7). Dekker has been bolstered by the return of Josh Gasser, who missed last season with a knee injury.
West Virginia (2-1, 0-0 Big 12)
Player to Watch: Junior guard Juwan Staten
Staten, who transferred from Dayton following the 2010-11 season, was best known for his speed when he arrived at West Virginia. Nicknamed “the Blur” for his ability to blow past defenders, Staten has developed into a tremendous all-around player, contributing on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. He led the Mountaineers with 101 assists and 38 steals last season and has continued that success into 2013-14, averaging 7.3 assists and two steals per game. He has shown improvement in his ability to produce points, posting 20 or more points in two of WVU’s first three games (.515 field goal percentage). Staten has also become more of a physical presence n the glass, pulling in 5.7 boards per game.
Old Dominion (2-1, 0-0 Conference USA)
Player to Watch: Sophomore guard Aaron Bacon
Bacon has been lethal from behind the arc this season, knocking down well over 50 percent of his three-point attempts. However, he has been a bit shaky from the field. He hit just nine of 24 shots in an overtime loss to Missouri State to open the season (still finished with 28 points). He can create for his teammates (17 assists), as well as himself (.442 field goal percentage).
