GameDay Preview: March Madness comes to Willett Hall
When: March 20, 7 PM
Where: Historic Willett Hall
TV: ESPN+ ($$)
Line: Longwood +8
Two things are for sure before Longwood and Southern Miss tip-off in the College Basketball Invitational on Wednesday night…
- The Golden Eagles are the best team Longwood has seen this year.
- This is definitely the most pregame hype the Lancer community has had before a game in a long time.
Beyond that, it’s unclear what to expect in Willett Hall when the Lancers host their Conference USA opponent. Coaches, and schools, usually invest in tournaments like the CIT and CBI for one of two reasons. They are either looking to reward a senior-laden team or looking for more reps for a young, forming team. Southern Miss’ participation is to reward five seniors who have helped bring the team out of a period of turmoil during the Donnie Tyndall era, while Longwood’s participation is to continue to grow the program under Griff Aldrich.
With competing reasons and atmospheres, you never really know what you’re going to get in a tournament like this. Some teams take the games very seriously, North Texas won last year while sporting a 15–17 record, while others simply check out. The tournament has served as a springboard for programs. VCU won the year before their Final 4 run and Nevada and Loyola Chicago are other recent winners who have now established a culture of excellence in the month of March.
A look at the Golden Eagles
It took about four hours in buses and flights from New Orleans to Atlanta to Richmond, but the Eagles have landed in Farmville and got their first glimpse of Willett Hall yesterday. Former UTEP and Nebraska coach Doc Sadler is the bench boss for the Golden Eagles and will most likely be sporting a relaxed feel on the sideline tonight.
On the court, Southern Miss’ leader is undoubtedly Tyree Griffin. The senior, 5'10 guard is a transfer from Oklahoma State and likely the best point guard who has visited Willett Hall in quite some time. Griffin capped off his final season in Hattiesburg averaging 14 points, 7.1 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. He’s a playmaker and Shabooty Phillips is going to have his handsful trying to contain him all night.
Griffin is joined by a rather small rotation that mainly features four guards. Cortez Edwards (6'2) is his main running mate and also a senior. He averaged over 13 points per game and can also crash the boards, facilitate, and cause trouble on the other end of the court averaging 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.1 steals. LaDavious Draine, as 6'4 sophomore, is the last of the Golden Eagles double-digit scorers as he put up 11.4 points and 3.7 rebounds this year.
The main frontcourt staple for Southern Miss is Leonard Harper-Baker, a 6'5 junior who can be a monster on the boards and posted four double-doubles this year. All in all, he finished the regular season and Conference USA tournament averaging 9.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. You’ll also likely see plenty of 6'11 Tim Rowe tonight who has had an up and down season, averaging only 5.5 points and 2.7 rebounds. Despite his numbers, he should be a unique challenge for Spencer Franklin, Damarion Geter, and Pernell Adgei.
Keys for Longwood
So what can the home dogs do to pull off the upset tonight? Southern Miss is a very solid team but there are three things the Golden Eagles really aren’t that great at. Those three things are: rebounding on the offensive end, getting to the free throw line, and making free throws once they get to the line. Longwood needs to win the rebounding battle tonight and avoid silly fouls to keep the Eagles off the line.
Southern Miss does allow teams to shoot the three, only 11 teams in the country allow a higher percentage of three-point attempts, so Longwood will get their shots. The question is can the Lancers convert them and can they limit the long rebounds. The Eagles are also one of the best teams in the country in terms of stealing the ball and will likely flash a lot of zone tonight. Juan Munoz, Sean Flood, and Shabooty need to protect the rock and be very cognizant of the passing lanes.
Since the departure of Isaiah Walton, Longwood has really struggled to find someone to penetrate and collapse defenses. The team has now had an extra two weeks to practice without Zay, so it will be interesting to see if the offensive flow is any different tonight. Jaylon Wilson has averaged 17.4 points in the last seven games and has helped fill the Zay void, but Longwood has to find another option when Wilson heads to the bench.
Simply put, Longwood needs Shabooty to continue his double-digit assault and really needs Geter, Franklin, and Adgei to start finishing around the basket more. All have gotten opportunities for second-chance points and easy buckets the past few games, but all have really struggled to finish around the rim.
Lastly, keep an eye on the rotation tonight. Specifically, is this a tournament more of an opportunity for the players returning next year than the seniors departing at the conclusion of this tournament.
It’s postseason basketball in Willett Hall and hopefully the start of a culture of excellence in March for the Lancers.
