So today I took an especially long drink from the endless well of optimism we keep fresh on tap here at AU Basketball Central. Tonight in Bender we face the Fairfield University Stags of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), to whom we have ungracefully fallen the last two years. What chance then, you ask, do we have today? Yikes, I'm afraid to tell you. To be honest, folks, I'll likely be cheering us on to another moral victory tonight. Here's the quick and dirty of it.
FU (get the laughs out now):
- To repeat, Fairfield somehow pulled the rug out from under us for the past two seasons (where I might remind you we then went to put on a mighty good show in the NCAAs). If they can do that then, well, I bet they can do it now too. We're 2-1 all-time against them in Bender (4-1 in DC since we go way back with the Stags), and 8-6 overall. At least after tonight we'll still be ahead all-time.
- They've got the youth. Freshman Guard Derek Needham has already been named the MAAC Rookie of the Week, and he's averaging 16 points per game. He's backed up by Anthony Johnson, a 6-8 senior who's averaging a double-double with 11.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game.
- They summarily handed Fordham and Central Connecticut State solid losses so far this season. Sure, they got handily wiped by UMD (remember '07!), but they're ranked #25 right now. We're not exactly top-25 at the moment, so let's not expect to do the same.
- Low Point: Fairfield has shot less than 30% from the floor for the past two games. Of course, they still one one of those and the other was against #25 Maryland. Of course, we are currently averaging the highest scoring defense in the Patriot League, so who knows...
- Stephen Lumpkins has upped his career-high in points with every game this season. He scored 23 against Florida Atlantic, let's hope he can do it again. He's also averaging 9 rebounds per game, so if he can pull off a double-double tonight he's going to be averaging some really freaking solid numbers. Too bad Fairfield's already got a guy (his height, too) already doing that.
- Riley Grafft is also averaging somewhere between 9 and 12 points per game. I say this because the latest AU press release says 9 (and so does my math), but Fairfield's says 12. If that's what they want, let's give it to them, eh Riley?
- Danny Munoz has started every game so far, and is the only freshman to be doing so. To my knowledge the only two freshmen under the Jones Regime to ever start every game their freshman year were Andre Ingram and Derrick Mercer. You're in good company, Danny!
- We are scoring well off the bench (Bersch, Jolivette, and McCormack are all averaging 7-8 points apiece), and (let's just forget FAU ever happened) from the line as well. These were our two weakest points last year, so it's good to see some bright spots. We're also repeating last year's trick with our high scoring defense (just not the high scoring to go with it).
- Low Point: Uh, I'm going to have to go with passing here. If we can get into enough of a rhythm where the ball can successfully go between our players, and not straight into a turnover, well, I'd just have to pick something else as a low point. It was looking better every game until FAU. Let's just hope that was an aberration and it continues to improve.
- High Point: Had to sneak this one in here. One thing we are not afraid to do is get physical, and at least once a game someone (say, Blake Jolivette) is diving face-first into the hardwood after the ball, and most of the time coming up with it over someone almost twice their size. Always impressive. No one can say we're not scrappy.
- Starting Lineup - projected to be Lumpkins, Grafft, Luptak, Munoz, and...Hendra. Last time we had heard that Wilson was going be starting for at least one game over Hendra, but that didn't quite pan out. Our apologies for the mistake, but we think we've got it right this time. We never mind a surprise out of Coach Jones, though!
- Let's hope Coach is feeling a bit better this game. He had to step out a few times against FAU, but luckily Assistant Coach Donohue stepped in and looked like he ran the place. He's going to make a really great head coach someday somewhere (fingers crossed that place is AU for some time to come yet).
Go Eagles,
Josh
EDITOR'S NOTE: The gun in the image above is an airsoft gun, not a real gun, since we here at AU Basketball Central don't like that real-life violence stuff. Plus, guns are illegal in DC. Oh, and Eagles don't have opposable thumbs.
Josh -- What role has that lack of opposable thumbs played in the 0-5 start?
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