Albion tournament thoughts

A split was what most of us probably had in mind before the trip to Michigan this weekend, so no real surprises with the record after two games. A few observations and thoughts though...

* The Titans' perimeter defense has a lot of work to do. The two opponents shot a combined 22-51 (.431) from 3-point range. Over the course of a season, a good defensive team will hold opponents to about .350 from beyond the arc. The opponents' overall FG% of .452 was also way too high but it seems like most of the breakdown was in guarding the perimeter.

* It was very clear in both games that this new cast wasn't quite sure where to go with the basketball when times got tough. IWU doesn't have a Zach Freeman or Keelan Amelianovich to run everything through in a "must score" situation, so it will just be a matter of these guys getting comfortable with each other and establishing roles throughout the non-conference season. It will help once it becomes clear who the #1 and #2 scoring options are.

* The most disappointing thing about IWU's play in the tournament was the FT shooting - 27-58 (.466). I know they are young and all, but that's no excuse for shooting 47% from the line. Darius Gant was the primary culprit, going 4-16 in two games. Hopefully they can start to turn it around from the charity stripe Tuesday.

* It was quite a pleasant surprise to see Travis Rosenkranz at the scorer's table early in the Tri-State game. It turns out he was cleared by the doctors just one hour before the game and Ron Rose threw him out there. While his stat line didn't stand out, Travis played a big role in that win.

* Jordan Morris (16.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) played very hard, as he always does. If he stays within himself and doesn't try to do too much (driving into traffic, trying to force something that's not there) he will have a very good junior season. Jordan had 7 turnovers in two games and the Titans need him to take better care of the basketball.

* Freshmen Doug Sexauer, Matt Schick, and Sean Johnson really looked good Friday vs Tri-State. On Saturday, they were all out of sync. I look for all 3 to have a solid season for the Titans.

Overall grade for opening weekend: C


The Albion game was ugly, but this IWU team has a ton of talent. It's going to be fun watching them develop this season.

I'll have some thoughts on Olivet Nazarene tomorrow.