Coppin State 2008 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Coppin State Eagles - Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (16-20, 7-9)

Seed: #16 - East Region

RPI: 219

Big Wins: 2/23 Hampton (72-55), 3/12 vs Hampton (75-74), 3/15 vs Morgan State (62-60)

Bad Losses: 1/19 Bethune-Cookman (55-56), 1/28 at Howard (69-73), 1/30 NC Central (65-67)

Last NCAA Appearance: 1997, Second Round loss to Texas

Coach: Ron “Fang” Mitchell (1-3 in 3 NCAA appearances)

Probable Coppin Starters:

• Tywain McKee, Senior, Guard, 16.6 ppg, 3.1 apg, 4.3 rpg
• Mike Miller, Senior, Guard, 4.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg
• Antwan Harrison, Senior, Forward, 9.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg
• Julian Conyers, Senior, Forward, 6.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg
• Robert Pressey, Senior, Forward, 6.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg

Key Coppin State Roleplayers:

• Vince Goldsberry, Freshman, Guard, 3.9 ppg, 1.6 apg
• A’Daeron Duncan, Junior, Forward, 6.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg
• Eddie Hayden, Freshman, Forward, 3.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg
• Brian Chesnut, Junior, Forward, 2.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg

Why The Eagles Can Surprise:
Coppin State does not have a lot of offensive firepower, but they certainly have one player who can fill up the stat sheet in a hurry. Tywain McKee, a 6-2 guard, averages 16.1 points per game and will take all the big shots for the Eagles. McKee is not just a scorer and the best long range shooter on the team, he is also the point guard. McKee dishes out 3.1 assists per game and ranks second on the team with 4.3 rebounds per contest. McKee is also a solid defender and he will nab a steal or two per game.

Yet, it is not just McKee who can rack up the steals. Vince Goldsberry, A’Daeron Duncan and Mike Miller can all grab a steal or two and that leads to some easy buckets the other way. The team nabs 7.4 per game and if they can increase that number a little bit in the NCAA Tournament that could spark the offense.

Why The Eagles Can Disappoint:
Those easy lay-ups off steals might be the only easy buckets Coppin State will have all tournament long. McKee can do a decent job creating opportunities for his teammates, but somebody needs to create shots for him too. The team shoots just 39.9 percent from the floor. Under 45 percent is not good, under 40 percent is just ugly. And it is not like the Eagles are jacking up a ton of three-pointers. They only make 3.8 shots per game from long range and that ranks second to last in the nation. Despite the few three-point makes, they still tend to have a few too many attempts.

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Who To Watch:
Yet, getting some production out of the forwards will help open up the perimeter for some open shots. At 6-3, Antwan Harrison will obviously not do much in the paint, but he is a decent slasher who can have big scoring outputs. At 6-6 and 6-7, Julian Conyers and Robert Pressey are not exceptionally tall players either, but they will do the work under the basket. Conyers will spend some time on the perimeter on the offensive side of the floor, but he is a decent defender who can hang around with opposing power forwards who are battling in the paint. Pressey averages 6.2 points per game and if he starts scoring consistently, it will collapse the defense into the paint. Pressey is also the best rebounder on the team and can block a shot or two on occasion.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 59.2 (316 th in nation, 7 th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 66.3 (110, 6)

Field-Goal Percentage: 39.9 (314, 10)

Field-Goal Defense: 44.1 (199, 7)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 3.8 (327, 11)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: na

Free-Throw Percentage: 72.3 (69, 2)

Rebound Margin: -4.8 (303, 9)

Assists Per Game: 9.5 (322, 10)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.9 (207, 3)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Opening Round loss to Mount St. Mary’s

By Joel Welser
CollegeSports-fans.com Guest Writer

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