Austin Peay 2009 CIT Tournament Preview

Austin Peay Governors - Ohio Valley (19-13, 13-5)

RPI: 145

Big Wins: 11/17 at Belmont (86-84), 1/8 at Tennessee Martin (85-76), 1/10 at Murray State (58-57)

Bad Losses: 11/22 Ohio (68-79), 1/27 at Eastern Kentucky (70-73), 2/14 Tennessee State (80-88)

Coach: Dave Loos

Probable Austin Peay Starters:

• Caleb Brown, Sophomore, Guard, 5.2 ppg, 2.6 apg

• Wes Channels, Junior, Guard, 16.7 ppg, 3.1 apg

• Kyle Duncan, Senior, Forward, 8.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg

• Drake Reed, Senior, Forward, 21.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg

• Marcel Williams, Freshman, Forward, 3.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg

Key Austin Peay Roleplayers:

• Tyrone Caldwell, Freshman, Guard, 4.0 ppg, 2.4 apg

• Anthony Campbell, Freshman, Forward, 7.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg

• Ernest Fields, Junior, Forward, 4.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg

• John Fraley, Freshman, Center, 2.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg

Why Austin Peay Can Surprise:

It seems like every year Austin Peay puts together a solid season on the shoulders of a handful of undersized forwards. The leader of pack this year is Drake Reed. The 6-5 senior will fill up the stat sheet in every possible way. He leads the team with an impressive 21.8 points per game, but also adds 7.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and will even block a shot here and there. Reed is capable of hitting the outside shot, but nearly all of his scoring will come around the basket.

That leaves space for more forwards who like to hit the three-pointer. Kyle Duncan and Anthony Campbell, who are 6-5 and 6-6, respectively, are both decent outside shooters and the third and fourth best scorers on the team. However, both are more than just forwards who can shoot and will get to the basket as well.

Why The Governors Can Disappoint:
This team will score in a hurry, but they allow the other team to do the same. The Governors allow the opposition to shoot over 45 percent from the floor and that has to improve if they want to make a decent post season run. The main concern is the lack of a shotblocker. Marcel Williams and Ernest Fields are the best two on the team and they each average less than one per game. They are also just 6-6 and that is not a frontline that scares anybody off from attacking the basket.

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Who To Watch:
Caleb Brown and Tyrone Caldwell are good ballhandlers who will occasionally help in the scoring column, but the star of the backcourt is Wes Channels. The 6-3 shooting guard averages 16.7 points per game and is a dynamic scorer in every way possible. While Reed is attacking the basket and backing down defenders, Channels is knocking down three-pointers. He connects on 2.4 per contest, but only half of his shots come from long range. Channels has enough size, speed and strength to get to the basket or create a shot for himself off the dribble. He even leads this team in assists and is second in rebounding.

Austin Peay By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 75.3 (56th in nation, 2nd in conference)

Scoring Defense: 74.0 (301, 8)

Field-Goal Percentage: 46.9 (43, 1)

Field-Goal Defense: 45.4 (272, 6)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.9 (103, 4)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.7 (68, 4)

Free-Throw Percentage: 69.2 (162, 7)

Rebound Margin: -0.6 (208, 6)

Assists Per Game: 14.6 (75, 4)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.4 (137, 5)

By Joel Welser
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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