Idaho 2009 CIT Tournament Preview

Idaho Vandals - Western Athletic Conference (16-15, 9-7)

RPI: 135

Big Wins: 11/22 North Dakota State (78-69), 1/3 at Nevada (78-73), 2/18 at Boise State (56-54)

Bad Losses: 11/24 at Eastern Washington (56-59), 12/10 at South Carolina State (59-66), 2/8 at Hawaii (49-71)

Coach: Don Verlin

Probable Idaho Starters:

• Mac Hopson, Junior, Guard, 16.6 ppg, 5.9 apg, 5.0 rpg

• Kashif Watson, Junior, Guard, 10.3 ppg, 2.4 apg

• Terrence Simmons, Senior, Guard, 4.7 ppg, 1.8 apg

• Brandon Wiley, Junior, Forward, 8.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg

• Marvin Jefferson, Junior, Center, 9.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.8 bpg

Key Idaho Roleplayers:

• Luciano de Souza, Junior, Forward, 8.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg

• Trevor Morris, Senior, Guard, 6.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg

Why Idaho Can Surprise:

The expectations heading into the season were very low for Idaho and first year Coach Don Verlin. However, the Vandal’s have a pretty experienced team full of upperclassmen and that, along with their steady play, have turned Idaho into a postseason team. This is not a flashy group by any means. They will not score a ton of points or block a ton of shots, but they efficient on the offense end and rarely turn the ball over.

Guards Mac Hopson and Kashif Watson make the offense tick. Hopson is the best scorer on the team and averages 16.6 points per game. The transfer from Washington State dishes out 5.9 assists per game and garners 1.8 steals. He is also a consistent outside shooter and knocks down 1.5 three-pointers per game and, when the Vandals need somebody to take a big shot, it will be Hopson. Watson is another capable ball handler and will do most of his scoring getting to the basket.

Why The Vandals Can Disappoint:
The biggest problem for Idaho is in the rebounding department. The Vandals get outrebounded by an average of 3.1 per game. Brandon Wiley is the team’s best rebounder and center Marvin Jefferson is a decent scorer around the basket who can help out on the glass, but there is not much depth behind them that can hit the glass very effectively. The Vandals need everybody to work a little harder on the glass or they will lose out on the extra possessions they create in the turnover department.

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Who To Watch:
Luciano de Souza is an intriguing scorer. The 6-7 junior hits nearly two three-pointers per game and is a pretty consistent shooter. His size is an advantage since he can easily shoot over most defenders, but that size is nearly wasted when Idaho needs a rebound. He only grabs 2.8 per contest and when he is manning the four spot, the Vandals have another shooter who can stretch out the defense, but they will feel it on the glass. Guards Trevor Morris and Terrence Simmons are not the best scorers around, but Morris will provide a spark off the bench with his outside shooting and Simmons is a quality ball handler.

Idaho By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 66.2 (200th in nation, 7th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 65.4 (108, 4)

Field-Goal Percentage: 46.1 (67, 4)

Field-Goal Defense: 43.3 (171, 6)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.8 (210, 5)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.0 (97, 4)

Free-Throw Percentage: 64.6 (281, 9)

Rebound Margin: -3.1 (281, 8)

Assists Per Game: 13.3 (140, 5)

Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (50, 3)

By Joel Welser
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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