Mount St. Mary's 2009 CIT Tournament Preview

Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers -Northeast Conference (19-13, 12-6)

RPI: 118

Big Wins: 11/29 Boston University (78-69), 12/1 at American (57-52), 1/17 Sacred Heart (78-67)

Bad Losses: 12/6 at Central Connecticut State (65-66), 2/5 at Long Island (70-76), 2/19 at Wagner (65-70)

Coach: Milan Brown

Probable Mount St. Mary's Starters:

• Jeremy Goode, Junior, Guard, 15.0 ppg, 4.1 apg, 1.9 spg

• Jean Cajou, Sophomore, Guard, 12.9 ppg, 2.2 apg

• Kelly Beidler, Junior, Forward, 11.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg

• Sam Atupem, Senior, Forward, 7.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg

• Markus Mitchell, Senior, Forward, 4.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg

Key Mount St. Mary's Roleplayers:

• Shawn Atupem, Sophomore, Forward, 9.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg

• Pierre Brown, Sophomore, Forward, 3.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg

• Will Holland, Junior, Guard, 4.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg

Why Mount St. Mary's Can Surprise:

Mt. St. Mary’s is a pretty well balanced team. The main advantage they had during conference play was their size. Sam Atupem and Markus Mitchell are only 6-7, but both are big and strong frontcourt players who are not afraid to battle with anybody in the paint. Atupem has developed into a decent interior scorer and averages 7.2 points per game and is a menace on the defensive end of the floor. Mitchell usually does not put up scoring numbers like Atupem, but he is a strong rebounder and a decent defender.

However, Sam is not the only Atupem on this team. His brother, Shawn, is the best interior scorer on the team. He is not as good of a rebounder or defender as his brother, thus the reason for starting on the bench, but the younger Atupem will still earn about 24 minutes per game and provide a spark, and depth, to the frontcourt.

Why The Mountaineers Can Disappoint:
Most smaller conference teams like the Mountaineers will rely on their outside shooting to pull off an upset. However, it is quite unlikely that this group will score a lot from beyond the arc. The team as a whole only connects on 4.8 three-pointers per game and it will be extremely difficult for Mt. St. Mary’s to mount a comeback without any three-pointers. The inability to consistently knock down the long ball also makes life more difficult for the slashers and the big guys under the basket. The Atupem brothers need some space in the paint to work with if they are going to make a big impact on the offensive end.

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Who To Watch:
Coach Milan Brown does have a few capable shooters. Jeremy Goode, Jean Cajou and Kelly Beidler are the team’s top three scorers and all hit at least one three-pointer per game. The problem is they combine to take nearly 12 per contest. The opposition will usually give them that shot until they prove they can hit it. But Goode does more than hit the occasional three ball. He is an aggressive point guard who will attack the basket at will and averages a team high 15.0 points per game. Cajou is a streaky shooter, but he is the most likely option to get hot from outside and knock down a few three-pointers. However, even if his shot is not falling, the 6-3 sophomore will score in other ways.

Mount St. Mary's By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 68.2 (161st in nation, 4th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 62.8 (57, 1)

Field-Goal Percentage: 45.3 (95, 3)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.8 (94, 1)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.8 (291, 8)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: na

Free-Throw Percentage: 67.0 (234, 7)

Rebound Margin: 1.7 (123, 3)

Assists Per Game: 12.5 (208, 8)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.0 (99, 1)

By Joel Welser
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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