IUPUI 2010 CBI Tournament Preview

IUPUI Jaguars - Summit League (24-10, 15-3)

Big Wins: 12/19 Duquesne (73-64), 1/28 Oakland (78-54), 3/8 vs Oral Roberts (69-65)

Bad Losses: 11/21 vs Auburn (65-80), 1/31 IPFW (60-62), 2/13 at Oral Roberts (60-61)

Coach: Ron Hunter

Probable IUPUI Starters:

• John Ashworth, Junior, Guard, 4.5 ppg, 4.7 apg

• Leroy Nobles, Junior, Guard, 13.4 ppg, 1.6 apg, 4.2 rpg

• Alex Young, Sophomore, Forward, 18.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.5 spg

• Billy Pettiford, Senior, Forward, 5.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.8 apg

• Robert Glenn, Senior, Forward, 19.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg

Key IUPUI Roleplayers:

• Jon Avery, Senior, Forward, 8.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg

Why The Jaguars Can Surprise:
IUPUI is not a high scoring team, but few teams in the nation shoot as well as the Jaguars. The interior presence of Robert Glenn and Jon Avery is a big reason for the lofty shooting numbers. Glenn, a 6-7 senior, is a superb interior scorer and leads the team with 19.5 points per game. Glenn is also a tenacious rebounder and a solid shot blocker. Avery is nowhere near the scorer that Glenn is, but he is very efficient under the basket and hits nearly 63 percent of his shots.

The outside shooters are not bad either. Alex Young and Leroy Nobles both shoot over 39 percent from beyond the arc. Young is the more prolific scorer and averages 18.4 points per game. The 6-6 sophomore can shoot over some defenders and when a bigger player is trying to stop him, he can beat them off the dribble and get to the basket. On most teams Nobles would be a small forward, but on this team the 6-5 junior is a shooting guard. That makes him a match-up nightmare for many opponents since he can beat you with his great outside shooting or by using his size to attack to the basket.

Why The Jaguars Can Disappoint:
The biggest problem on this team is depth. Five players average at least 30 minutes per game and Jon Avery basically fills in the rest. Players like Sean Esposito and Christian Siakam will play a few minutes here and there, but they are certainly not part of the regular rotation. The other issue for IUPUI is holding onto the ball. Point guard John Ashworth has done a great job, but this is a team that is full of forwards and Ashworth can only do so much. A majority of the forwards are prone to commit turnovers despite their experience and the Jaguars need to keep that under control if they hope to pull off an upset or two in the tournament.

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Who To Watch for IUPUI:
One forward who can handle the ball is Billy Pettiford. Pettiford is the unsung hero of this team. While Glenn, Young and Nobles are putting up big scoring numbers and Ashworth is running the show, Pettiford is quietly holding this team together. He is not much of a scorer, but he does everything else extremely well. He is a fine passer for a 6-7 forward, but he will also hit the glass hard and keep the Jaguars in the positive as far as rebounding margin is concerned. Pettiford is even a great defender who can matchup with just about anybody. He is a decent shot blocker and the team’s main threat to grab a few steals and this is a team that tallies a lot of steals.

IUPUI By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 75.2 (51st in nation, 2nd in conference)

Scoring Defense: 67.0 (149, 3)

Field-Goal Percentage: 51.1 (2, 1)

Field-Goal Defense: 43.0 (165, 5)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.7 (215, 6)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 39.3 (13, 1)

Free-Throw Percentage: 71.2 (99, 5)

Rebound Margin: 2.3 (107, 3)

Assists Per Game: 15.5 (30, 1)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.2 (199, 8)