William & Mary 2010 NIT Tournament Preview

William & Mary Tribe - Colonial Athletic Association (22-10, 12-6)

Seed: #5 - Mississippi State Bracket

Big Wins: 11/19 Richmond (78-71), 11/28 at Wake Forest (78-68), 12/30 at Maryland (83-77)

Bad Losses: 1/4 UNC Wilmington (61-62), 1/27 at James Madison (63-65), 2/24 Towson (77-83)

Coach: Tony Shaver

Probable William & Mary Starters:

• Sean McCurdy, Senior, Guard, 4.7 ppg, 3.3 apg

• Quinn McDowell, Sophomore, Guard, 13.9 ppg, 1.3 apg, 4.3 rpg

• David Schneider, Senior, Guard, 15.3 ppg, 2.8 apg, 6.0 rpg

• Danny Sumner, Senior, Forward, 10.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg

• Marcus Kitts, Junior, Forward, 6.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.1 bpg

Key William & Mary Roleplayers:

• Kendrix Brown, Sophomore, Guard, 2.5 ppg, 1.2 apg

• Kyle Gaillard, Freshman, Forward, 2.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg

• Steven Hess, Senior, Forward, 4.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg

• JohnMark Ludwick, Sophomore, Forward, 3.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg

• Matt Rum, Freshman, Guard, 2.8 ppg

Why The Tribe Can Surprise:
Few expected William & Mary to compete for a Colonial Athletic Association title, but they were right in the mix. In fact, the Tribe played their best ball out of conference. What makes this team so much better than last year is the turnovers, or lack there of. Sean McCurdy has done an excellent job running the show and has dished out 3.3 assists and just 1.6 turnovers. While the Tribe will not force many turnovers at all, they can gain possessions by taking care of the ball themselves.

McCurdy is not much of a scorer, but he is a capable outside shooter. The major scorers on the team are David Schneider and Quinn McDowell. Schneider puts up a lot of shots and will miss quite a few, but the 6-3 senior has earned the right to take the clutch shots when the team needs it. Schneider is more than a shooter as he is the most likely player to attack the basket and he is even a great rebounder, passer and defender. McDowell started as a freshman, but has grown a lot during his sophomore campaign. The 6-6 wing connects on an impressive 42.6 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc and will use his size to finish above the rim and help out on the glass.

Why The Tribe Can Disappoint:
With a couple wings who are good rebounders, one would expect the team to be pretty good on the glass. However, that is not the case. Danny Sumner, the starting power forward, spends a majority of his time hanging out on the perimeter. In some cases he and McDowell are pretty interchangeable, but McDowell is just a better shooter and scorer. While having a big guy who can hit the outside shot is nice for the offense, it puts a lot of pressure on Marcus Kitts to be a steady interior scorer and a big time rebounding threat. Kitts, a 6-9, 230 pound junior, has done an admirable job, averaging 6.8 points and 6.4 rebounds.

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Who To Watch for William & Mary:
The key for William & Mary will be the play off the bench. Forwards Steven Hess, JohnMark Ludwick and Kyle Gaillard need to help on the glass as much as possible. Hess has been the most productive option this season and, at 6-10 and 245 pounds, he has the size to be a difference maker in the paint. Ludwick is more or a less a shooter off the bench and is a splendid replacement for Sumner when he needs a break, but he will not help out much on the glass. Gaillard is in the same boat. Even a player like Kendrix Brown, a 6-3 guard, has the ability to grab quite a few rebounds and the Tribe can use all the help they can get on the glass.

William & Mary By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 67.4 (212th in nation, 5th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 64.2 (70, 5)

Field-Goal Percentage: 42.5 (213, 6)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.2 (74, 5)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.7 (9, 1)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.2 (117, 2)

Free-Throw Percentage: 70.0 (136, 4)

Rebound Margin: -0.4 (208, 6)

Assists Per Game: 13.8 (115, 4)

Turnovers Per Game: 10.6 (10, 1)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Elite Eight loss to North Carolina State