Jamal Olasewere is a lot to handle in the low post. |
If you like mid-major basketball there’s no reason to not be
a little excited for the Long Island-James Madison NCAA first round match-up.
Ignoring the fact that the winner of this game gets a date with Cody Zeller,
Victor Oladipo, and the rest of Indiana ,
No Huddle will try and help all JMU and LIU fans understand how this game
figures to shape up.
Vegas has this game as a pick ‘em, which shows how close
many figure this game to be. Both teams finished fourth in their conferences
before pulling some upsets in the CAA and NEC tournaments to get an automatic
bid.
Jason Brickman is one of the best point
guards in the country (p/c: NY post).
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Even without Boyd, this team is full of talent. Point guard
Jason Brickman gets the high powered offense going ( LIU averages 79.5 points
per game, fifth in the country) as a great facilitator who protects the ball
and has improved his jump shot this past season. Senior shooting guard C.J.
Garner can cook. In my opinion Garner,
who averaged an absurd 28 points per game in the conference tournament, is the
most important player on the team and if he gets going you have no chance of
beating the Blackbirds.
The name every JMU fan will soon know is reigning NEC player
of the year Jamal Olasewere. Olasewere is as big-time as they come and is the
conferences best chance at having a player drafted this summer. Olasewere is at
his best with his back to the basket but you have to respect his outside game
and is a force rebounding.
The key to beating LIU is slowing down their tempo, which
could bode well for James Madison. The Dukes are a solid defensive team and did
a tremendous job not only slowing the tempo down against Delaware
and Northeastern, but taking their best player out of the game (Devon Saddler for
Delaware and
Joel Smith for Northeastern).
The Dukes need Rayshawn Goins to win. |
I do think JMU is capable of slowing the game down against
LIU but they cannot win without forward Rayshawn Goins, who was just arrested
on charges of obstruction of justice and disorderly conduct. Goins is the teams
leading scorer and his match-up against Olasewere would be fun to watch.
Other names for JMU fans to know: LIU freshman E.J. Reed is
a stretch-forward who gives a solid 20 minutes a game. He has a reliable jump
shot and is a good rebounder. Guard Brandon Thompson is a good glue guy and
forward Kenny Onyechi is a bruiser on the block.
JMU freshman Ron Curry is going to have to be big off the
bench. If Devon Moore can do enough to pester Jason Brickman and A.J.
Davis/Curry/Andre Nation can keep Garner in the high teens in scoring, no one
will be surprised if the Dukes win.
Prediction: Even if Goins plays, I think LIU has too much
depth and size for the Dukes. LIU 78, JMU 72.
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