Let's face it -- all the Valley teams are playing bad...
Even the one that's gotten the best early season press -- Wichita State -- being ranked in some people's top 25..
..the Shockers have gotten hammered when they've been away from home, and had unimpressive wins over texas Southern (79-67) and Chaminade (Chaminade hit 46% from 3-pt and and forced 21 Shocker turnovers)
But here are what I think are the top surprises in Valley stats......
#10 Nobody has more than 1.5 steals per game - that means there isn't a Valley player anywhere in the NATION's top 100! (Warren has 1.4)
Supportive evidence of lousy defense in the MVC?
#9 Mamadou Seck (10.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 61.3 FG%) may just be the surprise player in the MVC this year despite SIU's bad 5-5 start, and despite Greg McDermott getting the better pub..
#8 only two players in the entire MVC average over 3.8 assists per game!
#7 only 8 players total shoot better than 39.4% from 3-pt (Warren 42%)
#6 BU's FT shooting was great last year but we're only 9th best in the MVC this year
#5 Among players who have attempted at least 4 FT per game, only TWO are over 80%! (Andrew Warren 42-48, 87.5% & Jake Koch 8-33, 81.8%)
#4 with no other real shoters, defenses can focus on Andrew Warren, yet AW still leads the MVC at 17.7 ppg
#3 Illinois State is 7-3 and have only played one game that they should have lost - and as bad as BU is shooting, ISU still has a way worse 3-pt shooting pct. of only 28.3%, and all their best shooters and players are healthy
#2 Carlton Fay (33 attempts-15%) and Kenny Lawson (27 attempts-26%) and Justin Clark (32 attempts-22%) have almost as many or even MORE 3-pt shot attempts than most of the TOP 15 guys in the official MVC 3-point FG Pct. stats!
In other words...all the guys who can shoot are launching way fewer shots than all the guys who can't shoot -- could this just maybe be the key to why the Valley is so bad?
#1 the Valley overall is a miserable 51-38 with virtually no real quality wins...
Here are the scoring averages and where they rank for the MVC preseason All Conference selections
1st team--
Ahelegbe - 11.1 - T20th, 2.6 asst
Lawson - 12.9 8th
Maniscalco - out for season
Murry - 11.1 - T20th
Weems 15.3 2nd
Hon. Mention-
Taylor Brown - out for season
Durley - 11.9 12th
Leonard - only avg. 9.1 - way off the pace
Colt Ryan - 15.3 3rd
Van Deest - 12.1 11th
Andrew Warren - 17.7 1st
Other current top performing players who did NOT get preseason mention...
-Dwayne Lathan (InSU) - 15.2 ppg
-Antoine Young (CU) - 14.1 ppg
-David Kyles (WSU) - 14.0 ppg
-Doug McDermott (CU) 12.9 ppg
-Carl Richard (InSU) - leading the valley with 8.6 rebounds per game
-Rayvonte Rice (DU) - 12.3 ppg, 1.5 steals
Even the one that's gotten the best early season press -- Wichita State -- being ranked in some people's top 25..
..the Shockers have gotten hammered when they've been away from home, and had unimpressive wins over texas Southern (79-67) and Chaminade (Chaminade hit 46% from 3-pt and and forced 21 Shocker turnovers)
But here are what I think are the top surprises in Valley stats......
#10 Nobody has more than 1.5 steals per game - that means there isn't a Valley player anywhere in the NATION's top 100! (Warren has 1.4)
Supportive evidence of lousy defense in the MVC?
#9 Mamadou Seck (10.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 61.3 FG%) may just be the surprise player in the MVC this year despite SIU's bad 5-5 start, and despite Greg McDermott getting the better pub..
#8 only two players in the entire MVC average over 3.8 assists per game!
#7 only 8 players total shoot better than 39.4% from 3-pt (Warren 42%)
#6 BU's FT shooting was great last year but we're only 9th best in the MVC this year
#5 Among players who have attempted at least 4 FT per game, only TWO are over 80%! (Andrew Warren 42-48, 87.5% & Jake Koch 8-33, 81.8%)
#4 with no other real shoters, defenses can focus on Andrew Warren, yet AW still leads the MVC at 17.7 ppg
#3 Illinois State is 7-3 and have only played one game that they should have lost - and as bad as BU is shooting, ISU still has a way worse 3-pt shooting pct. of only 28.3%, and all their best shooters and players are healthy
#2 Carlton Fay (33 attempts-15%) and Kenny Lawson (27 attempts-26%) and Justin Clark (32 attempts-22%) have almost as many or even MORE 3-pt shot attempts than most of the TOP 15 guys in the official MVC 3-point FG Pct. stats!
In other words...all the guys who can shoot are launching way fewer shots than all the guys who can't shoot -- could this just maybe be the key to why the Valley is so bad?
#1 the Valley overall is a miserable 51-38 with virtually no real quality wins...
Here are the scoring averages and where they rank for the MVC preseason All Conference selections
1st team--
Ahelegbe - 11.1 - T20th, 2.6 asst
Lawson - 12.9 8th
Maniscalco - out for season
Murry - 11.1 - T20th
Weems 15.3 2nd
Hon. Mention-
Taylor Brown - out for season
Durley - 11.9 12th
Leonard - only avg. 9.1 - way off the pace
Colt Ryan - 15.3 3rd
Van Deest - 12.1 11th
Andrew Warren - 17.7 1st
Other current top performing players who did NOT get preseason mention...
-Dwayne Lathan (InSU) - 15.2 ppg
-Antoine Young (CU) - 14.1 ppg
-David Kyles (WSU) - 14.0 ppg
-Doug McDermott (CU) 12.9 ppg
-Carl Richard (InSU) - leading the valley with 8.6 rebounds per game
-Rayvonte Rice (DU) - 12.3 ppg, 1.5 steals
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