|
By
Channing McCarthy
NBADraft.net
3/25/08
We now turn
our attention to the Midwest Region, which could also be identified
as the battle ground of David and Goliath. Consider this, before
the start of this tournament, both Kansas and Wisconsin had more
Final Four appearances this decade than Davidson had total tournament
wins. But as the classic cliché states…. that was then,
this is now. With that said, let’s delve into the indispensable
pieces of the Midwest.
| |
| |
 |
| |
| |
Sherron
Collins
Icon SMI |
Sherron Collins
(Kansas)
When college
basketball insiders discuss the Jayhawks words like relentless,
overwhelming, and deep are often mentioned. Perhaps more than any
other player on KU’s roster, current Big 12 6th man of the
year, Sherron Collins epitomizes the depth that the boys from Lawrence
possess. Since he was such a highly touted prospect coming out of
high school, at first glance, from a statistical standpoint (9.5ppg,
2 rebs, 2.9apg, 1.1 stl, 47% fg) it might appear that Collins has
been some what of a disappointment. What the stats don’t show
is that in addition to having to share the point guard position
with both Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson (both players average
more minutes per game than Collins), Collins is one of the best
tempo dictators in all of college basketball. On the defensive end,
he does a tremendous job hassling and muscling up the opposition,
often taking them out of their comfort zone and causing them to
turn the ball over. Offensively, he possesses tremendous speed and
explosion; which is why he is so effective in the open court. Collins’
regional semi-final match up with Scottie Reynolds and Cory Fisher
will be pivotal. Look for Collins to make both of those players
work extremely hard for their offensive production, while both Collins
and Mario Chalmers will look to tire them on the defensive end by
pushing the pace offensively. Aside from adding great depth and
point guard play, Collins is the Jayhawks top go-to player in the
clutch. If Kansas is to win it all this year, Collins scoring ability
will surely be a factor.
Michael
Flowers (Wisconsin)
Although I’m sure the Badger senior guard is quite happy about
making a return trip to the sweet 16 (Flowers was a freshmen on
the 04-05 Badger squad that reached the Elite 8); I do not envy
him in the least, as in a few days his defensive assignment will
be the nightmare that is Stephen Curry. Although Wisconsin possesses
a solid amount of offensive balance (five players average between
12 and 8 points per game), they are not a particularly explosive
team. Simply put they can not afford to get into a high octane scoring
bout with Davidson. If Wisconsin is going to win, they are going
to do so by slowing down the tempo of the game, making Curry work
for his points, and being efficient offensively. The play of Flowers
is going to be instrumental in the Badgers attempt to accomplish
these goals. While Flowers regular season numbers were solid at
best (9.5ppg, 3.8rpg, 2.7apg, 1.7stl, 41% 3pt), he has upped his
level of play this post season considerably; through two tournament
games he is averaging 12 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4 assists. This
trend will need to continue as in addition to Davidson, both Kansas
and Villanova are uber-talented at the guard positions.
Jason
Richards (Davidson)
Lost in the pandemonium that is Curry-mania, is the fact that Davidson
is home to the nation’s leader in assists per game; senior
guard Jason Richards. Out of all the player’s featured in
this series, Richards’ level of play might be the most critical
to his team. Starting with Wisconsin, Davidson’s opponents
are in all likelihood going to adopt two strategies. Either they
are going to let Curry score his points, and lock down the other
Wildcat players, or the defensive emphasis will be focused on containing
Curry, and forcing his supporting cast to beat them. In either case,
as Davidson’s second best player, how the Wildcats combat
these tactics starts with Richards. So far, Richards has certainly
stepped up as he is averaging 17.5 points per game in tournament
play thus far (including 20 against the notoriously stingy Georgetown
Hoyas). Lastly, although Richards’ assists averages are mind
boggling, keep in mind that he averaged 2.94 turnovers per game
during the regular season, and with the caliber of defensive pressure
he is certain to face, those type of numbers could spell doom for
this intriguing upstart.
Dante Cunningham (Villanova)
Because Villanova
is currently built around a backcourt that consists of a sophomore
and a freshman, it’s sometimes hard to remember that this
is a school that is just two years removed from an Elite 8 appearance.
Being one of just three players on the 05-06 Wildcats, junior swingman,
Dante Cunningham is likely sharing with his teammates that often
times in tournament play it is the hottest team that is victorious;
not necessarily the best (hence the aforementioned 05-06 Villanova
team that ran into a buzz saw otherwise known as the University
of Florida). In addition to providing a wealth of valuable experience,
Cunningham is arguably the most versatile player that coach Jay
Wright has. At a legitimate 6”8, Cunningham has the size to
be an efficient post presence (over 54% from the field), yet is
active and mobile enough to be an intimidating defensive disruption
(averages of nearly a block a game and 1.3 steals). With Darrell
Arthur, Brandon Rush, and Darnell Jackson looming (all of who average
atleast 5 rebounds), a very large portion of Villanova’s success
will be contingent upon Cunningham keeping the Jayhawk frontline
from completely dominating the glass.
|
